Dairsie Castle is a restored tower house located in Dairsie in north-east Fife. The first castle built here was the property of the bishops of St Andrews, and may have been constructed by William de Lamberton, bishop of St Andrews from 1298 to 1328. A Scottish parliament was held at the castle in early 1335.
The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century by the Learmonth family. James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, then regent of Scotland, laid siege to the castle in 1575. King James VI of Scotland stayed at Dairsie Castle in 1583 following his escape from the Raid of Ruthven in June 1583. In the 17th century it was sold to John Spottiswoode (1565–1639), Archbishop of St Andrews, who built Dairsie Old Church next to the castle in 1621.
Dairsie Castle became ruinous in the 19th century, but was rebuilt in the 1990s, and is now operated as holiday accommodation. It is a Category B listed building, and was formerly a Scheduled Ancient Monument, having been de-scheduled in 1997 prior to the restoration works.
References:The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.