Redhouse Castle is a
ruined
tower house castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
, 2 km east of
Longniddry,
East Lothian,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...
, 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 and d ...
. 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 transferred the estates of
Ballencrieff and
Gosford 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. His initials and those of his wife Rebecca Dennistoun are carved into the
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
. 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, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can al ...
of
Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.
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, with a
lectern-style
doocot built into the gateway.
After the
1745 Jacobite rising, 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 ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. 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 who resided at
Gosford House 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
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
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]
See also
*
List of places in East Lothian
''Map of places in East Lothian compiled from this list''
The List of places in East Lothian is a list for any town, village, hamlet (place), hamlet, castle, golf course, historic house, hill fort, lighthouse, nature reserve, reservoir, river, and ...
*
List of castles in Scotland
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 Ancient Monuments in East Lothian