Comlongon Castle

Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, granted the lands of Comlongon, in the early 14th century, to his nephew William de Moravia, ancestor of the Murrays of Cockpool.

[2] However a licence to build was granted to his son John Murray (died c.1527) in around 1500, leading Alastair Maxwell-Irving to suggest it was built in the first decade of the 16th century.

[2] An adjacent mansion was built in the 18th century, and was replaced with the present Baronial style house in 1900, designed by local architects John M. Bowie and James Barbour.

[5] The hotel, operated by a partnership, was a popular wedding venue until April 2019, when the business entered administration after being assessed a payment of almost £40,000 the previous year to a former employee who was ruled to have been unfairly dismissed.

The main stair at the north-east corner leads up to a cap-house at parapet level, while the second serves the high-table end of the first floor hall.

Next to the fireplace is an elaborately decorated aumbry (a ceremonial recess), with a carved cinquefoil surround that attests to the relative wealth of the Murrays.

[2] The thick walls are riddled with 12 mural chambers including bed recesses as well as a guardroom, with a cell beyond, and a trapdoor which gives access to a grim unlit dungeon below.