Print

MHG9114 - Redcastle

Summary

No summary available.

Type and Period (2)

Protected Status

Full Description

NH54NE 5.00 5838 4951

NH54NE 5.01 5831 4953 lodge
NH54NE 5.02 5861 4968 stables (Redcastle Mains)
NH54NE 5.03 5859 4969 slaughter house
NH54NE 5.04 5895 5012 Factor's House

(NH 5838 4951) Red Castle (NAT) OS 6" map, (1957)

A mansion in which several portions of an older edifice have been incorporated. The building seems to have been originally a structure of an elongated L plan, with a staircase in re-entering angle. The hall would in that case occupy the large central apartment, with private room at E end. Two angel turrets on W wing are of some age. Probably not earlier than 16th. C., castle, at end of a steep sided promontory, occupies site of a much older structure. It was here that William the Lion, in 12th.c., erected the fortress of Ederdour. Redcastle belonged in 1230 to Sir John Bysset, in 1278 to Sir Andrew de Besco and in 1455 the Black Isle was annexed to Crown. It came into possession of MacKenzies in 1570 who held it until 1790. It was burned to ground in 1659 when Rory MacKenzie joined Montrose.
D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889; ISSFC 1888 <1><2>

Now a roofless shell, but generally as described. A stone in NE wall bears the initials R.M. and date 1641.
Visited by OS (A A) 11 January 1971.

OWNER: Baroness Burton
ARCHITECT: William Burn 1840-additions and alterations (not carried out as designed)

The ancient name of this castle was Eddyrdor, built by Will the Lion, about the end of the 12th Century. Talk by Alexander Ross on Redcastle, published in the Transactions of the Inverness Field Club. Redcastle was built at the time of the Canmore Dynasty, when Anglo-Norman influence was strong in Scotland. Within a century of its creation, an influential Norman family in the area called DeBoscho (sometimes Debosco) came to possess it. They paid tithes to the church for the land. Another Norman family called Bisset then took control of the area. <2>

Full article from ISSFC is available from the Am Baile website (see links below). <3>

A book was published on Redcastle by Dr Graham Clark, in 2009. Includes extensive documentary, cartographic and place name research on the tower house and on a number of other sites in the vicinity. <4>

This site was photographed from the air by Jim Bone in 2008. <5>

Photographs of the building were submitted by K Crawford in 2023. <6>

Sources/Archives (14)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 5838 4950 (300m by 300m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH54NE
Geographical Area	ROSS AND CROMARTY
Civil Parish	KILLEARNAN

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (0)

Related Investigations/Events (0)

External Links (5)