Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined
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 ...
in the
border region of
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 ...
. It is under the care of
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. ...
. The castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric castles in
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 ...
.
History
Origins of the name
It is thought that the name derives from Old French: – guardhouse. The castle was known as ''the guardhouse of the bloodiest valley in Britain'', and the "Strength of
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the Roxburghshire, County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway, River Esk, a distance of . The ...
".
Hermitage Castle was supposedly built by one Nicholas de Soulis around 1240, in a typical Norman
Motte and Bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...
pattern. It stayed in his family until approximately 1320 when his descendant,
William de Soulis
William II de Soules (d. 1320/1321), Lord of Liddesdale and Butler of Scotland, was a Scottish Border noble during the Wars of Scottish Independence. William was the elder son of Nicholas II de Soules, Lord of Liddesdale and Butler of Scotland ...
, forfeited it because of suspected
witchcraft
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
and the attempted
regicide
Regicide is the purposeful killing of a monarch or sovereign of a polity and is often associated with the usurpation of power. A regicide can also be the person responsible for the killing. The word comes from the Latin roots of ''regis'' ...
of King
Robert I of Scotland
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...
. Legend has it that Soulis's tenantry, having suffered unbearable depredations, arrested him, and at the nearby
Ninestane Rig
Ninestane Rig ( en, Nine Stone Ridge) is a small stone circle in Scotland near the English border. Located in Roxburghshire, near to Hermitage Castle, it was probably made between 2000 BC and 1250 BC, during the Late Neolithic or early Bronze ...
(a megalithic circle), had him boiled to death in molten lead. In actuality, he died, a prisoner, in
Dumbarton Castle
Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history 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
Dum ...
. Hermitage Castle is reputed to be haunted by Redcap Sly, de Soulis's
familiar spirit
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to re ...
.
Under the Douglases
In 1338, the then incumbent, Englishman
Sir Ralph de Neville was besieged by
Sir William Douglas, The Knight of Liddesdale, known as the "
Flower of Chivalry
Sir William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale (–1353), also known as the Knight of Liddesdale and the Flower of Chivalry, was a Scottish nobleman and soldier active during the Second War of Scottish Independence.
Family and early life
Douglas' fa ...
" (this sobriquet had to do with his abilities as a knight, although it is often misinterpreted by people with a rather romantic view of history). It was here that Douglas imprisoned and starved to death Sir
Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie
Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie (c. 1290–1342) (sometimes spelt: ''Dalwolsey'') was a Scottish nobleman and knight who fought for David II, King of Scots in the south of Scotland in the Second War of Scottish Independence and is famous for h ...
. his competitor for royal favour.
After the Battle of Neville's Cross and Liddesdale's capture by the English, the castle fell into the hands of the English for a time and was given to the care of
William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre
William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre (''ca.'' 1319–1361) was an English peer. In the final months of his life, he was also 3rd Baron Multon of Gilsland. In some sources, he is called William de Dacre.
Life
Dacre was the son of Ralph Dacre, 1st Baron ...
. Upon Liddesdale's death, brought about by a near kinsman,
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas
William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas (c. 1323 – 1 May 1384) was a Scottish nobleman, peer, magnate, and head of the Black Douglas family. Under his leadership, the Black Douglases continued their climb to pre-eminence in Scottish politics ...
, the was given to the then baron but later 1st Earl of Douglas. He enabled the construction of most of the present building, possibly with the help of John Lewin,
master mason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
at
Durham Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...
. The castle remained in the hands of the Black Douglases until 1455. The Black Douglas line had so incensed the King that
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 ...
was forfeited, never to return to Scotland, and the beneficences that they had enjoyed passed to the Red Douglas line, including Hermitage Castle.
Under the Hepburns
King
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 ...
was suspicious of the then Earl of Angus,
Archibald, Bell the Cat
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 ...
and his relationship with
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort ...
, and ordered him to relinquish The Hermitage to the Crown. On 6 March 1492
Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell
Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell (died 18 October 1508) was Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He rose to political prominence after supporting James IV against his father, and was proxy at the King's marriage.
Career
Patrick was the son of Adam ...
had a charter of the lands and lordship of
Liddesdale
Liddesdale, the valley of the Liddel Water, in the Roxburghshire, County of Roxburgh, southern Scotland, extends in a south-westerly direction from the vicinity of Peel Fell to the River Esk, Dumfries and Galloway, River Esk, a distance of . The ...
, including The Hermitage Castle, etc., upon the resignation of the same by Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus, the latter getting the lordship of Bothwell (but not the Earldom) which Patrick in turn had resigned for the exchange. The Hepburns of Bothwell, then rising in favour with the king, became keepers and lords of The Hermitage.
In time,
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney and 4th Earl of Bothwell ( – 14 April 1578), better known simply as Lord Bothwell, was a prominent Scottish nobleman. He was known for his marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third and final husband ...
, held the castle.
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 ...
, made a famous marathon journey on horseback from
Jedburgh
Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...
to visit the wounded Bothwell there, only a few weeks after the birth of her son. They were to marry shortly after the murder of her 2nd husband
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1546 – 10 February 1567), was an English nobleman who was the second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the father of James VI and I, James VI of Scotland and I of England. Through his parents, he had claims to b ...
, regardless of the fact that Bothwell was implicated amongst the conspirators. After Mary's forced abdication following the confrontation at
Carberry Hill
The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothwel ...
, Bothwell, facing charges of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
, fled to Norway and his titles and estates were forfeited by Act of Parliament. Whilst attempting to raise an army to restore Mary to the throne, he was arrested by
King Frederik's men for breach of marriage contract with
Anna Throndsen
Anna Tronds (c. 1540–1607), known in English as Anna Throndsen and posthumously as Anna Rustung, was a Denmark–Norway, Dano-Norwegian noblewoman. In English and Scots history, Anna Throndsen is best known for her marriage to James Hepburn, 4t ...
, and imprisoned at
Dragsholm Castle
Dragsholm Castle ( da, Dragsholm Slot) is a historic building in Zealand, Denmark.
For about 800 years there has been a building on the islet by the “drag”. From the original palace over the medieval castle to the current baroque style, Dragsh ...
in Denmark, where he died insane and in appalling conditions. His mummified body could at one time be seen at nearby Fårevejle Church.
Thomas Kerr of
Ferniehirst was made keeper of Liddesdale and Hermitage Castle in 1584. Bothwell's nephew,
Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell
Francis may refer to:
People
*Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome
*Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Francis (surname)
Places
*Rural Mu ...
received a new creation as Earl of Bothwell, and was made Keeper of the castle. As a grandson of
James V
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...
, albeit through an illegitimate line, he was viewed by some as a potential replacement for
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
. In 1591, Bothwell was arrested, tried, gaoled and forfeited for his supposed involvement with the infamous
North Berwick Witches
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' i ...
. He obtained a pardon in 1593 but again became involved in intrigue and he was again attainted, by Act of Parliament, on 21 July 1593. The Hermitage once again reverted to the Crown.
Under the Scotts
The following year, James granted the castle to
Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch (1565 – 15 December 1611) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman and famous border reivers, border reiver, known as the "Bold Buccleuch" and leader of Kinmont Willie Armstrong, Kinmont Wi ...
(''"the bold Buccleuch"''), a notorious
Border reiver
Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their vi ...
,
Warden of the western marches, Keeper of Liddesdale, and leader of the daring and infamous attack on
Carlisle Castle to rescue
Willie Armstrong of Kinmont.
Decline
![Hermitagecastle1814](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Hermitagecastle1814.jpg)
The castle became obsolete after the
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns ( gd, Aonadh nan Crùintean; sco, Union o the Crouns) was the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of the Kingdom of England as James I and the practical unification of some functions (such as overseas dip ...
, in 1603 and fell into disrepair; by the turn of the eighteenth century it was a ruin. Hermitage gave its name to the
Viscountcy of Hermitage, conferred in 1706 on
Henry
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
* Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
, third son of the
first Duke of Buccleuch as a subsidiary title of the
Earldom of Deloraine. This title became extinct in 1807. Some repairs to the castle were carried out in 1820 by the
fifth Duke of Buccleuch. The Scotts are descended matrilinearly from the Douglases of Drumlanrig, a cadet branch, and sometimes use the surname Montagu-Douglas-Scott, thus maintaining a continuity with earlier times.
Today
The castle remained a property of the Scotts until 1930, when it was handed over to the care of the Nation. It is now cared for by
Historic Environment Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...
, an
executive agency
An executive agency is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate, to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government or Nort ...
of the
Scottish Government, and is open to visitors from 1 April - 31 October each year. It is closed during the winter season. The castle, together with a series of ancillary features, is 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 is said to be haunted by Mary, Queen of Scots.
Haunted trail of Mary, Queen of Scots - News - Scotsman.com
/ref>
Gallery
File:Hermitage Castle old photograph.jpg, An old photograph of the Castle, possibly dating from c1860
file:Inside Hermitage Castle in the Scottish Borders.jpeg, Inside Hermitage Castle
File:Hermitage Castle - geograph.org.uk - 201651.jpg,
File:Hermitage Castle 01.jpg,
File:Hermitagecastle1.jpg,
File:Hermitagecastle3.jpg,
File:Hermitagecastlechapel.jpg, Hermitage Castle seen from the ruined chapel
File:Hermitagecastle2.jpg,
File:Hermitage Castle rear.jpg, Rear of castle
See also
* Hermitage, Scottish Borders
* Hermitage Water
The Hermitage Water is a river in Liddesdale, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Among its many feeder burns are Braidley Burn, Dinley Burn, Gorrenberry Burn and Twislehope Burn. The Water flows through the hamlets of Dinley and Gorrenbe ...
* List of places in the Scottish Borders
''Map of places in the Scottish Borders compiled from this list'':See the list of places in Scotland for places in other counties.
This list of places in the Scottish Borders includes towns, villages, hamlets, castles, golf courses, historic hous ...
* List of places in Scotland
This list of places in Scotland is a complete collection of lists of places in Scotland.
*List of burghs in Scotland
*List of census localities in Scotland
*List of islands of Scotland
**List of Shetland islands
**List of Orkney islands
**List o ...
References
External links
* Historic Environment Scotland
Visitor guide
Hermitage Castle Near Newcastleton
The Border Reivers
Ancient Deer Park
{{Castles in the Scottish Borders
*Castle Hermitage
Castles in the Scottish Borders
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in the Scottish Borders
Tourist attractions in the Scottish Borders
Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland
Historic Scotland properties in the Scottish Borders