The name Threave is most likely derived from the Cumbric tref, meaning "homestead", suggesting that the island was settled before Gaelic-speaking people arrived in the area in the 7th century.
The site has traditionally been associated with Fergus of Galloway, the 12th-century Lord of Galloway, though there is no evidence to support this.
The chronicler John of Fordun records that, in 1308, Edward Bruce defeated a force of Gallwegians on the River Dee, and afterward "burnt up the island".
Archaeological finds of a penny dated to 1300, unearthed in the context of burned buildings, may locate this event at Threave.
Excavations in the 1970s revealed traces of buildings that could be attributed to this period, and which could have formed part of an early stronghold of the Lords of Galloway.
The name Threave is most likely derived from the Cumbric tref, meaning "homestead", suggesting that the island was settled before Gaelic-speaking people arrived in the area in the 7th century. The site has traditionally been associated with Fergus of Galloway, the 12th-century Lord of Galloway, though there is no evidence to support this. The chronicler John of Fordun records that, in 1308, Edward Bruce defeated a force of Gallwegians on the River Dee, and afterward "burnt up the island". Archaeological finds of a penny dated to 1300, unearthed in the context of burned buildings, may locate this event at Threave. Excavations in the 1970s revealed traces of buildings that could be attributed to this period, and which could have formed part of an early stronghold of the Lords of Galloway.
Threave Castle