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The Castle of Hermitage,
now a ruined structure, stands in the southern part of Roxburghshire, a
few miles froth Riccarton Junction, near Hermitage Water, which is formed
by Twistlehope Burn and Braidley Burn, and becomes a tributary of Liddel
River. It flows, therefore, through Liddesdale, and is not far from the
Border between Scotland and England in the olden time. It seems probable
that the site of the Castle was chosen because it lies between the two
streams named, and these would not only form a protection from attack, but
also furnish an ample supply of water for the ditches by which the Castle
was surrounded. The whole district of Liddesdale was, in early times, in
the possession of the De Soulis family; and it is said that Randolph de
Soulis built a Castle in this district, but not on the site of the later
Hermitage Castle, about the time of David I., who reigned from 1124 till
1153, and was the ninth and youngest son of Malcolm Caenmor and St
Margaret, daughter of Eadward Atheling. It is possible that King David had
met one of the De Soulis family at the Court of Henry I. of England, and
may have brought him to Scotland when he succeeded his brother Alexander
I. as ruler of that Kingdom. There is little doubt that the most of the
Liddesdale country was in the possession of the De Soulis family about the
13th century.
The Castle of Hermitage was
built on its present site by Nicohlas de Soulis, about 1240, and was made
the excuse by Henry III. of England for an invasion of Scotland, on the
plea that this stronghold was too near the Scottish Boundary, which was
then formed by the Liddel River. So late as 1300, the Castle of Hermitage
was regarded as one of the principal fortresses in the southeastern part
of Scotland. Very soon it came into the possession of William
de Douglas, Knight of Liddesdale, who also held Roxburgh
Castle, and was Keeper of Lochmaben
Castle, and in 1332 was Warden of the Marches. Ten years afterwards
(1342) he was specially favoured by David II., who sent him on an embassy
to France. In 1346 he was taken prisoner by the English at Durham, and
only released on the condition of becoming a vassal of Edward III. of
England. But in 1353 the Lord of Hermitage Castle was murdered by his
kinsman, and godson, William, Lord of Douglas,
afterwards Earl. It has been stated, but without documentary proof, that
the Castle of Hermitage was erected by Walter Comyn, fourth Earl of
Menteith; but there is little doubt that this was the main seat of the De
Soulis family at a much earlier period.
Sir
William de Douglas, the Knight of Liddesdale, was born about 1300, and
was so brave and successful in war that he was styled by his
contemporaries "the Flower of Chivalry." He was present at the
disastrous battle of Halidon Hill,
in 1333, and was taken prisoner by the English, and remained captive for
two years. He became, after his liberation, one of the most strenuous
supporters of the Scottish national party, and was active at the Siege
of Perth in 1339, where he was wounded. His purpose was then to win
back Teviotdale from the English, which he accomplished in 1342, when King
David II. granted to him the Earldom of Atholl, winch had been forfeited,
and bestowed upon him many lands near Hermitage Castle, by which he became
known as "the Knight of Liddesdale." He resigned the title of
Earl of Atholl to the High Steward of Scotland in exchange for some of the
lands in Liddesdale. He was then the largest proprietor of lands in the
district; but his ambition and jealousy led to his downfall, and brought
on the tragedy of Hermitage Castle.
At this time he was
Custodian of Roxburgh Castle, though it
was then in the possession of the English. Sir Alexander de Ramsay of
Dalwolsy, ancestor of the present Earl of Dalhousie, was one of the most
valorous Knights in the brilliant galaxy of warriors at the Court of David
II. He had distinguished himself by bringing about the raising of the
Siege of Dunbar; and in 1338 he captured the Castle of Roxburgh, and
expelled the enemy. So pleased was the King with this exploit that he
conferred at once upon Ramsay the office of Sheriff of Teviotdale,
forgetting that the office was already held by the Knight of Liddesdale,
and was thus deprived of it that it might be given to his rival. So he
captured Ramsay while that unsuspecting Sheriff was presiding at a Court
at Hawick; carried him off to Hermitage Castle, and imprisoned him in one
of the deepest dungeons. There he was confined without sustenance until he
died of starvation; his life having been prolonged by some grains of corn
that fell from an upper chamber in the place where he was incarcerated. It
is certain that Ramsay died at Hermitage Castle, and Andrew Wynton, the
Chronicler, carefully remarks:—" Of his dethe wes grete pete. To
tell you thare-off the manere it is bot sorow to tell here."
The Earl of Angus in 1470
appointed David Scott of Buccleuch to the office of Custodian of Hermitage
Castle, and for many years the Scotts fulfilled this duty. In 1492,
Archibald
Douglas, fifth Earl of Angus, exchanged Liddesdale and Hermitage with
Patrick Hepburn, third Lord Hales, who was created first Earl of Bothwell,
for Bothwell Castle on the Clyde. Angus had married Mary Hepburn, daughter
of the Earl of Bothwell, who thus became a son-in-law to Bothwell. The
second Earl of Bothwell fell on the Field of
Flodden, and the third Earl, his successor, died in 1556, leaving a
son, afterwards the notorious James Hepburn, fourth Earl of Bothwell,
whose marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, led to his downfall. The sister of
this Earl was married to John Stewart, Prior of Coldingham, a natural son
of James V., and became the mother of Francis Stewart, another turbulent
nobleman, who was created by James VI. the Earl of Bothwell of a new
creation, but retaining the designation of fifth Earl though he retained
his mother’s name of Hepburn.
The story of the fourth
Earl of Bothwell forms a prominent feature in the history of the reign of
Queen Mary. While he lay wounded at Hermitage Castle in 1566, the Queen
went from Jedburgh to see him, a distance of about 40 miles, and returned
the same day, thus bringing on a severe attack of fever. This indiscreet
action upon her part told against her when her marriage to Bothwell took
place in May 1567, as it was supposed that she had consented to this
unfortunate wedding. Bothwell escaped the vengeance of the Scottish
nobles, fled to Kirkwall, and became a pirate. He landed in Norway, was
sent to Denmark, and the King refused to surrender, but kept him in close
confinement, first at Copenhagen, and afterwards at Malmo, and thence to
Drangholm, where he died insane in 1578, having been imprisoned for over
ten years.
The story of Francis
Stewart or Hepburn, fifth and last Earl of Bothwell, was hardly less
eventful and exciting than that of his predecessor. He has been described
as "one of the most treacherous men of his time," always
plotting and counterplotting against his relative James VI. After a very
stormy career he went to France, was pursued thither, and forced to fly to
Spain and Italy. He died at Naples in poverty and disgrace, in 1624, his
title and possessions having been forfeited in 1592, after a daring
attempt to carry off the King from Falkland Palace. His possessions in
Liddesdale, including Hermitage Castle, were conferred upon Sir Walter
Scott of Buccleuch, who was created, in 1606, as first Lord Scott of
Buccleuch, from whom descended the Dukes of Buccleuch, holders of the
title. The present Duke is the proprietor of Hermitage Castle.
See also:
•
Grant by Archibald, fifth Earl of Angus, to David Scott of
Buccleuch, of the Castle of Hermitage [pdf 120kb]
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