Ormond Castle (8 of 8)
So, I spent several photographs writing about the MacWilliams and their connection with Ormond, or rather King William the Lion and his connection with Ormond while he was at this end of his realm sorting out the MacWilliam threat, but that connection is fairly tenuous, particularly as we do not know beyond all doubt that it was King Billie that authorised the original construction.

From royal ownership, Ormond passed into the hands of the Morays of Pettie (whose original castle motte stands just behind Castle Stewart, near Dalcross airport) at some time in the 13th century, probably after the threat from the MacWilliams was finally snuffed out.  As such, Andrew Moray (the elder) held Ormond when the War of Independence started and successfully led the resistance to English rule in the north, until, having mustered his men here, he marched south to join William Wallace, only to to be killed at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

His son, Andrew Moray (the younger), who was only a year old when his father died and was taken captive by the English at the age of 5, was twice Guardian of Scotland (Regent) during the reign of David II and with the renewal of the Wars of Independence, spent his final years in renewed fighting against the English.  Having fallen ill at the siege of Edinburgh castle in the early months of 1338, he returned here to Avoch where he &quot;retired from the fatigues of war, and ended his days about the year 1338, and was buried in the Cathedral Kirk of Rosemarkin.&quot;

The last of the Moray family to hold Ormond was Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn, whose daughter Joanna de Moravia, brought Ormond with her when she married Archibald 'The Grim', Earl of Douglas, about the year 1362.  In 1445, Hugh Douglas, a younger brother of the 8th and 9th Earls of Douglas, was created Earl of Ormond, however with the downfall of the Black Douglases and the assassination of his brother the 8th Earl of Douglas by King James II, Ormond and his remaining brothers renounced their allegiance to the crown and went into open rebellion.  In 1455, Ormond was defeated by Royal forces at the Battle of Arkinholm, captured, tried for treason and executed, with his earldom forfeiting back to the crown.

From the Morays, Ormond passed briefly to the Earls of Ross but on their forfeiture in 1476, it was again annexed to the Crown.  James III created his second son Duke of Ross, Marquis of Ormond, and Earl of Edirdal, these titles becoming regular appanages of the 2nd sons of the Scottish royal family.

Ormond Castle's days finally ended in the 1650's, when it was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell, and the stones carted off to Inverness, where he used them to build a new pentagonal fort in what is now the harbour area.  In his notes on Ormond, the archaeologist Angus J. Beaton wrote in 1885 that &quot;That the materials of the building were removed from the site, there is abundance of evidence, for from the summit to the shore, the track where the stones were rolled down can be easily traced, and a large block of the building, still lying on the shore, and weighing fully 4 tons, testifies to the truth of this supposition.&quot;
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