Waughton Castle
Waughton Castle is a ruined castle, dating from the fourteenth century, about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of East Linton, and 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Whitekirk in East Lothian, Scotland.[1] It is a scheduled monument.[2]
Structure
[edit]Waughton Castle was a castle with a courtyard, but only part of one wing remains.[1] The ruins are on a rock terrace, which is about 15 feet higher than the surrounding ground to the west and south. The remains of a small tower, at the south-west angle, and which is built of rubble with freestone dressing, stand up to 25 feet in height. Features of a narrow window in the south wall suggest that this is a 16th-century structure. A wall has been built to east and north of the rock, with a structure at the angle, but they are believed to date from later. There is a partially artificial stairway up the rock.[3] There is a doocot in the grounds.[4]
History
[edit]
There is a mention of a hall at 'Walchtoun' in a document from 1395.[3] The castle was the property of the Hepburn family. It was sacked by the English in 1547.[1]
Patrick Hepburn Laird of Waughton was a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, and it was said she visited the castle from Seton Palace and took part in an archery match.[5] He fought for Mary at the battle of Carberry Hill.[6] In September 1567, Regent Moray ordered him to deliver up or surrender Waughton castle. The holders of neighbouring strongholds were also detained at this time.[7]
In January 1570, when it was in the keeping of the Laird of Carmichael, the castle was raided by a dispossessed Hepburn.[8] The Hepburns acquired the castle again by legal means, and retained it until Alexander Cockburn purchased the castle from John Hepburn. By the 18th century the castle was being used as material for building walls and cottages in the area.[4]
James VI made a hunting trip to the area in February 1595, planning to visit Dunglass, Spott, Beil, Waughton, and Seton.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Coventry, Martin (2001) The Castles of Scotland. Goblinshead. ISBN 1-899874-26-7 p. 408.
- ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Waughton Castle (SM5015)". Retrieved 1 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Waughton Castle". Scotland’s Places. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Waughton Castle". Maybole. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ Agnes Strickland, Lives of the Queens of Scotland, 5 (Edinburgh: Blackwood, 1854), pp. 205–206: Allan James Crosby, Calendar State Papers Foreign Elizabeth, 1566–1568 (London, 1871), pp. 181-182 no. 977.
- ^ Theo van Heijnsbergen, "Literature and History in Queen Mary's Edinburgh", The Renaissance in Scotland: Studies in Literature, Religion, History and Culture (Brill, 1994), p. 208.
- ^ John Parker Lawson, History of Scotland by Robert Keith, 2 (Edinburgh: Spottiswoode Society, 1845), pp. 763–765.
- ^ John Graham Dalyell, 'Diarey of Robert Birrel', Fragments of Scottish History (Edinburgh, 1798), p. 17
- ^ Annie Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1593-1595, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), p. 529 nos. 464-5.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Waughton Castle at Wikimedia Commons- Reconstruction of Waughton Castle http://www.maybole.org/history/castles/garleton.htm
