Abercorn Castle was a 12th-century castle near

Abercorn Abercorn (Gaelic: ''Obar Chùirnidh'', Old English: ''Æbbercurnig'') is a village and civil parish in West Lothian, Scotland. Close to the south coast of the Firth of Forth, the village is around west of South Queensferry. The parish had a p ...

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

, Scotland.

History

The castle was in the possession of William de Avenel in the mid-12th century, before passing to the

Clan Graham Clan Graham (''Greumaich nan Cearc'' ) is a Scottish clan who had territories in both the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, with one main branch Montrose, and various cadet branches. The chief of the clan rose to become the Marquess and later ...

by marriage and was then passed to the

Clan Douglas Clan Douglas is an ancient clan or noble house from the Scottish Lowlands. Taking their name from Douglas in Lanarkshire, their leaders gained vast territories throughout the Borders, Angus, Lothian, Moray, and also in France and Sweden. The f ...

by marriage. It was held by the Douglas family from 1400, and

James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas James Douglas, 7th Earl of Douglas, 1st Earl of Avondale (1371 – 24 March 1443), latterly known as James the Gross, and prior to his ennoblement as James of Balvenie, was a late mediaeval Scottish magnate. He was the second son of Archibald Do ...

died in the castle in 1443. On 18 April 1455, the castle was captured and destroyed by King

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

, after a siege against

James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas, 3rd Earl of Avondale KG (1426–1491) was a Scottish nobleman, last of the 'Black' earls of Douglas. Early life The son of James the Gross, 7th Earl of Douglas, by his wife Lady Beatrice Sinclair, daug ...

who had lost the support of

James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician. Early life James Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of Cadzow. He was born at Cadz ...

. Many of the senior members of garrison were hung and the lands passed to

Clan Seton Clan Seton is a Scottish clan which does not currently have a chief; therefore, it is considered an armigerous clan. History Origins of the clan The village of Sai in Normandy is believed to have given its name to Seton in Scotland by 1150 ...

. Parts of the castle are thought to have been re-used in the 15th or 16th century.

Current status

The site is now found within the grounds of

Hopetoun House Hopetoun House is a country house near South Queensferry owned by the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust, a charity established in 1974 to preserve the house and grounds as a national monument, to protect and improve their amenities, and to pre ...

. It was excavated in 1963. The site became a

Scheduled Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

on 27 November 1998.

References

External links

Abercorn Castle
Canmore entry
Castle reconstruction by Andrew Spratt
(image)
West Lothian volume 02 , ScotlandsPlaces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abercorn Castle Castles in West Lothian Clan Graham House of Douglas and Angus Scheduled monuments in Scotland

History

Current status

See also

References

External links