Knock Castle

NO39NE 4 35226 95157

(NO 3522 9515) Knock Castle (NR) (Ruins of)

OS 6" map, (1938)

NOTES:

A rectangular keep, 27 1/2ft by 22ft, with walls about 4ft thick and a vaulted ground floor, strongly resembling a pele tower of the Borders. Internally it is entirely ruined. The foundations of the enclosing wall of the courtyard may still be traced. The tower and courtyard, occupying the top of a rocky conical hill, appear to be of late work, probably about 1600. Simpson adds that the foundations of a strong tower-like structuce to the SW may represent an earlier tower said to have been destroyed by the Clan Chattan (MacIntosh) in 1590.

D MacGibbon and T Ross 1887-92; W D Simpson 1924; A Laing nd.

Knock Castle, generally as described and illustrated by Simpson. The foundations of the tower to the W, allegedly destroyed in AD. 1590, appear to have a corn-drying kiln within it.

Re-surveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (N K B) 13 November 1968.

Collapsed stonework was removed to a depth of 1m over the complete basement area of the tower-house in advance of HBM consolidation work. The original mortar floor level was revealed at this depth, having been sealed by the collapsed ground floor vault. Apart from broken roof slates in the rubble there were no finds.

P Yeoman 1987.

Listed.

Scottish Castle Survey 1988; N Bogdan and I B D Bryce 1991.

Visible on air photographs AAS/93/11/G23/8-10. Copies held by Grampian Regional Council.

Information from M Greig, Grampian Regional Council, March 1994.

Roofless towerhouse of c.1600. 3-storey and attic with gabled caphouse to SE corner.

This site was recorded as part of the Listed Buildings Recording Programme (LBRP) for 2001-02.

Information from RCAHMS (NMC), 2002.