Ink on board, 2001
Survey by RCAHMS
Threave Castle was built by Archibald the 3rd Earl of Douglas, better known by the name given by his English enemies, ‘Archibald the Grim’. Located on an island in the River Dee, a couple of miles west of Castle Douglas, the castle was constructed during the 1370s to help secure Archibald’s hold on Galloway and to resist incursions by the English.
The structure replaced an earlier castle thought to have been built by Fergus, Lord of Galloway, c.1000. Evidence is limited, but it is likely that this first Threave Castle was attacked and destroyed in 1308 by Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert I, after his defeat of the Gallovidians on the banks of the River Dee.
This drawing by RCAHMS offers a conjectural reconstruction for both living conditions and working life at the castle, providing a glimpse into Scottish medieval life.