Barncluith Castle

Barncluith Castle is a modest rectangular tower house sat within pruivate grounds just out of sight of the public road. It is situated at the top of a steep slope dropping down to the Avon Water just at the downstream end of the gorge running through Chatelherault Country Park. It is not open to the public.

The tower house is three storeys tall with an attic level, and the basement level is actually cut into the slope, making it part-subterranean. The gable ends face north-west and south-east, and there are two doors in the north-west gable, one leading down into the basement, the other leads to a hall with a winding staircase to the first floor and an entrance to the kitchen. The internal layout is fairly simple, a single main room on each level, space in the building taken up by the winding stair, and a secondary space off the main room used as a bathroom on the second floor (bedroom) level. The hall was on the first floor, and the attic beyond.

The lands of Barncluith were held by John Machan in the late 15th century, and passed with the marriage of his heiress daughter Anne to William Hamilton of Rossmoor, a junior member of the very powerful Hamilton family. The family history of the Barncluith Hamiltons is contradictory, it has to be said. William was followed by his eldest son Alexander, and then his second son Quentin, one of these sons was killed fighting for Queen Mary at Langside in 1568. In 1583 Quentin’s son John had succeeded him, having spent time in exile on the continent unable to claim his inheritance. This John died in 1614 without children, leaving his sister Margaret as his heiress. Barncluith remained with the Hamiltons, however, as her husband was James Hamilton, second son of the laird of Udstoun. According to the listed building report, the tower was founded in 1538, placing it in the time of William or his sons – but the name given is John Hamilton. A further mystery in an already foggy picture! The Hamiltonsd retained Barncluith and lived there into eth19th century, by which time an extension had been added to it, but they then build a new and more spacious house, Barncluith House, which is next door. Presumably the tower remained in use as a dower property until the estate was broken up.

HES Canmore database entry