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Bothwell Castle


Bothwell Castle is a magnificent ruin guarding a strategic crossing on the River Clyde, and dates back to the 13th century.

The barony of Bothwell was granted by King David I to his godson, David Olifard, possibly as a reward for having saved the King’s life at the siege of Winchester Castle in 1141. Olifard built a motte as the seat of the barony. When David Olifard’s grandson, Walter Olifard, died in 1242 the lands passed to the Murray family, Walter’s daughter having married Walter de Moravia in the first half of the 13th century.

Walter de Moravia was the first of his family to use the title of Bothwell, and set about building a huge castle at Bothwell around 1.9km west of the motte. The castle was actually planned to be around twice the size that it is today, but due to the onset of the Wars of Independence beginning in 1296 a smaller castle was constructed.

To the north of the castle can be seen the foundations of a planned gatehouse, and to the north-east the foundations of a round tower.

Although half its planned size, Bothwell Castle is actually a rather large structure and is dominated by a huge round donjon measuring some 20m in diameter and 30m in height, with walls around 4.6m thick.

This tall tower consists of four storeys, each of which has one eight-sided room with arched windows. Above the basement level was the great hall on the first floor, above which was a secondary hall, and at the top the lord’s private chamber.

The design of the donjon is almost identical to that of the towers of the Château de Coucy in northern France. In 1239 King Alexander II of Scotland married Marie de Coucy, daughter of Enguerrand III, Lord of Coucy, who had built the Château de Coucy in the 1220s.

Extending from the donjon to the south-east is an oblong block of further accommodation, with a narrow round tower at the end of it which contained a prison. Around the base of the donjon was a moat which was crossed by a drawbridge.

The donjon stands on a rocky outcrop above the RIver Clyde, and was built from stone quarried away from this base, which had the added effect of increasing its defensive position.

In 1296 Bothwell Castle was captured by Edward I of England, and over the next 40 years it changed hands between the Scots and the English several times, suffering many sieges. When Sir Andrew Moray, the rightful heir of Bothwell, recaptured the castle from the English in 1337 he ordered that the donjon should be destroyed to stop it from being used again by English invaders, and the west side of the tower was pulled down and left unoccupied.

In 1362 Joanna Moray of Bothwell married Archibald Douglas (later the 3rd Earl of Douglas and Lord of Galloway) who started to rebuild the castle. Rather than reconstruct the entire donjon, a wall was built through the middle of it making use of the still standing eastern half.

Douglas extended the castle to the east, constructing a smaller round tower at the south-east corner of the site, most probably on the foundations of one of Walter de Moravia’s planned external towers, mirroring the foundations of a round tower at the north-east corner which can still be seen today. Douglas died in 1400 and was succeeded by his son, also Archibald Douglas, the 4th Earl of Douglas, who continued his father’s building work.

To the north of the round tower was built a square tower at the north-east corner (not as far as the planned 13th century round tower) and between the two towers was built a new great hall and a chapel. These two new towers were connected to the donjon by a curtain wall, with a large gatehouse midway along the north wall. The gatehouse has now gone, and in its place is a visitors’ centre.

The rebuilding of Bothwell Castle was completed by 1424, but in 1455 the Douglas estates were forfeited following a dispute with James II. His son, James III, granted Bothwell Castle to William Crichton, the 3rd Lord Crichton, but he forfeited in 1484 and it was given to Sir John Ramsay on the 24th of February that year, Ramsay being created the 1st Lord Bothwell.

Following the death of James III in 1488 Ramsay worked as a spy for Henry VII of England, and was paid to deliver the young King James IV to the English court. This led to the forfeiture of his estates and title, and on the 13th of October 1488 James IV granted Bothwell Castle to Sir Patrick Hepburn, the 2nd Lord Hailes, and created him the 1st Earl of Bothwell.

On the 6th of March 1492 Hepburn exchanged the lordship of Bothwell and Bothwell Castle with Archibald Douglas, the 5th Earl of Angus, gaining in return the lordship of Liddesdale and Hermitage Castle. Back in the Douglas family, Bothwell Castle would remain a Douglas property until the 18th century.

In 1661 another Archibald Douglas was created the 1st Earl of Forfar, and began building himself a new mansion nearby. Bothwell House, also know as New Bothwell Castle, used stone from the square north-east tower, which marked the end of Bothwell Castle as a residence. Bothwell House was demolished in 1926 as a result of mining subsidence, and a golf course now occupies its site.

When his son from his second marriage, yet another Archibald Douglas, the 2nd Earl of Forfar, died at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715 without leaving an heir, the estates passed to one more Archibald Douglas, the 1st Duke of Douglas. This Archibald was the son of James Douglas, the 2nd Marquess of Douglas, who was the son from the first marriage of the 1st Earl of Forfar.

When the 1st Duke of Douglas died in 1761 without an heir, his titles and lands should have passed to James Hamilton, the 7th Duke of Hamilton, a descendent of William Douglas, the 1st Marquis of Douglas and 11th Earl of Angus.

However the Duke of Douglas had been persuaded to name Archibald Stewart of Grandtully, his nephew by his sister, Lady Jane Douglas, as his heir, despite controversy over whether or not young Archibald was Lady Douglas’s natural born son. The Hamiltons unsuccessfully fought the succession in court in a case which became know as the Douglas Cause.

Archibald Stewart changed his surname to Douglas upon his succession, and through him are descended the Earls of Home who continued to own Bothwell Castle until 1935 when it was placed into state care.

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Alternative names for Bothwell Castle

Valence Castle

Where is Bothwell Castle?

Bothwell Castle is in the parish of Bothwell and the county of Lanarkshire.

Grid reference:NS 68834 59340

Lat / long:55.809463,-4.094971

Bing Maps | Google Maps | Historic maps (NLS) | OpenStreetMap | Ordnance Survey | PastMap | Streetmap | Wikimapia

OS Map for Bothwell Castle

OS map 342
Glasgow (Paisley, Rutherglen & Kirkintilloch)
OS Explorer map 342


Directions to Bothwell Castle

Enter a starting point

Weather at Bothwell Castle

8°C
max 9°C / min 7°C
2km/h NNE
1020mb
80%
100%
05:48 18:52

Overcast clouds
Weather observed at Bothwell at 14:49

References (books)

Scotland's Castles
Chris Tabraham
London, 1997
The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland Volume 1
David MacGibbon
Edinburgh, 1887
The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde
Gordon Mason
Musselburgh, 2000
The Castles of Scotland
Martin Coventry
Prestongrange, 2015
The Castles of South-West Scotland
Mike Slater
Malvern, 1993

References (websites)

Listed Building record
Canmore
Historic Environment Scotland
Wikipedia

Castles near Bothwell Castle

Bothwell motte (site of)

1.9km away

Drumsargad Castle

2.2km away

Blantyre (site of)

2.6km away

Daldowie (possible) (site of)

2.9km away

Crossbasket Castle

3.5km away

Gilbertfield Castle

3.6km away

Wester Daldowie (possible) (site of)

3.8km away

Bothwellhaugh (site of)

3.8km away

Orbiston Castle

4.5km away
more castles....
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Ancient sites near Bothwell Castle

Shirva (site of) souterrain

16.1km away

Gowkstone standing stone

16.4km away

Craigmaddie Muir (possible) standing stones

19.8km away

Craigmaddie Muir cairn, standing stone

19.9km away

Auchincloich (site of) broch

20.9km away

Law Stone of Mugdock (site of) standing stones

21.4km away

Broadgate Farm standing stone

23.3km away

Gleniffer Braes standing stones

23.4km away

Strathblane standing stone

23.5km away
more ancient sites....

Pictish stones near Bothwell Castle

Hawkhill Class III cross-slab

39.5km away

Old Kilmadock 2 Class I symbol stone

43.1km away

Old Kilmadock 1 Class II symbol stone

43.1km away

Tullibole Class III cross slab

55.3km away

Blackford Class I symbol stone

55.7km away

Princes Street Gardens Class I symbol stone

57.9km away

Abernethy No. 2 Class III symbol stone

58.6km away

Abernethy No. 4 Class III cross shaft

58.6km away

Fowlis Wester Class II cross-slab

69.0km away
more Pictish stones....
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Pictish sites near Bothwell Castle

Todholes (possible) silver chain

37.5km away

Borland silver chain

39.4km away

Whitecleugh silver chain

41.3km away

Whitlaw silver chain

81.5km away

Haddington silver chain

83.8km away

Norrie's Law hoard

86.8km away

Traprain Law silver chain

90.8km away

Hoardweel silver chain

109.8km away

Dunnicaer fort

174.0km away
more Pictish sites....
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Accommodation near Bothwell Castle

Redstones Hotel
hotelBothwell
1.9km away
Express By Holiday Inn Strathclyde Park
hotelMotherwell
2.8km away
Premier Inn Glasgow East
hotel, restaurantUddingston
3.2km away
Premier Inn Glasgow (Bellshill)
hotel, restaurantGlasgow
3.4km away
Alona Hotel
hotel, restaurantMotherwell
3.5km away
Crossbasket Castle
hotel, restaurantHigh Blantyre
3.5km away
Clydesdale Hotel
hotelHamilton
4.3km away
Days Inn Hamilton
hotel, caféHamilton
4.5km away
Holiday Inn Express Hamilton
hotelHamilton
5.4km away
Premier Inn Glasgow (Cambuslang / M74, J2A)
hotel, restaurantGlasgow
5.6km away

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Cafés, restaurants & bars near Bothwell Castle

Premier Inn Glasgow East
hotel, restaurantUddingston
3.2km away
Premier Inn Glasgow (Bellshill)
hotel, restaurantGlasgow
3.4km away
Alona Hotel
hotel, restaurantMotherwell
3.5km away
Crossbasket Castle
hotel, restaurantHigh Blantyre
3.5km away
Days Inn Hamilton
hotel, caféHamilton
4.5km away
Premier Inn Glasgow (Cambuslang / M74, J2A)
hotel, restaurantGlasgow
5.6km away
Premier Inn Glasgow East Kilbride (Nerston Toll)
hotel, restaurantEast Kilbride
5.8km away
Portland Arms
barGlasgow
6.4km away
The Torrance Hotel
hotel, bar, restaurantEast Kilbride
6.9km away
Premier Inn Glasgow East Kilbride Central
hotel, restaurantEast Kilbride
7.5km away
more food.... / more drink....

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A pair of castles on the River Tweed
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Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 23rd of July 2010 at 11:32 pm. Updated on the 11th of May 2020 at 9:36 am.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
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