by 
Castles of Scotland, World History
Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle lies on a cape opposite the island of Bass Rock on the side of the Firth of Forth not far from North Berwick in Scotland. Three sides of the fortress are protected by a high cliff and endless waters and the fourth defends the cape.
The building is the last among medieval ones erected according to this principle of architectural construction. The reddish-brown fortress is built of sandstone which is famous not only for its external beauty, but also for its durability. Tantallon Castle withstood attacks from stone-throwing machines, rams and arrows for many centuries, remaining an indestructible barrier.
The first mention of the Tantallon fortress dates to 1374, but Tantallon Castle stood in its place until 1300 – the name translated from the Celtic language means “fortification on a high place.” Anyone who was the owner of Tantallon at any time in history kept the trade route from Berwick to Edinburgh under their control, influencing the life of the entire local region. This “advantageous” location of the castle was often the reason for endless sieges of its walls by opponents.
The view of the castle truly fascinates with its power and grandeur. The 15-metre wall stretches 90 metres above the cliff. Its thickness of 3.6 metres has withstood sieges and cannon shot many times. Three deep ditches filled with water provided additional protection for the fortress.
Lord Douglas, the first owner of the castle, lived in his personal chambers in the north-eastern tower. The tower bore his name but was completely destroyed. Inside the central tower there were once living rooms with decorations and fireplaces.
During its history the castle changed hands many times and was destroyed, rebuilt, conquered and also surrendered, becoming a witness to the Scottish-English wars.
History of Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle was built by the first Earl of Douglas, namely William Douglas in 1374. He was a descendant of Clan Douglas, a clan with Flemish origins which established itself in 1174.
William Douglas received the Scottish title of “lord” in 1289, equivalent to a baronial title. This was stated in the documents he received from Abbot Kelso. However, having participated in armed resistance against the King in defence of Berwick, Williams was imprisoned three times, and then arrested and deprived of his lands. He died imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1298 leaving behind three sons: James the Good who became Robert the Bruce’s deputy, Hugo the Boring, a priest and Archibald the Unfortunate who received large territories into his possession from Robert I, king of Scotland.
After the death of Archibald Douglas at the Battle of Halidon Hill, Hugo the Boring fled from the English crown to France and became Lord Luglas. All the lands left without an owner after Hugo’s escape were taken over by Lord Liddsdale William Douglas who was the godfather of the son of Archibald the Loser.
William Douglas was born in 1327. He returned to Scotland in 1348 having received a French education. Being heir to the title of Douglas the lands belonging to him were few. But in 1353 he murdered his godfather and became the owner of all the lands that had previously been acquired by all the Douglases combined. William became a land collector. Having become Earl, he moved to Tantallon Castle with his beloved Countess of Angus, Margaret Stewart. Earl Williams died in 1389. All the lands, including the fortress, passed into the possession of his illegitimate son with Margaret, Earl Angus – George Douglas.
This event caused the Douglas clan to split. Archibald became the head of the clan. Black Douglass – that’s what his descendants would be called. And George’s descendants received the nickname – Red Douglass. The Black Douglases were defeated at the Battle of Arkingholm which was directed against the Scottish crown in May 1455.
Archibald, fifth Earl of Angus conspired with the English king, Henry VII in 1490. Tantallon Fortress was besieged by the troops of King James IV of Scotland in 1491 and Archibald decided to surrender so that the majestic castle would not be destroyed. Thanks to this, the fortress was not damaged.
Archibald, the sixth Earl of Angus, supported by English king Henry VIII captured the young Scottish king James V after which he proclaimed himself ruler under him. But 16-year-old King James managed to escape and announce that Archibald was a traitor. He besieged Tantallon on October 23, 1528. The siege of the castle lasted 12 long days during which the walls of the fortress were fired by cannon. However, the castle walls held out and the siege was lifted. But after this event, the supply of food and weapons outside the walls of Tantallon Castle was disrupted and the result was that the fortress had to be surrendered in May 1529. King James V died in 1542 and the castle belonged to him until his death.
Tantallon Castle was formally owned by the Earls of Angus throughout the second half of the 16th century. During this time the fortress passed into the possession of different people many times and was facilitated by constant conflicts between the two kingdoms: England and Scotland.
The castle was captured in 1557 by the troops of Mary of Guise, who was the regent of Scotland. Queen Mary Stuart came to Tantallon in 1566. All Anguses left the fortress in 1588. The castle was sold by the Douglases in 1699.
A new siege fell on the fortress in 1639. At this time it belonged to the Catholics and the Bishops waged war against them. Another blow to the castle was made in 1651 when the English Revolution was underway and Oliver Cromwell’s troops attacked Tantallon, after which it surrendered. The last siege left the most brutal consequences and caused irreparable damage to the castle. The fortress was so badly destroyed that it was no longer possible to restore it.
Tantallon came under state guardianship in 1924. The castle underwent its first restoration since that time at the end of the 19th century. Today the remains of this mighty structure are protected by Historic Scotland.
