Newark Castle, Selkirkshire facts for kids
Newark Tower is a large, old ruined building that looks like a castle. It stands on the grounds of Bowhill House, in the beautiful valley of the Yarrow Water. This is about three miles west of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Besides the main tower, you can still see parts of a gatehouse and a wall. It's a very important historical site, officially protected by Historic Environment Scotland.
The Tower's Story
Building and Early Owners
Newark Tower was given to a powerful person named Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigtown around the year 1423. The tower wasn't finished at that time. Workers kept building it until about 1475. A strong outer wall, called a barmkin, was added around 1550 to protect the tower. The top parts of the walls (battlements) and two small square towers (cap-houses) that you see today were built around 1600.
Royal Connections
After a very strong family known as the Black Douglases lost their power, the King of Scotland took control of Newark Tower. In 1473, the Tower was given to Margaret of Denmark. She was the wife of King James III. You can still see the royal family's symbol carved on the west side of the tower.
Later, in June 1532, Margaret Tudor visited Newark. She was the mother of King James V. She came to hold a special court for the Ettrick Forest lands, which were part of her marriage gift. At first, the local leader, the Laird of Buccleuch, wouldn't give her the keys to the tower. But then King James V, who was hunting nearby, sent a message confirming her visit. So, Margaret gave the keys to her husband, Lord Methven.
Battles and Changes
Newark Tower faced a tough time in 1547 when an English army tried to attack it, but they didn't succeed. However, the very next year, in 1548, the tower was sadly burned.
In 1645, during a period of wars in Scotland, a sad event happened at Newark. About 100 soldiers who supported the Marquis of Montrose were shot in the outer yard (barmkin) of Newark. This happened after a battle called the Battle of Philiphaugh. Because of this event, some people believe the Tower is haunted.
The Tower was changed a bit at the end of the 1600s for Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch. Many years later, in 1831, the famous writer Sir Walter Scott visited the tower. The poets William and Dorothy Wordsworth also visited at that time. Sir Walter Scott even used Newark Tower as the setting for his famous poem, The Lay of the Last Minstrel.
