Dornoch Castle
Dornoch Castle is situated in the town of Dornoch about 40 miles north of Inverness. It is located opposite the 12th century Dornoch Cathedral. The castle was built in the 15th Century. The castle now offers luxury accommodation. It has 21 ensuite bedrooms - some are within the oldest part of the castle and some in a modern extension. Some of the rooms have four poster beds. The Old Courtroom has hand carved four poster beds, open log fire, half paneling, stone walls and a spa bath open to the 16 foot ceiling.
Originally the castle was home to the bishops of Caithness. Dornoch Castle was besieged and set alight in 1570 in a feud between the McKays and Murrays. All records of the Castle were destroyed. It is believed that the castle was originally built in the 15th century and rebuilt and extended in the 16th century. The vaulted dungeons below the Tower would have been part of the original construction. The present tower and the tower of the Cathedral survived the siege of 1570. The only other surviving part was the chimney adjoining the Tower. Several attempts were made to repair the castle, before the council demolished part of it in the early 19th century. In 1812 the residential part of the castle was pulled down. The castle tower, with its spiral stone staircase, was re-roofed, and turned into a courthouse and jail. A new building was erected over the vaulted kitchens, next to the great chimney, and became the schoolhouse.
Legends
Dornoch Castle is said to have had the ghost of a sheep stealer by the name of Andrew McCornish who was imprisoned in the dungeons below the Tower.