Craigmillar Castle:- the Intrepids paid a visit there on 18th September 2011 when the weather was mixed, being sunshine, windy and showers - in other words typical good old Scottish weather. The walk up from the car park gives a nice view of Salisbury Crags and Edinburgh. A more spectacular view awaited us once we were in the castle proper. My modern head could not see the sense of having a country retreat 30 mins from Edinburgh, then my historic head gave me a clout over the back of my modern head and said “Think 1 horse power or shanks pony (walking)”. Then I realised it would take 4 or 5 hours to walk across country to get to the castle. 
So how did a castle get here? It was built in the late 14th/early 15th century on land given by David 1 to the monks of Dunfermline in 1140. Simon de Preston, who had served as the Sheriff of Edinburgh between 1366 and 1369, obtained the land from William de Capella on 1374 and held the land as a hereditary fief for providing the sovereign the service of an archer, whenever required, to serve in the army. The castle was to remain in the Preston family until 1660. From Historic Scotland Site: 
“Craigmillar is one of Scotland’s most perfectly preserved castles. It began as a simple tower-house residence. Gradually, over time, it developed into a complex of structures and spaces, as subsequent owners attempted to improve its comfort and amenity. As a result, there are many nooks and crannies to explore. Of equal importance were the surrounding gardens and parkland, and the present-day Craigmillar Castle Park has fascinating reminders of the castle’s days as a rural retreat on the edge of Scotland’s capital city.
At the core lies the original, late-14th-century tower house, among the first of this new form of castle built in Scotland. It stands 17m high to the battlements, has walls almost 3m thick, and holds a warren of rooms, including a fine great hall on the first floor, and the so-called ‘Queen Mary’s Room’ beside it, where Mary is said to have slept when staying there as a guest of the Prestons. In all probability, Mary resided in a multi-roomed apartment elsewhere in the courtyard, probably in the east range.
Also here is a labyrinth of dark spaces, including a grim basement prison where an upright skeleton was found walled up in the early 19th century. The west range was rebuilt as the Gilmour family’s residence after 1660. Beyond the well-preserved 15th-century courtyard wall, complete with gunholes shaped like inverted keyholes, lie other buildings, including a private family chapel.”
Wikipedia has this to say: “Craigmillar Castle is a ruined medieval castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of the city centre, on a low hill to the south of the modern suburb of Craigmillar. It was begun in the late 14th century by the Preston family, feudal barons of Craigmillar, and extended through the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1660 the castle was sold to Sir John Gilmour, Lord President of the Court of Session, who made further alterations. The Gilmours left Craigmillar in the 18th century, and the castle fell into ruin. 
It is now in the care of Historic Scotland. Craigmillar Castle is best known for its association with Mary, Queen of Scots. Following an illness after the birth of her son, the future James I of England, Mary arrived at Craigmillar on 20 November 1566 to convalesce. Before she left on 7 December 1566, a pact known as the “Craigmillar Bond” was made, with or without her knowledge, to dispose of her husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.“ 
This event eventually led to the downfall of a Queen, thence to further conflict between Crown and Church, leading to the Three Kingdom War, Oliver Cromwell and eventually to a sodden moor outside Inverness where on the 16th April 1746 the Stuart Dynasty was finally ended and the suppression of highland culture began. 
However, Craigmillar was involved in earlier Stuart politics. In 1479, John Stewart, Earl of Mar, brother of King James III, was held prisoner at Craigmillar accused of practising witchcraft against the King. He was taken from Craigmillar Castle by Sir Simon Preston to a house in the Cannon Gate and there John Stewart was murdered by having his throat cut whilst having a bath. Sibling rivalry was taken very seriously in James III’s time, yet it was not a brother he should have worried about but a son, James IV.
All imaged (C) WH-Photography and taken by Walter Hampson using Nikon D300s. All comments and feedback welcome. I hope you enjoyed this blog and following the links. Thank you for taking the time to visit and read. My thanks to Susan Wales, my fellow Intrepid for proof reading this page. All errors are mine, made by me :)
Links: Album of visit Historic Edinburgh Tours WH-Photography FB Page WH-Photography Web Site
