Cowthally Castle, also known as Couthalley, is a ruined L-plan castle near

Carnwath Carnwath (Gaelic: ''A' Chathair Nuadh''; English: "New Fort") is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the Nort ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. The remains are protected as 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 ...

. The castle appears to have been constructed in the 12th century, and was re-built in 1375. The castle passed to Sir John Somerville, 4th Baron of Linton through marriage in 1317 to Lady Elizabeth Douglas. The castle was altered and extended in 1415 and again in 1524. The castle was besieged in 1557 and was partially destroyed and was rebuilt in 1586. The buildings at the Castle surviving in the 17th century were carefully described by the

James Somerville Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing naval supp ...

in his family history; the ''Memorie of the Somervilles''. James Somerville claims that

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauchi ...

came to Cowthally for a wedding "infare" in 1489 or the second year of his reign.

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

stayed at Cowthally Castle on 24 August 1563.Edward Furgol
'Scottish Itinerary of Mary Queen of Scots, 1542-8 and 1561-8', ''PSAS'', 117 (1987), C9 (microfiche, scanned)
/ref>

References

{{reflist

Sources

* Scott, Walter, ed.
''The Memorie of the Somervilles by James, 11th Lord Somerville'', vol. 1, Ballantyne, Edinburgh (1815)
* Scott, Walter, ed.
''The Memorie of the Somervilles by James, 11th Lord Somerville'', vol. 2, Ballantyne, Edinburgh (1815)

External links

Heraldic panel, 'Arms of Hugh 6th Lord of Somerville. 1524 Brought from Cowthally Castle', HES Canmore
Castles in South Lanarkshire Ruins in South Lanarkshire Scheduled Ancient Monuments in South Lanarkshire