Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Cauddwell Castle

Cauddwell Castle

Scotland
HES SM2505
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Cauddwell Castle is a scheduled monument located in Banffshire, Scotland, protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2505. The castle occupies bedrock of the Appin Group, a Neoproterozoic formation comprising graphitic pelite, calcareous pelite, calcsilicate-rock and psammite. This ancient metamorphic geology, uplifted and consolidated nearly 600 million years ago, provides the hard foundation upon which the castle stands.

The castle is situated within the distinctive landscape of Banffshire, where the Appin Group rocks create varied terrain and natural resources that shaped settlement patterns throughout history. The graphitic and calcareous character of the local bedrock would have influenced water drainage and soil composition across the castle's immediate surroundings, factors affecting the site's habitability and defensibility.

As a scheduled monument, Cauddwell Castle is afforded statutory protection under Scottish heritage law, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. The structure represents an important element of Banffshire's built heritage and contributes to understanding the region's medieval settlement hierarchy and defensive strategies. The castle's precise architectural form and historical date of construction remain integral to its recorded designation.

Cauddwell Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2505. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cauddwell Castle?

Cauddwell Castle is a scheduled monument located in Banffshire, Scotland, protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2505.

Who is responsible for protecting Cauddwell Castle?

Cauddwell 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 SM2505.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cauddwell Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Arndilly House, symbol stone (2.8 km), Balvenie Castle (4.5 km), Rothes Castle (5.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Cauddwell Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cauddwell 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cauddwell Castle

Cauddwell Castle stands on Appin Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is graphitic pelite, calcareous pelite, calcsilicate-rock and psammite.