Though now a ruin, Sanquhar Castle was once the stronghold of a powerful family. Bound on the west side by the River Nith, to the north side by Townfoot Burn, the castle was made even more defensible by a deep ditch running around the remainder of its boundary. The lands originally belonged to the Edgar family, then passed to the Ross family who built the first castle here. The Crichton family obtained the lands during the reign of Robert the Bruce, and they built Sanquhar Castle in the late 13th century….