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.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM5509_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600011409)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of the remains of Moncur Castle, a fortified residence of late sixteenth century date. The building is Z-plan, the main wing lying NW-SE, with a square tower projecting NE and a drum tower at the SW angle. It measures 22m NW-SE by 14m NE-SW over walls 1m thick and 10m high. The castle has had a vaulted ground floor which held the kitchen and cellar. The vaulting survives in the S cellar and in the first and ground floors of the round tower.

The first floor contained the hall and private apartments: access to the floor above was by a newel stair-tower, with winders tucked between the drum tower and the SW wall and rising from the ground floor. The main entrance is in the re-entrant angle of the square tower, whence a staircase (fallen) led to the hall. A stone drain lies in the SW wall, and only the jambs of the kitchen fire-place and the remains of an oven survive in the NW wall.

The hall has a wide rear-projecting fire-place in the NE wall. The ground floor is provided with low set gun-loops and small windows for defence. The area to be scheduled is irregular and extends 2m from the exterior walls of the castle, measuring a maximum of 26m NW-SE by 18m NE-SW as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it is a good example of a house built by a member of the Scottish nobility with defensive needs in mind but also with regard to comfort and elegance in its layout and design. As such it provides evidence and has the potential to provide further evidence, through excavation, which may shed light on the development of baronial architecture, culture and society, domestic and defensive settlement and material culture in Scotland during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

References

Bibliography

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.