What is recorded here

Ochiltree Castle rose on a high rocky bank beside the Lugar Water, built by the de Colville family in the 12th century and destroyed in 1449 when Sir William Douglas captured it, slaughtered its male defenders and laid waste the lands. The violence came as retaliation for Colville’s killing of Auchinleck of Auchinleck, a friend of Douglas, turning a lofty border house into a warning written in blood. After the ruin, its stones were carried away to build farms and dykes, erasing much of the shape that had watched the water for centuries.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Ochiltree Castle as Castle (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Ochiltree Castle was built by the Maxwell family in the 13th century and later held by the Earls of Nithsdale. It is remembered for its strategic importance in the region and its association with the Maxwell clan, a powerful family in Scottish history.

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