 1851 - 1933 (81 years)
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| Name |
Alexander William Frederick Fraser (19th Lord Saltoun) |
| Born |
08 Aug 1851 |
Scotland  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Died |
19 Jun 1933 |
Scotland |
| Person ID |
I203 |
King of Scots |
| Last Modified |
25 Jan 2009 |
| Family |
Mary Helena Grattan Bellew, b. Unknown |
| Married |
07 Jul 1885 |
| Children |
| + | 1. Alexander Arthur Fraser (20th Lord Saltoun), b. 08 Mar 1886, Scotland , d. 31 Aug 1979, Scotland (Age 93 years) |
| | 2. George Fraser, b. 1887 |
| | 3. Simon Fraser, b. 1888, d. 29 Oct 1914 (Age 26 years) |
| | 4. William Fraser, b. 1890, Scotland , d. 1964 (Age 74 years) |
| | 5. Mary Alexander Fraser, b. 1891 |
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| Last Modified |
5 Jun 2013 |
| Family ID |
F94 |
Group Sheet |
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| Photos |
 | Philbroth Castle, seat of the Frasers
See http://www.fraserchief.co.uk/history.html
Cairnbulg Castle (formerly Philorth)
Cairnbulg Castle is of interest for three reasons. It is one of the oldest buildings in Aberdeenshire still to be inhabited by the family who built it, whose home it is. It is of great interest to students of mediaeval Castles and architecture, for there are many gaps in our knowledge of its history, and so much scope for study and speculation. Finally, it contains a collection of family portraits which is rare in Scotland, not because most of them are by painters of any distinction, for they are not, but because there is a portrait of every laird since 1570, and in many cases of their wives, brothers, sisters or in-laws, and this is very unusual.
Situation
In the years before 1308-9, the Comyns, Earls of Buchan, held all the land in this part of Aberdeenshire which is still known as Buchan. Before the defeat of the Norse at the battle of Largs in 1263 and the death of King Haakon in the following year, the coast of Buchan was exposed to their invasions. The Earls of Buchan were responsible for coastal defence and built a number of Castles round the coast of which the first stone Castle here was probably one.
Although the site does not nowadays appear to be near enough to the coast to be much use for coastal defence, there are strong reasons for supposing that at the time it was built, it was actually right on the estuary of the Water of Philorth, and its old name, Philorth, actually means "Pool of the river Orth". The site may not have been dissimilar to that of Red Castle at Lunan Bay, just south of Montrose. On this particular stretch of coast, the sea has been receding over the last few hundred years. The soils, levels, stones, etc., in the fields on the seaward side of the Castle mound show every sign of having been the bed of a tidal river, if not the sea shore itself. An old print shows a ship beached on the shore and boats drawn up along it, not far from the foot of the mound. The sand dunes between Fraserburgh and Cairnbulg Point probably only grew up during the 19th and 20th centuries. The author remembers that in her childhood there was a large expanse of flat sand with no dunes at all from a point opposite Philorth Bridge right to the present mouth of the river, and the river itself was still changing course. It only settled finally in its present course in the late 1930s, and the dunes opposite the castle have grown up since 1940. Until then it was possible to see the sea from ground floor level.
Destroyed
In the Wars of Independence, the Comyns sided with the English against Robert I (the Bruce), and after he had defeated them at the battle of Barra Hill in the winter of 1308-1309, he carried out an operation known as the Harrying of Buchan, in which he destroyed all the Castles of the Earldom, so that they could never again be held against him, and he forfeited the Earldom and divided it up among various of his supporters. The Earl of Ross, who had eventually joined Bruce, received this part of Buchan and the ruins of the first castle.
Rebuilt by Frasers
In 1375 the daughter and co-heiress of the 5th Earl of Ross, Joanna, married Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie, whose grandfather had been Sir Alexander Fraser, Bruce's Chamberlain, married to his sister Mary, widow of Sir Neil Campbell of Lochow (Lochawe). The Ross lands in Buchan were Joanna's tocher ( English: dowry ), and probably c. 1380 they restored the Castle, at least the main tower appears to date from that time. Either then or later were added a courtyard and outbuildings to the east of the tower, where there are still foundations of buildings underground. Note the foundations of the tower which are just huge stones placed on the clay mound which forms the site, and which can be seen outside.
At some stage, possibly not much later, the staircase tower was added and a wing running east from it, and probably later still, possibly at the time of the war of the Rough Wooing when Henry VIII tried to marry his son Edward to the young Mary Queen of Scots in 1545, the round tower was built and also the part of the castle now comprising the front hall and the room above it. The exact dates when any part of the Castle was built are a matter of speculation. What we do know from the masonry and various pictures of it when a ruin, is that it has been altered a number of times. At the foot of the round tower the old gun loops are still to be seen, one designed to fire north along the east face of the courtyard wall, covering the entrance gateway which was at the north-east corner of the east wall of the court-yard; one to fire south-east where the only dry ground was; and one to fire west along the south face of the range between the two towers, which was narrower than the present house; and one at first floor level above the latter.
Sold
The family continued here at the Castle, the old Manor Place of Philorth, until the late 16th century. In the last quarter of that century, Sir Alexander Fraser, 8th of Philorth, built the town of Fraserburgh, improved the Harbour and founded a University there and built another Castle to which he moved and which was until recently the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse. As a result he got heavily into debt and in 1613 was obliged to sell this Castle and a great deal of land. The Castle was sold to Alexander Fraser of Durris on condition that should he or his descendants ever wish to sell it, they would first offer it to Sir Alexander or his descendants. The agreement was not honoured and the Castle passed from one family to another. From 1613 to 1631 or 1637 it belonged to Fraser of Durris, then until 1703 to Fraser of Muchalls (created Lord Fraser), then until 1739 to Thomas Buchan of Auchmacoy and his son, then until 1775 to Alexander Aberdein and his son. From 1775 to 1801 it belonged to George, 3rd Earl of Aberdeen, who vandalised it to build and improve other houses in the district in which he kept his mistresses. By 1780 both towers were in a ruinous condition, and the building in between a ruin. After him it belonged to his illegitimate son John Gordon. In 1863 the ruin was bought by Mr. Duthie of the Aberdeen shipbuilding firm who built and owned the famous tea clippers. In 1896 his nephew, Sir John Duthie, restored the Castle using granite which was his wife's tocher from her father who was a stone merchant. Their initials and motto are over the present front door. He died in 1923 .
Back in the family
In 1934 the late Lord Saltoun, 11th in descent from the 8th Laird, bought it back and modernised it. From 1966 to 1997 it belonged to Lady Saltoun, who did further modernisation in 1966. In 1989-90 extensive repairs were done and both towers, the staircase tower and the west face were re-harled. Since 1997 it has belonged to The Hon. Mrs. Nicolson, Lady Saltoun's eldest daughter. THE CASTLE IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. To make an appointment, write to her at Cairnbulg Castle, Fraserburgh, AB43 8TN.
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