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Strathaven Castle is located in the centre of the small town of
Strathaven, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The ruin is publicly
accessible, and can be found at grid reference NS703445. Also known as
Avondale Castle, the ruin and mound is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The origins of the castle are obscure, but it is believed to have
been built around 1350 by the Bairds, on a bend of the Powmillon Burn.
Later the castle passed to the Sinclairs and then to the Earls of
Douglas. After the suppression of the Earls of Douglas by James II in
1455, the castle was sacked and slighted. Little or nothing of the early
castle remains.
In 1457 Strathaven was granted to Sir Andrew
Stewart, an illegitimate grandson of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany.
Stewart, who later became Lord Avondale, either rebuilt the earlier
castle, or built a new castle on the same site. In 1534 it passed to Sir
James Hamilton of Finnart, who expanded the buildings. A letter of 1559
mentions that it was here, at 'Straverin', that Master Patrick Buchanan,
brother of George Buchanan, taught the children of Regent Arran.
It changed hands one last time in 1611, when the castle was sold to
James, Marquis of Hamilton. The last occupant was Anne, Duchess of
Hamilton (1632–1716), whose main residence was Hamilton Palace. The
castle was abandoned in 1717.
When part of the castle walls collapsed, or were demolished, a
human skeleton was supposedly found. An information board outside the
castle expands on the story:
"According to tradition, the
wife of a past lord so greatly displeased her husband that she was
walled up alive in part of the Castle wall. Nothing is recorded of her
crime, yet it is said that she was led into a small purpose-built niche,
blessed by a priest, given some food and water, and then walled up
forever. When a portion of the walls fell down in the middle of the 19th
Century human bones were discovered, giving some credence to this story.".
The information board records the local tradition that several ley
tunnels run from the castle to the Sweetie's Brae, the Mill brae, and to
the tower. When the road was built below the castle no sign of these
tunnels was found.
~ Key Dates ~
1350 ~ Strathaven Castle is built by the Baird family,
replacing an earlier wooden defensive structure.
1362 ~ The Douglas
Earl, Archibald 'the grim',
marries Joanna de Morvia, daughter of the Earl of Strathaven, bringing
the castle under the rule of the powerful Douglas Clan.
1400 ~
Archibald dies. Strathaven castle passes to his infant son, also named
Archibald, who becomes 4th Earl
of Douglas.
1407 ~ Henry Sinclair, the 2nd Early of Orkney, marries
Egidia Douglas, daughter of Sir William Douglas of Nithsdale, an
illegitimate son of Archibald the Grim.
1424 ~ Archibald, 4th Earl of
Douglas, is killed in the Battle of Verneuil in France. He is succeeded
by his son, another Archibald, who becomes 5th Earl of Douglas.
1439
~ The 5th Earl Douglas dies from a fever, and is succeeded by his son,
William Douglas.
1440 ~ William, the 6th Earl of Douglas is executed.
Strathaven castle passes next to William’s great-uncle, James Douglas,
later known as James the Gross.
1443 ~
James, the 7th Earl of
Douglas, dies and is succeeded as 8th Earl by his son, William.
1452
~ William Douglas, the 8th Earl of Douglas, is murdered by King James II
at Stirling Castle. He was succeeded by his brother, James, as 9th Earl
of Douglas who begins a campaign against the King.
1455 ~ King James
II responds to fears that the Black Douglas's led by James Douglas are
becoming too powerful. He decides to take steps to suppress them. Their
lands were confiscated, their castles attacked, and as part of this,
Strathaven Castle is reduced to rubble.
1456 ~ The barony and castle
of Strathaven are given by the King to his relative Andrew Stewart, an
illegitimate grandson of the 2nd Duke of Albany, who builds a new castle
on the site of the ruined castle.
1611 ~ The castle and estates are
sold to the 2nd Marquis of Hamilton.
1716 ~ The last of the Hamilton
family Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, dies. The castle is
abandoned.
1736 ~ The neglected castle is badly damaged by lightning,
and in January the following year what is left of the roof blows off in
a storm.
1740 ~ Other branches of the Hamilton family removed the
main gates for reuse in the family tomb, together with any other
valuables, and seeing this the townspeople take this as their cue to use
what was left as a quarry for building projects in the town.
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