Inveravon Castle
Inveravon Castle once belonged to the Hamilton family. It was
besieged and destroyed by James II in 1554 or 1455, reportedly as part of
the King's campaign to wipe out the Black Douglas family. Presumably
at that point, it was in Douglas hands. It overlooked the Carse of
Falkirk, and commanded the lowest ford on the river Avon.
Described as a courtyard castle with corner towers, all that remains here is the outer semicircle of a tower, 12'4" in
diameter with 5' thick walls. It is built of 17 courses of carefully
laid sandstone rubble. Within is a vaulted basement, which in 1924
was used for storing farm implements, and is overgrown above. It is
apparently a 15th century work, and was very probably part of a more
extensive structure.
The original form of the Castle is
unknown with the remaining tower offering very few clues, as most of
the architectural features have since decayed through time. However,
the castle may have continued to be inhabited in some way after this
destruction, as it is found marked on Blaeu's 1654 map of the region
as `INNEREUIN' together with a small castle symbol. A branch of the
Hamilton family were later to be found further east at the nearby
Kinneil House dating from the late 15th century onwards; although it
is unknown whether these were the same family that earlier owned
Inveravon.
Inveravon Tower sits within the scheduling boundary for
the Antonine Wall, and may have been built on the site of a former
Roman fort. The line of the wall approaches from the SE, and arcs
over the north side of the Tower before heading west towards Kinneil.
Click to enlarge map
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Errors and Omissions
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