Petty Castle

Petty Castle is a large motte immediately adjacent to the Old Church of Petty just outside Inverness, and can be clearly seen, although it is fenced off with barbed wire and cannot be accessed directly. The church has a car park which means public access to the exterior of the mound is easy enough. Although the soil here is very sandy, this does seem to be a true motte.

The estate was one of those important enough for the Murray family to take as their designation, and the castle was probably the seat to a certain extent, although it was almost certainly replaced by a more impressive residence judging by their other properties at Bothwell and Avoch! The castle was probably destroyed in the late 13th century and upon the extinction of the Murrays soon afterwards Petty passed to the earls of Moray, who did not rebuild here.

HES Canmore database entry – W Dalziel
HES Canmore database entry – Old Petty