Culross, Scotland

The historic town of Culross lies on the northern shore of the Forth, around 20 miles from Edinburgh. The small, white, lime harled houses, line the cobblestone road. The name harled comes from the render, which is literally hurled at the walls so that it sticks, leaving a rough texture. This covering offers a layer of protection to the rubble stonewalls. The town at first glance appears unaltered since the 17th century, and that is exactly what makes it special.

Culross still retains its medieval town plan and is roughly the same size it was in the 15th and 16th Centuries. It was originally walled, with two main gateways, the east port and west port. The town ran from the harbour to the Abbey. The burgesses (members of the town council) were responsible for the upkeep of the town. An Act of Parliament in 1594 required that the Provost of each town should conduct a survey of every house and:

‘if the same were found to auld, decayed, and ruinous in roof, slattis, durris, windois, flurings, loftis… the conjunct feuar sall repair the saidis landis within a year and a day next.’

This would indicate that by this time, approaching the 17th Century that many of the old medieval buildings had become very run down and neglected in many towns.

In 1322, King Robert the Bruce camped at Culross, from here he watched the ships of Edward II sail up the Forth.

Over the years Culross grew and in 1490, King James IV granted the town a Burgh of Barony. The Burgh Charter granted Culross the right to hold a weekly market, and an eight-day annual fair, from St. Matthew’s day, every year.

One of Culross’s most prominent citizens was Sir George Bruce, a descendent of Robert the Bruce. He was born in 1548, on Blairhall Estate just north of Culross. A charter of 1575 gives George the right to mine coal on the Abbey’s lands. There was now a demand for coal both in Scotland and abroad. In Britain, coal was used in the glass blowing industry and in Holland, it was used in the brewing industry. In the late 16th and through the 17th Centuries, Culross harbour was full of sailors and merchants from Scandinavia and the Low Countries.

Salt panning was another industry in Culross. The seawater would run into large shallow iron pans, and be evaporated by fires of inferior quality coal. This gave off a thick smoke, which was commented on by travellers. In 1633, Culross had fifty saltpans in operation.  

In the late 16th Century, surface coal in the area was running out and the old bell pits were being abandoned. Sir George Bruce was instrumental in devising a way to reach the coal that was under the surface. This in turn, helped to make him a very wealthy man.

Sir George Bruce applied to King James VI for a Charter to make Culross a Royal Burgh, as only Royal Burghs (towns) were allowed to trade abroad. King James agreed and George advanced the town the £1,000 to buy the Charter, and the town council later repaid him.

Sir George Bruce married Margaret Primrose, and their initials appear on the home they built in Culross, nicknamed the Palace by the locals due to its size. It is still known as this today, although it was never a palace in the true sense. The building dates from 1597 and was extended by George Bruce in 1611.

The Palace, built by Sir George Bruce, is an exceptional example of a Scottish 17th Century nobleman’s house. It reflects the rise in status, and growing fortune of its owner. The earliest building is the central wing of the west range, which was begun in 1597.

In 1611, George Bruce added a three-story block on the north side of the courtyard, which housed mainly domestic offices and the stables. Two of the apartments on the upper floors were decorated with elaborate paintings on the walls and ceilings.

The Town House (Town Hall) in Culross faces the estuary and dates from 1626, although the tower and front of the building were added in 1723. The double forestair gives access to the upper floor.

The vaulted ground floor of the Town House contained the ‘iron house,’ or prison. The Town Council chamber and courtroom were on the first floor, with the debtors room opposite. Part of the ground floor was also used as a tollbooth.

The Mercat Cross (market cross) has its original base that was built in 1588, however the rest was erected in 1902, as a gift from Sir James Sievewright to commemorate the Coronation of King Edward VII. The town cross was often a place where markets were held, proclamations made and people punished, sometimes even executed. By the 12th Century, it had also become a place where you would make vows, swear fealty and strike bargains.  After the reformation in Scotland, religious market crosses with religious imagery were replaced by secular versions, featuring a stone shaft with a heraldic beast on top.  Mercat Crosses in Royal burghs (towns), are graced with a unicorn because the unicorn forms part of the Royal Arms of Scotland.

The pathway known as the The Haggs Wing, or Stinking Wynds, leads uphill. Like other cobbled ways, its centre is several inches higher than its edges, with larger flat stones in the centre. This was the ‘crown o’ the ‘causie (causeway) where the local worthies walked, while the poorer folk gave way in the gutters.

Culross was also famous for making girdles (today we would call them griddles), and claimed a monopoly on the craft from ancient times. This was recognised and re-established in 1599 by James VI, (James I of England) The girdle was used for making scones, bannocks and oatcakes which appeared daily on the dining tables of most Scottish households. The craftsmen who made the girdles used iron from Fife and the Lothians and jealously guarded the secrets of their skills. There is a basic difference between a Griddle and a Girdle- while they both cook in the same basic way; a griddle is usually placed on the heat source, while a girdle is suspended above the heat source on chains.

The most famous visitor to Culross was King James VI of Scotland (James I of England), who in 1617 visited Scotland after the Union of the Crowns, and was Sir George Bruce’s guest at the Palace.

By the middle of the 18th Century, Culross was in decline, most of its industries were dying out and its population concentrated more on fishing and farming to earn a living. By the end of the century, the lands in Culross had passed to the Earls of Dundonald who came to live in the Abbey House.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Culross was a neglected little town, with dilapidated buildings. In more prosperous towns, old buildings had been pulled down, roads were widened and new modern structures erected. Thankfully however, some people were also beginning to appreciate the value of these old places, and were more concerned with their preservation.  Shortly after the Nation Trust for Scotland was formed, it purchased The Palace in 1932, and began its restoration.

It is due to the work of the National Trust for Scotland that Culross exists in its unaltered state today. By 1940, the Trust owned over 20 properties in Culross, and after the war their restoration and rehabilitation work continued in the town.

It is because of the unique survival of Culross as a 17th Century town, that it has often been used as a film set. Culross and the Palace recently appeared in the hit series Outlander. This brought many new visitors to the town and continues to do so.