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Cairnbulg Castle is built on a mound which was probably originally a motte, subsequently cut down into a platform for the existing stone buildings. It was surrounded by a moat, of which there is now no trace. Originally named Philorth, it belonged to the Comyns but was confiscated and given by Bruce to John Ross, son of the Earl of Ross, in 1306.It came by marriage into the hands of Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie in 1375. In 1615 it was renamed Cairnbulg. In 1896-7 the castle was extensively restored by Mr John Duthie and is now inhabited. The castle consists of a large and strong keep, perhaps mid 13th-15th Century, with a vaulted basement and Hall. The floor above the Hall is particularly interesting in that it has, in the southwest angle, a mural chamber from which descends a small turnpike stair to a pit or prison in the thickness of the masonry. A later long house known as the 'low work' is attached to the castle's southeast corner. This in turn connects with a 16th Century round tower at the low work's southeast corner. This tower is a storey lower than the keep and was probably originally a flanking tower. It has a dome-vaulted basement with apertures for three wide splayed gunloops. When restored, the two halves were repaired and roofed and a new building, embodying the remnants of the old walls, was erected between them. The whole building is now harled. To the south of the castle the historic OS maps show a large walled garden. A watching brief in 1998 within the walled garden during topsoil stripping for a tennis court recorded no archaeological features or artefacts.
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Historic Environment Records (HER)