Ravenscraig 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 ...

located in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

which dates from around 1460. The castle is an early example of artillery defence in Scotland.

History

The construction of Ravenscraig Castle by the mason Henry Merlion and the master carpenter

Friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the o ...

Andres Lesouris was ordered by King James II (reigned 1437-1460) as a home for his wife,

Mary of Guelders Mary of Guelders (; c. 1434/1435 – 1 December 1463) was Queen of Scotland by marriage to King James II of Scotland. She ruled as regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463. Background She was the daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, and Cat ...

.Eunson, Eric ''Old Dysart and East Kirkcaldy'' p.27. The castle is considered one of the first - perhaps the very first - in Scotland to be built to withstand cannon fire and provide for artillery defence. The king was involved with the planning but, ironically, was killed in a tragic accident with a loaded cannon at the Siege of Roxburgh Castle near

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorpora ...

in the Scottish Borders.Lamont-Brown ''Fife in History and Legend'' pp145–146 Construction was commenced around 1460 by his widow, Mary of Guelders, as a memorial to him and as a

dower house A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the previous owner of an English, Scottish or Welsh estate. The widow, often known as the "dowager", usually moves into the dower house from the larger family h ...

.Lamont-Brown, Raymond ''Fife in History and Legend'', p. 148. She continued the construction work until her death in December 1463, when the east tower and the basement of the central section was probably built for her by the master mason Henry Merlioun.Tabraham, p.98 The site was supervised by the master of works, David Boys. Andrew Balfour, a servant of the royal wardrobe, organised the supply of timber joists in 1461, the timber was boated down the

Allan Water The Allan Water ( gd, Uisge Alain) is a river in central Scotland. Rising in the Ochil Hills, it runs through Strathallan to Dunblane and Bridge of Allan before joining the River Forth. It is liable to cause floods in lower Bridge of Alla ...

and shipped to Fife from

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, ...

. During this period her steward Henry Kinghorn and other members of the household were able to live in completed accommodation. Ownership passed to her son James III (reigned 1460-1488). In 1471 he gave the castle to William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney and Caithness in exchange for the

Earldom of Orkney The Earldom of Orkney is the official status of the Orkney, Orkney Islands. It was originally a Norsemen, Norse Feudalism, feudal dignity in Scotland which had its origins from the Viking period. In the ninth and tenth centuries it covered mor ...

and associated lands which James annexed from

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and th ...

to the Scottish Crown.Civic Society ''History & Celebration'' p.13. The castle was completed by the Sinclairs, who also had an interest in artillery fortifications. Ravenscraig Castle 01

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 dur ...

and

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (french: Marie de Guise; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was a French noblewoman of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine and one of the most powerful families in France. She ...

came to Ravenscraig on 9 April 1540 on their way to

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship o ...

. They arrived in two galleys rowed from

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; gd, Ceann Gronna) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. According ...

. The

Duke of Holstein The Duchy of Holstein (german: Herzogtum Holstein, da, Hertugdømmet Holsten) was the northernmost state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the present German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It originated when King Christian I of Denmark had hi ...

came to the castle with William Schaw in 1598. During the 1650-51 invasion of Scotland by English forces under

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 ...

, Ravenscraig was invaded, attacked and damaged.Lamont Brown ''Fife in History and Legend'' 2002, p.149. The castle remained in the ownership of the Sinclairs, who built nearby Dysart House (1755-1756) on the estate, and later passed to the St Clair-Erskines, Earls of Rosslyn. The estate and castle remained in the family until sold in 1896, by the 5th Earl, to

linoleum Linoleum, sometimes shortened to lino, is a floor covering made from materials such as solidified linseed oil (linoxyn), pine resin, ground cork dust, sawdust, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canva ...

magnate Sir Michael Nairn who lived in Dysart House. The castle was used as an ammunition depot during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. In 1929, of the estate, including the castle, was given to the town of Kirkcaldy by the Nairn family as a public park. Ravenscraig Castle was passed into state care in 1955 and has been open to the public by the owners

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. ...

since 1971.Civic Society ''Pathhead and Ravenscraig Castle'' 2002, p.45. It is now managed 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 ...

, and is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Celtic punk band

The Real McKenzies The Real McKenzies is a Canadian Celtic punk band founded in 1992 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are one of the founders of the Celtic punk movement, albeit 10 years after The Pogues. In addition to writing and performing origi ...

filmed the video for their song Drink Some More at Ravenscraig Castle.

The castle

Ravenscraig is a small castle, built on a narrow rocky promontory in the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...

. It is naturally defended on three sides by steep cliffs dropping to the sea, and the main part of the castle forms the northern, landward, defence. This comprises two D-plan towers, with outer walls thick, designed to withstand cannon fire. Battlements between the towers formed an artillery platform, with gun holes pointing to landward. The whole is defended by a deep, rock-cut ditch, and is accessed via a bridge.

The towers

The west tower stands to four storeys, and has a single small room on each floor. At the ground floor is a

vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...

cellar, with a hall above, accessed via a stone forestair, or outside stairway. A spiral stair links the upper levels, although the timber floors are no longer present. Chimneys rise through the walls to form features of the castle's skyline. The east tower is of three storeys, although its base is set lower into the cliff. A well is located at the lowest level, with a single chamber on each level above, although again the timber floors are missing. The floors are linked by a straight stair within the thickness of the west wall. The rooms of both towers are windowless to landward, due to the thick walls, but have windows with stone seats to the other sides.Lindsay, pp.403-404

Linking building and courtyard

The towers are linked by a central block, which contains the main gate and entrance passage. Vaulted cellars and a guard room lie to either side. These vaults support the artillery platform above. The gun holes are of the "inverted keyhole" type, which became common in the late 15th century. Beyond the main block, only the foundations remain of the buildings on the promontory.

Literary inspiration

;''Rosabelle'' by Sir Walter Scott Ravenscraig is the setting for the ballad ''Rosabelle'', sung by Lord St. Clair's bard, Harold, at the wedding feast in the sixth canto of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

's ''Lay of the Last Minstrel''. The ballad tells in elliptical style of 'the lovely Rosabelle', apparently a daughter of the St. Clair (or Sinclair) family, who insists despite dire warnings on setting out by boat from Ravenscraig (called 'Ravensheuch' by Scott) across the

, to attend a ball at the family seat,

Roslin Castle Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn) is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located around 9 miles south of Edinburgh, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the f ...

, in

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinbur ...

. Rosabelle knows that, as well as her parents, a certain 'Lord Lindesay's heir' will be present. However, that night an eerie light blazes on Roslin Castle and the nearby

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

where Rosabelle's ancestors lie buried, while Rosabelle herself lies drowned. Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, who built the first Rosslyn castle in the 11th century, was married to a Rosabel.

Notes

References

*Kirkcaldy Civic Society (2005) ''Kirkcaldy A History and Celebration''. The Francis Firth Collection. *Coventry, Martin. (2001) ''The Castles of Scotland (3rd Edition)''. Goblinshead. *Lindsay, Maurice. (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable & Co. *Tabraham, Chris. (1997) ''Scotland's Castles''. BT Batsford/Historic Scotland.

External links

{{coord, 56, 7, 10.48, N, 3, 8, 28.58, W, display=title Ruined castles in Fife Kirkcaldy Buildings and structures completed in 1460 Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Fife