Description

The monument consists of the original island site and partial remains of Loch Doon castle. It is situated on a small island, known as Castle Island, at the S end of Loch Doon. The site is usually submerged with only the tops of the walls of the castle visible.

The castle was documented in 1306 when it fell to the English, marking the elimination of the last Bruce stronghold in the SW. The castle was again documented in 1333 when it was one of the few strongholds still held for David II.

The castle dates from the late 13th-century castle and has an extremely unusual eleven-sided curtain wall constructed of high quality ashlar masonry. In the first half of the 16th-century a small tower was added to the inside of the west wall. The castle was dismantled and rebuilt on the shore of the loch c1935, in advance of increasing water levels.

However, the wall core of the curtain wall was left on Castle Island, and archaeological deposits are also likely to have survived. Several dugout canoes were discovered on the island in the early 19th-century.

The area to be scheduled is circular in shape, with a diameter of 100m to include the upstanding masonry and an area around it, within which associated remains are expected to survive: as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as the remains of a 13th-century castle which has the potential to contribute to our understanding of medieval defensive and domestic structures, their social history and material culture. its importance is further enhanced by the association of the castle with the Bruce family and its involvement in the Wars of Independence.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NX 49 SE 1.

Bibliography:

Cruden, S. (1960) The Scottish castle, Edinburgh, 50-4.

MacGibbon, D. and Ross, T. (1887-92) The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries, 5v, Vol. 3, 96-106, Edinburgh.

NSA (1845) The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy, 15v, Edinburgh, Vol. 5 (Ayr), 337.

RCAHMS (1983) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of North Carrick, Kyle and Carrick District, Strathclyde Region, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no 17, Edinburgh, 25, No. 174.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland