CAWDOR  , a

village and parish of Nairnshire, Scotland . Pop. of parish (1901) 925 . The village is situated 5 M . S.S.W. of Nairn and 3 M. from Gollanfield Junction on the Highland railway . The castle was the scene, according to the tradition which Shakespeare has 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 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 Kilrawk) Castle, 4- m . W. of Cawdor, occupies a commanding site on the left bank of the Nairn . Its keep dates from 146o, 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 was entertained four days before the battle of Culloden . The gardens are remark-able for their beauty .