Nunraw facts for kids

Nunraw is a place in East Lothian, Scotland. It's known for the White Castle, which is an ancient hillfort. A hillfort is like an old fort built on a hill for protection. This hillfort is located near the Lammermuir Hills, about two miles south of Garvald village. Nunraw House, a large building nearby, used to be a guesthouse for visitors to Sancta Maria Abbey, Nunraw, a Cistercian monastery. In 1905, a historian named Sir James Balfour Paul said that Whitecastle and Nunraw were the same place. He noted that the landowners were often called by either name.

White Castle: An Ancient Fort

The White Castle hillfort was probably first settled by the ancestors of the Votadini tribe. Their main eastern capital was at Traprain Law, which is north of White Castle. This fort was perfectly placed to control the northern part of an important pass through the Lammermuir Hills. This pass followed the Whiteadder Water.

Along with other forts like Blackcastle and Greencastle, White Castle could have been part of a warning system. It could have used beacons (fires) to alert the tribe if enemies invaded from the south.

Archaeologists Murray Cook and David Connolly from Rampart Scotland [1] excavated the hillfort. They worked there for four years, from 2010 to 2013. They found that the fort was mainly used in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. This means it was active between 1000 BC and 1 BC. They also found some signs of human activity from even older times, like the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.

Nunraw: A Place of History

It's believed that the Church was the first 'modern' owner of the lands of Nunraw. The name Nunraw means "nuns' row" or "nuns' village." Some stories say that old nuns from Italy settled there. Later, the Lauder of The Bass family seemed to own the land.

In July 1501, there was a disagreement between the prioress (head nun) of Haddington Convent and Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass. The dispute was about land and damage to Sir Robert Lauder's house at Whitecastle. The case was put on hold for a while.

The conflict continued. In February 1510, records show that Thomas Dicsoune and others were punished. They had gone to Whitecastle at night and knocked down a house built by Sir Robert Lauder. This was likely a strong tower called a Pele Tower. Sir Robert Lauder's son, also named Sir Robert Lauder, was present at the hearing. The person who knocked down the house had to pay a fine.

In July 1547, during a war called the Rough Wooing, Elizabeth, the prioress of Haddington, was made the keeper of Nunraw. She promised to keep it safe from "our old enemies of England and all others." She agreed to give the house back to Regent Arran or, if needed, to destroy it so no one else could use it.

By the mid-1500s, Patrick Hepburn of Beanston owned this estate and its tower. In 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots confirmed a land grant to Patrick Hepburn. He was called "of Whitecastle" and was the son of John Hepburn of Beanston. He was given lands near Garvald. Another document mentioned that Patrick had married Margaret, daughter of James Cockburn. It also said Patrick had two younger brothers, James and William.

Patrick Hepburn of Whitecastle (who died in November 1583) was involved in an event where King James VI was held at Ruthven Castle in 1582. His will mentioned him as "Hepburn of Whitecastle, knight, Laird of Benestoun."

The Hepburn family still owned Nunraw in the 1700s. In 1735, Francis Hepburn of Nunraw was chosen as an Elder for the church in Garvald. He died by 1747. His wife was Christian Anderson, and they had two sons, Patrick and Francis.

Nunraw House: From Tower to Monastery

Today's Nunraw House is a large, castle-like mansion built in 1860. It's made of deep red sandstone. It includes parts of the Hepburn family's 16th-century tower house. However, it seems the tower might be even older than that. The old building had a long section running east to west. It had two square towers and round stair-turrets. Only one of the towers still looks the same from the outside. There are also old cellars and staircases.

Between 1860 and 1864, Robert Hay made changes to the house. He tried to make it look very old and authentic. In 1864, during these changes, a special painted ceiling was found. It had the initials of Patrick Hepburn and Helen Cockburn, who were married. After 1880, Walter Wingate Gray added a lot of oak wood panels. He also turned the painted room into a chapel. Mr. Wingate Gray owned the estate in 1890 and is buried there with his wife.

Present Day: Sancta Maria Abbey

In 1946, Cistercian monks from Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea in County Tipperary, Ireland, bought Nunraw House. They wanted to start a new monastery there. By 1948, the community at Nunraw was allowed to call itself an Abbey. The first abbot, Dom Columban Mulcahy, was chosen. He was the first Cistercian Abbot in Scotland since the Reformation.

In 1962, the monks started building a new Abbey and church southwest of Nunraw House. They moved into the new, partly finished building in 1969. Nunraw House itself was later sold by the Abbey. It is now a private home again.