Torwood Castle Contributed by Clan Forrester Situated on an elevated site just West of the Stirling-Falkirk highway near Larbert, Torwood Castle is an impressive example of those structures built during the excitement of medieval Scotland. Constructed of yellow sandstone, the architecture is Scots baronial with three floor levels rising majestically to beautifully proportioned, crow-stepped gables - one of the Castle's most striking features. Two charters bearing the great seal and dated 1450 and 1463, conveyed the lands known as the King's Royal forest of Torwood to the family FORRESTER with a provision requiring them to live there and provide timber for the King's artillery. The office of forester became hereditary in this family and in 1566 Sir Alexander Forrester, of Garden, built Torwood Castle. The Castle remained in the possession of family FORRESTER until near the middle of the 17th century. In 1946 Gordon MacLachlan Millar, of Glasgow, acquired Torwood Castle as a ruin and dedicated nearly fifty years of his life to its restoration. He was intrigued with the fact that the old Roman road passed right through the Castle grounds where Siward the Dane in pursuit of McBeth and the English in suppression attempts on the Scots passed this way. He knew too that, within easy walking distance, stands a 2500-year old broch built by the Picts - the earliest known inhabitants of Scotland. Of considerable interest also is that bit of history that has Bruce, together with Randolph, Douglas and Steward using Torwood as a forward headquarters before Bannockburn. Gordon Millar died on April 6, 1998 but not before establishing the Torwood Castle Trust - a registered charity dedicated to restoring Torwood Castle and thereby preserving an important part of Scottish history. Today, Clan FORRESTER Society of America is represented on the Torwood Castle Board of Trustees and supports the goal of restoring Torwood Castle to its former glory. A special thanks to Clan Forrester for permission to reprint this article. Email Clan Forrester at: clanforrester@yahoo.com Links: Clan Forrester