Covington Castle

Covington Castle is a substantial ruined tower house dating to the mid 15th century. It is built on a saddle of land which was historically flanked by marshland on two sides and was surrounded by a ditch and presumably a courtyard, although no trace of this survives. A further ditch which may have delineated a nuclear settlement can also be see extending to the south towards the churchyard. Today it is in a field used for grazing so access is not always possible.

The tower is a rectangular “great tower”  with a ground floor entrance leading to a basement and a straight stair within the thickness of the wall leading up to a winding stair serving the upper floors. The basement room is lit by four narrow slits within its 3.3 metre width. The first floor is an entresol level beneath a stone vault, and is lit by a single slit only. The first floor has small mural chambers, one of which has a trapdoor leading to a prison or strongroom beneath, and larger windows; there was probably another floor with a vault above and an attic level, but these have been lost.

The lands of Covington had been repossessed by the crown by 1265, and although Robert Bruce granted the lands to the Earl Marischal, the tenants were probably the same family. By 1420 it was held by John Lindsay, who had married an heiress, and it was the Lindsays who built the tower – and occupied it until 1679. It was later sold to repay debts, and was probably abandoned in the 18th century. By 1815 it was in ruins.

Hes Canmore database entry