3 castles +1 in one day

Upper Left: Corgarff Castle, built around 1550 , would initially have comprised a tower house set within a walled enclosure. The tower house would have been similar to the structure you see today but the surrounding wall would have been very much simpler and probably rectangular in shape. In 1689 Corgarff was burned down by Jacobites to prevent it being used as a base by supporters of William of Orange. In 1715 John Erskine, 22nd Earl of Mar launched the Jacobite rising from Kildrummy Castle and came to Corgarff to assemble and equip his army before marching on to Braemar. After the 1715 rising had been defeated, Government forces yet again burned down Corgarff, and the Earl of Mar's estates were forfeited. In 1746, some weeks before the Battle of Culloden, 300 Government foot soldiers and 100 dragoons caught Jacobite forces off guard when they marched on the castle. The Jacobites fled leaving behind large quantities of gunpowder and over 300 muskets.


Upper Right: The ruined Kildrummy Castle in Aberdeenshire is one of the most extensive 13th century castles to survive in Scotland. Passing through ownership of many families it was taken over by James 1st in 1435 and remained in royal ownership until 1507. The Castle is "shield-shaped" with a number of independent towers, the flat side overlooking a steep ravine and the opposite side coming to a point, which was once defended by a massive twin-towered gatehouse. Extensive earthworks protected the castle, including a dry moat and the ravine. Most of the castle foundations are now visible, along with most of its lower-storey walls.

Bottom Left: Glenbuchat Castle is a fine example of a Z plan Scottish castle built in 1590 for the notable Jacobite John Gordon of Cairnbarrow to mark his wedding. It is located above the River Don, near Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire. The family sold the castle in 1738, and it remained in private hands until the 20th century. In order to ensure that the building and it's surroundings would remain intact it was gifted to the state in 1948. Both the castle and the surrounding land are now managed by Historic Scotland.

Bottom Right: Ruthven Barracks, built on an old castle mound, are the smallest but best preserved of the four barracks built in 1719 after the 1715 Jacobite rising. It comprises of two large three-storey barrack blocks occupying two sides of the enclosure and bordering a flagged parade ground and a stable block which housed 28 horses. Each block has two rooms on each floor and accommodated 120 men. On the day after the Battle of Culloden as many as 3,000 Jacobites assembled at Fort Ruthven with the intention of fighting on. However awaiting them was a message from their leader Prince Charles Edward Stuart saying that each man should save himself as best he could. The Jacobites set fire to the barracks and dispersed to try to evade the government forces. The remains of the barracks today are pretty much how it was left by the departing Jacobites on 17 April 1746.

Bizarrly I discovered while researching the above that Kildrummy, Corgarff, the castle predessing Ruthven, and the castle blipped on 20 April were all owned by Alexander Stewart, and the owner of Glenbuchat led the Jacobite uprising at Ruthven Barracks so they are all connected in some way.

Backblipped with 26.4.13

Don't know why it's got a border round it!!!!