Kenmure Castle

Kenmure Castle stands on a partly natural mound in The Glenkens, one mile south of New Galloway in Dumfries and Galloway. The site has been occupied since the Middle Ages, and the present building incorporates parts of a 17th-century castle remodelled in the 19th century. It was the seat of the Gordon family, later Viscounts of Kenmure, and remains a scheduled monument. The Lords of Galloway may have had a fortress here in the 13th century. John Balliol, later King of Scotland, may have been born here in 1249. The castle has strong ties to Scottish history and notable figures. James IV stayed in 1508 and played backgammon with the laird. Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1563 and was welcomed by Sir John Gordon. The 6th Viscount took part in the Jacobite Rising of 1715 and was beheaded. Robert Burns stayed here in 1793 as a guest of the laird. John Ruskin visited in 1876 while staying with relatives. Visitors find a ruin with a haunting legend. The castle’s courtyard once held a great pike caught in Loch Ken in 1774, weighing seventy-two pounds. Charles Tate Regan studied its skeleton in the billiard room. The ruins include remnants of the 17th-century structure and later 19th-century additions. A sundial from 1623 is now in Dumfries Museum. The castle is said to be haunted by a headless piper.