Inverlochy Castle, Fort William (Inverness)
One of Scotland's earliest stone castles
Introduction
A fine well-preserved 13th-century castle of the Comyn family; in the form of a square, with round towers at the corners. The largest tower was the donjon or keep. It is one of Scotland’s earliest stone castles. The site of two battles, the castle remains largely unchanged since its construction.
History to the present day
Inverlochy Castle was built around 1270-1280 by John "the Black" Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber, and chief of the Clan Comyn. It may have been built on the site of an earlier Pictish fortification and settlement, which the historian Hector Boece (1465-1536) records as a "city" that was destroyed by Vikings. When Robert the Bruce succeeded to the Scottish throne in 1306, the Comyns, his rivals for the crown, were dispossessed, and the castle was unoccupied for a time. In 1431, clansmen of Alexander MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, defeated King James I's larger army in the first Battle of Inverlochy, fought close by the castle.
In 1505, the partially ruined castle was granted to George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly, who was charged by King James IV with repairing the castle for use as a Royal garrison. In 1645, the castle served as a stopping-off point for the royalist army of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose during his campaign against the Covenanter forces of the Marquess of Argyll. This culminated in a victory for the royalists in the second Battle of Inverlochy, on February 2, 1645. In the 19th century, the estate was bought by James Scarlett, 1st Baron Abinger, who built a Scottish baronial style mansion to the north-west, which is now the Inverlochy Castle Hotel. Minor enhancements, including the restoration of loops and battlements, were carried out by Lord Abinger in advance of the visit of Queen Victoria in 1873.
Arrival information and how to find us
Address: Inverlochy Castle, Fort William, Inverness, , United Kingdom
Directions: Inverlochy Castle is located 2m North east of Fort William off the A82.
