accordingly endeavoured to trace and collect such of the written records of the erection or alteration of the structures as were available. But we do not pretend to have discovered any new information connected with the history of Scottish Architecture, save such as can be gathered from the internal evidence of the edifices themselves.
One important result of the present inquiry is to bring into prominence the fact that Scotland, like every other country in Europe during the period from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, possessed a Castellated or Domestic Architecture of its own, and that even in the seventeenth century, when almost everywhere else the Renaissance style reigned supreme, the native style still flourished.
It may be thought that the number of buildings illustrated is unnecessarily large. But it is, after all, only a small portion of the still surviving examples of Scottish Domestic Architecture, and there is really almost no repetition. In most of the keeps and towers there is doubtless a great similarity in general design, but it will be found that each furnishes some points of variety which give to it a special interest.
It is greatly to be regretted that most of our ancient edifices are rapidly passing away, either from natural decay or other destructive causes. Even since our sketches were made, many have disappeared either in whole or in part. The neglect with which they are generally treated probably arises, to some extent, from their bearing on the architectural and national history of Scotland not being
