William Hill (blacksmith) facts for kids

William Hill was a skilled Scottish blacksmith who created amazing iron items for James V of Scotland, a king who ruled Scotland a long time ago. He was like a master craftsman, making everything from strong gates to fancy window grilles.

William Hill had his workshop, called a forge, right inside Edinburgh Castle. He made many iron gates and window grilles, which were called "yetts." You can still see some of his work today at places like Stirling Castle and Blackness Castle.

He also made special iron windows for Falkland Palace, especially for the king's own bedroom. These yetts were very strong, with many upright and horizontal iron bars. To make them look good, they were painted bright red with special paints like red lead and vermilion.

What William Hill Made

William Hill didn't just make yetts. He also created:

• Locks for doors and furniture
• Strong bars for extra security
• Hinges and bands for window shutters

He often traveled from his forge in Edinburgh to Falkland Palace to measure new windows. Then, he would go back to his workshop to create the perfect yetts and other iron pieces. Another blacksmith named Alexander worked at Falkland too. He made iron bars to help fix stone sculptures and doorways. Alexander also took care of the tools the stonemasons used. He even made horseshoes for the cart horses, while William Hill put iron "shoes" on the cartwheels to make them stronger.

William Hill also helped with the king's cannons, sometimes loading them onto ships. He supplied many different kinds of nails, including special decorative ones for Holyrood Palace. He made bars and bolts to support and decorate wooden ceilings. He also made "glass bands" to hold the glass in large stained glass windows, which were then put in place by another craftsman named Thomas Peebles.

William Hill's Important Role

William Hill became the official Master Smith for the king on May 8, 1530. This was a very important job!

In May 1538, William Hill went to Tantallon Castle and Dunbar Castle. He traveled with the master carpenter, John Drummond, and a stonemason, William Kadisley. Their job was to check on repair work and measure for a new iron gate.

In 1539, a new forge was built for William Hill and another smith, John Spretty, at Holyrood Palace. William Hill made more yetts for the new palace at Stirling Castle, asked for by James Hamilton of Finnart. He was paid for this work in August 1541.

Later, in 1543, William Hill was asked by Regent Arran to make Linlithgow Palace more secure. He added iron window yetts there because the young queen, Mary, Queen of Scots, and her mother, Mary of Guise, were staying there.

Images for kids

• 

  A yett or window grille at Stirling Palace, made by William Hill. It was originally painted bright red!