Erchless Castle (4)
A pity about all the red downpipes! Downpipes do not belong on tower-houses because they hadn't invented them when tower-houses were being built, rain water just cascaded off the roof and the harling encouraged it to keep going down, rather than into the walls! If they do have to be added, then the least one can do is paint them the same colour as the walls!
Tranter states that the lands of Erchless in early times belonged to a family known as de l'Aird or del Ard. Google states that in the 13th century, the Bissetts held Erchless and from them it passed to the Chisholms. Either way, and perhaps both, in 1368 the heiress married the son of Robert Chisholm, a Roxburgh laird who had been appointed Sheriff of Inverness, Justiciar of the North and Constable of the royal castle of Urquhart. Thus the Chisholms, a Lowland family, settled in the Highlands and in due course became a Highland clan, with their seat at Erchless.
The L-plan tower-house seen here and finished in 1623, was built by John Chisholm, Commissioner of the Peace for Inverness-shire. The castle, positioned as it is on an important east-west route across the Highlands via Strathglass and Glen Affrick, was garrisoned by government troops during the 1689 Jacobite rising, during which it was besieged by 500 of Bonnie Dundee's Highlanders. By 1715 however, Roderick Chisholm was leading 200 of his clan at Sheriffmuir, in the cause of the Old Pretender. In 1745 the clan was still Jacobite and the chief's son and 30 of his men were killed at Culloden.
The main line of the family ended in 1838, when the chiefship passed to descendants of the last laird's sister Mary, famous for her attempts to counter the evictions in Strathglass during the sad days of the Clearances. Erchless was finally sold out of the Chisholm family in 1937.
Erchless Castle (4)
A pity about all the red downpipes! Downpipes do not belong on tower-houses because they hadn't invented them when tower-houses were being built, rain water just cascaded off the roof and the harling encouraged it to keep going down, rather than into the walls! If they do have to be added, then the least one can do is paint them the same colour as the walls!
Tranter states that the lands of Erchless in early times belonged to a family known as de l'Aird or del Ard. Google states that in the 13th century, the Bissetts held Erchless and from them it passed to the Chisholms. Either way, and perhaps both, in 1368 the heiress married the son of Robert Chisholm, a Roxburgh laird who had been appointed Sheriff of Inverness, Justiciar of the North and Constable of the royal castle of Urquhart. Thus the Chisholms, a Lowland family, settled in the Highlands and in due course became a Highland clan, with their seat at Erchless.
The L-plan tower-house seen here and finished in 1623, was built by John Chisholm, Commissioner of the Peace for Inverness-shire. The castle, positioned as it is on an important east-west route across the Highlands via Strathglass and Glen Affrick, was garrisoned by government troops during the 1689 Jacobite rising, during which it was besieged by 500 of Bonnie Dundee's Highlanders. By 1715 however, Roderick Chisholm was leading 200 of his clan at Sheriffmuir, in the cause of the Old Pretender. In 1745 the clan was still Jacobite and the chief's son and 30 of his men were killed at Culloden.
The main line of the family ended in 1838, when the chiefship passed to descendants of the last laird's sister Mary, famous for her attempts to counter the evictions in Strathglass during the sad days of the Clearances. Erchless was finally sold out of the Chisholm family in 1937.