Whittingehame Tower facts for kids
Whittingehame Tower, also known as Whittingehame Castle, is an old tower house built in the 1400s. It stands about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of East Linton in East Lothian, Scotland. You can find it on the west bank of the Whittinghame Water.
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History of Whittingehame Tower
The land where Whittingehame Tower stands first belonged to the Earls of March. In the 1300s, the Douglas family took ownership. A famous Douglas, James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, owned it when Mary, Queen of Scots was queen.
Over time, the castle passed to other important families like the Setons and the Hays. Today, the Balfours of Balbirnie still own the castle. Did you know that Arthur Balfour, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905, was part of this Balfour family?
What Whittingehame Tower Looks Like
Whittingehame Tower is an L-shaped building. This means it has a main rectangular part and a smaller section that sticks out, which usually holds a staircase.
The tower has a special top edge called a parapet. This parapet sticks out from the walls and has rounded corners. On top of the parapet is a small structure called a cap-house. In the 1930s, this cap-house was used as a dovecote, a place for pigeons to live!
Inside, the basement of the tower has a vaulted ceiling, which means it's built with curved arches. The main room, called the hall, is on the first floor. It has wooden panels on the walls and a beautifully decorated plaster ceiling. The main entrance to the tower is through the stair-wing. Some of the windows have been made larger over the years. Today, the hall displays old documents and prints.
Whittingehame Tower is a very important historic building in Scotland. It's given the highest level of protection, known as a Category A listed building.
Old Garden Features
Until the early 1900s, there was a raised area near the tower. You could reach it by steps, and it overlooked a famous yew tree. This was probably a garden feature built by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton or someone who owned the castle after him. He was known for building gardens at other castles like Aberdour Castle and Lochleven Castle. Some people thought this raised area might have been for defense, perhaps to place cannons, but it was more likely a beautiful garden space.
Famous Meetings at Whittingehame
There's a famous story about Whittingehame Tower from 1567. It's said that the Earl of Morton, the Earl of Bothwell (who later married Mary, Queen of Scots), and William Maitland of Lethington (the queen's secretary) met here. They were guests of Archibald Douglas, the owner.
The story goes that they talked together under a large yew tree in the castle grounds. They discussed important plans concerning Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, who was Mary, Queen of Scots' husband. The Earl of Morton had just returned from exile in England. He was careful about the plans and wanted Mary, Queen of Scots' approval. Even though the queen was hesitant, the plans discussed at Whittingehame eventually happened. However, many historians believe this meeting actually took place at Craigmillar Castle in late 1566.
About 18 months later, Mary's half-brother, the Earl of Moray, also visited Whittingehame. He met with Morton and Lethington, and they all expressed their shock about what had happened to Lord Darnley. By then, Bothwell was considered an outlaw. We know for sure that Moray stayed at Whittingehame on August 12, 1567.
Unique Plants at the Castle
It's believed that the very first cider gum tree (Eucalyptus gunnii) in Great Britain was planted in the grounds of Whittingehame Castle in 1853. This tree was quite special and managed to survive for over a hundred years!
Images for kids
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Whittinghame Tower in the 1920s
