Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Dundonald Castle

Dundonald Castle

Scotland
HES SM90112
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Dundonald Castle is a substantial stone castle situated on a prominent hilltop near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, south-western Scotland. The castle was founded in the early thirteenth century by the Anglo-Norman Kennedy family and underwent significant reconstruction in the fifteenth century under Robert III, who strengthened its defensive capabilities with a formidable round tower keep. The site comprises a curtain wall with towers and domestic structures arranged around the central keep, exemplifying Scottish castle design of the medieval period. The castle served as a royal residence and stronghold of considerable strategic importance, remaining in use until the seventeenth century when it gradually fell into decline.

Dundonald Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90112. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Dundonald Castle?

Dundonald Castle is a substantial stone castle situated on a prominent hilltop near Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, south-western Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90112.

Who is responsible for protecting Dundonald Castle?

Dundonald 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 SM90112.

What other scheduled monuments are near Dundonald Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kemp Law,fort (1.2 km), Wardlaw Hill,earthwork W of Harpercroft (1.8 km), Wardlaw Hill,earthwork SSW of Harpercroft (2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Dundonald Castle

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

Kemp Law,fort
Iron Age · Fort1.2 km
Wardlaw Hill,earthwork W of Harpercroft
Earthwork w of harpercroft1.8 km
Wardlaw Hill,earthwork SSW of Harpercroft
Earthwork ssw of harpercroft2 km
Motte, Helenton Mote
Helenton mote4.5 km
Crosbie House, remains of
Remains of4.8 km
Craigie Castle
5.3 km
Barnweill,homestead moat
Homestead moat6.2 km
Barnweill Church
6.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Dundonald Castle

Dundonald Castle stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.

The wider landscape

Around Dundonald Castle

Battle of Loudoun HillBattle (1307) · ~15.3 milesBattle of LangsideBattle (1568) · ~21.5 miles
All Scheduled Monuments