Auchen Castle

Auchen Castle is a ruined 13th-century quadrangular castle situated near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway. It was designated as a scheduled ancient monument in 1937.[1]

This article is about the Auchen Castle ruins. For the hotel and wedding venue, see Auchen Castle Hotel.

Auchen Castle
Near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
UK grid reference NT063035
The remains of the castle in 2008
Auchen Castle
Coordinates55.31706°N 3.475865°W / 55.31706; -3.475865
TypeCourtyard Castle
Site information
OwnerPrivate
Controlled byRoger de Kirkpatrick (1306)
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionRuined
Site history
BuiltLate 13th Century; rebuilt 14th Century; converted in 15th/16th Century
MaterialsStone

History

The castle was probably built by Kirkpatrick family in the early to mid-13th century, possibly to replace the nearby motte-and-bailey castle at Garpol Water and command the valley of the River Annan to the east and the ravine formed by Garpol Burn to the south. The first documentary evidence of the estate is from a charter from December 1306 in which Sir Roger de Kirkpatrick loans money to Sir Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford. After Kirkpatrick's death during the siege of Lochmaben Castle in 1313, the lands appear to have been transferred to Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, although it is unclear what happened to them after his death in 1332. By the 15th century, the castle was owned by the Douglasses of Morton, before later passing to the Johnstones of Corehead, possibly during King James II's campaign against the Douglasses.[1][2]

In its earliest form the castle comprised a four-sided enclosure with the entrance on the north wall. It had a round bastion at the north west angle and a garderobe in the east curtain wall. The walls were protected by a broad ditch, except in the north where a causeway passed over a linked pair of fish ponds. The entrance was later reinforced by a dog-leg forework in the form of a pend. In the late 15th or early- to mid-16th century, the castle was adapted for use as an artillery fortification with the walls lowered and reinforced with masonry and earth.[2]

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References
  1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Auchen Castle (SM683)". Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. "Auchen Castle | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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