Building record MAB28829 - PITSLIGO CASTLE

Remains of a castle.

Remains of a castle. The nucleus is a tower-house thought to have been built circa 1424, of which two storeys survive the third having been demolished in circa 1700. The east wall has largely fallen, revealing vaulted hall. There is a straight stair in the thickness of the wall from the ground to first floor, with spiral stairs, now gutted, above. In the latter half of the 16th Century the tower-house was incorporated with a large quadrangular mansion which occupies a position near the west end of the south front. It has a round tower on exterior of the northeast angle and a square porch tower on inner angle. An entrance transe sits in the centre of the north range. This mansion, which encloses a courtyard, seems never to have been completed. There are vague traces of a possible ditch to the west and south. Large walled forecourt with coped walls, outer gate on the centre of the W side with a semi-circular arch with edge roll moulding and date panel 1656. An extensive walled garden lies to north. Built by family of Forbes of Pitsligo, but confiscated after the 1745 rebellion, the property was sold to the Gardens of Troup and subsequently was left to ruin. It was later repurchased by the Forbes family, but not repaired. All of the buildings are in a ruinous condition. There are Royal coat-of-arms panels dated 1579 and 1603, and a Pitsligo arms panel dated 1665. The property was acquired by American descendant Malcolm Forbes in 1988. After his death, it was presented to the N.E.S.P.T. by his son. A watching brief was carried out in April 1998 on excavation for a foundation pit for the concrete base of props needed to control the bulging of the south wall of the tower. This recorded a probably spread of builders material from the construction or alteration of one phase of the castle. A geophysical survey was carried out over three areas around the castle remains in August 2008 by Orkney College Geophysical Unit (for MAS) to determine buried garden features. The resistance survey detected several anomalies that appear to relate to the possible garden features, although many of them are ephemeral. The clearest results were recorded in Areas B and C where the locations of walls and possible paths were identified. In September 2009 six evaluation trenches were excavated in the garden based on the survey results. Three pit features were found in Trench 4, beneath the formal garden layout, suggesting that they may belong to the pre-17th century garden or relating to the earlier stages of the castle. In April 2010, a watching brief was undertaken by MAS over the excavation of a series of five test pits evaluating the North range of the castle to assess the depth of wall foundations. A test pit inside the courtyard revealed a stone drain running along the wall below a series of capstones.

Period Notes
Original tower house built 1424; third demolished in c.1700; in latter half of 16thC the tower-house was incorporated with a large mansion; roll moulding and date panel 1656. Royal coat-of-arms panels dated 1579 and 1603, and a Pitsligo arms panel dated 1665. The property was acquired by American descendant Malcolm Forbes in 1988.

GR/99/CT359-362, GR/99/CT359-362 (Ground Photograph). SAB37032.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 05/06/2009 P.2 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 12/1/10, p.4 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 13/06/88 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 20/06/88 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 20/07/80 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

FITTLER, 1804, SCOTIA DEPICTA, PL3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB525.

COOK, P, 1843, ABDN & BANFF(SPALDING CLUB), 439 (Bibliographic reference). SAB278.

PRATT, J. B., 1858, BUCHAN: A TOPOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION, 84 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1410.

SCOTT, D, 1887, GRASS OF PARNASSUS FROM THE BENTS O’BUCHAN , 61, illus (Bibliographic reference). SAB1620.

MACGIBBON, D, 1892, THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND, 1-5, 294,297 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1140.

MOIR, J, 1897, A NEW HISTORY OF BUCHAN FROM THE EARLIEST TIMES, 447 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1179.

GILES, J, 1936, DRAWINGS OF ABERDEEN CASTLES, XXXI,XXI (Bibliographic reference). SAB587.

MORRIS, EW, 1955, S S REV, 16/07/55 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1180.

SIMPSON, WD, 1956, PITSLIGO CASTLE, ROSEHEARTY, ABERDEENSHIRE. IN PSAS 88 (1954-6) 125-9, 125-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1687.

TRANTER, N, 1970, FORTIFIED HOUSE IN SCOT VOL 4, 75-76 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1918.

SCOTTISH MONUMENTS SURVEY, 1990, JAMES GILES - ABERDEENSHIRE CASTLES, p.19 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1738.

MCKEAN, C, 1991, THE HOUSE OF PITSLIGO. PSAS 121 (1991), 369-390 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5061.

HUNTER, L, 1998, PITSLIGO CASTLE, 13/10/98 (Bibliographic reference). SAB828.

PITSLIGO CASTLE

SHEPHERD, I, 1998, PITSLIGO CASTLE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF, 31 MARCH 1998, WB report (Bibliographic reference). SAB1726.

GROVES-RAINES ARCHITECTS Ltd., 2007, PROPOSALS FOR CONSOLIDATION & REPAIR OF PITSLIGO C (Bibliographic reference). SAB2600.

BOGDAN, N, 2008, EARLY CASTLES OF ABERDEENSHIRE (Bibliographic reference). SAB3811.

ORKNEY COLLEGE GEOPHYSICS UNIT, 2009, PITSLIGO CASTLE GEOPHYSICAL SURVEY (Bibliographic reference). SAB1388.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2010, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND: VOL 10, 2009, p.27-28 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3514.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2010, PITSLIGO CASTLE GARDENS - EXCAVATION & RECORDING (Bibliographic reference). SAB4664.

MURRAY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES, 2010, PITSLIGO CASTLE: EXCAVATION & RECORDING OF TEST PITS (Bibliographic reference). SAB4678.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2011, DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND. NEW SERIES, VOLUME 11, 2010, p.27-8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB5535.

FORBES, A, 2021, SOME FORBES CASTLES IN SCOTTISH CASTLES ASSOCATION JOURNAL 27, 38-44 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4189.

Apr 25 1989 , IU 22-34, IU 22-34 (Ground Photograph). SAB33671.

Feb 15 2000 , AAS/00/04/CT72-6, AAS/00/04/CT72-6 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12646.

Feb 15 2000 , AAS/00/04/G14/-2, AAS/00/04/G14/-2 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12645.

Jan 1 1979 , JE 2-10, JE 2-10 (Ground Photograph). SAB33706.

Jan 1 1991 , AAS/GR/91/CT88, AAS/GR/91/CT88 (Ground Photograph). SAB32835.

Jan 1 1998 , AAS/GR/98/CT428-42,754-58, AAS/GR/98/CT428-42,754-58 (Ground Photograph). SAB33100.

Jan 1 1998 , ABS-GR-14-05-002 - 004, ABS-GR-14-05-002 - 004 (Ground Photograph). SAB13481.

Jul 1 1995 , AAS/GR/95/CT143,196-197, AAS/GR/95/CT143,196-197 (Ground Photograph). SAB32920.

Jul 2 1996 , AAS/96/06/CT14-15,17-20, AAS/96/06/CT14-15,17-20 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16414.

Jul 2 1996 , AAS/96/06/CT37, AAS/96/06/CT37 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB19630.

Jul 2 1996 , AAS/96/06/G18/22-4, AAS/96/06/G18/22-4 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB16413.

Jul 24 1992 , AAS/92/06/G5/7-9, AAS/92/06/G5/7-9 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB14879.

Jun 11 2016 , AAS/GR/16/06/116-223, AAS/GR/16/06/116-223 (Ground Photograph). SAB33951.

Mar 1 2011 , AAS/2011/2/DG3353-63, AAS/2011/2/DG3353-63 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB13346.

May 1 1989 , AAS/GR/89/CT194-212, AAS/GR/89/CT194-212 (Ground Photograph). SAB32737.

Author unknown, n.d., BUCHAN OBSERVER, 14/10/86 (Bibliographic reference). SAB113.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, No5,102 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Author unknown, n.d., NSA, VOL 12,938 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1269.

Sep 4 1993 , LO 19-22, LO 19-22 (Ground Photograph). SAB33900.

Sep 4 2009 , REC PHOTO IMAGES, REC PHOTO IMAGES (Ground Photograph). SAB20015.

Sep 15 1988 , HU 4-15, HU 4-15 (Ground Photograph). SAB14878.

Record last edited

Mar 13 2025 10:46AM