Balnagowan Castle (6 of 6)
Sir James Ross Lockhart, 2nd Baronet of Carstairs, inherited Balnagowan in 1754 by virtue of being married to Grizel Ross, aunt of the last Ross laird.  He died the following year and all four of his sons then inherited the baronetcy and property in succession, the last of them, Admiral Sir John Lockhart-Ross of Balnagowan, 6th Bart of Carstairs, dying in 1790.

The last of the Lockhart-Ross family to own Balnagowan was Sir Charles Henry Augustus Frederick Lockhart-Ross of Carstairs, 9th Bt.  He was educated at Eton College and while he was there his mother's indulgences on him included &quot;a magnificent ocean-going steam yacht, a large sailing yacht, the most superbly appointed and biggest steam launch for river use on the Thames, and a coach and four&quot;. When he came of age he instituted a lawsuit against his mother for having, during his minority, spent more of the revenues of his estates than she was entitled to by law or by the terms of his father's will!  

He married three times, but had no children.  His 3rd wife, Dorothy Mercado Harvey, inherited Balnagowan on his death in 1942 in the US of A.  On her death in 1957, the castle passed to her second husband Francis de Moleyns, who died shortly after her in 1960.  Members of the de Moleyns family continued to live in the castle until 1972 but it was in a very sorry state of repair by that time.  

Mohamed Al Fayed bought Balnagown in 1972, after seeing it by chance on a visit to the area, since when, the old castle has been transformed.
dji0599crop scotland 2022 balnagowancastle rossshire kildary rossofbalnagowan mohamedalfayed mohamedmacfayed scottishcastle rosslockhart baronetsofcarstairs lockhartross dorothymercadoharvey demoleyns