Bothwell Castle
Bothwell Castle is one of medieval Scotland’s outstanding monuments.
Walter of Moray’s aristocratic family acquired the land on which Bothwell Castle stands in 1242. Either he or his son William – known as ‘the Rich’ – began the mighty castle in a spectacular display of power.
Bothwell suffered several sieges during the Wars of Independence. Most significant was Edward I’s great siege of 1301.
After the wars, Bothwell passed to another powerful noble family – the Black Douglases. They added an impressive array of fine quality architecture in their own show of power.
The Crown seized the castle after the Black Douglases’ downfall in 1455. Bothwell’s history ever since has been relatively uneventful.
The Morays built a vast castle of enclosure covering 1.5 acres (0.75 hectares). Most striking is the donjon (main residential tower) – one of the greatest stone buildings of medieval Scotland.
The donjon was 20m in diameter and stood more than 30m tall. Partially destroyed in 1337, it was later rebuilt and remains hugely impressive.
