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Publication Account
Date 1981
Event ID 1018520
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018520
The castle of Wigtown was in existence by 1291. It was located on flat land down by the river, while the town and church were on a hill, 'an inversion of the usual arrangements' (Reid, 1924-25, 240). Nothing remains of the structure although a strong natural site and indication of a large enclosed and defended area seems to point to a castle of the Edwardian type, dating from the end of the thirteenth century (RCAM, 1912, i, 180). The site of the castle was excavated after a fashion about 1830, by a Captain Robert Kerlie and a team of volunteers. The outlines of a building were clearly traced on this occasion and a ditch, which had been broad, was distinctly seen on the north, where there was also a semi-circular ridge of considerable elevation said to be the remains of the castle's outer wall (ML Kerlie, 1870, i, 331-2). Within a matter of years following the 'excavation', the reporter in the New Statistical Account wrote that a fosse was quite discernible, although 'the foundations of the walls cannot now be traced' (NSA, 1841, 2). Mortar and 'other remains indicative of an ancient building' were still to be observed (NSA, 1841, 2).
The castle's history is virtually unknown. Bruce may have issued orders for its demolition. The only known hint of its existence after the period of the Wars of Independence occurs in a charter of 1451 when a turris (tower) of Wigtown is mentioned (Reid, 1924-5, 241). Its convenience as a local quarry undoubtedly accounts for its total disappearance.
Information from ‘Historic Wigtown: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1981).
