Gadgirth Old Ha'

Last updated

Gadgirth Old Ha'
Gadgirth, Annbank, South Ayrshire, Scotland
River Ayr at Gadgirth Holm, By Annbank, South Ayrshire.jpg
River Ayr at Gadgirth Holm
Coordinates 55°27′54″N4°31′22″W / 55.464893°N 4.5228532°W / 55.464893; -4.5228532 Coordinates: 55°27′54″N4°31′22″W / 55.464893°N 4.5228532°W / 55.464893; -4.5228532
Grid reference grid reference NS406219
TypeCastle
Site information
OwnerPrivate land
Open to
the public
No
ConditionSections of wall only
Site history
BuiltPre 14th Century
Built byChalmer
MaterialsMasonry

The castle known as Gadgirth Old Ha' or Gadgirth Old Hall, [1] [2] was the first castle at Gadgirth, held by the Chalmer family, standing on a whinstone promontory overlooking the River Ayr in the Parish of Coylton, the old district of Kyle, now part of South Ayrshire, Scotland. [3] [4]

Contents

Location

This archaeological site lies on the southern side of the River Ayr near the B742 road that crosses the River Ayr at Gadgirth Bridge and runs up to Annbank. [4] The castle jutts into the river on a rocky promontory with an islet located within the river at this point.

Description

Oldhall Woods and the site of Old Ha' Oldhall Woods, Gadgirth, South Ayrshire, Scotland.jpg
Oldhall Woods and the site of Old Ha'

The Gadgirth Old Ha' consists of a section of masonry held together with lime mortar set against the crag and another small section, circa 2.3m long and a maximum height of 1.5m high enclosing the area of circa 8.7m by 6m, apparently a corner of the building. On the sides not protected by the river are the remnants of a fosse, moat or ditch and a drawbridge is said to have been located here. [4] [5] The approximate dimensions of the main wall are 5.5m in length and 3.5m height. [1]

The historian John Smith in the 1890s visited the site and stated that only a short stretch of wall could be traced. The other castle in the district was at Martnaham. [3]

History

Little is known of the history of this castle site, once held by the ancestors of the Chalmer, originally the De Camera family, which was replaced by their later 14th century Gadgirth Castle that stood around 500 metres or a quarter of a mile upstream on the same southern side of the River Ayr until demolished in 1808. [3] [6] Reginaldus de Camera (Chalmer) is recorded to have held the Barony of Gadgirth during the reign of William the Lion (1165-1214). [1]

Related Research Articles

Trabboch

Trabboch is a hamlet in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Built as a miners village in the 1880s, it was owned and leased by Wm. Baird & Co., Ltd. and at one time had 94 dwellings. The miners rows stood, until demolition in 1969, on the Stair and Littlemill road, about two miles south of Stair, in that parish. The name is locally pronounced 'Traaboch'.

Barony of Ladyland Former barony in North Ayrshire, Scotland

The Barony of Ladyland was in the old feudal Baillerie of Cunninghame, near Kilbirnie in what is now North Ayrshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terringzean Castle, East Ayrshire</span>

Terringzean Castle, also Taringzean, pronounced 'Tringan', is a Category B listed castle ruin lying above the River Lugar and the Terringzean Holm in the policies of Dumfries House, Parish of Cumnock, Scotland. The name Craufordstone or Craufurdstoun, has also been used, echoing that it and these lands originally belonged to the Crawfords, as did Lefnoreis Castle or Lochnorris Castle which once stood near the site of the Dumfries House stables.

Barnweill Church Ruined pre-reformation kirk in South Ayrshire, Scotland

Barnweill Church or Barnweil Church is a ruined pre-reformation kirk situated on rising ground on the slopes of Barnweill Hill, Parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland; about 3 km from Tarbolton. The church was known locally as the "Kirk in the Wood". It lies about 170m North North-East of Kirkhill Farm. Barnweill was central to the Protestant Reformation in Ayrshire through its association with John Knox. The spelling 'Barnweill' is used throughout for consistency.

Buiston Loch An occasional lake in Ayrshire, Scotland

Buiston Loch, also known as Buston, Biston, and Mid Buiston was situated in the mid-Ayrshire clayland at an altitude of 90 m OD. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow created by glaciation. The loch waters drained via the Garrier Burn that joins the Bracken and Lochridge Burns before joining the River Irvine.

Shaw Monument Church in South Ayrshire, Scotland

The Shaw Monument is an 18th-century folly standing about 1 mile East of Prestwick, overlooking Prestwick Airport in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

Loch of Trabboch Body of water

The Loch of Trabboch or Dalrympleston Loch (NS440211) was situated in a low-lying area below the old Castle of Trabboch, once held by the Boyd family in the Parish of Stair, East Ayrshire, Scotland.

Trabboch Castle is a ruined L-plan tower house in the old Barony of Trabboch, Parish of Stair, East Ayrshire, Scotland.

Martnaham Loch Body of water

Martnaham Loch is a freshwater loch lying across the border between East and South Ayrshire Council Areas, two kilometres from Coylton, in the parishes of Coylton and Dalrymple, three miles from Ayr. The loch lies along an axis from northeast to southwest. The remains of a castle lie on a possibly artificial islet within the loch. The Campbells of Loudoun once held the lands, followed by the Kennedys of Cassillis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auchencloigh Castle</span> Ruined fortification in the Parish of Ochiltree, East Ayrshire, Scotland

Auchencloigh Castle or Auchincloigh Castle is a ruined fortification near the Burnton Burn, lying within the feudal lands of the Craufurd Clan, situated in the Parish of Ochiltree, East Ayrshire, Scotland.

Kingencleugh Castle

The remains of the old castle of Kingencleugh or Kingenclough lies close to east of the town of Mauchline, East Ayrshire, in the old Barony of Mauchline off the A76. The castle is Category B listed.

Fairlie Castle

Fairlie Castle is a restored oblong tower castle located on a natural rounded knoll situated above a precipitous section of the Fairlie Glen near the town of Fairlie in the old Barony of Fairlie, Parish of Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was built by the now extinct family, the Fairlies of that Ilk and survives in a fairly good state of preservation. It is a protected scheduled monument.

Alloway Mote

The Scheduled Ancient Monument of Alloway Mote, also known as the Alloway Moat or Alloway Motte, is a roughly circular earthwork that is regarded as a possible early medieval ringwork, located near the village of Alloway in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bickering Bush</span>

The Bickering bush (NS41863635) thorn grew near Caprington on the lands of Monksholm or Maxholm, Riccarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The old farm house at Maxholm sat in hollow on the old Caprington Castle estate and to the north and west its fields bordered the River Irvine. The thorn was located, as recorded on the OS map, near to the confluence of the Kilmarnock Water and the River Irvine, downstream of the Simon's Burn's confluence on the south bank of the river.

Craigie, South Ayrshire Human settlement in Scotland

Craigie is a small village and parish of 6,579 acres in the old district of Kyle, now South Ayrshire, four miles south of Kilmarnock, Scotland. This is mainly a farming district, lacking in woodland, with a low population density, and only one village. In the 19th century, high quality lime was quarried here with at least three sites in use in 1832.

Minishant Human settlement in Scotland

Minishant is a village bordering the A77 in the old county of Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located in Maybole Parish, 3+12 miles from Maybole and standing close to the River Doon. The village was originally named Culroy after the Culroy Burn that runs through it.

Kyle Castle

The ruins of the large courtyard style Kyle Castle, once also known as Cavil Castle or occasionally Dalblair Castle lie close to the hamlet of Dalblair in Auchinleck parish near Muirkirk in the East Ayrshire council area, Scotland. The castle stands at the confluence of the Guelt Water and the Glenmuir Water on a peninsula carved out by these rivers. Its name suggests that it was once of some significance.

Castle and Barony of Gadgirth

The Castle and Barony of Gadgirth was held by the Chalmer family, originally De Camera, with successive castles and a mansion house overlooking the River Ayr at the border of the Parish of Coylton, the old district of Kyle, now part of South Ayrshire, Scotland.

Lawthorn Human settlement in Scotland

Lawthorn is a hamlet near Perceton in Strathannick, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The settlement lies on the old Irvine to Stewarton toll road.

Kemp Law Dun Iron Age settlement in Scotland

Kemp Law Dun is a vitrified fort dating from the Iron Age situated near the town of Dundonald in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The remains of the Iron Age fort or dun lie on the old Auchans Estate in the Dundonald Woods near the site of the old Hallyards Farm and the quarry of that name. The footpath route known as the Smugglers' Trail through the Clavin Hills from Troon to Dundonald runs passed the ruins of the dun. Kemps Law is in the order of two thousand years old.

References

Notes;

  1. 1 2 3 "Old Ha'". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. Ayrshire, Sheet XXXIV Publication date:1860
  3. 1 2 3 Smith, John (1895). Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire. Elliot Stock. p. 165.
  4. 1 2 3 Campbell, Thorbjorn (2003). Ayrshire. A Historical Guide. Birlinn. p. 180. ISBN   1-84158-267-0.
  5. Paterson, James (1863). History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton. V.1 - Kyle. James Stillie. p. 228.
  6. Love, Dane (2003). Ayrshire:Discovering a County. Fort Publishing Ltd. p. 195. ISBN   0-9544461-1-9.

Bibliography