Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Balgavies Castle

Balgavies Castle

Scotland
HES SM5448
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland

Overview

History & significance

Balgavies Castle is a fifteenth-century tower house located in Angus, Scotland. The castle comprises a rectangular stone tower of modest proportions, characteristic of late medieval Scottish domestic fortification. Built during the period of increasing private castle construction among the Scottish nobility and gentry, the structure represents the typical residential stronghold of its era. The site remains a significant example of fifteenth-century defensive architecture in Angus, demonstrating the architectural conventions of tower house design that dominated Scottish castle-building throughout this period.

Balgavies Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5448. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Balgavies Castle?

Balgavies Castle is a fifteenth-century tower house located in Angus, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5448.

Who is responsible for protecting Balgavies Castle?

Balgavies Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM5448.

What other scheduled monuments are near Balgavies Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pitmuies, cross slab 15m WSW of North Lodge (3.2 km), East Mains of Pitmuies,ring ditch 250m WNW of (3.5 km), Dumbarrow Hill, dun 230m ENE of Hillkirk (3.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Balgavies Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Balgavies Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Balgavies Castle report
Or see a real report first
Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Pitmuies, cross slab 15m WSW of North Lodge
Cross slab 15m wsw of north lodge3.2 km
East Mains of Pitmuies,ring ditch 250m WNW of
Ring ditch3.5 km
Dumbarrow Hill, dun 230m ENE of Hillkirk
Iron Age · Dun 230m ene of hillkirk3.9 km
Pitmuies Cottages,ring ditches SW of
Ring ditches3.9 km
Damside Cottages,pit circle and pit alignments 200m SSE of
Pit circle and pit alignments4.4 km
Damside Cottages,souterrain 250m E of
Iron Age · Souterrain4.4 km
Damside Cottages,settlement 400m E of
Settlement4.6 km
Pitmuies Mill Farm,ring ditch 250m NW of
Ring ditch4.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Balgavies Castle

Balgavies Castle stands on Arbuthnott-Garvock Group, bedrock that formed in the Pragian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate conglomerate, siltstone and mudstone.

All Scheduled Monuments