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Tantallon Castle - Auldhame, East Lothian (HS)

Like Hermitage Castle in Liddesdale near the English border, Tantallon was a Douglas stronghold built mainly in the mid fourteenth century. William Douglas inherited the land here, including the barony of North Berwick, from his uncle, but he encountered strong resistance to his inheritance from his godfather, also William Douglas. He wrested control only after meeting with his godfather in the forest of Ettrick and murdering him. As the now undisputed head of the Douglas family, he was made first Earl of Douglas in 1358 and his confirmed status and wealth very probably led to his castle building here and elsewhere.

William's son and heir, James, was killed at the battle of Otterburn only four years after succeeding his father and the estates passed to William's illegitimate son George, Earl of Angus and lord of Tantallon. The earldom reverted to the 'Black' Douglases, descendants of the first Earl's uncle and the Tantallon 'Red' Douglases entered into a long-running family feud.

Tantallon, now an imposing red wall of stone towards land and protected by the sea on three sides, became the mighty power-base for the Red Douglases. It was huge in scale and built for both defense and comfort with plenty of accommodation. George's son William, the second Earl of Angus was responsible for imprisoning both the widowed Duchess of Albany and Alexander, Lord of the Isles in the early fifteenth century. As high status prisoners, it is very unlikely that they were placed in the pit-prison at the base of the Douglas Tower. There is a third floor room in the East Tower with a barred window which seems a more likely place for high-ranking prisoners.

George's son James carried on the vendetta against the Black Douglases and was succeeded by his brother George, who had a like-minded disposition. In 1455, he overcame the family rivals and took over the lordship of the Douglases. In 1460, he was injured during the siege of Roxburgh Castle by the same exploding cannon that killed the king, James II. At Kelso abbey, now a forlorn fragment, it was George who placed the crown on the youthful James III's head.

Royal favour was not a constant however and George's son Archibald entered into a treasonable pact with Henry VII of England against James IV. He was ordered to confine himself to Tantallon and in 1491, the castle came under royal siege by land and sea. By Christmas, amicable relations had been restored and Archibald died peaceably in 1513, the same year in which his two sons were killed at Flodden.

In 1514, Archibald's grandson and heir, also Archibald, married the widowed Queen Margaret, mother of the young James V. An agreement had been made for each of the leading nobles in Scotland to care for the young monarch, but Archibald, the sixth Earl, refused to give him up and he was kept closely at Edinburgh Castle for two and a half years by Douglas. The king's mother, by now understandably estranged from Archibald joined her son at Stirling Castle when he escaped from Edinburgh and Douglas withdrew to his stronghold at Tantallon, making defensive improvements in preparation for the siege of 1528. The young king, now seventeen, charged Douglas with treason and brought considerable artillery to the siege of Tantallon. This last instance of a nobleman's serious challenge to the Scottish kingship resulted in a twenty day bombardment and blockade, but Tantallon's strong walls and earthwork defenses stood firm. Negotiation was the way forward and the king withdrew. The sixth Earl was exiled to England and Tantallon was delivered into royal hands for the first time. James set about improving the defenses even further and the Fore Tower was built as a barbican to the castle entrance. James' use of greenish stone contrasts with the red sandstone of the earlier parts of the castle. The decorative contrasting bands of stonework can still be seen on the Fore Tower, which although now without much of its dressed stonework, still provides a splendid entrance through the high blank curtain walls.

When Archibald returned from exile in 1543, he continued his support for the English, housing the Ambassador Sir Ralph Sadler, whose account provides a picture of strength if not of comfort and plenty. When the Earl of Hertford's army made its devastating raid into Scotland, Sadler left Tantallon for Berwick. The Douglas allegiance finally came back to the Scottish cause around 1545, possibly as a result of the desecration of the Douglas family tombs at Melrose Abbey by the English. He even led the Scots to victory at Ancrum Moor and in 1548, fired on English ships off Tantallon, who were engaged against the French. He died at Tantallon in 1556.

The Crown took control over Tantallon again in the minority of Archibald's grandson, also Archibald. An inventory of artillery kept at the castle was undertaken by the laird of Craigmillar Castle, near Edinburgh and very impressive it was too. The largest guns were mounted on the main towers, the East Tower, the Fore Tower and the Douglas Tower, with the smaller pieces ranged around the Close, or inner courtyard and above the drawbridge. Other weapons, such as pikes and halberds, were kept in readiness near the gate and in the Mid Tower. The young Earl of Angus' uncle, James Douglas, took charge of Tantallon in 1565, keeping it in readiness for royal visits and Queen Mary did visit Tantallon in 1566.

After the Earl reached his majority, he. like his ancestors before him, got into trouble with the Scottish Crown and was under suspicion for further fortifying Tantallon against the throne. He died aged 34 in 1588 and his successors had little to do with Tantallon thereafter.

In 1650, raids against the invading English army under Cromwell were being led from the still strong Tantallon's walls. So effective were these raids that the castle came under siege again. Despite the Scots best efforts, Cromwell's two to three thousand troops under General Monk bombarded the castle into submission. Much of the damage we see today dates from this time, with the rough elements continuing the process. Already out of date in terms of luxury and remoteness, Tantallon's status declined rapidly after the siege. The Earls resided at the more comfortable Bothwell and Douglas castles and it eventually came into state care in 1924.

Today Tantallon remains imposing in location and height. The earthworks in front of the castle including the sixteenth century Ravelin, or outer gun emplacement, are still clearly discernable. From the top of the Towers, the surrounding countryside can be seen, with the sea and many sea-birds behind you. Although pretty deserted and peaceful   the day of our visit (just the way we like it), Tantallon retains a sense of power, uncompromising strength and independence - the Douglas' tradition in fact.  

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