Chris WalkerDecember 06, 2018Moray, Great Places, Wolf of Badenoch, Elgin, Forres, cathedral

The Wolf of Badenoch

Chris WalkerDecember 06, 2018Moray, Great Places, Wolf of Badenoch, Elgin, Forres, cathedral

Cathedral and Toun

Wyld wrath did engulf

Lone Lochindorb Castle

The lair of the Wolf

From his isolated island stronghold at Lochindorb Castle, the infamous Alexander Stewart, or the Wolf of Badenoch as he became known, inflicted a reign of terror upon the lands of Moray.

His father, King Robert II of Scotland, granted Alexander the title Lord of Badenoch in 1371. His marriage to Euphemia, Countess of Ross further extended his territory and powers and he acquired the title, Earl of Buchan. When his wife proved unable to bear a child Alexander dismissed her to make way for his mistress. The Bishop of Moray had refused his request to annul the marriage and sent a messenger to inform Alexander of his excommunication from the church. The Wolf’s retribution was swift and in 1390, he descended from his fortress and set alight the towns of Forres and Elgin.

According to legend, one night the Wolf of Badenoch was visited by a man cloaked in black, who engaged him in a game of chess. When the visitor declared ‘checkmate’ there was an almighty storm and in the morning the Wolf was found dead within the castle. Whatever his true fate, the Wolf of Badenoch remains one of the darkest and most formidable characters in the history of Scotland.