Archaeology Notes

Event ID 667791

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/667791

NJ54NE 13 59496 45003

(NJ 5949 4500) Conzie Castle (NR) (Remains of)

OS 6" map, Aberdeenshire, 2nd ed., (1902)

The remains of the manor-house of Conzie.

Name Book 1871.

The ruins of the castle of Bognie stand in a field on the south side of the Huntly and Banff turnpike road, but according to tradition was never inhabited. It shows traces of a plain building, and apparently existed in 1696.

An older mansion house stood to the south (? north) - east of it (see NJ54NE 16).

A Jervise 1875-9.

This was the mansion of Pennyburn which was under construction when the last Viscount Frendraught died (ie in 1698), and was never completed. Castle Conzie stood a little to the west of Bognie House (NJ54NE 16) but no trace of it remains. The Dunbars of Conzie lived here for nearly two hundred years.

W Temple 1886.

The castle is a rectangular structure, the entire east and south walls still standing to roof level, but only a part of the north and west walls remain. The architectural details confirm its late 17th century date of erection.

There seems to be some confusion in the name of this house (Ordnance Survey Name Book [ONB] 1871; Jervise 1875-9; Temple 1886), but local enquiries failed to confirm if it had ever been known by any name other than 'Conzie', the only information being that it was originally situated on land belonging to the farm of Conzie, but now belongs to Bognie.

No evidence was found for a second site for the castle.

Visited by OS (EGC) 2 October 1961.