The Castles of Clan Scott

It seems right to start with the Clan’s historic seat of Dalkeith Palace. Interestingly, although it dates all the way back to the 12^th century, it only became the residency for Dukes of Buccleuch in 1642, which we think demonstrates the Scott’s striving nature perfectly! Throughout history they have shown a cunning knack for picking up land and power wherever they go.

Dalkeith passed hands frequently, and had many important owners, including Clan Graham and Clan Douglas, until the Earl of Morton sold the palace to Francis Scott, the 2^nd Duke of Buccleuch in 1642.

The Scotts quickly set about making Dalkeith their own, and hired the contemporary leading architect, James Smith, to redesign the place, supposedly based on William the Orange’s Het Loo in the Netherlands. In was completed by 1711 and Clan Scott had firmly staked their claim.

Later generations of the family continued to alter and improve the estate. In 1792, Henry, the 3^rd Duke of Buccleuch commissioned Robert Adam to design the stunning Montagu Bridge as a present to his wife Lady Elizabeth Montagu. The bridge was meant to commemorate the joining of two powerful families, the Scotts and the Montagues, and also served as a striking status symbol, as it frames the palace from the road, drawing in the eye of any onlookers, and surely provoking admiration and envy!

The 5^th Duke of Buccleuch, Walter Francis, also worked to make Dalkeith a site of luxury and splendour by hiring William Burn to design the magnificent 12-sided orangery, complete with doric columns and a central chimney, a feature only found in the most fashionable houses at the time.

All of this glamour attracted many distinguished guests over the years; in 1745, Prince Charlie stayed at the palace during the Jacobite Rebellion, in 1822 King George IV visited to take in the superlative architecture and grounds, preferring Dalkeith to the standard royal choice of Holyroodhouse, and in 1842 even Queen Victoria deigned to stop by!

Dalkeith remained the Scott’s seat until 1914, when the family gave up the house. Its historical significance continued to grow, however, as during WWII it was used as accommodation for soldiers, with Polish troops being quartered on the third floor. Graffiti drawn by the men can still be seen on the wallpaper today.

The palace is currently owned by the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust and is used to host frequent art shows and exhibitions, a fate fitting for the home of such a cultural and creative clan!

The Scotts talent at forging powerful connections also helped them to acquire Drumlanrig Castle, another impressive and stately residence.

Drumlanrig is situated just north of Dumfries and was built in the late 1600s in the renaissance style, boasting 120 rooms, 17 turrets and 4 towers. Initially, it belonged to Clan Douglas, until it was passed onto Henry, the 3^rd Duke of Buccleuch in 1810, due to strong links between the families forged by a number of profitable marriages.

While Drumlanrig’s architecture is arguably as impressive as that of Dalkeith, this Scott home is more notorious for its ghostly residents than beautiful bridges or fancy orangeries.

Papers from the castle’s archives, and word of mouth, suggests that there is not 1, but 3 ghouls that haunt Drumlanrig! First is a headless lady, who supposedly roams the corridors carrying her head in one hand and an ornate fan in the other. Common myth says that this is the ghost of Lady Anne Douglas, though nobody knows how she came to lose her head!

The second otherworldly figure is perhaps even more unusual; there is one room in the castle that plays host to the spirit of a yellow monkey. Again, the story behind this animal is unknown, but many visitors swear that they have seen the ape scampering about the hallways at night.

Lastly, and perhaps most gruesomely, there is ‘the bloody passage,’ a corridor in which a poor unknown soul was supposedly murdered. The story goes that the floors and walls still bear blood spatters which cannot be cleaned away, no matter how much the castle cleaners try.

Do you think you are brave enough to plan a visit and risk bumping into one of these intriguing characters? We think the wealth of clan history and stunning house designs definitely make the risk worth it! Drumlanrig is also home to part of the iconic Buccleuch art collection, so if all the ghosts are too much for you, you could always cleanse the pallet with a famous Rembrandt painting or two!

Our final site for the day is Bowhill House, located in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. It was originally built in 1708 by Lord Bowhill, John Murray, but was soon acquired by Clan Scott when Francis Scott, the 2^nd Duke of Buccleuch bought Bowhill as a gift for his son.

The family worked hard over generations to make Bowhill a grand and imposing property, with Henry the 3^rd Duke of Buccleuch planting a forest in the grounds in 1767, and Charles the 4^th Duke building on the summer house in 1800, transforming it into a mansion complete with a gallery hall.

All of their work paid off, and the house gained an impressive reputation, with Sir Walter Scott himself even commemorating it in his famous poem ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel,’ referring wistfully to ‘sweet Bowhill.’

Like Dalkeith, Bowhill also served as an army base during WWII, and fell into a diminished state following the struggle of the war years. Luckily, a team of highly talented and committed conservators and volunteers worked hard to repair and preserve the house, and now many of its treasures can still be seen and admired.

Large parts of the famous Buccleuch art collection are stored at Bowhill, including work by Canaletto, Gainsborough, and Reynolds. There is also a display of stunning 18^th century hand painted Chinese wallpaper and numerous miniatures.

The grounds and house are open for the public to visit, so if you are interested in connecting with your Scott ancestors, or just having the pleasure of seeing one of Scotland’s greatest art collections, we’d recommend a trip!