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Black Castle is a post-medieval enclosure located in East Lothian, Scotland. The site is constructed upon bedrock of the Inverclyde Group, a geological formation dating to the Osagean period, comprising sandstone, siltstone and mudstone that would have provided a firm foundation for the structure. The enclosure is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM5850.
Post-medieval enclosures of this type typically date from the sixteenth century onwards and served practical purposes in the landscape, whether for defence, livestock management or territorial demarcation. The geology beneath Black Castle would have been well-suited to construction and drainage, with the mixed lithologies of the Inverclyde Group offering variable digging conditions for the enclosure's ditches and banks.
The monument remains a significant record of land use and settlement patterns during the post-medieval period in East Lothian. Its designation as a scheduled monument reflects its importance to understanding the development of the Scottish Lowlands during this era, when such fortified or enclosed sites played an important role in the region's social and economic organisation.
Black Castle,enclosure is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5850. View the official record →
Black Castle is a post-medieval enclosure located in East Lothian, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM5850.
Black Castle,enclosure dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Black Castle,enclosure 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 SM5850.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Oldhamstocks Mains,enclosure 300m NNW of (0.9 km), Blackcastle Hill,homestead 370m ENE of Post Office Mast (1.5 km), Springfield,enclosure 300m NNE of (1.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Black Castle,enclosure's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Black Castle,enclosure stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.