Balfluig Castle
By B. R. Forbes, Clan Historian & Storyteller
Balfluig Castle rises above the Howe, or valley, of Alford with the solid, square‑shouldered confidence of a house built for endurance rather than display. The tall tower reflects the disposition of the Forbeses who lived here: practical, disciplined, and deeply rooted in the land. This is a working laird’s residence—fortified, functional, and quietly dignified.
The estate formed part of the barony of Alford, at the heart of a network of Forbes holdings extending along the River Don from the Howe of Alford into upper Strathdon. John Forbes of Balfluig built the castle in 1556, as recorded on the voussoirs (arch stones) above the entrance. John was the son of William Forbes, second laird of Corsindae and great-grandson of James, 2nd Lord Forbes.
Architecturally, Balfluig is one of the most unusual L‑plan tower houses in Aberdeenshire. The main block is a 24 by 34 foot rectangle of three stories, with a garret. The east wing stands a story higher, topped by a watchtower. A semicircular stair‑tower occupies the southwest angle. One of Balfluig’s most distinctive features is its rounded exterior corners, which are corbelled out to square beneath the roofline. This gives the tower an undeniably muscular and commanding appearance. The entrance opens into a courtyard and leads to two vaulted basement chambers—the kitchen and wine cellar—while the wing contains a vaulted guardroom and a small prison beneath the turnpike stair. The hall and drawing room occupy the first floor, with private chambers above.
For its first sixty-odd years, Balfluig remained a modest cadet holding within the Corsindae family, passing from father to son alongside the family's other lands — William Forbes of Balfluig, then his own son John. Around 1620, William, 6th Laird of Corsindae, died in poor circumstances, and with all four of his sons dying without issue, the direct line of Corsindae failed entirely. In 1622, Arthur, 9th Lord Forbes, apprised the bankrupt estate and arranged an excambion, a formal land exchange, with John Forbes of Balfluig. Through this exchange, John became 3rd Laird of Balfluig and 7th Laird of Corsindae.
A sasine dated July 4, 1623, which was produced later as evidence in a 1636 Sheriff Court case, shows Balfluig in the hands of a second, distinct Forbes family: John Forbes, second son of John Forbes, 1st Laird of Leslie, unrelated to the Corsindae line. On July 15, 1624, a further pair of sasines confirm John Forbes — the same laird of the Corsindae exchange — entered into both the lands of Corsindae and the lands of Balfluig on the same day. A third sasine, dated June 1, 1630, again concerns the Leslie-descended family's holding. How Balfluig passed from the Forbes of Corsindae to the Forbes of Leslie is not quite certain, but the legal instrument on the later date is quite clear.
In another odd twist, Alexander, 10th Lord Forbes, also claimed ownership of Balfluig. In 1637, he faced a formal process of apprising brought by the creditor Thomas McKenzie of Pluscarden, covering an extensive list of family properties including Balfluig, Corsindae, Putachie, and Towie. Nevertheless, the Forbes of Leslie seemed to have retained the title “of Balfluig.”
In 1645, Royalist forces under James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, burned Balfluig Castle during the Battle of Alford. This was likely in reprisal, since several Forbes cavalry units fought against him on the losing Covenanter side. The family rebuilt the castle, restoring the hall and service quarters in the later seventeenth century, and continued in residence.
The second Balfluig family retained the estate for four more generations. Its founder, John Forbes, died about 1700 and was succeeded by his son John, 2nd Laird of Balfluig, who married Mary Ogilvie, daughter of George Ogilvie, 2nd Lord Banff. About 1730 the estate passed to their son George, who married Jean Skene of Skene and died around 1741. George's son, John, became the 4th and last Laird of Balfluig. In 1753 he sold the estate to Francis Farquharson of Haughton, ending nearly two centuries of continuous Forbes ownership—first by the Forbeses of Corsindae and then by the Leslie-descended family that succeeded them. John afterwards settled in Rotterdam, where he died unmarried.
Balfluig Castle slipped into another two centuries of neglect. By the early twentieth century it stood roofless, its floors collapsed and its chambers open to the weather.
Balfluig’s rescue came during the wave of Scottish tower‑house restorations in the mid‑twentieth century—but not from Forbeses. In the 1960s, the new owner Mark Tennant reinforced the stair‑tower, stabilized the corbelled features, and installed a new roof. For the interior, he reinstated walls, windows, and doors. The goal was to preserve the historic fabric while making the tower habitable as a private residence. The result is one of the most successful private restorations of a Forbes‑associated tower house.
Balfluig Castle stands as a testament to the strength, steadiness, and quiet authority of the Forbes family. Built in 1556, burned in the turmoil of 1645, and finally restored in modern times, Balfluig embodies the resilience of a lineage that valued loyalty, discipline, and practical leadership.
Excerpted from Forbes: A Story of Stone by B. R. Forbes, copyright 2026.
Comments