Barnbougle Castle Barnbougle Castle is a much - altered tower house on the south shore of the Firth of Forth , between Cramond and South Queensferry . It lies within the Dalmeny Estate , and is the property of the Earl of Rosebery . It is about north of Dalmeny House , the main house on the estate . Although its history goes back to the 13th century , the present castle is the result of rebuilding in 1881 by the 5th Earl of Rosebery , who served as the British Prime Minister from 1894 – 1895 . History . Barnbougle was owned by the Mowbray , or Moubray , family , a Norman family who were also lords of Dalmeny and Inverkeithing . The first building was a thirteenth - century tower house , constructed by Philip Mowbray . In 1615 the Mowbrays sold Barnbougle to Sir Thomas Hamilton , afterwards Earl of Haddington . It was sold again , by Sir Thomas ' grandson in 1662 , to Sir Archibald Primrose of Carrington , a senior judge who became Lord Justice General of Scotland in 1676 . Sir Archibald ' s eldest son by his second marriage , also Archibald Primrose , was created Earl of Rosebery in 1703 , and Barnbougle became the family seat . At some point during the 17th century , the original tower house was rebuilt or replaced . In 1774 , a plan for rebuilding the castle was drawn up by the architect Robert Adam . This proposal was for a triangular building , with the original tower at its seaward corner , but it was never executed . By the early 19th century , the castle had become dilapidated , and a wave supposedly washed into the dining room during supper . The 4th Earl of Rosebery had Dalmeny House constructed on the estate , and the family moved in on completion in 1817 . Barnbougle was used to store explosives , and after being damaged in an accidental explosion , it was subsequently left as a ruin . In 1881 the castle was entirely reconstructed and extended according to plans by James Maitland Wardrop , of Wardrop & Reid , in the Scots Baronial style . The older fabric of the north side was incorporated into the new building . It was primarily built to house the private library of Archibald Primrose , 5th Earl of Rosebery ( 1847 – 1929 ) , who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1894 . Lord Rosebery practised his speeches here , in a purpose - built gallery . It remains a part of the Dalmeny Estate , and is the property of the Rosebery family . Barnbougle Castle is a category A listed building . Etymology . The etymology of the name Barnbougle has been variously suggested to be : Description . The castle is built on a projecting rock terrace . It incorporates some of the fabric of the original castle , but is mainly a late - nineteenth century construction . There are 3 stories and an attic ; the building is rubble , dressed with ashlar sandstone . Features include crowstep gables , bartizan s with water spouts on the two western corners , and a crenellated parapet . A high obelisk sundial stands in the castle garden , having been moved there in 1890 . Traditions . According to tradition , Sir Roger Mowbray went as a crusader to the Holy Land , and was killed in battle against the Moslems . His faithful hound , still at home in Barnbougle , at that moment began to howl uncontrollably . Finally it died through grief for its master . It is said that its howls can still be heard at Hound Point , half a mile west of the castle , when the night is dark and windy . In another version of the tradition , it is said that when the death of any of the lords is about to take place , a black man with a dog appears on the point , and sounds on a bugle the baron ' s death - note . A ballad says :