Helmsdale Castle []
History[]
| Helmsdale Castle | |
|---|---|
| Location Information | |
| Name | Helmsdale Castle |
| Owner | Ruins |
| NGR | ND 0272 1515 |
| Lon. & Lat. | 58.114536,-3.652654 |
| Council | Highland |
| Parish | Kidonan |
| Nearby Castles | Dunrobin, Torrish Castle |
| Year built | 1488 |
| Overview map | |
This castle is now totally destroyed. A monumental stone has been placed in the car park near the site. It bears the inscription 'Helmsdale Castle was built near here in 1488. The ruins were removed in 1970 to make way for the new road and bridge'.
The ruins of Helmsdale Castle occupied a most commanding position on the end of a steep bank at the S side of the mouth of the Helmsdale River. The structure was evidently of the L form, with a circular staircase in the angle, but at the time of it's demolition was a mere shell. The ruin stood to a height of some 24'. The castle is said to have been erected in 1488 by the seventh Countess of Sutherland, and to have been rebuilt and repaired by Sir Alexander Gordon of Navidale in 1616.
The castle had its beginnings in the 1460s. It was repaired and enlarged around 1600, but it was in 1567 that the famous tragedy was enacted that is said to have inspired the plot of Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Isobel Sinclair, in a diabolical attempt to divert the line of succession to her own son, arranged to poison her visitors, the 11th Earl of Sutherland and his Countess and their son, while they were taking dinner at the castle. But the plan miscarried and the Earl's son did not drink the poisoned wine, while her own son did, as well as the Earl and Countess. The original castle was square in shape and had been the hunting seat of the Sutherland family. A find in the Kildonan Strath was a cast iron fireback dated 1633. The grandson of the 11th Earl records that his brother, Sir Alexander Gordon of Navidale, was responsible for the repair of the castle, and his two sons were born there in 1614 and 1616; but in 1621, when the clan troubles were at their height, he built a castle at Torrish, in the Strath, and presumably took the fireback up to it. These ornamental slabs of cast iron were introduced when fireplaces were built into the wall, instead of the usual simple structure in the middle of the room.