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Buittle
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Buittle
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Location Information
Name Buittle
Owner private
NGR NX 81817 61652
Lon. & Lat. 54.935518,-3.846161
Council Dumfries and Galloway
Parish Buittle
Nearby Castles Barclosh, Cardoness, Rusko
Year built 16th c.
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A probably late - 16th century L-shaped tower stands among the farm buildings of Buittle Place. Although ruinous in 1790 it has since been restored. The exterior of the building is harled and whitewashed.

The name is ancient, as it is derived from the Northumbrian term boðl, settlement or Hamlet. Northumbrian expansion into what was the kingdoms of Rheged and Strathclyde in the 7th and 8th c. left a number of Anglian names throughout the southwest, and it would appear that the name Buittle is one of these relics.

Buittle was in the Kingdom of Galloway and remained part of that statelet until Dervorguilla of Galloway, daughter of the last King, Alan of Galloway, married the Norman, John de Baliol, Lord of Barnard Castle and Fotheringay. Baliol and his wife made their home at Buittle, and raised a castle there.

Following the death of de Baliol in 1269, Dervorguilla endowed the University of Oxford with a new establishment Balliol College, the final sentence of the deed being: "Given at Botel, in the octave of the assumption of the glorious Virgin Mary, in the year of grace 1282."

Buittle became the Scottish residence of their son John Baliol, the future King John I of Scotland. Galloway remained faithful to King John and his son Edward Baliol throughout the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Early in the seventeenth century the lands of Buittle were in possession of John, brother to Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar, who had succeeded his father in 1604. John died without issue, and was succeeded by his brother, James Gordon of Barncrosh (Barclosh), parish of Tongland. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir John Vaus of Longcastle, parish of Kirkinner, and had issue— John and Robert afterwards in succession, Viscount Kenmure. In 1621 she pursued him for a divorce for sundry adulteries said to have been committed. We next learn that in July 1647, there was a precept of arrestment from Robert, Earl of Nithsdale, Steward of Kirkcudbright, in favour of James Gordon of Butle, for arresting his wood growing on his lands and lordship of Butle, in order to stop the people of the country from cutting and peeling thereof. The lands of Buittle thus remained in the possession of the Gordons, but as will afterwards be seen, there is much confusion, which may have arisen from wadsets.

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