Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Ballinbreich Castle

Ballinbreich Castle

Scotland
HES SM844
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Ballinbreich Castle is a late medieval fortress situated in Fife, Scotland, which dates principally to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The castle comprises a substantial stone tower house with associated defensive works, reflecting the architectural conventions of the Scottish Renaissance period. Originally constructed as a residence for a prominent local family, the structure demonstrates the transition from purely defensive fortifications to more comfortable domestic accommodation characteristic of the era. The castle remains a significant example of late medieval Scottish baronial architecture and its surviving fabric provides evidence of the constructional techniques and social status of its former inhabitants.

Ballinbreich Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM844. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ballinbreich Castle?

Ballinbreich Castle is a late medieval fortress situated in Fife, Scotland, which dates principally to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM844.

Who is responsible for protecting Ballinbreich Castle?

Ballinbreich 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 SM844.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ballinbreich Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Denmylne Castle 1600m SE of Newburgh (3.7 km), Lindores,eelhouse 400m NE of Abdie Parish Church (3.7 km), Inchrye,motte (3.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Ballinbreich Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ballinbreich 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.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Denmylne Castle 1600m SE of Newburgh
3.7 km
Lindores,eelhouse 400m NE of Abdie Parish Church
Medieval · Eelhouse 400m ne of abdie parish church3.7 km
Inchrye,motte
Medieval · Motte3.9 km
Abdie Old Kirk
4.3 km
Abdie Church, Lindores Stone
Lindores stone4.3 km
Collairnie Castle
4.8 km
Cowden Hill, enclosure and round-houses
Post-Medieval · Enclosure and round-houses5.2 km
Collessie,cairn 390m NW of Collessie Mill Farm
Cairn 390m nw of collessie mill farm7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ballinbreich Castle

Ballinbreich Castle stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.

The wider landscape

Around Ballinbreich Castle

Battle of Tippermuir 1644Battle (1644) · ~13.9 milesBattle of Dupplin MoorBattle (1332) · ~14.1 milesBattle of InverkeithingBattle (1651) · ~24.1 miles
All Scheduled Monuments