The Fairy Cup at Duffus Castle

Duffus Castle can be seen for miles among the fertile farmland in the Laich of Moray, north of Elgan. After an uprising by the "men of Moray" against King David I of Scotland in 1130, the King sent Freskin north as a representative of royal authority. He was given the estate of Duffus and built an earthwork and timber castle by 1151.

 

Freskin's son William adopted the title of "de Moravia" (of Moray). By 1200, the Moray family had become the most powerful family in northern Scotland, giving rise to the Earls of Sutherland and Clan Murray.

There is a Scottish legend associated with Duffus Castle.

The castle once possessed a silver cup known as the Fairy Cup. One day, Lord Duffus was walking in the fields near the castle when he heard what sounded like a whirlwind. Soon after, he heard the voices of nearby fairies calling out "Horse and Hattock!"

Unaware of this phrase fairies use to transport from place to place, Lord Duffus answered the fairies by yelling "Horse and Hattock"! He was instantly transported to a strange wine cellar where he began to drink until he fell asleep.

The next morning, he was taken to the King of France, whose cellar he had been found sleeping in. He told the King what had happened, and the King presented Lord Duffus with the silver cup he had been found with in his hand and sent him back to Scotland. He returned to Duffus Castle with the silver cup, now a wiser man, never again calling out "Horse and Hattock!"