Dounreay Castle
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Dounreay Castle is a ruined 16th-century L-plan castle,[1] about 8 miles (13 km) west of Thurso, Highland (council area), Scotland, within the grounds of Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment.[2] It is also known as Dounreay House.[1] The castle and its associated structures are a scheduled monument.[3]
The castle is thought to date from the latter part of the 16th century.[1] It was a property of the Sinclairs,[2] the owner in 1614 being William Sinclair of Dunbeath, while in 1726 it was one of the lodgings of the Earl of Caithness.[1] Ownership passed to the Forbeses, to the Mackays of Reay, and then to the Mackays of Tongue.[2] Occupation continued until 1863, but the castle was unroofed and ruinous by 1910. The site was used a farm, with the courtyard being the farmyard, with the first of two ranges of cottages possibly being added south east of the castle in the 17th century.[1]
Cromwellian troops were housed in the castle in the mid-17th century. The site was leveled with the exception of the castle and the north-east cottage block during the building of the research establishment.[1]