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Garleton Castle

Castle (16th Century), House (18th Century)

Site Name Garleton Castle

Classification Castle (16th Century), House (18th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Garlton; Garleton House And Castle Walls; Garleton East; Garmylton

Canmore ID 56360

Site Number NT57NW 8

NGR NT 50943 76697

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56360

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
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Administrative Areas

  • Council East Lothian
  • Parish Athelstaneford
  • Former Region Lothian
  • Former District East Lothian
  • Former County East Lothian

Archaeology Notes

NT57NW 8 50943 76697

For East Garleton Cottages, see NT57NW 73.

(NT 5098 7676) Garleton Castle (NR) (remains of)

OS 6" map (1968)

Garleton Castle was apparently an oblong enclosure of about a third of an acre containing a house with a small wing at the NE corner and two little lodges set at the western ends of the N and S boundary walls. At least three storeys high, the main block and wing were 50' and 42' long respectively. A circular tower 22' in diameter is salient to the enclosure at the SE angle of the wing. Only the N and E lateral walls of the house remain, indicating the W gable and interior divisions. Three vaulted cellars can be traced. An external forestair at the NE angle is secondary. A feature of the house is the number of gunloops of the splayed type typical of the 16th century (N Tranter 1935).

The SW lodge, now falling into disrepair, is oblong, two storeys high and has two vaulted chambers on the ground. The NW lodge is modern, but appears to be on the site of a building coeval with the SW lodge.

RCAHMS 1924, visited 1913

Garleton Castle is generally as described.

Visited by OS (BS) 16 July 1975

Architecture Notes

NMRS REFERENCE:

L-shaped. 16th century. Courtyard. Rubble-built.

Activities

Field Visit (26 June 1913)

Garleton Castle lies about 2 miles south of Drem Station at the northern base of Craigy Hill in the Garleton Hills range. Apparently it comprised an oblong enclosure, about 1/3 of an acre in area, containing a house with a jamb or small wing at the north-east corner and two little lodges set at the western ends of the north and south boundary walls (fig. 46).

The house was at least three storeys in height. The lengths of the main block and wing were 50 and 42 feet, the widths are indeterminate; at the southeast angle of the wing a circular tower, 22 feet in diameter, is salient to the enclosure. It is provided with gunloops.

Of the house there remain only the north and east lateral walls with indications of the west gable and interior partitions. All that can be said of its arrangement is that in the basement were three vaulted cellars within the main block, that the western was the kitchen and that the oncome of the fireplace vent can still be traced. The staircase seems to have been- a turnpike built within the east wall. A forestair built external to the enclosure at the north-east angle, is secondary. The masonry is irregularly coursed rubble with dressings at voids.

The south-west lodge is oblong on plan and is two storeys in height; the upper floor is now reached from a forest air on the north, which appears to have superseded an internal circular staircase contained within a projecting turret on the south. The ground floor contains two vaulted chambers, which originally communicated with each other. The western chamber, now a smithy, has traces of a large arched fireplace in the mid-partition. The eastern chamber has a fireplace in the southwest angle, with a hood supported on corbels one of which is in situ. The walls are pierced by gun loops on the south and west. The upper floor is converted into farm labourers' dwellings.

The corresponding fore-building on the north is modern but appears to occupy the site of a building contemporaneous with that on the south. Three old gun loops are built into the west wall. The castle has apparently been erected in the 16th century.

HISTORICAL NOTE. On the Garleton lands see [RCAHMS 1924] Introd. p. xxvii. Apparently this was the successor of the house with lands of Easter Garleton or Garmylton-Noble (1) owned by Sir John Towers of Inverleith, from whom the third Earl of Winton bought half of Athelstaneford, conferring Garleton upon his fourth son, Sir John Seton, Bart., of Garleton, originator of that branch of the Seton family.

RCAHMS 1924, visited 26 June 1913.

(1) See R.M.S. (1489) No. 1908.

Standing Building Recording (December 2011 - March 2012)

A series of investigations were carried out in the area of the southwest lodge of Garleton Castle, Athelstaneford, East Lothian (RCAHMS site no. NT57NW 8 NGR:NT 50943 76697). This encompassed full building recording, visual inspection, two, 1 m2 test pits and historical research.

These investigations were carried out on behalf of the Wemyss and March Estate prior to a planning application regarding this property.

The work was carried out in order to create a baseline data set regarding the dating, phasing, constructional history and general historical background to the structure.

The main fabric of the structure is dated to the late 16th century and was originally 3 storeys in height, excluding possible attic accommodation. The truncated lodge has then been re-roofed in the late 20th century and previously converted to workers cottages during the late 18th century, with a further two re-modelling events in the late 19th and mid 20th century.

Produced by Connolly Heritage Consultancy.

On behalf of Wemyss and March Estates and the Pollock Hammond Partnership.

Archaeological Evaluation (September 2013)

NT 50943 76697 An excavation of two test pits in September 2013 confirmed that the ground level around the building has been raised considerably (up to 0.75m) with soil and midden. An examination of the sill height of the door into the eastern chamber indicates that the exterior ground surface for the lodge would have been c300–400mm lower than today. The boundary wall is considered to date to the late 18th or 19th century.

Archive: Connolly Heritage Consultancy

Funder: Wemyss and March Estate

David Connolly, Connolly Heritage Consultancy, 2013

(Source: DES)

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