Allardice Castle

Allardice Castle is an occupied and much extended tower house, said to have been founded in 1542 from a decorative piece of masonry showing the Allardice arms and that date. However, having closely examined the external photographs of the building on Canmore, I am not sure where this stone is located, perhaps inside. The extended L-shaped footprint of the building undoubtedly represents two sides of the old courtyard and dwelling, and retains the pend passageway which was the old entrance. This frontage is rather severe, although at one point a round turret overlooked the entrance, part of which is retained today. The courtyard facing part of the building is extensively covered with decorative masonry, including a very complex turret/watchtower feature, and from the various window levels, it is clear that the castle was altered several times. It is known that the west wing, provided with a full height round corner tower, is 18th century, and a large staircase, enclosed within a further extension dates to 1880. A datestone within the building regrettable unlocated) supposedly bears the date 1695. It is likely that the original tower was a modest L-plan tower occupying the angle of the current building, but the alterations have been destructive of evidence for the original layout. Today the building is occupied and is not open to the public.

The lands of Allardice were held by Walter Scott in the 1190s, and although this is not certain, it is possible that his descendants took the name de Allardice. By the 1270s Alexander Allardice and his son Walter are mentioned in a charter. Subsequent generations included the names Thomas, Alexander, Walter, John and William, and it seems probable that some at least of these were brothers rather than sons, perhaps three or four generations at most by the time William was served heir to his father Alexander in 1399. His brother John was probably the heir to the barony, though, and was succeeded by his grandson Thomas in 1451, Thomas by his son John in 1473. John had a lengthy career and acquired much land before his death between 1500 and 1511. His son, also John also had a lengthy career, being killed at Pinkie in 1547, leaving his seven year old son (yet another John) to succeed him. This John lived into the early 17th century, and although we have a datestone of 1547 mentioned above, Allardice is referred to as the “place” of Allardice in a 1579 document, the “manor” of Allardice in 1586, and it is “place” again in 1600. From a high point of wealth in the early 17th century, by the end, the family had debt problems, requiring assistance from their neighbours and allies the Keith Earls Marischal. Despite this, they were presumably able to extend the house from the 1695 datestone, and the estate was heavily mortgaged when the last of the male Allardices was born in 1727, and he elected to spend more that he did not have, living abroad for years. He died in 1765 leaving his daughter to succeed him. Her husband was wealthy enough to repair the estates finances, and they were probably responsible for the 18th century extension in the lifetime of her father. Eventually the estate was sold to the neighbouring Arbuthnott family, and the castle itself fell into decline, with much of it abandoned and becoming derelict by the 20th century.

HES Canmore database entry