Scheduled MonumentsScotlandBraal Castle

Braal Castle

Scotland
HES SM619
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Braal Castle is a ruined stronghold located in Caithness, northern Scotland. The castle dates from the medieval period and represents a modest fortified residence typical of the region's defensive architecture. Its remains consist of fragmentary stone walls that indicate a structure of limited scale, consistent with the domestic fortifications built by local landholding families during the medieval era. The site reflects the historical settlement patterns and territorial interests of Caithness during the late medieval period, though detailed records of its specific construction date and notable occupants remain limited.

Braal Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM619. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Braal Castle?

Braal Castle is a ruined stronghold located in Caithness, northern Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM619.

Who is responsible for protecting Braal Castle?

Braal Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM619.

What other scheduled monuments are near Braal Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Achies,broch 180m E of (5.1 km), St Magnus' church,burial ground and hospital (5.6 km), Fairy Hillock,chambered cairn SE of Spittal Mains (6.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Braal Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Braal Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Braal Castle

Braal Castle stands on Middle Old Red Sandstone (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.