Skelbo Castle is a ruined 14th century

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, located near

Dornoch Dornoch (; gd, Dòrnach ; sco, Dornach) is a town, seaside resort, parish and former royal burgh in the county of Sutherland in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Dornoch Firth, near to where it opens into the Moray ...

Sutherland Sutherland ( gd, Cataibh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in the Highlands of Scotland. Its county town is Dornoch. Sutherland borders Caithness and Moray Firth to the east, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire (later ...

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 ...

. The remaining wall is best preserved at the northern side of the castle. The remains are protected as 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 ...

. The castle is located at a former ferry crossing and commanded views over

Loch Fleet Loch Fleet ( gd, Loch Fleòid) is a sea loch on the east coast of Scotland, located between Golspie and Dornoch. It forms the estuary of the River Fleet, a small spate river that rises in the hills east of Lairg. The loch was designated a Nationa ...

History

Hugh de Moravia granted Skelbo in 1211 to

Gilbert de Moravia Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245), later known as Saint Gilbert of Dornoch, or Gilbert of Caithness, was the most famous Bishop of Caithness and founder of Dornoch Cathedral. His name may suggest that he came from the semi-Gaelicized family of ...

the

Bishop of Caithness The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Ai ...

. In 1235, the castle was granted to

Richard de Moravia Richard de Moravia or Richard de Moray of Culbin or of Cubyn, was a Scottish nobleman famed for his victory over the Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (pres ...

by his brother Gilbert de Moravia, Bishop of Caithness. King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

's commissioners were awaiting the arrival of

Margaret, Maid of Norway Margaret (, ; March or April 1283 – September 1290), known as the Maid of Norway, was the queen-designate of Scotland from 1286 until her death. As she was never inaugurated, her status as monarch is uncertain and has been debated by historian ...

at Skelbo Castle, when they learned of her death in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

in September 1290, aged 7 years, whilst on her voyage from Norway to Scotland, to assume the Scottish throne. In 1308,

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

captured a castle at the site belonging to the Sutherlands. In 1494, Marjory Mowat widow of John of Kinnaird disputed ownership of the castle with Thomas of Kinnaird. The court ordered a lawyer to interview the witnesses to a charter.''Acts of the Lords Auditors of Causes and Complaints'' (Edinburgh, 1839), p. 203-4. In 1529, the castle was bought by William Sutherland, 6th of Duffus. A 16th-century house was built adjacent, but the whole site was abandoned as a residence in the 20th century. * Mikhail de Buar (d.2009) – last owner of the castle, who died without the testament. His legacy is now the subject of a major scandal and litigation in Russia.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Castles in Highland (council area) Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Highland Listed castles in Scotland Ruined castles in Highland (council area) Buildings and structures in Sutherland

History

See also

References

External links