The Castles of Clan Lindsay

Beginning in South Lanarkshire just north of the village of Crawford, you guessed it… Crawford Castle was once the historic seat of Clan Lindsay. As such, it is also called Lindsay Tower. If you visit the site today, you’ll find ruins, but don’t be fooled – this castle has an incredibly fascinating history! The original castle was built sometime in the late 12th century by the sheriff of what was then called Edinburghshire and was designed in the motte and bailey style, which is found often during the medieval period. It was home to the Barony of Crawford and the Lindsay family inherited this title in 1215 when a member of the family married a daughter of Sir John Crawford. Long before the Lindsays took over the land, though, it was occupied by another group. According to archeological excavations that took place to the north-west of the castle, a Roman fort of around 300 people existed at Crawford Castle between 80 AD and 170 AD. See, we told you this castle’s history was captivating! The Lindsays only held the castle until the late 15th century, but it is clear that the legacy of this family lives on at the site of the ruins.

Now that we’ve tackled the historic seat, it’s time to talk about the current seat. Balcarres House was built by John Lindsay of Balcarres in 1595 and the current chief of the Clan resides there today! The mansion was built in 1595 by John Lindsay, second son of David, 9th Earl of Crawford. This means that the house became the seat of both the Earl of Crawford and of Clan Lindsay, who were one in the same. Balcarres house as it’s known today, while retaining more than you’d imagine of the original 16th century structure, is largely the result of substantial 19th century renovations. Today, it is protected as a category A listed building and the grounds are actually included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, which, as if the house could get any more impressive, is the national listing of significant gardens.

This fantastic piece of Lindsay history was the original castle of the Chief of Clan Lindsay! While the first Edzell Castle was a medieval motte and bailey structure, the later version began construction around 1520 by David Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford, and the building was then expanded by his son, also called Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell. It was this David Lindsay who also began work on the beautiful walled garden. It has retained much of its glory, perhaps because it wasn’t involved in many battles. The castle and garden are run and maintained by Historic Environment Scotland and are, luckily for all of us, are open to the public. We can’t wait for our next trip!

Located in East Lothian, the Earls of Lothian first inhabited the lands that would someday include what is known today as Luffness House. But when the Lindsay clan married into the family in the 12th century, the lands were given over to them. Clan Lindsay ended up building a strong fortress in the 13th century, which became known as Luffness Castle. Here’s where it gets really interesting: The memory of Sir David Lindsay, High Chamberlain of Scotland in 1256, was honoured through the donation of some of the Luffness property to the Church. This was because it was said that on his deathbed, Sir David promised to donate land for a religious house if his remains were returned to Scotland. The promise was kept and a friary was then built nearby in 1293. Remnants of this still exist today and can be seen amidst the overgrowth of the forest.

The ruined keep of Craigie Castle is located in South Ayrshire and was my absolute favourite to read about this month. In Gaelic, the castle is called Caisteil Chreagaidh (you better write that down, we’re going to quiz you shortly), and was actually built for Clan Lindsay. It is likely to have been constructed in the 12th century, but the ruins that can be visited today are primarily of 15th century construction. Having been one of the earliest built castles in the area, it is protected as a scheduled monument today, which essentially means that it is considered archeologically significant. Eventually, the Lindsay family found themselves without a male heir, so when John de Lyndesey’s daughter married John Wallace of Riccarton, the castle passed to the Wallace’s. It seems that this was welcomed, though, as a conjoined Lindsay and Wallace Coats of Arms can actually be seen on the Craigie Mains Farm on the grounds.

Lastly, though this castle doesn’t exist anymore, we wanted to include Wauchope as it was once a stronghold of the Lindsay family. It was located in Dumfries and Galloway and, like some of the previous castles on our list, was first constructed in the 13th century as a motte and bailey style castle. Over the next several centuries, Wauchope was reconstructed, first as a tower house and later as a manse house. Unfortunately, the manse construction was a ruin by the 18th century, leaving not much to be seen today. Our minds can’t help but be intrigued by what may have happened to the Lindsays and later families that occupied the grounds…