Balbegno Castle

Balbegno Castle is a substantial L-plan tower house dated to 1569 sitting on a southeast-facing slope overlooking the Howe of the Mearns. The original tower house has been extended by the addition of a two storey 18th century residential wing, and is a private residence. The lands of Balbegno in the Mearns were granted to Ranulf the Falconer by King William I in the early 13th century, and by King James IV to Andrew Wood of Overblairton together with other lands in 1488. In 1512 King James issued a new sasine to Andrew’s son John Wood, and his wife Elizabeth Irvine, although Wood was still underage. Curiously Balbegno is here granted in thanage. The datestone has the initials IW and EI for this couple, together with the year 1569, but the design of the tower is consistent with an earlier date than this. John was followed by his son Walter in 1579, Walter by a second Walter in 1598, and the second Walter by Sir John in 1607. In 1636 Sir John was succeeded by his brother James, and James by his son Andrew in 1656, who was issued his sasine by Oliver Cromwell. In 1687 Andrew Wood sold Balbegno to Andrew Middleton of Caldhame, at which point the history of the castle is one of occupation and resale as a residential property, although it does notrseem to have ever seen military action. Circa 1795 the residential wing was attached by Walter Ogilvie.

The addition of the 18th century works has obscured the original layout, old tower seems to have been entered in the area of the re-entrant angle, and there were most likely three vaulted chambers in the basement. Access to the first floor today is via a straight stair in the thickness of the walls which turns right into a narrow entrance lobby, but I am not convinced this is the original layout. The first floor contains the magnificent great hall with painted ceiling and rib-vaulting. This is very high, and there are three chambers above each other in the wing adjacent, with a large room above the hall and another in the wing, with a further room above this height in the wing – all accessed by a complex arrangement of winding staircases. It may in fact be the case that the 1569 datestone represents a phase of rebuilding including the vaults and redesign of the parapets, which are highly decorated.

HES Canmore database entry