Luffness Castle, also known as Luffness House, is a house built in a former fortification near the village of

Aberlady Aberlady (, Gaelic: ''Obar Lobhaite'') is a coastal village in the Scottish council area of East Lothian. The village had an estimated population of in . Etymology The name ''Aberlady'' has Brittonic origins. The first part of the name is t ...

, East Lothian, Scotland.

History

The lands around the current house were a part of the estates of the Gospatrick

Earls of Lothian Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

, but in the 12th Century they were given to the Lindsay family in marriage and this family constructed a castle on the site in the 13th century, this was described as a large and strong fortress. Some of the property was donated to the Church as a memorial to Sir David Lindsay, High Chamberlain of Scotland in 1256 and a Regent for Alexander III, who died on crusade which was under the leadership of Louis of France. On his deathbed Sir David promised to donate land for a religious house so long as his remains were returned to Scotland. A

Carmelite The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...

friary was then built nearby in 1293 and remnants of the priory still exist overgrown within the woods.

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

and an English army occupied the castle in 1311. It was sacked in 1547 by an English force under the command of Edward Clinton, Lord Clinton. The English army treasurer and diplomat

Ralph Sadler Sir Ralph Sadler or Sadleir PC, Knight banneret (1507 – 30 March 1587) was an English statesman, who served Henry VIII as Privy Councillor, Secretary of State and ambassador to Scotland. Sadler went on to serve Edward VI. Having signed the ...

advised the

Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...

that a new fort at Aberlady would support an English garrison to be installed nearby inland at Haddington. There were also suggestions that an English fort should be built for this purpose at "White-castell" at

Nunraw Nunraw is an estate in East Lothian, Scotland. It includes the White Castle, a hillfort, situated on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, two miles south of the village of Garvald, (, , OS Landranger No.67.) Nunraw House was formerly used as the Gu ...

or on the "Pethes", a narrow route between hills in Scotland. French and Scots soldiers, directed by

Paul de Thermes Paul de La Barthe de Thermes or de Termes (1482–1562), also Paul de Terme or Maréchal de Thermes, was a French army Marshal ("Maréchal"). Reign of Henri II Rough Wooing In June 1549, de Thermes was sent to Scotland to help in the war against ...

, built a fort here in 1549 to interrupt the English supply to their garrison at Haddington. On 23 June 1549

Regent Arran In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

summoned neighbouring villagers to fight off English soldiers trying to prevent the buildings work. On 25 June Arran requested the lairds of East and

West Lothian West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...

to provide labourers. The royal treasurer's accounts refer to the "fort of Aberlady". Oxen dragged guns from the fort to the nearest harbour in January 1550 for shipping to

Monifieth Monifieth () is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is situated on the north bank of the Firth of Tay on the east coast. In , the population of Monifieth was estimated at , making it the fifth largest town ...

, to be used against

Broughty Castle Broughty Castle is a historic castle on the banks of the River Tay in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454, when George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, received permission ...

James Balfour Paul Sir James Balfour Paul (16 November 1846 – 15 September 1931) was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926. Life James Balfour Paul was educated at Royal High School, Edinbur ...

, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 9 (Edinburgh, 1911), pp. 320-1, 367. This fort was demolished on the orders of Marie de Guise in 1552. In the second half of the 16th Century the ownership of Luffness was transferred to the Hepburn Earls of Bothwell who rebuilt the castle and in the 17th century the estate change ownership again to the Durham family while an Adam Duff of Luffness is recorded in 1704. In 1739 the Hope Earl of Hopetoun bought Luffness and in 1822 the castle and was altered and extended by

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival, often referred ...

with the further works carried out under the direction of

David Bryce David Bryce Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE FRIBA Royal Scottish Academy, RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scotland, Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David B ...

in 1846 and 1874. Today the house is well maintained, and is still occupied by the Hope family.

Description

Luffness House is presently a tower house of three storeys with an attic and it forms a T shape with the square turret forming its stem. There is a turnpike stair which occupies the first two floors.

Nigel Tranter Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on history and architecture, both fiction and non-fiction. He was best-known for his popular and well-researched historical novels, covering centurie ...

thought that this stair incorporated what was left of the castle, and is likely from the 13th century. The house is situated at the northwestern angle of a square fortification which is delineated by a partially infilled ditch which may be a remnant of the French built fortifications from 1549, or it may be the remains of the earlier castle.

References

Bibliography

*Lindsay, Maurice ''The Castles of Scotland'', Constable & Co. 1986 *Coventry, Martin ''The Castles of Scotland'', Goblinshead 1995

External links

Luffness Castle website
{{coord, 56.0141, -2.8440, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Castles in East Lothian Category A listed buildings in East Lothian Listed castles in Scotland Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Castles and forts of the Rough Wooing

History

Description

See also

References

Bibliography

External links