Craigmillar Castle

Situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh, the castle was inhabited continuously for 350 years and was subject to ongoing alterations through that time.

The original late 14th century tower house was augmented with a curtain wall and Ranges in the 15th century. An outer courtyard was formed with the addition of another curtain wall in 16th century with further alterations made to the West Range in the 17th century.

The castle is not without controversy. In 1749 the current laird, Sir Simon Preston was closely implicated in the murder of King James III younger brother, John Stewart, earl of Mar. The King, resentful of his brothers popularity tasked Preston with holding his sibling prisoner at Craigmillar, and it was while under his safekeeping that John had his throat slit.

Mary Queen of Scots is said to have frequented Craigmillar and it was on one stay in late 1566 that three of her advisors, the earls of Argyll, Huntly and Bothwell plotted to kill her then husband, Lord Darnley in what has become known as the Craigmillar Bond. The subsequent murder of Darnley quickly lead to the end of Mary's reign and it was at Carberry only a short distance from Craigmillar that she surrendered to her Protestant lords in May 1567.

You can find some more images from my visit on my Blipfolio.