'Wallace's Castle', Minnonie
Castle (Medieval), Motte (Medieval)(Possible)
Site Name 'Wallace's Castle', Minnonie
Classification Castle (Medieval), Motte (Medieval)(Possible)
Alternative Name(s) Wallace's Tower; Pitgair Castle; 'glendowachie 3'; Ha' Hill
Canmore ID 19287
Site Number NJ76SE 7
NGR NJ 7736 6055
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/19287
- Council Aberdeenshire
- Parish Gamrie
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Banff And Buchan
- Former County Banffshire
NJ76SE 7 7736 6055
(NJ 7736 6055) Wallace's Castle (NR) (Ruins)
OS 6" map, Banffshire, 2nd ed., (1904)
'Wallace Tower', on the 'Ha'hill' in the glen of Minonie, now consists of two fragments of what its architectural features suggest could have been a 13th century castle. The SE and NE corners remain, the former from 15' to 16' high and 8' thick and the latter from 10' to 18' high, with apart of a Gothic arch running about 3' into the wall.
Tradition assigns its erection to Sir William Wallace.
J Ferguson 1913
Of Wallace's Castle only two large pieces of rough mortared walling remain situated at the very edge of a ploughed field above a steep slope. They measures 2.0m x 2.2m x 2.2m. high and 2.5m x 4.2m x 2.7m high respectively, the latter now lying completely on its side. Neither of these pieces correspond to the dimensions given above, and it would appear that they represent one piece of wall broken in two (probably the NE corner of the castle). There are traces of a small section of wall some 2.0 metres S of the larger piece of stonework. The name 'Wallace's Castle' is still known locally. The remains of the walls are obviously not in situ, and no trace of the arch could be found in either piece. Re-surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (NKB) 9 February 1965.
No change.
Visited by OS (RL) 25 January 1968.
Possible motte.
P A Yeoman 1988.
