Corgarff Castle is located slightly west of the village of Corgarff, in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland. It stands by the Lecht road, which crosses the pass between Strathdon and Tomintoul.

History

The castle was built around 1530 by the Elphinstone family and leased to the Forbes of Towie. In 1571, it was burned by their enemy, Adam Gordon of Auchindoun, resulting in the deaths of Margaret Campbell, Lady Forbes, her children, and numerous others, 26 in total, and probably giving rise to the ballad Edom o Gordon.

In May 1607, the castle was captured from Alexander, 4th Lord Elphinstone by Alexander Forbes of Towie and his companions, including a piper called George McRobie. They used hammers and battering rams to break down the gate, then fortified the house with a garrison of "Highland thieves and limmers".

In 1626, it was acquired by the Earl of Mar. In 1645, it was used as an assembly point by the troops of the Marquis of Montrose. It was burned again in both 1689 and 1716 by Jacobite supporters. It was resettled by the Forbes family in 1745 but had to be forfeited due to their Jacobite leanings. It has been designated a scheduled monument.

References

  • Historic Environment Scotland: Visitor guide
  • 360 Photographic Virtual Tour: Snow Covered 360 Virtual Tour of Corgarff grounds