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Dalmellington, Dame Helen's Castle

Earthwork(S) (Period Unassigned), Tower House (Medieval)(Possible)

Site Name Dalmellington, Dame Helen's Castle

Classification Earthwork(S) (Period Unassigned), Tower House (Medieval)(Possible)

Canmore ID 42574

Site Number NS40NE 4

NGR NS 4852 0560

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/42574

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council East Ayrshire
  • Parish Dalmellington
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Cumnock And Doon Valley
  • Former County Ayrshire

Archaeology Notes

NS40NE 4 4852 0560.

(NS 4853 0560) Dame Helen's Castle (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map (1938)

The site of an old building level with the ground and covered over with grass is pointed out by the villagers as that of a castle built and occupied by 'Dame Helen'. It stands on a small round knoll about 40ft above the bed of the Muck Water and is surrounded by the remains of a dry ditch, about 8ft wide by 8ft deep.

A house in the village, called Castle House, is largely constructed with material from the castle, and one of its door lintels bears the date 1003 (NSA 1845, R Houston) 1115 (J Paterson 1847).

NSA 1845; J Paterson 1847; Name Book 1855.

The site is a small natural mound, on top of a short ridge sloping steeply down to the Muck Water, which has been mutilated by the modern road on the SW. A fragment of rough mortared masonry, exposed on the N side by erosion, is evidently the remains of the N face of a building. On the NW a ditch separates the mound from a probably artificial bank 0.8m high, and there is a rock-cut ditch on the SE. The feature, although much disturbed, is of motte and bailey type, and there was certainly an old building on it, probably a tower. The Castle House in Dalmellington was not located.

Surveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 9 November 1959

(NS 4852 0560) Dame Helen's Castle (NR) (rems of)

OS 1:10000 map (1978)

The mound, which is composed principally of living rock, is as described. The impressive rock-cut ditch on the SE side isolates the mound from the rest of the ridge. Gradual erosion of the NE side continues, but there is no further evidence of masonry.

Visited by OS (MJF) 18 September 1980

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