MHG8429 - Dingwall Castle
Summary
No summary available.
Type and Period (1)
- CASTLE (Early Medieval to Medieval - 561 AD to 1559 AD)
Protected Status
Full Description
See also:
NH55NE0009 Dovecot
NH55NE0045 The Castle House
NH55NE0080 Monument to Roderick MacLennan
JHooper, 4/10/2002
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NH55NE 4 5532 5901.
(NH 5532 5899) Castle in ruins. Depicted as being on an isolated mound about 100 feet overall diameter, and c40 feet diameter across the top.
Town plan of Dingwall,(scale 39.5 ins to 1 mile) J Wood 1821.
Castle (Remains of) (A.T.)
OS 25"map, Ross-shire, 1st ed., (1876)
The remains of Dingwall Castle consist of one narrow underground vault and two masses of masonry above ground.
D MacGibbon and T Ross 1892.
Dingwall Castle is marked on a 12-13th C. map in Bodleian Library.
D MacDonald, A Polson and J Brown 1931.
The castle site was levelled 1818. One of corner towers of Castle was transformed into a dovecot by Andrew, Bishop of Caithness, a keeper of castle between 1507-16 AD. and is still exists as one of the ruined fragments.
N Macrae 1923.
Dingwall Castle is referred to as the "Mote of Dingwall" in 1488.
W Mc MacKenzie 1927.
The Castle was surrounded by a deep ditch.
OSA 1792.
The remains of this castle are situated in a private garden at NH 5532 5901 and consist of a small circular tower c3.4 m. in diameter, standing to a height of 2.6 m., with walls 0.5 m. thick. Attached to NE side of tower is a large block of masonry 3.2 m. wide and standing to a height of c.3m, and on NW side of the tower project remains of a wall c.1.5 m. long, c.7m. to W of the tower is a large mass of masonry covered with ivy, probably the remains of a wall. This stands to a height of c.3m. but no other measurements could be taken with any degree of certainty. c10m. to SW of tower is entrance to a small underground barrel vault, measuring 5m. in length, by 1.8 m. wide and 1.7 m. high. At a distance of c.2m. back from S enclosing garden wall the ground slopes down gently towards wall forming a shallow ditch with a maximum depth of c.1m. about 5m. from wall. This ditch, which looks the result of landscape gardening, extends from E side of the carriage drive for a distance of c.8m. before fading out, and the owner, Col. John W. Stevenson, believes it to indicate the course of ditch which formerly surrounded castle. The remainder of garden is level with no indication of a motte. The dovecot is at NH 5526 5893. It is an octagonal unroofed tower of red sandstone c.3.7m. diameter with walls 0.6 m. thick. Probably of two storeys with a parapet top but thick ivy now obscures top of the tower. Its present height is c.4m. The ground floor has gun loops in three of S facing sides, a fireplace and a doorway in E side. A number of stone pigeon boxes have been built in to sides of building. The dovecot is probably later than other remains.
Published Survey (25" 1904) to be amended by field surveyor.
Visited by OS (W D J) 17 April 1963.
(Location cited as NH 471 588). Motte noted at Dingwall.
P A Yeoman 1988.
Within the collection of Dingwall Museum is as oak panel, said to be 'the only known fitting of the Castle of Dingwall'. Information on the circumstances of its survival/discovery and clarity on whether it was from the castle, house or dovecote are needed. <1>
Sources/Archives (10)
- --- SHG1131 Text/Publication/Article: Yeoman, P A. 1988. 'Mottes in Northeast Scotland', Scot Archaeol Rev Vol. 5 1988, p.125-33. Scot Archaeol Rev. 125-33. 131, no. 99.
- --- SHG1651 Text/Publication/Article: Stell, G. 1982. 'The earliest tolbooths: a preliminary account', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 111 1981, p.445-53. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 445-53. 105, 107.
- --- SHG2437 Text/Publication/Volume: MacDonald, Polson and Brown, D, A and J. {1931}. The book of Ross, Sutherland and Caithness, Orkney and Shetland: descriptive, historical and antiquarian notes. 28-30.
- --- SHG2442 Text/Publication/Volume: MacGibbon, D. and Ross, T.. 1887-92. The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century. Hardback. Vol. 4, 390.
- --- SHG2470 Text/Publication/Volume: Mackenzie, W M. 1927. The medieval castle in Scotland. 30.
- --- SHG2489 Text/Publication/Volume: MacRae, N. 1923. The romance of a royal burgh: Dingwall's story of a thousand years. 48-76.
- --- SHG2606 Text/Publication/Volume: Sir John Sinclair (ed.). 1791-9. The statistical account of Scotland, drawn up from the communications of the ministers of the different parishes. Vol. 3, 16.
- --- SHG2670 Text/Report: RCAHMS. 1979. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Easter Ross, Ross and Cromarty District, Highland Region. . 30, No. 255.
- --- SHG3048 Text/Publication/Article: McInnes, C T. 1940. 'Calendar of writs of Munro of Foulis 1299-1823', Scot Rec Soc Vol. 72. Scot Rec Soc. Nos. 5, 6, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21.
- <1> SHG28499 Collection/Finds Collection: Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). 2019. Finds Collection at Dingwall Museum.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NH 5531 5900 (171m by 138m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NH55NE |
| Geographical Area | ROSS AND CROMARTY |
| Civil Parish | DINGWALL |
Finds (1)
- PANEL (Undated)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (2)
- http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM9678 (Online designation description (Historic Environment Scotland))
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/12774 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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