Auchenbathie Tower

Auchenbathie Tower
Auchenbathie, East Renfrewshire, Scotland UK grid reference NS397565
The Tower of Auchenbathie Tower wall
Coordinates	55°46′31″N 4°33′26″W / 55.7752°N 4.5572°W / 55.7752; -4.5572Coordinates: 55°46′31″N 4°33′26″W / 55.7752°N 4.5572°W / 55.7752; -4.5572
Grid reference	grid reference NS438141
Type	Tower House
Site information
Controlled by	Clan Wallace
Open to the public	No
Condition	Part of tower wall remains
Site history
Materials	Stone

Auchenbathie, Auchinbathie Tower or rarely Barcraigs Tower is a ruined fortification, a tower house, once held by the Wallace Clan of Elderslie, situated in Renfrewshire, Parish of Lochwinnoch, Scotland. The spelling used varies greatly and "Auchenbathie" will be used here as the standard spelling. The pronunciation locally is "Auchenbothy", the same as a Victorian mansion in Kilmacolm; no connection is known.

A carved stone was retrieved from the chimney of the old cottage, now a ruin, and this carries the date 1678 with the letters "I C R C N C". This stone was once located in the interior of the middle cottage and may refer to the Cochrane family.

The ruins of the Tower of Auchenbathie or Auchenbathie Tower (NS 3980 5646) in the 1856 measured 29 ft by 10 ft to 12 ft, however only part of the side walls remain, standing to a maximum height of about 17 ft. A small byre stood within the old walls, once used as an outhouse for cattle. The tower was owned by the Wallaces of Elderslie in 1398. The walls are continuous though not in many places more than 4 ft to 5 ft high; a small portion of the wall has been removed from the side next to the ruins of the farmhouse.

Timothy Pont's manuscript map of circa 1583–96 shows an apparently intact tower, on a par with Caldwell Tower, the name Achinberthy, with a dwelling nearby. Boighous (sic) is also shown as a dwelling to the north. The Blaeu map of circa 1654, shows a Inborthy (sic), but not as a fortification. Boighous (sic) is again marked nearby. Roy's map of 1747 records the site as 'Tower' with an Achinbathy steading located to the east. In 1821 the Tower hamlet is clearly shown as a group of three buildings with Auchenbathy nearby and Auchenbathy Top as a dwelling further up the lane. Thomson's map of 1832 shows a single building at Tower to the west of the road and Auchenbathy nearby with Auchenbathy Top, now Tophouse. The name changes from Auchinbathie to Auchenbathie on the later OS maps. The 1897 1 inch map clearly indicates 'Tower' in gothic script, located at the site of the present elevated stone wall remnant to the west of the road.

Some confusion has developed over the location of the old tower, due to the placing of the gothic script annotation on the OS maps. The position of the script has been taken as indicating that the building on the side road, where a wood is now located (2011), was Auchenbathie Tower. This ruined vernacular building has the appearance and location typical of a smithy with a cottage, possibly adapted from buildings associated with the tower.