Lovat Castle

Lovat Castle stood in the Highlands near Beauly on the south bank of the River Beauly. Built by the Bissets in the 11th or 12th century, it was originally called Beauly Castle. The Frasers took possession when Simon Fraser married a Bissett heiress in the 13th century. By the 17th century nothing remained of the castle. Today the site is occupied by farm buildings at Wester Lovat. In 1671 the stone and oak beams were taken across the river to build elsewhere. The castle suffered a fire around 1505 when Rory Mackenzie rescued the Fraser charter chest. Thomas, Lord Lovat enlarged the orchard and planted elms, planes and ash trees. He also dug a new well in the central courtyard. Hugh Fraser, 3rd Lord Lovat fortified the courtyard with yetts and installed a great oaken gate during James V’s reign. He built an aspen dyke around the green and repaired the chapel dedicated to St Laurence. In 1634 a man cutting withies in the orchard found an earthenware pot filled with gold coins and rings. The treasure was thought to have been brought by Elizabeth Stewart, bride of Hugh Fraser, 5th Lord Lovat, and hidden by her maid. The site now shows no trace of the castle’s former grandeur. Only the farm buildings mark where Lovat Castle once stood. The river still flows past the quiet fields where the castle once commanded the view.