Balnagown Castle

(Balnagowan House)

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Balnagowan, a mansion in Kilmuir-Easter parish, E Ross-shire, 1½ mile N of Nigg Bay in Cromarty Firth, ½ mile NW of Kildary station, and 5¼ miles S by W of Tain. Standing amid romantic grounds, it commands a magnificent prospect; was a seat of the Earls of Ross in feudal times; is partly very ancient, partly an erection of 1836; and presents an imposing appearance, chiefly in the old Scottish Baronial style. It is a seat of Sir Chs. Wm. F. A. Ross (b. 1812; suc. 1814), seventh Bart. since 1668, and owner of 110,445 acres in the shire, valued at £12,653 per annum.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer