Robertland Castle

NS44NW 7 4428 4693.

(NS 4428 4693) Robertland Castle (NR) (rems of)

OS 6" map (1970)

Very little remains of Robertland Castle, a stronghold of the Cuninghames, said to have been burned down by the Montgomeries of Eglinton in 1586.

NSA 1845.

The remains of the castle and its courtyard stand upon the steep, natural, S bank of the Swinzie Burn, and are bounded on the W, S, and E sides by a steep scarp 2.3m in maximum height. Of the castle itself practically the whole length of the retaining S wall is visible; where apparent, it is 1.6m wide. The interior of the castle is divided into two compartments by an earth-and-stone bank 3.0m wide and 0.7m high. To the W of this bank and parallel to it is a low bank, 2.0m wide and 0.3m high, which may be the course of the W wall of the castle.

The retaining E wall of the courtyard is visible for its entire length and stands 0.5m in average height; where seen it is 1.6m thick. There is little evidence of the N and S walls of the courtyard, the remains on these sides consisting of an earth-and-stone bank, 0.7m maximum height on the inner side. Within the courtyard, on the E side, is a scooped area 0.3m deep; to the N of this scooped area is a scarp, 0.4m high, running almost parallel to the N side of the courtyard.

The ditches on the S and W sides of the castle are natural.

Resurveyed at 1:2500 scale.

Visited by OS (EGC) 6 February 1962

The garden wall of Robertland (NS 441 470) has a number of inserted features from the 17th century (sic) Castle of Robertland (Listed: C).

SDD List 1962

No change.

Visited by OS (JRL) 25 October 1982

NMRS REFERENCE:

ARCHITECT: David Hamilton (attributed).