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New Cumnock, Cumnock Castle

Castle (Medieval), Moat (Medieval)

Site Name New Cumnock, Cumnock Castle

Classification Castle (Medieval), Moat (Medieval)

Alternative Name(s) Black Bog Castle; Black Craig Castle

Canmore ID 44712

Site Number NS61SW 2

NGR NS 6174 1384

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/44712

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Administrative Areas

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

Archaeology Notes

NS61SW 2 6174 1384.

(Name: NS 6174 1384) Black Bog Castle (NR) (site of)

OS 25" map (1962)

The first barons of Cumnock to be mentioned in charters (of the 14th century) were the Dunbars. Their residence was Cumnock Castle, noted in the ONB as "Black Bog Castle", and in the NSA as "Black Craig Castle". No trace of it remains, though part of the moat which surrounded it is still extant. Its site, on the summit of a knoll, was pointed out in 1856 by a person who had assisted in the removed of its stones. The castle is described as ruinous in 1580, but it must have been rebuilt as a document of 1650 refers to "the new castle of Cumnock". There must have been a considerable ruin standing towards the end of the 18th century.

J Warrick 1899; Name Book 1856; NSA 1845 (M Kirkland)

No trace of the castle remains. The moat is broad and about

2.0m deep on the N. The church and other modern buildings destroy all trace of it on the E, S, and W.

Visited by OS (JLD) 14 July 1954

Cumnock Castle is shown as belonging to the Earl of Dunbar, extant about 1300.

J D Galbraith 1975

There has been recent development within the immediate area of the castle site but no finds or foundation exposures are reported locally. The only remnants of the moat survive in the garden of the old manse, and then only as an amorphous, landscaped hollow of no measurable depth; some semblance of its form is, however, retained against an old hedge line around the NW angle. The former remains of the N and E arms have only recently been destroyed by building development.

Revised at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (JRL) 24 November 1981

Activities

Field Visit (1996 - 2003)

Russell Coleman managed an Historic Scotland funded project to record medieval moated sites in Scotland. Gazetteers were produced for each regional council area between 1996 and 2002 with an uncompleted overall review in 2002-03. The results of the first year of the project were published in Tayside and Fife Archaeological Journal, Volume 3 (1997).

Archaeological Evaluation (12 June 2014 - 12 March 2015)

The work involved the excavation of seven trenches within the building footprint of the 1913 Arthur Memorial United Reform Church and its grounds. These trenches revealed thick layers of made-up ground dominated by construction and demolition material relating to the demolition of an earlier 19th century church and the subsequent construction of its 20th century replacement. Beneath these layers, significant archaeological remains relating to New Cumnock Castle, a medieval castle which once stood upon the site, were identified. These remains included a linear concentration of stone and clay which was identified within the churches building footprint and which may have been a foundation, possibly relating to the castle's curtain wall. A large ditch was also identified within the grounds and within the building footprint of the church. This ditch ran parallel direction to the possible foundation identified within the church building footprint, in a north-northwest to south-southeast direction. These features seemed to have formed part of the castle's east-northeastern side. They suggest a basal width for the curtain wall foundation of approximately 5-6m and a surviving height of at least 300mm, though the feature was not excavated to its full depth. The moat ditch, which lay approximately 5m from the foundation, would have had an overall width of approximately 22m.

Information from OASIS ID: rathmell1-202724 (T Rees) 2015.

Watching Brief (21 December 2015 - 23 March 2016)

A programme of archaeological works were undertaken at Castlehill, New Cumnock, East Ayrshire. These were carried out in support of housing development by Auberne Homes, under the recommendations of The West of Scotland Archaeology Service (WoSAS), who provided guidance on the structure of archaeological works required. Following on from previous investigative works in the form of an archaeological evaluation also carried out by Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, the monitoring works were designed to mitigate the impact on any surviving archaeological remains within the development area. The evaluation revealed what was thought at the time to be potential structural remains relating to the foundations of New Cumnock Castle, with the moat located to the south-east of this. However, reduction of the area proved this to be boulders incorporated within a clay deposit, possibly representing the demolished stonework of the castle ruins, re-used as a platform prior to the construction of the Free Church. Evidence of the presence of the moat purported to locate in this area was established, in the form of grey/blue clay. These deposits appeared to be the upper fill of the moat, in the sense that the moat had been sealed prior to further construction works in the area in the 17th century. Evidence of the moat within the areas to the north-east and north is still extant, as the topography is still visible within surrounding gardens of houses, having not yet been fully filled in and landscaped. While historical mapping indicates the site of the castle surrounded by the moat, broadly located within the area of the housing development, no evidence for remains of the castle foundations were encountered during the course of the archaeological monitoring works. The evidence seems to suggest that any remaining trace of the castle in the area was demolished to make way for the construction of the Free Church between 1843 and 1845.

Information from OASIS ID: rathmell1-231400 (D Gorman) 2016

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