Dounreay Castle

The castle is thought to date from the latter part of the 16th century. It was a property of the Sinclairs, the owner in 1614 being William Sinclair of Dunbeath, while in 1726 it was one of the lodgings of the Earl of Caithness. Ownership passed to the Forbeses, to the Mackays of Reay, and then to the Mackays of Tongue. Occupation continued until 1863, but the castle was unroofed and ruinous by 1910. The site was used a farm, with the courtyard being the farmyard, with the first of two ranges of cottages possibly being added south east of the castle in the 17th century. Cromwellian troops were housed in the castle in the mid-17th century. The site was leveled with the exception of the…

The castle comprised a three-storey main block, and the jamb containing a scale-and-platt stair. Above an unvaulted basement was the hall. The dimensions of the main block were 39.5 ft by 23.67 ft, and those of the wing 14.33 ft by 18.5 ft, while the walls were about 3.5 ft. The entrance is in the re-entrant angle of the jamb, below the staircase. The castle was enclosed by a barmkin, parts of which survive on the south western and seaward sides. The former is keyed into the tower and the latter has been incorporated into a later cottage wall. A kitchen range was added, built against the barmkin, and blocked an original gun loop in the tower. The north west angle of the castle has…