Over 350 years of history...

Originally Tomatin was known as Tom-Aiteann, meaning Hill of the Juniper in Gaelic and the earliest record of the house at Tomatin is 1639 when James, Earl of Moray granted a Charter to Bean MacBean. There is no picture of the original Tomatin House, but it is believed to have been a modest, comfortable home with the first glimpse of it being a sketch by a governess of the MacBean family in the 1830s (pictured), shortly after the bow wing was added.

The house was sold to the great-grandmother of the present owners, Mrs Florence Bulloch, in 1928 who was so captivated by the property whilst on holiday that she purchased it from the MacBeans. Tragically, in 1955, a fire rampaged through the house causing major damage, but luckily no one was hurt. Tomatin House, as seen today, was rebuilt in 1959 on the same foundations.

It has been the current owners' home since they were small children and is still very much their family home.

 

MacBeans The MacBean family lived at Tomatin House from the time it was built in 1639 until 1926, generation after generation. They farmed, planted woodlands and cared for their inheritance as they gradually added to the original modest sized laird's house - rather necessary, as there were certainly two MacBean families who had 13 children! The bow front was built in 1824. The Clan MacBean is a sept (branch) of the Mackintosh Clan Chattan, but history does not relate if there were any skirmishes or upheavals involving the Tomatin MacBeans - there was no one of military age at the Battle of Culloden so their lands were not forfeit. Some of the family had business interests in Glasgow, the Far East and the West Indies, which brought income when other estates suffered lean times.

The MacBeans were involved in local affairs: Duncan was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant in 1831; Ludovic was created, admitted and received as Burger, Freeman and Guild Brother of Inverness in 1805. William also received a Burger ticket in 1813.

Over the years the MacBeans very much took an interest in the community - including the village shop and hotel, and in 1904, one gave land for the creation of a golf course, with his wife doing the honours by teeing off the first ball. The last of the MacBeans emigrated to South Africa in 1928 when Tomatin House was purchased by the great-grandmother of the present owners, Mrs Frances Bulloch.

Wade's Road

Travel in the Highlands in 1700s was very basic - mainly on horseback - with rivers to be forded and a wary lookout needed for those of malicious intent. After the debacle of the Battle of Culloden in 1746 the government decided to have roads built in the Highlands, both for military purposes and the safe passage of those wishing to go north from Perth to Inverness, to promote business and commerce in a formerly isolated part of Scotland.

General Wade's name is famous for his involvement in this tremendous undertaking, in difficult terrain, and there is part of one of his roads near Tomatin. It was unfortunately bisected when the new A9 dual carriageway was constructed, but is easily accessible. One of his engineers, General Barrington, built a fine three-arch stone bridge over the River Findhorn at Raigbeg (1728-30) but a great flood destroyed it in 1889. A replacement wooden bridge was made just downstream - at low water the old pairs of posts that supported it can still be seen. Later a more permanent bridge was built further up river and Wade's road was partially re-aligned to accommodate the new route.