Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM166_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600003108)

Summary

Description

The monument is the remains of Braikie Castle, a late 16th-century tower house. The tower is L-shaped in plan with four storeys and a garret. It survives to wall-head height and fragments of the roof timbers and slate tiles survive on the N and NW side. The castle stands within a grass field, surrounded by agriculturally rich land, on gently sloping ground at around 75m above sea level, overlooking Gighty Burn to the S. The monument was last scheduled in 1977, but the documentation did not meet modern standards: the present amendment rectifies this.

The castle is constructed of sandstone rubble with dressed quoins and bonded with lime mortar. Key features of the tower include a stair-turret rising above first-floor level in the re-entrant angle and a corbelled angle-turret at the SW gable; a heraldic panel above the door and a surviving iron yett; a tall chimney-stack rising above the stair turret; and a large number of wide-splayed gun-loops (one for almost every window). The main stair rises to the first floor, while access to the upper floors is provided by the stair turret. The ground floor has two vaulted cellars and what was probably a small guardroom beneath the main stair. The hall was situated on the first floor and a private stair leads to the wing above and a private chamber for the laird. The heraldic panel above the door shows a shield with the letters 'T F' and the date 1581; it depicts the arms of the Fraser clan and the motto 'soli deo confido'.

The scheduled area is rectangular on plan, measuring 30m WSW-ENE by 25m transversely, to include the remains of the castle and an area around it within which evidence for the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as a well-preserved example of a late 16th-century tower. Braikie Castle survives complete to wall-head height and is an impressive example of its class. It has high potential to contribute to our understanding of late medieval and post-medieval domestic fortified dwellings: their architecture, construction, maintenance, development and abandonment. There is significant potential for the survival of important archaeological remains, including artefactual and palaeoenvironmental evidence and the remains of additional structures within and around the tower, which can enhance our understanding of how such buildings functioned, the daily life of the inhabitants and contemporary society and economy. There is high potential to analyse the construction and development of the castle by recording and analysis of the upstanding fabric. The monument occupies a prominent position and is an attractive feature within the local landscape today. The loss of the monument would diminish our ability to understand the form, function and character of late medieval and post-medieval towers in eastern Scotland and further afield.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.