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Explore your roots: Clan Home and the Story of Hume Castle
Today, we were lucky enough to use the grounds of Hume Castle as the backdrop for the Autumn/Winter photoshoot. Ironically it is blazing sunshine! While we were there we were so intrigued by the interesting architecture of the castle that we thought we would tell all of our lovely readers about the story of the Hume Castle. So sit back, relax, and read all about the Home family and their castle.
The Home family have owned Hume Castle since 1214 when Ada, the daughter of Patrick, Earl of Dunbar, married William of Greenlaw. Ada was gifted Hume Castle upon her marriage and the couple made the castle their principal seat. After this William took the surname of Hume and this is where the family first originate from, changing the spelling of their name to Home shortly after this. The Home family were very powerful in the Border area at this point in time, as by the 14th Century they owned the lands of Hume and Greenlaw, they acquired the lands of Dunglass through marriage and a short time later they formed the Wedderburn branch of Homes and acquired the lands of Wedderburn.
Throughout history there have been many stories of both fearless and foolish members of the Home Clan, one of these stories is of Alexander Home, 5th Lord of Home. He lived in the castle during the Rough Wooing fall of the castle and also led the siege to claim the castle back. However, Alexander also fought against both Mary, Queen of Scots and King James VI and because of this he was given life imprisonment at Edinburgh Castle. His son Alexander Home, 6th Earl of Home was loyal to King James VI and proved his loyalty many times throughout his life, for this service he was awarded the title of Earl of Home, a title that still lives on today. The most notable member of the Home Clan was Sir Alec Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home, who renounced his title in the 1960s in order to be prime minister, he was appointed prime minister in 1963. It is his son, David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home, who is the current Chief of Clan Home.
Hume Castle was one of the most fortified and best defended castles in the Scottish Borders, having just been strengthened in the early 16th Century by the French and the Scottish. The Castle stood strong for over 300 years until 1547 when it was captured by the English army during the Rough Wooing, however they only managed to hold the castle for 2 years before the Scots recaptured it in a midnight attack with Alexander Home, 5th Lord of Home, leading the charge. The English captured the castle again in 1569 but only managed to hold it for 3 years until the Scots claimed it back once again. The last time the castle was captured was in 1651 after Oliver Cromwell and his men successfully attacked the castle, but instead of taking it as their own like the previous two sieges they destroyed the castle leaving it in ruins.
The castle only lay in ruins until 1770 when it was eventually restored under the request of Hugh Hume, Earl of Marchmont, he re-built it as a folly (a building whose sole purpose is decoration) as a memorial to the original castle, by re-building the walls on the outline of the original castle. It is this version of the castle that stands today, although it has been restored a few more times, the most significant restoration taking place in 1985 allowing the castle to be opened for public viewing. The castle was purchased by the Hume Castle Preservation Trust in 2006, and this is who still owns the castle today. Worth a visit if only for the beautiful views across the Borders.
