Zamek Bothwell, Scottish guides, Historic Investigations
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Bothwell Castle is one of
Scotland’s largest 13th
century castles. It was
captured and recaptured,
many times during the Wars
of Independence.
INVESTIGATING
BOTHWELL CASTLE
Information for Teachers
INVESTIGATING
HISTORIC SITES
BOTHWELL CASTLE
2
Timeline
1242
Walter of Moray
begins creating a mighty
castle at Bothwell.
1296 - 1314
Castle
changes hands four
times until Edward
Bruce destroys much
of it in 1314 to prevent
future use by the
English.
Bothwell Castle is one of Scotland’s
largest 13th century castles. Its
strategic location meant it became
a key location during the Wars of
Independence, being captured and
recaptured many times in dramatic
circumstances. The castle
provides an excellent opportunity
for investigation of the Wars of
Independence and medieval castle
life.
The English then surrendered the castle
to the Scots, led by Edward Bruce, after
the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It
was recaptured during the second
Wars of Independence in 1336, when it
briely became the headquarters of King
Edward III. In March 1337 a Scots army,
under Sir Andrew Murray of Bothwell,
took the castle once again. Though
this was Murray’s ancestral home, he
ensured much of the mighty donjon
was destroyed for fear it might fall into
enemy hands once again, leaving it
much as you see it today.
1336
Edward III occupies
and rebuilds Bothwell.
It briely becomes his
HQ as he tries to regain
control of Scotland.
Historical background
Building of this mighty castle began with
Walter of Moray after 1242. Repeated
invasions and sieges meant that the
original design was never completed
and what you see today is largely the
work of the Earls of Douglas from the
years around 1400.
By the late 1300s the castle had passed
to the Earls of Douglas. They repaired
and extended Bothwell Castle. By
1424 they had constructed the two
residential towers and a range between
them which included the Great Hall.
They connected the rest of the castle
with curtain walls.
1337
Scots recapture
castle with aid of a
great siege engine.
Once again the castle is
dismantled.
1362
Archibald (“the
Grim”), Third Earl of
Douglas begins building
an impressive fortress-
residence.
The present castle is roughly
rectangular. At one end is the massive
donjon with an adjoining prison tower,
which was the original part of the castle.
The other end of the castle comprises
the Great Hall, and the remains of two
towers.
Bothwell Castle was the property of the
Crown through much of the 1500s, and
in 1669 it passed to the Earls of Forfar.
In the late 1600s they abandoned the
castle in favour of Bothwell House, a
large mansion built nearby. Ironically
the castle has outlasted this house,
which had to be demolished in 1926.
1455-1492
The castle
reverts to the crown,
then to the First Earl of
Bothwell, then to the
Red Douglas family.
The castle played a key role during the
Wars of Independence when it changed
hands several times.
1500s and 1600s
The
castle continues to
change hands. In late
1600s the owner,
Archibald Douglas,
begins building Bothwell
House nearby, as an
alternative residence.
1935
Over the years the
castle falls out of use
and by 1935 is placed in
State care.
In 1296 Edward I invaded Scotland
and captured Bothwell Castle. By this
time only the donjon and prison tower
had been completed. The Scots then
starved out the English garrison in a 14
month siege in 1298-9. In 1301 Edward
I returned with a huge army and a siege
tower, specially constructed to access
the top of the donjon. The siege lasted
just three weeks before the English took
the castle for the second time.
In 1935 Bothwell Castle was placed
in the care of the State, and today it is
cared for by Historic Scotland.
Bothwell under seige
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
BOTHWELL CASTLE
3
Before the visit:
made any changes to the house? If so,
why? Discuss how wind and weather can
affect the look of a building as well as the
deliberate changes that people choose to
make to buildings.
Supporting learning
and teaching
Help pupils gain a clearer grasp of the
timescale by making a timeline with
them, counting back the centuries
and then marking on key events. This
could be added to after the visit.
A visit to Bothwell Castle is
particularly appropriate for
teachers working on such
popular classroom study
topics as:
Working on site
Discuss with pupils all the different
activities that would have gone on
in a castle. Pupils could research
different topics (e.g. food, travel,
entertainment, weapons, defences) to
prepare them for the visit.
When exploring the castle, pupils should
be encouraged to look critically at what
they see, and to make and test theories
based on physical evidence.
• Castles
• The Middle Ages
Useful starting points are:
• The Wars of
Independence
• Why do you think the castle was built
here? What are its natural defences?
It is helpful if pupils know some
of the architectural terminology
of castles as this makes discussion
on site easier. Useful words might
include:
courtyard, chamber,
latrine, portcullis, archway, arrow
slits, dungeon, siege, moat, and
drawbridge
. Pupils could develop a
class illustrated dictionary to explain
these terms.
A visit, and use of the
supporting materials, will
help to:
• What materials were used to build the
castle?
develop successful learners
by challenging pupils
to consider how life has
changed for people. It will
help them to think critically
about evidence and arrive at
their own conclusions.
• What evidence is there for everyday
life?
• How do you think the castle has
changed over the years?
Pupils could record evidence by:
develop conident
individuals.
Pupils wilI
learn about aspects of their
community’s past, develop
an understanding of social
changes, establish some
of their own values and
communicate their views
on different historical and
social issues.
Though you may not be studying the
Wars of Independence, it might help
if pupils were familiar with some of
these names and ideas attached to
the castle’s history:
William Wallace,
Robert the Bruce, Edward I, II and III,
Bannockburn.
• Taking notes.
• Sketching.
• Taking photographs.
• Recording impressions into a tape
recorder.
Suggestions for follow-up work
The idea of a siege should be explored
and discussed, as so much of what
makes Bothwell Castle exciting relates
to siege and siege breaking. There
is plenty of good evidence on site
relating to defending and attacking
castles. Discuss with pupils the range
of ways that castles could be attacked
and defended and consider suitable
sites for building a castle.
Following the visit, pupils can pool their
indings in groups to create a fuller
record of the castle and the lives of the
people who lived and worked there.
This could form the basis for a range of
presentation activities, for example:
develop responsible
citizens
It will help to
increase pupils’ social
and historical knowledge
and understanding and
encourage greater respect
for their own historic and
built environment.
• A guide book or promotional lealet for
future visitors.
develop effective
contributors
by broadening
pupils’ knowledge and
understanding through
investigative, creative and
critical thinking.
• A slide show with commentary of their
visit.
Some children ind it hard to imagine
that a castle was ever anything other
than a ruin. Discuss how buildings
change with age – does the house
they live in look the same now as it
did a few years ago? Has their family
• Imaginative writing based on the lives
of the inhabitants of the castle.
• A series of drama sketches showing
different snapshots of life in the castle
through the ages.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
BOTHWELL CASTLE
4
Plan of Bothwell Castle
Tour of Bothwell
Castle
Bothwell Castle provides
an opportunity for
classes to explore many
aspects of castle life. The
largely intact donjon
and defences can allow
them to consider the
sieges of the Wars of
Independence, while
the Great Hall, chapel
and prison tower offer
an insight into the many
functions of a medieval
castle. A suggested tour
takes in ive key locations,
marked on the plan
below:
2
3
1
5
4
1. The Central Courtyard
2. The Donjon
3. The Prison Tower and
South Curtain Wall
4. The Chapel and
South-East Tower
5. The Great Hall
Background information
is given in this pack for
each location. It is written
in fairly simple language
so that it can be read
aloud to pupils if desired.
Also included are
suggested questions for
discussion. The focus is
on encouraging pupils
to interpret the building
and deduce what they
can from clues they see
around them. Allow
about an hour for the
suggested tour.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
BOTHWELL CASTLE
5
Did you know...
Tour notes
Enter the castle through the main entrance and take up a position in the centre of
the courtyard (the main grassy area)
When the English king,
Edward I, laid siege
to the castle he had a
massive siege engine
built in Glasgow, called a
‘belfry’. Special bridges
had to be built to get it
to Bothwell Castle and it
took two days to get here.
However, it proved very
effective and the castle
was quickly captured.
Location 1: The Central Courtyard
Background information for teachers. This can be read to pupils.
• Orientation. These are the areas that we are going to visit – the
donjon
, the
prison tower
, the
living quarters
, the
chapel
and the
Great Hall
.
• It is important to remember that these were all built at different times and that
the castle developed in stages.
• The oldest part of the castle is the
donjon
and
prison tower
, which was built by
the irst owner, Walter of Moray. You have to imagine that these were all that
would have been here during the time of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
• If you were an attacking army, you would have been standing right here, trying to
get inside the big tower in front of us – the donjon.
Teacher prompts
Desired pupil responses
Look carefully at the defences. What
barriers would you have to face to get inside
the donjon?
Moat, drawbridge, arrow
slits, gate, machicolations,
thick walls, wall walk, ighting
platform at top.
How might you try to attack the castle?
Own suggestions
(siege weapons etc.)
Central Courtyard
Note:
For exploration of the donjon, it is advisable to take a group of no more than 15
pupils, as parts of the building are steep and narrow. For this part of the tour you might
want to split the class in two. One group could be exploring the donjon, while the other
half explores the castle exterior. Those exploring the castle exterior could be looking for
speciic evidence of :
• the castle defences – including the remains of the original 13th century castle in
the grounds
• how they might attack the castle
• the latrine exits
• coats of arms
• changes over time
Belfry
• reasons for choice of location
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
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