Kilravock Castle (pronouncedKilrawk[1]) is located near the village ofCroy, betweenInverness andNairn, in the council area ofHighland,Scotland.[2] It was begun around 1460 and has been the seat of theClan Rose since that time. The castle is a composite of a 15th-centurytower house and several later additions.[3] The original name for the castle wasCill Rathaig;Scottish Gaelic meaning "church at the small circular fort".
The lands were owned by the Boscoe family and it passed via marriage of Andrew Boscoe to his wife Elizabeth Bissett of theBissett family in the 12th century, after Bosco's death his widow then deposed the lands via marriage of their daughter Mary Boscoe to Hugh II de Ros of theRose family in the 13th century.[4] In 1293 the Roses were createdBaron of Kilravock byJohn Balliol.[5]
Itskeep dates from around 1460, when the then Baron of Kilravock was granted a licence to build by theLord of the Isles.[6] This was extended in the 17th century, with the addition of a square stair tower, and the south range. The north and west sides of the quadrangle were added later.[7]Mary, Queen of Scots, was received at the castle in 1562.[8] A blacksmith inElgin called George Robertson made a new ironyett for the great tower at Kilravock in February 1568.[9]
PrinceCharles Edward Stuart was entertained four days before thebattle of Culloden.[8] His enemy, theDuke of Cumberland, visited soon after the battle, andRobert Burns came here in September 1787.[6] It is a Category Alisted building, and is no longer occupied by the Rose Clan.[10] The Castle is no longer part of the Rose Clan estate, in 1984 the Castle was transferred to a charitable Christian Trust.[10] It was operated asbed and breakfast accommodation for a while, but is no longer open to the public.[10]
Kilravock Castle has been continuously tenanted by theRoses, a family of Norman origin. They settled at Kilravock in 1293, since which date son has succeeded father without the interposition of a collateral heir, an instance of direct descent unique in Scottish history.[8][11]
Moreover, many Roses have borne the Christian name of Hugh, and only one attained to a higher social rank than that oflaird.[8] The Chief of the Clan Rose, Anna Elizabeth Emily Guillemard Rose, 25th of Kilravock died peacefully, at Nairn on 9 December 2012, aged 88 years.[12] The Lord Lyon recognized David Hugh Heriot Baird Rose (27 Feb 1946- ), the nephew of Elizabeth Rose as Chief of Clan Rose and the 26th Baron of Kilravock in June 2013.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cawdor".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 587.
57°31′10″N3°58′56″W / 57.51944°N 3.98222°W /57.51944; -3.98222