Cawdor


Cawdor is a village and parish in the Highland council area, Scotland. The village is situated 5 miles south south west of Nairn, and 12 miles east from Inverness. The village is in the Historic County of Nairnshire.

History

The village is the location of Cawdor Castle, the seat of the Earl Cawdor.
Macbeth, in Shakespeare's play of the same name, becomes Thane of Cawdor early in the narrative. However, since the oldest part of the structure dates from the 14th century, and has no predecessor , Shakespeare's version is of extremely dubious historical authenticity.
The name "Cawdor" is the English pronunciation and spelling of the ancient and original name Calder. In the early 19th century, the Lord at the time was residing in England and changed the name of the castle, town and clan overnight so that it would match the Shakespearian designation.

Roman fort

In 1984, a strong candidate for a Roman fort was identified at Easter Galcantray, south west of Cawdor, by aerial photography.
The site was excavated between 1985 and 1988 and several features were identified which are of this classification.
The radiocarbon test gave a possible date of construction during the Agricola campaign.

Local community

The area has recently received a new school building as the old school was over one hundred years old and could not fit all of the pupils and had been using huts to make room. The area also has a very well stocked village shop which provides a vital service for the local community.