Redhouse Castle is a

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, 2 km east of

Longniddry Longniddry (, )
is a coastal village in East Lothian ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, UK, on the B1377, close to Spittal. The castle designated as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. It is no longer protected as a category A listed building.

History

The first version of the castle appears to have been a religious institution, probably a hospice for pilgrims and travellers, belonging to the Douglas family. In April 1421 the

Earl of Douglas This page is concerned with the holders of the forfeit title Earl of Douglas and the preceding Scottish feudal barony, feudal barons of Douglas, South Lanarkshire. The title was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1358 for William Douglas, 1 ...

transferred the estates of Ballencrieff and

Gosford Gosford is a waterfront city at the northern end of Brisbane Water on the Central Coast in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Gosford Waterfront is known for its boating and scenic views on the shores of Brisbane Water. Gosford is ...

to his mistress Christian de Ramsay to provide for her and their children. The castle, a four-storey manor house in red sandstone, remained in the hands of the Douglas family, but it was sold in 1607 to John Layng, the

Keeper of the Signet The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenanc ...

. His initials and those of his wife Rebecca Dennistoun are carved into the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. He died in 1612 and is buried in the

churchyard In Christian countries, a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church (building), church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster S ...

Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh Greyfriars Kirk () is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard. Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edinburgh, f ...

. In 1608 Layng's daughter Jeane married Sir Andrew Hamilton f the Hamiltons of Haddington family Shortly afterwards Sir Andrew applied to the Scottish Parliament for the title Lord Redhouse, and when John Layng died Sir Andrew became the owner of Redhouse Castle. Some years later Sir John Hamilton extended the keep into an

L-plan An L-plan castle is a castle or tower house in the shape of an L, typically built from the 13th to the 17th century. This design is found quite frequently in Scotland, but is also seen in England, Ireland, Romania, Sardinia, and other locations ...

, with a

lectern A lectern is a standing reading desk with a slanted top, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. A lectern is usually attached to a stand or affixed to some other form of ...

-style

doocot A dovecote or dovecot , doocot ( Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pig ...

built into the gateway. After the

1745 Jacobite rising The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

, the Hamiltons forfeited the castle when Colonel George Hamilton, the last owner, was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason at Carlisle Castle. It remained empty for some time until, in 1755, it was bought by Lord Elibank in 1755 who preferred to live in his townhouse in the High Street in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. The market garden was (and is) a going concern, but he was unable to sell or rent the castle economically. After having been abandoned for many years, Redhouse Castle was incorporated into the estates of the

Earl of Wemyss Earl of Wemyss ( ) is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created in 1633. The Scotland, Scottish Wemyss family had possessed the lands of Wemyss Castle, Wemyss in Fife since the 12th century. Since 1823 the earldom has been held with the Earldo ...

who resided at

Gosford House Gosford House is a neoclassical country house around northeast of Longniddry in East Lothian, Scotland, on the A198 Aberlady Road, in of parkland and coast. It is the family seat of the Charteris family, the Earls of Wemyss and March. It wa ...

close by. Unlike other castles, Redhouse Castle was fortunate in that it was not exploited as a quarry. However, the same red sandstone from which it was built was also used for the foundations of Gosford House.

Motto

The Layng family motto carved into the

is "Nisi Dominus Frustra", translated from the Latin as "without the Lord, all is in vain", taken from Psalm 127: "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it". It is also the motto in the coat of arms of Edinburgh Psalm 127#Nisi Dominus Frustra

Photo gallery

Image:Redhouse Castle Door.jpg Image:Redhouse Castle Motto.jpg Image:Redhouse Castle Doocot.jpg Image:Redhouse Castle from west.jpg Image:Redhouse Castle from north.jpg Image:Redhouse Castle from south.jpg Image:Redhouse Castle Gateway.jpg

References

{{reflist

External links

Redhouse Castle
Gazetteer for Scotland

Andrew Spratt's site of castles Castles in East Lothian Scheduled monuments in East Lothian

History

Motto

See also

Photo gallery

References

External links