Murdostoun is an estate in

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the north-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs, commuter towns, and villages. It also borders East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk (co ...

, Scotland, which includes a

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 ...

, which lies on the

South Calder Water The South Calder Water, known locally as "The Cawder", or simply "Calder", is a river in Scotland. It runs west from the high plateau between Shotts and Fauldhouse to its joining with the much larger River Clyde. The high plateau is also the w ...

near the village of Bonkle in the parish of

Shotts Shotts is a small town in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is located almost halfway between Glasgow () and Edinburgh (). The town has a population of about 8,840. A local story has Shotts being named after the legendary giant highwayman Bertra ...

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 ...

. The name Murdostoun was derived from the words Murthock and Toun which meant dwelling of Murthock. Murdostoun can refer to the ancient barony of the Scott and then the Inglis clan, the castle built by the Scotts or a bridge over the

Estate

The Murdostoun Estate contained many farms. The main ones were: Foulburn, Castlehill, Easthouse, Westhouse, Penty, Muimailing, Easterhill, Westerhill and Shapenknowe. Other near the Murdostoun Castle were Eastwood, Westwood, Rosebank and Heughbank. The estate was reported to consist of in 1872.

Murdostoun Castle

Murdostoun Castle lies 1100 metres west-northwest of the village of Bonkle.
Murdostoun Castle was built by the Scott family in the 15th century and was constructed as a keep or fortified residence. It stands on a good position high above the

and was one of many built as a defensive measure across the Forth and

Clyde Valley 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. T ...

. The typical design of these houses was of a tall square block of three storeys, set within a courtyard, with thick walls and battlements. For security, no access from the ground floor to the two floors above, could be made. The main hall on the first floor was reached by a removable staircase from the Courtyard and access to the top floor, where the sleeping quarters were located, was by a narrow stair within the walls. Other rooms were also created within the walls. The roofs were made of stone for protection against fire attacks and parapets and fighting platforms were provided around the wall tops.

Murdostoun Bridge

Murdostoun Bridge, dated to 1817, is a single-span segmental-arch bridge constructed predominantly of yellow ashlar sandstone, with chamfered-wing walls, hood moulded arch ring and low ashlar parapets. Murdostoun Bridge crosses the

which divided the Murdostoun Estate from the Allanton estate. The river is also the parish boundary. Equidistant between the Allanton estate village of Bonkle and Murdostoun Castle. The bridge was probably built by the Stewarts of Allanton, stylistically it is similar to the triple span Allanton House bridge. The date of 1817 matches many of the cottages in Bonkle, the Allanton estate village whereas the Murdostoun estate was unoccupied at this time.

History

The

Barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of Murdostoun once included the lands of Hartwood and extended east as far as Hilhouserig and Hartwood Burn. The Family Murthock can be traced back as far as the reign of

Alexander III of Scotland Alexander III (; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Alba (Scotland) from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. ...

. In 1296 Sir Richard Scott married the daughter and heiress of Murdostoun and became the owner of the properties of Murdostoun and

Hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

, and as

feudal lord An overlord in the English feudal system was a lord of a manor who had subinfeudated a particular manor, estate or fee, to a tenant. The tenant thenceforth owed to the overlord one of a variety of services, usually military service or s ...

swore

fealty An oath of fealty, from the Latin (faithfulness), is a pledge of allegiance of one person to another. Definition In medieval Europe, the swearing of fealty took the form of an oath made by a vassal, or subordinate, to his lord. "Fealty" also r ...

Edward I of England 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 1254 ...

. Sir Richard died in 1320. His descendant, Sir David Scott, sat in the Parliament held 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 ...

in 1487 as 'Dominus de Baccleuch.' His son, Sir Michael Scott, heir of Murdostoun, was slain at the Battle of Durham, 17 October 1346. He was succeeded by his elder son Robert, who died in 1389, who in turn was succeeded by his son Walter Scott of Murdostoun and Rankelburn. On 7 December 1389, he obtained a charter from Robert II of the superiority of Kirkurd, and was honoured by a knighthood. On 23 July 1446 by a charter of

Excambion In Scots law, excambion is the exchange of land. The deed whereby this is effected is termed "Contract of Excambion". There is an implied real warranty in this contract, so that if one portion is evicted or taken away on a superior title, the party ...

the Scotts' lands of Murdostoun and Hartwood were exchanged with Thomas Inglis for his half of the Barony of

Branxholm Branxholm is a scenic rural town on the banks of the Ringarooma River in north east Tasmania located 93 km north east of Launceston on the Tasman Highway. It is notable for its saw mill, hop fields and tourism. It has a sprawling street ...

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

. The Scotts settled at

, which forms part of the Buccleuch estates to this day; while Thomas Inglis removed to

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

. On his death, Murdostoun went to his eldest son, Thomas, and his heirs, who also held for a time the superiority of Manor. The property of Manor went to John, the second son, but in time it became restricted to Manorhead, a farm at the top of the glen, which remained in the younger branch of the family till 1709, when it was sold. The Inglis family remained in residence at Murdostoun for the next 300 years. The old stock of Inglises ended with Thomas Inglis of Murdostoun, who succeeded in about 1696, and sold the estate to Alexander Inglis, merchant in

, the second son of David Inglis of Fingask, and a descendant of the Inglises of Inglistarvit,

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

. The death of Alexander Inglis in 1719 signalled the end of the connection of this part of the Inglis family with the Barony of Murdostoun. Alexander Inglis, having no heirs, bequeathed the Estate to his nephew Alexander Hamilton, with the proviso that he took the Inglis name. Alexander Inglis Hamilton's three sons succeeded in turn. The eldest, Alexander Inglis Hamilton, died on April 27, 1783; the second, Gavin Inglis Hamilton (1730–97), was a historical painter and archaeologist at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

; the youngest, Major-General James Inglis Hamilton, distinguished himself in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, and died on July 27, 1803. He adopted, James Anderson, the son of a sergeant major in

Saratoga, New York Saratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,808 at the 2020 census.United States Census Bureau, 2020 U.S. Census Results, Saratoga town, Saratoga County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.h ...

. He re-entailed Murdostoun on his adopted son, James Anderson, who took the surname Inglis-Hamilton. Colonel James Inglis Hamilton, Laird of Murdostoun, died at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

in 1815. Murdostoun Castle was acquired by Robert Stewart (b. 1811), son of Robert Stewart and Mary Herbert of Stair, East Ayrshire, in 1850 from Lord Lamington for £55,000.MacLehose, James
Robert Stewart
In: ''Memoirs and portraits of one hundred Glasgow men''. Glasgow Digital Library, 1886. Robert Stewart died on 12 September 1866 and was succeeded as Laird of the Murdostoun estate by his elder son, Sir Robert King Stewart. The estate was reported to contain in 1873.Scotland: Owners of Lands and Heritages. 1872-1873. Edinburgh: Murray and Gibb, Printers to Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1974: p. 136. Murdostoun was the first house in Scotland to receive electric lighting in September 1882.Stewart, Averil. ''Alicella''. London: John Murray, 1955. The electricity was generated by a steam-powered generator. They acquired a motor car in 1908 and the telephone was installed in 1910. Sir Robert King Stewart died in December 1930 at the age of 78. Lady Alice then removed to Cleghorn House, about from Murdostoun, in what is now

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...

to allow her son to have full use of Murdostoun Castle. Sir Robert's son, Captain John Christie Stewart, succeeded him as laird of Murdostoun. The Stewarts remodelled Murdostoun Castle into a very comfortable residence. They were fond of their dogs and created a pet cemetery in which their dogs were buried. Captain John Stewart died in May 1978. The Murdostoun estate passed to a great-nephew and the property was sold in 1979.

Today

Murdostoun Castle was recently used as an alcohol-related

brain damage Brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating trauma-induced damage. A common ...

care unit. This facility was managed by Four Seasons Health Care, Ltd. Murdostoun Castle has three main buildings set in of mixed park and woodland. The Frank Jamieson wing was a modern purpose-built facility, providing nursing and social care in a selection of differing rooms for single occupancy. As well as bright airy rooms, a large conservatory and enclosed-garden area are available. The two care facilities closed down for refurbishment in 2010 leaving just the 20-bed brain injury rehabilitation centre. Recent refurbishment by the Huntercombe Group saw the newer buildings on the site managed as rehabilitation and care centres from a variety of neurological conditions while the castle is home to the Abbeycare Foundation, a private addiction centre.

References

External links

Abbeycare Rehab in Murdostoun

{{North Lanarkshire places of interest Geography of North Lanarkshire Wishaw Castles in North Lanarkshire