Craigmillar Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Craigmillar Castle |
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| Craigmillar, Edinburgh, Scotland UK grid reference NT288709 |
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Craigmillar Castle from the east
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 Craigmillar Castle
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| Coordinates | 55°55′33″N 3°08′26″W / 55.9259°N 3.1406°W |
| Type | Courtyard castle |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Historic Environment Scotland |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Site history | |
| Built | 14th century |
| Built by | Preston family |
| In use | Until early 17th century |
| Materials | Stone |
Craigmillar Castle is an old, ruined castle found in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's about 3 miles (5 km) south-east of the city centre, on a small hill near the modern area of Craigmillar. The Preston family, who were local landowners, started building the castle in the late 1300s. Work continued on it through the 1400s and 1500s.
In 1660, the castle was sold to Sir John Gilmour, a very important judge. He helped bring new life to the old castle. However, the Gilmour family left Craigmillar in the 1700s for a more modern home nearby called Inch House. After they left, the castle slowly fell into ruin. Today, Historic Environment Scotland looks after it as a scheduled monument, and you can visit it.
Craigmillar Castle is famous for its connection to Mary, Queen of Scots. After she was ill following the birth of her son, James VI, Mary came to Craigmillar on 20 November 1566 to get better. Before she left on 7 December 1566, an agreement called the "Craigmillar Bond" was made. This agreement was about removing her husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, though Mary herself was likely unaware of any plot to harm him.
Craigmillar is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Scotland. The main tower house, or keep, is surrounded by a strong wall from the 1400s. Inside this wall are other buildings, and the whole castle is protected by an outer wall. This outer area once held a chapel and a doocot (a pigeon house).
Contents
Craigmillar Castle: A Journey Through Time
The Castle's Beginnings
The land where Craigmillar Castle stands was given to monks by King David I in the 1100s. Later, in 1342, the Preston family received land in the area from King David II. In 1374, King Robert II gave the rest of the Craigmillar lands to Sir Simon de Preston.
It was either Simon's son or grandson, Sir George Preston, who started building the tower house that is now the main part of the castle. This tower was finished by 1425. The courtyard wall was probably added by Sir William Preston (who died in 1453). He had traveled in France and used ideas from there for his new building. He also brought back a special item, the arm of Saint Giles, which he gave to the High Kirk of Edinburgh.
In 1479, John Stewart, Earl of Mar, who was King James III's brother, was held prisoner at Craigmillar. He was accused of using witchcraft against the King. He later died in strange circumstances.
The 1500s at Craigmillar
In 1511, Craigmillar became a barony, which meant it had special legal rights. The outer courtyard was built around this time. In September 1517, when there was an outbreak of plague in Edinburgh, the young King James V of Scotland was moved to Craigmillar for safety.
During a conflict with England called the Rough Wooing, English soldiers burned Craigmillar Castle on 8 May 1544. This happened after they had attacked Edinburgh. Sir Simon Preston (who died in 1569) had the castle repaired. He was a loyal supporter of Queen Mary and served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh (like a mayor) for many years.
Queen Mary stayed at Craigmillar twice. In September 1563, she met the English ambassador there. She stayed again from 20 November to 7 December 1566. She was still recovering from a serious illness and was feeling sad. She met with a diplomat from Savoy who had come for the baptism of Prince James. People traditionally say Mary slept in a small former kitchen in the tower house, but she likely stayed in the newer, larger rooms in the east part of the castle.
While she was at Craigmillar in November 1566, some of her noblemen suggested that her husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who was not popular, could be removed. This could happen either through divorce or other ways. An agreement, known as the "Craigmillar Bond," was signed by Mary's Secretary of State and several nobles. They met in different rooms in the castle to discuss the idea of a divorce with Mary. The bond itself is lost, but it showed the plan to remove Darnley. Even though Mary was unhappy with Darnley, she was not part of any plan to kill him. Darnley was supposed to stay at Craigmillar when he returned to Edinburgh, but he chose to stay at Kirk o' Field in the town, where he was murdered on 10 February 1567.
During the Marian Civil War, some of Mary's soldiers died at the castle on 2 June 1571 when a barrel of gunpowder exploded. In 1572, Regent Mar used Craigmillar as a base while attacking Edinburgh Castle, which was held by Mary's supporters.
King James VI visited Craigmillar himself. In September 1589, he was waiting for his future wife, Anne of Denmark, to arrive. He came to Craigmillar, still waiting for news of his bride. It was at Craigmillar that he decided to sail to Norway to meet his Queen, who was delayed by bad winds. In 1591, a woman named Agnes Sampson was accused of putting a special wax image in a dovecote at Craigmillar to help her friend.
The Gilmour Family Takes Over
When Sir Robert Preston died in 1639, Craigmillar went to a distant cousin. His son then sold the castle. It was bought by Sir John Gilmour (who died in 1671) in 1660. Sir John was a Royalist (a supporter of the King). He was rewarded after King Charles II returned to the throne, becoming a very important judge in 1661.
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He updated the west part of the castle in the 1660s to make it more modern and comfortable. But in the early 1700s, the Gilmour family left the castle for Inch House, which was just west of Craigmillar. It's said that two of the family's daughters continued to live in Craigmillar Castle even after the rest of the family had moved. After this, Craigmillar Castle became a beautiful ruin in the Inch estate's park. By 1775, it was already ruined.
The castle became a popular place for tourists from the late 1700s and many artists drew it. There was a plan in 1842 to fix up the building for Queen Victoria, but it didn't happen. Queen Victoria herself visited the castle in 1886. A lot of restoration work was done by its owner at the time, Walter James Little Gilmour (who died in 1887).
Craigmillar Castle has been looked after by the state since 1946. Today, Historic Environment Scotland maintains it. The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, meaning it's a very important historical site. The castle grounds are also listed on the national register of historic gardens.
What Does Craigmillar Castle Look Like?
At the heart of Craigmillar Castle is the main tower house, built in the 1300s on a rocky hill. Around this tower is a courtyard wall from the 1400s, with other buildings on its south-east, east, and west sides. Beyond this wall is a lower outer wall, which encloses a large outer courtyard. This area once had gardens and a chapel. More gardens were to the south, where you can still see the shape of a fish pond.
The Main Tower House
The four-storey tower is the castle's main strong point. It measures about 52 feet (15.8 m) by 38 feet (11.6 m), with a part sticking out to the south. The walls are very thick, up to 11 feet (3.3 m). The second and fourth floors have arched ceilings. The tower is built on the edge of a rock, and the original entrance was protected by a natural crack in the rock. This crack would have had a wooden bridge over it. Above the door are the Preston family's symbols.
Inside, a stair leads from the entrance to a guard room. This room likely had "murder holes" where things could be dropped on attackers. On the ground floor are cellars, which used to have a wooden floor above them.
On the second floor is the main hall, with a kitchen in the projecting part. Later, passages were added to connect to other parts of the castle. The hall has a large stone fireplace from around 1500. The kitchen was later replaced by a bigger one in the 1500s, and this old kitchen became a bedroom. The next floor up has a room above the hall ceiling. Above the kitchen is the lord's bedroom, which was the only private bedroom in the original building. Stairs continue up to the roof, where you can walk along the top of the walls. Another floor was added to the projecting part in the 1500s, with one room. The outside of the castle used to have two wooden balconies for viewing the gardens and the countryside.
Inside the Courtyard
The courtyard wall, built in the mid-1400s, surrounds a courtyard about 33 feet (10 m) across. The wall is up to 6 feet (1.8 m) thick. On the outside, the wall is about 131 feet (40 m) by 89 feet (27 m). There are round towers at each corner, and a small side gate at the base of the south-east tower. The towers have decorative gun holes. The main gate is in the north wall. Above it are the Preston family's symbols, with the royal symbols of Scotland above those. The walls have special openings called machicolations, which allowed defenders to drop things on attackers. You can walk along the top of the walls. Inside the wall, you can see signs that there used to be buildings on the south side of the courtyard. There is no well in the courtyard, but a stone channel allowed water to be brought into the castle.
The East Buildings
The east buildings are on the south-east and east sides of the inner courtyard. The original east buildings were rebuilt in the 1500s and connected to the tower house by a new, wide spiral staircase. The building next to the tower house has two rooms on the first floor. Below these were cellars, which included a bakehouse and possibly a prison. A hallway connects the tower to large, arched kitchens in the east buildings. Another image of the Preston family's symbols, supported by monkeys, is above the door to the east buildings. Below the kitchens are more cellars, with a blocked-up side gate through the courtyard wall. Above, a long gallery (a long room) used to be on the second floor, but only its lower walls remain.
The West Buildings
The west buildings were completely rebuilt by the Gilmour family in the 1660s. They wanted a large, modern living space for Sir John, who was a senior judge. The roof slates were brought from a place called Stobo in 1661. The ground floor had a large central drawing room (a living room) with big windows and a carved stone fireplace. This room would have had fancy plaster ceilings. To the north was a kitchen, and to the south a room with a wine cellar below it. The first floor had four bedrooms. A new staircase was built to connect the west buildings with the tower house. The door to this tower has a classical design, and above it is a plaque from the 1900s with the symbols of Sir John Gilmour and his wife. The west buildings no longer have a roof or floors, and the large windows have been blocked up.
The Outer Court and Gardens
The outer walls, built in the early to mid-1500s, are not as strong as the inner walls, but they enclose a much bigger area. A round tower at the north-east corner has gun holes and a doocot, or pigeon house, upstairs. The family chapel was built around 1520 and was dedicated to St Thomas Becket. It is now a roofless burial place, still used by the Gilmour family.
Gardens were in the east and west parts of the courtyard. The western garden was overlooked by the large windows of the west buildings. A barn at the north-west of the courtyard was turned into a church in 1687. South of the castle were informal gardens and fruit orchards. You can still see the bases of 1500s viewing towers at the corners of this walled area. The old fish pond, shaped like the letter P for Preston, is a very important historical garden feature because it's so rare. In the 1820s, there was a plan to create beautiful gardens between Inch House and the castle. This plan would have included "Queen Mary's Tree," a Sycamore tree supposedly planted by Mary, Queen of Scots. Much of the woodland around the castle today dates from the early to mid-1800s.
Images for kids
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Mary, Queen of Scots, and her husband Lord Darnley. An agreement about Darnley was made at Craigmillar.
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Sir John Gilmour bought Craigmillar in 1660 and updated parts of it.
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Ground floor plan of Craigmillar Castle.
Key: A=Kitchen, B=Dining Room, C=Chamber, D=Tower entrance, E=Tower cellars, F=East range cellars. -
Upper part of the tower house.
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Looking up through the machicolations in the curtain wall. These gaps allowed defenders to drop things on attackers.
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The outer court, with the gate on the left, and the main part of the castle centre-right.
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Thomas Hearne and William Byrne's 1782 engraving of Craigmillar Castle.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de Craigmillar para niños
