ye Rose:Castel: (The Gatehouse Record of the Aglionby Platt)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Ross Main

In the civil parish of Kirkmichael.
In the historic county of Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
Modern Authority of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
1974 county of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY06708870
Latitude 55.18379° Longitude -3.46671°

The given map reference is suggested as the probable location of ye Rose:Castel: shown on the Aglionby Platt.

There are no visible remains.

The likely form(s) of this building in 1590 are;

Tower House (baronial).

Reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland

Description

(NY 0670 8870) Ross Castle (NR) (Site of) (OS 6" map (1957))
'Ye Rose castel', the castle of the barony of Ross, is shown on map of 1590, and part of an old wall in the steadings of Ross Mains is thought, because of its comparative thickness, to be of the castle. (Name Book 1857; J and R Hyslop 1912)
The now disused farmhouse at Ross Mains incorporates in its basement the remains of an earlier building comprising several blocked windows, a fireplace and stone staircase. Whilst not easy to date these remains, it seems possible that they are from a 16th century building. Visited by OS (JP) 5 October 1972
Ross Mains is an exceptional example of a medium-sized Georgian farmhouse. Built in 1728 for the Duke of Queensberry, it consists of a five-bay hip-roofed block (recently re-roofed), two storeys and an attic in height over a partially sunken basement. External detail includes an ogival-moulded plinth, rusticated quoins, a plain-eaves band and mounded cornice. The entrance is central to the facade and is approached by a flight of stairs. The doorway has a richly moulded shouldered surround and is surmounted by a panel bearing the Queensberry arms and the date 1728. Internally, although remodelled and, more recently, partially gutted, original features include some panelling, skirting and cornices, a silhouette balustrade in the attic, basement kitchen fireplace and service stair.
Incorporated into the basement of the house, in re-use as lintels and in the fabric of a fireplace to the rear of the service stair, there are a number of architectural fragments of 16th-century date, probably from a tower-house which may have stood on or close to the site. Two other fragments, each wrought with a rounded arris, are incorporated into the neighbouring steading, towards the E end of the S wall at a height of about 1.8m (NY 0671 8866). Visited by RCAHMS (IMS/JRS) 9 September 1993.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Canmore (The online National Monument Record for Scotland) Number 66218.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) MDG12231.

Books
- Gifford, J., 1996, The Buildings of Scotland: Dumfries and Galloway ( London) p. 502
Periodical Articles
- Ellis, H., 1829, 'Copy of a manuscript tract addressed to Lord Burghley, illustrative of the Border topography of Scotland, AD 1590, with a platt or map of the Borders taken in the same year' Archaeologia Vol. 22 p. 161-71 online copy
Maps (Early maps)
- 1590, A Platt of the opposete Borders of Scotland to ye west marches of England (The Aglionby Platt) British Library online Gallery and Old Cumbria Gazetteer

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.
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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of Historic England, RCAHMS (or its successor Historic Environment Scotland), County Historic Environment Records and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
The author and compiler of Gatehouse does not receive any income from the site and funds it himself. The information within this site is provided freely for educational purposes only.

The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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The Gatehouse website record of

ye Rose:Castel: (Ross Castle)

a location shown on a 1590 map of the West Marches of Scotland (The Aglionby Platt)