Redhouse Castle is a
ruin
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
ed
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
castle, 2 km east of
Longniddry
Longniddry ( sco, Langniddry, gd, Nuadh-Treabh Fada)
,
East Lothian,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, UK, on the B1377, close to
Spittal. The castle designated 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 ...
. It is no longer protected as a category A listed building.
History
The first version of the castle appears to have been a religious institution, probably a hospice for pilgrims and travellers, belonging to the Douglas family. In April 1421 the
Earl of Douglas
This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, so ...
transferred the estates of
Ballencrieff and
Gosford
Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extr ...
to his mistress Christian de Ramsay to provide for her and their children.
The castle, a four-storey manor house in red sandstone, remained in the hands of the Douglas family, but it was sold in 1607 to John Layng, the
Keeper of the Signet
The office of Lord Clerk Register is the oldest surviving Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenance and care of the public records of Scotland. Tod ...
. His initials and those of his wife Rebecca Dennistoun are carved into the
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
. He died in 1612 and is buried in the
churchyard of
Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh
Greyfriars Kirk ( gd, Eaglais nam Manach Liath) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edi ...
.
In 1608 Layng's daughter Jeane married
Sir Andrew Hamilton f the Hamiltons of Haddington family Shortly afterwards Sir Andrew applied to the Scottish Parliament for the title Lord Redhouse, and when John Layng died Sir Andrew became the owner of Redhouse Castle. Some years later Sir John Hamilton extended the keep into an
L-plan
An L-plan castle is a castle or tower house in the shape of an L, typically built from the 13th to the 17th century. This design is found quite frequently in Scotland, but is also seen in England, Ireland, Romania, Sardinia, and other location ...
, with a
lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of support. ...
-style
doocot
A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pige ...
built into the gateway.
After the
1745 Jacobite rising, the Hamiltons forfeited the castle when Colonel George Hamilton, the last owner, was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason at Carlisle Castle. It remained empty for some time until, in 1755, it was bought by Lord Elibank in 1755 who preferred to live in his townhouse in the High Street in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
. The market garden was (and is) a going concern, but he was unable to sell or rent the castle economically.
After having been abandoned for many years, Redhouse Castle was incorporated into the estates of the
Earl of Wemyss
Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldom of March, created i ...
who resided at
Gosford House
Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast.
It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It was ...
close by.
Unlike other castles, Redhouse Castle was fortunate in that it was not exploited as a quarry. However, the same red sandstone from which it was built was also used for the foundations of Gosford House.
Motto
The Layng family motto carved into the
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
is "Nisi Dominus Frustra", translated from the Latin as "without the Lord, all is in vain", taken from Psalm 127: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it". It is also the motto in the coat of arms of Edinburgh
[ Psalm 127#Nisi Dominus Frustra]
See also
*
List of places in East Lothian
''Map of places in East Lothian compiled from this list''
The List of places in East Lothian is a list for any town, village, hamlet, castle, golf course, historic house, hill fort, lighthouse, nature reserve, reservoir, river, and other place of ...
*
List of castles in Scotland
This is a list of castles in Scotland. A castle is a type of fortified structure built primarily during the Middle Ages. Scholars debate the scope of the word "castle", but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord o ...
Photo gallery
Image:Redhouse Castle Door.jpg
Image:Redhouse Castle Motto.jpg
Image:Redhouse Castle Doocot.jpg
Image:Redhouse Castle from west.jpg
Image:Redhouse Castle from north.jpg
Image:Redhouse Castle from south.jpg
Image:Redhouse Castle Gateway.jpg
References
{{reflist
External links
Redhouse Castle Gazetteer for Scotland
Andrew Spratt's site of castles
Castles in East Lothian
Scheduled Ancient Monuments in East Lothian