Dingwall Castle

Dingwall Castle was a medieval fort and royal castle in the town of Dingwall, eastern Ross-shire. Norse settlers established it in the 11th century. The castle played a key part in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Edward I of England once garrisoned it, but Scottish forces later captured it for Robert the Bruce. Uilleam II, Earl of Ross, led men from the castle to fight at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. King Robert rewarded the Earl in 1321 by granting Dingwall Castle, the town and lands to the Earl of Ross. The castle witnessed a violent feud in 1370. William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland, arranged a meeting with Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver, to resolve their issues. However, Iye Mackay and his son Donald were murdered in their sleep by Nicholas Sutherland, brother of the Earl of Sutherland. In the early 15th century, a duel took place between the castle’s governor and Thomas Munro, brother of Hugh Munro, 9th Baron of Foulis. The Munro killed the governor, and a Mackay replaced him. Domhnall of Islay, Lord of the Isles, captured Dingwall Castle in 1411. Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross, later took up residence there in 1436. The earldom was confiscated in 1475, and the castle became a royal possession. John Munro, 11th Baron of Foulis, became governor, followed by Andrew Munro and Sir James Dunbar. The castle fell into ruin around 1600 and was levelled in 1817. Only fragments remain today, protected as a scheduled monument. A tunnel once ran from the castle to nearby Tulloch Castle, though it has collapsed.