It was a wet Saturday morning and I was on a mission.
I had known - since a child - that Bothwell Castle existed
and had vowed that one day I would visit it. The time had come.
As I ambled through Bothwell Woods from Blantyre Station I
wondered what I would find. Something grim and grey? Then it appeared between
the trees - rose red. Breathtaking. Not surprising that it is regarded as one
of the outstanding monuments of medieval Scotland.
The Lordship of Bothwell was created in the 12th
century by King Malcolm IV and was granted to David Oliford. It is thought that Oliford’s castle, which
was probably made of earth and timber, was near St. Bride’s Church in the
nearby town of Bothwell
When Oliford’s grandson, William, died in 1243 the lordship
passed to his son-in-law, Walter of Moray who is thought to have begun work on
the now ruined castle.
During Edward I’s invasion of Scotland in 1296, William
Moray of Bothwell and the castle were taken by the English. Williams’ nephew Andrew took up the Scottish
cause but was mortally wounded at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.
In the 14th century Edward III made the castle
his headquarters for a short while. There were many battles back and forth
between England and Scotland involving the castle and it sustained a tremendous
amount of damage. Archibald Douglas (the third Earl of Douglas) made Bothwell
his base and set about restoring it. By 1424 Bothwell Castle was one of the
most impressive fortress-residences of its day.
In 1455 the barony and castle reverted to the Crown and in
1489, it was bestowed by King James IV on Patrick Hepburn of Dunsyre. He was also created Earl of Bothwell. In 1492, at the King’s request, Hepburn
exchanged Bothwell - for the barony of Hermitage - with Archibald Douglas,
fifth Earl of Angus.
In the 17th century Bothwell was acquired by the
first Earl of Forfar who, towards the end of the century decided he wanted
somewhere more comfortable to live and proceeded to build a mansion. Bothwell House - a Palladian mansion - was to
the east of the castle and was demolished in 1926, a victim of subsidence (in
Victorian times the town turned from agriculture to coal mining - hence the
subsidence!).
From the remaining parts of the castle it is easy to see the
layout. In one corner near the almost
intact South-East Tower was the chapel. To the side of this Tower was the Great
Hall. As there were cellars beneath it,
the Banqueting Hall was reached by a flight of steps up from the
courtyard.
Unfortunately only a part of the magnificent main tower (the
Lord’s residence) survives. Even so, it
is pretty impressive as it still stands 27.4m high. From inside I looked up at the somewhat
daunting walls and arched gothic windows. The embrasures show the thickness of
the walls – all 4.6m of them.
Then the rain really began to pour down so it was time to
leave. By the time I reached the town of Bothwell I was wet, cold and looking
like a drowned rat. I decided against taking a walk around the town and caught
a bus back to the centre of Glasgow and my hotel.
At least that was one more item to tick off my bucket list!
 |
| The River Clyde which flows past the castle |
PS. Mary, Queen of Scots, third husband was James Hepburn,
Earl of Bothwell. No relation!
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