A fortress has been on the site since at least the fifth century, when Gaelic invaders from Antrim expanded their kingdom of Dál Riata.
By the tenth century Norse influence had grown, and Arran formed part of Sudreys or Súðreyjar, administered either from Dublin or Orkney (Nordreys or Norðreyjar) and nominally under the control of the King of Norway. This can be deduced by the number of Scandinavian place-names on the island including Brodick, or Breiðvík (Broad Bay, also spelt variously Brethwic, Brathwik, Brethwik, Brathwic, Bradewik, and Braizay).[3] The site is thought to have been a centre of relative importance, on account of its strategic position on the Firth of Clyde.
By the mid-thirteenth century Arran was part of the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles ruled by two Gall Gaidheal kings, Magnus of Mann and Dougal of the Isles, sub-rulers of Hákon Hákonarson, King of Norway. Alexander III of Scotland had inherited his father's desire to control the islands in order to stabilise his kingdom, and made numerous unsuccessful advances to that effect. In 1262 the Earl of Ross sacked and pillaged Skye with the king's blessing. King Hákon determined to avenge this slight and set out in July 1263, with a large fighting fleet (leiðangr) for Scotland.
After linking up with the fleets of Magnus and Dougal, and showing his might throughout the Hebrides, Hákon's force anchored in Lamlash Bay[4] on Arran, where they were approached by envoys from the Scots King. The Scots envoys were unsuccessful, and battle was engaged at Largs, a short distance across the firth.
Although no rout, the Scots were victorious, and Hákon's forces retreated to Arran, and thence to Orkney to over-winter, where Hákon died. The ensuing Treaty of Perth in 1266 ceded the Sudreys to the Kingdom of Scotland.
Interregnum and Wars of Independence
When both Alexander III and his heir, Margaret, Maid of Norway died, the Kingdom of Scotland was thrown into turmoil. In 1291, Edward I of England, was called on to choose the most suitable successor. John de Balliol was chosen and was forced to admit Edward as his suzerain. John defied Edward in 1295, and did not answer his request for assistance in his war in France. Edward invaded Scotland the following year and forced John to abdicate. At some point around this time an English garrison was stationed at Brodick.[5][6] During Robert the Bruces's time in hiding, following his escape from the English after his coronation and defeat at the Battle of Methven, he is said to have had his legendary encounter with a spider on Arran.
On the behest of Robert the Bruce, James Douglas, Lord of Douglas, early in the winter of 1306/07 previous to their attack on Carrick, attacked forces supplying Brodick castle giving a first minor victory and gaining their forces much needed supplies.
Acting with Sir Robert Boyd of Kilmarnock, Douglas was able in January 1307 to dislodge the English from Brodick, one of the first castles to fall to Bruce's forces in his struggle to regain his country.[7]
Late Middle Ages
The arms of the Chief of Hamilton, showing the Lymphad of the Isles
The castle had been rebuilt by the Earl by 1510 in the form of a tower house, but suffered at the hands of the Campbells and the MacLeans. During the "Rough Wooing" of Mary, Queen of Scots, Brodick castle was attacked by an English force led by the Earl of Lennox on behalf of Henry VIII, in revenge for the actions of the 2nd Earl. Lord Arran was the Regent of Scotland whilst Mary was in her infancy, and was second in line to the Scots throne. In 1543, he had been heavily involved in arranging the marriage of Mary to the Dauphin of France, prior to this she had been promised to Edward, Prince of Wales. Arran was rewarded for his efforts, however, and was created Duke of Châtellerault in the Peerage of France. During Regent Arran's tenure at Brodick he continued to enlarge and expand the castle.
In the summer of 1550 Andrew Hamilton and Dean John Slater worked on the building.[9] In March 1552 live partridges and hares were sent to Brodick for the Regent's table and a special boring tool called a "wombill" was bought to make holes at the rabbit warren. In June a carpenter Peter Moffett made new doors. Some timber spars for the new building were supplied by the Laird of Luss on Loch Lomond.[10]
In May 1579 the Earl of Argyll took Brodick for James VI and Ninian Stewart was installed as keeper for the crown.[11] In 1602 Paul Hamilton, captain of Brodick for Marquess of Hamilton, with his companions all armed with pistols attacked a farmer Marrarat MacMillan at North Sannox and took his horse and cattle, and wool and plaids and imprisoned Duncan MacElloway at Brodick.[12]
Duchess Anne returned to her estates in Lanarkshire and West Lothian and in 1656 married William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk. Anne did not return to Brodick, however her husband the newly created Duke of Hamilton for life, used the castle as a base for hunting excursions.
In the following years Brodick was used mainly as an occasional sporting estate. In the nineteenth century, it became residence for the eldest son of the 10th Duke, styled the Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale.
The Castle and gardens were acquired by the National Trust for Scotland from the Lady Jean Fforde in 1958,[13] in lieu of death duties upon the death of her mother, the Dowager Duchess of Montrose. The 2017 obituary in The Times of London of Lady Jean (who, among other things, had worked at Bletchley Park, the principal centre of Allied code-breaking during the Second World War) quotes her as saying that the loss "of the castle and all its contents . . . was like losing my whole life."[14]
The castle is open to the public during the summer, with Brodick Country Park open all year round. The site welcomed 68,423 visitors during 2019.[15]
^"Obituary: Lady Jean Fforde: Controversial countess who found code-cracking at Bletchley Park boring and sold the Earldom of Arran to pay for central heating." The Times. 16 October 2017.
