Cairnbulg Castle is a z-plan castle situated in Cairnbulg, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. [1] It stands by the River Philorth and was originally known as Philorth Castle (or Philorth House). [2] The 17th-century Philorth Castle, an L-plan house consisting of a sizeable crow-stepped block, was demolished after a fire in 1915. [3]
The castle was built in the early 14th century but destroyed in the winter of 1308–1309 in the Wars of Independence. After being owned by the Comyns up until 1375, [4] it was subsequently granted to the Earls of Ross. It was rebuilt in 1380 after the daughter of the 5th Earl married Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie. In 1545, [4] a second, round, tower, a courtyard and outbuildings were added to the original main square tower. [2]
In 1613, after nearly bankrupting themselves, [5] the Frasers of Philorth sold the castle, which — after passing through several other families of the Fraser clan, including the Frasers of Durris [5] — ended up in 1775 with George Gordon, 3rd Earl of Aberdeen, who removed anything of value. It lay abandoned by 1799. [4]
In 1896, the two towers were restored and its central building rebuilt by Jenkins & Marr for Sir John Duthie, a barrister. [4] In the late Victorian period the castle, by now almost a ruin after a 1915 fire, [3] was purchased and restored by the wealthy Duthie family of Aberdeen. In 1934, it returned to the Fraser family after being bought by Lord Saltoun, a direct descendant of the 8th Laird. [2] Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun, and her husband, Captain Alexander Ramsay of Mar, who was one of Queen Victoria's great-grandchildren, lived there for a while.[ when? ] Their daughter, Katharine Fraser, Mistrss of Saltoun (now 22nd Lady Saltoun), took possession of the castle in 1997. [6] During the Second World War, the castle was used as the Officers' Mess for nearby RAF Fraserburgh.[ citation needed ]
Philorth Bridge Halt railway station once stood nearby on the old Fraserburgh and St Combs Light Railway. [7]
Cairnbulg Castle is open to the public only by appointment. [8]
Fraserburgh, locally known as the Broch, is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, with a population recorded in the 2011 Census as 13,100. It lies in Buchan in the northeastern corner of the county, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Aberdeen and 17 miles (27 km) north of Peterhead. It is the biggest shellfish port in Scotland and one of the largest in Europe, landing over 5,450 tonnes in 2016. Fraserburgh is also a major port for white and pelagic fish.
Rosehearty is a settlement on the Moray Firth coast, four miles west of the town Fraserburgh, in the historical county of Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The burgh has a population of approximately 1,300 with about 25 per cent of pensionable age.
The villages of Inverallochy and Cairnbulg lie some 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Fraserburgh, in North East Scotland. It formerly consisted of the three fishing villages of Brandesburgh, Cairnbulg and Inverallochy, but the former village has since disappeared.
Kinnaird Head is a headland projecting into the North Sea, within the town of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, on the east coast of Scotland. The 16th-century Kinnaird Castle was converted in 1787 for use as the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, the first lighthouse in Scotland to be lit by the Commissioners of Northern Lights. Kinnaird Castle and the nearby Wine Tower were described by W. Douglas Simpson as two of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire. The lighthouse is a category A listed building. and the Wine Tower. is a scheduled monument. The buildings around the base of the lighthouse are the work of Robert Stevenson.
Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 18,537 at the 2011 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landings by UK vessels, according to a 2019 survey.
The Frasers of Philorth are a Scottish lowlands family, originally from the Anjou region of France. Castle Fraser, their family seat, is in Sauchen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Since the time of Alexander Fraser, 11th Lord Saltoun, the heads of the Philorth family are the Lords Saltoun. The current head of the Frasers of Philorth is Katharine Fraser, 22nd Lady Saltoun, who is Chief of the Name and Arms of Clan Fraser. The family's arms are "azure, three cinquefoils argent"—three silver strawberry flowers on a field of blue. The heraldic cinquefoil is a stylized five-point leaf; the cinquefoils which appear on the Fraser of Philorth coat-of-arms are specifically strawberry flowers. Only the Lady or Lord Saltoun is permitted to display these arms plain and undifferenced.
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron. It is a former royal burgh, and is the county town of the historic county of Banffshire.
Broadsea is a community situated in Aberdeenshire in the north east of Scotland. It is a long-standing fishing community at the north edge of Fraserburgh.
The remains of the Castle of Lonmay are found near Netherton of Lonmay, to the north of Loch Strathbeg in Buchan, Scotland. The remains are not located in the modern village of Lonmay which is approximately 6 km to the south-west. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire.
Fordyce is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that is slightly inland from the point where the Burn of Fordyce meets the sea between Cullen and Portsoy. It has existed since at least the 13th century. In 1990, Charles McKean wrote that Fordyce was "a sheer delight to discover, concealed as it is from the passing eye by hills and rolling countryside".
Dundarg Castle is a ruined castle about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north-northeast of New Aberdour, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, built within the ramparts of an earlier Iron Age promontory fort. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire, and by Charles McKean as "Scotland's answer to Tintagel". It became a small Celtic monastery for a period.
Pitsligo Castle is a ruined castle half a mile east of Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Modified in the 1570s by the Forbes of Druminnor, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire. It is listed by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.
Inverallochy Castle is a ruined courtyard castle, near the village of Inverallochy in the Buchan area of North-East Scotland, dating to 1504. It lies 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of Cairnbulg Castle, near Fraserburgh, and formerly stood beside the now-drained Loch of Inverallochy. It was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of North-East Aberdeenshire.
Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes of Pitsligo (1678–1762) was a Scottish Jacobite nobleman and refugee, also known as a writer.
Pittulie Castle is an oblong tower house probably dating from 1596, half a mile from Pitsligo Castle, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument. Built by the Frasers of Philorth, it was described by W. Douglas Simpson as one of the nine castles of the Knuckle, referring to the rocky headland of north-east Aberdeenshire.
Auchmeddan Castle was a castle, most likely dating from the 16th century, now demolished, located 9 miles (14 km) west of Fraserburgh, at Mains of Auchmeddan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. An alternative spelling was Auchmedden Castle.
The Reform Monument is a Category B listed monument on Broad Street, at its junction with Longate, in Peterhead, Scotland, built in 1833. A Roman doric column, it is surmounted by arms of Earl Marischal, inspired by the gateway of Inverugie Castle.
House of Memsie is a Category A listed country house and estate in Memsie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It dates to around 1760, and it received its historic designation in 1971. It was formerly the home of the Fraser family for over three hundred years. It was sold to Lord Saltoun in the early 19th century. A Captain Dalrymple was another previous owner. Historian Charles McKean describes it as a "smaller and more decorative version of Aberdour House".
Rathen is a parish and hamlet near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In Scottish Gaelic, its name means fort on the river.
Dalyrmple Hall is a building in Fraserburgh, Scotland, standing on Dalyrmple Street at its junction with Station Brae. Category C listed, in the Scottish baronial style, it dates to 1881. Its architects were Aberdeen-based Jenkins & Marr.
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