Flying the Range at Rosehearty. Is that a well known phrase we hear as we approach the tower.

Описание: Flying the Range at Rosehearty. Is that a well known phrase we hear as we approach the tower.

Pitsligo Castle can be found on the slopes of a prominent hill overlooking the sandy bay of Rosehearty. The location is not particularly strong or strategically important, but looked over the shipping route along the Moray Firth coast and may have been of significance for sailors having navigated round the north-east corner of Aberdeenshire.

The castle consists of the ruins of a 15th century “great tower” and an associated courtyard, which is lined with the remains of 16th century ranges of buildings. In addition is an outer court and formal approach to the west. The great tower is built slightly off square, and has walls over 3 metres thick at the base. The vaulted basement contains a single slit window to the west, with a mural stair coming down the north-west corner. In addition a second mural stair in the north-east corner comes down to an entrance lobby in the thickness of the walls which opened out into the courtyard and forms the only visible entrance to the tower house today. There was at least one storey above containing bedrooms; this was removed in the early 18th century. This tower is situated within a quadrangular courtyard dating to the 16th century, with a round tower in the north-east corner. The entrance to the courtyard was to the west through an arched tunnel within the western range of buildings, which survive as a series of small vaulted rooms. Larger buildings lined the north side, again all vaulted, and in the north-east corner was a kitchen complex next to the round tower, and additional storeys above – an external stair tower led to the first floor. Heraldic panels showing the royal arms of Scotland and the date 1577, one dated 1603 with the arms of the United Kingdom, and an armorial with the arms of Forbes and Fraser quartered, impaled with those of Buchan, can be seen on the mansion remains. This cannot be dated as it was used by all the Forbeses of Pitsligo.

The lands of Pitsligo were originally part of the earldom of Buchan, and appear to have been one of the estates which passed to the Earls of Ross after the breaking up of the earldom by Robert Bruce. When Earl William of Ross died, one of his heiress daughters was married to Alexander Fraser of Cowie (near Stonehaven) and inherited Pitsligo amongst other lands. Their son William gave Pitsligo to his daughter as her marriage portion when she married Sir William Forbes of Kinnaldy, younger brother of the first Lord Forbes, presumably early in the 15th century. It is believed that William, who was the first of the Forbeses of Pitsligo, was responsible for the building of the great tower. Another John, Alexander’s great-grandson, was laird in 1603, and his son Alexander who was made the first Lord Forbes of Pitsligo in 1633. Eventually the Forbes family made the mistake of supporting the Jacobite cause, and in 1745 were attainted and their estate forfeited to the crown. The castle was looited by Flemish troops, and sold to the Garden family of Troup, who removed the roofs and left the castle to the elements. Today the castle is still undergoing restoration work which is being carried out for the Pitsligo Castle Trust, a charity with strong local support in the Friends of Pitsligo Castle.

Rosehearty lies on the north-facing coast of Aberdeenshire, four miles west of Fraserburgh. It was probably first settled by Danish fishermen in the 1300s and the name means Abhartach's Point in Old Gaelic. History fails to record who Abhartach was.

In 1424 the Fraser family built Pitsligo Castle on a site a few hundred yards inland from the coast. This was considerably enlarged by the Forbes family in 1570: the Frasers moving to Pittulie Castle which they built a short distance to the east. The remains of the two castles can be seen from Rosehearty.
Today's Rosehearty retains an active, if not exactly a busy, harbour. This lies at the east end of the old heart of the village. Fishertown, which still has its distinctive rows of fishermen's cottages, extends around the shoreline from the harbour not far above the high tide mark. This must be an exciting place in a northerly storm.

To the south of Fishertown is the New Town, built largely during the boom years of the 1800s. This is focussed on its large square. The southern side of Rosehearty is still more recent, concluding with the 9-hole golf club and by the open land around the two ruined castles.
On the west side of Rosehearty is one of its most recent and most distinctive structures, a tall white observation tower associated with the military ranges off the coast here.


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