List of town defences in Scotland

Last updated

Scotland South.png
Key to the town defences in Scotland:
Cyan pog.svg Designated Grade B listed (B)
Green pog.svg Designated Grade C listed (C)
Blue pog.svg Designated Scheduled Monument (SM)
Red ff0000 pog.svg Town wall or defence with a Canmore listing (CAN)

This list of town defences in Scotland identifies both the defensive walls and stone walls that were built around towns and cities in Scotland. Scottish burghs were rarely enclosed by walls unlike many English and Welsh cities and towns such as York, Caernarfon or Chester. Gates, known in Scotland as ports, were often established to control who or what went into and out of the city or town, They were used to collect tolls and duties, rather than to defend the town from invaders, such as Aberdeen who never had a town wall. [1]

Contents

List

Key to Scottish heritage status
StatusCriteria [2]
BGrade B listed. Building of special architectural or historic interest which are major examples of a particular period, style or building type
CGrade C listed. Building of special architectural or historic interest which are representative examples of a period, style or building type.
SM
Scheduled Monument. Nationally important archaeological building.
CAN
Canmore database listing of an archaeological site or building, compiled and managed by Historic Environment Scotland
Note: The term "building" includes structures such as walls and bridges.
NameReference(s)CountyHeritage
status
ConditionImageNotes
Aberlady town wall [3] East Lothian CSubstantial remains Historic Environment Scotland listing as Aberlady, Back Lane, Town Wall.

The wall is approximately 510 m (1,670 ft) long, which incorporates an earlier town wall. [3]

Dunbar town wall [4] [5] East Lothian
CAN
Masonry fragments. Canmore listing as Dunbar Town Wall. [4]

A fragment of Dunbar Town Wall was found at 24 High Street. The wall varies in height from 12 m (39 ft) to 6 m (20 ft) and it's about 1 m (3.3 ft) thick. [5] The remains of Dunbar Town wall are described by Canmore as being considerably restored. [4]

Dundee town wall [6] [7] [8] Dundee City
CAN
One gatehouse (port) and vestiges Remains of old town wall, Dundee - geograph.org.uk - 2958620.jpg Canmore listing as Dundee, East (Cowgate) Port, Wishart Arch - Gateway (Period Unassigned), Town Wall (16th Century).

"By the end of the (16th) century, however, the town had invested heavily in the upgrading of existing ports and the building of a stone wall to surround the town" [7]

Edinburgh town walls
(King's Wall,
Flodden Wall,
Telfer Wall)
[9] [10] City of Edinburgh
SM
Substantial remains Flodden Wall, the Vennel, Edinburgh.JPG Scheduled Monument (SM) listings:
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place. SM number: SM2901
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall, Johnston Terrace to Grassmarket. SM number: SM3012
[11] B Historic Environment Scotland listing as High Street, Tweedale Court, Walling to West of Court and to South of Tweedale House
Haddington town wall [12] [13] [14] East LothianBOne gatehouse (port) and vestiges Fortune Avenue, Haddington (geograph 4816050) (cropped).jpg Historic Environment Scotland listing as Town Wall (Haddington) states that "Portions of the old town walls remain, mostly rebuilt, lining the Butts and on the North side of the town." [12]
Inverkeithing town wall [15] [16] Fife CMasonry fragments Section of the old town wall, Inverkeithing - geograph.org.uk - 2674255.jpg Historic Environment Scotland listing as Roman Road, Town Wall states that "This small section of medieval town wall is the only fragment remaining in Inverkeithing. Stone walls were built around Inverkeithing following a mandate to further fortify the burgh with dykes, ditches and catapults in 1557." [15]
Kirkcudbright town wall [17] [18] Dumfries and Galloway
CAN
Vestiges Canmore listing as Kirkcudbright, Meickle Yett and Town Wall states that "The town defences of 1547, when Kirkcudbright was besieged by the English under Sir Thomas Carleton, consisted principally, on the east, of a broad marshy creek extending south from the harbour to the Meickle Yett. Here a wall and ditch ran west to where the Academy stands and turned north to the riverside."
Lauder town wall [19] Scottish Borders
CAN
No remains Canmore listing as Lauder, Town Wall states "Where the West Port had been, there was till lately a crumbling remnant of the old town wall." [19]
Montrose town wall [20] [21] Angus BFragments Historic Environment Scotland listing as West End Park and Western Road, fragments of Old Town Walls
Peebles town wall [22] [23] [24] [14] Scottish Borders
SM
Vestiges with one remaining corner bastion. Remains of town wall corner tower, Peebles - geograph.org.uk - 1986865.jpg Scheduled Monument listing as Peebles, town wall.

Scheduled Monument number: SM2685

Perth town wall [25] Perth and Kinross
CAN
One remaining section Perth town walls plan.png Canmore listing as Perth, Town Defences states "In 1311-12 Perth was a place of great strength fortified on three sides by a thick wall having stone towers at the angles and over the gates and surrounded by a wet ditch." [25]
St Andrews town wall [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] Fife
SM
Only two gatehouses (ports) remain (right) West Port, St Andrews (geograph 6168245) (cropped).jpg
Mill Port, St Andrews (geograph 6169733) (cropped).jpg
St Andrews has never had a defensive wall as such, it was intended purely to impress people entering the city. There are two 'ports', or gates, still inexistance. West Port (left upper) which was built in 1587 and rebuilt in 1843, the other being Sea Yett or Mill Port (left lower). The Scheduled Monument listing as West Port, St Andrews.

Scheduled Monument number: SM90263

Stirling town wall [14] Stirling
SM
Substantial remains Stirling, old town walls - geograph.org.uk - 2617082.jpg The wall stands between about 4.8 m (16 ft) and 7 m (23 ft) in height and is about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) thick. Scheduled Monument listing as Stirling, town wall & bastion & Port Street Bastion at 44 Bastion Wynd.

Scheduled Monument number: SM1754

See also

Related Research Articles

Cupar is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fife, and the civil parish a population of 11,183. It is the historic county town of Fife, although the council now sits at Glenrothes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balerno</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Balerno is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 8 miles south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the county of Midlothian it now administratively falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edinburgh Council. The village lies at the confluence of the Water of Leith and the Bavelaw Burn. In the 18th and 19th century, the area was home to several mills using waterpower. In the 20th century, the mills closed and the village now forms a residential suburb of Edinburgh.

Mercat cross Scottish historic structure

A mercat cross is the Scots name for the market cross found frequently in Scottish cities, towns and villages where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. It therefore served a secular purpose as a symbol of authority, and was an indication of a burgh's relative prosperity. Historically, the term dates from the period before 1707, when the Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state, but it has been applied loosely to later structures built in the traditional architectural style of crosses or structures fulfilling the function of marking a settlement's focal point. Historical documents often refer simply to "the cross" of whichever town or village is mentioned. Today, there are around 126 known examples of extant crosses in Scotland, though the number rises if later imitations are added.

MacLellans Castle Castle in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, UK

MacLellan's Castle in the town of Kirkcudbright, in Galloway, Scotland, was built in the late 16th century. It stands in the centre of Kirkcudbright, on the south side of the River Dee which flows into the Solway Firth. The L-plan castle was the residence of the MacLellan family from whom it derived its name. The family sold the castle in 1752, and from 1782 to 1912 it was held by the Earls of Selkirk. Today, the site is curated by Historic Environment Scotland.

Carsluith Castle

Carsluith Castle is a ruined tower house, dating largely to the 16th century. It is located beside Wigtown Bay in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in Galloway, Scotland, around 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) south east of Creetown.

Rosewell, Midlothian Human settlement in Scotland

Rosewell is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland, east of Roslin and south-west of Bonnyrigg. The village is in the civil parish of Lasswade and was previously a separate ecclesiastical parish, but has its own Community Council, namely Rosewell and District.

DoCoMoMo Key Scottish Monuments is a list of 60 notable post-war buildings in Scotland, compiled in 1993 by the international architectural conservation organisation DoCoMoMo.

Almond Aqueduct Bridge in West Lothian/City of Edinburgh

The Almond Aqueduct, also known as the Lin's Mill Aqueduct, is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Union Canal over the River Almond in Scotland, west of Ratho, Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh town walls</span> City walls in City of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

There have been several town walls around Edinburgh, Scotland, since the 12th century. Some form of wall probably existed from the foundation of the royal burgh in around 1125, though the first building is recorded in the mid-15th century, when the King's Wall was constructed. In the 16th century the more extensive Flodden Wall was erected, following the Scots' defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. This was extended by the Telfer Wall in the early 17th century. The walls had a number of gates, known as ports, the most important being the Netherbow Port, which stood halfway down the Royal Mile. This gave access from the Canongate which was, at that time, a separate burgh.

Cringletie

Cringletie is a Scottish Baronial house by the Eddleston Water, around 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Eddleston in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Peeblesshire. Designed by David Bryce and built in 1861, the house is a Category B listed building. Since 1971 it has been operated as a country house hotel.

Peter Womersley British architect

Peter Womersley was a British architect, best known for his work in the modernist style. He lived in the Scottish Borders, where a number of his buildings are located, although he worked on projects throughout the UK. Influenced principally by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and by the American Case Study Houses, Womersley's buildings employ such typical modernist elements as in-situ concrete and strong geometric forms, although he introduced a wider palette of materials than was typically used by Le Corbusier and his followers.

The Howff Burial ground in Dundee, Scotland

The Howff is a burial ground in the city of Dundee, Scotland. Established in 1564, it has one of the most important collections of tombstones in Scotland, and is protected as a category A listed building.

Kirkandrews, Dumfries and Galloway Hamlet in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Kirkandrews, sometimes written as Kirkanders in older documents, is a coastal hamlet about 9 kilometres (6 mi) west-southwest of Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It sits in farmland at the head of Kirkandrews Bay, an inlet of Wigtown Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libberton</span> Village and historical parish in South Lanarkshire

Libberton is a village and historical parish in South Lanarkshire. The village is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Quothquan and 2.3 miles (3.68 km) south-east of Carnwath. The nearest rivers are the South Medwyn River, the North Medwyn River and the River Clyde which lies the east of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selkirk Town House</span> Municipal building in Selkirk, Scotland

Selkirk Town House is a municipal building in the Market Place, Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland. The structure, which is used as a local history museum is a Category A listed building.

References

  1. "Aberdeen, Town Gates". Canmore . Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  2. "What is listing?". Historic Environment Scotland. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Aberlady, Back Lane, Town Wall (Category C Listed Building) (LB49597)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Historic Environment Scotland. "Dunbar Town Wall (57698)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Dunbar Town Wall". John Gray Centre - Library, Museum & Archive. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  6. Historic Environment Scotland. "Dundee, East (Cowgate) Port, Wishart Arch (33531)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  7. 1 2 Stevenson, Sylvia; Torrie, Elizabeth (1988). Historic Dundee: the archaeological implications of development: Part 2 (PDF). Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland . Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  8. Historic Environment Scotland. "Dundee-Town Wall (16th Century) (33468)". Canmore . Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  9. Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place (Scheduled Monument) (SM2901)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  10. Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place (Scheduled Monument) (SM3012)" . Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  11. Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place (Category B Listed Building) (LB29058)" . Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  12. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Town walls (Category B Listed Building) (LB34468)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  13. Historic Environment Scotland. "Haddington (56514)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 Historic Environment Scotland. "Stirling, town wall & bastion & Port Street Bastion at 44 Bastion Wynd (Scheduled Monument) (SM1754)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  15. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Inverkeithing (50933)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  16. Historic Environment Scotland. "Roman Road, Town Wall (Category C Listed Building) (LB49954)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  17. Historic Environment Scotland. "Kirkcudbright, Meickle Yett And Town Wall (64075)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  18. "An Observation of Kirkcudbright's town wall" (PDF). Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society. p. 136-7. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  19. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Lauder, Town Wall (55878)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  20. Historic Environment Scotland. "Montrose, West End Park, Old Town Walls (146670)". Canmore . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  21. Historic Environment Scotland. "West End Park and Western Road, fragments of Old Town Walls (Category B Listed Building) (LB38183)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  22. Historic Environment Scotland. "Peebles,town wall (Scheduled Monument) (SM2685)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.}
  23. Historic Environment Scotland. "Peebles, Town Wall (51440)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  24. "Town Wall". www.peebles-theroyalburgh.info. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  25. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Perth, Town Defences (28417)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  26. "St Andrews, West Port". Britain Express. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  27. Historic Environment Scotland. "St Andrews Cathedral, Precinct Wall (94500)". Canmore . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  28. Historic Environment Scotland. "St Andrews,West Port (Scheduled Monument) (SM90263)" . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  29. Mason, R.; MacDougall, N. (2021). People and Power in Scotland: Essays in Honour of T. C. Smout. Birlinn. p. 21. ISBN   978-1-78885-414-6 . Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  30. The Popular Encyclopedia: Or, Conversations Lexicon. The Popular Encyclopedia: Or, Conversations Lexicon. Blackie. 1862. p. 163. Retrieved 5 April 2022.

Sources