a square tower house at the north-east corner. Although only the basement survives, this once formed one of the finest noble residences of its time in Scotland, and would have been similar to the contemporary buildings at Doune Castle. The basement is a single tunnel vault, with low walls subdividing the area into stores. Two large ovens and a well lie at the south end, while at the east is the 13th-century postern, blocked when the wall was thickened to support the new buildings above, and re-used as a fireplace. At the north end of the basement is a vaulted prison for freemen, and below this, a rock-cut pit, square, to house prisoners of the peasant classes. Above the prison, but still within the basement, is a vaulted chapel with various ceremonial recesses, such as a sacristy and a piscina, or water basin. A private chamber for the priest is next door. The hall above is by , and once had a high timber roof, and a minstrel's gallery at the south end. An ornately carved stone buffet, or cupboard, is located on this wall, which formed part of the servery next to the kitchen. At the north-east corner of the castle, a tower house provided accommodation for the Lord's family and guests. Again, only the lowest floor remains, above the chapel. This probably formed a private chamber for the Lord, and was connected to the adjacent hall. The Ruthven Lodging Constructed by the Ruthvens after they acquired the castle around 1515, the Ruthven Lodging represents the final stage of building at Dirleton. In the later part of the 16th century, it served as the main residence of Lady Dorothea, wife of the first Earl of Gowrie, and their 15 children. The three-storey building is constructed, like the Haliburton range, from undressed stone, although the Ruthven Lodging is decorated with string courses, horizontal mouldings running around the walls. The large windows were protected by iron grilles and small gun holes. The rectangular Lodging is immediately to the north of the de Vaux building, separated by a narrow irregular courtyard, which is accessed via a passage in the ground floor of the Lodging. The remainder of the ground floor was occupied by cellars, with family rooms and bedrooms on the upper floors. The first-floor dining room was paved with patterned floor tiles, and may once have had a painted timber ceiling.