Bognie Castle

Bognie Castle, also called Conzie Castle, stands as a ruined tower on the Bognie Estate in Aberdeenshire. It lies between Huntly and Banff, close to Forgue parish, on land once part of the farm of Conzie. The Morisons of Bognie built the castle in the 1660s, though it was never fully occupied. A date-stone from 1688 suggests later work, but the family soon moved to Frendraught after marrying into that estate. No clear records show the castle being used, and its name remains uncertain. The castle’s history is tied to the Morisons and their shift to Frendraught. The farm of Conzie once gave the ruin its alternative name, but the land later became part of Bognie Estate. No trace remains of an earlier Castle Conzie, which may have stood nearby. The Morisons chose to rebuild Frendraught instead, leaving Bognie Castle unfinished. Local enquiries have found no other name for the ruin. Visitors find a quiet grassy mound where the four-storey tower once rose. The site overlooks farmland near Forgue, with few signs of its past grandeur. The date-stone from 1688 is one of the few clues to its history. The ruin blends into the landscape, with no walls standing above ground. The Bognie Estate surrounds it, linking the site to the Morisons’ later home at Frendraught.