Craigdhu (site of)

Craigdhu is the site of a motte upon which a castle belonging to the Bishops of Galloway once stood.

Situated on flat ground at the base of Castle Hill, the site consists of a small motte around 15.0m in diameter and reaching a height of around 1.3m Around the motte was a ditch which was once around 3.0m wide but is now barely discernible. The motte stands within the south-west of what has been interpreted as an oval-shaped bailey area measuring around 55.0m north-east to south-west by around 34.0m north-west to south-east, around which was a further ditch measuring around 5.5m across.

Later the property was owned by the McCulloch family and in 1579 George McCulloch, son of Malcolm McCulloch of Craichdow, married Margaret McCulloch of Torhouse. Their son, Alexander, married Margaret Gordon and in 1619 owned the lands of Torhouse-McCulloch, Eschandarroch, Torhouse-McKie, Cairngorran, Auchneacht and Craichdow.