- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1300 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 56.2008°, -3.3918°
History
The island stronghold was probably built around 1300. During the Wars of Scottish Independence it withstood two English sieges, in 1301 and 1335; on the second occasion the defenders broke by night the dam the English had built to raise the loch, flooding their camp. In the 14th or early 15th century a five-storey tower house was added, and in 1390 King Robert II granted the castle to Sir Henry Douglas, whose descendants, the Douglases of Lochleven, held it for centuries. In June 1567 the captive Queen Mary was brought here, and on 24 July she was forced to abdicate in favour of her one-year-old son James. On 2 May 1568 she escaped with the help of George and Willie Douglas. In 1675 the architect Sir William Bruce bought the castle and made it the focal point of the garden of his new house on the shore; it was never lived in again and fell into ruin.
What to see
The castle is reached by boat from Kinross. The small island holds a five-storey tower house surrounded by stretches of curtain wall, and the ruins of a round tower where Mary is traditionally said to have lived. The loch is a nature reserve and an important wintering ground for geese and ducks. The site is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q514388
Popularity: articles about this site in 19 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).