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Clan Hay - Castles & Vampires
Who would have thought that some of the inspiration for Dracula, the quintessential vampire novel set between England and deepest, darkest Transylvania would have come from one of the Hay family castles? We just had to investigate further to find out more about what Bram Stoker saw in New Slains Castle near Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire.
History of New Slains Castle
Clan Hay has long been a prominent family in Aberdeenshire, with the family’s local seat of power being Old Slains Castle near Collieston. However, that castle wasn’t destined to last. Francis Hay became the ninth Earl of Erroll in 1585 and became embroiled in a rebellion after he converted to Catholicism. He conspired with fellow Catholic nobles including the Earl of Huntly to reverse the Scottish Reformation. King James VI declared Francis Hay a traitor when the plot was discovered, and blew up Old Slains Castle in retaliation.
New Slains Castle was built as a replacement some time later, after Francis Hay renounced Catholicism in 1597, meaning he once again returned to royal favour. A new castle was built close to the site of the older castle, and although it was originally called Bowness, the castle was soon renamed New Slains.
Bram Stoker and his association with the area
Bram Stoker’s first visit to Cruden Bay was as part of a walking tour in 1893, and the writer fell in love with the place. His day job, and what he was best known for during his lifetime, was as the general manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, and as a personal assistant to Sir Henry Irving, an actor and owner of the Lyceum.
After that first trip up north to Aberdeenshire, Stoker returned every summer until 1910, spending around a month in Cruden Bay each time. He was so taken with the place that he even set two of his novels in the village: The Watter’s Mou’, which was written in 1895, and The Mystery of the Sea (1902).
The Watter’s Mou is a love story centred around the smuggling trade in the early nineteenth century, and The Mystery of the Sea is a political thriller that tells the story of an Englishman living in Aberdeenshire who falls in love with an American heiress who is caught up in the Spanish-American War. Both are intriguing tales inspired by the wild beauty of the area, but are a far cry from Dracula, that most famous of horror stories!
He often stayed at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel, which is where he started writing Dracula in 1895. His guestbook entry from that stay can still be seen at the hotel today. It reads:
“Delighted with everything and everybody and hope to come again.”
Inspiration for Dracula
It was here, in the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel, that Stoker began writing his famous novel according to the biography written by Harry Ludlam:
“Jonathan Harker’s alarming experiences in the Castle Dracula, comprising the first chapters of the book, were written at Cruden Bay.”
This information came from Bram Stoker’s son, Noel, who was 15 years old at the time of the 1895 stay in Cruden Bay.
New Slains Castle is an imposing sight even now that it’s ruined, sitting atop a cliff that towers over the village. It was in pristine condition in Stoker’s day, and there’s no doubt that he took great inspiration from it when conjuring up Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania. The novel’s main character, Jonathan Harker, describes setting foot inside the castle for the first time:
The Count halted, putting down my bags, closed the door, and crossing the room, opened another door which led into a small octagonal room lit by a single lamp, and seemingly without a window of any sort.
This description exactly matches the floor plan of New Slains Castle. Compare Stoker’s prose with this excerpt from the sales document for the castle, written in 1922:
“On the Principle Floor: Entrance Hall (heated with stove) leading to Central Octagonal Interior Hall (heated with stove and lighted from above)...”
The octagonal room survives to this day, and can still be seen on a visit to the castle. It’s been said that Stoker was invited by the 18th Earl of Erroll to visit New Slains Castle, where he’s sure to have soaked up the atmosphere of the candle lit hallways, and gazed in awe at the majesty of the building.
Just imagine standing in that octagonal room, hearing the waves crashing on the rocks below and making your way through the maze of corridors with only a flickering candle to guide your way! No wonder Bram Stoker was inspired by this magnificent building.
New Slains Castle today
Bram Stoker passed away in 1912, two years after his last visit to Cruden Bay and sadly, New Slains Castle deteriorated soon after. It was sold in 1913, ending more than 300 years of occupation by Clan Hay. The roof was removed in 1925 to avoid paying taxes on it, and the building has since deteriorated.
It remains an imposing site, however, and you can still visit it if you want to walk in the footsteps of Bram Stoker and discover your very own Dracula trail in this historic house of Clan Hay!
