Dairsie Castle
| Dairsie Castle | |
|---|---|
| Dairsie,Fife,Scotland GBgrid referenceNO413160 | |
 Dairsie Castle | |
| Coordinates | 56°19′59″N2°57′00″W/ 56.33306°N 2.95000°W |
| Type | Z-plantower house |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Private |
| Open to the public | No |
| Site history | |
| Built | First castle c.1300 Rebuilt 16th century Rebuilt from ruin in the 1990s |
| Built by | Bishops of St Andrews |
Dairsie Castleis a restoredtower houselocated 1.3 kilometres (0.81 mi) south ofDairsiein north-eastFife,Scotland.The castle overlooks theRiver Eden.
History
[edit]The first castle built here was the property of thebishops of St Andrews,and may have been constructed byWilliam de Lamberton,bishop of St Andrews from 1298 to 1328.[1]AScottish parliamentwas held at the castle in early 1335.[2]
The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century by the Learmonth family. In March 1572, during theMarian Civil War,the Laird of Dairsie, who was Provost of St Andrews, invited two English ambassadorsThomas RandolphandWilliam Druryto banquet at the castle. They refused to come, and, it was said, instead he invited the new archbishop of St AndrewsGavin Hamilton,the minister of St Andrews,Robert Hamiltonand William Skene to enjoy the feast he had prepared.[3]
Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie loaned money toWilliam Kirkcaldy of Grangeand held somejewels of Mary, Queen of Scots,as a pledge.James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton,thenregent of Scotland,asked him to return the jewels.[4]Regent Morton laid siege to Dairsie Castle in 1575. KingJames VI of Scotlandstayed at Dairsie Castle in 1583 following his escape from theRaid of Ruthvenin June 1583. In the 17th century it was sold toJohn Spottiswoode(1565–1639), Archbishop of St Andrews, who builtDairsie Old Churchnext to the castle in 1621.[5]
Dairsie Castle became ruinous in the 19th century, but was rebuilt in the 1990s, and is now operated as holiday accommodation. It is a Category Blisted building,and was formerly aScheduled Ancient Monument,having been de-scheduled in 1997 prior to the restoration works.[6]
Citations
[edit]- ^Historic Environment Scotland."Dairsie Castle (32942)".Canmore.Retrieved4 June2010.
- ^Webster (1998) pp. 225–226
- ^John Graham Dalyell,Journal of the Transactions in Scotland, by Richard Bannatyne(Edinburgh, 1806), p. 332
- ^Charles Thorpe McInnes,Accounts of the Treasurer of Scotland, 1566-1574,vol. 12 (Edinburgh, 1970), pp. 352–3.
- ^Historic Environment Scotland."Dairsie Old Church (32904)".Canmore.Retrieved4 June2010.
- ^Historic Environment Scotland."Dairsie Castle (Category B Listed Building) (LB2608)".Retrieved15 March2019.
References
[edit]- Webster, Bruce (1998). "Scotland without a King, 1329–1341". In Grant, Alexander; Stringer, Keith J (eds.).Medieval Scotland: Crown, Lordship and Community.Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.ISBN0-7486-1110-X.