Earl’s Palace; the ruins of the residence of Robert Stewart, half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots,

---

Earl’s Palace; the ruins of the residence of Robert Stewart, half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, who became Earl of Orkney in the late 1500s. The Earl’s Palace is a fine courtyard castle and remains in a remarkable state of completeness. One of the illegitimate sons of James V, Robert Stewart was a notoriously harsh earl, and the gun holes at ground level in every wall of the palace may suggest that he expected trouble.

---

Size: 5306px × 3537px
Location: Birsay, Orkney, Scotland
Photo credit: © Roger Hollingsworth / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: birsay, brough, castle, courtyard, earl, earls, james, mary, orkney, palace, quenn, robert, ruin, scotland, scots, stewart