# Duns Castle > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Duns_Castle > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Duns_Castle.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duns_Castle > Source revision: 1344953236 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{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](/source/Duns%2C_Scottish_Borders), [Berwickshire](/source/Berwickshire) is a [historic house](/source/historic_house) in Scotland, the oldest part of which, the massive [Norman](/source/Norman_architecture) Keep or [Pele Tower](/source/Tower_house), supposedly dates from 1320. The castle and most of the structures on the property are designated as a Category A listed building.{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB4108|desc=Duns Castle, with Screen Walls and Sundial|access-date=10 March 2020}} ==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](/source/Thomas_Randolph%2C_1st_Earl_of_Moray) by [King Robert the Bruce](/source/King_Robert_the_Bruce) in 1320. That structure may have been razed by the English in the 16th century, possibly during the [Rough Wooing](/source/Rough_Wooing) in 1545 when the nearby town of [Duns](/source/Duns%2C_Scottish_Borders) was burned to the ground,Groome, II, p. 447 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.{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=58652|num2=NT75SE 3|desc=Duns Castle|fewer-links=yes|access-date=20 June 2025}} The manor and its castle appear to have passed into the hands of [Patrick V, Earl of March](/source/Patrick_V%2C_Earl_of_March) after Randolph's death in 1332. After the [Battle of Halidon Hill](/source/Battle_of_Halidon_Hill) the following year the manor was granted by King [Edward III of England](/source/Edward_III_of_England) to Thomas de Bradestan. There were multiple changes of ownership afterwards.{{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}} During the [First Bishops' War](/source/Bishops'_Wars) of 1639, the castle housed General [Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven](/source/Alexander_Leslie%2C_1st_Earl_of_Leven). 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](/source/Pacification_of_Berwick) that ended the war. In 1670 Sir James Cockburn of Cockburn bought the estate and [burgh](/source/burgh) of Duns from Hume of [Ayton](/source/Ayton_Castle%2C_Scottish_Borders). The manor was sold to William Hay of [Drumelzier](/source/Drumelzier), son of [John Hay, 1st Earl of Tweeddale](/source/John_Hay%2C_1st_Earl_of_Tweeddale) in 1698 and it has remained in the family ever since. 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](/source/Gothic_Revival_architecture) castle, 1818–1822, by architect [James Gillespie Graham](/source/James_Gillespie_Graham). The interior woodwork was carved by the noted sculptor, Sir [John Steell](/source/John_Steell), during his [apprenticeship](/source/apprenticeship). 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](/source/Duns_Castle_nature_reserve).[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 }}. The castle and its outbuildings are currently available as a venue for weddings and corporate functions, with accommodation available for the guests.{{cite web |title=Castle Accommodation and Estate Cottages |url=https://dunscastle.co.uk/accommodation/ |website=Duns Castle |accessdate=10 March 2020}} ==References== ==Bibliography== * [Groome, F.H.](/source/Francis_Hindes_Groome), ''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] {{coord|55.7822|N|2.3558|W|source:dewiki_region:GB-SCB_type:landmark|format=dms|display=title}} {{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 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Duns Castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duns_Castle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duns_Castle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.