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 in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. [1]
In 1569 Thomas MacLellan of Bombie was given the site of a ruined Greyfriars monastery in the town of Kirkcudbright. [2] The monastery, which was built in around 1455, [3] was demolished leaving only its chapel and on the site an L-plan castle was built. [1] The chapel is now called Greyfriars Church. [3] Construction of MacLellan's Castle began around 1577, instigated by Thomas. The work is commonly assumed to date to 1582 based on the year being carved into a stone panel above the entrance. Despite never being finished in its entirety, [4] [5] it was home to MacLellan's descendants until 1752 when it was sold to Sir Robert Maxwell. [1] By this time the castle was in a state of ruin and the roof had collapsed. [6] [2] Thirty years later, Maxwell sold MacLellan Castle to Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk. [1]
In MacGibbon and Ross' 1887 work, The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland , the authors remarked "the whole building is a mass of ivy, giving it the appearance of a huge haystack, of a green rather than yellow colour", however they were of the opinion that aside from the roof the building was in good condition. [7] The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland was created in 1908 to preserve Scotland's historic buildings. Several buildings were already under state care, and as part of this growing concern to preserve standing buildings twenty buildings (eight of them castles) were taken into state care between 1911 and 1913. [8] MacLellan's Castle counted among these – it was handed over to the state in 1912 – and is now under the guardianship of Historic Environment Scotland. [1]
MacLellan's Castle is laid out in an L-plan, consisting of two wings meeting at right angles. [7] This type of tower house is typical of Scottish architecture and often dates from 1540–1680. [9] One wing runs north–south and the other east–west; they meet in the southwest corner. The simple 'L' shape is embellished with an additional tower attached to the southwest corner, and projections on the inner angle where the two wings meet. The four-storey castle has a kitchen on the ground floor and a great hall on the first for entertaining guests. The upper floors most likely provided accommodation. Behind the fireplace in the great hall is a peephole and on the other side is a small room dubbed the "Laird's Lug" where the conversations in the hall could be overheard. This was not an uncommon feature in Scottish tower houses. [10] [11]
The castle was entered at the inner angle where the two wings join. On the exterior, above the doorway, is a panel divided into three parts. The two lower parts are carved two coats of arms: those of Thomas MacLellan, for whom the castle was built, and his wife, G. Maxwell. [2]
Robert Maclellan, 1st Lord Kirkcudbright was Provost of Kirkcudbright in 1607 and was best known for his riotous behavior..
Lord Kirkcudbright is a dormant title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created for Sir Robert Maclellan of Bombie on a 1633 royal visit to Scotland by King Charles I. Maclellan had already been created a baronet of Nova Scotia in 1631.
Urquhart Castle is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, 21 kilometres (13 mi) south-west of Inverness and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the village of Drumnadrochit.
Threave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) west of Castle Douglas in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland.
Edzell Castle is a ruined 16th-century castle, with an early-17th-century walled garden. It is located close to Edzell, and is around 5 miles (8 km) north of Brechin, in Angus, Scotland. Edzell Castle was begun around 1520 by David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford, and expanded by his son, Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell, who also laid out the garden in 1604. The castle saw little military action, and was, in its design, construction and use, more of a country house than a defensive structure. It was briefly occupied by English troops during Oliver Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1651. In 1715 it was sold by the Lindsay family, and eventually came into the ownership of the Earl of Dalhousie. It was given into state care in the 1930s, and is now a visitor attraction run by Historic Environment Scotland. The castle consists of the original tower house and building ranges around a courtyard. The adjacent Renaissance walled garden, incorporating intricate relief carvings, is unique in Scotland. It was replanted in the 1930s, and is considered to have links to esoteric traditions, including Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry.
The Clan MacLellan is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. The clan does not currently have a chief therefore it is considered an Armigerous clan. in Edinburgh at the gathering of the clans in 2009 the Maclellan clan were led up the royal mile by Steven McLelland living in carlisle now,
Knock Castle is a ruined tower house in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland. It is typical of the traditional type of residence of a laird, a Scottish landed gentleman. Knock Castle is in Royal Deeside, about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the town of Ballater, and about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Balmoral. It sits on a knoll in a field on the south side of Craig of the Knock, a low hill at the entrance to Glen Muick. The castle is a category B listed building, and is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
Ardclach is a small crofting hamlet, close to Glenferness in the old county of Nairn, Scotland, within the Scottish council area of Highland.
The Repentance Tower is a very rare example of a mid-16th century watch tower standing on Trailtrow Hill, six miles north-west of Annan, Dumfries and Galloway. Built in 1565 by John Maxwell, the tower takes its name from an inscription Repentance carved on the stonework above the entrance door.
Esslemont Castle is a ruined tower house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located on the A920 west of Ellon and is designated a scheduled ancient monument.
Bassendean is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of Westruther and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north-west of Gordon. It is by the Eden Water in the former Berwickshire, immediately south of the hamlet of Houndslow.
Ochiltree Castle is a 16th-century tower house a few miles south east of Linlithgow in West Lothian, Scotland. It is also described as a farmhouse and lairds house. Along with its boundary wall, the castle was designated as a Category A listed building in 1971.
Udny Castle is a tower house in the parish of Udny, southwest of the village of Pitmedden and northeast of the hamlet of Udny Green, Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland. The area is generally flat but the castle is sited on the highest ground and can be seen for a considerable distance. Its exact construction date is unknown, but its foundations probably date from the late 14th or early 15th century. Additional storeys were added and a later extension, described as a "modern mansion", was incorporated but subsequently demolished. It is a Category A listed building.
Calderwood Castle was located in East Kilbride, Scotland. The castle was situated near the banks of the Rotten Calder Water in what is now Calderglen Country Park. Most likely constructed in the early to mid fifteenth century by the Maxwell family, the original peel tower collapsed in 1773. It was replaced by an extension to a large 18th-century country house called Calderwood House, which has itself since been demolished along with a later 1840s Gothic Revival addition.
Bonhard Castle was an L-plan tower house, dating from the 16th century, around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south east of Bo'ness, in West Lothian, Scotland. It was demolished in 1962.
Dalcross Castle is a restored 17th century tower house, about 1+1⁄2 miles southwest of Croy, Highland, Scotland, and about 7 miles northeast of Inverness. The castle stands on a ridge.
Comrie Castle is a ruined castle about 15 miles north of Comrie, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The castle is located on the River Lyon.
Rusco Tower, sometimes called Rusco Castle, is a tower house near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Built around 1500 for Mariota Carson and her husband Robert Gordon, on lands given to them by her father, it was used to incarcerate a number of the Gordons' rivals in the 16th century. After Robert Gordon died and Carson remarried, their eldest son James Gordon seized the tower and imprisoned his mother, fearing that she would make it over to her new husband, Thomas Maclellan of Bombie. Gordon went on to kill Maclellan on the High Street in Edinburgh, while a court case intended to settle the matter was ongoing.
Isle Tower also known as Lochar Tower and Bankend Tower is a 16th-century ruined tower house located in the north of Bankend in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It was a property of the Maxwell family.
Earlstoun Castle, sometimes spelled Earlston Castle, is a derelict tower house near St John's Town of Dalry in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Built in the late sixteenth century, it was home to members of the Gordon family, including William Gordon of Earlston who was killed at the battle of Bothwell Bridge. It is unusual for a tower house of its age for its lack of defensive arrangements: it has no gun loops, its roof is without a parapet or corner turrets, and it lies in open ground without natural defences.
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