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Rires Castle
Castle (Medieval)
Site Name Rires Castle
Classification Castle (Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Reres Castle
Canmore ID 32574
Site Number NO40SE 3
NGR NO 4640 0468
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/32574
- Council Fife
- Parish Kilconquhar
- Former Region Fife
- Former District North East Fife
- Former County Fife
NO40SE 3 4640 0468.
(NO 46400468) Rires Castle (NAT) (site of)
OS 6" map, Fife, 2nd ed., (1920).
Rires Castle, situated on a low eminence, and intended, it would appear, for a place of defence, is surrounded by a ditch 70 feet wide.
OSA (Rev A Small) 1793.
The walls of Rires Castle were removed about 1840. It was 'an oblong square built of rough unhewn stones with walls about 7ft in thickness.
Name Book 1878.
The old Castle of Rires stood about a mile north-west of Balcarres House, and was built by Sir John de Wemyss at the close of the 14th century to replace an earlier structure. Every trace of it has disappeared.
A H Millar 1895.
There is no trace of the castle. The surrounding ditch is quite distinct for most of its course despite being much spread by ploughing, and is 0.6m deep on the north side.
Ditch surveyed at 1/2500.
Visited by OS (EGC) 5 August 1968.
No traces of castle or ditch can now be seen on the ground.
Visited by OS (DAC) April 1990.
The low swelling of the ploughed-down earthworks of this castle have been recorded on an oblique aerial photograph (RCAHMSAP 2005).
Information from RCAHMS (DCC) 27 October 2005
No evidence of building visible above ground
Field Visit (2 May 1951)
This site was included within the RCAHMS Marginal Land Survey (1950-1962), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, are available to view online - see the searchable PDF in 'Digital Items'. These vary from short notes, to lengthy and full descriptions. Contemporary plane-table surveys and inked drawings, where available, can be viewed online in most cases - see 'Digital Images'. The original typecripts, notebooks and drawings can also be viewed in the RCAHMS search room.
Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 19 July 2013.
