Imagine taking a walk on a sunny, summer morning through the countryside while hundreds of birds sing in the hedgerows and trees around you, bees buzz, butterflies flap, and dragonflies appear in a brief flash to just then disappear again in the magical way that dragonflies do. While you walk, the ruins of a castle tower appear in the distance and as you get closer you see it is on an island in the middle of a river. By the river there is a wooden jetty with a bell on it and when you ring the bell a boatman comes from over on the island to ferry you across. Ah, doesn’t that just sound like an ideal way to spend a summer morning? And yup, that’s just what I did today while taking a visit to Threave Castle just outside Castle Douglas.
Threave Castle is one of those imposing ruins, a symbol of the once powerful might of the Douglas family, who were at one time the Lords of Galloway and Earls of Douglas. Going by the name of the Black Douglases, they were a mighty and influential family in Scotland up until their downfall in 1455.
The castle was built in 1369 for Archibald Douglas when he was appointed the Lord of Galloway by King David II. Archibald appears to have been a rather unpleasant character who was also known as Archibald the Grim, a nickname that some say was given to him due to his sinister looks and the harsh and cruel way he treated the people of Galloway, while others say it was because of his ‘countenance in warfare against the English.’ It could have been both, given that he ruled the lands he held with an iron fist and also seemed to enjoy battling with the armies of England. Rising to become one of the most powerful men in Scotland, Archibald died an old man at Threave Castle in 1400.
After Archibald’s death, Threave Castle remained with the Black Douglases, and over time their hold on so much power led to some jealousies and plots against them. One of these being from a member of their own extended family. Things all kicked off when in 1437 King James I died and Archibald Douglas, the grandson of ‘The Grim’ was appointed the Lieutenant General of Scotland. He was in effect the Regent as the new king, James II, was only six years old. Unfortunately for Archibald, his role in the affairs of state didn’t last long as he died of a fever in 1439. This left his son, William, who was around fourteen or fifteen at the time as his heir. Various factions in the aristocracy realised that there was now a chance to step in and seize control, one of these being William’s great uncle, James Douglas, Earl of Avondale. He, along with several powerful allies, including the Chancellor William Crichton, decided to break up and end the power of the family of the late Archibald Douglas. They engineered an invite for William and his younger brother David to come and dine with the young King James at Edinburgh Castle. There, while the boys were eating and chatting with the young King, Crichton and his men burst in, with Crichton placing a bull’s head on the table as a symbol for the execution of traitors. He and his men then seized William and David, dragging them off to a show trial before having them beheaded on Castle Hill. James Douglas then inherited his nephew’s wealth and titles to become the most powerful man in Scotland. Enjoying his riches, James dined on the best foods and drank the finest wines. So much so, that he became quite fat and earned the nickname ‘James the Gross’.
When James died, Threave Castle passed down to his son William. William, much like his father, enjoyed committing a bit of murder. He, also like his father, wanted more land, more power, more everything. So, firstly he improved the defences at the castle by fortifying it with an artillery house and then, along with the Earls of Crawford and Ross, he hatched a plot against King James. Wanting a few more backers in his plot he also invited Patrick Maclellan, the Sheriff of Galloway to join with them. Maclellan turned him down wanting no part in the scheme. This didn’t sit well with William and the more he dwelt on this rejection, the angrier he became. So much so, that he and his men seized Maclellan and took him to Threave Castle where they held him prisoner. Maclellan’s uncle, Sir Patrick Grey, on hearing about his nephew’s plight appealed to the King who wrote a letter ordering William to release him. Sir Patrick then rode to Threave and delivered the letter. However, rather than handing Maclellan over, William hanged him from the battlements in front of his shocked uncle. Sir Patrick then fled for his life.
King James on hearing of Maclellan’s murder and of William’s plotting decided that rather than go to all-out war with him, he would invite William to Stirling Castle under a promise of safe conduct and would try and reason with him. Surprisingly, William turned up. Less surprisingly, things did not go well. The King, after growing tired of trying to reason with William lost his temper and stabbed him in the neck. His courtiers then joined in and hacked William to death, before throwing his bloodied and broken body out of a nearby window. After this, things did not go well for the Black Douglases. They lost much of their land and most of their power. In 1455, after a siege, Threave Castle was surrendered to the King.
The castle remained under the ownership of the Crown until 1526 when it was handed over to the Maxwell family. It then enjoyed a relatively peaceful time until 1640. The Maxwells were keen supporters of Charles I, and this led to the castle being besieged by the Covenanters. The siege lasted for 13 weeks before the castle defenders agreed to surrender and were allowed to ‘march out with, bag and baggage and all the honours of war.’ The Covenanters then briefly occupied the castle before it was decided that it should be made uninhabitable. The roof was removed, along with the ‘the lofting, doors, and windows’ and ‘the ironwork’. Despite this, the castle was used again briefly in around 1810, this time to house French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1913 the castle was entrusted into state care.
After having a good wander around the castle and the island, I left the Skulferatu that had accompanied me on my visit in a hole in the ruins of the artillery house that stands at the side of the castle tower.
The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are -
Latitude 54.9394
Longitude -3.969712
what3words: quality.prank.mash
I used the following sources for information on Threave Castle –
