Cathcart Castle was a 15th-century castle, located in what is now Linn Park in the

Cathcart Cathcart ( sco, Kithcart, gd, Coille Chart)
is an are ...

area of southern

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

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 castle was abandoned in the 18th century, and the remaining ruins were pulled down in 1980, leaving only foundations visible.

History

The lands of Cathcart were held by the family of that name from the 12th century. In the mid-15th century, the head of the family was raised to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Be ...

Lord Cathcart Earl Cathcart is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. History The title was created in 1814 for the soldier and diplomat William Cathcart, 1st Viscount Cathcart. The Cathcart family descends from Sir Alan Cathcart, who sometime bet ...

, and it is believed that the castle was built at around this time. In 1546 the castle passed to the Semple family. It is highly unlikely that

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 S ...

, would have spent the night before the

Battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

(1568) at Cathcart Castle or have watched the battle from a nearby hill called the Court Knowe. The Semples were supporters of Mary's enemies and would have captured her and put an end to her plans before the battle had started. Court Knowe is some 15 m below the height of Langside village, where the battle took place, meaning Mary would not have been able to see what took place. A more likely site would have been Prospecthill, which lies on the line of her army's approach to Langside. An alternative version of the story has the Queen living with her kinsfolk, the Stuarts of Castlemilk, whose defensive stronghold at the foot of the Cathkin Braes contained a chamber later known as ''Queen Mary's Room'', where Her Majesty supposedly lodged on the night before the Battle of Langside. The ceiling of this room was ornamented with the arms of the Stuart monarchs of Scotland. This is unlikely either, as Mary spent the preceding week at Hamilton, where 6000 troops gathered. In 1740 the Semples built Cathcart House, also since demolished, nearby, and moved out of the castle, leaving it to ruin. The newly created 1st Earl Cathcart bought back his ancestral home in 1814, although with the intention of selling off the stone rather than living in it. In 1866 the castle was still standing to five storeys, and was surrounded by outbuildings. The lands around the castle were purchased by Glasgow City Council in 1927, and added to Linn Park. In 1980 the remaining ruins were pronounced dangerous, and were pulled down by the council. The site is now 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 ...

Architecture

The castle was built on the rocky north-east bank of the

White Cart Water The River Cart ( sco, River Cairt) is a tributary of the River Clyde, Scotland, which it joins from the west roughly midway between the towns of Erskine and Renfrew and opposite the town of Clydebank. The River Cart itself is very short, being ...

. It comprised a rectangular

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 ...

, , of five storeys including a vaulted basement. This was supplemented by a curtain wall, enclosing a small

barmkin Barmkin, also spelled barmekin or barnekin, is a Scots word which refers to a form of medieval and later defensive enclosure, typically found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland and the north of Engl ...

approximately , with the tower at the centre. The curtain wall had round corner towers, and a twin-towered gatehouse to the east. The foundations of the tower house remain to around high. Earthworks to the west of the castle have been interpreted as the remains of an outer bailey or ringwork. During archaeological investigations a fragmentary plaster armorial dating from the 1630s with the arms of Bryce Semple and Jean Lauder of

Hatton Hatton may refer to: Places Canada * Hatton, Saskatchewan England * Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish * Hatton, Derbyshire * Hatton, Lincolnshire * Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow * Hatton, Shropshire, a ...

was discovered. This seems to have been part of a fireplace overmantle and ceiling in the hall of the tower.Adrian Cox, 'Decorative Plaster', Brian Kerr, 'Cathcart Castle, Glasgow: Excavations 1980–81', ''Scottish Archaeological Journal'', 38 (2016), pp. 61-66.

Notes

References

* Mason, Gordon ''The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde'', Goblinshead, 2000 * Salter, Mike ''The Castles of South West Scotland'', Folly Publications, 1993 * Williamson, E, Riches, A and Higgs, M ''The Buildings of Scotland: Glasgow'', Penguin, 1990 *

National Monuments Record of Scotland The National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS) was the term used for the archive of the sites, monuments and buildings of Scotland's past maintained by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The Commission was ...

Site Reference NS56SE 4

* Ure, David ''The History of Rutherglen and East Kilbride'', 1793 * McDowall, John.K., ''The People's History of Glasgow'', 1899 * * Langside Community Heritage 'Guide to the Battle of Langside, 2018'

External links

Cathcart Castle , views and history

Photographs of the remains of Cathcart Castle, Linn Park
{{coord, 55.8130, -4.2563, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures demolished in 1980 1980 disestablishments in Scotland 15th-century establishments in Scotland Castles in Glasgow Listed castles in Scotland Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Glasgow Former castles in Scotland