Britain - Ireland - Castles . com
Castles and Historic Buildings of Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland

 Castles of Scotland - Towie Barclay Castle






Map by mapchart.net - Some rights reserved.


Location
near Dykeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Description
Towie Barclay Castle is located 4.5 miles south-south-east of Turriff in Aberdeenshire. The castle was built in 1593 by Clan Barclays an L-plan tower house. The building was sold to the governors of Robert Gordon's hospital in Aberdeen in 1755. Towie Barclay fell into disrepair by the mid-20th century. The castle was bought in the 1970s by the American musician Marc Ellington who undertook extensive restoration work which took over 7 years to complete. The restoration project won a Saltire Society Award in 1973.

History
In 1792, the turrets and embrasures were removed, two stories taken off, and the ditch filled up.

Legends
Following a pillage of a nunnery in the 12th century by Clan Barclay, Thomas the Rhymer proclaimed: "Towie Barclay of the Glen/Happy to the maids/But never to the men.", which was interpreted as a curse on the male line. Belief in the curse was strong enough that it was given as a reason for the sale of Towie Barclay Casle in 1755.


Other Castles in the Area
  Castle of Park, Aberdeenshire
  Craigston Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Delgatie Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Dunnideer Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Eden Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Esslemont Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Findlater Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Forbes Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Fordyce Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Harthill Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Huntly Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Kinnairdy Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Leslie Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Licklyhead Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Pitsligo Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Pitullie Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Tolquhon Castle, Aberdeenshire
  Udny Castle, Aberdeenshire







Udny Castle
Towie Barclay Castle taken looking across the river Ythan. Towie Barclay was bought by the American musician, Marc Ellington, and is another example of a Scottish Baronial tower house.

Photograph by Colin Smith. Some rights reserved.  (view image details)

© OpenStreetMap contributors licensed as CC BY-SA