This is a list of

castles in Scotland Scottish castles are buildings that combine fortifications and residence, built within the borders of modern Scotland. Castles arrived in Scotland with the introduction of feudalism in the twelfth century. Initially these were wooden motte-and- ...

. A

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

is a type of

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

structure built primarily during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. Scholars debate the scope of the word "castle", but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Great B ...

. This is distinct from a

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, which was not a home, although this distinction is not absolute and the same structure may have had different uses from time to time. The term has been popularly applied to structures as diverse as

hill forts A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

and

country houses An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms. In

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, earlier fortifications had included hill forts,

brochs A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure found in Scotland. Brochs belong to the classification "complex Atlantic roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s. Their origin is a matter of some controversy. Origin ...

, and

dun A dun is an ancient or medieval fort. In Ireland and Britain it is mainly a kind of hillfort and also a kind of Atlantic roundhouse. Etymology The term comes from Irish language, Irish ''dún'' or Scottish Gaelic ''dùn'' (meaning "fort"), ...

s; and many castles were on the site of these earlier buildings. The first castles were built in Scotland in the 11th and 12th centuries, with the introduction of

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

influence.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p.17 These

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...

castles were replaced with the first stone-built castles from around 1200.Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p.20MacGibbon, David; Ross, Thomas (1887)
The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century
' 5 vols. By the late 14th century, the large curtain-walled castles had begun to give way to more modest

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 ...

s – vertical dwellings with less formidable defences. This type of vertical house continued to be popular with Scotland's landowning class through to the late 17th century, when

classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...

made its first appearance in the country. Meanwhile, the advance of artillery pressed military engineers to devise stronger fortifications for important royal strongholds. Tower houses and castles were often given painted ceilings and decorative plasterwork in the 16th and 17th centuries, employing distinctive national styles. In the late 18th century, forms found in medieval

Scottish architecture The architecture of Scotland includes all human building within the modern borders of Scotland, from the Neolithic era to the present day. The earliest surviving houses go back around 9500 years, and the first villages 6000 years: Skara Brae on ...

were revived and castle-style houses were constructed. These "castles" had no defensive capability, but drew on military and tower house architecture for their decorative details. This architectural trend culminated in the

Scottish Baronial style Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

of the 19th century. There have been well over two thousand castles in Scotland, although many are known only through historical records. They are found in all parts of the country although tower houses and

peel tower Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standin ...

s are concentrated along the border with England, while the best examples of larger Renaissance-era tower houses are clustered in the north-east. There is some discussion about whether Scottish castles can be considered to be "true" castles, although this discussion is mainly focused around opinions held by some scholars as per the exact scope of the word castle.

Lists by council area

See the individual council area lists for details of castles in each area: *

List of castles in Aberdeen This is a list of castles in Aberdeen. List See also * Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland * List of listed buildings in Aberdeen Notes References * Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. Scotland: Goblin ...

List of castles in Aberdeenshire This is a list of castles in Aberdeenshire. List {, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%" , - ! style="width:13%;", Name ! style="width:13%;", Type ! style="width:6%;", Date ! style="width:15%;", Condition ! style="width:17%;", ...

List of castles in Angus This is a list of castles in Angus, Scotland, Angus. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in Angus Notes References

* Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. Scot ...

* List of castles in Argyll and Bute * List of castles in Clackmannanshire * List of castles in Dumfries and Galloway * List of castles in Dundee *

List of castles in East Ayrshire This is a list of castles in East Ayrshire. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in East Ayrshire Notes References * Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. Scotland: ...

List of castles in East Dunbartonshire This is a list of castles in East Dunbartonshire. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland * List of listed buildings in East Dunbartonshire Notes References * Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd ...

List of castles in East Lothian This is a list of castles in East Lothian. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in East Lothian This is a list of listed buildings in East Lothian. The list is split out by parish. * Li ...

* List of castles in East Renfrewshire *

List of castles in Edinburgh This is a list of castles in Edinburgh. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in Edinburgh Notes References * Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. Scotland: Goblins ...

* List of castles in Falkirk (council area) * List of castles in Fife *

List of castles in Glasgow This is a list of castles in Glasgow. List See also *Scottish castles *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in Glasgow Notes References

* Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. Scotland: Goblinshe ...

* List of castles in Highland * List of castles in Inverclyde * List of castles in Midlothian * List of castles in Moray * List of castles in North Ayrshire *

List of castles in North Lanarkshire This is a list of castles in North Lanarkshire. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland * List of listed buildings in North Lanarkshire Notes References * Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. ...

* List of castles in Orkney *

List of castles in the Outer Hebrides This is a list of castles in the Outer Hebrides. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in the Outer Hebrides Notes References

* Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd ...

List of castles in Perth and Kinross This is a list of castles in Perth and Kinross. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in Perth and Kinross Notes References

* Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd E ...

* List of castles in Renfrewshire * List of castles in the Scottish Borders * List of castles in Shetland * List of castles in South Ayrshire *

List of castles in South Lanarkshire This is a list of castles in South Lanarkshire. List See also *Castles in Scotland *List of castles in Scotland *List of listed buildings in South Lanarkshire Notes References

* Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd E ...

* List of castles in Stirling (council area) * List of castles in West Dunbartonshire * List of castles in West Lothian

Fictional castles

* McDuck Castle, home of Disney cartoon character

Scrooge McDuck Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bil ...

. * ''

The Black Island ''The Black Island'' (french: link=no, L'Île noire) is the seventh volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's supplement , it ...

'', a comic of ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 bande dessinée#Formats, ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one ...

'' featuring a castle based on

Lochranza Castle Lochranza Castle is an L-plan fortified tower house situated on a promontory in Lochranza, on the northern part of the Isle of Arran in Scotland. Most of the current structure was built in the 16th century. History The castle dates from the 1 ...

. * '' The Ghosts of Inverloch'', a Valérian comic, also features a Scottish castle. * ''

Castle Dangerous ''Castle Dangerous'' (1831) was the last of Walter Scott's Waverley novels. It is part of ''Tales of My Landlord, 4th series'', with ''Count Robert of Paris''. The castle of the title is Douglas Castle in Lanarkshire, and the action, based on an ...

'', a novel by Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

, drew inspiration from

Douglas Castle Douglas Castle was a stronghold of the Douglas (later Douglas-Home) family from medieval times to the 20th century. The first castle, erected in the 13th century, was destroyed and replaced several times until the 18th century when a large mans ...

. * ''

Old Mortality ''Old Mortality'' is one of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott. Set in south west Scotland, it forms, along with ''The Black Dwarf'', the 1st series of his ''Tales of My Landlord'' (1816). The novel deals with the period of the Covenanters, ...

'', a novel by Sir

, drew inspiration from

Craignethan Castle Craignethan Castle is a ruined castle in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located above the River Nethan, a tributary of the River Clyde, at . The castle is two miles west of the village of Crossford, and 4.5 miles north-west of Lanark. Built ...

Tillietudlem Tillietudlem is a fictional castle in Walter Scott's 1816 novel ''Old Mortality'', and a modern settlement in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Interest in Scott's novel attracted visitors to its supposed inspiration, Craignethan Castle, and a railway ...

Castle. *

Hogwarts Castle Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scotland, Scottish boarding school of Magic in Harry Potter, magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Pot ...

, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' novels.

Notes

References

* Coventry, Martin (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland'', 3rd Ed. Scotland: Goblinshead * Coventry, Martin (2010) ''Castles of the Clans'' Scotland: Goblinshead * Pattullo, Nan (1974) ''Castles, Houses and Gardens of Scotland'' Edinburgh: Denburn Press

External links

Scottish Castles Association

Castle Explorer

Scottish castles guide

Interactive Scottish castle map
(with links to Wikipedia articles of the castles and geo-links to Google maps earth view) * An index to castle ruins is in "Royal National Directory of Scotland" (1915
List of Castle ruins "Royal National Directory of Scotland" (1915) p.XIX
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Castles In Scotland

Castles in Scotland Scottish castles are buildings that combine fortifications and residence, built within the borders of modern Scotland. Castles arrived in Scotland with the introduction of feudalism in the twelfth century. Initially these were wooden motte-and- ...