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Castles in Angus

Affleck Castle

Affleck Castle, also known as Auchenleck Castle, is a tall L-plan tower house dating from the 15th century, 1 mile west of Monikie Parish Church, Angus, Scotland. It is a category A listed building.

Airlie Castle

Airlie Castle is a mansion house near the junction of the Isla and Melgund rivers, 9 kilometres west of Kirriemuir.

A castle was built on the site in c. 1432 and was burnt out in 1640, with a mansion house being built incorporating and on top of some of the ruins in c. 1792–93 and is occupied.

Aldbar Castle

Aldbar Castle, or Auldbar Castle, was a 16th-century tower house, located 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Brechin.
Aldbar (sometimes Auldbar) Castle was a 16th century four-storey tower house, greatly extended in the baronial style during the 19th century, which was demolished in 1965.

Originally the property of the Crammond family, it was sold to John Lyon, 8th Lord Glamis (c.1544-75) in 1575.

Subsequently the castle passed through the hands of the Sinclairs, Youngs and the Chalmers family, who were responsible for the extensions added c.1810.

Ardestie Castle

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It is unclear when Ardestie Castle was built, however it is believed to have shared similar features, albeit on a larger scale, with Affleck Castle and Hynd Castle which may suggest a date in the late 15th century. Although the foundations were apparently still visible in 1853, not much now remains. Much of the stone from the castle was evidently used to build farm buildings, and two cottages feature door lintels with 17th century dates. One is inscribed “C I C P 1688” (believed to be Countess Jean Campbell of Panmure), while the other carries “D I A : 1625”, above which is a fleur-de-lis. Three further sculptured stones from a chapel within the castle were found on the site. Two of the stones feature the initials “I H S” and the symbol of a heart pierced by three nails. The third stone carries the initials “M A R” (possibly representing Lady Margaret Hamilton, Countess of Panmure) within a rope-style moulding, and below the letters is another heart pierced with three nails and a sword. During the second half of the 17th century Ardestie Castle was the main residence of the Earls of Panmure until the completion of Panmure House, and James Maule, the 4th and last Earl of Panmure, was born at the castle in 1658. There isn’t much left to see on the site, which is now occupied by boarding kennels and named Ashbank. The cottage with the lintel from 1688 is now used as an outbuilding, while the 1625 lintel seems to have been lost.

Auchmull Castle

A tower about 30′ square which was probably built in 1601, by one of the Lindsays of Edzell. It was occupied as a farmhouse until about 1772 and thereafter was used as a quarry for building material for the neighbouring farm-house, and a heraldic stone bearing the Lindsay and Wishart arms and the date 1601 was found in the demolition of a nearby cottage in the mid 18th century. By 1860 parts of the north and south and the whole of the west end still stood 3′ high, with a 2 1/2′ thick wall. The remainder was just traceable. By 1881 the castle had entirely disappeared.

Auchterhouse Castle

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Auchterhouse Castle is a c. 13th century castle located northwest of Dundee, Angus, Scotland. The original castle was enclosed with walls, towers, and contained a keep. The castle may have been in ownership of the Ramsay family, who were hereditary Sheriffs of Angus. Sir William Wallace is alleged to have stayed at the castle and one its towers was named in his honour. King Edward I of England spent the night of the 20 July 1303 at the castle. The castle came into the possession of James Erskine, 7th Earl of Buchan who may have built the 17th century tower house.

Auchtermeggities Castle

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Auchtermeggities is in the parish of Rescobie and the county of Angus.

Grid reference: NO 55273 49705Can’t find any information on this castle

Baikie Castle

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Baikie Castle stood on a raised knoll at the west edge of the (now drained) Loch of Baikie, also referred to as a marsh or moss, and was surrounded by a moat. A drawbridge and stone causeway gave access to the castle, which consisted of an L-shaped tower with turrets within the angles. Built on a courtyard plan, the castle had massively strong walls, with stables and storerooms on the north side of the yard and servants’ quarters on the south side. It is thought to have been built in the 13th century by the Fenton family, John Fenton having been Sheriff of Angus in 1261. It remained in their hands until the mid-15th century when it passed to the Glamis family. By 1833 there was apparently nothing visible of Baikie Castle, having been “totally obliterated by the plough.” The New Statistical Account of Scotland (published between 1834 and 1845) mentions that some remains could still be seen at the time of the First Statistical Account (published between 1791 and 1792). This is contradicted by Andrew Jervise who, writing in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries in 1864, states that the last traces of the causeway and castle were removed a few years previously, and that the remains of the thick walls showed that it was a strong structure and square in plan. Today the site is totally changed and is unrecognisable from its past, being a simple field next to a sawmill. A farmhouse which was knocked down in the 20th century may have been built with stone from Baikie Castle

Balcraig Castle

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Balcraig Castle stood on the western flank of Hatton Hill about half a mile south of the village of Newtyle.

In 1317 King Robert the Bruce rewarded Sir William Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie with a number of grants of land including Gasknes, Newtyle, Kinpurnie, Auchtertyre, Balcrais, Muirhouse and Hazelhead.

It is not known when the castle of Balcraig was constructed but it was superseded in 1575 when Hatton Castle was erected by the 4th Lord Oliphant nearby. The only known representation of Balcraig is in Timothy Pont’s map of the area circa 1590, when it was still standing.

It has been suggested that Balcraig was of wooden construction but this is not supported by the fact that a number of boulder stones were ploughed up in the vicinity of the site of the old castle some forty years ago (circa 1970). The size of the stones suggested that they were the foundations of a stone fortalice. There is also a diary record of the blowing up of the castle at Newtyle. Hatton Castle, although ruinous until it was restored in the 1980s, was still standing, rather, it had had some major repairs by its owners. The Ordnance Gazeteer of Scotland states that: “The ruins of Hatton Castle and the scanty vestiges of Balcraig have both been separately noticed”. Since a wooden structure would not have survived from 1317 to 1884, the “scanty vestiges” visible must have been stone.

Balfour Castle

Balfour Castle was a baronial mansion at Balfour Mains, Angus, Scotland. The castle which was built in the 16th century is largely demolished except for a six storey circular tower. A farm house has been built incorporating some of the ruins in c. 1845.

Balintore Castle

Balintore Castle, is located 3 miles north of Kirriemuir in Angus north of the Loch of Lintrathen.

Though a tower house by the name of Balintor had existed on site in the late 16th century, the present-day Balintore Castle was designed in 1859 by William Burn, commissioned as a sporting lodge by David Lyon, MP. Lyon had inherited his family’s millions which were made through investments in the East India Company.

Balintore Castle was built in Scottish Baronial style, with many towers and gables, while the Great Hall is the centrepiece of the castle’s interior. The castle is also home to a gallery, several bedrooms, brushing room, beer cellar, a lumber room, dining room, library, a women servant’s sitting room and a butler’s pantry despite the fact that Balintore was only ever used during shooting season.

In the 1960s the castle was abandoned due to deterioration issues and was standing vacant until 2007, when Balintore’s condition became so unfavourable that the survival of the structure became endangered. It was at this point that a Scotsman purchased the castle, which is now completely intended for private use only.

Ballinshoe Tower

Ballinshoe is a small fortified tower house near Forfar, and was once part of the Glamis Estate. Built in the 16th century, the tower is rectangular in plan, has two single-room floors, attic space, and an adjacent enclosure. A bartizan is visible in one corner and it looks to me as though there was once a circular tower on the opposite corner where the entrance door is, but I wasn’t going to brave wet grass and nettles to look closer! It was originally the property of the Lindsay family but passed to the Fletchers around the mid-17th century.

Ballumbie Castle

Ballumbie Castle, erected in or about 1545, has been an extensive building, consisting of an enceinte with rount towers at the angles. Two of these towers still exist, with the connecting curtain wall between, as well as one of the side walls. The castle measures about 70′ over the towers, and the ruins of the return wall extend to about the same length. Their height is about 15′ (MacGibbon and Ross 1887-92). Ballumbie was possessed by the Lovells until the beginning of the 17th century. In the E wall is a carved stone bearing the Lovell arms – probably a later insertion. The castle was ruinous by 1682.

Bannatyne House

Bannatyne House is in the parish of Newtyle and the county of Angus. Bannatyne House (Home of Rest) is a small three storey turreted mansion house was built c. 1589 for Thomas Bannatyne, and has late 19th. century additions and alterations. George Bannatyne, author and poet, stayed there at the end of the 16th. century.

Bannatyne House is now a private house and is at present undergoing extensive internal alterations. The N part of the building dates from the 16th century while the S half is a later addition.

Barnyards Castle

Nothing remains of Barnyards Castle, it is thought to have been somewhere in the grounds of the farmhouse.

Barnyards is in the parish of Tannadice and the county of Angus.

Nothing remains now, Baynards Caslte of the Lindsays, the stones from it were used to build Barnyards farmhouse. At the end of the 18th century only two archways remaind of the ruins.
There is no trace of this castle in the vicinity of Barnyards Farm nor could the farmer (Mr G K Smith, Barnyards Farm, Kirriemuir) give any indication of its possible site. There are however several large dressed stones set in the walls of the farm buildings and these may have come from the castle ruins as suggested by Jervise.

Black Jack’s Castle

Site of Black Jack’s Castle

Black Jack Castle, traditionally the first castle of Dunninald, was situated on a small precipitous rocky promontory isolated by a ditch crossed by causeway. Before excavations by J Wilson and E M Wilson (1967) in 1957-61 the only evidence of occupation was the faint trace of a wall or rampart enclosing a rectangular area and extending on the west side towards the seaward end of the promontory.

The excavation revealed no definite evidence of occupation earlier that the 16th century and suggested that the castle was built by Andrew Gray who occupied it from at least 1579 until his death before 1608. It also suggested that the castle has been completely demolished and the dressed stone removed possibly for the building of the second castle to the NW about the end of the 17th century. The only trace of walling was at the SE corner of the area.

Blackness Manor House

Blackness Manor House is in the parish of Dundee and the county of Angus. Can not find anything about the history of this manor house.

Bolshan Castle

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Bolshan was the site of a castle which was removed by the 18th Century.

The castle of Bolshan which as Monipenny’s Scottish Chronicle tells us in 1612, was Lord Ogilvy’s special residence, has passed away with the other monumnets of feudal grandeur. The cemetery and site of the chapel were subjected to the plough before 1767. The last remains of the Castle were removed soon after, and now, for a long while, there has been no other remembrances of the ancient glory of the place, than the peculiar appearance of the soil a little to the west of the present farm house” New Statistical Account The site of this Castle is adopted upon the two first authorities quoted. Some appearance in the soil is now faintly perceptible at times in the course of cultivation as stated by Mr Goodlet, farmer of Beauchamp.

Bonnyton Castle

Site of Bonnyton Castle

The site of the castle of Bonnyton which is said to have been surrounded by a ditch. It belonged to the Wood family.

The Castle fell down in 1785 and its foundation was visible in 1833 but had disappeared by c.1860. The moat was also traceable in 1833.

Two heraldic panels dated 1666 which is assumed to be the date of erection, are inserted into the farm buildings.

No trace of either the castle or the moat remains. The castle must have been situated a short distance NW of the cottage where the ground is elevated. A hollow lies east of the cottage. On the west is a scarp 1.5 – 2.0m high which continues round on the north for c.75m, decreasing in height. A modern drainage ditch runs at the base of this scarp on the north. There is no trace of bank or ditch on the NE. On the SE is an overgrown ditch 4.5m wide and 0.5m deep which may have been part of the original moat, but looks more like an old irrigation ditch, especially as this area is very low lying. On the south is a short stretch of scarp but no ditch. At No 6619 5575 are the two armorial panels built into the wall of a farm-building. Only one is dated and that 1607 not 1667 as stated. There are also three ornamental skew-putts.

The dovecot is a ruinous, rectangular lean-to structure with crow-steps which may date from the 17th century.

Boysack Castle

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Boysack is in the parish of Inverkeilor. Nothing remains. The former House or Castle of Boysack stood on the site of, or very near to, the present farmhouse of Boysack on the south bank of the Lunan Water.

Braikie Castle

Braikie Castle was a 16th century tower house, it is now just ruins. The Castle ruins can be found 1½ mile (2 km) northeast of Kinnell and 6 miles (10 km) north of Arbroath. This modest L-plan tower was built in 1581 and comprises four storeys. A property of the Fraser family, Braikie pass to the Grays around 1750 and later to the Ogilvie family. Still relatively complete, some internal details survive.

Brandy Den Castle

Site of Brandy Den Castle

Thought to be the home of the Lords of Fern in the 14th century, the last remnants of it being removed in the 19th century.

The foundations of a building, said to have been a castle of the Montealts or Montealtos who held Fern 1377 – c. 1410, existed in Brandy Den until the beginning of the 19th century.

Brechin Castle

Brechin Castle is a castle located in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. The castle is the seat of the Earl of Dalhousie, who is the clan chieftain of Clan Maule of Panmure in Angus, and Clan Ramsay of Dalhousie in Midlothian. The original castle was constructed in stone during the 13th century. Most of the current building dates to the early 18th century, when extensive reconstruction was carried out by architect Alexander Edward for James Maule, 4th Earl of Panmure, between approximately 1696 and 1709.

The grounds have been in the Maule-Ramsay family since the 12th century. The castle has been the seat of the Clan Maule since medieval times. The Maule and Ramsay clans were joined under a single chieftain in the 18th century. The seat of the Ramsay clan was moved from Dalhousie Castle to Brechin Castle in the early 20th century.

Careston Castle

Careston Castle, also known as Caraldston Castle, is an L-plan tower house dating from the 16th century, in Careston parish.

The names is said to derive from Keraldus, dempster to the Earls of Angus at the start of the 13th century.

Nothing remains of an earlier castle. The castle was built about 1582 by Sir Henry Lindsay, who became Earl of Crawford in 1620. It was later owned successively by Sir John Stewart of Grantully, by the Skenes, by a farmer, and by John Adamson, a whaling ship owner from Dundee.

Carmyllie Castle

Nothing exists

The foundations of Carmylie Castle can still be traced by Carmylie Farmhouse. “The Rev Mr Headrick (1813)……conjectures that Carmylie and Carnegie, where there was likewise a castle, were originally Caledonian Forts….”

No traces exist. “Mr Kydd states that he was present at the digging up of the old foundations, and many of the stones are now in the outbuildings of the Mains of Carmyllie, also in the walls which divide the fields, some of them have heads carved on them.”

There is now no trace of the castle. A stone bearing a crest can be seen built into the south wall of the barn opposite the farmhouse.

Carnegie Castle

Carnegie Castle was a castle that was located in Angus, Scotland. The Carnegies owned the property between the 15th-18th century. The site of the castle is now farmland. No remains above ground are visible.

The Castle of Carnegie stood about 100yds from the present farmhouse. A small part of the ruins, moss-grown, still remain. The original appearance of the castle is unknown.

Castle of Downie

Nothing Exists

Castle of Downie is in the parish of Monikie.
I can’t find any history on this castle.
Grid reference: NO 5191 3648
Lat / long: 56.5178920, -2.7831446

Castleton of Eassie

site of Castleton of Eassie

Castleton of Eassie is in the parish of Eassie and Nevay.

All that has been found of this castle are the remains of a dry medieval ‘castle’ moat, generally as described by Christison except that the “rampart” on the NE is obviously the result of landscaping and the counterscarp on the NE is mutilated by a modern footpath.

Also some Edward I coins and a spearhead have been found here.

Claverhouse Castle, Glamis

Caverhouse Castle, Glen Ogilvie, Parish of Glamis, Angus. This castle, no longer in existence.
This castle once was a place of considerable strength, having a moat and drawbridge, but its last remains were pulled down c 1826 (Name Book 1861). It belonged to the Ogilvies in the 14th century, and the castle, mentioned in the 17th century, was later owned by Graham of Claverhouse.
There are now no traces of this castle. The farmer states that stones from the castle are often turned up by the plough at the published site.

Clova Castle

Clova Castle, built in the 1500s
The remains of Clova-Castle are situated on a height above the Glen Road. The only extant position is the fragment of a circular stair tower which occupied the SE angle of the castle. The southern segment of this stands at a height of c.3.0m – the rest lay collapsed; but its diameter is c.4.0m, the wall being 1.0m thick. Abutting on the NE are the vague turf-covered foundations of a rectangular area measuring c.9m E-W x 7.7m N-S but undoubtedly the foundations of the main building – plan suggest a possible 16th century date.

Colliston Castle

Colliston Castle, near Arbroath, Scotland, was built in 1545 by Cardinal Beaton, abbot of Arbroath Abbey. It was a Z-plan tower house, and was altered and extended in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The original Z-plan part of the Castle of Colliston was erected in 1583. It consists of a main block with two round towers projecting at opposite corners, and a stair turret rising in one of the re-entrant angles between the main block and tower. This tower, which also houses the entrance to the castle, is corbelled out at the top to form a gabled watch-chamber.

Sir Henry Guthrie sold to Doctor Gordon in 1684.

By 1721 George Chaplin was in possession of Colliston, and was succeeded by his nephew George Robertson Chaplin of Auchengray, and then George Chaplin Child Chaplin, M.D. He died in 1883, and was succeeded by Mr Peebles of Somerset House, London, the next heir of entail.

In 1920 John Hume Adams Peebles-Chaplin sold it to Richard (Dicky) Bruce (Major R.F.D. Bruce), son of the Hon. F. J. Bruce of Seaton, who was a son of the Earl of Elgin. He installed a gun cupboard in part of the original kitchen fireplace in the west tower. This room became the gunroom. In 1929 Dicky Bruce was found dead in the hall with his gun beside him. On the death of her husband his wife married a local (Arbroath) lawyer she was having an affair with and sold the castle to Captain Alfred Knox.

Cortachy Castle

Cortachy Castle is a castellated mansion House at Cortachy, Angus, Scotland, some four miles north of Kirriemuir. The present building dates from the 15th century, preceded by an earlier structure that was owned by the Earls of Strathearn. It was acquired by the Ogilvies in 1473 and substantively modified in the 17th and 19th centuries. In 1820 it was “romanticised”, as was the fashion of the day, by the addition of crenellations, plus other alterations by R & R Dickson. Part of the building was damaged by fire in 1883 and it was extensively rebuilt in the following two years by Kinnear & Peddie.The castle is said to be haunted by the spirit of a drummer

Cossans Castle

Nothing remains

An elevated mound is all that remains to mark the site of Cossans Castle. Mr R Taylor (from Cossans) states that his father removed the last stones of the castle to build the neighbouring farmhouse. He also states that there was a ditch and drawbridge around it (Name Book 1861). Cossans was acquired by the Lyons in the 15th century, and the mansion is next mentioned in 1667. A date stone ’1627′, built over the door of the farmhouse at Cossans, probably came from the old castle (A J Warden 1880-5).

There is now no trace of Cossans Castle or the mound on which it stood.

The remains of this castle were removed in the 19th century: it is said to have been surrounded by a ditch. In 1861 the site, immediately W of the present house of Cossans, was indicated by an elevated mound, and a datestone of 1627 incorporated in the modern house may have come from the castle.

Coull Castle

The castle is built on a rocky bluff overlooking the Tarland burn, it was originally built by the Durward family around 1228 and later to be destroyed by William Wallace. Done so to prevent the English from using it as they were prone to do during their incursions into the area of northern Scotland.

Craig Castle

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Also known as Craig House and House of Craig. Craig Castle is located in the parish of Glenisla.
Craig Castle was a seat of the Ogilvys, and was occupied in the 17th century by Sir John Ogilvy. In 1596 Sir John was declared a traitor and the castle was burned. Later Sir John’s cousin, James Ogilvy, the 7th Lord of Airlie, was created the 1st Earl of Airlie by Charles I at York in 1639, but his refusal to sign the National Covenant meant his family’s castles at Airlie, Craig and Forter were burned by Archibald Campbell, the 8th Earl of Argyll, in 1640. Craig Castle was never rebuilt after its second burning, and it fell into disrepair. A new building, the House of Craig, was built on or near the site of the earlier castle, and probably incorporated part of it. The House of Craig was demolished in the 20th century, and nothing now remains

Craig House, Angus

Craig Castle was built in the 16th century on a square courtyard plan with an outer courtyard to the east, and has been incorporated into the later Craig House which was built in 1637. Two old towers remain from the old castle’s inner courtyard wall, at the south east and south west corners, featuring crow-stepped gables and corbelled parapets. They are still joined together by a section of the old wall, and the entrance would have been close to the south east tower. The south west tower has been incorporated into Craig House. To the south of the outer courtyard the original gateway still stands, flanked by round towers.

Edzell Castle

Edzell Castle is a ruined 16th-century castle, with an early-17th-century walled garden. It is located close to Edzell, and is around 5 miles north of Brechin. The castle was the seat of the Lindsay Lord’s of Edzell who acquired it in 1358 through marriage.

The original castle was a motte and bailey type castle, a little distant to the south west of the present castle and near to the church. It was replaced by a new, more comfortable castle built in the early 16^th century and added to over the years . It was more of a home than a fortress. The village of Slateford had grown up around the castle to service it but it offended the Lindsay Lords and was moved a mile away to the present location at Edzell.

The castle had its share of distinguished visitors. Mary, Queen of Scots visited on 25 August 1562 during her northern expedition to quell the Huntly Rebellion. She slept there for two nights and the room she used was henceforth called the Queen’s Chamber. She held a Privy Council meeting in the castle during her stay.

The castle began the decline into ruin around the time of the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion. The Lindsays were Jacobites and sold to the Earl of Panmure, another Jacobite, to raise money for a regiment. After the failure of the Rebellion the lands were forfeited by the crown and sold to the York Buildings Company. The Company bought many forfeited estates in order to strip them of their assets. The Company were declared bankrupt in 1732. The lands were leased for a number of years before being sold off in 1766 to pay the debts of the Trustees. Any remaining resources were sold to pay their debts. The ruin of the castle was complete.

Ethie Castle

Ethie Castle is a 14th-century castle, situated around 3 miles north of the fishing town of Arbroath in Angus, Scotland. Ethie Castle dates to around 1300, when the monks at nearby Arbroath Abbey built a sandstone keep.

The castle passed through the hands of the de Maxwell family and into the ownership of Scotland’s last Cardinal, David Beaton who was murdered in St. Andrews in 1546. Its association with Cardinal Beaton is still evident as the castle includes a small chapel and the Cardinal’s Sitting Room, with its secret staircase to the Great Hall above.

The castle was purchased in 1665 by the Carnegie family, who later became the Earls of Northesk. The 7th Earl was a Vice Admiral and commanded with Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. As a tribute, the Earl was entitled to incorporate Trafalgar in his arms and this can still be seen set in a dormer at Ethie. In 1928 it was bought by William Cunningham Hector.

The castle was restored by the chief of the Forsyth Clan, Alistair Forsyth and it now serves as the clan’s seat.

Farnell Castle

Farnell Castle is an oblong tower house dating from the late 16th century four miles south of Brechin. The present castle replaces a previous castle on the site, in existence in 1296. The castle originated as the Bishop’s palace of the Bishop of Brechin. Bishop Meldrum called it ‘Palatium Nostrum’ in 1512. It was disposed of in about 1566, supposedly by Donald Campbell. It was turned into a secular castle by Catherine, Countess of Crawford. Subsequently the Earl of Southesk purchased the castle. It was an alms house in the 19th century.

Finavon Castle

Finavon Castle lies on the River South Esk, about a quarter of a mile south of Milton of Finavon village and five miles to the north-east of Forfar. It’s an L Plan Castle of 5 stories.
The estate was the property of the Lindsay Earls of Crawford from 1375, who built the now-ruined castle. David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, married Margaret, the daughter of Cardinal David Beaton, at Finavon in 1546.

Extravagance ruined the Crawford fortunes, and in 1625 the barony of Finavon was disposed of by a forced sale to Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Lord Spynie. It passed through the Carnegie family, the Gordon Earls of Aboyne and the Gardynes.

In 1843 the Castle was bought by Thomas Gardyne of Middleton. Through an 18th-century marriage he came of the old Lindsay stock. His descendant, Lieutenant-Colonel Alan David Greenhill Gardyne died in 1953, leaving the estate to a daughter, Mrs Susan Mazur.

Forfar Castle

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Forfar Castle was an 11th-century castle to the west of Forfar.

The castle was apparently surrounded by water and was used as a royal castle by the Scottish kings Malcolm III, William I and Alexander II. Malcolm used it as a base for raising an army to repel Danish invaders. It was garrisoned by Edward I of England, who visited it in 1296. The Scots recaptured it on Christmas Day, 1308, and slaughtered the garrison. After demolition and rebuilding, it had been abandoned by the 1330s.

No trace of the castle remains above ground, although there were remains up to the 17th century.

Glamis Castle

Since 1376 a castle had been built at Glamis, since in that year it was granted by King Robert II to Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis, husband of the king’s daughter. Glamis has remained in the Lyon (later Bowes-Lyon) family since this time. The castle was rebuilt as an L-plan tower house in the early 15th century

The family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Glamis Castle is the legendary setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and the birthplace of Princess Margaret.

Glamis has been called the most haunted castle in Scotland. Stories of The Monster of Glamis and Earl Beardie are the most well known. Not surprising there are so many stories as in 1034 AD King Malcolm II was murdered at Glamis, where there was a Royal Hunting Lodge.

find out more about Glamis Castle >>

Guthrie Castle

The castle dates back to the 15th century, although much of the present building is of 19th-century origin.
Guthrie Castle comprises a tower house, originally built by Sir David Guthrie (1435–1500), Treasurer and Lord Justice-General of Scotland, in 1468. The Guthrie family later built a house beside the tower. In 1848, the two were linked by a baronial style expansion, to designs by David Bryce. The historic keep remained in the Guthrie family until 1983, with the death of Colonel Ivan Guthrie

In 1984 Guthrie Castle was purchased by Daniel S. Peña, Sr., an American businessman. Peña restored the castle to its 19th-century condition, and built a golf course within the estate in 1994/95. In 2003, the castle and its grounds were opened to the public, for wedding parties, corporate functions and for group bookings.

Hatton Castle

Hatton Castle stands on the lower part of Hatton Hill, the most easterly of the Sidlaw Hills, to the south of Newtyle in Angus, Scotland.

The lands were given to Sir William Olifard (8th chief) in 1317 by Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce’s daughter, Elizabeth, married Sir William Olifard’s son, Sir Walter Olifard, who also inherited the Newtyle estate. The castle was built in 1575,commissioned by Laurence, fourth Lord Oliphant (1527–1593). Hatton Castle is unusual in that it contains a scale and platt staircase incorporated into its original construction. Such a feature was normally only included in larger constructions. The 4th Lord Oliphant also considerably extended another of his many castles, Kellie Castle in Fife, which bears many similarities.

A variety of people lived in Hatton Castle after the Oliphants, including at least one bishop. It is recorded by Marian McNeill, quoting A. Hislop, Book of Scottish Anecdote, that the old Scots custom of ‘compulsory hospitality’ was demonstrated at Hatton Castle: “The Lords Oliphant used to keep a cannon pointed to the road near by their old castle, so as to compel the wayfarers to come in and be regaled”. A cannon is still there today. Hatton was the home of the Masters of Oliphant rather than their fathers, who resided primarily at Aberdalgie and Dupplin Castles.

Hatton Castle was de-roofed in about 1720, after the 1715 Jacobite rising, when it was replaced by the Italian-style Belmont Castle in Meigle, which is now a Church of Scotlandresidential home. Hatton Castle gradually became encrusted by ivy and a home to pigeons and jackdaws, until it was sold by the Kinpurnie Estate for reconstruction. This was done faithfully, initially by Roderick Oliphant of Oliphant, yr and his brother Richard Oliphant of that Ilk, with help from Historic Scotland, so its charm remains much as it was in 1575, including glass hand-made in Edinburgh, in the leaded windows. Under-floor heating was installed (during the reconstruction) to avoid the sight of radiators. The exterior is harled with the traditional pinkish lime-based hand-daub.

Hynd Castle

Hynd Castle is in the parish of Monikie and the county of Angus.

The ruins of Hynd Castle stand on a rounded mound (apparently artificial), close by the Dundee-Brechin road. The remains comprise an area c.12′ square with wall c.10′ high, and c.5′ thick. A doorway exists on one side, and a window on each of the other three sides. The Castle had at one time been surrounded by water and a morass.

Invermark Castle

Invermark Castle is a tall tower house dating back to the 1300s and built to guard the southern end of the strategic pass leading from Deeside.

Much of what you see today comes from a rebuild of the castle in 1526, while in 1605 the defences were further strengthened by the addition of gun loops at ground floor level by the then owner, Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell of Edzell Castle. At the same time he improved the accommodation by removing the original parapet and inserting a top floor and attic.

In 1607 Invermark Castle was used as a refuge by Lord Edzell’s son, on the run after murdering Lord Spynie in Edinburgh, and it continued in use as an occasional family residence until at least 1729.

By 1803 the castle stood in ruins and material from associated outbuildings and from the roof of the castle itself were removed to build the Lochlee Parish Church and the associated manse a few hundred yards away, near what is now the car park at the end of the public road. Many of the slates in the church roof date back to the 1605 alterations to Invermark Castle.

Inverquharity Castle

Inverquharity Castle is a 15th-century tower house in Angus, Scotland. It lies around 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) north-east of Kirriemuir near the River South Esk.

The lands of Inverquharity came to the Ogilvie family around 1420. The castle was first constructed as a rectangular tower in the 1440s, by Alexander Ogilvie, 2nd Lord Inverquharity. In the 16th century a wing was added to form a four-storey L-plan castle.

In 1445 a dispute between Alexander Ogilvy of Inverquharity and the son of the Earl of Crawford from nearby Finavon Castle culminated in the Battle of Arbroath in which Ogilvy and the Earl were killed.

In the late 18th century, the tower was sold by the 5th Ogilvy Baronet, and the wing demolished. The castle decayed until the 1960s, when it was restored and the wing rebuilt. The original 15th-century yett, or iron gate, is still in place. In 2014, a BBC documentary followed the sale of the castle from the owners who had restored and lived there for the previous 40 years. It sold in 2012 for £611,000 and this category A listed building remains a private family home.

Kinnaird Castle

Kinnaird Castle, Brechin, is home to the Earl and Countess of Southesk. Built in the 15th century.

A castle was listed onsite in 1409, when the estate was granted to the Clan Carnegie.After the Battle of Brechin on 18 May 1452, the castle was burnt by Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford as Clan Carnegie had supported King James II of Scotland.

The castle returned to Clan Carnegie ownership in 1855 and was remodeled in Victorian baronial style.

Melgund Castle

Melgund Castle in Angus of Scotland was built by Cardinal David Beaton in 1543 for his favourite mistress Marion Ogilvy .

Melgund Castle remained with their descendants until the 17th century when it passed to the Gordons. The castle is now the property of the Earl of Minto. Although built as a castle, it was more like a stately home with decorative battlements. It was built in imitation of a 15th century keep with 16th century additions.

Montrose Castle

Nothing remains

Montrose Castle was a 12th-century castle built in Montrose, Angus, Scotland. Montrose was created a royal burgh by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century. The castle, once a royal castle, was built as a motte and bailey castle. King Edward I of England accepted John Balliol’s surrender of Scotland at the castle on the 10 July 1296. The castle was destroyed by William Wallace in 1297. The castle was noted to be in ruins in 1488. Nothing now remains above ground.

Red Castle

Red Castle of Lunan is a ruined fortified house on the coast of Angus, Scotland. It is about 4 miles south-southwest of Montrose.