Accessibility

Font Size

100% 150% 200%

Background Colour

Default Contrast
Close Reset

Pricing Change

New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered. 

 

Upcoming Maintenance

Please be advised that this website will undergo scheduled maintenance on the following dates:

Thursday, 9 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Thursday, 23 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Thursday, 30 January: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

During these times, some functionality such as image purchasing may be temporarily unavailable. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Couthally Castle

Castle (Medieval)

Site Name Couthally Castle

Classification Castle (Medieval)

Alternative Name(s) Couthalley Castle; Cowthally Castle

Canmore ID 47617

Site Number NS94NE 4

NGR NS 97116 48169

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/47617

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Bluesky International Limited 2025. Public Sector Viewing Terms

Toggle Aerial | View on large map

Digital Images

Sketch of ruins.
Sketch of ruins.General oblique aerial view of Couthally Castle, taken from the E.Couthally Castle, NS94NE 4, Ordnance Survey index card, page number 1, RectoCouthally Castle, NS94NE 4, Ordnance Survey index card, RectoCouthally Castle. View from South-West.View from West.Couthalley Castle, view from West.Aerial view.Detail of heraldic panel inscr; 'Arms of Hugh 6th Lord of Somerville.
                                            1524 Brought from Cowthally
                                                   Castle to Drum 1694'Panoramic view of Couthalley Castle, 1943. Generated from scanned copies of photographs LA 29, LA 644/15 and LA 644/16.View of Couthally Castle.
Titled: ' Cowthally Castle in the Parish of Carnwath, the Ancient Baronial Residence. Drawn by W. Wilson, Engraved by E. Rhodes. London, published by Longman, Hurst & Rees, May 1815.'Couthally Castle, NS94NE 4, Ordnance Survey index card, RectoCouthalley Castle, view from West.Aerial view.Couthalley Castle, view from West.Sketch showing ruins of castle.Couthally Castle, NS94NE 4, Ordnance Survey index card, page number 2, Recto

Administrative Areas

  • Council South Lanarkshire
  • Parish Carnwath
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Clydesdale
  • Former County Lanarkshire

Archaeology Notes

NS94NE 4 97116 48169

(NS 9711 4816) Couthalley Castle (NR) (Ruin)

(Centred : NS 9716 4818) Moat (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map (1913)

Couthalley Castle, mentioned in the middle of the 12th century, already needed rebuilding in 1375. It was further altered and extended in 1415 and 1524-8, at which time it comprised three towers, one on a barmkin wall c.4 yds high, and the other two of which had been added before 1526. The castle was besieged in 1557 and again rebuilt in 1586. The tower on the barmkin wall and the remains of the other two could still be seen about 1815.

New Statistical Account (NSA) 1845 (J Walker); G V Irving and A Murray 1864; J Somerville 1815; W M MacKenzie 1927; J Wilson 1936

Couthalley Castle is an L-shaped tower, measuring 17.8m N-S by 21.5m E-W over walls about 1.8 to 2.0m thick, maximum height 2.8m. The lower courses of the two towers attached to the main building are still to be seen but it is impossible to identify the tower on the barmkin wall although the rectangular remains of buildings flanking the outer entrance are clearly visible.

The 'Moat' published by OS (1913) is in fact three concentric ditches 5 to 7 metres in width but no more than 0.5m deep: all are waterlogged.

Surveyed at 1/2500.

Visited by OS (EGC) 9 January 1968

Photographed by the RCAHMS in 1980.

Activities

Field Visit (26 June 1943)

This site was included within the RCAHMS Emergency Survey (1942-3), an unpublished rescue project. Site descriptions, organised by county, vary from short notes to lengthy and full descriptions and are available to view online with contemporary sketches and photographs. The original typescripts, manuscripts, notebooks and photographs can also be consulted in the RCAHMS Search Room.

Information from RCAHMS (GFG) 10 December 2014.

References

MyCanmore Image Contributions


Contribute an Image

MyCanmore Text Contributions