St Monans Castle (Newark Castle)

St Monans Castle, Fife
Photo © Jim Bain, 17 July 2007

Now very much a ruin and in a precarious state. A castle has stood here from at least the 1200's.

This castle is situated on a rocky cliff overlooking the Firth of Forth, not far from the ancient church of St. Monan's. It appears to have been built at two periods. The southern or earlier portion is represented by ground floor vaults and the strong south wall of enceinte, which only remain. These vaults form an oblong structure measuring about 75 feet from north to south by 28 feet wide. The later portion is built in continuation northwards, but is only 22 feet in width. The thick east wall and the round tower, 25 feet 6 inches in diameter at the north-east angle, are evidently erected on portions of the older edifice. The total length of the edifice is 128 feet.

The castle is approached from the north-east only, being on all other sides well defended by the sea and precipitous rocks. There has been an arched entrance gateway in the enclosing wall adjoining the round tower at the north-east angle. This was strongly defended with double gates, each secured with bars inside, the holes for which still exist, as shown on the Plan. Facing the gateway is the entrance door to the newer structure. It is of a Renaissance character, projected in front of a circular-faced tower. In this tower is the staircase, which continues to the top. Immediately inside the gateway there is another entrance doorway to the castle, leading, by a descending passage, to a half-sunk apartment in the round tower. From this passage a doorway opens into the kitchen fireplace, and gives access to the kitchen, which has also a door to the staircase.

The kitchen is a fine vaulted apartment, lighted by windows on either side. Its large arched fireplace just referred to is similarly lighted by windows on both sides. Besides the above entrance doors, there is a door in the round tower outside the gate. Its sill is about 3 feet above the ground, being on the level of the first floor, immediately over the half-sunk story. This door is undoubtedly a late insertion, as it would have been absurd to have made the provision for defence found here and then to have left a door outside of it all.

The round tower contains five floors, each provided with a fireplace. At every stage the shape of the rooms varies in a most extraordinary manner, no two floors being the same in plan.

Access to the upper floors is not now attainable, the stairs and floors being entirely ruinous. We have already remarked on the door opening into the back of the kitchen fireplace. Another singular arrangement exists on the floor above, where, from the room over the kitchen, a door leads into the flue of the kitchen fireplace, which is a place of considerable size, being about 12 feet by 6 feet. This flue has apparently been partly joisted over, and some kind of wood and plaster construction seems to have been erected in it, possibly for the purpose of smoking or curmg meat. An arrangement of a similar kind existed at Elphinstone Tower and elsewhere.

The courtyard on the south side of the castle occupies the remaining flat surface of the rock, and contains some remains of walls and vaults, which, like the whole place, are in a ruinous and neglected state.

This barony, according to Leighton's History of Fife, was acquired by James Sandilands of Cruvie, who died in 1585 and in 1644 his descendant, Sir James Sandilands, "had a cherter of the lordship of St. Monan's, with the tower and fortalice thereof, called the Newark." He possessed various other properties, but wasted his whole estate in five years after his succession. In 1649 St. Monan's, with the castle of Newark, was sold to the famous soldier, David Leslie, whose career in the civil wars of his time renders his name illustrious in the history of Great Britain. After the Restoration he was created Lord Newark, with an annual pension of five hundred pounds. He died in 1682.

It is not unlikely that the building as we now see it was the work of David Leslie. The advanced Renaissance work of the newer portion corresponds with the style of his time. The north wall seems to have been then rebuilt, and the windows of the tower and east wall enlarged and finished with facings after the manner of the period.

Reference

The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland by David Macgibbon and Thomas Ross, 1889