Broughty Castle is a historic
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
on the banks of the
River Tay
The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates ...
in
Broughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Bruach Tatha''; Scots: ''Brochtie'') is a suburb of Dundee, Scotland. It is situated four miles east of the city centre on the north bank of the Firth of Tay. The area was a separate burgh from 1864 until ...
,
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
, Scotland. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454, when
George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus
George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, Lord Douglas, Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest (c. 1427 – 12 March 1463)Alan R. Borthwick, 'Douglas, George, fourth earl of Angus (c.1417–1463)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University ...
, received permission to build on the site. His son,
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus (c. 1449October 1513), was a Scottish nobleman, peer, politician, and magnate. Tradition has accorded him the nickname Archibald 'Bell-the-Cat' due to his association with the 1482 rebellion against Jam ...
, was coerced into ceding the castle to the crown. The main tower house forming the centre of the castle with four floors was built by
Andrew, 2nd Lord Gray, who was granted the castle in 1490.
History
The Rough Wooing
![Broughty Castle (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Broughty_Castle_%282%29.JPG)
The castle saw military action during the 16th-century
War of the Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...
. After the
battle of Pinkie
The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Cro ...
in September 1547, it was surrendered by purchase to the English by its owner,
Lord Gray of Foulis. A messenger from the castle,
Rinyon (Ninian) Cockburn, who spoke to the English supreme commander the
Duke of Somerset
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
before the castle was rendered was given a £4 reward. The Scottish keeper, Henry Durham, was rewarded with an English pension, income from the fishing, and an import/export licence. Durham later lent the English commander £138.
William Patten, the English writer who accompanied Somerset, noted the castle's strategic importance;
"it standeth in such sort at the mouth of the river Tay, that being gotten, both Dundee and St. John's Town (Perth), and many other towns else shall become subject to this hold or be compelled to forgo their use of the river."
The position of the old castle itself was advantageous to modern warfare, as it was discovered that the swift river current made naval bombardment impractical. Soon after taking possession, the English garrison further fortified Broughty by building a ditch across the landward side of the castle's promontory.
Edward Clinton began the refortification, on the advice of an Italian engineer, Master John Rossetti, and left 100 men guarded by three ships. William Bruce of
Earlshall feared the English would build an outpost on the south say of the Tay. The garrison was first led by Sir
Andrew Dudley
Sir Andrew Dudley, KG (c. 1507 – 1559) was an English soldier, courtier, and diplomat. A younger brother of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, he served in Henry VIII's navy and obtained court offices under Edward VI. In 1547&n ...
, the
Duke of Northumberland's brother, who hoped to distribute
Tyndale's Bible
The Tyndale Bible generally refers to the body of biblical translations by William Tyndale into Early Modern English, made . Tyndale's Bible is credited with being the first Bible translation in the English language to work directly from Hebre ...
in Dundee.
Andrew Dudley wrote in October 1547 that; "never had a man had so weak a company of soldiers given to drinking, eating and slothfulness," although, "the house stands well." His garrison included Italian and Spanish soldiers, and he hoped that
Grey of Wilton would send him an expert French surgeon. The town of Dundee agreed to support the garrison and resist the Governor of Scotland,
Regent Arran
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
on 27 October 1547. The Constable of Dundee, John
Scrimgeour, and the baillies and council signed the agreement, although under the duress of Dudley's two gunships.
The
Earl of Argyll
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
tried to capture the castle on 22 November 1547 and again in January 1548 with 150 men led by the soldier Duncan Dundas, without success.
Thomas Wyndham brought two more ships in December 1547 and burnt
Balmerino Abbey
Balmerino Abbey, or St Edward's Abbey, in Balmerino, Fife, Scotland, was a Cistercian monastic community which has been ruinous since the 16th century.
History
It was founded from 1227 to 1229 by monks from Melrose Abbey with the patronage ...
on Christmas Day. On 12 January 1548, one hundred
matchlock
A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Before ...
guns were delivered from
Berwick, with
powder flask
A powder flask is a small container for gunpowder, which was an essential part of shooting equipment with muzzle-loading guns, before pre-made paper cartridges became standard in the 19th century. They range from very elaborately decorated works o ...
s, matches, touch boxes, and bullet moulds.
Sir Thomas Palmer and the Italian military engineer "Master John", Giovanni di Rossetti,who was made master of ordnance at Broughty, made plans to improve the fortifications, noting that the castle was overlooked by a nearby hill. In February 1548, 100 workmen were sent from Berwick and new armaments including falcon guns, cannonballs for demi-culverins, bows, bills, pikes, cresset lights, cables and anchors. Palmer set to work fortifying the hill in February and also considered ambitious plans to build a citadel in Dundee with the demolition of the church and tolbooth. Andrew Dudley waited for lead to make a new platform (probably for artillery) on the castle tower in March 1548.
Andrew Dudley was succeeded by
John Luttrell who had been the commander at
Inchcolm
Inchcolm (from the Scottish Gaelic "Innis Choluim", meaning Columba's Island) is an island in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It was repeatedly attacked by English raiders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and was fortified during both Wo ...
. On 11 May 1548, the English commander at
Haddington,
Grey of Wilton wrote to Luttrell that he could not expect more supplies because of the expected French fleet. Grey of Wilton warned him against Scottish assassins in June, and
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
required him to dismiss the German mercenaries in his command. There was some relief for Luttrell, as
Lord Methven
Lord Methven was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 17 July 1528 by King James V of Scotland for his stepfather Henry Stewart. The title became extinct on the death of the grantee's grandson in the 1580s. The title takes its n ...
took away the guns of the Scottish counter-battery for redeployment at the
Siege of Haddington
The sieges of Haddington were a series of sieges staged at the Royal Burgh of Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, as part of the War of the Rough Wooing, one of the last Anglo-Scottish Wars. Following Regent Arran's defeat at the battle of Pi ...
on 6 June 1548.
Meanwhile, Luttrell had been ordered to build a new fortification on an adjacent site. In November he wrote to Somerset describing the progress of this work explaining that the ramparts made from turf were unstable and could not be strengthened. Luttrell said his enemies would not need guns; "for theye shall fynde hytt fallen downe redy to ther handys." In December 1548, Patrick, Lord Gray of Foulis, was summoned to account for his treasons against the Government of Scotland, and although the French commanders argued for his execution, he was eventually pardoned at Regent Arran's command.
In February 1549 Luttrell was joined by
Pedro de Negro
Pedro de Negro or Pedro Negro (died 1551) was a Spanish soldier who fought for Henry VIII of England and Edward VI of England in France and Scotland.
Career and knighthood
Pedro de Negro commanded calvalrymen armed with muskets during the war betw ...
and his band of Spanish soldiers. In July Luttrell complained that the Spanish soldiers had not yet received pay or clothing.
Thomas Wyndham and his nephew Luttrell's activities on the Forth were called into question in November 1549, and the
Earl of Rutland
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
was required to investigate whether one of the ships they had seized was a lawful prize. On Christmas Day 1549,
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...
held a conference at
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...
with her guests, and they agreed that more French guns could be brought to besiege Broughty.
Robert Hamilton of Briggis
Robert Hamilton of Briggis (died 1568) was a Scottish soldier and military engineer. He was keeper of Linlithgow Palace and Dunbar Castle and was Master of the Scottish artillery.
Lands
Briggis was an estate at Kirkliston near the Almond Water ...
directed labourers called "pioneers" to dig entrenchments for the guns.
Twelve English ships arrived to support the defenders and it was 12 February 1550 before the French and Scots managed to recapture Broughty. Mary of Guise watched the successful assault on 6 February 1550 from a vantage point across the Tay.
Paul de Thermes
Paul de La Barthe de Thermes or de Termes (1482–1562), also Paul de Terme or Maréchal de Thermes, was a French Army Marshal ("Maréchal").
Reign of Henri II Rough Wooing
In June 1549, de Thermes was sent to Scotland to help in the war against ...
led the French troops, 240 were injured and 50 killed. The garrison surrendered six days later at midnight. James Dog of Dunrobin claimed Luttrell as his prisoner and his papers were captured. His ransom of £1000 Scots was raised on 16 May 1550 as an exchange for the sons of
George Douglas of Pittendreich
George Douglas of Pittendreich (died 1552) was a member of the powerful Red Douglas family who struggled for control of the young James V of Scotland in 1528. His second son became James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton and Regent of Scotland. Initi ...
and the
Master of Semple who were prisoners in England. (George Douglas's son would later rule Scotland as
Regent Morton
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...
.) Luttrell was promptly re-arrested for debts to a Dundee merchant, Robert Craig, but Regent Arran paid the merchant in September, and Luttrell was allowed home.
War of the Three Kingdoms
The castle was attacked again, in 1651, by
General Monck
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle JP KG PC (6 December 1608 – 3 January 1670) was an English soldier, who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support was cru ...
and his Parliamentary army during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...
. On this occasion the
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
defenders fled without a fight. After 1666, when the Gray family sold the castle, it gradually became more ruinous.
Military and modern use
In 1846 the castle was bought by the
Edinburgh and Northern Railway
The Edinburgh and Northern Railway was a railway company authorised in 1845 to connect Edinburgh to both Perth and Dundee. It relied on ferry crossings of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay, but despite those disadvantages it proved extreme ...
Company in order to build an adjacent harbour for their railway ferry. In 1855 the castle was acquired by the
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
with the intention of using it to defend the harbour from the Russians. In 1860 renewed fears of a French invasion led the War Office to rebuild and fortify the site. The site was rebuilt according to the designs of
Robert Rowand Anderson
Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, (5 April 1834 – 1 June 1921) was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his ...
. The walls of the main courtyard were rebuilt and new wings and courtyards were added to the tower. A
caponier
A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...
was added along the south-east side of the courtyard. Emplacements for nine large guns were also constructed. A small enclosure on the west side of the courtyard was also built. During the First World War the castle battery mounted two
4.7-inch Quick Firing guns.
From 1886 to 1887 a range was built to house submarine miners to the east of the castle. In an emergency these would lay
mines in the Tay Estuary to damage enemy shipping. In 1889–1891 a magazine was built within the western enclosure which also led to a major remodelling of the gun emplacements. The castle remained in military use until 1932, and again between 1939 and 1949. The last defence-related alteration was made in the Second World War when a defence post was built within the top of the main tower.
In 1969 the castle opened as a museum operated by
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
city council. The museum is free of charge but is not wheelchair accessible. Its steep spiral staircase also renders it problematic to the elderly.
The structure is designated a
scheduled ancient 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 ...
.
Gallery
File:Broughty Castle - geograph.org.uk - 2784085.jpg, Broughty Castle
File:Broughty Castle 20090616 court yard.jpg, Broughty Castle Courtyard
File:Broughty Castle beach - geograph.org.uk - 1970979.jpg, Broughty Castle beach - geograph.org.uk - 1970979
File:Broughty Castle - geograph.org.uk - 2205523.jpg, The Castle from a different view
Footnotes
External links
*Historic Environment Scotland
Visitor guide
{{coord, 56, 27, 46, N, 2, 52, 13, W, region:GB, display=title
Castles in Dundee
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Dundee
Listed castles in Scotland
Museums in Dundee
Local museums in Scotland
Rough Wooing
Broughty Ferry
Tower houses in Scotland
Castles and forts of the Rough Wooing