Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Claypotts Castle

Claypotts Castle

Scotland
HES SM90075
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Claypotts Castle is a Z-plan tower house located near Dundee in Angus, Scotland, dating to the late sixteenth century. Built in 1569 by John Strachan, the castle exemplifies the defensive architectural style favoured by Scottish landowners during the reign of James VI, with its characteristic two round towers at diagonally opposite corners providing comprehensive sight lines and defensive positions. The structure comprises a rectangular main block with substantial corbelled parapet work and shot-holes designed for musket fire, representing the transitional phase between medieval castle design and early modern fortification principles. Despite later modification and deterioration, Claypotts remains one of the most complete examples of a Z-plan castle surviving in Scotland and is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Claypotts Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90075. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Claypotts Castle?

Claypotts Castle is a Z-plan tower house located near Dundee in Angus, Scotland, dating to the late sixteenth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90075.

Who is responsible for protecting Claypotts Castle?

Claypotts 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 SM90075.

What other scheduled monuments are near Claypotts Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Fordel, barrow & ring-ditches 550m WSW of (8.3 km), North Straiton, unenclosed settlement 310m NNE of (8.8 km), Leuchars Castle, enclosures 700m N of (9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Claypotts Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Claypotts 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

Fordel, barrow & ring-ditches 550m WSW of
Barrow & ring-ditches8.3 km
North Straiton, unenclosed settlement 310m NNE of
Unenclosed settlement8.8 km
Leuchars Castle, enclosures 700m N of
Post-Medieval · Enclosures9 km
North Straiton, unenclosed settlement 140m N of
Unenclosed settlement9 km
North Straiton, barrows, pits and building 160m W of
Barrows, pits and building9.2 km
North Straiton, unenclosed settlements 605m W of & 790m WNW of
Unenclosed settlements 605m w of &9.3 km
Leuchars Castle, unenclosed settlement 320m NNE of
Unenclosed settlement9.5 km
Cruivie Castle
9.7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Claypotts Castle

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

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