Site Report

WoSASPIN 10194
NS84SE 1 8739 4491.

(NS 8739 4491) Castle Qua (NR)
OS 6" map (1941)

The Castle of the Quaw, or Castle-dykes, is a stronghold bounded by traces of a double ditch on the land side, enclosing about half a rood of ground, and on the side next the river by a precipice some 200 feet high. There are no traces of buildings excepting some possible foundations, but there are some artificial caves or arched ways. One of them, which was opened, was about 7 or 8 feet in length, and 4 feet wide, running in a bending direction towards the centre of the inclosure from the brink of the rock ; the height about 3 1/2 feet. It was built of undressed stone in corbelled fashion and unmortared. In the bottom of the archway was a fat black earth intermixed with some bones in the state of ashes. Several other archways or holes like the above, running in different directions, still exist, although not hitherto explored. There are similar archways at Cairny Castle (NS84SE 5).
OSA 1795

Castle Qua is a promontory formed by a semicircular rampart and double ditch, about 8ft deep, which encircles a spur at the top of precipitous cliffs, on the N side of the Mouse Water. Its internal diameter is 25 to 30 paces from E to W. Inside are some hollows, doubtless the site of the 'vaults' referred to in the OSA. Some of the stone of the rampart is visible.
OS 6" map annotated by O G S Crawford, 9 September 1938.

This fort, generally as described above, measures internally 28m from E to W by 30m transversely. No stones were visible in the interior, though some hollows about 0.5m deep were apparent. Both ditches are about 0.8m wide; the outer one has been almost entirely ploughed out and is 0.8m maximum depth on the N.
Surveyed at 1:2500.
Visited by OS (JLD) 15 February 1962

The earthworks at Castle Qua are thought to be almost certainly medieval.
RCAHMS 1978

The earthworks at Castle Qua are depicted, but not named, on Roy's Military Survey (1747-55). Only one ditch line appears to be represented, which may imply that one ditch was more obvious in the mid-18th century. If so, it may indicate that an earlier defended site was re-used in the medieval period.
Entered WoSAS (HMcB) 14/10/2004