Fetteresso Castle

Fetteresso Castle stands on a low rise west of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The 14th-century tower house was rebuilt in 1761 as a Scottish Gothic style Palladian manor. Clear traces of prehistoric use appear in the surrounding policies, including a Bronze Age burial chamber known as Malcolm’s Mount. A Beaker burial urn was found on the site in 1998, and a Roman marching camp lies a few miles to the north-west. The castle overlooks the A90 dual carriageway yet remains set apart in its own wooded grounds. The site passed through the Strachan family to the Earls Marischal in the 14th century. Robert the Bruce burned the earlier stronghold in 1308 and later granted the barony to Sir Alexander Fraser. James VI hunted in the Fetteresso woods in 1580 while staying at nearby Dunnottar. A witchcraft trial in 1659 ended with Jean Hunter hanged at her own home. The Duff family enlarged the building in the late 17th century before it passed through various owners in the 20th century. The castle is now divided into seven private houses. A tall 17th-century dovecote still stands south of the main block. Crow-stepped gables and battlement crenellations mark the Scottish Gothic style. The restored interiors retain features from each rebuilding phase. Visitors can walk the policies and see Malcolm’s Mount and the prehistoric ring ditch. The setting remains quiet, with the wider landscape showing traces of Roman camps and Bronze Age burials.