Plunton Castle, Dumfries And Galloway
Photo © Richard Paxman, 5 July 2007
Plunton Castle, Dumfries And Galloway
Photo © Richard Paxman,
5 July 2007
Plunton castle is a 16th century tower built by the Lennox family, from whom it passed by marriage to the Murrays of Broughton.
Sir Walter Scott used the castle as the scene for "The Doom of Devorgoil".
Plunton Castle is an admirable illustration of the development from the defensive
castle to the domestic building. The plan is practically identical with those
of the same period, but the parapet and walk at the wall-head are omitted. The
end walls are finished with crow-stepped gables and chimneys, and the side walls
support the ends of the rafters. A survival of defensive construction, however,
is to be seen at each angle, where circular turrets, entered directly from the
attic floor, are carried by moulded corbels of ornamental design. On the north
side of this L-shaped keep there are indications of a courtyard, while
to the south the uneven nature of the ground seems to suggest the foundations
of a walled enclosure or garden.
Like all the erections of a feudal age, it has its dungeon; and although history is silent on the matter, legend describes it as the scene of bloody deeds. Some of the old gnarled trees and thorns around the Castle seem to be contemporary with the building. Vestiges of moats and earthworks may still be distinguished, and it seems to have been surrounded by water, and to have been a place of considerable security. It was at one time the residence of the Lennoxes, who possessed property to a large extent in Galloway. It now belongs to Mr. Murray Stewart of Broughton.
Reference
Report and inventory of monuments and constructions in Galloway 1914
Rambles in Galloway by Malcolm M'Lachlan Harper 1876