Stonehaven Tolbooth facts for kids
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| Location | Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire |
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| Coordinates | 56°57′39″N 2°12′08″W / 56.96074°N 2.20210°W |
| Security class | Originally used as a courthouse and then a prison |
| Website | Stonehaven Tolbooth Website |
The Stonehaven Tolbooth is an old stone building from the late 1500s. It was first used as a courthouse and a prison in the town of Stonehaven, Scotland. It's made from a local stone called Old Red Sandstone.
This building became famous when three Episcopalian clergymen were put in prison here. Their "crime" was holding church services for more than nine people. This was against a rule made in the mid-1700s to stop the Episcopalian religion from growing.
Today, the Tolbooth is a history museum. It also has a restaurant on the floor above the museum. It's a very important historical building, known as a category A listed building.
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What is a Tolbooth?
A tolbooth was a special building in Scottish towns. It was often used for collecting taxes, holding town meetings, and as a prison. The Stonehaven Tolbooth served all these purposes.
Its Early Days
The Stonehaven Tolbooth was likely built by George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal. He lived from about 1553 to 1623. At first, the rectangular building was just a storehouse.
In 1600, a special law was passed by Act of Parliament. This law said the building should become a tolbooth. The law stated that the sheriff of Kincardine (the old name for the area) would hold their court in Stonehaven. After 1624, the town's official business happened on the top floor. The ground floor was used as the prison.
A Place of Justice
By 1685, the Stonehaven Tolbooth was the main place for justice in all of Kincardineshire. This area later became part of Aberdeenshire.
Over the winter of 1748–1749, something very important happened. Three Episcopalian clergymen were put in prison. They had held a religious service for more than nine people. This service took place at a ruined chapel near Muchalls Castle.
The Episcopalians were linked to the Jacobite cause. This meant they supported the old royal family, not the new rulers, the Hanoverians. Because of this, they faced unfair treatment.
A famous painting shows the sad story of these imprisoned clergymen. It shows a baptism of a baby through the prison bars. This painting is now kept by the Diocese in Brechin.
From 1709, Episcopalian services were held in the Tolbooth itself. This was after the local church became part of the Church of Scotland. These services continued until a new Episcopalian meeting house was built in Stonehaven in 1738.
Later Life of the Tolbooth
When new county government buildings were finished in 1767, the Stonehaven Tolbooth went back to being a storehouse.
In 1963, the Tolbooth needed a lot of repair work. After the repairs, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother officially opened it in September 1963.
Today, the ground floor is a local history museum. The floor above it has a restaurant. The museum shows items about local history and the Tolbooth itself. This includes a wooden model of the local war memorial.
How it Looks
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The original building was a rectangle. It was built using Old Red Sandstone, a stone found nearby. This stone was also used for other buildings from the same time, like Muchalls Castle.
Later, in the 1600s, another part was added. This new part was almost at a right angle to the first building. This made the Tolbooth look like an "L" shape, similar to Muchalls Castle.
The ends of the original rectangular building have special stepped designs called crow-stepped gables. There is also a chimney on the west end.
It's interesting that you can only get to the first floor by using a stone staircase on the west side. This design might have been to let town officials do their work without going through the prison area. A paved courtyard sits between the two L-shaped parts of the building.
Inside the Tolbooth
The floor in the north part (added in the 1600s) still has its original flagstones and cobblestones. There's also a large fireplace on the west wall of this part. However, the chimney above it has been filled in, so the fireplace can't be used. On the ground floor, a stone wall separates the two large rooms from the 1500s and 1600s.
The original Arrow slits on the south wall from the 1500s are still there, but they have been filled in. The height of these slits suggests that the ground level of the building might have changed over time.
Looking at the stone walls, it seems there was an earlier opening in the middle of the east wall. The top floor, now used for the restaurant, has been changed more inside. But the basic window openings are thought to be original.
