| Belltrees Peel | |
|---|---|
| Renfrewshire, Scotland | |
 | |
  Belltrees Peel | |
| Coordinates | 55°47′40″N4°36′53″W / 55.794444°N 4.614722°W |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruin |
| Site history | |
| Built | 16th century |
| Materials | Stone |
Belltrees Peel is a medieval tower situated on a peninsula in Castle Semple Loch in Renfrewshire, Scotland, on which was once an island.
The tower was constructed between 1547 and 1572 as an unusual, low tower, with an irregular hexagonal plan. The remains of the tower house are protected as a scheduled monument. [1]
It was a Semple property, and was occupied by Sir James Semple of Belltrees. He was educated with James VI, an acted as Ambassador to France in 1601. The Semples later used the Belltrees Peel as a shelter when sailing on Castle Semple Loch.
Renfrewshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing with defence being a prime consideration in their design, although "confirmation of status and prestige" also played a role. Additionally, they functioned as watch-towers, where garrisoned personnel could light signal fires to warn of approaching danger.
Beith is a small town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately 20 miles south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "Hill o' Beith" after its Court Hill.
Lochwinnoch is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder, Lochwinnoch is chiefly a residential dormitory village serving nearby urban centres such as Glasgow and Paisley. Its population in 2001 was 2628 and in 2022 was 2769.
Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1357). In the latter part of the 14th century, the castle was granted to William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, by his uncle. It remained in the Douglases' hands for the next 300 years. Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned there in 1567–68, and forced to abdicate as queen, before escaping with the help of her gaoler's family. In 1588, the queen's gaoler inherited the title of Earl of Morton, and moved away from the castle. In 1675, Sir William Bruce, an architect, bought the castle and used it as a focal point for his garden; it was never again used as a residence.
Howwood is a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is between Johnstone and Lochwinnoch, just off the A737 dual carriageway between the nearby town of Paisley and the Ayrshire border. It is served by Howwood railway station.
Clan Macnaghten, Scottish Gaelic: MacNeachdain, is a Scottish clan.
Castle Semple Loch is a 1.5-mile-long (2.5 km) inland freshwater loch at Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Originally part of an estate of the same name, it is now administered by Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park as a watersports centre. An RSPB bird sanctuary is located on the loch's southern shore.
Dryhope Tower is a ruined Scottish peel tower in the valley of the Yarrow Water, in the historic county of Selkirkshire, now part of the Scottish Borders. It lies approximately equidistant between the burghs of Moffat and Selkirk, and defended the north eastern end of St Mary's Loch. The site itself was protected on two sides, to the east by the Dryhope Burn and to the west by the Kirkstead Burn.
Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is the collective name for areas of countryside set aside for conservation and recreation on the South Clyde estuary in Scotland.
Castle Semple is a former mansion house located in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.
Lochend House, also known as Restalrig Castle and Lochend Castle, is an occupied house, incorporating the remains of a 16th-century L-plan tower house, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the Lochend area, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Edinburgh Castle. The house is protected as a category B listed building.
The old Barony and castle, fortalice, or tower house of Hill of Beith lay in the feudal Regality of Kilwinning, within the Baillerie of Cunninghame, and the Sherrifdom of Ayr, now the Parish of Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland.
Auchenbathie, Auchinbathie Tower or rarely Barcraigs Tower is a ruined fortification, a tower house, once held by the Wallace Clan of Elderslie, situated in Renfrewshire, Parish of Lochwinnoch, Scotland. The spelling used varies greatly and "Auchenbathie" will be used here as the standard spelling. The pronunciation locally is "Auchenbothy", the same as a Victorian mansion in Kilmacolm; no connection is known.
Castle Semple Collegiate Church is located in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated near the eastern end of Castle Semple Loch, within Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park, and 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Howwood on the B787, then on to the B776. The late Gothic church is under the protection of Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled monument.
Robert Sempill, 3rd Lord Sempill was a Scottish lord of Parliament.
The lands of Elliston, previously Elliotston or Eliotstoun or Elliestoun in the Parish of Lochwinnoch were part of the holdings of the Barony of Elliston, later a part of the Castle Semple barony and estates. The ruins of the castle lie a short distance from Howwood in Renfrewshire in a private garden on a minor road between the A737 and the B776. The name may have derived from earlier holders of the lands, however the Sempill family held them since at least 1220. The castle was abandoned circa 1550 when John Sempill, 1st Lord Sempill moved to a new castle at Castleton which he renamed Castle Semple.
The ruins of The Peel of Castle Semple or the Castle Semple Loch Peel Tower, once designated in Scottish Reformation times as the Defender of the Faith lie in Castle Semple Loch, Parish of Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The castle stands on a rocky islet which due to drainage works and farming activities has now become linked to the shoreline through a curved earthen embankment. Semple is sometimes written as 'Sempill'; however, for consistency the more commonly found spelling will be used here.
Castle Semple Rowing Club is a rowing club on the Castle Semple Loch, based at Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Central Lowlands, Scotland. The club is affiliated to Scottish Rowing.
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