Newark Castle is a ruin located just west of
St Monans
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
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, on the east coast of
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 building, built in the 15th century, stands in a dramatic location, overlooking the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...
. The upper storeys are ruinous, but vaulted cellars survive, hidden from view.
History
Building on the site probably dates back to the 13th century, at which time the Scottish king
Alexander III (1241–1286) spent some of his childhood there.
The current building was begun in the 15th century by the Kinloch family. It then passed, through marriage, to the Sandilands of Cruivie, who sold it in 1649
David Leslie. Leslie was a prominent figure in the
English
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* English language
* English people
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and
Scottish Civil Wars, becoming Lord Newark after the wars. Following Leslie's death in 1682, the castle passed to the Anstruther family, and finally to the Bairds of Elie.
The castle attracted the attention of
Sir William Burrell, the Glasgow shipping magnate and collector of art and antiques, in the late 19th century when
Sir Robert Lorimer
Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Gothi ...
produced a plan for its restoration. The scheme never went ahead as the owner of the site, a Mr Baird of
Elie
Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked v ...
, refused to sell.
The castle has been known by several names, including Inverie, St Monans and St Monance (the latter being a mediaeval form of the possessive St Monan's). It has been designated by
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
, together with its associated dovecote, as 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 ...
.
References
External links
St Monance Castle web siteFife Coastal Path website Newark Castle Virtual Tour
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Ruined castles in Fife
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Fife