Archaeology Notes
Date 1962
Event ID 701427
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Archaeology Notes
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/701427
NS44NW 6 41721 46575
See also NS44NW 10.
(NS 41721 46575) Corsehill Castle (NR) (rems of)
OS 6" map (1970)
The map in Pont's 'Cuninghame' of 1604-8 shows two buildings, "Reuincraige" and "Corshill", at approximately NS 417 467 and NS 422 465 respectively, and Dobie (1876) comments that the two have often been confused, but that "Reuincraig" stood on the W of the Corsehill Burn (presumably that now called Clerkland Burn) and "Corsehill Mansion" on its E.
"Reuincraig", he says, was so modernised about 1840 that it was difficult to realise that it had been ruined in 1608, while the ruins of "Corsehill" were removed about the beginning of the 19th century and only foundations could be traced when he wrote. He also thought that "Reuincraig" (i.e. Ruin Craig) was not an original name.
If Dobie is correct, the ruins published as "Corsehill Castle" on the OS 6", must be those of "Reuincraig", both because they are standing remains, and because they are on the W bank of the burn.
Also, Macgibbon and Ross, describing "Corsehill Castle" at the end of the 19th century as a very ruinous mansion, evidently of late date and apparently of the L-plan, and ascribe it to the period 1542-1700, must be referring to "Reuincraig".
Grose, in 1791, publishes an illustration of "Corshill House", but does not give it a close siting. As, however, he mentions that "at a small distance from this ruin are some small remains of a more ancient building belonging to the same family", he is also probably referring to "Reuincraig", the "small remains" being those of "Corsehill".
Information from OS.
(F Grose 1791; D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889)
