IN this penultimate column in my series on Scotland’s built heritage, I will be focusing on two of the great royal castles, Dumbarton and…
IN this penultimate column in my series on Scotland’s built heritage, I will be focusing on two of the great royal castles, Dumbarton and Stirling, which have both played important roles in the country’s history.
The most famous of these restored castles is Eilean Donan, which is possibly the most photographed and filmed castle other than Edinburgh and Stirling. Situated on an island at the confluence of three lochs – Long, Duich and Alsh – there has been a fortification on the site since the 13th century, and it was long a seat of clan Mackenzie and their allies, clan Macrae.At one point the entire island of Eilean Donan was surrounded by a wall, making the castle impregnable until the age of gunpowder.
“In about 1388 the Lordship of Lorn passed to the Stewarts, the lands including Castle Stalker. It is believed that Castle Stalker, much in its present form, was built by the then Lord of Lorn, Sir John Stewart, who had an illegitimate son in 1446, and it is reasonable to suppose that he built and occupied the Castle about that time.
Other readers’ suggestions to which I must give a mention include Caerlaverock Castle seven miles from Dumfries, the only triangular castle in Scotland, which dates from the 13th century and is beautifully preserved. Crichton Castle near Pathhead in Midlothian was home to the Earls of Bothwell and has a quite stunning Renaissance-style façade enclosed within its walls.
It should be pointed out that Menteith, in common with many Scottish lords, had made an oath of allegiance to King Edward I of England and he captured and handed over Wallace in furtherance of that oath. He later joined Robert the Bruce’s side and fought against the English at Bannockburn. It certainly was no accident that Stirling Castle played such a huge role in Robert the Bruce’s success at Bannockburn. The English had occupied the castle after a long siege in 1304 but Bruce’s brother Edward laid siege to the castle and the English garrison. It was agreed that if the English were not relieved by midsummer day, the castle would be surrendered.
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