Cawdor

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For the suburb of Sydney, Australia,, see Cawdor, New South Wales.

Cawdor is a village and parish in Nairn, Highland council area, Scotland. The village is situated 5 miles south south west of Nairn. The village is the location of Castle Cawdor, the seat of the Earl Cawdor.

The Cawdor Castle was the scene, according to the tradition which Shakespeare perpetuated, of the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth, thane of Cawdor (or Calder), in 1040. Since the oldest part of the structure dates from 1454, however, and seemingly had no predecessor, the tradition has no foundation in fact. The building stands on the rocky bank of Cawdor Burn, a right-hand tributary of the River Nairn. The massive keep with small turrets is the original portion of the castle, and to it were added, in the 17th century, the modern buildings forming two sides of a square.

Kilravock (pronounced Kil-rawk) Castle, 1.75 miles west of Cawdor, occupies a commanding site on the left bank of the River Nairn. Its keep dates from 1460, and the later buildings belong to the 17th century. It has been continuously tenanted by the Roses, one of the most remarkable families in Scotland. They came over with William the Conqueror and settled at Kilravock in 1293, since which date son has succeeded father without the interposition of a collateral heir, an instance of direct descent unique in Scottish history. Moreover, nearly every Rose has borne the Christian name of Hugh, and only one attained to a higher social rank than that of laird. Queen Mary was received at the castle in 1562, and Prince Charles Edward Stuart was entertained four days before the battle of Culloden. As of 2005, the head of the Clan Rose is Anna Elizabeth Guillemard Rose of Kilravock. The gardens are remarkable for their beauty.