If you’re hoping to visit a castle with a link to Clan Rose, you're in luck, as there are two beautiful and historical locations to choose from! Join us as we take you through the stunning locations associated with this illustrious Clan.
Kilravock Castle
Kilravock Castle (pronounced “Kilrawk”) sits on the banks of the River Nairn, close to the stunning sandy beaches of the Moray Firth. Situated in 40 acres of beautiful grounds, the castle and remained the residence of the clan chief until 2012, by which point it had been home to 25 successive generations of Clan Rose.
The lands on which the castle was constructed passed to the Rose family in the 13th century upon the marriage of Mary Boscoe to Hugh II de Ros. The keep was built by Hugh, seventh of Kilravock, around 1460 with permission of the Lord of the Isles – in part, as an attempt to deal with his unruly neighbours! In 1482, the tower was seized by the Mackintoshes, but they soon surrendered. The current castle is a composite of a 15th century tower house and several later additions, including a mansion house added by the 10th Baron in 1553 to house his household of 17 sisters and daughters.
The castle has welcomed several notable visitors over the years – in 1562, Mary Queen of Scots was received by the 10th Laird on her way to Inverness, and her son James VI visited in 1598. Prince Charles Edward Stuart was entertained at Kilravock four days before the Battle of Culloden, and his enemy the Duke of Cumberland visited soon after the battle. In 1787, the castle was visited by the poet Robert Burns.
From 1967 the castle was run as a Christian Centre, and in 1984, the Clan Chief Elizabeth Rose transferred ownership of the castle to a charitable Christian trust. Today it can be booked for small weddings, conferences, and bunkhouse accommodation, and also houses a small museum containing various artefacts including the punch bowl used by Bonnie Prince Charlie when he stayed at the castle.
Cawdor Castle
For the Rose Clan, Cawdor Castle is “the one that got away”! Hugh, later the tenth of Kilravock, had expected to marry Murial Calder, the daughter of the chief of Clan Calder, whose family seat was at Cawdor Castle. With the marriage, Hugh would eventually have gained control of the castle and its associated lands. However, at the last minute, Murial was carried off by the Clan Campbell and made to marry a younger son of Argyll – ever since, Cawdor Castle has been in the hands of Clan Campbell of Cawdor. Today, Clan Cawdor is home to the Dowager Countess Cawdor.
Castle Cawdor is perhaps best known for its link to Macbeth – in Shakespeare’s play, the Scottish King is made “Thane of Cawdor” – although the castle was not actually constructed until 400 years after the death of the historical Macbeth. A curious story exists surrounding the origin of the castle, which was built around a small holly tree. Legend has it that a donkey, laden with gold, lay down to rest under the tree, which was taken as a good omen and led to the castle being built on the same site. You can still see the remains of the tree if you visit the castle today, and modern scientific testing has shown that it died in approximately 1372, meaning that the story might be fact after all!
Which castle is your favourite? Get in touch and let us know! In the meantime head to the Clan Rose page for more fun facts about the clan.
