Tour Scotland travel video, with Scottish music, of Hermitage Castle on visit to the Scottish Borders. This Scottish Castle was built by Nicholas de Soulis around 1240, in a typical Norman Motte and Bailey pattern. It stayed in his family until approximately 1320, when his descendant, William de Soulis forfeited it because of suspected witchcraft and the attempted regicide of King Robert I of Scotland. Legend has it that Soulis' tenantry, having suffered unbearable depredations, arrested him, and at the nearby Ninestane Rig, a megalithic circle, had him boiled to death in molten lead. In actuality, he died, a prisoner, in Dumbarton Castle.
In 1338, the then incumbent, Englishman Sir Ralph de Neville was besieged by Sir William Douglas, The Knight of Liddesdale, known as the Flower of Chivalry. It was here that Douglas imprisoned, and had starved to death, his erstwhile comrade Sir Alexander Ramsay of Dalhousie. Upon Douglas's death, brought about by a near kinsman and namesake, William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas, the Castle fell into the hands of the Dacre family for a time. Nevertheless, it soon fell back into the hands of the Earl of Douglas through inheritance, and it was he that enabled the construction of most of the present building, possibly with the help of John Lewin, master mason at Durham Cathedral. The Earl's sons provided the seed of the two famous branches of the house, the Black Douglases and the Red Douglases. By 1455, the Black Douglas line had so incensed the King that James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas was forfeited, never to return, and the beneficences that they had enjoyed passed to the Red Douglas line, including Hermitage Castle.
Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst was made keeper of Liddesdale and Hermitage Castle in 1584. Bothwell's nephew, Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell received a new creation as Earl of Bothwell, and was made Keeper of the castle. As a grandson of King James V, albeit through an illegitimate line, he was viewed by some as a potential replacement for King James VI. In 1591, Bothwell was arrested, tried, gaoled and forfeited for his supposed involvement with the infamous North Berwick Witches. He obtained a pardon in 1593 but again became involved in intrigue and he was again attainted, by Act of Parliament, on 21 July 1593. The Hermitage once again reverted to the Crown.
The surname Douglas was first found in Moray, where the progenitor of the Clan is thought to be Archibald of Douglasdale, born 1198, died 1239. The Douglasses of Drumlanrig claim descent from Sir William Douglas, who was granted the lands of Drumlanrig in 1412 by King James I. The grandson of Archibald Douglasdale, known as William the Hardy, served as a companion-in-arms to William Wallace, the patriot leader of the Scottish wars of Independence. His two sons carried on his noble reputation. The first, William, was the progenitor of the Douglases of Morton and was granted the Earldom of Morton in 1458 by King James II. The second, Andrew, and his family became known as the Black Douglases. Douglas has been spelled Douglas, Douglass, Dougliss, Dougless, Dowglas, Duglas, Duglass and many more. Joseph Douglas, aged 32, was a Scottish farmer who was convicted in Dumfries, Scotland for 7 years for stealing, and transported aboard the Baring in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1865; Adair Douglas, British Convict, was convicted in Stirling, Scotland for life, and transported aboard the Asia on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania in 1836; Donald Douglas, aged 30, was a blacksmith, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship New Zealand in 1842; Donald Douglas, aged 24, landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1815; James Douglas landed in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1907; Alexander Douglas landed in South Carolina, America, in 1750; Adam Douglas arrived in Pennsylvania, America, in 1765; Campbell Douglas landed in Charleston, South Carolina, America, in 1813; Hugh Douglas settled in Virginia, America, in 1635.
Hermitage Castle is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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