Biggar Castle was a 12th-century castle in
Biggar, South Lanarkshire
Biggar ( gd, Bigear ) is a town and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the Southern Uplands near the River Clyde on the A702. The closest towns are Lanark and Peebles.
Details
The town was once served by the Symington, Bigga ...
, Scotland. It appears to have been abandoned by the 14th century.
History
The
motte and bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...
castle was built in the 12th century by
Baldwin of Biggar
Baldwin of Biggar was a mid-12th century Scottish magnate. He was granted the lordship of Biggar, and was made Sheriff of Lanark/Clydesdale by David I, King of Scotland.
Baldwin and Herbert, Bishop of Glasgow commanded the Scottish forces at ...
, who received the barony of Biggar from
David I of Scotland
David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim ( Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malco ...
.
[''The New Statistical Account of Scotland: Lanark''. Volume 6. Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy. W. Blackwood and Sons, 1845. page 359.] Baldwin and his son Waltheof were
Sheriffs of Lanarkshire.
It passed to the
Fleming family in the 13th century with an heiress of Biggar and was held by the Fleming family until the 14th century. The Fleming family abandoned the castle for
Boghall Castle. The motte is still extant of the castle.
Citations
References
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CANMORE - Biggar, High StreetCANMORE - Biggar
History of Fleming Family (multiple books) by F. Lawrence Fleming
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biggar Castle
12th-century establishments in Scotland
Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland
Ruined castles in Scotland
Castles in South Lanarkshire