Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Castle Roy

Castle Roy

Scotland
HES SM952
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Castle Roy is a motte-and-bailey castle situated near Nethy Bridge in Inverness-shire, dating to the early medieval period, likely the twelfth or thirteenth century. The monument comprises a substantial earthwork mound surmounted by a timber or stone fortification, typical of Norman defensive architecture introduced into Scotland during this era. The site demonstrates the strategic importance of controlling the Spey valley and reflects the pattern of castle-building by Anglo-Norman settlers and Scottish nobility in the Highlands during the medieval period. Though now reduced to its earthwork remains, Castle Roy represents a significant example of early medieval fortification in the Scottish Highlands and illustrates the military landscape of medieval Inverness-shire.

Castle Roy is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM952. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castle Roy?

Castle Roy is a motte-and-bailey castle situated near Nethy Bridge in Inverness-shire, dating to the early medieval period, likely the twelfth or thirteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM952.

Who is responsible for protecting Castle Roy?

Castle Roy 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 SM952.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castle Roy?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Finlarig, chapel and enclosure 300m W of (3.8 km), Tullochgorum,chambered cairn & stone circle 450m W of (4.2 km), Petriny Motte, 150m N of Mains of Garten (4.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Castle Roy

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Castle Roy'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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Finlarig, chapel and enclosure 300m W of
Medieval · Chapel and enclosure3.8 km
Tullochgorum,chambered cairn & stone circle 450m W of
Neolithic · Chambered cairn & stone circle4.2 km
Petriny Motte, 150m N of Mains of Garten
150m n of mains of garten4.5 km
Inverallan Churchyard, Symbol Stone and Cross-Incised Slab
Symbol stone and cross-incised slab4.6 km
Toum,cairn
Cairn4.6 km
Congash, chapel, burial ground and symbol stones, 500m SE of
Medieval · Chapel, burial ground and symbol stones,6.7 km
Upper Port, standing stones W of
Bronze Age · Standing stones8.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Castle Roy

Castle Roy stands on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.

The wider landscape

Around Castle Roy

Battle of CromdaleBattle (1690) · ~6.4 milesBattle of GlenlivetBattle (1594) · ~15.7 milesBattle of AuldearnBattle (1645) · ~21.5 miles
All Scheduled Monuments