Rutherglen Castle

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray ordered the castle's destruction

Rutherglen Castle was located where Castle Street meets King Street in Rutherglen, Scotland.[1] It was a large and important castle, having been built in the 13th century; the walls were reportedly 5 feet thick.[2]

Plaque on a tenement built on the approximate location of the castle

The castle fell under the control of the English during the First War of Scottish Independence and was later besieged several times by Robert The Bruce. It was eventually retaken by his brother Edward Bruce and Sir James Douglas but was spared destruction, unlike so many of the other castles recaptured from the English. However, the castle was burned to the ground by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, in 1569,[1] in retribution against the Hamiltons of Shawfield for having supported Mary, Queen of Scots, at the Battle of Langside.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Glasgow, Rutherglen Castle". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  2. ^ The Statistical Account of Lanarkshire (page 374), Society for the Benefit of the Sons and Daughters of the Clergy (publisher W. Blackwood, 1841)
  3. ^ Local and family history: Rutherglen - history in the making, South Lanarkshire Council
  • Mason, Gordon. The Castles of Glasgow and the Clyde, Goblinshead, 2000

55°49′44″N 4°12′46″W / 55.82889°N 4.21276°W / 55.82889; -4.21276


Stub icon

This article about a Scottish castle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.