Rothesay Castle is a ruined castle in
Rothesay, the principal town on the
Isle of Bute, in western
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 ...
. 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
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
. 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
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.
Family history
John Stuart was the member of a family that ...
before passing into state care in the 20th century.
A
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...
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 constructed first, but the stone circular curtain wall was in place by the 1230s, when the castle was attacked and taken by the Norwegian-backed fleet of
Óspakr-Hákon, King of the Isles (died 1230). According to ''
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar'', Óspakr's forces fought for three days to take the castle, breaking down part of the eastern wall by hewing the stone with their axes. This saga is the earliest recorded account of an assault on a Scottish castle. In 1263, Rothesay was taken again by the Norwegian forces under
Hákon Hákonarson, King of Norway (died 1263) before the
Battle of Largs. Although the Battle of Largs is called indecisive, Hákon's campaign was a failure, the Norse retreated, and it effectively ended Norwegian authority in western Scotland.
The early castle comprised only the roughly circular curtain wall, thick, high and around in diameter, built on a low mound, with a battlement on top accessed by open stairs.
The moat was connected to the sea, the shoreline then being closer to the north-east of the Castle than it is today. The broad
crenellations can be made out within the walls, which were later raised. Holes in the upper wall would have supported a timber bretasche, a projecting structure serving as an extended battlement. This curtain wall was built of coursed ashlar, and had only two openings in its length. The main gate was an arched opening with a simple timber door. The second opening was a small postern gate in the west wall, later blocked.
In the later part of the 13th century, the castle was strengthened by the addition of four round towers, of which only the north-west survives intact. These three-storey towers had strong splayed bases, with arrow slits below the crenellated parapet. A
portcullis
A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.
...
was added to the main gate.
Wars of independence and the rise of the Stewarts
During the
Wars of Scottish Independence, Rothesay was held by the English, but was taken by
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (), was King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329. Robert led Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against Kingdom of Eng ...
in 1311. It then returned to English hands in 1334, before being taken again by the Scots. Following the accession of the Stewarts to the
throne of Scotland in 1371, the castle became a favourite residence of kings
Robert II and
Robert III, who died here in 1406. Robert II granted the hereditary keepership of the castle to his son John, ancestor of the
Earls and Marquesses of Bute. Robert III made his eldest son
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
Duke of Rothesay in 1401, beginning a tradition of honouring the heir to the throne of Scotland with this title. In 1462 the castle survived a siege by the forces of
John of Islay,
Earl of Ross and the last
Lord of the Isles
Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles
( or ; ) is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was ...
.
16th and 17th centuries
In the early 16th century Rothesay Castle was strengthened again. Construction of a gatehouse keep, extending from the north of the curtain wall, began around the turn of the century, to provide more modern accommodation for
James IV. The curtain wall itself was raised up to ten metres in height, the works continuing into the reign of
James V
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was List of Scottish monarchs, King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV a ...
. In 1527 the castle withstood another siege by the
Master of Ruthven, which destroyed much of the
burgh
A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...
of Rothesay. In 1544, the castle fell to the
Earl of Lennox, acting for the English during the so-called "
Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...
".
The forework is an L-plan structure, which jutted into the moat and was accessed by a drawbridge. The lower floor comprised a vaulted entrance tunnel running into the older castle courtyard. Above, the four-storey tower contained royal lodgings, and still bears the royal coat of arms above the door. Also in the early 16th century, a chapel was constructed inside the old castle. Simple in form, the chapel measured around by , and is now the only surviving structure within the curtain wall.
The north-west tower was converted into a
doocot, and is known as the "Pigeon Tower", due to the nest boxes built into the outside wall.
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox
Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient Provinces of France, province of Berry, France, Berry, France, was a Catholic French nob ...
, a favourite of
James VI was compelled by the
Ruthven Regime to leave Scotland. He went first to
Dumbarton Castle, then stayed at Rothesay Castle in October 1582.
Rothesay was garrisoned for the occupying forces of
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
, who invaded Scotland with his
New Model Army
The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...
in the early 1650s. On their departure in 1660, the troops partially dismantled the structure. What was left was burned by the supporters of
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll during his rising of 1685, in support of the
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion in June 1685 was an attempt to depose James II of England, James II, who in February had succeeded his brother Charles II of England, Charles II as king of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and ...
against
James VII.
Repair and restoration

Following a long period of neglect, the
2nd Marquess of Bute employed 70 men to excavate the ruins, clearing large amounts of rubbish from the castle in 1816–17. But it was not until the 1871 that work resumed and the ruins were stabilised. The
3rd Marquess, a keen restorer of historic buildings, embarked upon a series of repairs and restorations, following surveys and advice from his regular architect
William Burges. His "restorations" continued until 1900, and include the clearing and shaping of the moat, as well as the red sandstone additions to the forework, which reinstated the hall roof while significantly altering the character of the building.
In 1961 Rothesay Castle was given to the state, and is now a
Scheduled Ancient Monument, in the care of
Historic Environment Scotland.
[ ]
The castle is open to visitors year round. Fine views can be seen from the top of the walls over the town and back towards the mainland.
Notes
References
*Coventry, Martin ''The Castles of Scotland (3rd Edition)'', Goblinshead, 2001
*Lindsay, Maurice ''The Castles of Scotland'', Constable & Co. 1986
*Tabraham, Chris ''Scotland's Castles'', BT Batsford/Historic Scotland, 1997
*Walker, Frank Arneil ''The Buildings of Scotland: Argyll and Bute'', Penguin, 2000
*
National Monuments Record of Scotland Site Reference NS06SE
Other sources
*
External links
{{commons
Historic Environment Scotland - Rothesay Castle
Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century
Ruined castles in Argyll and Bute
Historic Environment Scotland properties in Argyll and Bute
Rothesay, Bute
Scheduled monuments in Argyll and Bute
Clan Stewart
Royal residences in Scotland