Devastated by the civil wars of the 17th century or by the
neglect and deliberate destruction of their owners who saw them
as archaic and barbaric, the vast majority of Scottish baronial
castles built between 1250 and 1450 survive as little more than
skeletal ruins. These reminders of Scotland's past have captured
the imaginations of romantics, artists, writers and tourists
since the late 18th century. Often set in spectacular
surroundings, on cliff-tops, islands, and gorges, their ruined
grandeur evokes a medieval world of sieges, banquets and
murders, and provides a rare physical link with the Anglo-
Scottish wars of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. This book
examines the three periods of castle building in the years
1250-1450: the years of peace in the late 13th century; the six
decades of war with the English when the castles became key
centers for garrisons and government; and the post-war era of
castle building and reconstruction. Covering castles in the
Isles, the Lowlands and the Highlands, and fe