Urquhart Castle 

Urquhart Castle has been a site of medieval occupation since the 5th century. Historical records show that the Picts between 500-900AD occupied it. The Picts were a wayfaring heathen tribe whose name came from the Romans, who described them as Picto, meaning ‘painted people’.  During their occupation, Emchath, a dying Pictish nobleman, summoned Adomnan, a missionary of St Columba, to baptize him.  While doing so, Emchath asked Adomnan to baptize the rest of his household and, when the ceremony was completed, Emchath fell into eternal slumber. Other missionaries followed in the footsteps of St Columba and Christianity began to take presence throughout Glen Urquhart. When the Picts abandoned Urquhart Castle, they left behind stone carvings adorned with Christian symbols, a witness that The Picts now followed Christianity.

The first record of a castle at Urquhart comes 600 years after Columba’s visit. In 1230 Alexander II granted the Lordship of Urquhart to Alan Durward, one of the most powerful noble families in Scotland. Alan Durward was to assert Royal authority in the Highlands and was given control of the Urquhart estates and set about building one of the largest castles in Scotland. The castle rests on a rocky promontory overlooking Loch Ness, one of the most dramatic settings in Scotland. When Alan Durward died his estate along with Urquhart Castle reverted to the Crown. Ownership then passed to John Comyn Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber, who became known as The Wolf of Badenoch. During the Comyn ownership Alexander II, King of Scotland died without an heir and the throne of Scotland passed to his granddaughter Margaret, who was crowned Queen Consort of Scotland. Margaret was betrothed to Edward of Carnarvon, the eldest son of Edward 1st King of England. The unity of the marriage was to give Scotland Independence and remain free of English domination. Unfortunately, Margaret died on her way to Scotland leaving Scotland without an heir to the throne.  

Robert The Bruce

In 1306 Robert the Bruce, on his quest to become King of Scotland, murdered Comyn and took control of Urquhart Castle. This started the Wars of Independence between Scotland and England. Between the 1300s to 1500’s the Urquhart Castle saw bloodshed and turmoil and was plundered by MacDonald Lord of the Isles, who took with him most of the castle’s processions and livestock leaving the castle to fall into decay. 

The Hammer of the Scots

On the grounds of Urquhart Castle, there is a replica of a Trebuchet. A Trebuchet is a giant wood catapult capable of hurling boulders at a speed of 126 mph. It was one of the deadliest military machines of its time and was developed to attack the solid walls of castles. Instruments of attack used by trebuchets included large boulders, metal, rotting carcasses to spread disease, and heads of soldiers to frighten the occupants. During invasions, the occupants inside the castle would attack their invaders by pouring barrels of hot boiling tar as they tried to scale the castle walls. 

Before the Wars of Independence, the relationship between Scotland and England was relatively harmonious. When claimants for the Scottish throne turned to Edward for approval, he insisted that if he were to settle the contest, he had to be fully recognized as Scotland’s feudal landlord. The Scots were reluctant to make such a concession and replied that since the country had no king, no one had the authority to make this decision. The Scots rebelled and Edward launched a series of attacks against Scotland.    

Although there is no evidence that a Trebuchet was used to destroy Urquhart Castle, it is a perfect example of an instrument of war against The Scots during Edward’s reign and he became known as The Hammer of the Scots.  

Grant Tower 

In 1509 Urquhart Castle was gifted to James Grant of Feuchie by James IV of Scotland.  The Grant family set about repairing the castle and building a stronghold to protect it from thieves and wrongdoers. The Grants employed local labour to repair the ruins and build a tower attached to the castle- which became the Grant Tower.  The tower is five storeys high and consisted of reception rooms, dining areas, and bedrooms. Today you can climb to the top of the Grant Tower and enjoy stunning views across Loch Ness.

During their time of occupation at Urquhart Castle, The Grant Family dined with Clan Chiefs and local dignitaries including Robert Burns, Scotland’s National Poet.  

A violent storm raged across Loch Ness in 1715 hitting the castle, and most of the south wall of the tower collapsed. The Grants abandoned Urquhart Castle and left it to the elements of the weather. This left the castle grounds free to access, and stone from the castle was plundered and used as building materials for local cottages. Although possibly well-intentioned at the time, this removed important clues to Urquhart’s Castle’s history. 

In 1884 Caroline the Countess Dowager of Seafield, a descendant of the Grants of Feuchie and now a widow, inherited Urquhart Castle along with the estates of Glen Urquhart. On her death, she instructed the ruins of Urquhart Castle to be put into State Care and transferred the responsibility of the Castle’s future to the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Works and Public Bodies. The Estates of Glen Urquhart and Urquhart Castle were in Grant ownership until 1912. 

Hidden Caves

Urquhart Castle is a great place to view Loch Ness; many have claimed to have seen Nessie, the elusive Loch Ness Monster. From 2018 a total of 13 sightings have been reported, 4 of those from Urquhart Castle. But yet locals will tell you Nessie does indeed reside nearby. The story is there are 2 hidden caves underneath Urquhart Castle. One contains the plague the other Nessie, as depicted in the film Loch Ness starring Ted Danson. Urquhart Castle was also used in the 1970’s film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. In one of the scenes, Dr Watson sees a creature surface from Loch Ness and leads Sherlock to Urquhart Castle to investigate. The prop used for filming was not to the producer’s liking, so he had the humps removed which lead to the model sinking into the loch. Fast Forward to 2018, Google maps noticed an unidentified object underneath Urquhart Castle. When it was investigated further, it was found to be the sunken prop used in the film and still lies there to this day. So, if you find yourself exploring Urquhart Castle, remember that Nessie is never far away and, you never know when she will next surface for air.

 If you’re looking for more information about how to buy a title with Loch Ness Titles, and help the conservation efforts of Brackla woods, read through our How to Buy a Title guide. You can also get more information from dedicated Buy a Scottish Lord Title, Buy a Scottish Lady Title, and Buy a Scottish Laird Title.