Braco Castle is a 16th and 17th century castle, with considerable 18th and 19th century alterations, which belonged to the Graham family.

When the first castle was built at Braco is unclear, although the earliest parts date from at least the 16th century and possibly earlier. Braco was part of the earldom of Strathearn which had ended up in royal hands following the execution of Walter Stewart, Earl of Strathearn, in 1437 for his involvement in the assassination of James I. In 1442 numerous properties from the earldom of Strathearn, including lands of Brecache or Braco, were granted by the Crown to Michael Ochiltree, Bishop of Dunblane. Ochiltree had conducted the ceremony of anointment at the infant James II’s coronation in 1437.

Braco would remain a part of the Regality of Dunblane for over a century, however in 1550 the then Bishop of Dunblane, William Chisholm, the second son of Edmund Chisholm of Cromlix and something of an immoral character who was notable for alienating the lands of the bishopric to his relatives, granted half the lands of Braco “extending to a four merkland” to his kinsman, Malcolm Chisholm. Five years later he granted the same lands to another relation, James Chisholm, Provost of St Giles.

In 1576 the newly-consecrated Bishop of Dunblane, Andrew Graham, a grandson of William Graham, 2nd Earl of Montrose, granted numerous bishopric lands, including the full 8 merkland of Braco, to John Graham, 3rd Earl of Montrose, and his wife, Lady Jean Drummond, Countess of Montrose and daughter of David Drummond, 2nd Lord Drummond. Some sources credit the 3rd Earl with having built the castle however it seems likely that there was already a building here by that time but he may have been responsible for remodelling it.

The castle originally consisted of a square tower or keep with a projecting stair tower to the south, and rose to a height of four storeys plus a garret with a vaulted basement. This original tower now forms the north-west corner of the present Braco Castle.

The 3rd Earl granted the lands of Braco to his second son, William Graham, in 1585, who from then was known as William Graham of Braco. In 1625 he was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia, becoming Sir William Graham, 1st Baronet, of Braco, and died some time before 1636 when his son, Sir John Graham, was served heir. Sir John was married to Margaret Campbell, daughter of Sir Dugald Campbell, 1st Baronet of Auchinbreck.

It is thought that either Sir William or Sir John were responsible for extending the castle to the south with a new wing of four storeys.

This fully incorporated the older stair tower, with only the small windows hinting at its previous form, at the foot of which is what was the main entrance.

This leads into a vaulted passage off which to the left is the 16th century vaulted basement and to the right a non-vaulted chamber in the new wing. At the end of the passage is a new, wide scale and platt staircase which replaced the old spiral staircase.

Following Sir John’s death in 1647 he was succeeded by his son, William, who died some time before 1678 leaving an heir, James, who became 4th Baronet. Sir James died without issue in 1689 and Braco passed to his aunt, Grizel Graham, sister of Sir William, who renounced her rights to the property in favour of James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, Sir William’s nephew.

In 1705 David Graham, brother of Mungo Graham of Gorthy, and his son, James, were infeft in the lands of Braco and Keilour which David had acquired from the Marquis of Montrose. David Graham was Chamberlain to the Duke of Montrose and Clerk of Bills.

Braco Castle was garrisoned by Jacobite soldiers in 1715, Highlanders sent there by John Erskine, Earl of Mar, but seems to have survived unscathed. At the end of January the following year the garrison abandoned the castle on the approach of a detachment of two hundred dragoons, four hundred infantry and two cannons sent from Stirling by John Campbell, Duke of Argyll.

David Graham died in 1718 and was succeeded by his son, James, who was married to Catherine Stirling, daughter of Sir William Stirling of Ardoch and Mary Erskine of Alva. It may have been James who built a new wing extending east from the original tower. James died in 1736 and was succeeded by his eldest son, David, who went on to have a distinguished career as a soldier first in the Scots Brigade in the Netherlands and later in the British Army. He also became the MP for Perthshire and served as an equerry for George III, being responsible in 1761 for carrying the King’s proposal of marriage to Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. David married Catherine Hepburn, daughter of James Congalton Hepburn of Keith and Catherine Riccard of Rickarton.

It was David Graham who was responsible for a large new wing, supposedly built in the unrealised hope of receiving the King at Braco, projecting south from the east wing of a few decades earlier.

What had now become the west wing, previously the 17th century south wing, is likely to have been remodelled at this time to create a U-plan building with an almost symmetrical façade albeit with differences in fenestration.

By the 1790s Braco Castle seems to have been occupied by General Graham’s sister, Margaret Graham, and her husband, Francis Masterton of Parkmill and Gogar. Francis died at the castle in 1795 and following the General’s death in 1797 Braco passed to his nephew, James Masterton of Gogar, the son of Margaret and Francis. James was married to Anne Amelia Murdoch, a daughter of James Murdoch of Madeira, and had an only daughter, Margaret Seymour Masterton. A heraldic crest inserted into the south façade of the west wing features the Masterton arms on the left (heraldic right) and the arms of John Keirie of Gogar, Francis Masterton’s grandfather, on the right (heraldic left).

Anne Amelia died at Braco Castle in April 1806, followed by Margaret Graham in December of the same year. In 1823 Margaret Seymour Masterton married Captain Theodore Henry Elliot, Royal Engineers, son of Hugh Elliot, Governor of Madras. She seems to have resided at the castle with her husband’s sister as in 1831 the pair of them “moved to the seaside near Glasgow” for a better climate for their health and didn’t return. Her father perhaps remained in residence as he died in bed at Braco Castle in 1836 having conveyed the estate to his son-in-law, the now Major Elliot, after getting into financial difficulties.

It was perhaps soon after this time that the open courtyard between the two main wings was filled in, although some sources date it to a few decades later. The two storey addition provided a grander main entrance, to which was added a three bay bow window around a decade later.

In 1843 the trustees of Major Elliot, with the consent of his widow, Margaret, sold Braco Castle to Frances Marie Drummond, daughter of John Drummond of Logiealmond and Catherine Murray. Frances, known as Fanny, had been forced to leave Logiealmond after her cousin, Sir William Drummond Stewart of Grandtully, sold it to the Earl of Mansfield in the previous year to pay off significant debts amassed in the building of a new Murthly Castle by his late elder brother, Sir John Drummond Steuart.

Frances died at Braco Castle in 1845 and the property passed to her nephew and heir, George Drummond Steuart, younger brother of Sir William of Grandtully. He died just two years later however and soon after the castle seems to have been sold to George Kellie McCallum. Kellie McCallum may have been responsible for adding the aforementioned bow window to the main entrance and various other alterations including perhaps the service wing to the north-east, and is credited with the general layout of the grounds.

In 1893 Kellie McCallum was still described as the owner of Braco Castle, when he would have been 89 years of age, however Sir (William) Renny Watson was described as resident at the castle and the following year registered the arms of Watson of Braco Castle suggesting that he had bought the castle. Sir Renny was responsible for extending the service wing to the north-east before his death in 1900.

The next owner seems to have been Patrick Ness who died at the castle in 1906. His eldest son, Patrick Powell Ness, was resident at Braco Castle before his death at sea in April 1914 aboard the MV Keist en route from Algiers to London. His brother, Lieutenant Gordon Stuart Ness, described as the “youngest and only surviving son of the late Patrick Ness, of Braco Castle” was killed in the November of the same year at the first Battle of Ypres.

In 1917 Braco Castle was sold to Sir James Finlay Muir, a son of Sir John Muir of Deanston who owned Finlay Muir & Co. The Muirs developed the grounds considerably, building the pond beside the walled garden and planting thousands of daffodils. Sir James died in 1948 and his widow, Charlotte Escudier Muir, continued living at the castle until 1967. High death duties led to a deterioration in the maintenance of the property’s buildings and parts of the estate were sold off.

The contents of Braco Castle were sold at Christie’s for £108,056 in 1983, and the following year a London doctor bought the castle along with twenty acres of the grounds and began some restoration. In the early 1990s the castle was bought by the present owners who carried out a significant programme of restoration between 1997 and 1998.