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Cardoness Castle

Cardoness Castle is a ruined 15th century tower house which guards the entrance to the Water of Fleet at Fleet Bay.

The lands of Anwoth were granted to David fitz Teri, a Cumbrian lord, by Malcolm IV around 1170 and he built a motte-and-bailey castle at Boreland a few hundred metres to the west of Cardoness.

By 1466 the lands of Cardoness were owned by the McCulloch family and it was they who built the present castle on a rocky eminence which was once surrounded by the marshy land of the Fleet estuary. It may have been built by Alexander McCulloch, a close associate of James IV.

The castle rises to a height of almost 16.0m, consists of six storeys of accommodation and is rectangular in plan measuring around 13.0m east to west by around 9.7m north to south. The walls of the castle are up to 2.4m thick and it was defended by numerous inverted keyhole gunloops.

The basement level was divided into two storeys by an entresol supported by corbels. On the first floor was the great hall with a large fireplace on one wall and a window seats built into the thickness of another wall.

Cardoness Castle

Above the great hall was the laird’s private chamber which also served as his bedroom.

Cardoness Castle

Cardoness Castle

Above the laird’s accommodation was another level of living quarters and then a chamber at garret level within the battlements.

The main tower formed the north side of a courtyard with projecting wings to the south and west containing vaulted basement chambers.

Cardoness Castle

The whole site was originally surrounded by an outer barmkin which ran around the edge of the rocky outcrop.

Cardoness Castle

Gallovidia, vernacule Galloway
Joan Blaeu, Amsterdam, 1654map image courtesy of NLS

In the 17th century the McCullochs were involved in a local feud with the Gordon family which culminated in Sir Godfrey McCulloch shooting William Gordon of Bush o’ Bield in the leg 1690. Gordon died from his injury and Sir Godfrey fled to France but was apprehended in 1697 while in Edinburgh and beheaded.

Cardoness seems to have lain empty from this time, passing through a series of owners including the Gordons and the Maxwells before it was placed into state care in 1927.

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Alternative names for Cardoness Castle

Cardines; Cardiness; Cardonness Castle; Kardeness Castle; Kardeneß Castle; Kardoness Castle; Kerdenes; Kerdennes

Clans associated with Cardoness Castle

McCulloch

Surnames associated with Cardoness Castle

Gordon

MacCulloch

Maxwell

McCulach

McCulloch

Where is Cardoness Castle?

Cardoness Castle is in the parish of Anwoth and the county of Kirkcudbrightshire.

Grid reference: NX 59059 55274

Lat / long: 54.8723140, -4.1979611

Bing Maps | Google Maps | Historic maps (NLS) | OpenStreetMap | Ordnance Survey | PastMap | Streetmap | Wikimapia

OS Map for Cardoness Castle

OS map 312
Kirkcudbright & Castle Douglas (Gatehouse of Fleet)
OS Explorer map 312


Directions to Cardoness Castle

Enter a starting point

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Weather at Cardoness Castle

19°C
max 19°C / min 19°C
3km/h ENE
1024mb
53%
7%
04:06 20:20

Clear sky
Weather observed at Gatehouse of Fleet at 15:43

References (books)

The Castles of Scotland
Martin Coventry
Prestongrange, 2015
The Fortified House in Scotland - Volume III
Nigel Tranter
Edinburgh, 1965

References (websites)

Scheduled Monument record
Canmore
Historic Environment Scotland
Wikipedia

Castles near Cardoness Castle

Green Tower Motte

0.6km away

Cally Castle

0.8km away

Ardwall (possible) (site of)

1.1km away

Bush o’ Bield (possible) (site of)

1.2km away

Cally Motte

1.6km away

Pulcree (site of)

3.1km away

Plunton Castle

4.8km away

Rusko Castle

5.2km away

Conchieton (site of)

5.3km away
more castles....

Ancient sites near Cardoness Castle

Trusty's Hill fort

0.8km away

Cairnholy II chambered cairn

7.3km away

Cairnholy I chambered cairn

7.4km away

Eggerness Castle fort

12.1km away

Castle Feather fort

25.4km away

Stairhaven broch

38.1km away

Craigenholly souterrain

40.4km away

McCulloch's Castle fort

40.5km away

Fourmerkland cursus

40.8km away
more ancient sites....

Pictish stones near Cardoness Castle

Trusty's Hill Class I rock carving

0.8km away

Eggerness Class I rock carving

13.2km away

Borthwick Mains Class I symbol stone

103.3km away

Princes Street Gardens Class I symbol stone

135.7km away

Abernethy No. 2 Class III symbol stone

135.8km away

Abernethy No. 4 Class III cross shaft

135.8km away

Hawkhill Class III cross-slab

140.8km away

Old Kilmadock 2 Class I symbol stone

147.5km away

Old Kilmadock 1 Class II cross slab

147.5km away
more Pictish stones....
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Pictish sites near Cardoness Castle

Whitecleugh silver chain

68.2km away

Todholes (possible) silver chain

100.9km away

Borland silver chain

102.4km away

Whitlaw silver chain

130.1km away

Haddington silver chain

150.6km away

Traprain Law silver chain

156.0km away

Hoardweel silver chain

159.8km away

Norrie's Law hoard

173.1km away

Dunnicaer fort

264.5km away
more Pictish sites....
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Accommodation near Cardoness Castle

Cally Palace Hotel
hotelGatehouse of Fleet
0.9km away
The Ship Inn
hotelGatehouse of Fleet
1.5km away
Selkirk Arms Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barKirkcudbright
10.2km away
Glaisnock House
bed and breakfastWigtown
15.7km away
ReadingLasses
café, self-catering apartmentWigtown
15.7km away
King's Arms Hotel, Castle Douglas
hotel, restaurant, barCastle Douglas
18.6km away
Douglas House Bed and Breakfast
bed and breakfastCastle Douglas
18.9km away
Urr Valley Hotel
hotelOld Bridge of Urr
20.3km away
The Bruce Hotel, Newton Stewart
hotelNewton Stewart
20.4km away
Creebridge House Hotel
hotelNewton Stewart
20.6km away

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more accommodation....

Cafés, restaurants & bars near Cardoness Castle

Selkirk Arms Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barKirkcudbright
10.2km away
ReadingLasses
café, self-catering apartmentWigtown
15.7km away
King's Arms Hotel, Castle Douglas
hotel, restaurant, barCastle Douglas
18.6km away
Cavens Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurantDumfries
38.7km away
Aston Hotel Dumfries
hotel, restaurant, barDumfries
43.6km away
Best Western Station Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barDumfries
44.0km away
Friars Carse Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurantAuldgirth
44.8km away
Premier Inn Dumfries
hotel, restaurantDumfries
46.4km away
Trigony Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurantThornhill
48.4km away
Tigh Na Mara Hotel
hotel, restaurantSandhead
49.5km away
more food.... / more drink....

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Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 23rd of May 2012 at 9:56 pm. Updated on the 3rd of January 2022 at 7:10 pm.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
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