NGI

The original Craigievar Castle, which was named after a nearby hill, was built sometime in the 14th Century and owned by the Mortimer family. The building of the Castle was never finished and the family was forced to sell the building and land to William Forbes of Menie in 1610 due to financial troubles.

The History of Craigievar Castle

Building of the Castle as it appears today commenced in 1610 and in 1626 The Great Tower was built by William Forbes (nicknamed `Danzig Willie`). From then it had been lived in by the Forbes and Forbes-Sempill family.

Craigievar Castle was bought by a consortium in 1963 from the Forbes-Sempill family and donated to The National Trust For Scotland in 1963.

The Haunted History of Craigievar Castle

The castle is said to be haunted by a spirit from the Gordon family (sadly no specific details are known) after a Sir John Forbes alledgedly forced him out of a high window at sword point where he naturally fell to his death.

There are also stories of a `fiddler` who apparantly haunts the castle and his tunes can sometimes be heard by visitors to the castle, although it is reported that the fiddler will only show himself to a member of the Forbes family.