Inverernan House

By B. R. Forbes, Clan Historian & Storyteller

Inverernan House lies in the Forbes dùthchas, on the River Don between Druminnor Castle and Corgarff Castle. Part of the larger Skellater estate, these lands were first claimed by Alistair Cam, 1st Laird of Brux, who was a brother of Sir Alexander, 1st Lord Forbes. In 1686, William Forbes, 2nd of Skellater, gave a portion of the Skellater estate to his son John, known as “Black Jock,” marking the first documented creation of the Forbes of Inverernan branch. He was to become a fervent Jacobite in the 1715 rebellion to reclaim the British throne for the exiled Stuarts.

Black Jock likely built the first house as a modest, harled, two‑story rectangular house with small, evenly spaced windows, gable‑end chimneys, and a simple hall‑and‑chamber plan. A timber stair or small stair‑turret linked the floors and nearby stood a cluster of byres and steadings. More domestic than defensive, Black Jock’s house marked the estate’s shift from martial lineage to Enlightenment‑era stewardship.

Alexander Forbes, 2nd Laird of Inverernan, rebuilt the house in about 1764 which replaced or absorbed most of the original structure. This was more symmetrical, more comfortable, and aligned with early Enlightenment domestic ideals. Alexander Forbes, 5th Laird of Inverernan and a Major in the  71st Highland Regiment of Foot, renovated the house to include larger rooms, improved circulation, clearer separation of service spaces, and a more formal façade.

Later generations refined the interiors, adding paneling, fireplaces, and finishes that reflected contemporary taste.

While Inverernan never became a grand mansion on the scale of Craigievar or Culloden’s later rebuild, it evolved steadily, shaped by lairds who valued practicality, comfort, and the efficient management of their lands. Each modification reinforced its identity as a working estate house rather than a showpiece or fortress. The house’s proportions and layout reveal a laird concerned with comfort, privacy, and estate management.

Inverernan House remains in private ownership and is not open to the public. It continues to anchor the landscape of Strathdon and to remain a quiet reminder of the Forbes legacy in the region. The house stands as a private but enduring symbol of the family’s transition from medieval warriors to Enlightenment landowners.