Dingwall Castle (3)
Most of the historical notes that follow, come from Wikipedia, and are repeated elsewhere on the internet.  They tell us that . . .

During the Wars of Scottish Independence the castle was garrisoned by the forces of King Edward I of England, however it was later captured by Scottish forces for king Robert I of Scotland, led by Uilleam II, Earl of Ross.  From the castle, the Earl of Ross led the men of Ross to fight against the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.  As a reward, in 1321 King Robert granted Dingwall Castle with the town and lands of Dingwall to the said Earl of Ross.

In 1370 a feud arose between William de Moravia, 5th Earl of Sutherland and Iye Mackay, 4th of Strathnaver (chief of Clan Mackay).  A meeting was arranged here at Dingwall Castle to resolve their issues, however, Iye Mackay and his son Donald Mackay were both murdered in the castle while they were asleep, by Nicholas Sutherland, 1st of Duffus, brother of the Earl of Sutherland.  

(Iye Mackay's daughter incidentally, was Mariota Mackay, the 'concubine' of the Wolf of Badenoch and mother of all his children.  He would have married her, had he not already been married to the Countess of Ross!)

In 1411 Donald of Islay, Lord of the Isles, captured Dingwall Castle as part of his pursuit of his claim to the earldom of Ross by right of his wife, Mariota Leslie.  He then continued towards Aberdeen, only to be (narrowly) defeated at the Battle of Harlaw.

In 1438 the next successive Clan Donald chief, Alexander of Islay, Earl of Ross was officially recognized as the Earl of Ross and took up his residence at Dingwall Castle.  His son, John of Islay, Earl of Ross was not as successful; the Earldom of Ross was confiscated and the castle became a royal possession once more in 1475. 

The Crown abandoned Dingwall Castle in about 1600 and it eventually fell to ruins.  The castle ceased to be maintained after the death of king James VI of Scotland in 1625.  It was used as a quarry until 1817 when almost all of what remained of the castle (and the low motte upon which it stood) were finally levelled (prior to the construction of 'The Castle House'). 

The most ridiculous claim made about the castle, repeated by various sources including Wikipedia, as that<i> 'a tunnel still exists, running from the site of Dingwall Castle to the basement of nearby Tulloch Castle. The tunnel has now collapsed </i>(they say)<i>, but it is possible to view this passageway through an air vent on the front lawn of Tulloch Castle's grounds.'</i>  It's ridiculous for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, Tulloch Castle is nearly a mile away from here.  To reach it with a tunnel, you would need to dig under the River Peffer(y), which is tidal at this point (so you would be digging below the water table!) and then up a 200ft hillside.  Furthermore, Dingwall Castle was a castle in little more than name by the time Tulloch Castle, a simple tower-house, was built in the early 16th century.  There was and seemingly still is, an underground barrel vaulted room belonging to Dingwall Castle, and there sounds as though there may be something similar at Tulloch, but I would bet London to a brick that the 'collapsed' tunnel between them never existed.
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