Fedderate Castle

Fedderate Castle Details

Fedderate Castle, badly ruined C16 tower house of Crawfords on site of castle of C13 abandoned and partially demolished

  • Closest To: New Deer,Maud,Old Deer,Cuminestown,Fetterangus,Strichen
  • Access: S.O.A.C. Public Access
  • Grid Reference: NJ897498

Fedderate castle is a ruined L-plan tower from the 15th century sitting in the middle of a field and once defended by boggy land and earthworks. Technically it is at the end of a low ridge, but this cannot really be appreciated today.

The tower was once either four or five storeys tall and was built by the Crawford family, who had acquired the lands by unknown means by 1474. It was probably rebuilt in 1557, damaged for reasons unknown, and was claimed by the crown in 1573 as a previous laird had not paid his inheritance tax, known as non-entry. Sold to the Irvine family, it was brought into a better state of repair and appears on Pont’s map as an Irvine castle. The estate became burdened by debt in the 17th century, and was seized by Lord Oliphant in 1690. The castle passed to the Jacobite earl of Aberdeen in 1725, but was never brought back into use properly, and was eventually used as a quarry for building materials.

HES Canmore database entry

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