The earliest mention of the site, as Downie or Dounie Castle, occurs in the reign of
Alexander I (1106–1124), when a siege took place. The original castle was built by the
Byset family. The castle came into the hands of the Fentons in the late 13th century and later into the hands of the Frasers. English forces besieged the castle in 1303. In the 1650s Dounie was attacked and burned by the forces of
Oliver Cromwell during their
invasion of Scotland. The Fraser estates were inherited by
Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (c.1667–1747), in 1699. Known as 'The Fox', Lovat became deeply involved in the
Jacobite cause, which aimed to restore the deposed
House of Stuart to the thrones of Scotland and England. Exiled to France, Lovat joined
James Stuart, the Old Pretender, and converted to
Catholicism. He attempted to recruit Scottish nobles to the cause, carrying messages to Scotland, but his dealings led to ten years imprisonment in France. Returning in 1714, he apparently renounced the Jacobite cause in return for possession of his estates. In the 1740s he commissioned
William Adam to design a new house at Dounie. Adam's last work, the project only progressed to the supply of stonework to the site: construction never started since the
Jacobite Rising of 1745 intervened. Lovat, changing allegiance again, supported the Jacobites, but was captured and executed after the
Battle of Culloden. Dounie Castle was razed by the
Duke of Cumberland, and the estate was declared
forfeit. in debts. The castle was sold in 1994 to
Stagecoach director
Ann Gloag by the
15th Lord Lovat, to meet inheritance taxes. ==Description==