Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Tolquhon Castle

Tolquhon Castle

Scotland
HES SM90302
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Tolquhon Castle is a late medieval fortress situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, constructed principally during the late sixteenth century by the Forbes family. The castle comprises a substantial Z-plan tower house with lower defensive works, exemplifying the military architectural conventions of its period whilst incorporating elements of domestic comfort appropriate to a noble residence. Built around 1584 by William Forbes, the Third Laird of Tolquhon, the structure features harled rubble masonry with characteristic Scottish baronial detailing. The castle remained an important Forbes family seat until its abandonment in the seventeenth century, and its ruins today constitute a significant example of late medieval fortified domestic architecture in northeast Scotland.

Tolquhon Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90302. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tolquhon Castle?

Tolquhon Castle is a late medieval fortress situated in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, constructed principally during the late sixteenth century by the Forbes family. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90302.

Who is responsible for protecting Tolquhon Castle?

Tolquhon 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 SM90302.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tolquhon Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including South Ythsie, stone circle 300m SSW of (2.1 km), Tarves, Tolquhon Tomb, S of Parish Church (2.5 km), 5 Shethin Cottages, homestead moat 125m SSW of (3.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Tolquhon Castle

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

South Ythsie, stone circle 300m SSW of
Bronze Age · Stone circle2.1 km
Tarves, Tolquhon Tomb, S of Parish Church
Medieval · Tolquhon tomb, s of parish church2.5 km
5 Shethin Cottages, homestead moat 125m SSW of
Homestead moat3.7 km
4 Shethin Cottages, cairn 310m WNW of
Cairn4.2 km
Sheldon, stone circle 180m N of
Bronze Age · Stone circle6.2 km
4 Tillygreig Cottages, hut circles 540m and 570m W of
Hut circles 540m and6.2 km
The New House, hut circle 250m NW of
Hut circle7.1 km
Bellmuir,settlement,field system & cairns 900m SE of Auchencrieve
Post-Medieval · Settlement,field system & cairns 900m se of auchencrieve7.8 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Tolquhon Castle

Tolquhon Castle stands on Argyll Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite, semipelite and pelite.

The wider landscape

Around Tolquhon Castle

Battle of BarraBattle · ~5.2 milesBattle of HarlawBattle (1411) · ~8 milesBattle of FyvieBattle · ~8.9 milesBattle of Fyvie Castle 1644Battle (1644) · ~9.4 miles
All Scheduled Monuments