Castle of Mey

The Castle of Mey is a Z-plan tower house erected for the Sinclair family in the late 16th century on the Caithness coast looking north towards Orkney. It was purchased and restored for the late Queen Mother in the 1960s, and remains open to the public for tours as well as having access to the grounds.

The lands of Mey were sold by the Bishop of Caithness to the Earl of Caithness between 1566 and 1572, and the castle is believed to have been built soon afterwards, although it is possible that the bishop maintained a modest tower here. The Sinclairs were involved in many bloody feuds, and in the end the Sinclairs of Mey were forced into penury, with the creditors of the last laird selling the estate to repay them in 1694. The castle was returned to the Sinclairs and became the seat of the earls of Caithness in the 18th century, at which point it was named Barrogill. The old part of the castle at this time consisted of a double tower with a staircase turret in the south-western re-entrant angle, and a hall block extending to the west of this, terminating with a projecting square tower containing the main staircase. A courtyard with domestic range was then added, perhaps in the 18th century The castle was extended by William Burn c1819. It was purchased by the late Queen Mother in 1952, who restored the Mey name, and embarked upon a restoration programme. It remained the private property of the late Queen Mother and is now managed by the Queen Mother Castle of Mey Charitable Trust.

Official Castle of Mey website

HES Canmore database entry