Auchmeddan Castle

Auchmedden Castle was a laird’s house built at the end of the 15th or start of the 16th century. It stood beside a ravine called the Den of Auchmedden, which led north to the coast at Pennan. The house was large enough for ten children and held a well-stocked library. Andrew Baird became the first laird of Auchmedden in 1534 after the king confirmed his purchase of the lands. His family held the estate for eight generations until William Baird sold it in 1750. The Gordons, Earls of Aberdeen, later owned the property in the mid-18th century. The castle fell into ruin late in the 18th century and by 1965 no trace remained. Robert Baird bought the estate in 1854 because he felt connected to the earlier Baird gentry family. His brother James and nephew George Alexander Baird later inherited the land. Part of the south wall and scattered stones could still be seen up to 1913. Some of the timber and panelling from the demolition were reused in Denburn House near New Pitsligo. Today the site lies under farmland, with no visible remains of the house. The Den of Auchmedden still winds down to the coast, offering a quiet walk through the landscape. A local legend tells of Thomas the Rhymer’s prophecy about eagles leaving when the Bairds departed. The estate once stretched three miles west to east and six miles north to south, covering a wide stretch of Aberdeenshire.