OS1/13/53/53

Continued entries/extra info

53 [No Header] [Quotation Continued page 3 of 3]

.. in James IV.'s time by marriage of Dunbar, heiress of Moonzie and the cause of this error obviously is, that John fifth earl of Crawford, who was killed at Flodden with James IV. [4th] was married to Mariotta daughter of the second lord Home who was descended from the great family of Dunbars earls of March. All that remains of this ancient stronghold of the once powerful family of the Crawfords is the keep or donjon and a round tower which had formed a defence for the wall with which the court yard was surrounded. In all probability a considerable portion of ground had been surrounded with a wall, defended by several such towers, but the whole has now disappeared with the buildings which they enclosed, with the exception of the principal keep or stronghold. This ruin is four stories high, and appears to have lost nothing of its original height, with the exception of the bartizans which surrounded its roof. It is 53 feet in length, and 42 in breadth without the walls. The walls are strongly built, and between five and six feet thick. The ground floor as is common in such structures appears to have been entirely occupied by cellars, having arched stone roofs. The second floor was occupied entirely with the great hall which is about 40 feet in length, and above 20 feet in breadth. The defence of the castle and its outworks was anciently strengthened by a broad morass which appears to have entirely surrounded the slight rising ground on which they were situated." Leighton's Hist. [History of] Fifeshire pp 85.86