Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/410

 THIRD PERIOD 390 BALVENY CASTLE widow of the Earl of Douglas, and created him Earl of Athol in 1457. He was a powerful supporter of the Crown, and defeated an insurrec- tion under the Earl of Ross, on which occasion James in. granted him the motto of " Furth Fortune and fill the fetters/' which is still borne by the Earls of Athol. John's second daughter, Katherine, married John, Lord Forbes, and it was probably by them that the new part of the Castle of Balveny was built, the coat-of-arms over the door of the central staircase containing the arms of Athol and Forbes. (See Nisbet's Heraldry.') Balveny now belongs to the Earl of Fife. The coat-of-arms over the entrance gate, and near the parapet, appears to be that of Forbes. The windows on the upper floor, with projecting curved and moulded sills and lintels (Fig. 334), are remarkable. Mr. Billings gives an example of a similar window in the town of Elgin (now demolished). The general aspect of the south front, with its great round tower, recalls the design of such castles as Drochil and Huntly, with their diagonally opposite towers, but as in this case the building had to be fitted to the existing courtyard, only one angle tower was required. KILBIRNIE CASTLE, AYRSHIRE. The Place of Kilbirnie has a pleasant situation on the southern slope of the Glengarnock Hills, in North Ayrshire. The castle is unfortunately in a state of great dilapidation and neglect. It is situated on high ground in the bend of a deep ravine, which protects it along the west and north. The approach from the south is by a long straight avenue of great width, with high walls on either side, enclosing large gardens, all ruinous and waste, the castle itself terminating the view. The buildings are of two distinct periods. The original part is the keep (Fig. 337) at the north-west corner, measuring 42 feet by 32 feet 7 inches, with walls varying from 7 feet to 8 feet in thickness. It is four stories high, and contains two vaulted floors (section, Fig. 337). The entrance is on the ground floor by a round arched door at the north-east angle, leading to the basement, the vault of which is 1 4 feet 6 inches high. From the passage at the entrance door a newel stair leads in the thickness of the wall to a narrow passage in the north wall, which gives access by a door to the upper floor or entresol of the basement (see Plan), and to a passage in the wall, at the end of which is a hatchway 18 inches square, which forms the entrance to a dark dungeon in the north-west angle of the keep. The newel stair is continued to the hall floor and the upper floors. The corner containing the stair is now quite ruinous, and the hall can only be reached by scrambling over the fallen masonry. The hall measures 28 feet by 19 feet 6 inches, and is 21 feet 6 inches high