Top 10 Remarkable Facts about the Cawdor Castle, Highlands

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about the Cawdor Castle, Highlands

Cawdor Castle by Peter Glyn from Wikimedia Commons

Cawdor brings up ideas of Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, yet Cawdor was a thanedom in the 11th century, long before the Bard of Avon dramatized – and utterly rewrote – the history of Scotland for his play.

The old fort of Old Cawdor lay approximately one mile north of the modern castle, and it is extremely plausible that the actual Macbeth was familiar with the original Cawdor fortress. In appreciation for Hugh’s assistance in restoring Malcolm’s family to the throne, Macbeth’s successor, Malcolm Canmore, handed Hugh de Kaledouer estates at Cawdor. The monarch desired a loyal presence to aid in the control of the wild Highland clans.

1. The tower was built based on a dream

The castle was built in the 14th century, although it has been reinforced multiple times since then by the Scottish monarch. In 1454, James II granted permission to the Thane of Cawdor to crenellate a tower (fortify it and add battlements) on the condition that he be able to come and go freely. According to mythology, Thane chose the location for his new tower based on a dream. 

In response to his dream, he loaded a donkey with riches and let it go freely over the countryside until it came to rest under a tree. The thane took this as a sign and erected his tower around the live tree.

2. A live thorn tree may be found in the vaulted guard chamber of the tower

Perhaps, but consider this: in the vaulted guard chamber of the tower, there is a living thorn tree sprouting out of the clay floor, still alive after more than 500 years. It’s incredible to observe the tree sprouting inside the dimly lighted vaulted hall.

To compensate, the castle was built with walls so thick that the castle pit dungeon is located within the wall itself. One of the most striking defensive features, however, is a large iron yett, or hinged gate, transported here from Lochindorb Fortress after the Thane destroyed that castle in 1455.

3. In 1499 the heiress to Cawdor was an infant named Muriel

Muriel, a baby, was the heiress of Cawdor in 1499. The kid was made a ward of the Campbell Earl of Argyll, but her mother reacted violently when Argyll’s forces arrived to take the child away.

She placed a red-hot key to the child’s flesh and bit off the tips of her fingers so she could be identified at all times. Muriel eventually married Sir John Campbell, giving birth to a local legend that the Campbells will always possess Cawdor if a red-haired lady resides on Loch Awe’s beach.

4. There are some ghosts

Cawdor, like other old houses in Scotland, is haunted. Well, of course! There are three known ghosts in this instance. One is a mystery, blue-clad lady. The second is Sir John Campbell’s ghost.

The third is the heartbreaking story of a young woman who fell in love with a young guy who did not live up to her father’s expectations. To keep the unfortunate daughter away from her unsuitable love, the irate father severed her hands. And, in case you’re wondering, there has never been a sighting of Macbeth’s ghost or the three witches.

5. The castle’s interior

Cawdor Castle by Joergsam from Wikimedia Commons

The fundamental focal point of the house is the fifteenth-century tower, which was initially placed by an outside step to a first-floor entryway. The entryway was subsequently changed over into a window, then, at that point, impeded totally. The cellar of the pinnacle is utilized as a stockpiling region and is arrived at simply by a step set into the thickness of the divider. A section prompts the pit jail, which was initially just open by a secret entryway in the floor above.

The pinnacle is associated with the south and south-east to a couple of nineteenth-century ranges worked to match the engineering of the middle age structure. In the east divider, a drawbridge permits guests to cross the dry canal outside the dividers. Toward the north and west of the pinnacle are three-story-high sixteenth-century ranges, modified for Sir Hugh Campbell in the late seventeenth 100 years. These reaches have vaulted lower chambers, crow-ventured peaks, and upper room steps above.

6. Beautiful gardens 

Cawdor castle garden by H.Wolfgang from Wikimedia Commons

Cawdor Castle is set in extraordinary gardens, divided into wonderful and very specific parts. What is charming is that every one of the three awesome gardens has its personal unique history. in addition, there is a large location of woodland at once behind the castle, regarded as the Big Wood. This woodland is all that stays of an ancient Caledonian pinewood and boasts some marvellous historical trees, with nature trails winding through them.

7. Cawdor has been intimately associated with the tremendously famous Outlander series

Inquisitively, Cawdor has been firmly connected to the colossally famous Outlander TV series, despite the fact that the palace was not utilized as an area during recording. Although it may not highlight straightforwardly in the series, it is a brilliant illustration of the sort of group palace referred to in the book that motivated the series. Thus Cawdor is in many cases an objective for Outlander-themed mentor voyages through the Scottish Highlands.

We highly recommend a visit to Cawdor Castle; it is a wonderfully atmospheric castle and well worth a special trip to see.