Building record MAB3328 - BURGIE CASTLE

The remains of Burgie Castle and its well, which date from the early-17th century, within a later walled garden (NJ05NE0069).

The remains of Burgie Castle and its well, which date from the early-17th century, within a later walled garden (NJ05NE0069). Originally the property of the Abbey of Kinloss, the lands of Burgie were acquired by the Dunbar family in 1567. Construction was started by Alexander Dunbar who died in 1593, and Burgie was apparently completed in 1602 for his son Robert. The castle is situated in a walled garden, now uncultivated, circa 400m South-East of Burgie House. The castle was enlarged in 1702 and subsequently demolished, apart from the tower, in 1802 to build Burgie House (NJ05NE0067). The castle well is 4.5m from the South-East wall, and the dovecot (NJ05NE0018) would be in the Eastern corner of the walled area, although the wall has been built to exclude it. The surviving portion of the castle consists of the square North-West tower, and a small portion of the walls of the main block are projecting North-East (5.48m) and South-East (4.3m). The tower measures 7.4m from the North-East to the South-West, and 6.8m from the North-West to the South-East, over walls circa 1.4m thick. The projecting walls represent the larger Z-plan castle that the tower originally formed a part of. The six storey tower has a crenellated and turreted wall head, with cannon waterspouts. Its walls are of harl-pointed rubble with ashlar dressings. Each storey has a single room reached from a projecting newel staircase which begins at first floor level in the angle between the North-West tower and the external North-East wall. This turret rises the full-height of the tower and leads onto the battlements. Burgie is well provided with gunloops and has regular fenestration, with the first storey windows retaining their iron grills. The basement doorway in the North-East wall has a wrought-iron yett (horizontally hinged gate of latticed iron bars). The entrance to the stair turret is reached by a flight of steps. The basement, the two upper storeys and the apex of the stair tower are vaulted. At first floor level, in the fragment of the main block still remaining, is the hall fireplace with a large joggled corniced mantel decorated with the coat of arms of the Dunbars and the date 1602. The stone lined well, constructed from ashlar, is about 6m South of the North-West tower. An architectural survey and feasibility study was carried out in 1995 by Law and Dunbar Nasmith. Part of tower collapsed in 2006, with emergency work undertaken in 2007 to stabilise it. In April 2008, Highland Archaeology Services undertook a photographic survey and watching brief during emergency works to stabilise the building. The structure was found to be in a dangerous condition. The watching brief revealed no archaeological features, but the buried remains of a stone wall were found subsequently. Mason's marks that were noted on some of the stonework was recorded. The Masons' Marks Project has recorded a total of 77 masons' marks of 15 different masons.

Period Notes
Started by Alexander Dunbar, who died in 1593, and finished in 1602. There is a date of 1602 over fireplace. The castle was enlarged in 1702 and mostly demolished in 1802, which is when the walled garden was built. A portico was moved to the walls of the garden in 1912. Stabilising work took place in 2007-8.

Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 15/2/10 p.8 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.

NATTES, JC, 1799, SKETCHES, UNPUBLISHED, SKETCHES (Bibliographic reference). SAB1276.

WATSON, J, 1868, MORAYSHIRE DESCRIBED, 36 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2003.

MACGIBBON, D, 1892, THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND, 1-5, 260-3 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1140.

CALLANDER, JG, 1916, PSAS 50(1915-16) 201-40, 207 (Bibliographic reference). SAB212.

MURRAY, JG, 1930, BOOK OF BURGIE (Bibliographic reference). SAB1188.

LAW & DUNBAR-NASMITH, 1995, BURGIE CASTLE: FEASIBILITY REPORT (Bibliographic reference). SAB1121.

FEASIBILITY REPORT

HIGHLAND ARCHAEOLOGY SERVICES, 2008, BURGIE CASTLE, MORAY:PHOTO SURVEY & WATCHING BRIEF, Photo survey; WB (Bibliographic reference). SAB2743.

photo survey

ARCHAEOLOGY SCOTLAND, 2009, DISCOVERY & EXCAVATION IN SCOTLAND, VOL 9, 2008, p.124 (Bibliographic reference). SAB3496.

Jun 25 1996 , AAS/96/04/CT, AAS/96/04/CT (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31234.

Jun 25 1996 , AAS/96/04/G13/16,17, AAS/96/04/G13/16,17 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31233.

May 28 2012 , AAS/GR/12/05/004 - 046, AAS/GR/12/05/004 - 046 (Ground Photograph). SAB30784.

SDD, n.d., BLDS OF ARCH & HIST INTEREST, RAFFORD 7 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1827.

Record last edited

Aug 10 2021 11:46AM