Elcho Castle facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Elcho Castle
The front of Elcho Castle
Built	Around 1560

Scheduled monument
Official name: Elcho Castle
Type	Secular: castle
Designated	30 April 1920
Reference no.	SM90140


Listed Building – Category A
Official name: Elcho Castle, Doo'cot
Designated	5 October 1971
Reference no.	LB17714


Listed Building – Category C(S)
Official name: Elcho Castle, Custodian's House
Designated	5 October 1971
Reference no.	LB17713

Elcho Castle (pronounced EL-kho) is an old castle found near the south bank of the River Tay in Scotland. It's about four miles south-east of Perth, Scotland. The Clan Wemyss family built and looked after it from around 1560. In the early 1900s, it was given to the care of the Scottish government.

Around 1830, the castle got a new roof to help preserve it. A small house was also built nearby. Elcho Castle has been a special protected site, called a scheduled monument, since 1920. This is because it's a great example of a medieval tower-house. The nearby house became a listed building in 1971. The castle is interesting because it has fancy guest rooms like a big house. But it also has many small holes for guns, called gun loops, for defense.

What Elcho Castle Looks Like
Castle History
- Wemyss Family Ownership
- Later Ownership and Preservation
Elcho Castle in Recent Times
- Doo'cot and Orchard
- Conservation and Access
Gallery
See also

What Elcho Castle Looks Like

Elcho Castle is a type of building called a Z-plan tower house. This means it has a main rectangular part with towers sticking out from opposite corners. There was likely a wall around it, called a barmkin, to protect the area.

Castle Towers and Walls

The castle has many floors. It features a large square tower at one corner. Three other towers are built into the north side. Some windows have metal grilles for protection. There are 17 gun loops on the lower levels. These were small openings for firing guns.

The only way into the castle is through a single door. This door is on the ground floor of the south-west tower. It was protected by a strong iron gate called a yett. There's a walkway on top of the walls with a low protective wall, called a parapet. This was probably more for people to enjoy the views than for fighting. The castle was built using stone rubble and dressed sandstone. The walls were once covered with a rough plaster called harled finish. Only small parts of this plaster remain today. One window on the south side has a carved ring symbol. This ring, called an annulet, sometimes showed that the owner was a fifth son.

Inside the Castle

The first floor was the "noble floor." This is where the most important people lived. It had the main hall, which was bright with windows facing south. There was also a large bedroom that worked as a private meeting room. This room even had its own small side room and a private toilet.

The upper floors were quite big for their time. They had many smaller rooms and walkways on the roof. The castle also had a special "guest wing" with its own toilets. This was quite unusual for castles back then. A large spiral staircase, called a turnpike staircase, led to the first floor. Other staircases went to the higher floors.

The ground floor was called "below stairs." It had arched ceilings, known as vaulted ceilings. This floor included a large kitchen with a fireplace and storage rooms called cellars. A long hallway connected these lower rooms. A smaller staircase allowed servants to go directly to the floor above without using the main staircase.

Outside Areas

Near the castle, there was a flooded quarry. This was used as a private dock on the river. It likely had a jetty in the 1800s. Today, this area is a garden. The surrounding wall, or barmkin, would have enclosed other buildings. Not much of these buildings remains. However, there is a small ruined round tower in the south-east corner. This tower also had a gun port for defense.

Castle History

The first clear mention of Elcho was in 1429. Sir David Wemyss of Clan Wemyss and Hugh Fraser made an agreement at a place called "Elthok." A poem from the 1480s about William Wallace also mentions "Elchoch." However, experts don't think this poem is a very reliable source for history.

In 1468, King James III of Scotland confirmed that the east Elcho lands belonged to Sir David's son, John Wemyss. This was written in an old record called The Register of the Great Seal. There are also mentions of "place of Elchok" in 1501 and "capitale messuagium de Elquhoch" in 1541.

Wemyss Family Ownership

Sir John Wemyss helped the nearby Elcho Nunnery (a place where nuns lived) after 1547. He gave them barley and money. Over time, the Wemyss family leased more land. By 1560, they owned all the lands of Elcho. The castle you see today was built around 1560 on the site of an older building.

Elcho Castle was more of a country retreat for the Wemyss family. Their main home was Wemyss Castle in Fife. Sir John died in 1571, and his son David took over the castle. Sir David helped plan the wedding of King James VI and I and Anne of Denmark in 1589.

In 1628, another John Wemyss, a descendant of Sir John, became the first Lord Wemyss of Elcho. In 1633, King Charles I made him the Earl of Wemyss. To celebrate, beautiful plasterwork was added to the castle's main hall. Outside the door, the letters "E I W" are carved. People think this stands for "Earl James Wemyss." Sir John died in 1649. His only son, David Wemyss, became the next Lord Elcho. He lived at Wemyss Castle and died in 1697. Since he had no sons, his titles went to his daughter, Margaret Wemyss. Her son, David Wemyss, then became the next Earl.

Later Ownership and Preservation

After David died, his son James Wemyss became the next earl. James's oldest son, David Wemyss, was involved in the Jacobite rising of 1745. This was a rebellion to put a different king on the throne. David escaped to France and lost his titles. In 1749, James sold the castle to his second son, Francis Wemyss-Charteris.

The castle was never attacked in a war. However, it almost burned down in 1773. At that time, it was being used to store grain during a famine. The grain was being kept to sell for higher prices. Soldiers had to stop a riot. After this, the castle was left empty.

An engraving (a type of print) of Elcho Castle was made by James Fittler in 1804. This print is part of a collection called Scotia Depicta. It is now kept at the National Library of Scotland. In 1830, Francis Douglas, the 8th Earl of Wemyss, had the castle re-roofed. He did this to save the castle from falling apart. Few other changes were made to the castle itself after it was first built. Around 1830, a small house with an attic was built. It's thought that parts of the old courtyard wall were used to build it. This house also has a porch with log columns.

Elcho Castle in Recent Times

The Wemyss family, who first built the castle, still own it today. Even though no one has lived there for about 200 years, it has been kept in good condition. This is one of the earliest examples in Scotland of a building being saved just because it's historically important.

Historic Environment Scotland now manages the castle. It has been a scheduled monument since April 30, 1920. This recognizes its importance to the country. The castle was officially put into the care of the state in 1929 by Hugo Charteris, the 11th Earl of Wemyss.

Doo'cot and Orchard

A 16th-century 'beehive' dovecote (a building for pigeons or doves) still stands nearby. In Scotland, this is called a 'doo'cot'. This dovecote became a special protected building, a Category A listed building, in October 1971. The custodian's house, built in the early 1800s, became a Category C listed building.

In 1999, about 90 fruit trees were planted in the orchard next to the castle. Most of these were apple and pear trees. In 2001, a special ceremony called sasine took place. In this ceremony, David Charteris, the 12th Earl of Wemyss, officially passed ownership of the castle to his grandson, Richard Charteris.

Conservation and Access

Archaeological digs, called excavations, have happened at the castle several times. These took place in 1987, 2006, and 2012. In the late 2010s, some improvements were made. These included roof repairs, a new bench and paved area, and a new path and electrical work. In 2019, Elcho Castle was a stop for River Tay water taxis.

In 2021, a survey was done on all 96 windows and window openings. This was part of ongoing conservation work. In 2022, it was announced that Historic Environment Scotland would further check the castle. This is part of a national program to assess historic sites. A large part of the castle is usually open to visitors. However, much of the wooden floor on the third level of the main part is missing.

Normally, the castle is open to the public from April 1 to September 30, from 10 am to 4 pm. However, as of 2022, access is limited. The castle is not open to the public while conservation work is being done.

Gallery

Engraving of Elcho Castle by James Fittler from Scotia Depicta, published 1804
The Doo'cot at Elcho Castle
View of Elcho Castle from the east
A corner of Elcho Castle
Inside the Great Hall of Elcho Castle