Quarrelwood Castle

Quarrelwood Castle stands in farmland about four kilometres north-west of Elgin in Moray. The remains occupy a low mound beside the Pilmuir Burn, a small stream that winds through the parish of Spynie. A 14th-century stronghold, it was built by Robert Lauder of the Bass, who served as Justiciar of Scotia. The castle passed through marriages to the Chisholm family, then to the Sutherlands of Duffus in the 15th century. Brief ownership by William Duff of Dipple ended when his daughter married into the Sutherland line.

The site was lived in until the mid-18th century before falling into ruin. Local people took dressed stone from the walls for their own buildings, leaving only grassy foundations and a few scattered fragments. Archaeologists recognise the castle as an example of a small medieval tower house typical of the region. Its position on the edge of the Laich of Moray gave it a strategic view over low-lying fields and the road from Elgin to Lossiemouth.

Visitors today find a quiet grassy knoll marked by a low bank of earth. A single standing stone hints at the former tower’s corner, while the burn’s course can still be traced nearby. The surrounding fields stretch away to the north and east, giving a sense of the open landscape that once framed the castle. A short walk along farm tracks brings the site close to the Pilmuir Burn, where water still flows through the same shallow channel. From the mound there are wide views across Moray to distant hills on clear days.