What is recorded here

King Robert the Bruce gave the land to the Oliphants in 1317, and they built a stone castle to guard the narrow cleft through the Sidlaw Hills. It stood until Hatton Castle took its role in 1575, but even then Balcraig left behind enough stone for people to notice long after wooden walls would have rotted away. Now a level patch in a field marks the place where a whole defensive life once turned on controlling that one hilltop route.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Balcraig Castle as Castle (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Balcraig Castle is a medieval tower house located in the Scottish Highlands, built in the 16th century by the Gordon family, a powerful and influential clan in the region. It is remembered for its strategic position and as an example of late medieval defensive architecture in northern Scotland.

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