- Lonmay Castle
The remains of the Castle of Lonmay are found near Netherton of Lonmay, to the north of
Loch Strathbeg inBuchan ,Scotland - it should be noted, the remains are not located in the modern village ofLonmay which is approximately 6km to the south west.It was one of
the Nine Castles of Knuckle citeweb|url=http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/archaeology/smr/smr_recdetails.asp?Rno=NK05NE0004&curpage=1&RefNo=&Name=&Mapsheet=&Period=*&Typ=&Typ2=&Typ3=&Parish=B06|title= Castle Hill, Rattray|accessdate=2007-06-11] and "may have been a motte"." [citeweb|url=http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/archaeology/smr/smr_recdetails.asp?Rno=NK06SE0003&curpage=35&RefNo=&Name=&Mapsheet=&Period=NE&Typ=&Typ2=&Typ3=&Parish=*|title=Castle of Lonmay|accessdate=2007-08-06] It has long ceased to be in existence and there are very few remains to be found, all of which are buried under constantly shifting sand dunes that have over time engulfed the site.The castle provided protection to the north-shore of the estuaryciteweb|url=http://www.webhistorian.co.uk/pages/index.php?id=43|title=An introduction to the Royal Burgh of Rattray|accessdate=2007-06-13] that used to flow into Strathbeg Bay, before it closed off forming
Loch Strathbeg around 1720. The south-shore (with Starny Keppie harbour and the village of Rattray) was protected by theCastle of Rattray .The remains are found "in the Links".. "near the sea"citeweb|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=6RkvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA224&dq=Lonmay+Castle&as_brr=1|title=The New Statistical Account of Scotland|author="Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy"|accessdate=2007-08-13|language=English|date=1845] however "all the stones have been carried off, and employed in building farm-houses" and so "except the name, all tradition respecting this building is lost".
External links
*The Castle is not normally included on modern maps (
Ordnance Survey grid-reference: gbmaprim|NK061608|NK061608), but this [http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#407,859,1 1931 OS map of the area] shows the remains of Lonmay Castle to the north of Loch Strathbeg as "Site of Castle".
* Images of the immediate local area (though not the castle site) from the [http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/NK0614960850 Geograph] project.References
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