| Bothwell Castle in Bothwell which is southeast of Glasgow, just north of the Clyde from Blantyre. The local Scots seem a bit indifferent to this place; "It's always been there," "There's better preserved castles in Scotland," "Scotland's full-a castles." sort-of sums up the attitudes. But I was quite impressed:
According to Heritage Scotland, this is "the largest and finest 13th-century stone castle in Scotland, much fought over during the Wars of Independence. Part of the original circular keep survives. In a beautiful setting overlooking the River Clyde."
I've also been told that William Wallace spent a night or two here, as did Mary Queen of Scots. In fact, the 4th Earl of Bothwell, James Hepburn, became Mary Queen of Scots' third husband in 1567 (I'm assuming this is the same Bothwell and that they would have had access to the castle. I could be wrong).
And here's snippet from http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/holyx/bothwll.html
"When 'Walter de Moravia laid the foundations of Bothwell Castle several centuries of violence and bloodshed were to be set in stone. The fortress was captured and recaptured by both the English and the Scots during the Scottish Wars of Independence. And at this time Walter FitzGilbert was to demonstrate his finely sharpened survival skills.
FitzGilbert was actually governing the castle for the English. He surrendered it to Robert the Bruce's forces after the Battle of Bannockburn. His reward - the Barony of Cadzow.
The castle itself was soon dismantled, then rebuilt, then destroyed again. Now it is a magnificent red sandstone ruin set amid woodland, high above the steeply sloping banks of the River Clyde.
Widely regarded as the finest building of its type in Scotland, the castle is dominated by towers and curtain walls. The sheer size is breathtaking - and yet, amazingly, what you see is only a portion of what was originally planned."
Also I found this at: http://www.frii.com/~phouka/travel/castles/bothwell/bothwell.html
Note this site also has lots more pictures.
"The site of Bothwell castle was originally held by the Olifards and in 1242 it passed to the Moravia family. The great tower of Bothwell Castle was first erected in the 1270s by the Moravia family (later the Moray family), who also owned Duffus Castle and Skelbo Castle, among others. Bothwell is one of the largest castles in Scotland.
The castle stands on a rock cliff on the south bank of theClyde, with the red sandstone of its walls quarried nearby. The tower (donjon) is 65' in diameter and rose to at least 80' tall when complete. The walls of the castle are up to 15' thick.
The castle fell into English hands after the deposition of John Balliol in 1296. In 1297, the Scots attacked and retook the castle after a 14-month siege. But, in 1301 Edward I recaptured it. Changing hands again, Bothwell reverted to Scottish control after Bannockburn in 1314, and may have been dismantled under Bruce's policy to keep the English from using its coveted defensive position. Many castles in Scotland are ruined, or 'slighted', because of this policy. Bothwell has a long and interesting history of being destroyed and rebuilt.
Restored again, Bothwell Castle was captured by Edward III in 1331 to be used as a headquarters for his forays into Scotland. Restoration work was done to the main tower, and a hall was built on the eastern side of the curtain wall, but it is possible that the work was not completed. In 1337, Sir Andrew de Moravia once again dismantled the castle. In 1362, it was acquired by Archibald the Grim, 3rd Earl of Douglas, and once again restored and rebuilt. After the Black Douglases were forfeited in 1455, the castle was given to the Crichtons (see Crichton Castle); after the forfeiture of the Crichtons, it passed to Sir John Ramsay of Balmain, then to Patrick Hepburn, Lord Hailes, who later traded it for Hermitage Castle in 1492.
In the 17th century, Archibald Douglas, 1st Earl of Forfar, built a huge mansion near the castle (it was completely demolished in 1926) that used much of the stone from the castle walls and keep. In 1935 Bothwell Castle was passed into the care of the the state. " |
