Bedlay Castle
Encyclopedia
Bedlay Castle is a former defensive castle, dating from the late 16th and 17th centuries. It is located between Chryston
and Moodiesburn
in North Lanarkshire
, Scotland
. The castle is just off the A80 road
, around 8 miles to the north-east of Glasgow
, at .
and again by William I
in 1180. Bishop Cameron
is reported to have had a castle or house on this site .
In 1580, James Boyd of Trochrig, then the titular Protestant Archbishop of Glasgow, granted the lands to his kinsman, Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd
of Kilmarnock. He built the original Bedlay Castle soon after, on the end of a volcanic crag above the Bothlyn Burn. The Boyds held the castle until 1642, when James, 9th Lord Boyd
sold it to the advocate James Roberton
, grandson of John Roberton, 9th Laird of Earnock
, later Lord Bedlay. The Robertons extended the castle, and held the property until 1786. Since then the castle has been owned by a number of people, including the Campbells of Petershill, who built a family mausoleum in the grounds. Bedlay is still privately owned and occupied as a house.
As of May 2007, Bedlay Castle is up for sale.
Bedlay Castle stands on a natural defensive point, protected on three sides by watercourses, with the approach from the south. The original castle, built soon after 1580, was a simple tower house
of two storeys and an attic. The tower house was around 13 by 7.5 metres, and had a square stair tower protruding from the north-east corner. At the ground floor were two vaulted cellars, with a hall above. The stair tower was later modified by the addition of an extra storey, reached by a spiral stair corbelled out from the join of the stair tower and the main block.
The second phase of building at Bedlay took place in the late 17th century, with a large extension added to the west. This extension is of the same height as the original building, with a single room on each floor. Round towers finish off both western corners of the extension. Because the extension was built on lower ground, an extra floor was created at the lower level, accessed from the ground floor, and including a hidden room beneath one of the towers.
A linking block of two storeys was added to the north side in the 18th century. Other modernisations include large sash windows, and the division of the main hall into two rooms. Garden ornaments including the stone balustrades and gate piers were brought here by the Campbells from their now demolished property at Petershill.
Chryston
Chryston is a village in the central belt of Scotland in the county of North Lanarkshire. Founded by James Burns Pollock, It is north of the main trunk road between Glasgow and Stirling ....
and Moodiesburn
Moodiesburn
Moodiesburn is a residential suburb located 8 miles north-east of Glasgow city centre, in the North Lanarkshire council area of Scotland. It is situated on the A80 road, between Stepps and Cumbernauld.-Landmarks:...
in North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
, 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 castle is just off the A80 road
A80 road
The A80 is a road in Scotland, running from the A8 to Moodiesburn, north east of Glasgow. Prior to the M80 opening, the A80 was one of Scotland's busiest trunk roads.-Original Route:The A80 was once the main route from Glasgow to Stirling...
, around 8 miles to the north-east of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, at .
History
The lands of Bedlay or Ballayn were the possession of the Bishops of Glasgow. The grant of land to the diocese was confirmed by David IDavid I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
and again by William I
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
in 1180. Bishop Cameron
John Cameron (bishop)
John Cameron was a 15th century Scottish cleric, bishop of Glasgow, and Keeper of the Privy Seal.A licentiate in decrees , and provost of Lincluden, he became an official of the bishopric of St Andrews, and a canon of Glasgow, as well as secretary to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigtown, who...
is reported to have had a castle or house on this site .
In 1580, James Boyd of Trochrig, then the titular Protestant Archbishop of Glasgow, granted the lands to his kinsman, Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd
Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd
Robert Boyd, 4th Lord Boyd was a Scottish nobleman who supported various factions attempting to dominate Scottish politics during the reign of King James V and the minority of Mary, Queen of Scots.-Biography:...
of Kilmarnock. He built the original Bedlay Castle soon after, on the end of a volcanic crag above the Bothlyn Burn. The Boyds held the castle until 1642, when James, 9th Lord Boyd
Earl of Kilmarnock
The title Earl of Kilmarnock was created in the peerage of Scotland in 1661 for William Boyd, 10th Lord Boyd. That title was also created in the Scottish peerage in 1454 for Robert Boyd, Great Chamberlain of Scotland...
sold it to the advocate James Roberton
James Roberton
James Roberton, Lord Bedlay was a Scottish advocate and judge. He was born to Archibald Roberton of Stainhall, youngest son of John Roberton 9th Laird of Earnock, and Elizabeth Baillie, daughter of Robert Baillie of Jerviston. He inherited Bedlay Castle from his father, who bought it from James,...
, grandson of John Roberton, 9th Laird of Earnock
Earnock
This article is about the history of the Earnock area. For information on the current housing estate built in the Earnock area see Earnock Estate.Earnock was an ancient estate in an area south of Hamilton in Lanarkshire, Scotland...
, later Lord Bedlay. The Robertons extended the castle, and held the property until 1786. Since then the castle has been owned by a number of people, including the Campbells of Petershill, who built a family mausoleum in the grounds. Bedlay is still privately owned and occupied as a house.
As of May 2007, Bedlay Castle is up for sale.
The castle
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
of two storeys and an attic. The tower house was around 13 by 7.5 metres, and had a square stair tower protruding from the north-east corner. At the ground floor were two vaulted cellars, with a hall above. The stair tower was later modified by the addition of an extra storey, reached by a spiral stair corbelled out from the join of the stair tower and the main block.
The second phase of building at Bedlay took place in the late 17th century, with a large extension added to the west. This extension is of the same height as the original building, with a single room on each floor. Round towers finish off both western corners of the extension. Because the extension was built on lower ground, an extra floor was created at the lower level, accessed from the ground floor, and including a hidden room beneath one of the towers.
A linking block of two storeys was added to the north side in the 18th century. Other modernisations include large sash windows, and the division of the main hall into two rooms. Garden ornaments including the stone balustrades and gate piers were brought here by the Campbells from their now demolished property at Petershill.