Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest
recorded history
Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...
of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a
volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of
Dumbarton.
History
Dumbarton Rock was formed between 330 and 340 million years ago, during the
Early Carboniferous
Early may refer to:
History
* The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.:
** Early Christianity
** Early modern Europe
Places in the United States
* Early, Iowa
* Early, Texas
* Ear ...
period, a time of widespread volcanic activity in the area where Glasgow is now situated; over time, the softer exterior of the volcano weathered away, leaving behind a
volcanic plug of basalt.
Iron Age
At least as far back as the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
, this has been the site of a strategically important settlement, as evidenced by archaeological finds.
The people that came to reside there in the era of
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered wa ...
were known to have traded with the
Romans. However the first written record about a settlement there was in a letter that
Saint Patrick wrote to King
Ceretic of Alt Clut
Ceretic Guletic of Alt Clut was a king of Alt Clut, associated with Dumbarton Castle in the 5th century. He has been identified with Coroticus, a Brittonic warrior addressed in a letter by Saint Patrick. Of Patrick's two surviving letters, one is ...
in the late 5th century.
Early Medieval era
David Nash Ford has proposed that Dumbarton was the
Cair Brithon ("Fort of the
Britons") listed by
Nennius among the 28 cities of
Sub-Roman Britain.
From the 5th century until the 9th, the castle was the centre of the independent
Brythonic
Brittonic or Brythonic may refer to:
*Common Brittonic, or Brythonic, the Celtic language anciently spoken in Great Britain
*Brittonic languages, a branch of the Celtic languages descended from Common Brittonic
*Britons (Celtic people)
The Br ...
Kingdom of Strathclyde. Alt Clut or Alcluith ( gd, Alt Chluaidh, , "Rock of the Clyde"), the Brythonic name for Dumbarton Rock, became a metonym for kingdom. The king of Dumbarton in about
AD 570 was
Riderch Hael, who features in
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
and Latin works.
Merlin was said to have stayed at Alt Clut. The medieval ''
Scalacronica'' of
Sir Thomas Grey recorded the legend that says that "
Arthur left
Hoël of
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
his nephew sick at Alcluit in Scotland." Hoël made a full recovery, but was besieged in the castle by the Scots and
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...
. The story first appeared in
Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''
Historia Regum Britanniae
''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. ...
''. Amongst lists of three things, in the triads of the ''
Red Book of Hergest
The ''Red Book of Hergest'' ( cy, Llyfr Coch Hergest, Oxford, Jesus College, MS 111) is a large vellum manuscript written shortly after 1382, which ranks as one of the most important medieval manuscripts written in the Welsh language. It pres ...
'', the third "Unrestrained Ravaging" was Aeddan Fradog (the Wily, perhaps
Áedán mac Gabráin), coming to the court of Rhydderch the Generous at Alclud, who left neither food nor drink nor beast alive. This battle also appears in stories of
Myrddin Wyllt, the Merlin of Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''
Vita Merlini'', perhaps conflated with the
battle of Arfderydd, located as
Arthuret by some authors.
In 756, the first (and second) losses of Dumbarton Rock were recorded. A joint force of
Picts
The Picts were a group of peoples who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland (north of the Firth of Forth) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Where they lived and what their culture was like can be inferred from ea ...
and
Northumbrians
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
captured the fortress after a siege, only to lose it again a few days later. By 870, it was home to a tightly packed British settlement, which served as a fortress and as the capital of Alt Clut. In 871, the Irish-based Viking kings
Amlaíb Conung
Amlaíb Conung ( non, Óláfr ; died c. 874) was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century. He was the son of the king of Lochlann, identified in the non-contemporary ''Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' as Gofraid, and br ...
and
Ímar
Ímar ( non, Ívarr ; died c. 873), who may be synonymous with Ivar the Boneless, was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century who founded the Uí Ímair dynasty, and whose descendants would go on to dominate the Iri ...
laid siege to Dumbarton Rock. The fortress fell in four months, after its water supply failed. The kings are recorded to have returned to Ireland with 200 ships and a host of British, English, and Pictish captives. These prisoners may have included the ruling family of Alt Clut including the king
Arthgal ap Dyfnwal, who was slain the following year under uncertain circumstances. Following the Viking destruction of the fortress, Dumbarton Rock does not appear on record again until the 13th century, and the capital of the restructured
Kingdom of Strathclyde appears to have relocated up the Clyde to the vicinity of
Partick and
Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south b ...
.
Medieval era
In medieval Scotland, Dumbarton (''Dùn Breatainn'', which means "the fortress of the Britons") was an important royal castle. It is believed to be the place Sir John Menteith took William Wallace on the way to London after Wallace's capture. It sheltered
David II and his young wife,
Joan of The Tower after the Scottish defeat at
Halidon Hill in 1333.
In 1425 the castle was attacked by
James the Fat, youngest son of
Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, who had been imprisoned by
King James I of Scotland
James I (late July 139421 February 1437) was King of Scots from 1406 until his assassination in 1437. The youngest of three sons, he was born in Dunfermline Abbey to King Robert III and Annabella Drummond. His older brother David, Duke of R ...
on charges of treason. James the Fat became a rallying point for enemies of the King, and raised a rebellion against the crown. He marched on the town of Dumbarton and burned it, but was unable to take the castle, whose defender John Colquhoun successfully held out against James' men.
[Campbell, Alastair, p. 113, ''A History of Clan Campbell, Volume 2''](_blank)
Retrieved November 2010
James IV and Dumbarton
The former supporters of James III under the leadership of
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Lennox (before 14308 July/11 September 1495) was known as Lord Darnley and later as the Earl of Lennox.
Family
Stewart was the son of Catherine Seton and Alan Stewart of Darnley, a direct descendant of Alexander Stew ...
met up at Dumbarton Castle in October 1489. They had hoped to gain the support of
Henry VII of England. James IV defeated them in a battle between the Touch and Menteith hills near Stirling on 11 and 12 October. James IV used Dumbarton as the west coast base for his
navy and campaigns to subdue the
Western Isles. James was at Dumbarton with the
Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower st ...
, Colin Campbell, 1st
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 Old Norse, Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "Germanic ch ...
, in November 1489. He had the use of a ship belonging to the Laird of
Luss. In the following February a royal ship was 'chaysit' by the English and lost some of her cables. In 1494 a row barge was built at Dumbarton for the king using timber from Loch Lomond.
In March 1495 James IV was provided with a camp bed for use at sea and a boat carried cannon to Dumbarton.
Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell, was made Captain of the castle on 1 April 1495. A man played on the
clarschaw, a Gaelic harp, for the King. In 1505 Dumbarton was the King's base for visiting the
Western Isles. One ship's mast was made from timber from
Drymen. On 5 June James was entertained by a French 'quhissilar', perhaps playing a
recorder
Recorder or The Recorder may refer to:
Newspapers
* ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper
* ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US
* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
and on 8 June James played cards with John Murray and Master Robert Cockburn losing £4-10 shillings, and later that day attended Evensong in the
Parish kirk and College of Dumbarton. In 1505 John Ramsay built a ship for the King called the ''Columb'', ( Saint Columba being the father of Christianity in Scotland ). In December 1505 a sword that had belonged to
William Wallace was repaired.
Regent Albany, James V and the circumnavigation of Scotland
On 18 May 1515 the ''James'' or the ''
Margaret'' with six other ships brought
John Stewart, Regent Albany to Dumbarton. These royal ships were repaired at Dumbarton in July and new docks were made for them.
John Drummond of Milnab
John Drummond of Milnab (d. c.1550) was a 16th-century Scottish carpenter in charge of the woodwork of the palaces, castles and guns of James IV of Scotland and James V of Scotland.
John Drummond was the second son of James Drummond of Auchterade ...
brought fourteen of their guns to Glasgow. In September Regent Albany held court at Dumbarton, and received
Thomas Benolt, the English
Clarenceux King of Arms. The
Carrick Herald and Clarenceux were sent to Lord Maxwell. In March 1516 Albany issued six letters of remission (forgiveness) to those who had held the castle for Lennox against the king in 1489. Regent Albany returned to France from Dumbarton in 1524.
In 1526
John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox fortified Dumbarton against the Douglas faction who had control of the young James V, but his forces were defeated by
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus at the
battle of Linlithgow Bridge
The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge is a battle that took place on 4 September 1526 in the village of Linlithgow Bridge, outside the Scottish town of Linlithgow. It was fought between a force of 10,000 men led by the Earl of Lennox and a force of 2, ...
.
James Hamilton of Finnart
Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (c. 1495 – 16 August 1540) was a Scottish nobleman and architect, the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran, and Marion Boyd of Bonshaw.
Although legitimated in 1512 while still a minor, he conti ...
, who was implicated in the death of the Earl of Lennox, was given custody of the castle till 1531. Later in his personal reign
James V used the castle as a prison for those convicted at the
justice ayre, receiving their fines and composition payments in 1539. In 1540 James circumnavigated Scotland from the
Forth
Forth or FORTH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''forth'' magazine, an Internet magazine
* ''Forth'' (album), by The Verve, 2008
* ''Forth'', a 2011 album by Proto-Kaw
* Radio Forth, a group of independent local radio stations in Scotla ...
and arrived at Dumbarton with
Cardinal Beaton, the
Earl of Huntly, and the
Earl of Arran each leading a force of five hundred men. This expedition was later published by
Nicolas de Nicolay Seigneur d'Arfeville, cosmographer to the King of France in 1583, with the first modern map of Scotland's coastline.
Lennox and Mary, Queen of Scots
Matthew, Earl of Lennox had been an ally of the French party in Scotland led by Mary of Guise but committed himself to the pro-English faction. In 1544 munitions and ten thousand French crowns of the sun arrived with
Jacques de la Brosse at Dumbarton's harbour and were secured by Lennox and the Earl of Glencairn. Lennox then went into England, leaving the castle in the keeping of William Stirling of Glorat. Lennox signed a deal with
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
offering Dumbarton Castle and the
Isle of Bute in return for land in England and marriage to Henry's niece
Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. In her youth she was high in the favour of her unc ...
, and the future Governorship of Scotland if circumstances permitted. Lennox undertook to prevent the infant queen Mary being taken from Scotland. However, George Stirling of Glorat, unhappy at this policy, prevented Lennox returning into the castle and he was forced to sail to Ireland. George Stirling declared that he would hold the castle in the name of the young queen only. The
Privy Council of Scotland agreed to George Stirling's plan. Despite this, more French troops landed at Dumbarton under the leadership of
Lorges Montgomery, the soldier who later killed
Henry II of France
Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...
at a joust in 1559.
In May 1545 Lennox tried to take the castle, with soldiers commanded by his brother,
Robert Stewart, Bishop of Caithness. He sailed from
Chester with around 20 followers in May 1546 in the ''Katherine Goodman'' and a pinnace.
Regent Arran besieged the castle with a superior force, having borrowed the artillery of the
Earl of Argyle
Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful ...
and ordering
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 ...
to bring guns from
Dunbar
Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ...
. George Stirling of Glorat surrendered after 20 days and made terms. The chronicle historian
John Lesley wrote that the Captain and the Bishop surrendered the castle to Arran and were rewarded, after negotiation by the
Earl of Huntly. The siege at Dumbarton delayed Arran's action at the
siege of St Andrews Castle on the East coast of Scotland.
Thereafter the castle was in the hands of Regent Arran and he held court in person there in July giving legal remission to the keeper of the Castle and in March 1547 acknowledging the good service of George Stirling of Glorat in rendering the castle to him.
As the war of the Rough Wooing continued, Mary, Queen of Scots was lodged in the castle by 22 February 1548.
Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn
Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn (Born around 1515 and died 23 November 1574) was a Scottish nobleman and Protestant reformer, prominent in the Scottish Reformation.
Biography
Alexander Cunningham was the son of William Cunningham, 4 ...
wrote to
Mary of Guise from Dumbarton that he had received a French cargo, and it would be as safe as if it were in
Stirling Castle. The English commander
Grey of Wilton proposed basing warships at
Lamlash on
Arran as a convenient base to watch for French ships coming for Mary.
Mary of Guise was at the castle in the first days of May 1548 and Mary, Queen of Scots was kept at the castle for several months before her embarkation for France for safety on 13 July 1548. The sailing however was delayed by adverse winds till 7 August 1548. Her party including her governess
Lady Fleming and the
Four Marys left the Clyde in a fleet under the command of
Nicolas de Villegagnon. They sailed around the west coast of Ireland, to avoid English ships commanded by
Edward Clinton
Edward Fiennes, or Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln KG (151216 January 1584/85) was an English landowner, peer, and Lord High Admiral. He rendered valuable service to four of the Tudor monarchs.
Family
Edward Clinton, or Fiennes, was born a ...
. In France she was soon betrothed to the young
dauphin Francis.
Regent Arran made Andrew Hamilton captain and keeper of Dumbarton. In 1557, there was war between England and Scotland again. According to a rumour heard by
Gilbert Kennedy, 3rd Earl of Cassilis, five hundred
Gascon soldiers arrived at Dumbarton destined to serve on the borders against the English for
Mary of Guise.
Marian Civil War, Regent Morton, and the Duke of Lennox
Mary, Queen of Scots stayed at Dumbarton Castle in July 1563. After the defeat at the
Battle of Langside in 1568 she tried to reach the Castle, but went instead to England.
John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming, keeper of the Castle went with her into England and was allowed to return. When
William Kirkcaldy of Grange governor of
Edinburgh Castle changed sides to support Mary, this became a problem for
Regent Moray. The subsequent conflict is known as the
Marian Civil War.
The first siege of Dumbarton was lifted because of the assassination of Regent Moray in January 1570. The assassin
James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh
James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh and Woodhouselee (died 1581) was a Scottish supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, who assassinated James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, Regent of Scotland, in January 1570. Donaldson 1977, p. 93 Howie-Stewart 1846, p. 5 ...
was welcomed at Dumbarton. Fleming's defence of Dumbarton for Mary was satirized in a ballad printed by Robert Lekprevik in May 1570; ''The tressoun of Dumbertane.'' Attributed to
Robert Sempill, the ballad describes Fleming's failed ambush of Sir
William Drury in May 1570. In October 1570 during the
Marian civil war the castle was fortified for Mary against the supporters of
James VI of Scotland with stones obtained by demolishing churches and houses in Dumbarton and Cardross. The castle was captured by the forces of
Regent Lennox led by
Thomas Crawford of Jordanhill and
John Cunningham of Drumquhassle in the early hours of 2 April 1571, who used ladders to scale the rock and surprise the garrison.
Dumbarton Castle was used as prison for
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 ha ...
in June 1581 before his execution in Edinburgh. On 8 September 1582 the castle was put unto the keeping of
William Stewart of Caverston
William Stewart of Caverston and Traquair (died 1605), was a Scottish landowner and Captain of Dumbarton Castle.
Career
He was a brother of Sir John Stewart of Traquair. His lands were at Caverston, or Caberston, sometimes given as "Taberstoun". ...
an ally of
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, the King's favourite. The Duke of Lennox was displaced by the
Gowrie Regime and went to the castle in secret pretending to be travelling from Edinburgh to nearby
Dalkeith Palace. Lennox had his own ship there described as a
barque.
Robert Bowes, the English resident agent, expected the Duke of Lennox would sail to France from Dumbarton "having well victualled his shippe there." Other observers were anxious that the castle might become a foothold for French forces in Scotland allied to Lennox and his faction. In December 1582 two Englishmen in Lennox's service at Dumbarton left by his ship from
Largs
Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic.
A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...
. Lennox himself travelled to France through England, never to return.
James VI came to Dunbarton during his progress and ate dinner in the castle on 24 August 1598.
Seventeenth century
Although few buildings remain from this period there are records of works in 1617, 1618, and 1628–9. A replacement Wallace Tower was built superseding the medieval building. In June 1618 masons were working on the upper storey and it was decided to make the tower larger. Externally it was finished with lime plaster called
harling. At the south side there was a bell house. By 1627 it was discovered that the keeper Sir
John Stewart of Methven had neglected the fortress. He was replaced by
Sir John Stewart of Traquair who recorded the poor state of the building. Surviving accounts mostly record work on the artillery and the 'foir yet wall' a defence on the southern side. The
Scottish Parliament in 1644 judged that the castle was likely to more hurtful than useful to the country.
In November 1645 the
Committee of Estates
The Committee of Estates governed Scotland during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1638–1651) when the Parliament of Scotland was not sitting. It was dominated by Covenanters of which the most influential faction was that of the Earl of Argyll.Dav ...
approved the recruitment of thirty extra soldiers by the keeper John Semple to guard the increased number of prisoners. The castle's strategic importance declined after
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...
's death in 1658. However, due to threats posed by
Jacobites
Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to:
Religion
* Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include:
** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...
and the French in the eighteenth century, new structures and defences were built and the castle was garrisoned until World War II. Some documentation for these later works is preserved in the
National Archives of Scotland.
Inventories
Several lists of the castle's contents survive, including inventories from 1510, 1571, 1580, 1644, and 1668. These list guns and furniture and name many locations in the castle. There is also a list of cannon transported by
John Drummond of Milnab
John Drummond of Milnab (d. c.1550) was a 16th-century Scottish carpenter in charge of the woodwork of the palaces, castles and guns of James IV of Scotland and James V of Scotland.
John Drummond was the second son of James Drummond of Auchterade ...
to Dumbarton in 1536.
[J. MacPhail ed., ''Papers from the Collection of William Fraser'', (SHS, Edinburgh 1924), pp. 221-2] In 1510 St Patricks chapel contained an old parchment mass book, a pewter chalice, and liturgical cloths. The hall had four tables and next to that was a ''chalmer of Dess'', a '
solar' in English terms with a bed. The Wallace tower was protected with an iron
yett
A yett (from the Old English and Scots language word for "gate") is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses. Unlike a portcullis, which is raised and lowered vertically using mech ...
and draw bar, there were bedchambers within and a bell at the head of the tower; the 'Wynde Hall' contained another bed.
In August 1536 George Stirling of Glorat took delivery from John Drummond the king's Master Wright of four great guns and six
falcons
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
on carriages with wheels, thirty three bronze
hagbut hand-guns and four iron
culverins, with ammunition and powder and ramrods for the big guns. John Drummond took away an old brass gun that was long.
In 1571 amongst the cannon and guns there was a "gross culverin", two small "batteris", and a French "moyen" mounted for use on the walls. Another moyen was suitable for action in the field. There were two Brittany-made falcons on the walls, a quarter falcon and a "double barse". Provisions included eleven hogshead of biscuit. Some of the guns were subsequently taken to besiege
Edinburgh Castle during the
Marian civil war.
The document compiled in 1580 was "the inventar of the munitioun and uther insicht geir underwrittin left in the castell of Dumbertane be Johnne Conninghame of Drumquhassill and deliverit be the said Johnne to William Stewart of Cabirston in name and behalf of ane noble and potent lord
Esme erll of Lennox lord Darnley and Obeigny on the 27 August 1580". There were six large cannon. The bed in the ''chamber of dais'' was now described as 'ane stand bed of eistland tymmar with ruf and pannell of the same', a bed made from imported
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
*Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...
oak.
By 1644, when John Sempill was made keeper the 'Chamber of deisse' still contained a bed with a chamber pot and truckle bed for a servant, but it also contained armaments. There were twelve ram-rods, and three worms' - screws for unloading guns, three hagbuts and an iron flail. The hall contained twelve broken pikes, four without their iron blades. The contents of the armoury included thirty-three corslets, 105 helmets, and 43 swords.
In 1668 the Governor Francis Montgomerie of Giffin recorded that the first floor of a lodging called the 'new chamber' contained 'a quantity of old rusty guns and sword, so rusted broke and spoiled that they can never serve for any use, above the beds were 'insufficient' and in the top room there was spoiled matches. The windows of this new lodging were broken. Montgomerie was worried about the water-supply from the loch and the 'laigh' low well.
Governors and Keepers
Governors
*1292: Sir
Nicolas de Seagrave
*1296 : Sir
Ingram de Umfraville
Sir Ingram de Umfraville (''fl.'' 1284–1320) was a Scottish noble who played a particularly chequered role in the Wars of Scottish Independence, changing sides between England and Scotland multiple times, throughout the conflict.
Life
Ingra ...
*1296 : Alexander de Ledes
*Lord Sir John Eustace de Maxwell II 6th Lord Caerlaverock
about 1285 – 17 October 1346
*1303 : Sir
John de Menteith
Sir John Menteith of Ruskie and Knapdale (c. 1275 – c. 1329) was a Scottish nobleman during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He is known for his capture of Sir William Wallace in 1305 and later joined with King Robert I of Scotland and rec ...
*1333 : Sir Malcolm Fleming of Cumbernauld
*1357 : Sir Robert Erskine
*1377 : Sir John Danyelstoun
* Sir Robert Danyelstoun
*1400 : Walter de Danyelstoun (later bishop of St Andrews)
*1424 : Sir John Colquhoun, 10th of
Luss
*
John Cunningham, 11th Earl of Glencairn
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Seco ...
* 1546- 1562 James Hamilton, Duke of Chatellerault, 2nd Earl of Arran
* 1562:
Robert Anstruther
* 1565:
John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming
* 1620:
John Stewart of Methven
* 1633:
Sir John Maxwell, 1st Baronet, of Pollok
* 1696:
Francis Montgomerie
Francis Montgomerie (1645–c.1728) of Giffen Castle, Giffen, Ayr was a Scottish politician who sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1689 to 1707 and in the British House of Commons from 1707 to 1710 .
Life
Montgomerie was the second son ...
* 1715:
William Cunningham, 12th Earl of Glencairn
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...
* 1764:
Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton
Archibald Montgomerie, 11th Earl of Eglinton (18 May 172630 October 1796) was a Scottish General and Member of Parliament (MP) in the British Parliament. He was also the Clan Chief of the Clan Montgomery. Montgomerie fought in the Seven Years ...
* 1782:
Sir Charles Grey
* 1797:
Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake
* 1807:
William Loftus
* 1810: Andrew John Drummond
* 30 January 1817:
Francis Dundas
* 5 February 1824:
George Harris, 1st Baron Harris
* 22 May 1829:
Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch
Lieutenant-Governors
* 1756: Charles Hubert Herriot
* Campbell Edmonstone
* 1796: Hay Ferrier
* 1799: Samuel Graham
* Ferrier again?
* 15 April 1824:
John Vincent
Keepers
* 1425 Sir John Colquhoun, 10th of Luss
*1497 Sir John Striveling (Stirling) of Craigbernard
*1510 William Striveling (Stirling) 1st of Glorat - Murdered Good Friday 1534)
*1534 George Striveling (Stirling) 2nd of Glorat
* 1644 John Semple
* 22 December 1927:
Sir George Murray Home Stirling, 9th Baronet of Glorat
* 4 July 1949:
Alexander Patrick Drummond Telfer-Smollett
* 9 May 1955:
Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine Cunninghame Graham
* 12 June 1981:
Alastair Stevenson Pearson
* 10 September 1996:
Donald David Graeme Hardie
The castle today
Today all visible traces of the Dark-Age Alt Clut, its buildings and defences, have gone. Not much survives from the medieval castle: the 14th-century Portcullis Arch, the foundations of the Wallace Tower, and what may be the foundations of the White Tower. There is a 16th-century guard house, which includes a face which according to legend is "
Fause Menteith", who betrayed
William Wallace.
Most of the existing structures were built in the 18th century, including the Governor's House, built for
John Kennedy, 8th Earl of Cassilis
John Kennedy, 8th Earl of Cassilis (April 1700 – 7 August 1759) was a Scottish peer. He succeeded to the titles of 10th Lord Kennedy and 8th Earl of Cassilis on 23 July 1701.
He held the office of Governor of Dumbarton Castle between 1737 and 1 ...
, and fortifications which demonstrate the struggle by military engineers to adapt an intractable site to contemporary defensive needs. The castle is open on a daily basis during the summer season and Saturday-Wednesday in the winter. There are 557 steps to the summit of the White Tower Crag, which has a good view of the area.
Dumbarton Rock is in state ownership and is legally protected by the Scottish Government as a
Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Geodesy
Up to 1919 Dumbarton Rock was the origin (meridian) of the 6 inch and 1:2500 Ordnance Survey maps for Dumbartonshire. After that the maps for Dumbartonshire were drawn according to the meridian of Lanark Church Spire in Lanarkshire.
In popular culture
In 1803 Dorothy and William Wordsworth visited the castle and were told that a ruin on the top of the highest eminence had been a windmill and were shown a trout, boxed up in a well close by to the guard room, that had been there for thirty years. The castle features in ''The Scottish Chiefs''.
References
{{Reflist, 2
Further reading
* John Irving, ''Dumbarton Castle, Its Place in the History of Scotland'', (Dumbarton 1917)
''The correspondence of Robert Bowes, of Aske, esquire, the ambassador of Queen Elizabeth in the court of Scotland'', Surtees Society (London 1842)* Dorothy Wordsworth (1894). ''Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland AD 1803''. Edinburgh : David Douglas.
External links
* Historic Environment Scotland
Visitor guideClyde Waterfront Heritage, Dumbarton Castle
including Dumbarton, Siân Echard,
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thr ...
Engraving of Dumbarton Castle from the West in 1693by
John Slezer
John Abraham Slezer (before 1650 – 1717) was a Dutch-born military engineer and artist.
Life
He was born in Holland and began a military career in service to the House of Orange.
He arrived in the Kingdom of Scotland in 1669, and was app ...
at National Library of Scotland
Castles in West Dunbartonshire
Category A listed buildings in West Dunbartonshire
Archaeological sites in West Dunbartonshire
Listed castles in Scotland
Wars of Scottish Independence
Dumbarton
Viking Age sites in Scotland
Locations associated with Arthurian legend
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in West Dunbartonshire
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Dumbarton and North Glasgow