Crawford Castle
Encyclopedia
Crawford Castle, substantially in ruins, is located on the north bank of the River Clyde
, around half a mile north of Crawford
, South Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. The ruins stand on an earlier motte and bailey earthwork. The castle was formerly known as Lindsay Tower, after its former owners, the Lindsay
family. The strategic location of the castle, at , guards the approach from England into the upper Clyde Valley.
, with a garrison of perhaps 300, existed at this site between 80 AD and 170 AD.
This site was the administrative center for the Barony of Crawford, at that time the largest and most influential barony in southern Scotland. The Barony was established before 1100 when records of the period show Thorlongus of the Merse
as Overlord of Crawford. From this line descended the surname of Crawford as the original occupants of the barony. Crawford Castle was in existence by 1175, and was probably built as an earthwork castle some time before this by the Crawford family.
The Lindsay family inherited half of the Barony of Crawford, known as Crawford Parish, via a marriage in 1215 to the elder daughter of Sir John Crawford, who died in 1246 without male issue. The Crawford family retained the other half, known as Crawfordjohn Parish, as the Barony had been divided among the Crawford family four generations earlier. Crawford Castle is located in Crawford Parish. From an early date, the Clan Carmichael
of Meadowflat acted as hereditary constables of the castle, retaining this post under successive owners.
The castle was occupied by the forces of Edward I of England
during the Wars of Scottish Independence
. Between Christmas 1296 and the spring of 1297, William Wallace
rode with John Graham and forty men to assault the stronghold, then known as Crawford Lindsay. Wallace stormed the castle and took it from the English garrison. Wallace had a personal interest in regaining the castle, as his mother, Margaret Crawford, was a daughter of the Clan Crawford Chief Hugh Crawford, who was then Sheriff of Ayrshire.
In 1398, Robert II
granted the title of Earl of Crawford
to David Lindsay
, who had won great praise on St George’s Day, 23 April 1390 for bravery in a duel with the Englishman Baron Welles
on London Bridge
after Welles, at a banquet in Edinburgh
, and presumably after too much alcohol issued, as Champion of England, the challenge: "Let words have no place; if ye know not the Chivalry and Valiant deeds of Englishmen; appoint me a day and a place where ye list, and ye shall have experience."
At the accession of James IV
in 1488 the barony of Crawford was transferred to Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
for supporting his father, James III
, against the young prince's rebellion. The Earls of Angus held the castle until 1578, when their estates were forfeited by the young James V
. James used Crawford as a hunting lodge until his own death in 1542. His mistress, Elizabeth Carmichael, was the daughter of the hereditary constable.
After 1542 the barony was returned to the Earls of Angus, the keepership of the Carmichaels of Meadowflat coming to an end in 1595. In 1633 the 11th earl was created Marquess of Douglas, and the castle was probably rebuilt after this date. The castle then passed to the Duke of Hamilton
, before being sold to Sir George Colebrooke in the 18th century. After a period of use as a farmhouse, the building was abandoned at the end of the 18th century, and much of the stone reused to build the present Crawford Castle Farm. Four stone tablets bearing coats of arms, one with the date 1648, are built into the west and south walls of the Castle Crawford House.
The early earthworks of Crawford Castle comprise a motte
around 5m high, with a surrounding ditch and a bailey some 45m by 33m to the south-west. On the motte are the remains of a curtain wall, surrounding an enclosure around 20m square. There may have been round towers at the corners of this enclosure, which probably dates to the 16th or early 17th centuries. A range of buildings on the south-west side of the castle were built at around the same time. This tower-like range was of three storeys, plus an attic, with a vaulted basement and projecting chimney-breast. To the south-east, a second range was added later in the 17th century, providing more spacious accommodation with larger windows. Much of the present remains probably date from the 17th century rebuilding by the Marquess of Douglas.
Crawford Castle is specified in a list of monuments published by the Minister of Public Building and Works under the Ancient Monuments Consolidation and Amendment Act 1913. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument
and is a Category B Listed Building. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
lists the site as a castle or motte.
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, around half a mile north of Crawford
Crawford, South Lanarkshire
Crawford is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Crawford is close to the source of the River Clyde and the M74 motorway, fifty miles south east of Glasgow and fifty-three miles north west of Carlisle...
, South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire
South Lanarkshire is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the former county of Lanarkshire. It borders the south-east of the city of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns and smaller villages....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The ruins stand on an earlier motte and bailey earthwork. The castle was formerly known as Lindsay Tower, after its former owners, the Lindsay
Clan Lindsay
-Origins of the Clan:There is currently no known proven path pertaining to the origin of the Clan Lindsay. However, several possible theories have been advanced over the years. First is the theory proposed in 1769 by biographer/historian, Richard Rolt, in which he claimed that the Lindsays were...
family. The strategic location of the castle, at , guards the approach from England into the upper Clyde Valley.
History
Archaeological excavations to the north-west of the castle have shown that a Roman fortRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
, with a garrison of perhaps 300, existed at this site between 80 AD and 170 AD.
This site was the administrative center for the Barony of Crawford, at that time the largest and most influential barony in southern Scotland. The Barony was established before 1100 when records of the period show Thorlongus of the Merse
Thorlongus
Thor Longus or Thor the Long is an early 12th century Anglo-Saxon noble associated with Roxburghshire, a culturally English territory ruled by the Scottish king from the 11th-century onwards...
as Overlord of Crawford. From this line descended the surname of Crawford as the original occupants of the barony. Crawford Castle was in existence by 1175, and was probably built as an earthwork castle some time before this by the Crawford family.
The Lindsay family inherited half of the Barony of Crawford, known as Crawford Parish, via a marriage in 1215 to the elder daughter of Sir John Crawford, who died in 1246 without male issue. The Crawford family retained the other half, known as Crawfordjohn Parish, as the Barony had been divided among the Crawford family four generations earlier. Crawford Castle is located in Crawford Parish. From an early date, the Clan Carmichael
Clan Carmichael
-Origins of the clan:The name Carmichael originally comes from lands in Lanarkshire which were granted to Sir James Douglas of Clan Douglas in 1321, and let by his nephew William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas to Sir John Carmichael between 1374 and 1384.d...
of Meadowflat acted as hereditary constables of the castle, retaining this post under successive owners.
The castle was occupied by the forces of Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
during the Wars of Scottish Independence
Wars of Scottish Independence
The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the independent Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th and early 14th centuries....
. Between Christmas 1296 and the spring of 1297, William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
rode with John Graham and forty men to assault the stronghold, then known as Crawford Lindsay. Wallace stormed the castle and took it from the English garrison. Wallace had a personal interest in regaining the castle, as his mother, Margaret Crawford, was a daughter of the Clan Crawford Chief Hugh Crawford, who was then Sheriff of Ayrshire.
In 1398, Robert II
Robert II of Scotland
Robert II became King of Scots in 1371 as the first monarch of the House of Stewart. He was the son of Walter Stewart, hereditary High Steward of Scotland and of Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I and of his first wife Isabella of Mar...
granted the title of Earl of Crawford
Earl of Crawford
The title Earl of Crawford is one of the most ancient extant titles in Great Britain, having been created in the Peerage of Scotland for Sir David Lindsay in 1398. It is the premier earldom recorded on the Union Roll.The title has a very complex history...
to David Lindsay
David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford
David Lindsay, 1st Earl of Crawford was a Scottish peer who was created Earl in 1398. Many historians believe that Lindsay was also the organiser for the Battle of the Clans at Perth in 1396. Additionally, Lindsay was a noted jousting champion who fought the English champion Lord Welles in a...
, who had won great praise on St George’s Day, 23 April 1390 for bravery in a duel with the Englishman Baron Welles
John de Welles, 5th Baron Welles
John de Welles, 5th Baron Welles was an English soldier and noble. He married Margaret de Mowbray , daughter of John, Lord Mowbray by Elizabeth, Baroness Segrave....
on London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
after Welles, at a banquet in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, and presumably after too much alcohol issued, as Champion of England, the challenge: "Let words have no place; if ye know not the Chivalry and Valiant deeds of Englishmen; appoint me a day and a place where ye list, and ye shall have experience."
At the accession of James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
in 1488 the barony of Crawford was transferred to Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus , was a late medieval Scottish magnate. He became known as "Bell the Cat"...
for supporting his father, James III
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
, against the young prince's rebellion. The Earls of Angus held the castle until 1578, when their estates were forfeited by the young James V
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
. James used Crawford as a hunting lodge until his own death in 1542. His mistress, Elizabeth Carmichael, was the daughter of the hereditary constable.
After 1542 the barony was returned to the Earls of Angus, the keepership of the Carmichaels of Meadowflat coming to an end in 1595. In 1633 the 11th earl was created Marquess of Douglas, and the castle was probably rebuilt after this date. The castle then passed to the Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
, before being sold to Sir George Colebrooke in the 18th century. After a period of use as a farmhouse, the building was abandoned at the end of the 18th century, and much of the stone reused to build the present Crawford Castle Farm. Four stone tablets bearing coats of arms, one with the date 1648, are built into the west and south walls of the Castle Crawford House.
The ruins
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
around 5m high, with a surrounding ditch and a bailey some 45m by 33m to the south-west. On the motte are the remains of a curtain wall, surrounding an enclosure around 20m square. There may have been round towers at the corners of this enclosure, which probably dates to the 16th or early 17th centuries. A range of buildings on the south-west side of the castle were built at around the same time. This tower-like range was of three storeys, plus an attic, with a vaulted basement and projecting chimney-breast. To the south-east, a second range was added later in the 17th century, providing more spacious accommodation with larger windows. Much of the present remains probably date from the 17th century rebuilding by the Marquess of Douglas.
Crawford Castle is specified in a list of monuments published by the Minister of Public Building and Works under the Ancient Monuments Consolidation and Amendment Act 1913. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
and is a Category B Listed Building. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government 'sponsored' [financed and with oversight] through Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government...
lists the site as a castle or motte.