Foulis Castle

Foulis Castle stands two miles south-west of Evanton in the Highland region, near the parish of Kiltearn. It is a white-washed mansion that includes an old tower house with gun loops, built on land held by Clan Munro since the twelfth century or earlier. The castle grounds still contain the remains of an 11th-century motte, a man-made mound once topped by a wooden palisade. The original tower was built in 1154, and the first written mention of Foulis Castle appears in 14th-century records. The name comes from the River Sgitheach that flows nearby, once called Strathskehech. The castle’s history is tied to key figures like Uilleam III, Earl of Ross, who granted lands to Robert de Munro in 1350. Later, Euphemia I, Countess of Ross, issued charters to Robert’s son Hugh in 1394. A 1491 document describes the castle as ‘castle gaunt-peaked, the eagle’s nest,’ reflecting the clan chief’s heraldic emblem. In 1542, Donald Mackay of Strathnaver was imprisoned here after the Battle of Alltan-Beath. The Munros treated him well, and a lasting correspondence began between the clans. Visitors find a classical mansion rebuilt after the Jacobite attack of 1746, incorporating parts of the original structure. The tower’s walls are five feet six inches thick at ground level, and cannon loops from the early 16th century were discovered in 1985. The castle once served as a self-contained community with stables and a prison cell, now visible as a narrow slit in a blocked aperture. The current chief, Hector W Munro of Foulis, still resides here, preserving its role as the seat of Clan Munro.