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Cleish Castle is a 16th-century tower house in Kinross-shire built by the Colville family, who owned it until 1775. It was restored and remodelled in the mid 19th century, and restored again in the 20th century. It remains a private residence and is a category A listed building. The grounds of the castle are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant Scottish gardens.
The Colvilles' ownership of the barony of Cleish is recorded from 1537, when it was granted to Robert Colville by his father, Sir James Colville of Easter Wemyss. The tower is described as a fine example of a 16th-century tower house, and was extended and heightened in the early 17th century. Upper dormers bear the date 1600. Robert's son John Colville conspired against James VI, taking part in the Ruthven Raid and later joining with Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell, in an attack on Holyroodhouse.
Cleish was sold to the Graham family of Kinross in 1775, and sold again around 20 years later to the Young family. It was derelict before 1840, and was then restored later in a Scots baronial style. The reconstruction was undertaken by the Edinburgh architect John Lessels, who also designed additions to the castle in around 1870. In the 1970s it was again remodelled, though further work in the 1990s removed most of the later additions, and in 2001 the western extension was replaced.
References:Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness. The red sandstone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th-century (c. 1057) defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court.
The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which Macbeth of Scotland according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim"s father Donnchad I of Scotland, and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.
The first Inverness Castle was partially destroyed by King Robert I of Scotland and a replacement castle was sacked in the 15th century by the Clan Donald during the Siege of Inverness (1429). The castle was occupied during the Raid on Ross in 1491.
In 1548 another castle with tower was completed by George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (1514–1562). He was constable of the castle until 1562.