Milton Tower
The tower viewed from the south, 2008
TypeTower house
LocationKeith, Moray
Coordinates57°32′47″N 2°57′25″W / 57.54639°N 2.95694°W / 57.54639; -2.95694
Built1480
Built forGeorge Ogilvie
Designated1993
Reference no.SM5533
Milton Tower is located in Scotland
Milton Tower
Location of the tower in Scotland

Milton Tower is a ruined castle in Keith, Moray in Scotland. Built and remodelled over several centuries, it was started around 1480 for George Ogilvie,[1] and served as a seat of the Ogilvies, who had succeeded the Abbots of Kinloss as the feuars of the district after the Scottish Reformation.[2] Renovated by Margaret Ogilvie in 1601, the tower passed by marriage into the Oliphant family in 1707, but was neglected and gradually fell into disrepair after 1715. It was finally abandoned in 1829, and much of the stone that made up the fabric of the building was removed for use elsewhere.[3][4]

Only the northern part of the castle now remains, in the form of a two-storied tower with a garret above a vaulted ground floor. The fireplace of what would have been the great hall is exposed on the south face of the surviving structure at the level of the first floor,[1][4] alongside a substantial aumbry. There is a segmental-arched entrance in the west wall, and a small window to the garret in the south face of the tower. The walls, which are intact to the level of the roof, are made of rubble with ashlar detailing, and up to 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) thick in places.[4] The tower is approximately 7.2 metres (23.6 ft) from east to west, and 6.4 metres (21.0 ft) from north to south.[4] The site it stands on can be accessed from the west side, via an iron gate.[5]

Milton Tower was the birthplace of St John Ogilvie, Scotland's only post-Reformation Catholic saint.[3] It was designated a scheduled monument in 1993, and is recognised as a nationally significant example of a fifteenth-century defensive residence.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Walker, David W.; Woodworth, Matthew (2015). The Buildings of Scotland - Aberdeenshire: North and Moray. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 667. ISBN 978-0-300-20428-5.
  2. ↑ McKean, Charles (1987). The District of Moray - An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press and RIAC Publishing. p. 141. ISBN 1-87319-048-4.
  3. 1 2 "Milton Tower". Gazetteer for Scotland. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Milton Tower, Keith". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. ↑ "Keith, Station Road, Milton Tower". Canmore. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
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