Creich Castle is a ruined
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
near
Creich
Creich ( gd, Craoich, ) is a substantial parish on the north side of the Dornoch Firth the largest settlement being Bonar Bridge. It lies in Sutherland, Scotland.
There is a church (now in ruins) and graveyard for the Parish of Creich. Creich M ...
,
Fife,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. The tower house and its associated buildings is a
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
. There is a mention of a castle on the property in the 13th century, but it is uncertain what relationship that has to the existing structures. There is documentary evidence of a tower in 1553, but the existing structure either postdates that or has been heavily remodeled, judging by its architectural style.
History
The first surviving records that mention Craich show that it was held by the
MacDuff,
Earls of Fife and they were probably the builders of the first Creich Castle. The land was subsequently owned by the Liddel family until they forfeited it when charged with treason. The
Beaton family purchased it in 1503
and the property has been linked with
David Betoun of Creich, Cardinal
David Beaton
David Beaton (also Beton or Bethune; 29 May 1546) was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish cardinal prior to the Reformation.
Career
Cardinal Beaton was the sixth and youngest son of eleven children of John Beaton (Bethune) of Bal ...
, a 16th century
Archbishop of St Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...
, and
Mary Bethune.
[ The existing ruins date from the 16th century.]
Description
The castle is south of the River Tay and is located in a depression surrounded by higher ground on all sides. The lower ground immediately surrounding the tower complex was formerly marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...
, some of which still survives, which would have improved its defensibility.[ The tower house is L-shaped ( by ). The main block is three storeys tall, although the wing has a height of four storeys. The walls are whin rubble with ashlar dressings. Over the stair tower is a heavily corbelled cornice for the ]parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
walk.[ The upper floors are inaccessible and in bad repair. "All the characteristics of the structure...suggest a date rather later than the first half of the 16th century, although the 'tower, fortalice and manor' are recorded in a charter of 1553."]barmkin
Barmkin, also spelled barmekin or barnekin, is a Scots word which refers to a form of medieval and later defensive enclosure, typically found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland and the north of Engl ...
s.[ The nearby Creich Castle Doocot or ]dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...
, dating to 1723, is category A listed
This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom.
For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland.
Key
The organization of the lists in th ...
.[
]
References
{{reflist
Further reading
* MacGibbon & Ross, ''The Castellated & Domestic Architecture of Scotland''. Vol. III.
Ruined castles in Fife
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Fife