Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Findlater Castle

Findlater Castle

Scotland
HES SM2846
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Findlater Castle is a ruined medieval stronghold perched on a dramatic rocky promontory on the Banffshire coast near Cullen. The castle dates from the thirteenth century and was a significant fortress of the Moray region, historically associated with the Moray and Dunbar families. The surviving remains comprise a substantial stone keep and associated defensive structures, substantially damaged but still commanding the headland setting. The site demonstrates the strategic importance of coastal fortifications in medieval Scotland and remains an important example of High Medieval secular architecture in the north-east.

Findlater Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2846. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Findlater Castle?

Findlater Castle is a ruined medieval stronghold perched on a dramatic rocky promontory on the Banffshire coast near Cullen. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2846.

Who is responsible for protecting Findlater Castle?

Findlater 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 SM2846.

What other scheduled monuments are near Findlater Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Crannoch Hill, radar station 400m ESE of Logie House (1.2 km), Castle Hill,motte (3.3 km), Fordyce, old church and burial ground (3.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Findlater Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Findlater 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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Findlater Castle report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Findlater Castle

Findlater Castle stands on Paleozoic intrusive rocks, bedrock that formed in the Paleozoic. The rock here is intrusive igneous rocks.