Archaeology Notes

Event ID 856862

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/856862

NT47NW 3.00 NT 41734 75084

NT47NW 3.01 NT 41839 74918 Garden, Cottage

NT47NW 3.02 NT 4174 7506 Gardens

NT47NW 3.03 NT 4171 7521 Orchard

NT47NW 3.04 NT 41803 75054 Bridge

see also - Nt47NW 4.00, 4.01 and NT47SW 72 NT 41818 74977 Garden cottage

(NT 4172 7508) Seton House (NAT)

on site of Seton Castle (NR)

OS 6" map (1967)

The Object Name Book of the Ordnance Survey (ONB) describes the house as 'A large and handsomely built mansion, in good repairs having garden and a few acres of ornamental ground attached. The property of the Earl of Wemyss.

This house is built upon the site of "Seton Palace or Castle" which formerly belonged to the Earls of Winton, but were deprived of 'by forfeitture in 1715', from their devoted attachement to the Stewart family. "The old Palace of Seton", with its fine gardens and terraced walks, which the Monarchs of Scotland and their court in former times delighted to visit, are now no more. The remains of the former having been pulled down by the late proprietor, to build a "modern mansion" (New Statistical Account [NSA] 1841).

'Near the W side of the house is part of the old castle consisting of a ruinous apartment dimensions of which is about 9 feet by 7 the walls are about 4.5 feet thicvk. It is spposed to have been the prison of the Castle and is usually called the jail by the inhabitants of the immediate vicinity'.

Name Book 1853

Seton House, built in 1790, is an outstanding example of a large castellated mansion designed by Robert Adam. It occupies the site of Seton Palace, a late 16th century house, built on an L-plan with a tall square tower. The 17th century garden walls, with round corner towers, associated with the Palace, still survive, and a small collection of pediments and other architectural fragments from the Palace has been set up near Seton Chapel (NT47NW 4, at NT 4182 7511).

C McWilliam 1978; S Cruden 1958; Name Book 1853; NSA 1845 (J Henderson); RCAHMS 1980

Seton House is a large modern mansion, occupied and in good order.

Visited by OS (BS) 15 October 1975