This castle has had a very violent life and not held by anyone for very long. It was built in the 15th century for the Earl of Mar. The Earl of Mar was murdered by his brother (James III) and the tower house passed to Robert Cochrane. Cochrane was hanged in 1482 and it was taken over by the Ogilvies but went to the Gordons in 1535. The Mackintoshes raged through it in 1591 in revenge for the murder of the Bonnie Earl o' Moray. Gordon was killed in 1594 at the Battle of Glenlivet.
Auchindoun was restored after the Mackintoshes wrecked it, but by 1725 the stone work was being used for building material in nearby areas. This is an L-Plan tower house with three stories to it's structure. Ground level has the cellars, the hall was on the first floor with the living quarters on the second.
It is worth the walk, climbs, and livestock avoidance. It sits on top of a hill overlooking the valleys all around. |
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