Dundonald Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dundonald Castle |
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| Dundonald, South Ayrshire, Scotland | |
From south west
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 Dundonald Castle
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| Coordinates | 55°34′37″N 4°35′50″W / 55.57681°N 4.5972°W |
| Site information | |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Ruin |
Dundonald Castle is an old castle on a hill in Scotland. It's located near the villages of Kilmarnock and Troon in South Ayrshire. This strong tower house was built for King Robert II when he became king of Scotland in 1371. Both King Robert II and his son, King Robert III, used it as a royal home.
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History of Dundonald Castle
The First Fort on the Hill
The castle stands on a spot that was once an ancient hill fort. Around 1000 AD, this fort had large wooden roundhouses and other buildings. A stone wall with timber inside protected the fort. This timber caught fire, making the stones melt and fuse together. This is called "vitrification." This fire likely ended the fort's use. Around this time, the British Kingdom of Strathclyde became part of Scotland.
The name "Dundonald" means "fort of Donald." It comes from an old British language. The "Donald" in the name might refer to one of the many kings of Strathclyde who had that name long ago.
Building the Early Castles
There have been three medieval castles on this site. The first one was built by an important person called a "steward" of the Scottish king. This was probably Walter, who came to Scotland in 1136. We don't see any parts of this first castle today.
The second castle was built in the late 1200s by Alexander Stewart. This castle was mostly made of stone. It was one of the grandest homes of its time. However, it was mostly destroyed by the Scottish during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 1300s. King Robert the Bruce often destroyed castles so his enemies couldn't use them. Only a well and a rounded tower stump remain from this second castle.
The Castle You See Today
The third castle is the one you see mostly today. Robert Stewart built it, probably when he became King Robert II in 1371. It was three stories tall.
The top floor was the "great hall." This was a more private space for the king and his family. The first floor was the "laigh hall," used for bigger events like feasts and court meetings. The ground floor was for storage, holding things like wine, food, and fuel.
Later in the 1300s, the castle was made bigger. New private rooms and a prison were added. An outer courtyard, called a "barmkin," was also built. This courtyard had other buildings like stables, bakeries, and workshops. Dundonald Castle also had its own chapel, dedicated to Saint Inan.
Later Owners of the Castle
By 1520, the Wallace family owned the castle. In 1536, King James V tried to give the castle to Robert Boyd, but the Wallaces kept it. About a hundred years later, the Wallaces sold the castle in 1632 because they had debts. By then, they had moved to a new home called Auchans House. They even used some stones from Dundonald Castle to build Auchans House.
Sir William Cochrane bought the castle in 1638. In 1669, he was given the title "Earl of Dundonald" because he supported the king. The Cochranes sold the Dundonald estate in 1726, but they kept the ruined castle. In 1953, the 13th Earl gave the castle to the state. Since then, work has been done to restore and protect it.
Visiting Dundonald Castle Today
At the bottom of the hill, there is a visitor centre. It has a cafe, a gift shop, and an exhibition. The exhibition shows the castle's history with detailed models of the older castles that stood on the site.
South Ayrshire Council owns the visitor centre. Historic Scotland owns the castle itself. Both are managed by the Friends of Dundonald Castle group. The castle was made a protected monument in 1920.
Some people believe a secret tunnel runs from Seagate Castle in Irvine all the way to Dundonald Castle!
Discovering the Past: Archaeology at the Castle
Archaeologists have studied Dundonald Castle to learn about its past. In the 1960s, small digs showed that the castle's walls were built on solid rock.
Between 1986 and 1993, bigger excavations took place. These digs found amazing things from different time periods, even as far back as the Bronze Age!
Here are some of the things they found:
- Layers of charcoal, possibly from the Neolithic (New Stone Age).
- Structures that looked like kilns and pieces of Bronze Age pottery. This suggests people lived here for a long time.
- Old grains like emmer wheat.
- Evidence of an Iron Age hillfort with large wooden roundhouses. This shows people lived here for many years.
- Bracelets made of shale or lignite and glass beads. These suggest the settlement continued into the 4th and 5th centuries AD.
In 2017-2018, Historic Environment Scotland worked with the Friends of Dundonald Castle. They used special equipment to look underground without digging. Then, they did more excavations to learn even more about the castle's long history.
The Legend of Donald Din
There's an old Scottish folktale about how Dundonald Castle was built. It goes like this:
Donald Din was a poor man. He had a special gift: he could dream lucky dreams. One night, he dreamed three times that if he went to London Bridge, he would become rich. So, he went to London.
On London Bridge, he met a stranger. Donald told the stranger about his dream. The stranger laughed and said he had a similar dream once. His dream told him to go to a certain spot in Ayrshire, Scotland, where he would find treasure. But the stranger never bothered to go!
Donald, being a clever Scotsman, realized the stranger was describing his own humble garden back home! He rushed back, excited. He started digging in his garden, even though his wife thought he was crazy for digging up her cabbages. But he didn't give up! Finally, he found a large pot filled with gold coins! With this treasure, he built a strong castle for himself. This is how he became the founder of a successful family.
Where the Legend Comes From
This type of legend is found in many places across Europe and the Middle East. One of the earliest versions is a poem from the 1200s by a Persian poet named Jalal al-Din Rumi. This poem was later turned into a story in The One Thousand and One Nights (also known as Arabian Nights). The story then spread through different countries and became part of their folklore and children's tales. More recently, the story was used in the famous novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Images for kids
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A model of Dundonald Castle at the visitor centre.
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Dundonald Castle on a sunny day.
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Another view of Dundonald Castle.
