Linlithgow Palace

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Linlithgow Palace

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow

Linlithgow

Linlithgow is a town and former Royal burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. Those born in Linlithgow are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches, and the town's coat of arms shows a black bitch dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island....
, West Lothian

West Lothian

West Lothian is one of the 32 Unitary authority council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk ....
, Scotland

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, 15 miles west of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

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The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow

Linlithgow

West Lothian

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, 15 miles west of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
. A royal manor existed on the site in the 12th Century. This was replaced by a fortification known as 'the Peel', built in the 14th century by English forces under Edward I

Edward I of England

Edward I , popularly known as Longshanks, the English Justinian, and the Hammer of the Scots , was a House of Plantagenet King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost succeeding in doing the same to Scotland....
. The site of the manor made it an ideal military base for securing the supply routes between Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is an ancient stronghold which dominates the sky-line of the city of Edinburgh from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock....
and Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The Castle sits atop the Castle Hill, a volcanic Crag and tail, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation....
.

In 1424, the town of Linlithgow was partially destroyed in a great fire. King James I

James I of Scotland

James I was nominal King of Scots from 4 April 1406, and reigning King of Scots from May 1424 until 21 February 1437....
started the rebuilding of the Palace as a grand residence for Scottish royalty. Over the following century the palace developed into a formal courtyard structure, with significant additions by 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....
and 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 House of Stuart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last British monarch to be killed in battle....
. James V

James V of Scotland

James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his premature death at the age of thirty, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss....
, who was born in the palace in April 1512, added the outer gateway and the elaborate courtyard fountain. Mary Queen of Scots

Mary I of Scotland

Mary I was Queen of Scots from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567.She was the only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scotland. She was only six days old when her father died and left her Queen of Scots....
was born at the Palace in December 1542 and occasionally stayed there during her reign. After the Union of the Crowns

Union of the Crowns

The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of Kingdom of England, thus uniting Scotland and England under one monarch....
in 1603 the Royal Court became largely based in England and Linlithgow was used very little. Although King James VI

James I of England

James VI and I was List of monarchs of Scotland as James VI, and List of English monarchs and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Kingdom of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary I of Scotland....
had the North range rebuilt between 1618 and 1622, the only reigning monarch who stayed in Linlithgow after that date was King Charles I

Charles I of England

Charles I was List of English monarchs, List of monarchs of Scotland and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his capital punishment on 30 January 1649....
who spent one night there in 1633.

The palace's swansong came in September, 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Linlithgow on his march south but did not stay overnight. It is said that the fountain was made to flow with wine in his honour. The Duke of Cumberland

Duke of Cumberland

Duke of Cumberland is a peerage title that was conferred upon junior members of the British royal family, named after the county of Cumberland....
's army destroyed most of the palace buildings by burning in January 1746.

The palace has been actively conserved since the early 19th Century and is today managed and maintained by Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland

Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.Its website states:It has direct responsibility for maintaining and running over 360 monuments in its care, about a quarter of which are manned and charge admission entry....
. The site is open to visitors all year round, usually subject to an entrance fee for non-members, but on occasion the entry fee is waived during the organsiation's "Doors open days". In summer the adjacent 15th century parish church of St Michael is open for visitors, allowing a combined visit to two of Scotland's finest surviving medieval buildings.

Historic Scotland is running an experiment with junior tour guides. Using young people (primary 6-7) from the nearby school Linlithgow Primary, schools can arrange tours by these young people. During the summer young people can volunteer to conduct these tours.

Linlithgow Palace

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