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The early Thanes of Calder - an old spelling of the placename - were appointed Sheriffs and Hereditary Constables of the royal castle of Nairn. This fortification, founded by William the Lion in 1179 was sited to command the ford over the river Nairn near the sea, to control the coastal route between Inverness and Elgin.
That castle has vanished without trace, except for the genteel name of the mansion that was built there much later: Constabulary Gardens.
The family had another residence at Old Calder, a small moated fort of unknown date, situated about a mile north-east of here, and built in marshy ground on an artificial hillock. According to the Exchequer accounts, it was last repaired at Crown expense in 1398. Again, not a vestige remains of that building apart from a faint crop-mark in the level cornfields of the flood-plain, visible from the air in a dry
summer.
It was at this period that the building of the present Cawdor Castle began.
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A new higher, harder site was chosen (traditionally by a donkey rather than by an architect - creatures with much in common), and as this rocky position was water-bearing yet firm, it could provide both a drinking-well and a strong foundation. The tall, plain rectangular tower-house consisted of four storeys and a garret, served by a turnpike stair, and with one entrance to the outside world set at upper first floor level: the perfect design to keep out tourists. |
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