If you’re like us, you love Scottish castles and Scottish clans! Today’s blog offers the best of both worlds as we explore some of the castles that have been held by our clan of the month, Clan Armstrong!
Gilnockie Tower
If you are a descendant of Clan Armstrong, there are many places you can visit to learn more about your reiver ancestors, envision their daily lives in the wild and tumultuous Borders landscape, and stand on the ground where they once stood.
One of the best examples is undeniably Gilnockie Tower, which was built around 500 years ago, sometime between 1490 and 1520. It is thought to have been the home of Johnnie Armstrong of Gilnockie, who was a notorious member of the Armstrong clan and a fearsome border reiver. You can read more about Johnnie in our ‘famous faces of Clan Armstrong’ blog
Gilnockie Tower was also supposedly used as a headquarters for reivers to meet and plan raids across the Anglo-Scottish Border. It was the perfect place for this as from the top of the tower, you can see for miles across the countryside into England. Any approaching rivals would have found it very difficult to avoid being detected, and the ever-present view of enemy land must have been an enticing temptation for the ferocious Armstrongs!
It seems the tower was built with battle in mind; it was constructed with limestone and sandstone and the inner and outer walls have a cavity between them which is filled with stone, rubble and wood. This may have been to provide insulation and protection from the biting Scottish cold, or it could have been a defensive measure to make the castle more resilient against rival cannon attacks.
However, Gilnockie Tower was not just a place for warfare. It has five floors, including a vaulted chamber, banqueting hall and spiral staircase. It’s fascinating to imagine the notorious Johnnie Armstrong and his family living out their daily lives against such a regal and imposing backdrop!
Though it was once a roofless ruin, the tower has recently been completely refurbished and is now open to visitors. The site also houses the Clan Armstrong Centre, which is home to countless reiving artefacts and the world’s largest collection of Armstrong archives. If you’re interested in the notorious border reivers, or the mighty Clan Armstrong, this is a definitely not one to miss!
Hermitage Castle
The forbidding Hermitage Castle near Newcastleton in Roxburghshire is a grand and supposedly haunted ruin that is rich in history and grisly tales. Nestled in the hills above Langholm, it's said to have been built in 1240 by the Norman knight Nicholas De Soulis, to control the ‘troublesome Armstrongs’. By 1320 it was occupied by a man called William De Soulis, a decidedly shady character even by the reivers' standards.
One day, De Soulis concocted an evil plan to kidnap a prominent Armstrong woman and carry her away from her home and fellow clan members. Once her family discovered she was missing, they acted quickly and heroically, and she was swiftly saved. The Armstrongs, understandably furious, captured De Soulis and threatened to kill him.
However, Alexander Armstrong, the clan chief, forbade them to do this. De Soulis once again displayed his wicked nature and repaid this act of mercy with violence and malice. He invited Armstrong to Hermitage castle and murdered him! The legend goes that the Armstrong Clan then captured the castle and boiled De Soulis in molten lead. It is said that De Soulis practised ‘dark arts’, and a demon he conjured still haunts the Castle to this day; writer and historian Walter Elliot says that Hermitage Castle, ‘is an evil place, it feels evil.’
Plan a visit if you dare!
Milnholm Cross and Ettleton Kirkyard
Nearby to Hermitage Castle, in the town of Newcastleton, you can find the Milnholm Cross, which resembles a mighty sword stuck in a stone. The cross was erected around 1300 to commemorate clan chief Alexander Armstrong, after his brutal murder at the hands of William De Soulis. This is said to be the oldest monument to Clan Armstrong! It overlooks the beautiful and now peaceful valley of Liddesdale. It’s certainly interesting to visit today and enjoy the idyllic, calm countryside while envisioning it’s lawless and bloody past.
Also nearby is Ettleton Kirkyard Cemetery, which contains many tombstones related to the Armstrong's, some dating back to the early 14th century.
Liddesdale Heritage Centre and Museum
Finally, if you’re feeling a bit queasy after all the bloody tales associated with Clan Armstrong, you might enjoy a trip to Liddesdale Heritage Centre and Museum as a pallet cleanser, where you can learn about what daily life entailed for the people of the Borders when they weren’t engaged in fearsome battles! You can see displays portraying the history and culture of Liddesdale, including fascinating portrayals of local trades such as farming, clogging, shoemaking, weaving, and joinery. The family history area is also a treasure trove containing old parish registers, census returns and graveyard records – perfect if you’re undertaking some ancestry research! The centre hosts a different exhibition every year, so be sure to check out their website to see if anything takes your fancy.
We’d love to know if you decide to visit any of these fascinating sites! Please feel free to let us know if you do, and visit the clan webpage for more information on Clan Armstrong.
