Stanecastle
Stanecastle | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Tower |
Location | Stanecastle, Irvine |
Coordinates | grid reference NS3375939975 |
Construction started | ca.1363 |
Renovated | ca.1750 |
Owner | North Ayrshire Council |
Stanecastle was a medieval barony and estate in North Ayrshire, Scotland, first mentioned in 1363[1] and now part of the Irvine New Town project. Its nearest neighbours are Bourtreehill and Girdle Toll.
Roman origins?
The early history of Stanecastle is obscure but it was once believed that the "stane" (stone, Norse: steinn) prefix referred to older Roman structures.[1] However, it is now known that stone building in Scotland and Ayrshire was not restricted to the Roman and Norman periods, and need not suggest any such Roman origins.
Medieval life
The ancient name of the barony was the "Barony of Stane (Stone)". A
Saint Bridget
William Fraunces de le Stane held lands which included a chapel dedicated to
At the core of the medieval estate may have been an older medieval
Stane castle
The original castle was built circa 1417 by the Francis family, who also held land at Sprouston near Kelso. The barony passed by marriage to the Montgomerys of Greenfield.[6]
In the middle-ages, Stanecastle gave way to the ever-expanding Eglinton Empire and William Francis of Stane passed his estate on to the
In 1750 Alexander, 10th Earl of Eglinton, repaired the castle, converting it into a folly. The four open and four closed pointed windows were constructed for appearance only at this time and on the west side an armorial panel stone with the Earl of Eglinton's arms was put in place. Through some mistake this panel was said to have been placed upside down;[8][9] however, the shield is actually the right way up. The apparent fault is that the signet rings and fleur de lis inside are upside down. Another error occurs on a similar-sized armorial panel now preserved in the quadrangle of Eglinton Country Park in which the symbols are in the wrong quarters. An original feature is a spiral stair in the north-east corner.[10]
The Toll Road Act of 1774 gives details of The Road from the Cockpitt near Stone-Castle by Armsheugh, ....
A
Knadgerhill was only acquired by the Earls of Eglinton in 1851 when they excambied part of the lands of Bogside Flats for them. This allowed the construction of the new entrance to the policies at Stanecastle via Long Drive.[13]
Robert Burns
During 1781–1782 Robert Burns lived in Irvine and it is recorded that his favourite walk was through the Eglinton Woods. References to his passing Saint Bride's Well suggest that he may have passed through Stanecastle on his return journey, having walked along the old Toll Road, over the Drukken Steps at the Red burn and back to Irvine via Millburn, Sourlie, Girdle Gate and Stanecastle.
19th century
Stanecastle has been the subject of a few sentences from John Galt (born 1779), a native of Irvine, in his Ringan Gilhaize (1823) novel.
Stanecastle today
Visible today is the superb keep of the original estate, into whose wall is set an
Opposite the keep is the Stanecastle gate, a considerably younger structure but inkeeping with the overall design of the area. In the 20th century, this gateway, or rather its orientation, was altered. It once marked the southern entrance to the huge Eglinton Castle estate, now the Eglinton Country Park.
The remaining section of the estate has been fenced off and protected. For many years, the modern gate was padlocked and this has given way to a more open policy.
A record exists for the rare Rusty-Back Fern growing on the walls of the castle in the early 1900s. A search in 2002 did not locate the fern.
Gallery
-
Stanecastle in 1866
-
Stanecastle
-
Stanecastle castle in summer
-
Stanecastle from the old Stanecastle Lodges
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 0-85976-140-1. P. 3.
- ISBN 0-85976-140-1. p. 35
- ^ McJannet, Arnold F. (1938). The Royal Burgh of Irvine. Glasgow : Civil Press. p. 11 and p. 67.
- ^ "RCAHMS Canmore site". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
- ISBN 0-85976-140-1. P. 30.
- ISBN 1-899874-36-4. p. 210
- ISBN 1-84158-267-0. p. 196
- ISBN 0-901824-18-6. P. 351 - 352.
- ISBN 1-84158-267-0. P. 196
- ^ Salter, Page 60
- ^ McClure, David (1994). Tolls and Tacksmen. Ayr Arch & Nat Hist Soc. Ayrshire Monograph No.13. P. 53
- ^ Irvine Times, 04-02-2009. p. 18.
- ^ Strawhorn, page 125.
- ^ Eglinton Archive, Eglinton Country Park
External links
- Video footage of Lawthorn Mount and its links with the Barony of Stane.
- Listed building record from Historic Environment Scotland
55°37′30″N 4°38′30″W / 55.6249°N 4.6418°W