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Field Visit
Date 2 June 1913
Event ID 1086971
Category Recording
Type Field Visit
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1086971
The ruin of this castle lies 200 yards north of the Parish Church of Aberlady within the glebe. The remains are fragmentary and consist of some 33 feet of the north wall, which is nowhere higher than 7 feet, containing the entrance and a gunloop, and the return of the west wall. The north wall is 2 feet 4 inches thick and the return of the west wall 3 feet 9 inches thick.
HISTORICAL NOTE.
In 1561 it is recorded that ‘Aberlady teind and ferme (i,e. rent) wes set of auld to Archibald Douglas of Kilspindie’ (1). Aberlady was the property of the bishopric of Dunkeld and in 1612 there is a royal confirmation of a grant of these lands by the bishop with consent of his chapter, to Alexander Hay, Clerk-Register, including ‘the castell toure and fortalice biggit be Patrick Douglas of Kilspindie upon the north part of the saidis landis of Abirladie towards the sey’; and of infeftments by Hay in favour of Patrick Douglas, junior, son of the builder of the tower and son-in-law to Hay (2). The tower is therefore of a date in the later part of the 16th century.
RCAHMS 1924, visited 2 June 1913
(1) Rental. Dunkeld. p. 345; (2) Act. Parl. Scot. iv., p. 501
