Bothwell Castle, Scotland

 King David I of Scotland granted the lands at Bothwell Castle, to David Olifard, who was the Justiciar of Lothian in the mid-12th Century. The last of the Olifard’s then married Walter of Moray, in 1242. Soon afterwards the castle was begun, on a bend of the River Clyde. The large circular keep was one of the first parts of the castle to be built, but before the castle could be completed to its plan, it was under siege.

Edward I of England laid siege to Bothwell Castle in August of 1301, during the Wars of Independence. Edward brought with him an army of 6,800 to the castle, along with a large siege tower, named The Belfry, which he dragged from Glasgow. This siege tower had ladders inside of it, to allow attackers to fight their way onto the castle walls, while still being protected by the tower. The castle garrison surrendered in less than a month.

Bothwell Castle became the headquarters of the Earl of Pembroke, who was Edward I’s appointed Warden of Scotland. After Robert the Bruce’s victory over the English, at Bannockburn in 1314, the castle provided shelter for English nobles. Sir Walter FitzGilbert, who was the castles constable, surrendered the castle to the approaching Scots army and the Scots slighted the castle, rendering it indefensible.

The castle was under siege by the Scots in 1337 and it was again slighted. The many sieges it suffered meant that the original design of the castle was never completed. Afterwards it remained empty, until its heiress, Joanna Moray of Bothwell, married Archibald Douglas in 1362. He was the third Earl of Douglas, also known as the Grim. They began the rebuilding of the castle, however the work was continued by their son, also named Archibald, who was the 4th Earl of Douglas. There are not many 13th Century castles that have survived in Scotland, and Bothwell may be the largest and best example, even if a lot of it does date from the 14th and 15th Centuries.