Baldoon Castle was a 16th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

about south west of Wigtown,

Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway ( sco, Dumfries an Gallowa; gd, Dùn Phrìs is Gall-Ghaidhealaibh) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland and is located in the western Southern Uplands. It covers the counties of Scotland, historic counties of ...

, Scotland, south of the

river Bladnoch The Bladnoch is a river in Wigtownshire in the Machars of Galloway in southwest Scotland. One of the earliest descriptions of it is given by Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw and Sir David Dunbar in an appendix to Andrew Symson's work "A Large Descript ...

.Coventry, Martin (2001). ''The Castles of Scotland''. Musselburgh: Goblinshead. p. 65

History

The Dunbars of Westfield owned the property for almost three centuries from 1533-4. It was a gift from King James V to Archibald Duncan.

Structure

Little remains of the castle: only a length of the south wall with the springing of at least three walls on its north face, and the remains of an entrance gateway lying to the north. The gateway dates from the 17th century, and are described as a good example of Renaissance work. Baldoon Castle

The gate

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

which were part of the entrance to the castle with bands of stylised rock-faced rustication alternating with lozenges. They are topped by cornices and moulded scroll caps. The gate piers are registered as a Category A Listed Building.

Tradition

It is said that the ghost of Janet Dalrymple of Carscreugh haunts the ruin, in a bloodied wedding dress. Janet was forced to marry Sir David Dunbar of Carscreugh Castle although she had fallen in love with another man, the impoverished Archibald 3rd

Lord Rutherfurd The title of Lord Rutherfurd was a Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 19 January 1661 for the soldier Andrew Rutherfurd, with remainder to the heirs male of his body, failing which to his heirs of tailzie. He ...

. She either was murdered on her wedding night or died insane shortly afterward. The story is the basis for both Sir Walter Scott’s The Bride of Lammermoor and

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the '' bel canto'' opera style dur ...

’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor.The Douglas Archive
The Douglas Archives
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References

{{Authority control Castles in Dumfries and Galloway Category A listed buildings in Dumfries and Galloway