Publication Account

Date 1982

Event ID 1018225

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018225

The two so-called castles of Peterhead were in fact town houses. Both were erected by the Earls Marischal and their ruins in the early nineteenth century were still to be seen in Peterhead' (Arbuthnot, 1815, 80). The oldest of the two castles, according to a well-founded tradition, was situated at the north end of Longate on ground later occupied by a fish curing yard (Findlay, 1933, 70). The second 'castle' was built around 1591 on Keith Inch. It was a two-storey L-shaped residence allegedly modelled on one belonging to the King of Denmark (Neish, 1950, 64). In the eighteenth century the town house did duty as a storehouse, fish-house, granary and subsequently for the storage of powder and shot (Neish 1950, 64; Arbuthnot, 1815, 80) In 1812 the structure was largely removed to make way for the harbour and other improvements and the sale of its slate, stone and wood realised almost i58 (Neish 1950, 64).

Information from ‘Historic Peterhead: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1982).