Hang tight whilst Gordon digs for info which may take a wee bit as hes been really busy with family.

Very good images and its great to have you here in the forums!!
Any thing we can do just tell us and we'll do our best to help or if something is not working correctly for you let me know.

Lochore Castle
Alternative Names: Inchgall Castle; Loch Ore; Inchgall Loch
Type of Site: Castle
NMRS Number: NT19NE 1
Map reference: NT 1753 9588
Parish: Ballingry
Council: Fife
Former District: Dunfermline
Former Region: Fife

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Archaeology Notes
NT19NE 1 17532 95883

(NT 1753 9588) Lochore Castle (NR) (In Ruins)
OS 6" map, (1920).

Lochore Castle is situated on a mound at the east end of what was formerly a sheet of water, Loch Ore or 'Inchgall Loch' drained at the end of the 18th century .
Present appearances suggest that the original castle had been of the motte-and-bailey type and that the motte-hill was reduced in height before the present tower of stone was built. The base of the mound has been enclosed by a barmkin of coursed rubbl e, now fragmentary and nowhere more than 10ft in height but still traceable all round. At the north-eastern, north western and south-eastern angles there have been small rounded towers, which seem to have been added in the 16th century and are now almost demolished. The entrance to the barmkin enclosure was on the/ the north-west through an arched doorway. The tower probably dates from the 14th century. To the north and west of the tower lie the foundations of later outbuildings.
RCAHMS 1933.

Loch ore Castle was apparently approached from the east along a causeway which is reported to have been in existence some years ago.
D MacGibbon and T Ross 1899.

Sir Duncan de lochore in the time of Malcolm IV (1153-65) was the builder of a baronial castle at Lochore.
It is quite certain that the present ruin was no part of it.
A H Millar 1895.

Lochore Castle is in ruinous condition: the description in RCAHMS 1933 is correct. The tower and barmkin are situated on a mound possibly the remains of a motte. The raised enclosure W of the tower, suggested as a possible bailey by RCAHMS would appear to be comparatively recent: small quarries reveal that it is apparently composed of ash, cinder, etc.
Visited by OS (AC) 13 March 1959.

'Adam de Vallance w ho was descended from an Anglo-Norman family married the elder daughter and heiress of Sir David Lochore, some time prior to 1296 and may have lived for a short time in Lochore Castle which by then was becoming obsolete (at site of Chapel Farm (NT19NE 4 and 5). He built a tower-house on the island of Inchgall shortly afterwards which was occupied about the year 1308 when it became known as the Castle of Inchgall.
Charter references to Inchgall Castle are noted in 1384, 1393, 1407, c.1410 and 1547 when d uring the Herifords invasion of Scotland, Inchgall Castle heads a list of " the four strongest Castles in Fife".
The Malcolm family came into possession of the barony of Inchgall in 1656 and set about changing the names of several long established featur es to that of 'Lochore', all contrary to charter evidence'.
Information contained in a letter from Mr E Henderson, Dunfermline to the OS, 21 March 1997, subsequently passed to RCAHMS, April 1997
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References
MacGibbon and Ross, D and T (1887-92 )
The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries,
5v, Edinburgh, Vol.3, 241-4,
Millar, A H (1895 )
Fife: pictorial and historical: its people, burghs, castles and mansions',
2v, Cupar, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Vol.2, 80-90,
RCAHMS (1933 )
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Eleventh report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the counties of Fife, Kinross, and Clackmannan
Edinburgh, 30-1, No.54,

Archaeology Notes
NT19NE 5 1671 9623.

(Name NT 1671 9623) Site of Roman Camp (NR)
OS 6" map, (1920).

Supposed Roman camp, Lochore, Ballingry. The Form of this Camp is nearest to a square, but in many parts levelled and defaced .... however, there appears on the W est side of it, three rows of ditches and as many ramparts of earth and stone, and on the side towards the Loch, is a round turret entirely analogous with Camp at Burnswark Hill (Dumfries 51 SE1). The total circumference of it (the camp) measures 2020 fee t. To the south of the camp there is a large morass or moss. (A Gordon 1726).
Maitland (W Maitland 1757) gives the length as 250 yards and the breadth 'about eighty' and says that it was bounded 'with a rampart on all sides but the southern, which is b ounded by Lochore.. Maitland adds that 'within the camp is the remains of an ancient chapel (NT19NE 4). Roy (W Roy 1793) described it as a Roman post 'of the stationary kind' big enough for 'a cohort or two only'. Lt Col Miller (Lt Col Miller 1857) says t he ramparts were levelled about 1817 when a farm steading was put there. He adds that 'upon levelling the trenches, although the burnt ends of the palisades were found, no bones or arms ... were discovered'.
I visited Lochore in July 1925, and was able to locate three parallel ditches on the north side visible both as depressions and as belts of darker green grass in a hayfield. The outermost ditch could be traced for a length of about 800 feet; the western portion was visible as a belt of darker green oats. The other two ditches are visible only in the eatern field, for a length of about 400 feet. The outer ditch turns south-eastwards at the east end, forming a slightly rounded corner. At a distance from the corner of a little more than 100 feet is a b reak and a causeway. The ditch then continues for about another 100 feet where it appears to stop. The length of the east side is about 300 feet.
About 400 feet south-west of Chapel Farm is a clump of trees. On the west of this are three sides of an enc losure, visible as green lines in oats (length of sides about 200ft.) There is a gap in the south-west corner.
The remains described and seen do not conform to those on any mediaeval site I know, and the fact that the chief mediaeval defensive site, the important site of Lochore (NT19NE 1 ), is half a mile distant to the east-south-east on the other side of the now-drained loch, seems against a mediaeval origin. Further evidence is needed before the remains can be considered Roman.
O G S Crawford 1949 ; OSA 1793; RCAHMS 1933.

The site, trenched by Mr Henderson, of Glencraig, is not Roman.
CBA (5th Report) 1950, 9.

Trial trenches were dug at Chapel Farm on behalf of the Lochgelly Antiquarian Society: a number of ditches were located but no dat able finds were made. Dr Wainwright visited the site and suggested that it was probably mediaeval. Mr Henderson (CBA Report 1950) has left the district. (Information from Mr J Westwater, Station Road, Lochgelly). The site was under water when visited. the crop marks would appear to have enclosed the raised area on which Chapel Farm is placed. The situation, low-lying ground on the edge of Loch Ore and subject to flooding, is a poor tactical position for a Roman Fort: it is also overlooked by higher groun d to the north.
The meagre evidence suggests a homestead moat with possible manor-house and chapel. (see NT19NE 4).
Visited by OS(AC) 13 March 1959.
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References
Crawford, O G S (1949 )
Topography of Roman Scotland north of the Antonine Wall,
Cambridge, 144-6,
Gordon, A (1726 )
Itinerarium septentrionale: or a journey thro' most of the counties of Scotland and those in the north of England,
London, 36,
Maitland, W (1757 )
The history and antiquities of Scotland, from the earliest account of time to the death of James the First, anno 1437,
London, Vol.1, 215,
Miller, Lieut-Col (1857 )
'An inquiry respecting the site of the Battle of Mons Grampius',
Archaeol Scot, 4, 1857, Vol.4, 26,
OSA (1791-9 )
The statistical account of Scotland, drawn up from the communications of the ministers of the different parishes,
Sinclair, J (Sir), Edinburgh, Vol.7, 315,
RCAHMS (1933 )
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions of Scotland. Eleventh report with inventory of monuments and constructions in the counties of Fife, Kinross, and Clackmannan
Edinburgh, 32, No.57,
Roy, W (1793 )
The military antiquities of the Romans in Britain,
London, 82-3,

LOCH ORE CASTLE, FIFESHIRE.

This somewhat remarkable structure is situated about one mile north from Lochgelly Railway Station, in the parish of Ballingry. The castle stood on an island about 100 paces distant from the south-east edge of Loch Ore, which formerly extended about one and a half miles in length by a quarter of a mile in breadth, but is now drained. The island rose above the water to a height of about 10 feet, and extended outside the walls an average distance of 8 paces.


Click to view attachment
The castle consists of a central keep (Fig. 176), surrounded by an enclosing wall. The latter is of a rudely oval form on Plan, and measures from cast to west, along the greatest diameter, about 124 feet, and 104 from north to south. The castle was apparently approached from the east along a causeway which is reported to have been in existence some years ago. The main entrance through the enclosing wall was in the west side, or on the opposite side from the approach. The bar-hole in one side of the gateway is still visible, and in the view of the castle in Grose's Antiquities, the gateway is shown, round arched and entire, in
this position. Parties approaching the castle would thus have to traverse the circuit of the island before gaining admittance, and from the nature of the ground outside the walls, the access would be naturally by the north side, which is commanded by a projecting round tower at the north-east corner of the enclosing wall. This is the only tower attached to the wall. It has three loopholes, 2 inches wide and 2 feet 2 inches high, of the form shown on Fig. 176. There was a postern adjoining the round tower, and commanded by it. This postern is shown in Cardonnel's Antiquities of Scotland as having a round arch with a defence on the top of the wall projected on corbels.

The keep, which is almost square on Plan, occupies the centre of the enclosure. It measures about 34 feet by 35 feet 6 inches. None of the floors were vaulted. The ground floor is entirely buried beneath the ruins and cannot be seen. The first floor is the one shown on the Plan (Fig. 176). The entrance to the ground floor is on the west side adjoining the north wall. There is also a doorway to the first floor on the same side at the south end, leading directly into the keep (see Plan), and passing, strangely enough, through the arched fireplace, which occupies the whole west end of the keep. This entrance has a bar-hole. There are no traces of a stair between the first floor and ground floor, nor from the first floor to the floor above, so that these were probably of timber; but from the second floor to the battlements a stair runs up in the thickness of the south wall. It entered on the second floor (see Plan) through a pointed doorway; adjoining this is an opening into the flue of the fireplace beneath, which does not appear to have been screened off with a stone partition, although there may have been one of timber; but taken in connection with the fact that there is only one fireplace in the keep, this flue may have been left open on this side so as to give the second floor the benefit of whatever heat could be got in that way. Or there may have been a door at this point into the vent, which was possibly used as a place for curing hams, &c., as in some other instances, such as Elphinstone. There was a third floor partly in the roof.

To the north and west of the keep buildings existed, extending between the keep and the wall of enceinte, but nothing remains of them above 3 or 4 feet in height. That on the north side is shown by Cardonnel as terminating with a crow-stepped gable to the north. On the west front of the keep the raglet for the roof of a building is cut on the face of the wall.

On the east face of the keep, fronting the approach to the island, there has been some kind of projecting structure at the second floor level. A part of its projecting edge (see Second Floor Plan) still exists, and seems to have been, in part at least, a garde-robe.

Complete ruin and desolation have overtaken Loch Ore Castle in the course of the nineteenth century (Fig. 177). In the views by Cardonnel and Grose it is shown in a much more perfect condition. The walls of enceinte are represented as entire, and they remained so within the memory of persons now living, till the removal of the earth outside brought the greater part of them down. The total ruin of the whole wall and keep itself seems imminent unless means are promptly taken to avert it.

Great antiquity is claimed for this castle. Grose, Cardonnel, and others suppose it to have been built in the twelfth century by Duncan de Lochore. The estate was then doubtless in the hands of that proprietor, and seems to have remained in the possession of this family till, as Grose tells us, in the reign of Robert 1, it "fell to the son of a gentleman, Adam de Valloniis, who had married a daughter of the Barons of Lochor.


Click to view attachment
It continued in this family for a considerable time, and then came to Sir Andrew Wardlaw of Torry, who married the eldest daughter of D. Jacobus de Valloniis, in whose family it remained till the time of King Charles I' All the above authorities and the Old Statistical Account agree in saying that over the chief entry to the tower is inscribed " Robertus de Wardlaw." It is thus quite clear that he must have been the builder of the castle, probably during the fifteenth century. The character of the keep corresponds with that date, and the enclosing wall, which is only 3 feet in thickness, has no resemblance to the older walls of enceinte of the First Period.

Where he has the images and info from MacGibbon & Ross refers to two artists from the 1800's and their books. You might have seen this all ready but there's more info about this pair here in the intro of this forum.
http://www.castleduncan.com/forum/index.php?showforum=163

and Canmore -- http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/search.html.
He can guide and help you far more then I can on that site.

then theres his book that has excellent info and images as well as the many other books hes contributed too.

Yes, Canmore is the database of the Royal Commision for Ancient Monuments for Scotland, registration is free, as it is for their other useful sites, such as Pastmap.
The problem with Canmore is that it quotes reports and many available texts, often the interpretation within texts may not be 100%, Sources often conflict. History is open to your own interpretation, the more you read, the more you'll realsize that 'historical fact' requires critical analysis.
You will have noticed differing interpretations even within what I posted above.
You may also find the Statistical Accounts useful http://edina.ac.uk/statacc/
Go to the bottom link 'browse scanned pages. You can choose which account and which parish you wish to read about.
Each was written by the local parish minister, and when considering historical fact, remember that although many were well educated, they had to accept the word of others if they had no great historical understanding of their own.
Go Here, the most useful links for you are in post 9.
and Here for some good books, many of which will require a large outlay, or a visit to an excellent regional library.

Worked at the National Archive in Edinburgh Now thats a good topic in itself!!!

Lochore Castle is a scheduled ancient monument.
Click to view attachment

Also, if you want an old print of Lochore Castle try http://www.the-bookshop.com/galleriesdetail.asp?ID=347

Thanks Andrew, that print looks excellent.

I wonder if you have any idea if these kinda of prints are artists' impressions of what the castle probably looked like, or if indeed it is a sketch of the structure as it used to appear before time and neglect took their toll?

Here's two more photographs of Lochore Castle, from my collection of photographs.

These came from David Caw, who hosted the website Caledonian Castles. Apparently his website went off-line mid 2004. The site was unrivalled for photos of Scottish Castles, and I purchased a number of his photographs to fill a few gaps in my collection.

From my experience, they tend mostly to be sketches of how the castle looked at the time. Sometimes though the artist may choose to leave something out because it was in the way.

I wonder if that's the Grose print? Cardonnel's style is different.
I did a quick search on Scran, and there is another print there, though without a full subscription, the thumbnail is indistict.
Now if John happens to have an Athens password which allows access...
http://www.scran.ac.uk/

Thanks John, yes the first image was the one I'd seen, and yes the hill is the ?motte.
Without excavation it's impossible to tell whether it's a natural feature or man made or whether it actually supported a timber castle.
Fantastic pic for the second. I liked the old map drawn by Gordon, since it shows the extent of the original loch, and like Pont before him, the sketch of the castle is probably a pretty accurate reflection of the nature of the structure.

Thanks Andrew, those are excellent

Would it be possible for me to download these pics to my PC, with a possible view to including one or both of them on a website or my thesis? I'd let you know if I plan to use any, and reimburse you accordingly - if this is a problem, can I download them simply for my own reference?
John

I wonder if that's the Grose print? Cardonnel's style is different.
I did a quick search on Scran, and there is another print there, though without a full subscription, the thumbnail is indistict.

I too wondered whether it was from Grose. Most of his engravings tended to have the date of publication and name of artist below the image - something which this does not. I'll look at some of the other images I have on file and make some comparisons.
If it IS Grose's, then the original of Lochore Castle was drawn in 1783 and reproduced in 1791. My initial estimate would put this one as the earlier version, rather than the reproduction. I'm not entirely convinced though.

You can download them if you wish. No charge. If you want to include them in your thesis, I suggest you make reference to where they originally came from. David Caw may re-start the Caledonian Castles website at some stage, although as it's been offline for 4 years now, that is probably unlikely.

Another old photo from http://members.tripod.com/lochgelly3/id11.html

Crosshill
Alternative Names: Templeland
Type of Site: Industrial/ Food And Drink; Grain Milling/ Farmstead; Corn Kiln
NMRS Number: NT19NE 34
Map reference: NT 1799 9588
Parish: Ballingry
Council: Fife
Former District: Dunfermline
Former Region: Fife

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Site Details Images on-line Collection Summary Digital Summary


Archaeology Notes
NT19NE 34 1799 9588

See also:
NT19NE 66 NT 1805 9597 Farmstead; Mill Lead

A group of buildings depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Fife & Kinross, 1856, sheet 31) some 150m NE of Lochcraig House have been removed. They are annota ted on the map 'old cornkiln, old mill lead'; the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map, (Fifeshire,1896, sheet xxvi SE) names this site as 'Templeland'.
(Cleish91 106)
Visited by RCAHMS (SH) 17 September 1991

A farmstead named Templeland comprising one unroofed building, which is annotated Ruin, three roofed buildings and two enclosures, and an unroofed circular structure, which is annotated Old Kiln (Corn), are depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Fife and Kinross 1856, sheet 31). The Old Mill Lead mentioned above lies within NT19NE 66.
One enclosure is shown on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1990).
Information from RCAHMS (SAH) 10 August 1999
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From Canmore;


Several of the old maps show a shortish burn running south into the Ore at the point shown on the photograph, just west of Milltown, and immediately west of the road bridge over the river. Doubtless it was covered over by the arched tunnel as development encroached, and just like the Molendinar in Glasgow, probably now runs underground.
It is possible that this was the mill lade, but on the maps it does not seem to have a water source, and is not as straight as the usual lades.
Being so short, I'd expect it to be dry in good weather.
The name Templeland may also be significant. It may provide a possible explaination for the possible medieval work mentioned at Chapel farm in the earlier Canmore extract, and the nearby names of Crosshill and Chapel Farm.....these are indicators that this portion of land may have been owned by the Knights Templar at some time prior to their excommunication and disbandment c1312.

Looking again at the photo, I would have thought this was just a storm drain. You can just see that it appears to go under the roadway, and out the other side. In this case it was built in order to stop the road getting flooded if the water level in the stream to the left of the picture, rose. There seems to be a wooden marker placed on the other side of the road at this point.

The map of Fife and Kinross at NLS by
T. Sharp, C. Greenwood & W. Fowler, 1828, is interesting. I'm reluctant to post another image incase I test the patience of the copyright holders too much, but when you zoom in you can clearly see the Mill lades marked, for both Inchgall Mill, and a little south, a second at Glencraig. Neither corresponds with the culvert illustrated in John's print. It's also woth noting that of the maps I've looked at, the River Ore appears as a natural meandering waterway alongside a lenghty straight ditch, but on others, the straight ditch in the photo is clearly marked as the river, as it is today. The original course of the River has obviously been altered, and fed through a man made canalised ditch.

One thing often leads to another, which can set you off on a number of different paths. That's history.