Balconie Castle ( gd, Bailcnidh) lay in the parish of

Kiltearn Kiltearn ( Gaelic: ''Cill Tighearna'') is a parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It is in the Presbytery of Ross. The principal settlement is the village of Evanton, and the parish extends almost to Dingwall and about halfway to Alness. The ...

, about east of the village of

Evanton Evanton ( gd, Baile Eòghainn or gd, Am Baile Ùr) is a small village in Easter Ross, in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It lies between the River Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of Inverness, some sout ...

in the Highlands of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

History

The MacDonalds

The castle was an old seat of the Mormaers and

Earls of Ross The Earl or Mormaer of Ross was the ruler of the province of Ross in northern Scotland. Origins and transfers In the early Middle Ages, Ross was part of the vast earldom of Moray. It seems to have been made a separate earldom in the mid 12 ...

, chiefs of

Clan Ross Clan Ross ( gd, Clann Anndrais ) is a Highland Scottish clan. The original chiefs of the clan were the original Earls of Ross. History Origins The first recorded chief of the Clan Ross was "Fearcher Mac an t-Sagirt" which in English meant ...

. It was later held by their successors, the Clan Donald Earls of Ross. Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh, chief of the

Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh The Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh was a Scottish family and a branch of the larger Clan Donald. History The MacDonald of Lochalsh branch was founded by Celestine MacDonald (d.1476). Celestine MacDonald was the second son of Alexander of Islay, Ear ...

and a relative of the MacDonald Earl of Ross and Lord of the Isles, held a Christmas feast at Balconie in 1485. He invited all of the dependents of his own clan and many of the most powerful Highland chieftains. Kenneth Mackenzie arrived at the feast with 40 men but without his MacDonald wife which insulted the MacDonalds. To make matters worse as there was not enough room in Balconie, Kenneth was provided lodgings in the

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

and in a fit of anger he hit out at one of the Macleans of Duart who had made the accommodation arrangements. This was seen by the servants as a deliberate insult against the MacDonald chief and they took up arms against Kenneth Mackenzie and his companions who made a quick retreat.

The Munros

From the late 15th to the end of the 17th century the castle was held by a cadet branch of the

Clan Munro Clan Munro (; gd, Clann an Rothaich ) is a Highland Scottish clan. Historically the clan was based in Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional origins of the clan give its founder as Donald Munro who came from the north of Ireland an ...

; the Munros of Coul and Balconie, who descend from George Munro 10th Baron of

Foulis Castle Foulis Castle is situated two miles south-west of Evanton in the parish of Kiltearn, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It is a white washed mansion that incorporates an old tower house with gun loops. The castle was held by the Clan Munro from th ...

, chief of the clan. Balconie Castle's owners were chronologically; John Munro 1st, John Mor Munro 2nd, John Munro 3rd, Hugh Munro 4th, Robert Munro 5th, Donald Munro 6th and John Munro 7th, all of Balconie. John Munro, 7th of Balconie sold the lands.

Modern history

Later the castle went through a period of Mackenzie ownership and an interlude of Fraser ownership in the 19th century which saw the nearby village of

laid out. ''See:

Evan Fraser of Balconie Captain Evan Baillie Fraser of Balconie was the son of Alexander Fraser of Inchcoulter/Balconie who founded the modern town of Evanton, naming it after his son. Evan married Christine Nicol in 1838 who bore him children: Alexander Thomas (1839), J ...

''. Alterations and additions were documented in 1891 by architects Andrew Maitland & Sons. By the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the castle was owned by one George Bankes and used as a summer home. During the War, the building was requisitioned by the army and used as a billet. After the war, the castle was bought by A.J.M. Munro, a timber merchant from

Alness Alness (, ; gd, Alanais) is a town and civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It lies near the mouth of the River Averon, near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon 3 miles (5 km) to the east, and the village of Evanton ...

, and lay empty for some years, dry rot being only one of the problems. It fell into disrepair and by the 1960s was unsafe. Local children were prone to explore the place and to prevent a serious accident, it was demolished. The rubble was used in the construction of the new aluminium smelter a few miles away at

Invergordon Invergordon (; gd, Inbhir Ghòrdain or ) is a town and port in Easter Ross, in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. It lies in the parish of Rosskeen. History The town built up around the harbour which was established in 1828. The area beca ...

. Nothing is left of the building - it is just a field. A small ice-house remains. The location was approximately . However, the castle's walled garden and stables survive and is privately owned by a Maclean family.

References

* Interview with Alastair and Mora Munro 11 June 2007 {{Coord, 57, 39, 37, N, 4, 19, 20, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Castles in Highland (council area) Ross and Cromarty Clan Munro