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Ardgowan Castle
Ardgowan Castle, originally called Inverkip Castle, is located in the Private Garden of "Ardgowan House, Castle & Gardens" near Inverkip, Scotland. It is near the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde, in the former county of Renfrewshire. The three-storey ruin of the 15th century tower house is protected as a category B listed building. Location The castle is sited within the Private Gardens of Ardgowan House and is not accessible to the public. It is however visible from the public path that runs directly below. It is situated on a promontory of a raised beach jutting out at a height of above coastal flats, with a level top defended by steep slopes or cliffs to each side of the point. The Tower was likely preceded by a wooden watch tower, built to fend off Viking raiders. Inverkip Castle later became an important medieval fortress. History Inverkip Castle featured in what was later called the First War of Scottish Independence. In 1301, King Edward I of England sent two armies into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ardgowan House
Ardgowan House, Castle & Gardens is a privately owned late 18th-century mansion on the Firth of Clyde near Inverkip, Scotland. Ardgowan is located in Inverclyde, in the former county of Renfrewshire. The Ardgowan Estate has been held by the Stewart family since the early 15th century: towards the end of that century, their tower house Ardgowan Castle was built within the site of the previous Inverkip Castle fortress. The present house was erected in 1797 and completed in 1801 from designs by Cairncross. It is the seat of the Shaw Stewart baronets, currently Sir Ludovic Houston Shaw Stewart, 12th Baronet of Greenock and Blackhall. The house is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens. History In 1403, King Robert III granted the lands of Ardgowan to his natural son, Sir John Stewart. In 1667 Archibald Stewart was created a baronet. The 3rd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homage (feudal)
Homage (/ˈhɒmɪdʒ/ or ) (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position ( investiture). It was a symbolic acknowledgement to the lord that the vassal was, literally, his man (''homme''). The oath known as "fealty" implied lesser obligations than did "homage". Further, one could swear "fealty" to many different overlords with respect to different land holdings, but "homage" could only be performed to a single liege, as one could not be "his man" (i.e., committed to military service) to more than one "liege lord". The ceremony of homage was used in many regions of Europe to symbolically bind two men together. The vassal to-be would go down on their knee and place their palms together as if praying. The lord to-be would place his hands over the hands of the vassal, while the vassal made a short ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Barbour (poet)
John Barbour (c.1320 – 13 March 1395) was a Scottish people, Scottish poet and the first major named literary figure to write in Scots language, Scots. His principal surviving work is the historical verse romance, ''The Brus'' (''The Robert I of Scotland, Bruce''), and his reputation from this poem is such that other long works in Scots which survive from the period are sometimes thought to be by him. He is known to have written a number of other works, but other titles definitely ascribed to his authorship, such as ''The Stewartis Oryginalle'' (''Genealogy of the House of Stuart, Stewarts'') and ''The Brut'' (''Brutus of Troy, Brutus''), are now lost. Barbour was latterly Archdeacon of the St Machar's Cathedral, Diocese of Aberdeen in Scotland. He also studied in University of Oxford, Oxford and University of Paris, Paris. Although he was a man of the church, his surviving writing is strongly secular in both tone and themes. His principal patron was Robert II of Scotla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Mowbray
Sir Philip Mowbray or Philip de Mowbray (died 1318) was a Scottish noble who opposed Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He later changed his allegiance to Scotland and was killed in 1318 fighting in Ireland. Life He was the son of Sir Geoffrey de Mowbray and a daughter of John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Alice de Ros. Philip married Eva de Umfraville, Lady Redcastle, daughter and heiress of Ingram de Umfraville. In 1307, he was at the head of an English force of 1,000 men going from Bothwell Castle to Kyle when they were ambushed by Bruce's ally Sir James Douglas. While his forces retreated to Bothwell, Mowbray, who had lost his sword, fled a long way to Inverkip Castle. According to John Barbour's '' The Brus'': He subsequently was made Constable of Stirling Castle,Philip de Mowbray, cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Douglas, Lord Of Douglas
Sir James Douglas (also known as Good Sir James and The Black Douglas; – 25 August 1330) was a Scottish knight and feudal lord. He was one of the chief commanders during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir William Douglas, known as "le Hardi" or "the bold", who had been the first noble supporter of William Wallace (the elder Douglas died circa 1298, a prisoner in the Tower of London). His mother was Elizabeth Stewart, the daughter of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, who died circa 1287 or early 1288. His father remarried in late 1288 so Douglas' birth had to be prior to that; however, the destruction of records in Scotland makes an exact date or even year impossible to pinpoint. Douglas was sent to France for safety in the early days of the Wars of Independence, and was educated in Paris. There he met William Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews, who took him as a squire. He returned to Scotland with Lamberton. His l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl Of Moray
Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray (c. 1285 20 July 1332) was a soldier and diplomat in the Wars of Scottish Independence, who later served as regent of Scotland. He was a nephew of Robert the Bruce, who created him as the first earl of Moray. He was known for successfully capturing Edinburgh Castle from the English, and he was one of the signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath. Early life Thomas was the son of another Thomas, who was Chamberlain of Scotland and Sheriff of Roxburgh, and the grandson of the Randulf or Ranulf who gave the family their surname. It is known that the younger Thomas was the nephew of King Robert the Bruce; his mother was Martha of Kilconquhar, Robert's older half-sister. The traditional view is that she was of the first marriage of Marjorie of Carrick, who was the mother of Robert the Bruce by her second marriage. There has been conjecture that the King's father Robert married again after Marjorie's death and had with his second wife a dau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Methven
The Battle of Methven took place at Methven, Scotland on 19 June 1306, during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The battlefield was researched to be included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009, but was excluded due to the uncertainty of its location. Background Bruce was crowned King of Scots by Bishop William de Lamberton at Scone, near Perth, on Palm Sunday (25 March 1306). Enraged by the killing of John Comyn, Lord of Badenoch by Bruce and his followers at Dumfries and Bruce’s coronation, Edward I of England named Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, special lieutenant for Scotland. Pembroke moved quickly, and by the middle of summer he had made his base at Perth, along with Henry Percy and Robert Clifford with an army of about 3000 men drawn from the northern counties. Edward I gave orders that no mercy was to be granted and all taken in arms were to be ex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adam De Gordon, Lord Of Gordon
Sir Adam de Gordon (1273–1333), lord of Gordon, was a Scottish statesman and soldier. Ancestry Gordon was the son and heir of Adam de Gordon of Gordon in Berwickshire. His great-grandfather, likewise Adam de Gordon, was the younger son of an Anglo-Norman nobleman who came to Scotland in the time of David I, and settled on a tract of land called Gordon, within sight of the English border. The second Sir Adam, grandfather of the fourth Sir Adam, married Alicia, only child and heiress of Thomas de Gordon, who represented the elder branch of the family, and by this alliance the whole estates were united into one property. His son William de Gordon was one of the Scottish nobles who in 1268 joined Louis IX of France in his crusade for the recovery of the holy sepulchre, and died during the expedition. He was succeeded by his brother, the third Sir Adam, who died on 3 Sept. 1296, and was succeeded by his son, the fourth Sir Adam. Career Support for King Edward I and II An historian o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the lowest bridging point, farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification in the region from the earliest times. Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures remain from the fourteenth century, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century. Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish royal residences, very much a palace as well as a fortress. Several List of Scottish monarchs, Sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siege Engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while others have wheels to enable advancing up to the enemy fortification. There are many distinct types, such as siege towers that allow foot soldiers to scale walls and attack the defenders, battering rams that damage walls or gates, and large ranged weapons (such as ballistas, catapults/ trebuchets and other similar constructions) that attack from a distance by launching heavy projectiles. Some complex siege engines were combinations of these types. Siege engines are fairly large constructions – from the size of a small house to a large building. From antiquity up to the development of gunpowder, they were made largely of wood, using rope or leather to help bind them, possibly with a few pieces of metal at key stress points. They could la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rothesay Castle
Rothesay Castle is a ruined castle in Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in western Scotland. Located at , the castle has been described as "one of the most remarkable in Scotland", for its long history dating back to the beginning of the 13th century, and its unusual circular plan. The castle comprises a huge curtain wall, strengthened by four round towers, together with a 16th-century , the whole surrounded by a broad moat. Built by the Stewart family, it survived Norse attacks to become a royal residence. Though falling into ruin after the 17th century, the castle was repaired by the Marquess of Bute before passing into state care in the 20th century. A paddle steamer named after the castle was constructed in 1816. The early castle The castle was built either by Alan fitz Walter, Steward of Scotland (died 1204), or by his succeeding son Walter (died 1246). During Alan's tenure, the family added the Isle of Bute to their lordship. A wooden castle was c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Óg De Burgh, 2nd Earl Of Ulster
Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught ( ; Latinized to de Burgo; 1240 – 29 July 1326), called The Red Earl, was one of the most powerful Anglo-Norman nobles in Ireland during the late 13th and early 14th centuries and father of Elizabeth, wife of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Early life Richard's father was Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster (of the second creation) and Lord of Connacht, who was the second son of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Lord of Connaught and Egidia de Lacy. Richard's mother was Aveline FitzJohn, daughter of Sir John FitzGeoffrey. "Richard Óg", means "Richard the Young", which may be a reference to his youth when he became earl in 1271, or to differentiate him from his grandfather, Richard Mór. Earl of Ulster Richard Óg was the most powerful of the de Burgh Earls of Ulster, succeeding his father in Ulster and Connacht upon reaching his majority in 1280. Richard fought in the conquest of Wales in the 1280s, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
