Castle Stuart

Castle Stuart is a restored tower house on the banks of the Moray Firth, about 6.5 miles (10 km) northeast of Inverness.^[1]

TypeTower house

OwnerPrivate

ConditionRestored

Coordinates57.528°N 4.106°W / 57.528; -4.106

Quick facts Site information, Type ...

Castle Stuart
Petty, Inverness, Scotland
Castle Stuart in 2009
Site information
Type	Tower house
Owner	Private
Condition	Restored
Location
Castle Stuart
Coordinates	57.528°N 4.106°W / 57.528; -4.106
Grid reference	grid reference NH744494
Site history
Built	between 1619 and 1625
Built by	The 3rd Earl of Moray
In use	17th century; 20th and 21st centuries

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The land the castle was built on was granted to the 1st Earl of Moray by his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, following her return to Scotland in 1561.^[2] The successive murders of Lord Moray and his son-in-law, the 2nd Earl of Moray, meant that the castle was finally completed by his grandson, the 3rd Earl of Moray, in 1625.^[2]

Though the castle initially flourished, it fell into disuse as the fortunes of the House of Stuart sank during the English Civil War and King Charles I's execution in 1649. ^[2] The castle lay derelict for 300 years before being restored; it is currently used as a luxury hotel.^[2]