The Castles of the Bruce Family

Lochmaben Castle is a ruined castle in the town of, you guessed it, Lochmaben! The current ruin was built by Edward I in the 14th century, which had replaced an earlier motte and bailey castle that was built by our clan of the month. It had been located just south of where the current structure stands and was built around 1160 by the Bruce family, Lords of Annandale. We love a good motte and bailey castle, but for those readers who aren’t quite sure what that means, keep reading. The early medieval Lochmaben would have had some sort of raised mound that the actual castle stood on (the motte), which was then surrounded by a non-raised courtyard of sorts (the bailey). Here’s our favourite bit of Lochmaben history: the castle and title associated with it eventually came into the possession of the Earls of March. However, when the 10th Earl was forfeited and then reinstated in 1409, it is noted that it was "with the exception of the castle of Lochmaben and the Lordship of Annandale''. This was because it was actually in the possession of Alexander Stewart, none other than the Duke of Albany! Hop over to our other blog to discover the link between the Duke of Albany and the home of our new shop in Albany, NY.

Moving on to another popular Bruce attraction—Clackmannan Tower! Ok, so this one can be a bit confusing if you’re not paying close enough attention to the genealogy. King David II, son of King Robert the Bruce, granted his cousin, also Sir Robert Bruce, the lands of Clackmannan Tower in 1359. Prior to this, it is thought that a royal residence had existed on this original site during the reign of Malcom IV from 1053 to 1056. You can spot the Tower from miles around as it sits right on top of King's Seat Hill (which is very instagrammable, we might add). Today, only the exterior of the Tower can be viewed, but you can certainly walk on up without an appointment, so be sure to send us your photos if you make it up to the tower!

Airth is another castle that was once owned by the Bruces and it has an absolutely thrilling history! Let’s jump into it, starting with some of the family who had inhabited the castle. Mary Bruce, a daughter of the laird of Airth, was actually a companion of Mary, Queen of Scots—another one of our favourite figures. Also, these Bruces happened to be Jacobite sympathizers who were forced to sell the castle after the failure of the 1715 rising, unfortunately. In any case, the castle is a wonderfully preserved historic building that actually retains much of its medieval fabric. What makes this castle especially thrilling is its reputation for being haunted. Rumor has it that Airth is actually haunted by a nanny with two young children, a maid, a groundsman, and even a dog! If you’ve visited this spooky spot, let us know, particularly if you saw ghosts.

A bit less spooky, we have Broomhall House next, which is known as the home of the family of Bruce! Broomhall is of great significance in Scottish history, not just because of its connection to one of the most well known families in all of Scotland, but because of its architecture and its status as one of Scotland’s grandest houses. For over 300 years, it has been the private home of the Bruces and continues to be owned, operated, and beloved by the family of King Robert the Bruce. Also, Lord Bruce himself personally hosts guests and designs uniquely special experiences for them—Broomhall happens to be open for private tours and we think that Bruce or not, this would be a fantastic place for any lover of Scotland to visit.

Finally, we have Fyvie. You may not have immediately recognized the significance of this castle as it relates to our clan of the month. But, did you know that among many other medieval Scottish rulers, Robert the Bruce actually held court here? It’s true! We aren’t entirely sure why the Bruce chose this Aberdeenshire location, but it certainly must have been considered quite the important and impressive place given that it was built by William the Lion. Like another previous castle we mentioned, Fyvie is also said to be haunted. Here’s how the story goes: During renovation work on the castle in the early 20th century, the skeleton of a woman was discovered behind a bedroom wall. On the day the remains were finally buried in Fyvie cemetery, the castle residents became haunted by strange noises and unexplained spooky events. The man who had discovered the skeleton believed he might have offended the ghost and so the Laird of the castle had the skeleton exhumed and replaced behind the bedroom wall, at which point the haunting ended. The hauntings may have ceased, but the castle still seems a little spooky to us…