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The castle known as Gadgirth Old Ha' or Gadgirth Old Hall,Ayrshire, Sheet XXXIV Publication date:1860
/ref> was the first castle at Gadgirth, held by the Chalmer family, standing on a whinstone promontory overlooking the
The Gadgirth Old Ha' consists of a section of masonry held together with lime mortar set against the crag and another small section, circa 2.3m long and a maximum height of 1.5m high enclosing the area of circa 8.7m by 6m, apparently a corner of the building. On the sides not protected by the river are the remnants of a fosse, moat or ditch and a drawbridge is said to have been located here. The approximate dimensions of the main wall are 5.5m in length and 3.5m height.
The historian John Smith in the 1890s visited the site and stated that only a short stretch of wall could be traced. The other castle in the district was at Martnaham.
The Gadgirth Estate and the River Ayr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadgirth Old Ha' Buildings and structures in South Ayrshire History of South Ayrshire Castles in South Ayrshire Ruined castles in Scotland Feudalism in Scotland Gadgirth
/ref> was the first castle at Gadgirth, held by the Chalmer family, standing on a whinstone promontory overlooking the
River Ayr
The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county.
The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...
in the Parish of Coylton
Coylton ( sco, Culton) is a village and civil parish in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is east of Ayr and west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly d ...
, the old district of Kyle
Kyle or Kyles may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada
Ireland
* Kyle, County Laois
* Kyle, County Wexford
Scotland
* Kyle, Ayrshire, area of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshir ...
, now part of South Ayrshire, 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 ...
.
Location
This archaeological site lies on the southern side of theRiver Ayr
The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county.
The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...
near the B742 road that crosses the River Ayr
The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county.
The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...
at Gadgirth Bridge and runs up to Annbank. The castle jutts into the river on a rocky promontory with an islet located within the river at this point.
Description
The Gadgirth Old Ha' consists of a section of masonry held together with lime mortar set against the crag and another small section, circa 2.3m long and a maximum height of 1.5m high enclosing the area of circa 8.7m by 6m, apparently a corner of the building. On the sides not protected by the river are the remnants of a fosse, moat or ditch and a drawbridge is said to have been located here. The approximate dimensions of the main wall are 5.5m in length and 3.5m height.
The historian John Smith in the 1890s visited the site and stated that only a short stretch of wall could be traced. The other castle in the district was at Martnaham.
History
Little is known of the history of this castle site, once held by the ancestors of the Chalmer, originally the De Camera family, which was replaced by their later 14th century Gadgirth Castle that stood around 500 metres or a quarter of a mile upstream on the same southern side of theRiver Ayr
The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county.
The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...
until demolished in 1808. Reginaldus de Camera (Chalmer) is recorded to have held the Barony of Gadgirth during the reign of William the Lion (1165-1214).
References
Notes;Bibliography
* Campbell, Thorbjorn (2003). ''Ayrshire. A Historical Guide.'' Edinburgh: Birlinn. . * Love, Dane (2003). ''Ayrshire : Discovering a County''. Fort Publishing Ltd. . * Paterson, James (1863). ''History of the Counties of Ayr and Wigton. V.1. Kyle.'' Edinburgh : James Stillie. * RCAHMS. (1985b) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of North Kyle, Kyle and Carrick District, Strathclyde Region, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no 25. Edinburgh. Page(s): 24, No.114 RCAHMS Shelf Number: A.1.2.ARC/25 * Smith, J. (1895) ''Prehistoric man in Ayrshire''. London: Elliot Stock.External links
The Gadgirth Estate and the River Ayr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadgirth Old Ha' Buildings and structures in South Ayrshire History of South Ayrshire Castles in South Ayrshire Ruined castles in Scotland Feudalism in Scotland Gadgirth