{{Short description|Castle in Scottish Borders, Scotland}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}} {{Use British English|date=July 2014}} {{Short description|Scottish Victorian mansion}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Duns Castle | image = Duns Castle - geograph.org.uk - 8169370.jpg | caption = Duns Castle in 2025 | locmapin = | map_caption = | coordinates = | designation1 = category a listed building | designation1_date = | designation1_number = | designation2 = Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland | designation2_offname = Duns Castle | designation2_date = 30 June 1987 | designation2_number = {{Historic Environment Scotland|num=GDL00161|short=yes}} | image_size = 250px }} thumb|250px|Duns Castle in 2004 '''Duns Castle''', Duns, Berwickshire is a historic house in Scotland, the oldest part of which, the massive Norman Keep or Pele Tower, supposedly dates from 1320. The castle and most of the structures on the property are designated as a Category A listed building.<ref name=hes>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB4108|desc=Duns Castle, with Screen Walls and Sundial|access-date=10 March 2020}}</ref>
==History== The early history of the building is virtually unknown. A keep was built on the lands granted to Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray by King Robert the Bruce in 1320. That structure may have been razed by the English in the 16th century,<ref name=hes/> possibly during the Rough Wooing in 1545 when the nearby town of Duns was burned to the ground,<ref name=gII>Groome, II, p. 447</ref> as that the part of the building claimed to date from that time has been assessed as dating from the 15th – 16th century by architectural historians.<ref name=can>{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=58652|num2=NT75SE 3|desc=Duns Castle|fewer-links=yes|access-date=20 June 2025}}</ref>
The manor and its castle appear to have passed into the hands of Patrick V, Earl of March after Randolph's death in 1332. After the Battle of Halidon Hill the following year the manor was granted by King Edward III of England to Thomas de Bradestan. There were multiple changes of ownership afterwards.<ref name=dc>{{cite web |title=Duns Castle |url=http://www.dunsehistorysociety.co.uk/greathouses.shtml |website=www.dunsehistorysociety.co.uk |publisher=Dunse History Society |accessdate=10 March 2020}}</ref>
During the First Bishops' War of 1639, the castle housed General Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven.<ref name=can/> His army was quartered nearby and blocked the English from advancing into Scotland. Neither side wished to fight and negotiations began that led to the Pacification of Berwick that ended the war. In 1670 Sir James Cockburn of Cockburn bought the estate and burgh of Duns from Hume of Ayton.<ref name=gII/> The manor was sold to William Hay of Drumelzier, son of John Hay, 1st Earl of Tweeddale in 1698 and it has remained in the family ever since.<ref name=dc/>
The original keep is claimed to have been incorporated into the building as it was expanded into an L-shaped structure at an unknown date. It was remodeled shortly its acquisition and again in 1791–1798 by the architect John Baxter. The house was transformed into a Gothic castle, 1818–1822, by architect James Gillespie Graham. The interior woodwork was carved by the noted sculptor, Sir John Steell, during his apprenticeship.<ref name=can/>
There is a publicly accessible park and two man-made lakes, the Hen Poo and the smaller Mill Dam that form the Duns Castle nature reserve.<ref>[http://www.swt.org.uk/wildlife/popup_reserves/east/duns.htm Scottish Wildlife Trust] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927023556/http://www.swt.org.uk/wildlife/popup_reserves/east/duns.htm |date=27 September 2007 }}.</ref>
The castle and its outbuildings are currently available as a venue for weddings and corporate functions, with accommodation available for the guests.<ref>{{cite web |title=Castle Accommodation and Estate Cottages |url=https://dunscastle.co.uk/accommodation/ |website=Duns Castle |accessdate=10 March 2020}}</ref>
==References== <references/>
==Bibliography== * Groome, F.H., ''Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical, and Historical'', VI vols, Edinburgh, 1884.[https://archive.org/details/ordnancegazettee02groo]
==External links== {{commons category}} *[http://www.dunscastle.co.uk Duns castle]
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{{Castles in the Scottish Borders}}
Category:Houses completed in the 14th century Category:Country houses in the Scottish Borders Category:Castles in the Scottish Borders Category:Peel towers in the Scottish Borders Category:Gothic Revival architecture in Scotland Category:Category A listed buildings in the Scottish Borders Category:Listed castles in Scotland Category:Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in the Scottish Borders Category:James Gillespie Graham buildings Category:Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland + Category:Duns, Scottish Borders