Scheduled Monument

Corgarff CastleSM90080

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
30/12/1936
Last Date Amended
08/11/1999
Type
Secular: barracks; castle
Local Authority
Aberdeenshire
Parish
Strathdon
NGR
NJ 25450 8669
Coordinates
325450, 808669

Description

The monument comprises a castle of 16th-century date, converted into a military barracks in the 18th century. It is in the care of the Secretary of State for Scotland and is being re-scheduled to clarify the extent of the protected area.

The monument lies in grassland at around 450m OD. It comprises Corgarff Castle, a plain rubble-built tower measuring approximately 11m long by about 7m wide, with walls measuring about 2m thick. It stands four storeys high and is entered from the first floor. At each end of the tower is a wing one storey high. Surrounding the castle is a rectangular curtain wall with a triangular salient on each face; the wall is looped for muskets.

The curtain wall and the low wings at each end of the tower were added to the castle in the mid 18th century, when Government troops were stationed at the castle following the 1745 uprising. The castle occupies the site of an earlier tower, destroyed in 1581. The earlier tower was also enclosed within a perimeter wall, which also contained other buildings. Remains of these earlier buildings may be expected to survive as archaeological deposits below ground level.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related material may be expected to be found. It is rectangular, measuring 39.5m NNE-SSW by 51m WNW-ESE, and is defined by a modern fence, which is itself excluded from the scheduled area, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because of its contribution to our understanding of defensive architecture from the 16th century and because of the insights that it gives into the history of the pacification of the Highlands following the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Its significance is enhanced by the potential of its below-ground archaeological remains to shed further light on the material culture of its periods of occupation and use. Its importance is reflected in its status as a Property in the Care of the Secretary of State for Scotland.

References

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NJ 20 NE 1.

References:

Cross, M, 1994, Bibliography of Monuments in the Care of the Secretary of State for Scotland, 119-20. Glasgow.

Lindsay, M, 1994, The castles of Scotland, London, 152.

MacGibbon, D and Ross, T, 1887-92, The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries, 5v Edinburgh, vol. 2, 66-8, Fig. 532-3.

Shepherd, I A G, 1994, Gordon: an illustrated architectural guide, Edinburgh, 70.

Simpson, W D 1927, 'Corgarff Castle, Aberdeenshire', Proc Soc Antiq Scot, Vol. 61, 48-103.

Tabraham, C and MacIvor, I, 1993, Corgarff Castle. Historic Scotland, Edinburgh.

Historic Environment Scotland Properties

Corgarff Castle

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/corgarff-castle

Find out more

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 28/03/2024 23:08