The nine castles of the Knuckle are a group of ancient castles found in Aberdeenshire in the Buchan area of Scotland. The term was used by historian William Douglas Simpson, who described the promontory between the Moray Firth and the North Sea as "the north-eastern knuckle of Scotland". From west to east, the castles are Dundarg, Pitsligo, Pitullie, Kinnaird, Wine Tower, Cairnbulg, Inverallochy, Lonmay and Rattray. Although Simpson coined the term, he did not draw any connections between the sites, other than their location.
Castle Image OS Grid Reference Built by Construction date Destruction date Current condition Cairnbulg Castle Comyn family; rebuilt by Fraser Family 13th century; rebuilt c.1380 N/A Inhabited Dundarg Castle Comyn family (?) 13th century 1334 Ruin Inverallochy Castle Comyn family Ruin, few remains Kinnaird Castle Alexander Fraser of Philorth 1570 N/A Converted into lighthouse Lonmay Castle No remains Pitsligo Castle Fraser family 1424 Ruin Pittulie Castle 16th century Ruin Castle of Rattray Comyn family (possibly by William Comyn, jure uxoris Earl of Buchan) Late 12th or early 13th century 15th century No remains Winetower Unknown 16th century N/A Preserved
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