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Rockfleet Castle

I am very interested as to why so many of the Arbuthnots use this very uncomfortable looking building Rockfleet Castle as a maternity clinic. Why such an illustrious family should choose for their wives to give birth there is a mystery I wonder if you could solve. I think the Arbuthnots and their birthing history do stand up to too close scrutiny! I have a problem with that building being the ancestral seat and these people being listed as born there - Charles Arbuthnot in 1767 Alexander Arbuthnot (bishop) born there in 1768; Thomas Arbuthnot 1776 as the sixth son of John Arbuthnot, Sr of Rockfleet Castle. Something is not right here that building is too humble, small,damp and plain for a family of late 18th century aristocrats - This was the era of Russborough House, not medieval towers. Giano 22:24, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

I imagine it was, perhaps, out of tradition; although I really don't see why you should concern yourself with it...Can you prove it was humble, damp and plain inside? --Counter-revolutionary 07:06, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

I am relying on sources such as Scots Peerage. I will check it out when I get back to a library and a broadband connection. - Kittybrewster (talk) 07:19, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

I don't like the tone of Giano's comment; there may be a question here about facts and notability, but no need to say unpleasant things about the family. However, it is surprising that other web info on Rockfleet Castle doesn't mention Arbuthnot ownership. Could there be another Rockfleet? --BrownHairedGirl (talk) • (contribs) 10:47, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Sorry you don't like the tone but those people were no more born in Rockfleet Castle, as linked in the articles, that I was. Giano 06:11, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Not every landed family was rolling in money. Most were not. The old story of land rich - cash poor. Rockfleet is a good example of a Scottish Pele Tower or Tower house of which numerous are still lived in: there is one at Cranshaws in the Lammermuir Hills, Stoneypath Tower near Garvald has just been renovated and is again a residence as is Fenton Tower near North Berwick. There are numerous others elsewhere but they make fine homes even if some of them appear a bit forbidding. Most country houses in Scotland were built on the sites of the former towers, often including most of the walls in some part of the new house, although others, such as the old Lumsden seat at Blanerne, near Chirnside, built a new house nearby leaving the original tower house to develope into a picturesque ruin. Regards, David Lauder 12:00, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

It remains surprising that all the internet references to this pile don't mention this family.--Doc 12:21, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

You cannot find everything on the Internet. Far from it. David Lauder 12:55, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

True, but sometimes common sense says silence should ring alarm bells. Anyway, find another source and we'll be fine.--Doc 13:03, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Of course it is possible the family rented Rockfleet Castle and never owned it. They certainly lived there.

• http://holmesacourt.org/d0/i0005744.htm
• http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/7461/claim1798.html
• http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=linda5&id=I30901
• http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp Alexander Arbuthnott b.1768 and Charles Arbuthnott b.1767

- Kittybrewster (talk) 13:30, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Two of those mention Rockfleet without reference to the castle. Is it possible that the references are to the village - or another house in the 'Rockfleet' area?--Doc 13:33, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

No. For example the Homes of Wedderburn means the Homes of Wedderburn Castle. Which castle they always owned but did not always live in. - Kittybrewster (talk) 14:20, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

Would you consider checking pp. 176–177 of "Memories of the Arbuthnots", or the equivalent if your edition is different from that in Google Books? It seems that John Arbuthnot built a new house there and didn't live in the pele tower per se, from what I can make out from the snippets. Choess 04:53, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

I am going to stick my neck out and say that in my opinion the Arbuthnot's almost certainly did not live at Rockfleet Castle in the late 18th century. Just look at that building there is not one concession to the 18th century, which would have been made were it inhabited by anyone with the slightest pretensions to be Gentry let alone aristocracy. The place is completely medieval, I thought at first that may be just one tower of a larger mansion which had been expanded it is not, what you see is what there is. Everything is wrong about it from it's architecture to the social history and conditions of the day. A local squirene (or whatever they were called may have lived in such a building) a family whose daughter-in-law was lady-in-waiting to the Queen of England in the early 19th century most certainly did not. The Arbuthnots may have lived in that area but they almost certainly did not live in that castle. Giano 16:52, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

P.S. and a Reference this site recomended by Kittybrewster above, is rubbish Family Search so please do not quote it at me again. Just check Charles Arbuthnot on that site - not only does it claim he died not at the grand Apsley House but at Apsley in Hertfordshire, and he was not Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster but the of the Duchy of Lanos - most of the information there is added by relatives clearly with little training in genealogy. - So please do not quote that source or I will have to amend another of Kittybrewster's articles accordingly. Giano 17:01, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

I am persuaded. It should read Rosyvera House, Rockfleet, Co Mayo (per Memories). - Kittybrewster (talk) 17:15, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Well would you please be so kind as to inform your friends above, who seem to feel my quest to rectify and source the information in your pages is some vendetta with "malice", and when you have done that please change the information in the Arbuthnot pages mentioning Rockfleet Castle - there seems to be 4 . Thank you. Giano 17:34, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

• Is there any evidence that Rockfleet Castle is not the place we all know it is? --Counter-revolutionary 17:48, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Accusation of sockpuppetry

Goodness knows why, but Aatomic1 has accused me of controlling you as a sockpuppet. As far as I can tell, it's just someone bitter at the fact that we had the same point of view on one matter or another (although I can't quite identify which). He doesn't give any evidence whatsoever, and refused to notify either the accused puppeteer (me) or any of the accused sockpuppets (you, Astrotrain, Bastun). However, I'm sure that you'd like to clear your name just as readily as I do. Hence, I urge you to comment on the accusation as soon as possible. Thanks. Bastin 15:06, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

- Please would an administrator resolve this for us. - Kittybrewster (talk) 17:17, 21 May 2007 (UTC)