Bannockburn House is a property of historical significance in the town of Bannockburn. It is a Category A listed building.

History

Bannockburn House was built in the late 17th Century, with slight alterations added in the 19th Century. The house was most probably commissioned by Sir Hugh Paterson in 1675, whose son and grandson were made Baronets of that house. Hugh Paterson, the builder of the house, was a lawyer and a factor for the

Earl of Moray The title Earl of Moray, Mormaer of Moray or King of Moray was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until 1130 th ...

. He had coal mines near Bannockburn, managed by William Rob, known as the "coal-grieve". Rob was dismissed for fraud and in 1677 made two attempts to sabotage the works in revenge. The

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

ordered the Earl of Mar and Lord Elphinstone to investigate. In the year of 1746, prior to the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

, Hugh Paterson 2nd Baronet entertained

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

in Bannockburn House, where he met the Baronet's niece, Clementina Walkinshaw, who would later become his lover and mother of his

child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

. When the house passed to the 2nd Baronet's daughter, Mary, in 1787, she sold the property to William Ramsey of Barnton and Sauchie. The house stayed in the Ramsey Family until it came to Sir James Ramsey Gibson-Maitland, who sold it to Alexander Wilson in 1883. Alexander was a member of the famous Bannockburn weaving family of Wilson. Alexander made many additions and changes to the house, including a new porch entrance and extension to the library and office, and above the main doorway a recess to accommodate a coat of arms which now is empty. Bannockburn House Doocot - geograph

In 1910 Bannockburn House was sold to the Sheriff Substitute of Stirling at the time, James Mitchell. In 1962 Mitchell's daughter sold the house, after living in it for 32 years. She sold the house to the multi-property owning millionaire A.E Pickard. The house was formerly owned by Peter Drake. It was placed on the market for sale in February 2016. A local charitable Community Trust was formed to try and purchase the house for the community and for the people of Scotland. Their aim is to safeguard the property for future generations. It was announced in April 2017 that the Trust had secured an exclusive right to buy the property and were actively fundraising to raise the required funds. This was achieved in November 2017 with a mixture of public money and grants. The house and estate have been used as a filming location for '' Susan Hill's Ghost Story'', an adaptation of her novel, ''The Small Hand,'' shown on Channel 5 on Boxing Day 2019. The film stars Douglas Henshall and Louise Lombard.

Events

In August 2018 the Trust planned to hold an excavation in the grounds. Dr Murray Cook was due to lead the survey.

Notes and references

External links

Bannockburn House
,

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) was an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government that was "sponsored" inanced and with oversightthrough Historic Scotland, an executive ...

Bannockburn House
Community buyout website launched in September 2016
Bannockburn House Documentary
2017 (25 mins) YouTube {{Authority control Houses in Stirling (council area)