Noltland Castle

Noltland Castle Details

Noltland Castle, an unfinished C16 tower house of the Balfours/Stewarts with a huge number of shot holes, ruined by C18.

  • Closest To: Westray
  • Access: Chargeable Public Access
  • Grid Reference: HY429487

Noltland Castle is a well-defended tower house erected for the Bishops of Orkney, and granted by Bishop Bothwell to his brother-in-law in 1560. It is not particularly defensive as a site, being close to the sea, an inland loch and some marshes, and replaced an earlier castle on the site. It is managed by Historic Environment Scotland and open to the public.

It is likely that the early castle, of which nothing remains, was built by the bishops as protection against the earls of Orkney. The replacement was never finished, and Gilbert Balfour, who planned extensive alterations was involved in the murder of Cardinal Beaton and exiled after five years on Orkney – at which point further building work at Noltland was abandoned. It was seized by the earl, and occupied by Cromwells men in the 1650s before being abandoned in 1746 after a fire.

Official Historic Environment Scotland page

HES Canmore database entry

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