Barscobe Castle

Barscobe Castle stands in Balmaclellan, United Kingdom, and was raised in 1648 by Scottish proprietors, the Maclellan family. A dated stone set over the main doorway records the year 1648 and names William Maclellan and his wife Mary (sometimes given as Margaret) Gordon as the builders. Mary (or Margaret) Gordon is identified as the natural daughter of Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, the fourth Viscount Kenmure, who served as Commissioner of War for the Stewartry between 1645 and 1648. Stones for the house were taken from nearby Threave Castle during its construction.

William Maclellan died in 1654 and his eldest son Robert succeeded him. Robert Maclellan became closely involved with the Covenanter movement. He took part in a skirmish at the Clachan Inn in 1666 and in November 1666 was responsible for the capture of Sir James Turner. He joined a march toward Edinburgh that ended in defeat at the Battle of Rullion Green. In 1682 he was captured by forces under Claverhouse; he accepted the Test to avoid execution. In 1683 Robert Maclellan was murdered at Barscobe by Robert Grierson of Mylnemark. During the later seventeenth century Barscobe served as a meeting place for Covenanters, where clandestine assemblies were held and baptisms were conducted at the Holy Linn waterfall in Barscobe Wood.

The estate remained in the Maclellan family until 1775, when it passed to the Carson family. In the 1920s Hugh Laing acquired the property and built a nearby house called Barscobe House. The castle passed to Sir Hugh Wontner in 1961. It had stood empty for many years before work of repair began in 1971; restoration continued under Sir Hugh in the 1970s with guidance from his tenant Dame Bridget D’Oyly Carte and the architect Ian G. Lindsay. The building was placed on the statutory list in the highest protection category, Category A, in 1971. After Sir Hugh’s death in 1992 the estate passed to his daughter Jenifer Emery, and she transferred ownership to her son Alistair Emery in 2007. The castle was occupied from November 2011 by Stewart Gibson and Lorraine Belshaw, and by 2015 it was described as operating as a small seasonal bed and breakfast.