Description

The monument comprises the remains of Cumstoun Castle, first mentioned in a charter of 1604-5 and believed to have been built for Sir John Kennedy of Blairquhain in the early 16th century. The lands of Cumstoun formed an important part of the Barony of Twynholm from at least the 13th century.

The remains of the castle stand on a low, but distinctive mound to the W of the present mansion house. The building appears to have been rectangular in plan, originally consisting of a basement and three upper floors. The NE wall has been entirely demolished but that at the SW stands to a height of 7.6m. Rubble-built with ashlar quoins, the three walls are pierced by wide windows. Limited excavation of the site in the 1930s is said to have revealed the foundations of the demolished portion of the castle and evidence for an entrance at ground level.

The area to be scheduled is rectangular in shape with maximum dimensions of 40m NE-SW by 25m NW-SE. It comprises the upstanding masonry and an area around it (including the mound on which the building stands) within which associated remains are expected to survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
No Bibliography entries for this designation

Source: Historic Environment Scotland