Pittarthie Castle
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| Pittarthie Castle | |
|---|---|
 Pittarthie Castle | |
| Coordinates | 56°16′19″N 2°46′30″W / 56.2719°N 2.7750°W |
| Designated | 29 October 2003 |
| Reference no. | SM870 |
  Location of Pittarthie Castle in Fife | |
Pittarthie Castle is the remains of what was a laird’s tower house in Fife, Scotland dating to the end of the sixteenth century. The ruins of the structure are located 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) southwest of Dunino, and 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) northwest of Anstruther.[1] The name is spelled Pittarthie and Pittairthie in extant records. The ruins are protected as a scheduled monument.[2]
The present house was built around 1580 for James Monypenny of Pitmilly. Monypenny held the estate from the Patrick Adamson, the Archbishop of Saint Andrews.[1]
In 1598, Pittarthie Castle and the surrounding lands were granted to Andrew Logan of Easter Granton.[3]
The estate was later bought by Andrew Bruce, a son of William Bruce of Symbister,[4] in 1636[1] or 1644.[5] The house was remodeled by William Bruce of Pittarthie in 1653.[2] In 1654 William Bruce inherited the property from his father, Andrew Bruce.[6] Members of the Bruce family continued living in Pittarthie Castle through into the 18th century.[3]
In 1882, the house, called "Pittairthie Castle", was described as “a roofless ruin in the southwest of the [Dunino] parish, partly very ancient... partly a structure of 1653; and in its oldest portion consists of a large square tower, with vaults beneath”.[7] The description “partly very ancient” may have resulted from observation of the coarser masonry at the bottom of the south wall, mentioned in the later description, which would suggest an even earlier structure had stood on the site. The estate dates from the 14th century according to one report, which also states that the property passed to the Hannays of Kingsmuir sometime after about 1700.[8]