Redcastle ( gd, an Caisteal ruadh), historically known as Edirdovar and Ederdour, is a medieval castle in Killearnan on the

Black Isle The Black Isle ( gd, an t-Eilean Dubh, ) is a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of Cromarty and Fortrose, and the villages of Culbokie, Jemimaville, Rosemarkie, Avoch, Munlochy, Tore, and Nor ...

, northern

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 ...

. It is so named from the colour of the stone of which it is built. The castle is now in a state of ruinous disrepair, although it is protected as a

category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The structure has a L-shaped floor plan and is approximately 3-stories. It does not have a roof at this time.

History

Redcastle was until relatively recently one of the oldest inhabited houses in Scotland. A castle on this site was first constructed by

William the Lion William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

in 1179 and was known as Edirdovar. The castle was held by Sir John Bysset 1230 and in 1278 by Sir Andrew de Besco. In 1455 the Black Isle was annexed to the Crown. By 1492 the castle and its lands were under the control of

Kenneth Mackenzie, 7th of Kintail Kenneth Mackenzie (died 7 February 1492), traditionally reckoned 7th of Kintail and nicknamed Coinneach a'bhlair (or “Kenneth of the Battle”), was a Highland chief, being head of the Clan Mackenzie. Origins Kenneth was the eldest son of Alex ...

, and they remained in the possession of

Clan Mackenzie Clan Mackenzie ( gd, Clann Choinnich ) is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. However ...

until 1790. The present building is dated 1641 but incorporates earlier work of

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary ...

and

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

masonry which is typically associated with older structures. Additionally, the castle was remodelled in the 19th century by

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival,often referred t ...

. The estate was bought by Colonel H.D. Baillie in 1838 and passed into the ownership of the family of Lord Burton of Dochfour. The castle was requisitioned by the army during

World War II 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 opposin ...

and was finally vacated and part stripped in the 1950s.Colin Macleod, ''Unearthing Redcastle’s Hidden History'' (Ross and Cromarty Heritage Societ
web-site
(accessed on 18 March 2010)

References

{{coord, 57.513463, -4.3657329, format=dms, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Ruined castles in Highland (council area) Clan Mackenzie Clan Bissett Category B listed buildings in Highland (council area) Listed castles in Scotland Black Isle