Dundarg Castle

Dundarg Castle is a ruined 13th and 14th century castle which stands on a dramatic clifftop location.

The castle is thought to have been built by the Comyn Earls of Buchan in the 13th century or earlier and is sited within a promontory fort which dates back to Pictish times.

In 1334 the castle was refortified by Henry de Beaumont, husband of Alice Comyn, Countess of Buchan, the niece and heir of John Comyn, 3rd Earl of Buchan. However in December of that year the castle was besieged and destroyed by Sir Andrew de Moray and subsequently seemingly abandoned.

The promontory was defended by a series of banks and ditches beyond which was an outer ward containing various ancillary buildings. A red sandstone gatehouse gave access to an inner ward and still stands to a height of around 3m.

Dundarg is thought to have been refortified in the mid-16th century as part of coastal defences before being abandoned again in the mid-17th century.

In 1938 a new house was built within the outer ward for Air Vice Marshal David Vaughan Carnegie.