Mains Castle was built in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a slightly older stronghold on the edge of a rather steep but not very high bank of the Gelly Burn stream, a tributary of the Dichta River. The castle was previously called Fintry Castle and forms a series of residential and utility wings located around a rectangular courtyard. The six storey tower is its most striking feature and reflects the flat terrain upon which it was built, necessary to  have views out across the countryside.

Today the castle can be hired out for weddings and other private functions..

~ History ~

1425 ~ William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus, leases the estate which includes Fintry, to Thomas Clerk,a resident of Dundee.

1444 ~ Earl William's son, Sir James Douglas, 3rd Earl of Angus, obliges Clerk to make part of the estate available to his forge, James Scrimzeour, 6th Constable of Dunde, who is already involved in a serious dispute with Clerk.

1450 ~ Thomas Clerk is executed for the murder of James Scrimzeour's son John. Subsequently, the estate becomes the property of the murdered James's sister, Matilda. Soon after, Matilda marries Sir Robert Graham of Balargus. The Graham's of Balargus descending from Sir William Graham, Lord Kincardine and Lady Mary Stewart, daughter of King Robert II, whose seat is at Fintry Castle in Stirlingshire.

1480 ~ Once the estate becomes the legal property of Sir Robert Graham, he decides to build hiw own fortified residence, which is names Fintry Castle in memory of the seat of his ancestors.

William Graham, 4th Laird Fintry, later marries Catherine, sister of Cardinal Beaton.

1529 ~ William's son David Graham, 5th Laird Fintry, receives legal confirmation of ownership of the land of Kirktoun and Fintry. In time, he acquires the neighbouring Claverhouse estate.

1562 ~ Sir David Graham, nephew of David Beaton, the Cardinal of St Andrews, builds a new castle on the site of the old fortified residence. The castle takes twenty years to complete.

1592 ~ David Graham, 6th Laird of Fintry, through his close connections with both the Beaton and Graham family, the Earls of Montrose, becomes one of the most prominent figures in the Angus area. Together with Sir George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly, Sir Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll, Sir William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus, and Sir Patrick Gordon of Auchindoun, he plays an active part in a conspiracy to restore the Catholic religion to a dominant position in Scotland. The main axis of the intrigue is based on the help of the Spanish king Philip II, whose army of thirty thousand men is to land on the west coast of Scotland. However, the plot is discovered, and the decisive reaction of King James VI restores peace in the state.

Imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle, the Earl of Angus manages to escape with the help of his wife, Lady Elizabeth Ogilvy, after only a few days of captivity. After the earlier Battle of Glenlivet, the Earls of Erroll and Huntly, dring a far bloodier episode of rebellion, temporarily leave the country. In this situation, the only person who is left to pay the ultimate price for the "Spanish conspiracy" is David Graham, the 6th Laird Fintry. After a short trial, he is found guilty and sentenced to death by beheading.

1593 ~ The death sentence is carried out on 15 February at Mercat Cross in Edinburgh. There is no doubt, however, that David plays the role of the proverbial "scapegoat" in this case. The guilt of the other participants in the collusion is completely forgotten over the next few years.

Fintry, however, remains in the hands of the Graham family until the second half of the eighteenth century.

1780 ~ Its last inhabitant was Robert Graham of Fintry, a close friend of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns, being in seriois financial trouble, sells the estate to David Erskine. Robert Graham's descendants settle in what is now South Africa, in a town they founded called "Grahamstown", near Port Alfred.
Over the years, however, the castle falls into more and more ruin. Fortunately, at the beginning of the 1980s of the twentieth century, it wss bought by a private investor and partially rebuilt.