The village of Dirleton is dominated by the imposing
remains of Dirleton Castle, which dates from the 12th century.
Dirleton Castle History
Ruinous since Cromwell's unwelcome attentions in the 17th century, it
was once the heart of the major Scottish estates of the De Vaux and Halliburton
families.
In the 12th century, the Norman family of De Vaux were gifted this
part of Scotland under the patronage of David I. Under the civilising and pious influence of
his English wife, Margaret, he was attempting to infuse his primitive subjects with more
cultured interests.
The De Vaux built the castle around 1270, just in time to be occupied
by the English for 20 years during Scotland's War of Independence. It was recaptured by The
Bruce in the aftermath of William ("Braveheart") Wallace's struggles to free his
country.
The castle then passed to Haliburton family, who extensively rebuilt
it throughout the 15th century. In the chaos of loyalties that surrounded the era of Mary Queen
of Scots, the Dirleton Castle was forfeit around 1566 and passed to the
Ruthven family who were soon embroiled in dark deeds like the Ruthven Raid and the Gowrie
conspiracy.
By 1650, military works of this nature had become obsolete and the
final blow to its usefulness was made by Cromwell's General Monk who stormed the place in 1660
to eliminate moss troopers who were using as a base.
Dirleton Castle Map&Location
Address: Dirleton Castle and Gardens, Dirleton EH39 5ER, United
Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided bellow:
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