Towie Barclay Castle is a historic castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, 4.5 miles south-south-east of Turriff. The current structure was built in 1593 by Clan Barclay. The site was given to the Clan in the 11th century by Malcolm III of Scotland. Following Clan Barclay's pillage of a nunnery in the 12th century, Thomas the Rhymer proclaimed: "Towie Barclay of the Glen/Happy to the maids/But never to the men." which was interpreted as a curse on the male line. Belief in the curse was strong enough that it was given as a reason by Mr. Barclay Maitland for the sale of Towie Barclay Castle in 1753 to the Earl of Findlater, who, after "dreeing the weird," (the ''weird'', meaning the curse) and after his son also died, sold it to Gordon's Hospital in Aberdeen in 1792.