Braal Castle is located by the River Thurso north of the village of Halkirk, in Caithness, northern

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 ...

. The ruined castle, which dates back to the mid-14th century, was originally known as the Castle of Brathwell.

History

The site may have been occupied by Harold II of Orkney,

Mormaer of Caithness The Mormaer of Caithness was a vassal title mostly held by members of the Norwegian nobility based in Orkney from the Viking Age until 1350. The mormaerdom was held as fief of Scotland and the title was frequently held by the Norse Earls of Orkn ...

(d. 1206), although the present building is of the fourteenth century. The "Castle of Brathwell" was granted by King

Robert II of Scotland Robert II (2 March 1316 – 19 April 1390) was King of Scots from 1371 to his death in 1390. The son of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland, and Marjorie, daughter of King Robert the Bruce, he was the first monarch of the House of St ...

to his son, David Stewart, Earl of Caithness. His descendant, Walter Stewart,

forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from ''Wonder What's Next'' * ''Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers L ...

ed his estates in 1437 when he was executed for his role in the murder of King

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

. In 1450, the castle was bestowed by James II upon Sir George Crichton,

Lord High Admiral of Scotland The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Officers of State of the Kingdom of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707. The office was one of considerable power, also known as ''Royal Scottish Admiralty'', including command ...

, who was briefly created

Earl of Caithness Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...

in 1452. In 1455, the earldom and castle were granted by James II to William Sinclair, Baron of Roslin and

Lord Chancellor of Scotland The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland. Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower s ...

. The castle passed to the Sinclairs of Ulbster, a branch of the

Sinclair Sinclair may refer to: Places * Lake Sinclair, near Milledgeville, Georgia * Sinclair, Iowa * Sinclair, West Virginia * Sinclair, Wyoming * Sinclair Mills, British Columbia * Sinclair Township, Minnesota * Sinclair, Manitoba People * ...

Earls of Caithness, in the 18th century.

The mansion house

The Sinclairs began the building of an adjacent mansion, although construction was abandoned. In 1856 a hotel was built over these foundations. This building was requisitioned by the Armed Forces during 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 ...

, and was converted into flats in the 1970s.

The castle

The medieval castle is located on a defensive site, above the River Thurso. The ruins comprise a

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

, around , with walls thick. The entrance is at first-floor level, leading into a large hall. A stair in the wall led up to an upper floor and a parapet walk, although the upper parts of the castle have not survived. The ruins are a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

References

External links

Braal Castle, Caithness
Braalcastle.com

Caithness.org {{coord, 58.52135, -3.48335, type:landmark_region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(ND137602), display=title Castles in Highland (council area) Buildings and structures in Caithness Ruined castles in Scotland Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Highland