Earlier Houses: A 15th century castle was originally on the site of the current house.

Built / Designed For: 17th Duke of Queensberry

House & Family History: The name Drumlanrig comes from the house's setting: it sits on a low hill (drum) at the end of a long (lang) ridge (rig). The cost of rebuilding Drumlanrig virtually put the 17th Duke of Queensberry into bankruptcy. The House has been the property of the dukes of Buccleuch since 1810.

Collections: Drumlanrig contains an exceptional collection of art, including Rembrandt's "Old Woman Reading" and John Merton's 1957 portrait of the Countess of Dalkeith (later the 9th Duchess of Buccleuch), the only painting in the 20th century to receive an "A" award from the Royal Academy. The Drawing Room contains two French cabinets of outstanding merit, each believed to have been presented by King Louis XIV to King Charles II, who, in turn, gave them to his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth. Both cabinets were made for Versailles circa 1675; the larger of the two cabinets has a virtually identical twin in the Getty Museum, Los Angeles, while the smaller has a companion in The Wallace Collection, London. The Drawing Room also contains portraits of Charles II and the Duke of Monmouth by Lely, as well as large portraits of King James I and his Queen, Anne of Denmark, attributed to Paul van Somer. The Staircase Gallery is populated with an abundance of portraits, with all of the ones viewable at eye level by Sir Godfrey Kneller. The silver chandelier of circa 1670 has 16 branches in the form of dolphins and mermaids; it was purchased by the 5th Duke of Buccleuch in 1835, weighs over 120 pounds, and was originally in Whitehall Palace, London. On the morning of August 27, 2003 four men raided Drumlanrig and stole "Madonna With Yarnwinder," the only oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci in private ownership. The painting, which experts say was painted between 1500 and 1510, depicts the Madonna with the infant Jesus holding a cross-shaped yarnwinder, said to symbolize the crucifixion of Jesus. The painting was recovered at a lawyer's office in Glasgow in October 2007 after police officers raided a meeting of five people; the painting is now on loan to the Scottish National Gallery.

Garden & Outbuildings: Drumlanrig is today a 120,000-acre estate.

Vitruvius Britannicus: C. I, pls. 37, 38, 1715. C. IVth. Pls. 45, 46, 1739.

Country Life: XXXIII, 382 plan, 1913. CXXVIII, 378 plan, 434, 488, 1960.

House Listed: Category A

Park Listed: Outstanding

Seat of: Richard Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch and 12th Duke of Queensberry.

Past Seat of: Duke of Queensberry.

Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

Ownership Details: One of the three homes of the Duke of Buccleuch (Bowhill and Boughton are the other two).

House Open to Public: Yes

Phone: 01848-331-555

Fax: 01848-331-682

Email: info@drumlanrigcastle.co.uk

Website: http://www.drumlanrigcastle.co.uk

Historic Houses Member: Yes