Corgarff Castle
| Corgarff Castle | |
|
Aberdeenshire | |
|---|---|
 Corgarff Castle from the Lecht Road | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NJ25450867 |
| Location: | 57°9’46"N, 3°14’3"W |
| Village: | Corgarff |
| History | |
| Built Mid-16th century Rebuilt in mid-18th century | |
| Key events: | Razed in 1571 by Adam Gordon |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Restored |
| Owned by: | Historic Scotland |
| Website: | Corgarff Castle |
Corgarff Castle is located slightly west of the village of Corgarff, in Aberdeenshire. It stands by the Lecht road, which crosses the pass between Strathdon and Tomintoul.
Life
The castle was built around 1530 by the Elphinstone family and leased to the Forbes of Towie.[1] In 1571 it was burned by their enemy, Adam Gordon of Auchindoun, resulting in the deaths of Margaret Campbell, Lady Forbes, her children, and numerous others, 26 in total, and giving rise to the ballad Edom o Gordon.
In May 1607 the castle was captured from Alexander, 4th Lord Elphinstone by Alexander Forbes of Towie and his companions, including a piper called George McRobie. They used hammers and battering rams to break down the gate, then fortified the house with a garrison of "Highland thieves and limmers".[2]
In 1626 the castle was acquired by the Earl of Mar. In 1645 it was used as an assembly point by the troops of the Marquis of Montrose. It was burned again in both 1689 and 1716 by Jacobite supporters. It was resettled by the Forbes family in 1745 but had to be forfeited due to their Jacobite leanings.[3]
In 1748 Corgarff was bought by the government and rebuilt and extended as a barracks. A detachment of government troops were stationed there, on the military road from Braemar Castle to Fort George by Inverness. Military use continued as late as 1831, after which the tower was used to suppress illegal whisky distilling in the surrounding area. It remained part of the Delnadamph estate belonging to the Stockdale family until they passed the castle into state care in 1961 and gave the ownership of the castle to the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society.
The castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland and is opened to the public.[4] It has been designated a scheduled ancient monument.[5]
Outside links
- Corgarff Castle: Historic Scotland
- Snow Covered 360 Virtual Tour of Corgarff grounds
References
- ↑ The Castles of Scotland, Martin Coventry
- ↑ Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1885), p. 303.
- ↑ The Castles of Scotland, Martin Coventry
- ↑ CANMORE (RCAHMS) record of Corgarff Castle
- ↑ Corgarff Castle - scheduled monument detail (Historic Environment Scotland)
- W. Douglas Simpson (1927). "Corgarff Castle, Aberdeenshire". Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 61: 48–103. http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-352-1/dissemination/pdf/vol_061/61_048_111.pdf.