Drongan Castle

NS41NW 3 4497 1784.

(NS 4497 1784) Drongan Castle (NR) (site of)

OS 6" map (1967)

Both the NSA and Paterson refer to the remains of a tower on Drongan Mains, the NSA stating that 'until lately' its walls were almost entire. Rorison adds that it was a residence of the Crawfurds from at least 1404 till 1623, when it passed to the Crawfords of Lochmorrie.

NSA 1845; J Paterson 1863

All that remains of Drongan Castle is a single fragment of wall, 7.0m long, 1.0m high and of indeterminate thick- ness. It is entirely covered with earth and turf but here and there the wall can be seen to be constructed of rubble masonry, bonded with lime. It stands on top of an oval mound, 3.0m high, the sides of which appear to have been artifically scarped. No other building foundations can be seen. The date of this building cannot be ascertained, though from the NSA information, it was probably a 15th century keep or tower-house.

Visited by OS (JLD) 21 June 1954

The Drongan lands were granted to the Crawfurds in the 1390s; Drongan Castle, built early in the following century, was their stronghold for two and a half centuries. All that remains is a mound and a heap of rubble.

J Retter 1978

A turf-covered and unsurveyable rubble mound is all that survives of the castle.

Visited by OS (MJF) 2 October 1980