‘IF WALLS COULD TALK…’ INVESTIGATIONS AT CASTLE ROY, NETHY BRIDGE

The highlands of Scotland, so long a region of disorder and unrest, have a rich heritage of medieval castles. Many of the early castles in the north were royal or baronial, their histories intertwined with the attempts of the Scottish kings to establish their authority in the area. They were generally ‘castles of enclosure’, a strong curtain wall enclosing a space supporting wooden buildings. Castle Roy, built in the late-12th to early-13th century for the Comyn family, is one of the oldest surviving of the smaller castles of this type. Situated on a small glacial mound to the north of the modern village of Nethy Bridge in Strathspey, it is a simple, irregular four-sided stronghold that has, uniquely, remained largely unaltered over the centuries. Purchased from the Revack Estate by the Castle Roy Trust in 1998, a comprehensive programme of consolidation works required to save the building has revealed some tantalising hints about the history of the castle.

A BRIEF HISTORY

Scotland in 1100 was a divided country, inhabited by competing kingdoms with regular power struggles between them. Following the Norman conquest of Britain, the Scots kings offered the Norman knights positions of influence, land and power in return for their connections, military service and fortress building skills. The Comyn family were descended from Norman knights that settled in Scotland during this period. They