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Castle Craig, the historic ruins of a
towerhouse and its enclosure on the Cromarty Firth, is the
oldest remaining castle on the north shore of the Black Isle.
Its position on a cliff-top spur overlooking the Firth provides
commanding views of the mountains of Ross-shire and surrounding
farm lands. Originally known as Craighouse, it marked the
western boundary of the Sheriffdom of Cromarty when the
Urquharts of Cromarty held the Sheriffdom during the late
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries.
Castle Craig came into Urquhart possession in
1561 when the Bishop of Ross granted ownership of the lands of
Craig, with its towerhouse, to Thomas Urquhart, second son of
Alexander Urquhart of Cromarty (1507 – 1564), 8th Chief of Clan
Urquhart. After Thomas Urquhart of Craighouse died in 1571,
ownership passed to his younger brothers, the last of whom was
John Urquhart, Tutor of Cromarty. The Tutor's ownership of the
Castle was confirmed in a royal charter of 1595, shortly after
he became guardian to his great-nephew, Sir Thomas Urquhart of
Cromarty (1586 - 1642), 11th Chief of Clan Urquhart. The 11th
Urquhart Chief was father of the renowned Sir Thomas Urquhart of
Cromarty (1611 – 1660), 12th Chief of Clan Urquhart -- ardent
Royalist, author and translator of Rabelais.
Following the Tutor of Cromarty's death in
1631, Castle Craig passed to a succession of Urquhart lairds in
the 17th and early 18th Centuries. It eventually came into
possession of the Shaw-Mackenzie owners of Newhall, the
adjoining Black Isle estate originally established by the
Urquharts. In 1960, Major C. J. Shaw-Mackenzie of Newhall, who
by this time had been recognized as Shaw of Tordarroch, Chief of
Clan Shaw, gifted Castle Craig to Wilkins Fisk Urquhart, 26th
Chief of Clan Urquhart. Recently, the Black Isle Charitable
Corporation for Castle Craig's Preservation and Restoration was
formed to promote interest in the Castle and raise funds for its
preservation and Restoration, thereby preserving this important
Black Isle historic landmark for future generations.
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