Building record MAB5294 - CORGARFF CASTLE

Plain rubble built tower dating to the 16th century, originally the fortified home of the Forbeses of Corgarff.

Plain rubble built tower dating to the 16th century, originally the fortified home of the Forbeses of Corgarff. Built in 1537, it was damaged in 1571 when a party of Gordons from Auchindoun Castle (NJ33NW0012) burned the castle (a deed told in the ballad 'Edom o' Gordon'). In 1715 the Earl of Mar encamped here before raising the Jacobite standard at Braemar. The castle was remodelled after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion and the Battle of Culloden when it was turned into a soldiers' barracks. At this time new wings were appended to each gable wall (one as bakehouse/ brewhouse, the other as guardroom and prison), surrounded by a loop-holed curtain wall, rectangular in plan with a salient on all four faces. In 1827-31 a captain, subaltern and 56 men were stationed here to check the whisky smuggling in Strathdon. The castle was restored by D.O.E. in 1966. In December 2007, a watching brief was carried out by Kirkdale Archaeology over the excavation of a small trench against the exterior southwest corner of the curtain wall. The excavation aimed to locate the inlet for the castle well shown on an 18th century plan. No evidence was found of the inlet, but the excavation revealed the foundations of the 18th century star-shaped curtain wall.

Period Notes
Built 1537; burnt by Gordons 1571; headquarters of Montrose 1645; fired 1689; converted to Hanoverian garrison 1746 and remained garrison until 1831; restored by D.O.E. 1966.

AAS/91/3/CT1,, AAS/91/3/CT1, (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB19528.

MACGIBBON, D, 1892, THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND, 1-5, 66-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1140.

WALLACE, T, 1911, PSAS 45(1910-11) 318-33, 318-33 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2018.

BULLOCH, JM, 1927, PSAS 61(1926-7) 210-22, 210-222 (Bibliographic reference). SAB114.

SIMPSON, WD, 1927, PSAS 61(1926-7) 48-103, 48-103 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1653.

BULLOCH, JM, 1931, PSAS 65(1930-31) 379-81, 379-81 (Bibliographic reference). SAB99.

SIMPSON, WD, 1949, EARLDOM OF MAR, 144-153 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1681.

CRUDEN, SH, 1960, THE SCOTTISH CASTLE , 237-9 (Bibliographic reference). SAB247.

TRANTER, N, 1970, FORTIFIED HOUSE IN SCOT VOL 4, 29-30 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1918.

GRAHAM, C, 1981, GRAMPIAN: THE CASTLE COUNTRY (2ND ED), 11-12 (Bibliographic reference). SAB598.

SCOTTISH MONUMENTS SURVEY, 1990, JAMES GILES - ABERDEENSHIRE CASTLES, pp6-7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1738.

SHEPHERD, I, 1996, ABERDEEN AND NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND (2ND ED), p. 102 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4829.

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2009, DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, VOL 9, 2008, p.28 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3496.

HISTORIC SCOTLAND, 2012, INVESTIGATING CORGARFF CASTLE: INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS (Bibliographic reference). SAB4375.

Apr 12 1985 , EC 9, EC 9 (Ground Photograph). SAB12244.

Apr 12 1985 , ED 2-12, ED 2-12 (Ground Photograph). SAB12245.

Apr 29 2011 , DSCN5704-5,5711-13, DSCN5704-5,5711-13 (Ground Photograph). SAB13232.

Aug 10 1978 , AAS/78/03/R2/33-37, AAS/78/03/R2/33-37 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12445.

Aug 10 1978 , AAS/78/3/CT3,6-7,12, AAS/78/3/CT3,6-7,12 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB18782.

Jul 1 1995 , AAS/GR/95/CT157-159,369, AAS/GR/95/CT157-159,369 (Ground Photograph). SAB32926.

HISTORIC SCOTLAND, n.d., A SELECTION OF THE CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE, pp.25-26 (Bibliographic reference). SAB4449.

Nov 25 1999 , GR/99/CT291, GR/99/CT291 (Ground Photograph). SAB37023.

Sep 6 1984 , AAS/84/14/S7/16-20, AAS/84/14/S7/16-20 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB12247.

Record last edited

Mar 6 2025 3:48PM