Braal Castle is located by the River Thurso

River Thurso

The River Thurso has Loch Rumsdale in Caithness as its source, about 26 kilometres south and 14 kilometres west of the burgh of Thurso, Caithness, and about 2 kilometres south of the railway line linking the burghs of Thurso and Wick with Inverness. At its source and until it reaches Loch More...

 north of the village of Halkirk

Halkirk

Halkirk is a village on the River Thurso in Caithness, in the Highland council area of Scotland. From Halkirk the B874 road runs towards Thurso in the north and towards Georgemas in the east...

, in Caithness

Caithness

Caithness is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic local government area of Scotland. The name was used also for the earldom of Caithness and the Caithness constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Boundaries are not identical in all contexts, but the Caithness area is...

, northern Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The ruined castle, which dates back to the mid-14th century, was originally known as the Castle of Brathwell.

History

The site may have been occupied by Harold II of Orkney, Mormaer of Caithness (d. 1206), although the present building is of the fourteenth century. The "Castle of Brathwell" was granted by King Robert II of Scotland

Robert II of Scotland

Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...

 to his son, David Stewart, Earl of Caithness

David Stewart, Earl of Strathearn

David Stewart , Prince of Scotland, was a 14th century Scottish magnate. He was the eldest son of the second marriage of King Robert II of Scotland with Euphemia de Ross...

. His descendant, Walter Stewart, forfeit

Asset forfeiture

Asset forfeiture is confiscation, by the State, of assets which are either the alleged proceeds of crime or the alleged instrumentalities of crime, and more recently, alleged terrorism. Instrumentalities of crime are property that was allegedly used to facilitate crime, for example cars...

ed his estates in 1437 when he was executed for his role in the murder of King James I

James I of Scotland

James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...

.

In 1450, the castle was bestowed by James II

James II of Scotland

James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...

 upon Sir George Crichton

George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness

George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness , was a Scottish peer.Succeeding his father as sheriff of Linlithgowshire, he was knighted before 1438. In 1441 he was ambassador to the Brittany to negotiate the marriage of James II's sister Isabella...

, Lord High Admiral of Scotland

Lord High Admiral of Scotland

The Lord High Admiral of Scotland was one of the Great Offices of State of the Kingdom of Scotland before the Union with England in 1707.The office was one of considerable power, also known as Royal Scottish Admiralty, including command of the King's ships and sailors and inspection of all sea...

, who was briefly created Earl of Caithness

Earl of Caithness

Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have taken place in favor of Maol Íosa V, Earl of...

 in 1452. In 1455, the earldom and castle were granted by James II to William Sinclair

William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness

William Sinclair , 1st Earl of Caithness , 3rd Earl of Orkney , Baron of Roslin was a Scottish nobleman and the builder of Rosslyn Chapel, in Midlothian....

, Baron of Roslin

Baron of Roslin

Baron of Roslin was a Scottish peerage held by the chief of the Clan Sinclair.*William Sinclair, 1st Baron of Roslin, *Henry Sinclair, 2nd Baron of Roslin, *Henry Sinclair, 3rd Baron of Roslin,...

 and Lord Chancellor of Scotland

Lord Chancellor of Scotland

The Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...

. The castle passed to the Sinclairs of Ulbster

Viscount Thurso

Viscount Thurso, of Ulbster in the County of Caithness, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1952 for the Scottish Liberal politician and former Secretary of State for Air, Sir Archibald Sinclair, 4th Baronet. His son, the second Viscount, served as Lord Lieutenant of...

, a branch of the Sinclair

Clan Sinclair

Clan Sinclair is a Highland Scottish clan of Norman origin who held lands in the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands, and the Lothians which they received from the Kings of Scots...

 Earls of Caithness, in the 18th century. Building of an adjacent mansion was begun, although construction was abandoned. In 1856 a hotel was built over these foundations. The building was requisitioned by the Armed Forces during the Second World War, and was converted into flats in the 1970s.

The castle

The castle is located on a defensive site, above the River Thurso. It comprises a tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

, around 12 by 11 metres (39 by 36 feet), with walls 2.5 to 3m (8-10 ft) thick. The entrance is at first-floor level, leading into a large hall. A stair in the wall led up to an upper floor and a parapet walk, although the upper parts of the castle have not survived. It has now been made into attractive apartment accommodation - Lisamarie Wright.

External links

• Braal Castle, Caithness, Braalcastle.com
• Braal Castle, Caithness, Caithness.org