Biggar Castle

Biggar Castle Details

Biggar Castle, earthworks of substantial C12 castle of Flemings abandoned C14; now occupied by private residence

  • Closest To: Biggar
  • Access: No Access
  • Grid Reference: NT039377

Biggar Castle is a large motte which overlooks the Biggar Burn near the centre of the modern day town. The mound (probably landscaped post-occupation) can be seen from a public park, although views are obscured by fencing since the summit is retained within the private gardens of a number of houses. There is no evidence of a bailey surviving, but it is conceivable that one could have occupied the ground to the north

Biggar was granted to Baldwin, a soldier from Flanders, by King Malcolm IV in the 12th century, as part of a plan to settle Lanarkshire with loyal supporters of the crown. His descendants, the Fleming family, retained the castle throughout its active life, but the history of the castle itself is fragmentary and largely deduced from wider events involving the Fleming family. It is likely that the castle was destroyed during the Wars of Independence and never reoccupied, the Flemings electing to found a new castle at Boghall nearby early in the 14th century.

HES Canmore database entry

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