Fa’side Castle
Fa’side Castle, sometimes known as Fawside, Falside, Ffauside, Fauxside, or Fawsyde, is a 14th century Keep located in East Lothian, approximately 2 miles southwest of Tranent, and two miles southeast of Musselburgh. The map reference is NT378710.
History
The name dates from 1189, when the monks of Newbattle Abbey granted land to Saer de Quincy, 1st Earl of Winchester to build the castle on the site. It was in the possession of Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby, the son in law of Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester, on behalf of his wife, when it was besieged by Sir William Douglas in 1288. The land was lost to Robert the Bruce after the De Quincy family declared their loyalty to Edward I of England. Bruce granted the castle to the Seton family. Later, it was home of the Fawsides of that ilk.
The castle was burned by the English before the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, suffocating or burning all those inside. Mary, Queen of Scots left Fa'side on the morning of 15 June 1567 for the Battle of Carberry Hill. She left behind a chest of clothes.[1] It was rebuilt in the late 16th Century and sold in 1631 to an Edinbugh burgess and merchant called Hamilton. By the 19th Century, it had fallen into ruin, and was close to being demolished altogether in the 1970s. However, the castle was saved and underwent restoration by Thomas Moodie Craig. Nigel Tranter set up the Fa'side Restoration Society in 1970 through the St. Andrews Society of East Lothian, and introduced Tom Craig to the castle in 1975. After investigation it was discovered that the original name of the castle was Fawside Castle and this remains its name today. The restoration work began in 1976 was completed by 1982. The castle is now privately owned. The Fa'side Estate includes a stud farm and a Bed & Breakfast business.
Description
Fa'side is an L-plan building, being a fifteenth century four-storey keep with a later turretted block added. There is a vaulted basement.
The castle is on a high ridge with extensive views over East Lothian, and the Firth of Forth.
Bibliography
- 'The Castles of Scotland', Martin Covenry, Goblinshead, 2001.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cameron, Annie I., Warrender Papers, SHS (1931), 50, inventory of the chest: Calderwood, vol. 2, 363.