Renfrew Castle

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Renfrew Castle
Alternative name (s): Inch Castle
Creation time : 12th Century
Castle type : Niederungsburg
Conservation status: Burgstall
Standing position : Scottish royalty
Place: Renfrew
Geographical location 55 ° 52 '48 "  N , 4 ° 23' 9.6"  W Coordinates: 55 ° 52 '48 "  N , 4 ° 23' 9.6"  W.
Height: m ASLTemplate: height / unknown reference
Renfrew Castle (Scotland)
Renfrew Castle

Renfrew Castle is an abandoned lowland castle in Royal Burgh Renfrew in the Scottish county of Renfrewshire . The castle was at the mouth of the White Cart Water in the Clyde . Walter Fitz Alan had a castle built on a former river island called King's Inch in the 12th century . It was replaced in the 13th century by another castle on the road to the ferry across the Clyde, which became a royal castle under King Robert II . In the 15th century Sir John Ross had Inch Castle built on the site of King's Inch in the ruins of the old castle . Both castles were demolished in the 18th century and nothing is left of them above ground.

history

12th century castle

King's Inch was formerly an island in the River Clyde and was part of the lands Walter fitz Alan (1106–1177) was awarded by King David I in the mid-12th century when he was also appointed hereditary High Steward of Scotland . The castle was made of wood and had stone foundations; she was probably a moth . The strategic task of the castle was to prevent the Lordship of Somerled from expanding eastward in Argyll and the islands.

Renfrew Castle

In the 13th century the Stewart family , descendants of Walter Fitz Alan, built a new residence on the north end of the old Renfrew High Street . This castle is attributed to James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland († 1309).

In the Scottish Wars of Independence it was taken by the English and King Edward I of England loaned Renfrew to Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln in 1301 . In 1310 King Edward II of England ordered the castle and Royal Burgh to be sacked after spending a night in the castle. Renfrew was then awarded to his supporter David Strathbogie by Edward Balliol in 1332 . The Stewart later retook Renfrew Castle with the help of Sir Colin Campbell of Lochow .

Robert Stewart, 7th High Steward of Scotland , is said to have been born at Renfrew Castle. When he was appointed king in 1371, the castle became a royal residence. Several monarchs visited the castle, including James IV , who stayed there when he visited Paisley Abbey .

In the 18th century the castle was demolished and the building blocks were used to build a soap factory. This was then replaced by Castlehill House , which in turn was demolished. Today the area is a playground that is surrounded by modern buildings. The property is now called Castlehill Gardens and there is a low mound there , but excavations in 1997 did not reveal any evidence of the existence of a castle, with the exception of pottery shards dated 12-14th centuries. Century to be dated.

Inch Castle

At the end of the 15th century, King's Inch was loaned to Sir John Ross , who had a new castle built in the ruins by Walter Fitz Alans Motte. This Inch Castle was inhabited by the Ross family until 1732 and in 1760 it was sold to Andrew Spiers of Elderslie . Spiers, in turn, had the castle demolished in 1777 and Elderslie House built, which was then demolished in 1924. Elderslie House had four stories and was crowned by stepped gables . In the middle there was a stair tower that was attached to the first floor.

King's Inch is no longer an island, but forms the south bank of the Clyde, and Braehead Power Station was built on the site in the 20th century . This power station has also been demolished and the exact location of Inch Castle is no longer known. It was somewhere in what is now the Braehead Business Park. Investigations in 2005 found the foundations of Elderslie House as well as remains that could have been from the 15th century castle.

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Entry on King's Inch  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
  2. a b c Renfrew History . Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  3. a b c Entry on Castlehill Gardens  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
  4. ^ Martin Coventry: The Castles of Scotland . Goblinshead, Musselburgh 2001. ISBN 1-899874-26-7 . P. 209.