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Interesting facts and history about the Stuart family
History of the palace
Almost in the middle of the route that runs from Stirling to Edinburgh on the shores of Lake Linlithgow, lies a majestic building with a rich history which keeps within its walls a huge number of secrets and memories – Linlithgow Palace.
Linlithgow Palace was a favourite place for royalty to live at different times throughout its existence. The Stuart family showed a special affection for this place. The castle walls became the birthplace for King James V and Queen Mary I of the Stuart family.
In the middle of the 12th century, King David I gave eighteen villages of Alba the status of cities and this included Linlithgow. After this, the royal residence erected in the city consisted of a church and a fortified manor. Upon arriving in Linlithgow, the king and his retinue held court, lived and decided important matters.
The territory of Linlithgow belonged to the English at the beginning of the 14th century. Construction of the castle began in 1301 under King Edward I. The English army was based in the castle during the hostilities of 1304. In 1310 the palace was chosen by Edward II as a royal residence.
The situation changed dramatically in 1314 when the Battle of Bannockburn was won by the Scottish army and both the city and Linlithgow Castle became the property of the Scottish crown. From that time on the palace became one of its royal mansions.
A fire destroyed both the city and the royal castle in 1424. King James I ordered the construction of a new residence on the site of the old castle after returning then from English captivity.
Castle construction
The construction of the new Linlithgow Castle was carried out under the direction of John Walton. An amount of £2,440 was allocated each year for the work. The palace was ready to welcome royalty again in 1428, after the death of James I. At that time a wing of the palace was built on the eastern side and a tower and a small building extended the castle to the south. The shape of the palace resembled the letter “L”.
Extensions to the south-west tower were completed during the reign of King James III. A special Royal Room was located here. Externally, the palace looked like two separate structures that were not connected to each other.
Active construction of the palace, as we see it today, continued during the reign of James I. The castle now had three wings that framed a square-shaped courtyard.
The next stage of construction was the construction of the fourth western wing, a closed square shape erected under James IV. The king did not forget to take care of the defensive properties of his residence and as a result a barbican tower appeared, covering the entrance on the eastern side of the castle.
King James V, Queen Mary Stuart and Princess Elizabeth I were born within the walls of the castle between 1512 and 1596. The appearance of Linlithgow Palace continued to change under new kings. Thus, during the reign of James V the main entrance of the palace was moved from the east to the south wing and the courtyard was then decorated with a magnificent fountain.
The castle had not been given proper attention which had led to the destruction of one of its wings on the north side until James IV came to power in 1607. It had taken 11 years, but in 1607 renovation work began and the northern wing was restored in the Renaissance style.
Linlithgow Palace ceased to be the residence of kings in 1603 when, after the conclusion of an alliance between Scotland and England, the couple of rulers moved to London.
A fire in 1746 was the last tragic event which almost completely destroyed the castle. Soldiers of the Hanoverian army defeated by the Jacobites at the Battle of Falkirk were stationed within the castle walls at this time. All the interior decoration of the palace was completely destroyed as a result of the fire. Since then, the majestic building of Linlithgow has never been restored.
Today Linlithgow Palace is open to tourists. The organization “Historic Scotland” has taken the building under its care.
