Balgonie Castle
Balgonie Castle is a ruined castle on the south bank of the Leven near Milton of Balgonie , 3.5 km east of Glenrothes in the Scottish county of Fife . The donjon dates from the 14th century and the other parts of the building were gradually added until the 18th century. The keep was recently restored, but the other parts of the castle are roofless ruins. Balgonie Castle is a Scheduled Monument .
history
The lands of Balgonie had been in the hands of the Sibbald family since 1246 at the latest . Presumably in the 1360s, the Sibbalds had an enclosure or a fortified courtyard built with a residential tower in the northwest corner . The lands and the castle went to a daughter of the family, who married Sir Robert Lundie . He had the castle expanded in 1496 after his appointment as Lord Treasurer of Scotland . He had a two-storey building line erected east of the donjon, adding a long knight's hall and a solar (private dining room for the family) to the living rooms. A former corner tower and the chapel from the 14th century have also been integrated into this building line . King James IV visited Balgonie Castle on August 20, 1496 and presented the builders with 18 shillings.
1627 the castle was sold to the Boswells sold them in 1635 to Sir Alexander Leslie resell, a Scottish soldier who in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) for the Swedish fought army to the rank of Field Marshal rose and the Covenanters in the Scottish Episcopal wars led . Leslie was named Lord Balgonie and Earl of Leven in 1641 and retired into private life in 1654. He had further improvements made to his home, a two-story building in the southeast corner of the courtyard.
The initials "FSAL" and "DAR" (for F ield Marshal S ir A lexander L Eslie and his wife, D ame A gnes R Enton) were found engraved in the southeastern block, which suggests the conclusion that this prior to the survey Leslie was established as a nobleman. He also had the northern building line rebuilt one floor higher and a park created around the castle, remains of which are still preserved.
The next changes were made by John Leslie, 7th Earl of Rothes , who quarreled with David Melville over the Earldom of Leven after the death of the 2nd Earl in 1664. Lord Rothes commissioned John Mylne Jr. , the king's builder, to build a staircase that connected the donjon and the northern flight of the building, where a wooden bridge originally stood. After his death in 1681, David Melville inherited Balgonie Castle along with the Earldom of Leven. In 1706 he had two more building lines added, this time a three-story connection between the northern building line and the southeastern block. The work was completed by master builder Gilbert Smith .
Rob Roy MacGregor took Balgonie Castle after a raid in 1716, although the castle was soon returned to the Melvilles. David Melville, 6th Earl of Leven , had minor modifications carried out in the 1720s, e.g. B. the installation of sliding windows. Other buildings were also added in the courtyard.
In 1824 the castle was sold to James Balfour of Whittingehame . This was the father of James Maitland Balfour and the grandfather of Arthur Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour , who was British Prime Minister 1902-1905. It could not stop the ongoing decline and in the middle of the 19th century the roofs were removed so that no tax had to be paid on the property. In the 1960s the castle was a victim of vandalism and it was not until 1971 that restoration of the castle, which then belonged to David Maxwell , began. The work continued in the 1970s and 1980s with European support as part of the European Year of Architectural Monument 1975 . The donjon and chapel have since been completely restored and the current owner, Raymund Morris from Walsall and his family, are living in the castle again. The castle ruins are open to the public; the restored chapel and the knight's hall can be used for events such as B. Weddings, can be rented. The current owners have announced that they want to continue the restoration of the entire castle.
architecture
You can still enter the castle through the 15th century gatehouse . This is half-ruined, but the guard room and prison inside can be toured. The gate opens into an inner courtyard in which there is a fountain around which the other buildings are arranged.
The ground floor and first floor of the donjon are equipped with vaulted ceilings; The knight's hall is located on the first floor and , unusually, does not have an open fireplace. Originally, the hall was accessible via a sliding wooden staircase before today's stone staircase was attached. There are two more floors above the knight's hall, each with an open fireplace and accessible via a staircase. The donjon has a hipped roof and stepped gable . The parapet walk and the rain drains date from the 17th century, as do the enlarged windows. Some of the original windows with the three-pass skylights are still preserved.
The chapel with a vaulted ceiling is on the ground floor of the northern building line ; the rest of this building line and the entire eastern building line no longer have roofs. Only the walls and chimneys are left. Remains of earlier buildings in the courtyard were discovered during excavations in 1978. It appears that these buildings were demolished in the early 17th century to allow further construction.
Below the walls of the castle, the extensive walls of the deer park are preserved, albeit partially damaged. Large trees have been preserved from the 17th century landscape garden.
Ghosts
Several ghost apparitions in the castle have been reported. A bogeyman named Green Jeanie is said to be the ghost of one of the Lundies' tenants. A 17th century soldier, a dog, and a man in a hat are also believed to have been seen. A skeleton was found in the floor of the great hall during construction in 1912.
Individual evidence
- ^ Accounts Lord High Treasurer of Scotland . Volume 1. 1877, p. 290.
- ↑ NMRS Archeology Notes ( Memento of the original from March 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland . 3. Edition. Goblinshead, 2001.
- ^ Moat haunted - News - Scotsman.com . heritage.scotsman.com. September 29, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ↑ Beware the witching hour - Local Headlines . Fife Today. October 30, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ↑ Scotland's specters: Haunted castles, part 1 - Heritage . Scotsman.com. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
swell
- Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland . 3. Edition. Goblin head. 2001.
- John Gifford: The Buildings of Scotland: Fife . Penguin, 1988.
- Maurice Lindsay: The Castles of Scotland . Constable & Co., 1986.
- GL Pride: The Kingdom of Fife: An Illustrated Architectural Guide . Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland |, 1990.
- Listed Building Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
Web links
- Site of Balgonie Castle
- James Fittler: Etching from Balgonie Castle. Scotia Depicta.
- Scheduled Monument - entry . In: Historic Scotland .
Coordinates: 56 ° 11 ′ 37.7 " N , 3 ° 6 ′ 33.1" W.