Argyll's Lodging facts for kids
Argyll's Lodging is a grand house from the 1600s. It is built in the Renaissance style. You can find it in Stirling, Scotland, right below Stirling Castle. This house was once home to important noble families. These included the Earl of Stirling and later the Earls of Argyll. Experts say it is the most important old town-house of its time in Scotland. In the late 1900s, it became a museum.
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History of Argyll's Lodging
Early Owners: Traill and Erskine
No one is quite sure who built the very first house. This house later grew into what we now call Argyll's Lodging. It stands on Castle Wynd, the road leading up to Stirling Castle. People believe a rich merchant named John Traill built the first part. It likely had two floors. The first floor had a main hall. The ground floor held the kitchen.
In 1559, Traill sold the house. The new owner was Adam Erskine. He was a church leader from nearby Cambuskenneth Abbey. Erskine changed the house a lot. He made it into an L-shaped tower house. It had four floors. There was a small south wing and a west wing. The kitchen was in the west wing. In 1604, Erskine sold the house to a family member.
Sir William Alexander's Time
In 1629, Sir William Alexander bought the house. His family was connected to the Campbells of Argyll. The Campbells already owned several houses in Stirling. Sir William could buy the house because his wife, Janet Erskine, was related to the previous owners.
Sir William was born in 1577. This was in Menstrie, a village near Stirling. He was a teacher to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. Prince Henry was the heir to the Scottish throne. In 1603, King James VI became king of both Scotland and England. Sir William followed the king to London. He was made a knight in 1609. In 1626, he became the main Secretary for Scotland for life.
Sir William is best known for starting a new colony. This colony was called Nova Scotia in North America. He received a special royal charter for this in 1621. In 1630, he was given the title 1st Earl of Stirling. He was also made Viscount Canada.
Sir William redecorated his Stirling home. He knew that King Charles I planned to visit Scotland. The king was coming for his Scottish coronation in 1633. Sir William had the house made into a small palace. It had special rooms for guests and private areas. The outside was also grandly decorated.
Sir William died in 1640. He had many debts. He left the house to his son Charles. But the town of Stirling claimed the house. This was because of Sir William's unpaid debts. The town council wanted to use it as a guesthouse. However, this never happened. In the 1660s, the house was sold to the Duke of Argyll.
Above the main entrance, there is a special stone tablet. It shows Alexander's coat-of-arms. A Native American and a mermaid hold up the shield. A scroll above has his family motto: Avt Spero Avt Sperno. This means "Either I hope or I despise." Another scroll below shows the motto of Nova Scotia: per mare per terras. This means "by sea by land." The design on the shield is thought to be the first time a beaver was shown in a coat of arms.
The Campbells of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll was born in 1629. He was a strong supporter of the king. In 1666, he bought the house. It then became known as Argyll's Lodging. He made the house bigger. He added parts to the north and south. He also built a wall around the courtyard. This wall had a fancy entrance gate. He also had the inside walls decorated with paintings. Some of these paintings can still be seen today.
In 1680, the Earl faced a problem. He refused to take an oath called the Test Act. This oath was meant to make sure public officials were loyal to King Charles II. But it also demanded they agree with the king's ideas on church matters. Because the Earl refused, he was accused of disloyalty in 1681. He was put in Edinburgh Castle. But he managed to escape! He dressed as a woman and fled from Leith to the Netherlands. His lands and belongings were taken by the king.
However, the Earl had been clever. He had made a list of all his belongings in the Stirling house. He had given them to his wife, Lady Anna Mackenzie. She was the daughter of the Earl of Seafield. They had married in 1670. Lady Anna's first husband had stayed loyal to the king. Because of this, the king gave her money. He also let her keep her personal property.
In February 1685, Charles II died. His brother James VII became king. Argyll returned to Scotland. He planned to lead a fight against the new king. This was meant to happen at the same time as another revolt in England. In June, soon after landing, Argyll was caught in Renfrew. He was taken to Edinburgh. There, he was executed in the town's Grassmarket.
The house stayed with the Campbell family for almost a hundred years. In 1746, during the Jacobite rebellion, Prince William, Duke of Cumberland stayed in the house.
From Hospital to Museum
In 1764, the 4th Duke of Argyll sold the house. It was bought by Robert Campbell and James Wright. They then sold it to the McGregors of Balhaldie. Around 1800, the Army bought the house. They needed it for a military hospital. The hospital in Stirling Castle was too small. During the Napoleonic wars, the army grew a lot. It went from 40,000 to 225,000 soldiers. The small castle hospital could not handle so many people.
The house was used as a military hospital until 1964. Then, it became a youth hostel. In 1996, Historic Scotland opened it as a museum. They have decorated the rooms. They used the old list of belongings made by the 9th Earl. This helps visitors see what the house looked like long ago.
How Argyll's Lodging Was Built
Argyll's Lodging is on Castle Wynd. This is the last road before you reach Stirling Castle. It was built and decorated in the Renaissance style. The house originally looked like the letter "P" from above. The top part of the "P" had three wings. These wings were around a courtyard to the west. A wall with an entrance gate separated the courtyard from the street. The bottom part of the "P" was a southwest wing. This wing also faced the street. It was later taken down.
The north wing had the kitchen on its ground floor. The eastern part was the oldest section. It had the original kitchen. The first floor held the private rooms. The main entrance is in the central east wing. It led straight into the Laigh Hall. This was a ground-floor cellar. The first floor of the east wing had the High Dining Room. This was for entertaining guests. On the south side was the more private Drawing Room.
The ground floor of the south wing had rooms for the head of the family and his oldest son. The Lower Dining Room was in the southeast corner of this wing. The first floor of the south wing had the bedrooms for the Lord and Lady of the house. It also had My Lady's Closet. This was the lady of the house's private sitting room.
Managing Argyll's Lodging
Historic Scotland looks after and maintains Argyll's Lodging.
