Orchardton Tower: A Unique Cylindrical Scottish Tower House

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.historicenvironment.scot

Country: United Kingdom

Civilization: Early Modern, Medieval European

Site type: Military

Remains: Castle

History

Orchardton Tower is located near Castle Douglas in Scotland and was built by the Scottish civilization during the mid-15th century. The site originated shortly after 1456 when John Cairns was granted the lands of Orchardton, previously known as the Douglas lands. This transfer likely honored Cairns’s allegiance to King James II during conflicts with the influential Douglas family, often called the Black Earls. The Cairns family had connections to the area from the early 1400s, including Alexander Cairns, who served as Provost of Lincluden Collegiate Church until 1422, and John Cairns, who contributed military engineering expertise to noteworthy royal projects such as King David’s Tower in Edinburgh Castle.

The tower’s construction reflects a distinctive architectural choice for its time, being the only cylindrical tower house recorded in Scotland, built approximately two centuries after round towers had largely fallen out of style. Although there is speculation regarding influence from Ireland due to the uncommon circular design, no direct historical link has been established.

John Cairns’s grandson, William Cairns, played a significant role in regional disputes, notably supporting family members involved in the 1527 killing of Thomas McLellan of Bombie in Edinburgh. Following William’s death in 1558, his estate was divided among his three daughters, with the share containing Orchardton Tower eventually sold in 1616 to Robert Maxwell. This Maxwell later earned a baronetcy in 1663, marking a new chapter in the property’s stewardship.

The Maxwell family’s ownership spanned a period marked by religious and political upheaval associated with the Scottish Reformation. A noteworthy descendant, Robert Maxwell, born in the early 18th century and raised in France, served as an officer in the French army. He took part in the Jacobite rising of 1745, suffering injuries at the Battle of Culloden. His foreign military status spared him from execution, allowing him to return to Scotland after the uprising. Upon his return, he converted from Catholicism to Protestantism and successfully reclaimed his inheritance following a protracted court case that concluded in 1771.

After regaining the estate, Robert Maxwell constructed a new manor residence known as Orchardton Castle close to the tower. For this manor, he reused stones from the nearby original castle that once adjoined the tower. However, financial problems eventually compelled the Maxwells to sell the Orchardton estate to the Douglas family in 1785. After this transition of ownership, the tower was apparently abandoned, marking the end of its primary residential use.

Today, Orchardton Tower is recognized as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, maintained under the care of Historic Environment Scotland, preserving its historical legacy for future study.

Remains

Orchardton Tower stands as a rare example of a Scottish tower house with a fully cylindrical form. Rising to about 11 meters in height and measuring roughly 9 meters across, the structure tapers gently toward the top. It occupies the northeastern corner within a fortified enclosure known as a barmkin, which was a defensive courtyard area common in medieval Scottish tower houses. This barmkin once contained various outbuildings, including shelters for livestock, storage cellars, a bakehouse, and likely an upper-floor hall, indicating that the site functioned as a self-contained domestic and defensive complex.

The tower’s walls are remarkably thick, approximately 1.8 meters wide, constructed to provide strong fortification. At the summit, there is a corbelled parapet, a projecting stone ledge designed to support defensive features such as battlements. A distinctive gabled caphouse crowns the tower, accommodating a spiral staircase built into the wall’s thickness that connects the different floors inside.

Originally, access to the living quarters of the tower was through a doorway situated on the first floor, reached via a stair linked to the barmkin below. This stair may have been movable, allowing the residents to secure the entrance when needed. During the 17th or 18th century, this original entrance was altered: a window on the tower’s northern face was converted into a permanent doorway with a stone stair, creating a more accessible ground-level entry.

Inside, the lowest floor serves as a vaulted cellar, characterized by its arched ceiling and used primarily for storing goods. Above this is the main hall, which would have been the principal living and gathering space. This room includes a fireplace for heating, deep window recesses with built-in seats, and a carved lavabo or piscina—features that served ritual or practical washing purposes. Above the main hall, two additional rooms occupied the upper floors, although the timber floors and ceilings in these chambers have collapsed over time. Due to the tower’s narrow circular design, each of these upper floors contained only a single room.

The spiral stair embedded within the thick wall allowed movement between these floors without interrupting the limited interior space. Adjacent to Orchardton Tower once stood a separate castle, whose stones were later reclaimed to construct the nearby manor house known as Orchardton Castle. This reuse of materials connects the remnants on the site and reflects changes in architectural style and domestic needs over the centuries.

Today, Orchardton Tower remains as an impressive and well-documented ruin, preserving significant medieval features that offer insights into the defensive residences and social history of Scotland’s past.