Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Hailes Castle

Hailes Castle

Scotland
HES SM13330
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Hailes Castle is a medieval fortress situated near Dunbar in East Lothian, dating principally to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The castle comprises a substantial stone keep and curtain wall remains, reflecting its strategic importance as a stronghold in the Lothian region during the medieval period. Built initially in the thirteenth century and subsequently expanded, the castle served as a defensive structure during the Anglo-Scottish conflicts that characterised the medieval borders. The surviving ruins, now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, demonstrate the architectural development typical of Scottish baronial fortifications from the High to Late Medieval periods.

Hailes Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13330. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hailes Castle?

Hailes Castle is a medieval fortress situated near Dunbar in East Lothian, dating principally to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM13330.

Who is responsible for protecting Hailes Castle?

Hailes 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 SM13330.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hailes Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bara Loch,palisaded enclosure 250m S of (7 km), Townhead of Duncanlaw,enclosure & cross-base,Cross Hill (7.9 km), White Castle,fort (8.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hailes Castle

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

Bara Loch,palisaded enclosure 250m S of
Post-Medieval · Palisaded enclosure7 km
Townhead of Duncanlaw,enclosure & cross-base,Cross Hill
Post-Medieval · Enclosure & cross-base,cross hill7.9 km
White Castle,fort
Iron Age · Fort8.1 km
Snawdon,fort 600m WSW of
Iron Age · Fort8.2 km
Flame trap, 140m SE of Danskine Lodge
140m se of danskine lodge8.5 km
Eaglescairnie Mains,enclosure 450m ESE of
Post-Medieval · Enclosure8.8 km
Yester Castle,fort NW of
Iron Age · Fort9.2 km
Yester Castle & Hobgoblin Ha' vaulted chamber
9.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hailes Castle

Hailes Castle stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Dinantian, bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.

The wider landscape

Around Hailes Castle

Battle of Dunbar IBattle · ~6.4 milesBattle of Dunbar (1296)Battle (1296) · ~6.6 milesBattle of Dunbar IiBattle (1650) · ~7.6 milesBattle of PrestonpansBattle (1745) · ~10.8 miles
All Scheduled Monuments