Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1016584
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1016584
Sir John de Graham's Castle is a fine example of a relatively rare type of medieval earthwork-the square motte; moreover, instead of heaping up an artificial mound, a natural knoll was chosen and defended by a broad, flat-bottomed ditch, 11m across and 3m deep. The ditch is continuous and access to the castle must have been via a wooden bridge which probably lay on the north-east side. The central platform is almost square and measures 22.8m by 23.4m. To the northeast of the ditch there are traces of a lime-mortared wall and fragments of banks which suggest the positions of ancilliary buildings.
Traditionally, the site is thought to have been the residence of Sir John de Graham, who was killed at the battle of Falkirk in 1298, and whose memorial can be seen in the graveyard at Falkirk parish church (NS 887800). The castle, however, may be of earlier date, as it was probably the principal stronghold of the barony of Dundaff which is on record in 1237.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: The Clyde Estuary and Central Region’, (1985).
