Cawdor Castle

Cawdor Castle Details

Cawdor Castle, a C15 tower and courtyard of the Calders expanded C16-18, and still occupied by the Campbell family.

  • Closest To: Nairn, Cawdor, Croy, Ardersier
  • Access: Chargeable Public Access
  • Grid Reference: NH847499

Cawdor Castle is a privately owned castle that is partially open to the public, and at it’s core contains a 14th/15th century great tower. The tower has been extended several times with domestic wings on both sides, and occupies a position above the adjacent burn that is not particularly strongly located.

The lands of Cawdor were held in thanage in the 13th century, and the same family survived the wars of independence as landholders, indicating a certain flexibility of allegiance. In the mid 15th century, the then thane acquired a license to fortify a tower at Cawdor, but there was probably an existing building here as a castle is mentioned in a 1398 document. Carbon dating has apparently placed the death date of the thorn tree in the tower basement as c1372 (I am sceptical about this precision!). In 1510 the heiress of the thanes married John Campbell, and this family were responsible for the extensions and development of the estate to this day, although through another heiress – and being absentee landlords for a while. The castle and gardens are very much worth visiting – but have nothing to do with MacBeth!

Official Cawdor Castle website

HES Canmore database entry

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