Midmar Castle

Midmar castle is an extended tower house which dates to the late 16th or early 17th century. Despite the name, it was not part of the earldom of Mar, and was in fact called Ballogie for the first 200 years or so of its life. It lies near an old motte and church which presumably date back to the 13th century when the lands were held by the Durward family, and was largely destroyed in 1594 by forces loyal to king James VI.

The tower house is a small building with a central square tower, a large round tower, and a smaller square tower containing stairs; much of it appears to post date the destruction event caused by the ongoing rebellious behaviour of the Gordon lairds. The last Gordon laird appears to have sold it to the Forbes family, and they in turn sold it to Alexander Grant in the 18th century. Grant extended the tower house with two wings and a courtyard, and this gives the castle its superficial similarity to castles like Castle Fraser and Beldorney. It was resold several times and underwent a significant programme of modernisation from the 1970-s onwards. It remains a private family home and is not accessible to the public.

HES Canmore Database Entry