Hallforest Castle

Hallforest Castle is a ruined great tower of early date, and can be seen in a field which is used for agriculture. As livestock are free to roam and this includes the interior of the castle, guidance should be sought from the farmer to gain access at certain times of the year. The castle was built to serve the royal forest of Kintore, which was granted by Robert Bruce to Sir Robert de Keith in 1309. It is likely that the tower was built after Bruce’s death and is the building mentioned as the “hall of the forest of Kintore” in a 1351 charter. The tower has a double vault serving the lower and the upper levels, each of which would have had a mezzanine layer, but the upper may have been open originally. The collapsed gable is indicative of the location of a mural stair in the corner serving all floors – the entrance location is unknown.

The castle appears to have reverted to the Crown in the reign of David II, but was regranted to the Keith family at an unknown date. Hallforest remained a property of the Keiths, who were to become Earls Marischal until the 17th century, when it appears to have fallen out of use. By the time it was acquired by Lord Falconer of Halkertoun it was already in ruins. It never appears to have seen military action, remaining a hunting seat of the Keiths, and perhaps serving an administrative purpose for the tenants living in the Forest lands.

HES Canmore database entry