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Auchenfranco Castle

 

 

 

Mains of Auchenfranco is now a charming country estate, set in a lovely situation in rolling countryside 6 miles west of Dumfries. The property includes land, which partly borders Lochrutton Loch some one mile long and half mile broad. In the centre of the loch there is a small, circular island called a crannog, which would have been built on an oak frame covered by stones. There is no wood visible and nature has taken over, trees are growing and the only occupation is by numerous birds.

 

Mains of Auchenfranco has a long history of occupation. Once in the hands of the Douglases, it passed to the Sinclairs after 1455.  It is thought that when the English King Edward 1 army was invading Scotland on the 17th July 1300, he spent a night at Lochrutton Castle, the site of which is now known as Auchenfranco Castle.  Sadly nothing exists of the castle except for some lumps and bumps in a field!  Although there is evidence of occupation of the site since 1300's, and indications that the estate owned much of the surrounding land & farms, we cannot date the current farmhouse except to say that the 1st Ordinance Survey Map of 1851 shows the building outline very similar to today.

 

The name Auchenfranco we think originates from the Gaelic: (Auchen) Achadh meaning field and (franco) from the norse - Frakka meaning spear or Anglo Saxon - Franca or Frakki meaning weapon. Auchenfranco therefore may be named 'field of the spear or weapon', which could be an indication of a troubled past in the disputed border lands.

 

Location: NX 893724

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