OS1/3/59/42
| List of names as written | Various modes of spelling | Authorities for spelling | Situation | Description remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCH DOON CASTLE | Loch Doon Castle Loch Doon Castle Loch Doon Castle Loch Doon Castle Castle in ruins |
- John Blair James Macadam Matthew Young Johnston's County Map |
058 | This interesting antiquity is said to be about 60 years old is situated on Castle Island near the head of Loch Doon. The exterior wall about 6 ft in thickness & 20 in height has eleven irregular sides. From one of the 9 angles the donjon abuts inwards, & is still elevated above the wall 18 or 20 ft The main entrance is by an Gothic archway, in perfect preservation with an aperture for a portcullis The top battlement has fallen in, but some of the lower embrasures are entire and the steps of a winding staircase up the tower are still distinctly markled. The interior is filled up with vast masses of detached masonry. The foundation is much more by the water of the loch but the water is now considerably below the level of the Castle owing to the formation of the sluices at the bottom of the Loch. The Castle is the property of Marquis of Ailsa. |
Continued entries/extra info
[Page] 42Ph. [Parish] of Straiton
"As the Castle (of Loch Doon) is not likely to be older than the
"reign of William the Lion, who built a number of castles, at
"Ayr and elsewhere, to overawe the wild men of Galloway.
"** Loch Doon Castle was anciently a royal fortress, and
"is associated with more than one of our national events. One
"of the principal of these is the betrayal of Sir Christopher de Seton.
"** the castle was justly deemed a place of importance in the
" war of indepence, not only because of its strength, but from
"its being one of the strongholds on the paternal property of Bruce.
"When Sir Christopher de Seton took shelter within its walls in 1306,
"it was under the hereditary governorship of Sir Gilbert de Carrick,
" a maternal ancestor of the Kennedies, Earls of Carrick. ** Loch Doon Castle
"was one of the five strongholds held during the minority of David I; when the friends of Baliol had so
"far succeeded, backed by the English, as to have all it subjected the kingdom wholly to their power **
"The castle is supposed to have been destroyed by fire in the reign of James V."
Extract from Patterson's History of Ayrshire (1847)
Transcribers who have contributed to this page.
KimHarsley-ProjectOfficer, Chr1smac -Moderator, hillhere
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