| Gowrie House | |
|---|---|
 Gowrie House, around 1650 | |
| Location | Perth Perth and Kinross Scotland |
| Coordinates | 56°23′41″N3°25′33″W / 56.394663°N 3.4259512°W |
| Built | circa 1518 |
  Shown in Perth | |
Gowrie House was a mansioun in the centre of Perth, Scotland, which existed in the 16th and 17th and 18th centuries. It was the scene of a controversial incident on 5 August 1600, and was later converted to army barracks.
Gowrie House formerly stood on what became Tay Street, its location now occupied by Perth Sheriff Court, County Buildings and 46–52 Tay Street. [1] The building extended from Water Vennel to Canal Street, bounded on the west by Speygate and on the east by the River Tay. Its entrance was an arched gateway on South Street. [2]
An earlier house on the site was standing in 1518, [2] built or occupied by Elizabeth Gray, Countess of Huntly and the second wife of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly. A document of 1552 mentions the great lodging that she had built in the Speygate of Perth. [3]
In 1527, the building was purchased by William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruthven, around a year before his death, from Elizabeth Ruthven, dowager Countess of Erroll. [4] The building's appearance at this time is acknowledged with a bronze panel, by Sir John Steell, on the south wall of the present building. [5]
Gowrie House was so-named for the title Earl of Gowrie, given to William, Lord Ruthven, in 1581. The Ruthvens were frequently Provosts of Perth. A workman, Archibald Wylie, was killed by a fall of stone masonry during building work on the house on 5 May 1579. [3]
In 1596, Christian Stewart in Nokwater was accused of causing the death of Patrick Ruthven by witchcraft. Before her trial, she was questioned at Gowrie House by three Kirk ministers Patrick Galloway, William Couper, Archibald Moncreiff, and others, on 18 August, and on the 19 and 21 August. They produced and signed written statements called "depositions". Christian Stewart was taken to Edinburgh and another deposition was made on 13 September, in the presence of Robert Bruce, the physician Gilbert Moncreiff and the merchant Clement Cor. She was also questioned by King James VI at Linlithgow Palace. She seems to have confessed to obtaining a black cloth or "clout" from Isobel Stewart to bewitch Patrick Ruthven. The court in the Tolbooth of Edinburgh sentenced her to be burnt at the Castlehill. [6]
The house was central to the Gowrie conspiracy, a series of events unfolding on 5 August 1600, in which John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie (1577–1600), and his brother, Alexander, Master of Ruthven (1580–1600), were attempting to kill or kidnap King James VI for unknown purposes. The King was lured to Perth from his hunting near Falkland Palace, possibly by a story of buried treasure, and offered dinner in the house. James was separated from his companion and threatened in a room at the top of the house. His retinue killed both brothers during the attack, and the king survived. The angry townspeople of Perth were pacified. [7]
James VI ordered that the building be defaced by removing some of its corner turrets. In 1602, he gifted the building to the city, though he was careful to exclude its name when making the gift. [2] His hunting companions including Thomas Erskine were richly rewarded. King James continued to commemorate his rescue on every 5 August for the rest of his reign. [8] [9] The house was granted to James Maxwell in 1622, [10] and latterly became the home of George Hay, 1st Earl of Kinnoull (1570–1634), amongst others. [2]
In 1746, the city gifted the house to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, in recognition of his victory at the Battle of Culloden. It is believed the duke later passed the house to his nephew, Admiral Watson, who sold it to the UK government for £2,000. [2] It was converted into artillery barracks, and was occupied until the French Revolution. Several plans of the house were made during these years and are kept by the National Library of Scotland. [11] In 1805, it was traded back from the government by the city in exchange for a site on which to build a depot for prisoners of war. Five acres of Moncreiffe land were given over. [2]
During demolition in 1807 observers considered that the east and southern wings were older, with noticeably thicker walls, and were probably originally built for Elizabeth Gray. The west and northern buildings were built by the Ruthvens. The workmen were said to have found concealed vaults and closets in the old walls, one with an earthenware urn of bones. There was also a tower or garden building near the River Tay, known as the Monk's Tower, and intended to serve as a summer house or banqueting room. [12] The 17th-century painted ceiling of the Monk's Tower included the symbols of the zodiac and heraldry of Hay of Kinnoull. [13] The summer house was used for meetings by Charles II in 1650, and he may have stayed in Gowrie House. [14] A detailed household account covering Charles' months in Perth reveals that the king had a boat or barge on the Tay, and was allowed more sugar in his pies than his courtiers, but does not mention that the "King's house" where he resided in Perth was Gowrie House. [15] The older parts of Gowrie House and the Monk's Tower before demolition were indicated on plans published by David Peacock. [16]
In documentation from 1911, a Gowrie Rest House, Labour Yard and Lodging Home for Men and Boys stood on Speygate. [17]
John Ruthven, 3rd Earl of Gowrie, was a Scottish nobleman who died in mysterious circumstances, referred to as the "Gowrie Conspiracy", in which he and/or his brother Alexander were attempting to kill or kidnap King James VI of Scotland for unknown purposes. The king's retinue killed both brothers during the attack, and the king survived.
Huntingtower Castle, once known as Ruthven Castle or the Place of Ruthven, is located near the village of Huntingtower beside the A85 and near the A9, about 5 km NW of the centre of Perth, Perth and Kinross, in central Scotland, on the main road to Crieff. This castle is the subject for several local ghostlore stories.
The Clan Ruthven is a Lowland Scottish clan.
William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 4th Lord of Ruthven was a Scottish peer known for devising the Raid of Ruthven.
The Raid of Ruthven, the kidnapping of King James VI of Scotland, was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 23 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted the king. The nobles intended to reform the government of Scotland and limit the influence of French and pro-Catholic policy, and to prevent or manage the return of Mary, Queen of Scots from England to rule with her son in an "association". Their short-lived rule of around 10 months is known as the "Ruthven" or "Gowrie Regime".
Scone Abbey was a house of Augustinian canons located in Scone, Perthshire (Gowrie), Scotland. Dates given for the establishment of Scone Priory have ranged from 1114 A.D. to 1122 A.D. However, historians have long believed that Scone was before that time, the centre of the early medieval Christian cult of the Culdees. Very little is known about the Culdees but it is thought that they may have been worshiping at Scone from as early as 700 A.D. Archaeological surveys taken in 2007 suggest that Scone was a site of real significance even prior to 841 A.D., when Kenneth MacAlpin brought the Stone of Destiny, Scotland's most prized relic and coronation stone, to Scone.
Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around 2 miles (3.2 km) west of North Berwick, and around 19 miles (31 km) east of Edinburgh. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by the end of the 17th century.
Alexander Ruthven, master of Ruthven was a Scottish nobleman. He is most notable for his participation in the Gowrie conspiracy of 1600.
Kinnoull Hill is a hill located partly in Perth and partly in Kinfauns, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It shares its name with the nearby Kinnoull parish.
Gowrie is a region in central Scotland and one of the original provinces of the Kingdom of Alba. It covered the eastern part of what became Perthshire. It was located to the immediate east of Atholl, and originally included the area around Perth, though that was later detached as Perthia.
Perth is a city and former royal burgh in central Scotland. There has been a settlement at Perth since prehistoric times. Finds in and around Perth show that it was occupied by the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers who arrived in the area more than 8,000 years ago. Nearby Neolithic standing stones and circles followed the introduction of farming from about 4000 BC, and a remarkably well preserved Bronze Age log boat dated to around 1000 BC was found in the mudflats of the River Tay at Carpow to the east of Perth. Carpow was also the site of a Roman legionary fortress.
Patrick Galloway was a Scottish minister, a Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He was Moderator of the General Assembly in 1590, and again in 1602. Having been completely gained over by the Court party he used all his influence in forwarding the views of the King for the introduction of Episcopacy.
Events from the year 1600 in the Kingdom of Scotland
Barbara Ruthven was a Scottish courtier and favourite of Anne of Denmark, expelled from court after the death of her brother.
Marie Ruthven, Countess of Atholl, was a Scottish aristocrat.
Dorothea Stewart, Countess of Gowrie was a Scottish aristocrat. The dates of the birth and death of Dorothea Stewart are unknown.
William Stewart of Grandtully (1567–1646) was a Scottish landowner and courtier.
Perth Sheriff Court is an historic building on Tay Street in Perth, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The structure, which is used as the main courthouse for the area, is a Category A listed building.
Watergate is a street in the city of Perth, Scotland. Along with Skinnergate, it is one of the oldest streets in the city. It runs for around 0.12 miles (0.19 km) from High Street in the north to South Street in the south. It runs parallel to Tay Street to the east and St John Street to the west. At South Street, the road becomes Speygate, the former site of Gowrie House.
Lord of Kinfauns is a title of nobility created in 1487 by James III of Scots and regranted in 1608 by James I of Great Britain, France and Ireland. As recorded in the Great Seal, Scotland's oldest national record, in crown charter "in domino de Kynfawnis".
