Carsluith Castle
| Carsluith Castle | |
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| Wigtown Bay, Dumfries and Galloway GB grid reference NX495542 |
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Carsluith Castle
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 Carsluith Castle
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| Coordinates | 54°51′34″N 4°20′48″W / 54.8595°N 4.3466°W |
| Type | Tower house |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Historic Environment Scotland |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Site history | |
| Built | Late 15th century |
| Built by | James Lindsay of Fairgirth |
Carsluith Castle is a ruined tower house, dating largely to the 16th century. It is located beside Wigtown Bay on the Galloway coast of south-west Scotland, around 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) south east of Creetown.
The lands of Carsluith were held by the Cairns family until 1460, when they passed to James Lindsay of Fairgirth, Chamberlain of Galloway. He was probably the builder of the main tower at Carsluith in the late 15th or early 16th century. His son, Sir Herbert Lindsay, was killed at Flodden in 1513. The castle then passed, though a daughter of James Lindsay, to Richard Brown. The Browns (or Brouns) of Carsluith added to the castle, building the stair tower on the north side in the 1560s. A Roman Catholic family, the Browns feuded with the Protestant McCullochs of Barholm, and in 1579 Richard's son John was fined £40, when his son, also John, failed to appear on a charge of murdering the McCulloch laird of Barholm.
Another descendant of Richard Brown was Gilbert Brown of Carsluith, who served as the last abbot of Sweetheart Abbey, near Dumfries, before the Protestant Reformation. Later it was alleged several times that Gilbert was sheltering Jesuit priests at Carsluith, and in 1605 he was arrested for his Catholic sympathies. He was banished to France, where he became rector of the Scots College, Paris. He died in Paris in 1612.
The Browns of Carsluith emigrated to India in 1748, and the castle has not been occupied since. In the early 19th century, new farm buildings were built on to the castle, forming a U-plan steading which remains. Today the castle ruin is protected as a scheduled monument. and as a category A listed building. The tower is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is open to the public.
Carsluith Castle is situated between the sea shore and the A75 road. There may once have been a moat or pond between the castle and the road.
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