Whittingehame Tower
Encyclopedia
Whittingehame Tower, or Whittingehame Castle, is a fifteenth century tower house
about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of East Linton
, on the west bank of Whittinghame Water in East Lothian
, Scotland
.
, comprising a rectangular main block and small stair-wing. It has a parapet
which is corbel
led out, with rounded corners. There is a cap-house, which was used as a dovecote
in the 1930s. There is a vaulted basement. The hall, on the first floor, is panelled; its ceiling is finely painted. The entrance is by the stair-wing. Some of the windows have been enlarged. The hall now houses a collection of documents and old prints. The tower is a category A listed building, the highest level of protection for a historic building in Scotland.
. In the 14th century the lands were acquired by the Douglases
. During the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, they were held by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
. The property subsequently passed through the hands of the Setons
, Hays
and Balfour
s of Balbirnie, who occupy the castle still. Arthur James Balfour, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
from 1902 to 1905, belonged to this family.
, the Earl of Bothwell
– the future husband of Mary, Queen of Scots – and William Maitland of Lethington
, the queen's secretary, were entertained here by the owner, Archibald Douglas. They conferred together in the shelter of a yew
tree in the grounds to plot the murder of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, Queen Mary's unpopular and increasinlgly estranged husband. Morton, just returned from exile
in England
after the murder of David Rizzio
, was unenthusiastic, and requested the queen's direct guidance. Despite the queen's reluctance to give the matter her sanction, the plot put together at Whittingehame was put into effect in due course. However, the hatching of this plot is more commonly thought to have taken place at Craigmillar Castle
in late 1566.
Mary's half-brother, the Earl of Moray
, was received at Whittingehame by Morton and Lethington about 18 months later, and they concurred with his expression of horror at the murder of Darnley. Bothwell was by then an outlaw.
The first cider gum (Eucalyptus gunnii) in Great Britain is said to have been planted in the grounds of the castle in 1853, and to have survived for over one hundred years.
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...
about 2.5 miles (4 km) south of East Linton
East Linton
East Linton is a town in East Lothian, Scotland, situated on the River Tyne and A199 road five miles east of Haddington, with a population of 1,774...
, on the west bank of Whittinghame Water in East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
, 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...
.
Structure
Whittingehame Tower is an altered L-plan keepKeep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, comprising a rectangular main block and small stair-wing. It has a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
which is corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led out, with rounded corners. There is a cap-house, which was used as a dovecote
Dovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
in the 1930s. There is a vaulted basement. The hall, on the first floor, is panelled; its ceiling is finely painted. The entrance is by the stair-wing. Some of the windows have been enlarged. The hall now houses a collection of documents and old prints. The tower is a category A listed building, the highest level of protection for a historic building in Scotland.
History
Whittingehame Tower was built on lands belonging to the Cospatrick Earls of MarchEarl of Dunbar
The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, was the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this earldom was Gospatric II, Earl of Lothian, son of Gospatric,...
. In the 14th century the lands were acquired by the Douglases
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
. During the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, they were held by James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of...
. The property subsequently passed through the hands of the Setons
Seton (surname)
Seton is the surname of a prominent Scottish Lowlands family, and may refer to:Hereditary Titles:* The Baronet of Olivestob* The Baronet of Windygoul* The Baronets of Abercorn* The Baronets of Garleton* The Baronets of Pitmedden* The Lords Seton...
, Hays
Clan Hay
Clan Hay is a Scottish clan that has played an important part in the history and politics of Scotland. Members of the clan are to be found in most parts of Scotland and in many other parts of the world. However, the North East of Scotland, i.e...
and Balfour
Balfour
-People:* Balfour , a Scottish family name* Lord Balfour of Burleigh* Baron Balfour of Glenawley* Sir Graham Balfour, Victorian statistician and member of Florence Nightingale's inner circle.-Earls of Balfour:...
s of Balbirnie, who occupy the castle still. Arthur James Balfour, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
from 1902 to 1905, belonged to this family.
Tradition
It is said that in 1567 the Earl of MortonJames Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton
James Douglas, jure uxoris 4th Earl of Morton was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he did manage to win the civil war which had been dragging on with the supporters of the exiled Mary, Queen of...
, the Earl of Bothwell
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
James Hepburn, 1st Duke of Orkney , better known by his inherited title as 4th Earl of Bothwell, was hereditary Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He is best known for his association with and subsequent marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots, as her third husband...
– the future husband of Mary, Queen of Scots – and William Maitland of Lethington
William Maitland of Lethington
Sir William Maitland of Lethington was a Scottish politician and reformer, and the eldest son of the poet Richard Maitland....
, the queen's secretary, were entertained here by the owner, Archibald Douglas. They conferred together in the shelter of a yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
tree in the grounds to plot the murder of Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, Queen Mary's unpopular and increasinlgly estranged husband. Morton, just returned from exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
after the murder of David Rizzio
David Rizzio
Davide Rizzio, sometimes written as Davide Riccio or Davide Rizzo , was an Italian courtier, born close to Turin, a descendant of an ancient and noble family still living in Piedmont, the Riccio Counts de San Paolo et Solbrito, who rose to become the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots...
, was unenthusiastic, and requested the queen's direct guidance. Despite the queen's reluctance to give the matter her sanction, the plot put together at Whittingehame was put into effect in due course. However, the hatching of this plot is more commonly thought to have taken place at Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated south-east of the city centre, on a low hill to the south of the modern suburb of Craigmillar. It was begun in the late 14th century by the Preston family, feudal barons of Craigmillar, and extended through the...
in late 1566.
Mary's half-brother, the Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
, was received at Whittingehame by Morton and Lethington about 18 months later, and they concurred with his expression of horror at the murder of Darnley. Bothwell was by then an outlaw.
The first cider gum (Eucalyptus gunnii) in Great Britain is said to have been planted in the grounds of the castle in 1853, and to have survived for over one hundred years.