Tower History

The Arnot name has been closely linked to this land for nine hundred years. Although the current tower was built in the early 1400s, the site has been the seat of Clan Arnot since the beginning of the 12th century.

Notable characters include Nicol Arnot who served King Robert the Bruce from 1320, Sir Michael Arnot, a renowned warrior who drowned during the siege of Loch Leven castle in 1335, and Robert Arnot who fell at the battle of Flodden in 1514.

A ruin for over 300 years, Arnot Tower has inspired paintings and poems, the most famous of which is Michael Bruce’s poem ‘The Lovers‘ (1760), a tale of star-crossed lovers from the feuding families of Arnot and Balfour - Scotland‘s own Romeo and Juliet.