| Cranshaws Castle | |
|---|---|
 Cranshaws Castle | |
| Coordinates | 55°50′54″N2°30′34″W / 55.8484°N 2.5094°W |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Designated | 9 June 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB4093 |
  Location in the Scottish Borders | |
Cranshaws Castle or Cranshaws Tower is a privately owned 15th-century pele situated by the village of Cranshaws in Berwickshire, Scotland. The building is still in use as a residence, and is protected as a category A listed building. [1]
The lands of Cranshaws were originally part of the Barony of Bothwell, [2] which barony was created for David Olifard (ancestor of the current chief of the Oliphants) [3] [4] by King Malcolm IV in the mid 12th century. [5] Occupancy (typically, this would have been a feu - the superiority remaining with the Barony of Bothwell) was then granted to a younger Olifard son, with whose line the estate remained for some centuries. [6]
In 1329, the senior representative of the younger line but now 7th chief, William Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie, died and amongst the properties which he left was Cranshaws, which he had inherited from his Olifard forebears. [3] [6]
In 1336/7, William Olyphant’s lands of Cranschawes and Hatherwick (Hedderwick) were in the hands of Edward III., on account of this William’s forfeiture.
In the meantime, the Barony of Bothwell passed in 1252 by marriage to the Morays on the extinction of the senior line of Oliphants. [7] In 1362 Joanna de Moravia, heiress of Bothwell, married Archibald Douglas, 3rd Earl of Douglas. Their son and heir was Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas (1372–1424).
In 1401 Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas bestowed Cranshaws upon Sir John Swinton, 14th of that Ilk whom the Earl calls "dilectus consanguineus nostra" (our beloved cousin)., [8] [9] [10] thus dispossessing the Oliphants. Following Swinton's death at the Battle of Homildon Hill the following year, the lands passed to his son Sir John Swinton, 15th of that Ilk, who is thought to have built the existing castle (it is not known what kind of building the Oliphants had).
In 1403/4, the Earl of Dunbar and March was stripped of his Scottish lands, much of which were given to Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas. [11] In 1409 the Earl of Dunbar was restored to his Earldom of March [12] [13] and it is probable that the Earl of Douglas attempted to transfer the superiority of Cranshaws to the Earldom of March some time before that date.
In 1435-6 Cranshaws was forfeited by the Earl of March but no record has survived of Cranshaws being connected to the Earldom of Dunbar and March before this date [14] Circa 1460 there was a protracted battle for the superiority of Cranshaws which was being claimed for the Earldom of March.
The effective removal of the Cranshaws estate from the Oliphants without compensation or consent was the start of a dispute which lasted most of the 15th century:
1412 there is a charter of the lands of Cranshawes, wherein Walter (Oliphant), is called Lord of Aberdalgie. [15]
1442: Sir John Oliphant was retoured heir to his grandfather in the lands of Cranshaws, his sasine thereon was taken Feb. 28, 1442/3 and was formally broken the next day by Sir John Swinton of that Ilk who also claimed these lands.
1464: there was an inquest over the dispute of ownership between Swinton and Lord Oliphant. [16]
1474: Lord Oliphant petitioned the courts for ownership of Cranshaws [17]
1476: Lord Oliphant has indenture with Alexander, duke of Albany (and Earl of March) to pay 30 years "non entry" since the death of his father, Sir John Oliphant for the lands of Cranshaws. It goes on to say that no agreement to be entered into with Sir Johne of Swyntoune nor with any others of his name without special permission of the said duke, and then with payment to the duke of 1000 merks within 40 days; the duke gives Lord Oliphant permission to pursue Sir Johne of Swyntoune and his heirs and any others who have taken up "malis" from the lands of Cranschaws since the decease of Sir John Oliphant [18]
1476: Lord Oliphant claiming rights, "raided" Cranshaws, "stealing" oxen & horses.
The castle was re-acquired by another branch of the Douglas family, the Earls of Morton in the 18th century [19] and there were extensive renovations carried out by George Douglas, 13th Earl of Morton (1662–1738).
The building was restored in 1896/97 by Andrew Smith of Whitchester and in 1931 passed to his nephew Stenhard Landale FRSE. [20]
A rectangular keep, the castle has four storeys and rounded corners. The castle originally would have had a defensive barmkin of which there is no remnant. Its crenellated parapet is thought to have been built in the late 19th century when the castle had been sold on by the Mortons.[ citation needed ]
Cranshaws Castle is thought to be the inspiration for "Ravenswood Castle", the home of Edgar, hero of Sir Walter Scott's tragedy The Bride of Lammermoor . [21] It is also supposed to be inhabited by a Brownie. [22]
The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton.
Bothwell Castle is a large medieval castle, sited on a high, steep bank, above a bend in the River Clyde in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located between Bothwell and Uddingston, about 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Glasgow. Construction of the castle was begun in the 13th century by the ancestors of Clan Murray, to guard a strategic crossing point of the Clyde. Bothwell played a key role in Scotland's Wars of Independence, changing hands several times.
Hermitage Castle is a semi-ruined castle in the border region of Scotland. It is under the care of Historic Scotland. The castle has a reputation, both from its history and its appearance, as one of the most sinister and atmospheric castles in Scotland.
Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell was Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He rose to political prominence after supporting James IV against his father, and was proxy at the King's marriage.
Sir Patrick Hepburn of Dunsyre, 1st Lord Hailes was the feudal lord of Hailes and its castle in East Lothian and a Lord of Parliament.
Sir Robert Lauder of the Bass was a Scottish knight, armiger, and Governor of the Castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed. He was also a member of the old Scottish Parliament. The Lauders held the feudal barony of The Bass, East Lothian, Edrington Castle and lands in the parish of Mordington, Berwickshire, Tyninghame in Haddingtonshire, and numerous other estates and properties elsewhere in Scotland.
Clan Murray is a Highland Scottish clan. The chief of the Clan Murray holds the title of Duke of Atholl. Their ancestors were the Morays of Bothwell who established the family in Scotland in the 12th century. In the 16th century, descendants of the Morays of Bothwell, the Murrays of Tullibardine, secured the chiefship of the clan and were created Earls of Tullibardine in 1606. The first Earl of Tullibardine married the heiress to the Stewart earldom of Atholl and Atholl therefore became a Murray earldom in 1626. The Murray Earl of Atholl was created Marquess of Atholl in 1676 and in 1703 it became a dukedom. The marquess of Tullibardine title has continued as a subsidiary title, being bestowed on elder sons of the chief until they succeed him as Duke of Atholl.
Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas, Duke of Touraine, was a Scottish nobleman and warlord. He is sometimes given the epithet "Tyneman", but this may be a reference to his great-uncle Sir Archibald Douglas.
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas was a Scottish nobleman and general during the Hundred Years' War.
Hailes Castle is a mainly 14th century castle about a mile and a half south-west of East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland. This castle, which has a fine riverside setting, belonged to the Hepburn family during the most important centuries of its existence. Since 1926, it has been the subject of a state-sponsored guardianship agreement, which is now under the auspices of Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.
Clan Oliphant is a Highland Scottish clan.
Clan Swinton is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
Robert Lauder of The Bass was an important noble in Haddingtonshire, the Merse, and Fife. Stodart remarks that "to 1600 the barons of the Bass sat in almost every parliament". He was a firm supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots whom he accompanied to Carberry Hill on 14 June 1567, and fought for at the battle of Langside.
George de Dunbar, 11th Earl of Dunbar & March 13th Lord of Annandale and Lord of the Isle of Man, was the last of his family to hold these titles.
George de Dunbar, 10th Earl of Dunbar and March (1338–1422), 12th Lord of Annandale and Lord of the Isle of Man, was "one of the most powerful nobles in Scotland of his time, and the rival of the Douglases."
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings against his first cousin, King James VI, all of which ultimately failed, and he died in poverty in Italy after being banished from Scotland. Francis's maternal uncle James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was the chief suspect in the murder of James VI's father Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.
Sir William Oliphant, Lord of Aberdalgie and Dupplin, was a Scottish magnate, knight and leader during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Sir William Oliphant, was a Scottish knight and Governor of Stirling Castle during the Wars of Scottish Independence. He switched loyalties to the English and died in a Scottish prison.
Sir David Olifard was the first recorded Justiciar, governing the southern half of Scotland south of the rivers Forth and Clyde. Olifard was godson to King David I of Scotland, whose life he saved at the Rout of Winchester in 1141. Olifard is the first known chief of Clan Oliphant today.
Sir Walter Olifard the elder, was Justiciar, governing the southern half of Scotland (c.1178–c.1188) south of the rivers Forth and Clyde.
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