Atop the tower, Mr Monkey looked south down the glen towards the town of Dollar. Then he ran around the other side of the roof, and looked up the glen towards the Ochil Hills. When it was owned by the Stewarts of Lorne, the area was called the Place of Gloom, and the castle was Castle Gloom. Allegedly, Gloom was derived from the Gaelic for 'chasm'. In 1465 the Stewarts ran out of male heirs, and the second Lord Campbell acquired the castle by marrying Elizabeth Stewart. In 1489-90 he was allowed to change the name of the castle, after James IV had approved.
The Undiscovered Scotland website has a page about Dollar.
Copyright Rik Shepherd and Mr Monkey. This page last modified 5 September 2005