Corgarff Castle

Corgarff Castle

Corgarff Castle
Strathdon (nearest town)
Aberdeenshire
Scotland
AB36 8YP

Tel: 01316 688 600
E-Mail: hs.members@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Web: Corgarff Castle

About Corgarff Castle

Corgarff Castle and Barracks

Corgarff Castle is not as ordinary as the visitor might imagine on first seeing it in its lonely moorland setting. The unusual appearance of the little tower is confirmed as the visitor draws near and makes out more clearly its star-shaped perimeter wall.

Corgarff’s story is really two stories. The first takes us from the middle of the 16th century, when the tower was built, through to the close of the 17th century, when it was abandoned. This was the castle’s heyday, when it served as the impressive fortified home of the Forbeses of Corgarff.

The second story takes us from the mid-18th century, when the tower was turned into soldiers’ barracks, through to 1831, when the army abandoned it. For those 95 years, the redcoats in the old tower patrolled Strathdon, hunting down Jacobite sympathisers. Latterly they helped the excisemen stamp out the illegal production and smuggling of whisky.

Residence of the Forbeses

The original castle was built around 1550 by a branch of Clan Forbes. It was typical of contemporary small houses of the gentry throughout the country. Its nucleus was the tall tower house. Above a basement for storage was the family’s main living room, the hall. Their private chambers were above. Around the tower house, within a stout stone courtyard wall, there would have been other buildings, including a stable, bakehouse and brewhouse. The latter have all gone, but the lofty tower still stands.

A tale of woe

The first reference to the castle at Corgarff spills onto the pages of history in the winter of 1571. That November, Adam Gordon came with his men to Corgarff. He was laird of Auchindoun Castle, in Glen Fiddich, over the mountains to the north, and his plan was to capture Forbes of Towie. The Forbeses and Gordons were often feuding. The laird of Corgarff was away, but Margaret, his wife, was at home and refused them entry. And so the assailants savagely set fire to the castle, burning Margaret, her family and servants to death in the process. In all, 27 people perished. The tragedy is remembered in the old ballad Edom o Gordon.

Barracks of the redcoats

The arrival of the redcoats after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 resulted in the tower house being gutted internally and transformed into soldiers’ barracks. The high stone-vaulted ceiling of the old hall was removed and an extra timber floor inserted, thereby providing accommodation for the commanding officer, three non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and up to 42 men. Outside, the courtyard buildings and surrounding wall were demolished. They were replaced with two single-storey pavilions and the star-shaped wall, equipped with musket-loops, that gives Corgarff its unrivalled appearance.