Corgarff Castle
A lonely sentinel in the Grampian moors, Corgarff Castle seems the epitome of a desolate remote outpost and indeed it was for the Redcoat soldiers posted here in the 17th Century.
Corgarff is built on the spot of a 16th Century medieval tower house that was once occupied by Jacobites in the 1715 and 1745 uprisings. After the Battle of Culloden , Corgarff was requisitioned by the government and rebuilt into the tower garrison surrounded by a star shaped perimeter wall. Though it was garrisoned to curb any further uprisings in the highlands, the only threat the soldiers faced was the bitter winter winds in the Grampians. The main service the Redcoats in Corgarff saw was in building military roads linking the forts in the region and to support revenue officers in collecting taxes from local whisky distillers.
After 1831 the fort was disbanded, but what remains today gives a fascinating insight into the conditions the Redcoats lived in and the soldiery that would have fought in the early colonial wars including the American War of Independence. The barracks room has been excellently restored to how it would have been in the 17th and 18th Century with 8 straw beds for 21 men, that are uncomfortable to sit on nevermind sleep in!
A very interesting, well researched lesson in military life that quite complements a trip further north to Fort George.
