Denmylne Castle facts for kids

Denmylne Castle is an old, ruined castle from the 1500s. It's located in Fife, Scotland, near a town called Newburgh, Fife and a loch (which is a lake) called Lindores Loch. Sometimes people call it Den Miln Castle. It's a special historical site, protected by the government.

A Look Back at Denmylne Castle's History

The Balfour Family's Story

The Balfour family owned Denmylne Castle for a very long time, from 1452 until 1710. The castle itself was built in the late 1500s.

Some members of the Balfour family were involved in important historical events. For example, in 1460, James Balfour of Denmylne died during a big attack on Roxburgh Castle. Later, in 1513, his son John was killed in a famous battle called the battle of Flodden.

Trouble at the Mills

In 1617, something unusual happened at Denmylne. Sir Michael Balfour of Denmylne owned watermills that were attacked by vandals. These vandals broke the dam on Auld Lindores Loch, causing a flood. The flood damaged the mill's wheels and axles, and almost destroyed the buildings. The channels that carried water to the mills were filled with mud. A nearby house also got covered in red mud!

Important Balfour Family Members

The Balfour family had some very important people. Sir James Balfour, 1st Baronet of Denmilne and Kinnaird became the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1639. This was a special job where he was in charge of things like coats of arms and ceremonies. He collected many important Scottish historical writings. He also helped with the coronations (crowning ceremonies) of two kings, King Charles I and King Charles II.

His brother, Sir Andrew Balfour, was also famous. He was a botanist, someone who studies plants. He helped start the very first Edinburgh Botanic Garden, which is a large garden where many different plants are grown and studied.

What Denmylne Castle Looks Like

Castle Design and Features

Denmylne Castle is a tower house, which means it's a tall, strong building that was used as a home and for defense. It has a unique cross shape. It has a main block, which is the biggest part, and a stair-tower that sticks out in the middle. There's also another small rectangular tower that matches it.

The castle has three main floors, called storeys. Above the top floor, there's a garret, which is like an attic space. At one end of the roof, there's a special wall called a parapet that sticks out, supported by stone brackets called corbels.

The castle has large windows to let in light. It also has several gunloops, which are small openings in the walls. These were used to fire guns from inside the castle to protect it. The whole castle was once surrounded by a courtyard, which was an open area enclosed by walls.

Size and Layout

The main part of the castle is about 41.5 feet (12.6 meters) long and 24 feet (7.3 meters) wide. It is built facing from the northwest to the southeast. The part of the castle with the stairs is on the northeast side, and the other sticking-out part is on the southwest side.

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