Scheduled Monument

Finavon CastleSM2464

Status: Designated

Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

Summary

Date Added
30/06/1964
Last Date Amended
19/10/2000
Type
Secular: castle; hospital, hospice
Local Authority
Angus
Parish
Oathlaw
NGR
NO 49642 56482
Coordinates
349642, 756482

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a substantial fortified mansion built for the Lindsay earls of Crawford in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The principal remains comprise the lower part of a rectangular tower house, on the north side of which a chamber tower and stair tower were later added, and around which there are traces of extensive courtyards. After passing to Lord Spynie in 1625, and later to the earls of Kinnoul and of Northesk, there is said to have been a catastrophic collapse in the mid-eighteenth century, after which it was uninhabitable.

The monument was first scheduled in 1964, but the area then afforded protection was largely limited to the upstanding remains. The present proposal to re-schedule affords protection to an area thought to cover the site of the main nucleus of buildings and courtyards of the castle.

The area to be scheduled is a rectangle measuring 120m from west to east and 65m from north to south, and is marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a particularly good illustration of how an extensive post-medieval mansion and its ancillary courtyards could develop around the core of a substantial tower house. The importance is enhanced by the survival of an inventory of its furnishings drawn up in 1712, some decades before its final collapse.

References

Bibliography

References:

Simpson, W. D. (1955-56) 'Finavon Castle', Proc. Soc. Antiq. Scot., 398-416.

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

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Printed: 20/04/2024 16:31