Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Forse Castle

Forse Castle

Scotland
HES SM621
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Forse Castle is a ruined stronghold located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. The castle dates to the medieval period and consists of the remains of a substantial stone structure that reflects the defensive architecture typical of northern Scottish fortifications. The site occupies a strategically important location within the Caithness landscape, where local landowners maintained control over the surrounding territory during the medieval and early modern periods. The surviving ruins provide evidence of the architectural practices and settlement patterns of the region during this period.

Forse Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM621. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Forse Castle?

Forse Castle is a ruined stronghold located in Caithness in the far north of Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM621.

Who is responsible for protecting Forse Castle?

Forse 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 SM621.

What other scheduled monuments are near Forse Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Latheron Old Church & The Aisle (2.2 km), Latheron, 2 standing stones (2.4 km), Latheronwheel House,promontory fort 1100m SE of (3.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Forse Castle

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

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Latheron Old Church & The Aisle
2.2 km
Latheron, 2 standing stones
Bronze Age · 2 standing stones2.4 km
Latheronwheel House,promontory fort 1100m SE of
Iron Age · Promontory fort3.8 km
Latheronwheel Bridge,broch 450m S of
Iron Age · Broch3.9 km
Latheronwheel House, long cairn 850m SE of
Neolithic · Long cairn4 km
Latheronwheel House,chambered cairn 580m SE of
Neolithic · Chambered cairn4.3 km
Upper Latheron,chambered cairn 530m ESE of
Neolithic · Chambered cairn4.5 km
Smerral, broch to E of Bunellich
Iron Age · Broch to e of bunellich4.6 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Forse Castle

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

All Scheduled Monuments