Tour Scotland short 4K Autumn travel video of a Scotsman wearing a kilt and Sporran and walking by trees and ruined Lochwood Castle on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit and trip to the Dumfries and Galloway, Britain, United Kingdom. For centuries, it served as the ancestral seat and principal stronghold of the formidable Clan Johnstone, one of the most powerful and feared of the Scottish Border clans. The earliest version of the castle was likely a timber motte and bailey design built on a strategic ridge by the Bruces, who were the Lords of Annandale. The Johnstones may have initially occupied the site as knights serving the Bruce family. After the early fortifications were destroyed or abandoned, the Johnstones constructed a massive stone tower house towards the end of the 15th century. The castle's name is derived from a forest or wood near an ancient lake or loch, which later deteriorated into a bog known as Lochwood Moss. The castle was purposefully built in this swampy, treacherous woodland to make it incredibly difficult for an invading army to approach with heavy equipment. During the military conflict known as the Rough Wooing, English forces led by Sir Thomas Carleton successfully captured Lochwood in 1547 through sheer stealth. A dozen English soldiers sneaked past the outer wall before dawn and intercepted the housemaids. As a maid opened the tower's heavy wooden door, the soldiers rushed it. In her panic to secure the wooden door, she failed to lock the massive inner iron gate or yett, allowing the English to flood the castle and seize it without a heavy siege. The English occupiers recorded being highly impressed by how well-stocked the castle was, noting vast stores of salted beef, malt, barley, oatmeal, butter, and cheese. The Johnstones managed to reclaim it in 1550. The Johnstones were locked in a generational, incredibly bloody feud with their great regional rivals, the Clan Maxwell. In 1585, Robert Maxwell and his men retaliated against the Johnstones by attacking and burning Lochwood Castle to the ground. This bitter rivalry eventually culminated in the famous Battle of Dryfe Sands in 1593, where the Johnstones won a decisive victory and Lord Maxwell was slain. The castle was rebuilt after the Maxwell raid and hosted King James VI in 1592. However, by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the fortress became outmoded and uncomfortable compared to modern residences. The Earls of Annandale relocated their primary lives to Edinburgh, completely abandoning Lochwood around 1724. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. Meteorological Autumn or Fall is different from standard and astronomical Autumn and begins September 1 and ends November 30
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