Ashintully Castle

Ashintully Castle stands near Kirkmichael in Perthshire, Scotland. Built in 1583 as a fortified tower house, it was home to the Spalding family, feudal barons and chiefs of the Spalding Clan. The Spaldings followed the Duke of Atholl, chief of the Murray Clan, and supported the Stuart cause. The name comes from the Gaelic *Eas an Tulaich*, meaning ‘cascade of the hillock’. A single-track road leads from the B950 to the castle. The castle’s past is marked by conflict. In 1597 the Earl of Atholl and his men attacked Andrew Spalding, using artillery and firearms to set the house alight. By the mid 19th century it was occupied by R J R Ayton. The Spaldings were Jacobites, loyal to the exiled Stuarts, which shaped their history here. Visitors reach the tower house along a quiet lane north of Blairgowrie. The building remains a sturdy example of 16th-century fortification. Its isolated setting among Perthshire hills adds to its quiet presence. The name still hints at the nearby waterfall that once gave the place its identity.