Burleigh Castle

The lands of Burleigh were held by the Balfours from 1456, when they were granted by James II to John Balfour of Balgarvie, and a tower house was erected in the late 15th or early 16th century. Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich extended the castle in the late 16th century, adding a curtain wall with a corner tower, and other outbuildings. The castle was a convenient stopping place, Mary of Guise came to dinner at Burleigh on 9 January 1540 and went on to Falkland Palace. James VI of Scotland was a frequent visitor in the time of his son, Sir Michael Balfour. James VI visited Lady Burleigh for a few days in April 1587, and came to Burleigh in January 1589 after spending Christmas at Kinneil…

The remains of the castle comprise the western part of what was once a square courtyard or barmkin. In the north-west corner, the original tower house survives largely intact (though one of the first floor windows has been greatly enlarged) to three storeys and a garret in height. The 5 ft walls rise to corbels which once supported a parapet walk. The roof and internal floors are now gone, although the vaulted basement remains. The turnpike stair in the north-east corner originally led up to a cap-house giving access to the parapet walk. To the south-west is a 16th-century corner tower, two storeys high above a basement, which retains its roof. The tower is round at the base, and corbelled…