Liddel Castle is a 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 ...

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 ...

, by the

Liddel Water Liddel Water is a river running through southern Scotland and northern England, for much of its course forming the border between the two countries, and was formerly one of the boundaries of the Debatable Lands. Liddel Water's source is beneath ...

, near Castleton in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

area 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 ...

, in the former county of

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...

. Liddel Castle is 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 ...

History

A motte and bailey castle was built by Ranulf I de Soules in the 12th century after being granted the

Lordship of Liddesdale The Lord of Liddesdale was a magnate in the medieval Kingdom of Scotland; the territorial lordship of Liddesdale was first created by David I of Scotland, perhaps between 1113 and 1124 when the latter was List of kings of Strathclyde, Prince of ...

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...

. The castle was constructed on a bluff above the east bank of

and protected on two sides by the Kirk Cleuch Burn. Liddel castle probably served as the caput of the barony. During the

Scottish Wars of Independence The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. The First War (1296–1328) began with the English invasion of ...

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...

visited the castle in 1296 and 1298. The castle appears to have been abandoned by the early 14th century.

Citations

References

* * Jeffrey, A. (1855–64) The history and antiquities of Roxburghshire and adjacent districts from the most remote period to the present time, 4v, London; Edinburgh, Page(s): Vol.4, 232, Held at RCAHMS D.1.3.JEF.R

External links

*
RCAHMS record of Liddel CastleScottish Borders Council: Heritage Sites Around NewcastletonGeograph image: Pasture near Liddel Castle
{{coord, 55.2015, -2.7716, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Ruined castles in the Scottish Borders Scheduled monuments in Scotland 12th-century establishments in Scotland

History

See also

Citations

References

External links