Scottish Castles

Local information

Theave Castle, Dumfries and Galloway

Location: 1 mile west of Castle Douglas DG7 1TJ (map and directions)

Threave Castle sits on an island in the River Dee, just 1.5 miles west of the town of Castle Douglas. Threave was built in the 14th century by Archibald the Grim, Lord of Galloway, and was the stronghold of the ‘Black’ Douglas Earls of Douglas from the late 1300s until their eventual fall in 1455 when King James II himself attended the two-month siege on the castle which rendered it uninhabitable.

Threave Castle - Wikimedia Commons

History of Threave Castle

This magnificent fortification is only accessible by boat and is equivalent in size to a 10- storey block of flats. Though the castle now stands alone, it would have defended a village which covered most of the island. Due to its ruined status, the castle was passed to the crown, and then to the Maxwell family in 1526. The Maxwells lived at Caerlaverock Castle nearby.

Threave was involved in one last battle in 1640 when the Maxwells came under fire for their support of Charles I and Threave was attacked by Covenanters and eventually won after a 13 week battle. In 1913 the owner of Threave, Edward Gordon, passed the castle back into State care and today Threave is cared for by Historic Scotland.

Map and directions

Other castles in Dumfries & Galloway