Waterton Castle

Waterton Castle is a ruined 17th-century tower house, about east of Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, north of the River Ythan.

History

The property was originally associated with Kinloss Abbey and was later held by the Knights Templar. Around 1560 it passed to the Bannermans, before coming into the possession of the Forbeses, who held it until at least 1770.
It is suggested that the castle was built between 1630 and 1640.
In 1652 the Kennedys of Kermuck murdered John Forbes of Waterton.

Only a vaulted basement remains; it measures by, with walls thick and up to about high.
A sketch from 1770 shows the castle as a four-storey building comprising a central block with projecting east and west wings, each with crow-stepped gables.
A carved stone memorial plaque set into the inner south wall bears the inscription: "This stone marks the site of the ancient seat of the family of Forbes, Lairds of Waterton A.D. 1630 - 1770."
In 1844 a drinking horn was dug from the castle ruins; in 1863 it was donated to the National [Museum of Scotland|National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland].