Ethie Castle

Ethie Castle stands beside the North Sea in Angus, 3 miles north of Arbroath. Built in the 14th century from local sandstone, it began as a keep for Arbroath Abbey monks. The castle later belonged to the de Maxwell family and then to David Beaton, Scotland’s last Cardinal, who was murdered in St Andrews in 1546. His small chapel and the Cardinal’s Sitting Room with its secret staircase remain. The Carnegie family bought the castle in 1665 and held it for centuries, adding naval honours after the 7th Earl fought with Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805. The castle’s history includes a link to Sir Walter Scott, who stayed here often. He used Ethie as the model for the Castle of Knockwhinnock in his novel The Antiquary. In 1927 the estate passed to artist William Cunningham Hector. The Forsyth Clan restored the castle, and it now serves as their clan seat. Ghost stories add to its reputation, with a Grey Lady and the spectre of Cardinal Beaton said to wander the halls. Visitors find a medieval keep surrounded by later wings, all grouped around a courtyard. The chapel still holds its original furnishings, and the Cardinal’s Sitting Room opens onto the Great Hall by a hidden stair. Outside, lawns slope down to the sea, and the Trafalgar arms appear carved above a dormer. Inside, family portraits and antique collections reflect the castle’s long life. The rooms remain furnished as they were when the Forsyths made it their home.