Bothwell Castle

If my blip on Crichton Castle pulled together the strands of my east coast sojourn through the history of a few of Scotland's influential medieval families then to complete the circle I had to travel west.

Building of the present castle at Bothwell was probably begun around 1270 by Walter Murray. By the time construction was interrupted with the outbreak of war with England in 1296 however, the grand plans for the castle was only partially completed. The castle passed between Scots and English hands several times but it was in fact Walter Murray's great grandson Andrew Murray who was responsible for the destruction of his ancestral home when in 1337 having taken the fortress back from the English he followed Robert Bruce's usual policy of rendering the castle militarily useless.

The castle lay abandoned until 1362 when Lady Joanna Murray married into one of the most powerful families in Scotland, the Black Douglases. Over the following century the castle was restored with the construction of a new rectangular tower house and formidable curtain wall to link this to the original partially repaired donjon. Later additions included the constuction of a new residence inside the courtyard including a great hall and chapel.

The overthrow of the Black Douglases in 1455 by James II saw their land and properties revert back to the Crown. Further modifications were made to maintain the residence suitable for royal visits. In 1489 Bothwell was bestowed to Patrick Hepburn, 2nd Lord of Hailes who was made 1st Earl of Bothwell. However at the King's request in 1492 he was persuaded to exchange his seat for that of Hermitage, with Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and so Bothwell returned to the Douglas family in the form of their kinsmen, the Red Douglases.

Becoming a great burdon to the family at the end of the 1600's the castle was partially dismantled to provide building materials for a more modern and suitable mansion. However subsidence resulted in the new property being demolished in 1926 while the old castle proved more resilient.