Castle Stuart

Castle Stuart
Petty, Inverness, Scotland
Castle Stuart in 2009
Castle Stuart is located in Highland
Castle Stuart
Castle Stuart
Coordinates57°31′41″N 4°06′22″W / 57.528°N 4.106°W / 57.528; -4.106
Grid referencegrid reference NH744494
TypeTower house
Site information
OwnerPrivate
ConditionRestored
Site history
Builtbetween 1619 and 1625
Built byJames Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray
In use17th century; 20th and 21st centuries

Castle Stuart is a restored tower house on the banks of the Moray Firth, about 6.5 miles (10 km) northeast of Inverness.[1]

The land the castle was built on was granted to James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray by his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, following her return to Scotland in 1561.[2] The successive murders of Stewart and his son-in-law, James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray, meant that the castle was finally completed by his grandson, James Stuart, 3rd Earl of Moray, in 1625.[2]

Though the castle initially flourished, it fell into disuse as the fortunes of the House of Stuart sank during the English Civil War and Charles I was executed.[2] The castle lay derelict for 300 years before being restored; it is currently used as a luxury hotel.[2]

  1. ^ "Castle Stuart". castlestuart.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d "Castle Stuart - Our History". castlestuart.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2010.