Closeburn Castle
Closeburn Castle is a residential tower about 1 km east of the village of Closeburn and about 2 km southeast of the town of Thornhill in the Scottish administrative division Dumfries and Galloway . The tower is believed to date from the 14th century - possibly earlier - and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited buildings in Scotland.
history
The Kirkpatrick family received confirmation of ownership of their lands in Closeburn from King Alexander II in 1232 . The residential tower was probably built in the 14th century; different sources give construction dates between 1180 and 1420. Sir Roger de Kirkpatrick was together with King Robert the Bruce in 1306 in Dumfries and was involved in the murder of John “the Red” Comyn . His son, also Sir Roger , commanded the troops that took the castles of Caerlaverock and Dalswinton back from the English in 1355 . He was then killed in Caerlaverock in 1357 by Sir James Lindsay .
In 1685, the Kirkpatricks' loyalty to King Charles I of England was rewarded with the title of baronet . In the 17th century, the Kirkpatricks left Closeburn Castle and initially lived in an adjacent, newly built mansion . However, this burned down in 1748, whereby the residential tower was also damaged. The tower was renovated and the family moved back in there. In 1783, the Kirkpatrick family eventually sold Closeburn Castle to a local church clerk, James Stewart-Menteith . Since then, the castle has passed through different hands, but has served as a residential building all the time.
architecture
The original residential tower was built on a headland in a lake that no longer exists today. It was surrounded by a wooden palisade fence, which was later replaced by a stone fence with round towers at the corners. The residential tower covers an area of around 14.5 meters × 10.5 meters, is 15 meters high and ends with a parapet on the same level. There was a prison in the basement. The hall above also has a vaulted ceiling; the third vault is on the level of the roof above the three other floors. The entrance on the 1st floor still has its iron gate.
The stone enclosure was probably demolished in the 17th century to make way for the manor house. When the family returned to the residential tower in the middle of the 18th century, the upper bedrooms were divided and the windows enlarged in order to increase living comfort. The battlements on the parapet were probably added at this time. Further renovations were carried out in the 19th century: a one-story extension was added to the southwest and a red sandstone vestibule to the north after 1856. The architect David Bryce may have been commissioned with these extensions.
Historic Scotland has listed Closeburn Castle as a Category B Historic Building.
Individual evidence
swell
- Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland . 3. Edition. Goblinshead, 2001.
- John Gifford: The Buildings of Scotland: Dumfries and Galloway . Penguin, 1996.
- John R. Hume: Dumfries and Galloway, an Illustrated Architectural Guide . Rutland Press, 2000.
- Maurice Lindsay: The Castles of Scotland . Constable & Co., 1986.
Web links
Coordinates: 55 ° 12 ′ 41 ″ N , 3 ° 43 ′ 7 ″ W.