Clan Rising
Rossend Castle today

Scotland · Restored

Rossend Castle

Rossend Castle is a historic 16th-century tower house in Burntisland, Fife, built largely in the 1500s on earlier foundations. The building was long associated with local abbots and later aristocratic owners, and contains a surviving early-17th-century painted timber ceiling that was once in situ.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1554

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1554

What Rossend Castle looked like in its prime.

Compact rectangular tower-house finished in smooth white harling, three storeys with an attic and a low-pitched tiled roof, pierced by several tall, slender chimneys. The south-facing façade shows regularly spaced narrow windows and a principal doorway with a dated stone lintel and heraldic arms (22 May 1554). A rounded stair-turret rises at one corner and the 13th-century basement is evident from small lancet windows near ground level; set in a gravel forecourt within the town.

Its story

The story of Rossend Castle.

Rossend, on the south coast of Fife at Burntisland, was known by 1382 as Abbot's Hall, the home of the Abbot of Dunfermline; the present tower house was built largely in the 1500s on earlier foundations. On 11 May 1590 Sir Robert Melville hosted the Danish Admiral Peder Munk here, on his way to Falkland Palace to take possession of lands granted to Anne of Denmark as part of her dowry.

In April 1594 James VI came from Leith with his guard and tried, unsuccessfully, to capture two rebel supporters of the Earl of Bothwell, Archibald Wauchope of Niddrie and John Wemyss of Logie, Melville having been instructed to make "his house of Burntyland patent" for the king's reception. Cromwell's soldiers captured the castle in 1651, and in the later 17th century the Wemyss family owned it and remodelled the top floor.

By 1765 it belonged to Murdoch Campbell, a Highlander from Skye who probably gave the building its current name. The Town Council acquired it in 1952; in 1975 the architecture firm Robert Hurd & Partners bought and restored it as their offices, and private owners who bought it in 2019 have restored it again. An early-17th-century painted timber ceiling from the castle survives.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1554.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Rossend Castle, including 3 interiors: abbot's hall with painted timber ceiling, 13th-century basement (lancet windows / chapel), private bedchamber (site of mary's bed). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Forecourt approach and main entranceAbbot's Hall with painted timber ceiling13th-century basement (lancet windows / chapel)Private bedchamber (site of Mary's bed)Exterior of the round stair-turretRoofline and chimneys seen from the courtyard

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Whose castle

Clans who held Rossend Castle.

The families that held Rossend Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Melville

    The house of Sir Robert Melville in the 1590s, when it received the Danish Admiral Peder Munk and James VI.

  • Wemyss

    Owned by the Wemyss family in the later 17th century, when they remodelled the top floor.

From the archive

Rossend Castle on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

Fig. 505. — Rossend Castle. View from South-East., Rossend Castle

Fig. 505. — Rossend Castle. View from South-East.

1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)

Public domain

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Rossend Castle.

Forth Bridge, ScotlandBridgeForth Bridge11 km awayEaster Road, ScotlandStadiumEaster Road12 km awayHolyrood Abbey, ScotlandAncient siteHolyrood Abbey12 km away

Questions about Rossend Castle

What is the history of Rossend Castle?

Rossend Castle is largely a 16th-century tower house built on earlier foundations. A keep existed on the site from 1119, and by 1382 the building was known as Abbot’s Hall, the home of the Abbot of Dunfermline. It was captured by Cromwell’s soldiers in 1651, later owned by the Wemyss family, and restored in the 20th and 21st centuries.

What is inside Rossend Castle?

Inside Rossend Castle are Abbot’s Hall, a 13th-century basement with lancet windows that may represent a chapel, and a private bedchamber associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. An early-17th-century painted timber ceiling from Rossend Castle survives, although it is now displayed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Why was Rossend Castle built, and what was it used for?

Rossend Castle was built as a tower-house residence, first associated with the Abbot of Dunfermline and later with aristocratic owners. Its use changed over time: the Wemyss family remodelled the top floor in the later 17th century, and the building served as offices for Robert Hurd & Partners after its restoration in 1975.

Where is Rossend Castle?

Rossend Castle is in Burntisland, Fife, on the south coast of Fife. Burntisland is the nearest named town, and the castle stands within the town in a gravel forecourt.

When was Rossend Castle built?

Rossend Castle was built largely in the 16th century, on earlier foundations. The site had a keep from 1119 and includes a 13th-century basement. The present building was rebuilt from 1552, with the date 22 May 1554 appearing over the main door.

Was Rossend Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Rossend Castle was attacked and captured on two recorded occasions. During the Rough Wooing, John Luttrell landed at Burntisland on 28 December 1547 and the owners surrendered the castle. Cromwell’s soldiers captured it in 1651. James VI also came in April 1594 and unsuccessfully tried to capture rebel supporters sheltered there.

Which family or clan held Rossend Castle?

Rossend Castle was held by the Melville family in the 1590s and by the Wemyss family in the later 17th century. Sir Robert Melville hosted the Danish Admiral Peder Munk there in 1590, while the Wemyss family remodelled the top floor after acquiring the house.

What did Rossend Castle look like in its prime?

Rossend Castle is a compact rectangular tower house finished in smooth white harling. It has three storeys, an attic and a low-pitched tiled roof, with tall slender chimneys and a rounded stair-turret. The south façade has narrow windows and a principal doorway with a dated lintel and heraldic arms dated 22 May 1554.

Is Rossend Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Rossend Castle is still standing and has been restored. It was acquired by the Town Council in 1952, restored by Robert Hurd & Partners after they bought it in 1975, and restored again by private owners who bought it in 2019. The building had deteriorated and faced a demolition threat before being saved after a public inquiry in 1972.

Who built Rossend Castle?

Rossend Castle was rebuilt from 1552 by Peter Durie of Durie. The arms of Abbot George Durie and the date 22 May 1554 appear over the main door. The supplied material does not identify a separate architect for the building.

Who owns Rossend Castle now?

Rossend Castle is currently owned by private owners. It was bought by private owners in 2019, after the architecture firm Robert Hurd & Partners had owned and restored it from 1975.

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