The Castles of Clan Wilson

Sanquhar Castle, located to the northeast of Dumfries, was once a grand stronghold that hosted many a royal visitor including James VI and Mary Queen of Scots. Sadly, today it stands in ruins and is shut off from visitors by a threatening looking wire fence. Its current dilapidated state suggests nothing of its regal and noble past!

Sanquhar was built in the 13th century by Clan Ross, who remained there until it was passed on to the Crichton Clan in the 14th century. The Crichtons were a powerful family, but they found themselves dragged down by an excess of vanity and pride. They were obsessed with ostentatious shows of their wealth, which grew more and more outlandish until they eventually ended up completely bankrupt. Their financial losses forced the Crichtons to leave Sanquhar, and in the mid-1600s they sold the castle to Sir William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry. Unfortunately, Douglas did not seem to value the old building and he left it to slowly fall into disrepair before ultimately abandoning the place entirely.

In 1895, John Crichton-Stuart acquired the castle and started a campaign to restore his ancestor’s home. He hired Robert Weir Schultz, one of the leading architects of the time, and commissioned him to rebuild parts of Sanquhar.

However, this restoration work led to an unexpected and grisly discovery! The skeleton of a young woman was excavated from the castle walls, complete with a skull that still had a few strands of long blonde hair attached.

It is thought that this skeleton belonged to Marion of Dalpeddar, a beautiful lady who had disappeared mysteriously in 1580. The finding of her body in the castle grounds has led many to believe that she was murdered by one of the Crichton Lords and hidden away for centuries.

Marion was not the only spirit disturbed by the 19th century restoration project; it is believed that the work also awoke the angry and vengeful ghost of John Wilson.

The story goes that in 1590, Wilson found himself embroiled in a fight between his employer, Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, and a friend of Lord Crichton called Douglas of Drumlanrig.

It seems that the Crichton family were so incensed by this disagreement that they invented a rap sheet of false crimes attributed to Wilson in order to punish Kirkpatrick. Much to Kirkpatrick’s horror, they had Wilson thrown in jail and, despite his master’s impassioned pleas, they executed him by hanging him in the castle. It is said that Wilson protests this injustice to this day, haunting the ruins of Sanquhar, rattling his chains and groaning in endless objection to the cruelty he suffered.

If you are feeling brave, why not plan a visit to pay your respects to this anguished soul? While the ruins are now cordoned off, you can get a good sense of how grand and imposing the castle would have been during its prime even from a distance.

Our second site of the day is the Strathaven Castle Street Wilson Monument. You’ll be pleased to hear that this one was designed with visitors in mind, so if it piques your interest, it’d be a perfect place to go and see!

The monument was erected in 1846 to commemorate the life and great political work of James Wilson. Wilson, born on the 3rd of September 1760, was a radical thinker and a keen activist, dedicated to improving the living conditions of working-class Scots. He lobbied for social reform passionately and repeatedly, until he caught the disapproving eye of the government.

Senior politicians were spooked by Wilson’s charisma and drive, sensing a real threat to their power and control, as they witnessed how he continued to gain enthusiastic followers. They decided they had to put a stop to Wilson and his work, so they came up with a treacherous plan to trick him into betraying himself.

In 1820, officials posted a false notice in Glasgow, encouraging people to join a movement to protest against the government, and start the ‘radical war.’ The note promised that a fearsome group of French troops would be waiting at the rallying point to support the radicals in their uprising. Wilson was invigorated by the thought of such a powerful political movement, and quickly gathered a force of men to march. However, after setting out, they soon discovered that the notice had been a ruse. The men walked straight into an enormous gathering of law enforcement, who identified Wilson as the ringleader, and arrested him for the charge of high treason. A few months later he was declared guilty and executed.

However, just over 20 years on from this tragic event, Wilson’s community gathered together to pay tribute to the great man, building a striking polished pedestal, complete with an obelisk above. The base of the obelisk is adorned with noble Wilson crests and inscribed with the following poignant message:

If you find yourself in Strathaven, make sure to stop by the monument and take a moment to remember the noble James Wilson!

Our final site for today is the mysterious Castle Gunn which once stood proudly in Caithness. The Wilsons of Caithness are believed to be a sept of Clan Gunn, so it is highly likely that they once walked within this grand castle’s walls.

While almost nothing remains of the building today, we know enough about its past to confidently say that it must have been a sight to behold. It is thought to have been built in the 13th century, and was located on a lonely, isolated rock that rose strikingly out of the sea, about 7 miles south of Wick.

The site is a treacherous looking place, and almost completely impossible to access today, which has led to much speculation about how the early Gunns and Wilsons navigated their home. It is thought that they may have owned a number of ships to carry them across the tempestuous sea surrounding the castle, though this would have likely left them vulnerable to storms, bad tides, or fellow sea farers.

There are also the remains of a rough set of stairs carved into the rock on which the castle sat, suggesting that perhaps these hardy Scots were accustomed to scaling the rock face to reach the building!

Whatever method they may have used, it seems clear that they were a daring, strong, and tough bunch!

Image Sources:

Sanquhar Castle

The James Wilson Monument, Strathaven Photo © Elliott Simpson (cc-by-sa/2.0)