The name of Abergeldie Castle derives from the Pictish language, and means the 'Confluence of Geldie.' A late Bronze Age standing stone on the lawn of the castle is one indicator of the great antiquity of this site, and its long occupation by man. It also has one of the longest unbroken records of ownership, being in the hands of the Gordon family for 600 years.
The current tower house was most likely built around 1550 by Sir Alexander Gordon of Midmar, son of the first Earl of Huntly, on grounds acquired by the Gordon family in 1482. The interior has been returned to its original state, restored by a descendant of the builder.
During the course of the first Jacobite rising in 1689-90, the castle was besieged by Jacobite forces. However, following the defeat of General Buchan's Jacobite forces by Sir Thomas Livingstone at Cromdale on 1 May 1690, General Hugh Mackay of Scourie marched with some cavalry and 1,400 Williamite Dutch infantry to lift the siege.
The castle is today the home of Baron Abergeldie.
Structure
The castle is an imposing building, its oldest part being a turreted square block-tower of the 'tower house' type, with rectangular-plan tower, with a round stair tower across at the south-west corner. Tradition suggests that the castle was originally surrounded by a moat, but no trace exists today. In the 18th century a wing was added to the 16th-century structure. In the early 19th century an ogee-roofed belfry was built at the top of the stair tower, and a Venetian window inserted in the south façade.
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