Balbithan Castle and House
Balbithan was once part of the estate of the Abbey of Lindores before passing into
the hands of the Chalmers family in 1490. Montrose sought refuge here during
Covenanting times and supporters of Prince Charles are supposed to have
sheltered here after Culloden.
The present house was probably an oblong keep with a round tower when it was
built around 1560. The round tower was removed about 1600 and the house was
extended. A further new wing was added in 1630. Alterations were made in the early
19th century.
James Gordon, 1st of Balbithan in the middle of the eighteenth century prepared
what is now known as the Balibthan manuscript. This document is a small octavo
volume of 159 pages and is considered to be the most accurate and full account of
the Gordon families of the north as proved by state documents and other historical
sources.
Location Aberdeenshire, 2 miles north east of Kintore.
