The remains of Boghall Castle at Biggar - geograph

Boghall Castle was a 14th-century castle to the south of

Biggar, South Lanarkshire Biggar ( ) is a town, parish and former burgh in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, in the Southern Uplands near the River Clyde on the A702. The closest neighbouring towns are Lanark, Peebles and Carluke. History Biggar occupies a key location close ...

, Scotland. Boghall became ruinous in the 19th century.

History

The courtyard castle was built in the 14th century by the

Fleming family Fleming may refer to: Places Australia *Fleming, Northern Territory, a town and a locality Canada * Fleming, Saskatchewan * Fleming Island (Saskatchewan) Egypt * Fleming (neighborhood), a neighborhood in Alexandria Greenland * Fleming Fjord I ...

, to replace the

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

castle at Biggar. The castle was strategically sited where the valleys of the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers ...

and the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

meet. The foundations of two D-shaped towers survive but the rest is ruinous.

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

stayed at Boghall in 1310. During 1473, Queen Margaret, wife of

James III of Scotland James III (10 July 1451/May 1452 – 11 June 1488) was King of Scots from 1460 until his death at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488. He inherited the throne as a child following the death of his father, King James II, at the siege of Roxburg ...

, stayed the night at Boghall on her way to the shrine of St. Ninian in Whithorn.

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

stayed at Boghall in 1565.

Regent Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scot ...

came to Boghall with an army on 11 June 1568 and the castle surrendered to him. He did not slight or demolish it, because

Lord Fleming Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are e ...

held

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle (, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumbarton Rock was forme ...

against him, and he hoped to negotiate. On 14 November 1569, Regent Moray gave soldiers, commanded by James Cunningham, 20 shillings in

drinksilver Drinksilver was a kind of tip or gratuity given to artisans in Early Modern Scotland, a sum of money suitable for buying drinks and celebrating. Records of payments give insights into labour, service, and patronage. Payments and contexts Buildin ...

for their labours in confiscating the goods of Lord Fleming at Boghall. The farm stock taken from Boghall included 8 oxen, 13 cows, a bull, and a flock of 617 sheep. Regent Lennox sacked the houses of

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; ) is a large town in the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, most-populous locality in Scotl ...

and Boghall in September and October 1570, and expelled Lord Fleming's wife Elizabeth Ross and her three infant children from her properties. An inventory of goods at Boghall Castle was made in October 1578 after the death of Elizabeth Ross, Lady Fleming, the wife of John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming. These include rich

bed hangings Bed hangings or bed curtains are fabric panels that surround a bed; they were used from medieval times through to the 19th century. Bed hangings provided privacy when the master or great bed was in a public room, such as the parlor, but also kept i ...

and canopies of velvet and silk and gilded wooden knops and finials for beds.Michael Pearce, "Chapel beds in 16th-century Scottish inventories", ''Regional Furniture'', vol. 27 (2013), p. 80.

Citations

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boghall Castle 14th-century establishments in Scotland Demolished buildings and structures in Scotland Ruined castles in South Lanarkshire