Noltland Castle

[1] In 1560, Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, granted the lands of Noltland to his brother-in-law Gilbert Balfour, who built the castle.

[1] Balfour was Master of the Royal Household to Mary, Queen of Scots, and was involved in the plot to kill her husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.

Noltland was seized by Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, an opponent of Mary's supporters, but he was forced to hand it back to Balfour in the early 1570s.

The castle is built in the Z-plan form, comprising a rectangular main block with towers at opposite corners.

[4] The castle is notable for its defensive architecture, unusual for the period, including a large number of shot holes.