Harbottle Castle
Harbottle Castle is a ruined medieval castle situated at the west
end of the village of Harbottle, Northumberland, England 9 miles (14
km) west-north-west of Rothbury overlooking the River Coquet. It is
a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.
It is thought that the mound on which the keep stands was a site
used by the ancient Britons and that in Saxon times there was a
stronghold on the site held by Mildred, son of Ackman. The present
castle was built about 1160 by the Umfraville family at the request
of King Henry II on land awarded to them following the Norman
Conquest, presumably as a defence against the Scots.
Not long
after its erection, in 1174, it was taken by the Scots and was then
rebuilt more strongly. In 1296 it was besieged by Robert de Ros and
some 40,000 men, but the siege was withstood. In the 1310s Robert
the Bruce captured the castle. It was restored in 1336, but in ruins
again by 1351. It was repaired at the end of the 14th century and in
about 1436 the castle passed into the hands of the Tailleboys. It
was for a long time the residence of the Warden of the Middle
Marches and used as a prison.
In 1515 Margaret Tudor, the
widowed queen of James IV of Scotland and sister of Henry VIII,
having been banished by the regent, the Duke of Albany, came to the
castle with her second husband, the Earl of Angus. While there a
daughter was born, who was also called
Margaret. Margaret was to become
the mother of Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary, Queen of
Scots, and grandmother of James VI of Scotland and I of England.
Further building work took place between 1541 and 1551 and more
repairs were made in 1563.
In 1605 James I granted the castle
and manor to George Home, Lord Treasurer of Scotland, but thereafter
the castle fell into decay and much of its masonry was used in other
buildings. A survey of 1715 reported the castle to be ruinous once
more. Today only earthworks and some standing masonry remains. The
site is run by Northumberland National Park Authority and entry to
it is free.
Confusingly following the abandonment of the
castle as a residence the name Harbottle Castle was reused:-
Harbottle Castle (grid reference NT93234796) is a 19th-century
mansion house situate at the east end of Harbottle village.
Stone from the derelict medieval castle was used in the building
of a 17th-century manor house. The manor was acquired by Percival
Clennell in 1796 and in 1829 the house was replaced on the site with
a two-storied five-bayed mansion designed by architect John Dobson
for Fenwick Clennell. The house is protected with Grade II listed
building status. The stable block was converted into a separate
house in 1890.
Any contributions will be
gratefully accepted
Errors and Omissions
|
|
The Forum
|
|
What's new?
|
We are looking for your help to improve the accuracy of The Douglas
Archives.
If you spot errors, or omissions, then
please do let us know |
|
If you have met a brick wall
with your research, then posting a notice in the Douglas Archives
Forum may be the answer. Or, it may help you find the answer!
You may also be able to help others answer their queries.
Visit the
Douglas Archives Forum.
|
|
We try to keep everyone up to date with new entries, via our
What's New section on the
home page.
We also use
the Community
Network to keep researchers abreast of developments in the
Douglas Archives. |
|
|
|
|
|
2014 Clan Douglas Gathering
|
Consideration is being given to holding a Clan Douglas
Gathering in Scotland in the summer of 2014. If this is something that
you would be interested in being part of, then please visit our
Community Network and make your views known.
You can tell us when you think the Gathering should be held, where it
should be held, and events and activities that you would like to see as
being part of the Gathering.
|
