Couston Castle
Tower House (Medieval)
Site Name Couston Castle
Classification Tower House (Medieval)
Canmore ID 50814
Site Number NT18NE 2
NGR NT 16829 85086
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/50814
- Council Fife
- Parish Aberdour (Dunfermline)
- Former Region Fife
- Former District Dunfermline
- Former County Fife
16828 85089
NT18NE 2.1 168 851 Dovecot
(NT 1682 8509) Couston Castle (NR) (rems of)
OS 6" map (1966)
Only a fragment remains of Couston Castle, a 17th century house. It has been L-shaped on plan and part of it has been three storeys and an attic in height, although the major portion of the main block has only been two- storeyed. The ruins measure 35 1/2' x 18 1/4'.
RCAHMS 1933, visited 1925
The remains of this house are as described; it is very dilapidated and overgrown.
Visited by OS (AC) 11 March 1959
No change to previous field report.
Visited by OS (BS) 17 December 1975
The house has now been restored, roofed and lived-in.
Visited by OS June 1987.
NT 168 851 A watching brief was carried out by the Fife Archaeological Service in advance of construction of a garage, on the S side of Couston Castle. Nothing of interest was found, and this area may have already been affected by past restoration works.
Sponsor: Fife Regional Council.
P Yeoman 1994.
Field Visit (6 May 1925)
Couston Castle.
On the eastern bank of Otterston Loch, less than 12 yards from the water, is a fragment of a 17th-century house, thickly covered with ivy. It has been L-shaped on plan, and part of it has been three storeys and an attic in height, although the major portion of the main block has been two storeyed only, an unusual arrangement. The masonry is of coursed rubble, the windows having their jambs and lintels rounded at the arris. The entrance, which is in the re-entrant angle and faces eastward, is a good 17th-century door-piece, opening on the foot of a scale-and-platt stair, which rises to the first floor. The present extent of the ruin is 35 ½ feet by 18 ¼ feet.
HISTORICAL NOTE. At the beginning of the 17th century Couston belonged to the family of Logan; in 1619 the King confirmed a charter of James Logan of Couston, son and heir of the late John Logan of Couston (1).
RCAHMS 1933, visited 6 May 1925.
(1) Reg. Mag. Sig., s.a., No. 2013.