Cumbernauld Castle

There is little left of Cumbernauld Castle, a fortress dating from c.1370 which was home to the Flemings of Biggar and Cumbernauld. Its walls were quarried for stone to complete the adjacent Cumbernauld House and build walls and estate buildings. Parts of the old castle were incorporated into that property, much was simply landscaped out of existence, although the remains of a single wall can be seen in the vicinity of nearby allotments.

The land here passed from the Comyns to the Flemings in 1306. Sir Malcolm Fleming was murdered along with the Earl of Douglas at Edinburgh Castle in 1440. Mary Fleming was one of the Four Marys of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Queen is known to have visited in 1561. Indeed, the roof of the Great Hall collapsed while she was staying here, killing several people although she was not hurt. The castle fell to the Cromwellian army of General Monk in 1651 and was badly damaged. However, it remained home to Flemings until their new Cumbernauld House was completed 80 years later and was still recorded on Major General William Roy's map of 1747-55. It was used as a stables during the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and accidentally set alight by a troop of Dragoons who were billeted there.


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