
Teaninich Castle is situated north of the village of
Evanton
Evanton ( or ) is a small village in Easter Ross, in the Highland council area of Scotland. It lies between the River Sgitheach and the Allt Graad, is north of Inverness, some south-west of Alness, and northeast of Dingwall.
The village h ...
and just south of the town of
Alness
Alness (, ; ) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It lies near the mouth of the River Averon, near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon to the east, and the village of Evanton to ...
in
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty (), is an area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. In modern usage, it is a registration county and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. Between 1889 and 1975 it was a Shires of Scotland, county.
Historical ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
History
It is not known exactly how long a castle has been on the site of Teaninich Castle but it is thought to date back to at least the 16th century. In the 16th century, the lands in which Teaninich Castle is situated was an area known as
Fyrish
Fyrish is the name given to an ancient area of land found just north of Evanton, Ross-shire, Scotland.
The lands of Fyrish are now part of the Novar Estate. However, the lands of Fyrish once belonged to the Earl of Ross and which were forfeited ...
. In 1589, the lower quarter of the Fyrish lands were acquired from Sir
William Keith of Delny
Sir William Keith of Delny (died 1599) was a Scottish courtier and Master of the Royal Wardrobe. He also served as ambassador for James VI to various countries. He was an important intermediary between George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and the king ...
by Hugh
Munro
A Munro (; ) is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevi ...
1st of Teaninich, son of John Munro 3rd of Coul, whose grandfather Hugh Munro 1st of Coul was a son of
George Munro, 10th Baron of Foulis
George Munro of Foulis (died 1452) is traditionally the 10th Baron and 13th successive chief of the Clan Munro. However, he is only the third successive chief of the clan who can be proved by contemporary evidence. He was the eldest son of Hugh M ...
(d.1452). These lands at first were just the lower quarter of Fyrish but eventually extended eastward towards the River Alness and Teaninich Castle was bought by the Munros in February 1660. The receipt for which is still preserved in the Teaninich Charter Chest.
Two worn lintel stones dated 1734 and 1770 built into the rear of the present castle cum mansion suggest an earlier building of some size and style. Part of the old Teaninich Castle was pulled down by Hugh Munro of Teaninich,
78th Highlanders, who lost the sight in both of his eyes in
Nijmegen
Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
, the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 1794.
However, later, he occupied himself with improving his farmlands and rebuilding Teaninich Castle. The Blind Captain or blind laird, as he became known, took an enthusiastic interest in the supervision of the building of the present Teaninich Castle, often pacing out the room sizes himself. The asymmetry of the rooms is proof of his "enthusiasm".
He founded the
Teaninich distillery on the estate in 1817 and laid out the village of
Alness
Alness (, ; ) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. It lies near the mouth of the River Averon, near the Cromarty Firth, with the town of Invergordon to the east, and the village of Evanton to ...
at a time when illegal whisky gave the best return on the barley crops of
Ross-shire
Ross-shire (; ), or the County of Ross, was a county in the Scottish Highlands. It bordered Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire, a county consisting of numerous enc ...
. In 1831, Hugh Munro sold the castle to his brother General
John Munro, 9th of Teaninich
John Munro (June 1778 – 25 January 1858) of the H.E.I.C.S was a Scottish soldier and administrator who served as Resident and Diwan of the States of Travancore and Cochin between 1810 and 1819.
Early life
John Munro, fourth son of Captain ...
and spent the remainder of his life in Coul Cottage, the dower house of Teaninich. He died in 1846. The castle remained in the Munro family until 1923. Teaninich remained a Munro seat until after the First World War when it was bought by an American, Charles Harrison, the man on whom Frances Hodgson Burnett's book 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' was based.
Recent events
In the present day the castle has become a hotel. In 2007 Teaninich House sold off of paddock land immediately behind the house onto which a property developer is currently building 36 houses. Further developments are expected, potentially involving the selling off and cutting down of the remaining woodland to the rear and northeast border of the house and garden ground, thus bringing the already extensive housing estate closer to the property.
As of August 2013 the property was being offered for sale, by agents CKD Galbraith, for £875,000. In 2016 estate agents Galbraith were marketing the castle again for £450,000
References
{{Coord, 57, 41, 22.60, N, 4, 15, 53.08, W, region:GB, display=title
Castles in Highland (council area)
Clan Munro
Category B listed buildings in Highland (council area)
Listed castles in Scotland
Alness