More on the Dalkeith House Itself

Having been here for over a week now, and gaining a sense of place, I thought I would add some imformation about the house and grounds that I have been discovering over the past week.

The place itself has had a castle on it since at least 1122 and the structure that stood here was built by William Graham and the Graham Family; although many writers suggest that a "castle like" structure probaly existed on this spot for at least 100 years prior to this date.

There is a long story that includes many dates, names, kings, murders, and battles that goes something like this:


In 1369 Sir James Douglas I, Lord of Dalkeith, succeds his uncle William, with a charter from David II, to become one of the wealthiest men in the Kindom. By the time his grandson, James 'weak of mind' Douglas the III came along, he had screwed things up and was murdered by King James II and his army attacked the castle, which withstood that seige, but was later destroyed by the Black Douglases in revenge for opposition to the king.


I'll speed it up a bit and hit some of the highlights.

-James married Joan, daughert of King James I, 1456

-Their son bcomes Earl of Morton, 1493

-He married King James V's half sister Katherine Stuart

and kept many prisoners in the castle's dungeon, 1500

- Castle besieged by King Henry VIII's Lord Grey, 1547-48

- King James VI of Scotland (Son of Mary, Queen of Scots) one of castle's chief residents, 1582
- Above resident became James I King of England
- Sir William Douglas 6th Earl of Morton takes over, 1589
- King Charles I purchased Dalkeith castle and strengthened its defenses, built a second drawbridge. The Civil Government of the country was conducted from here and housed the Regalia of Scotland (crown jewels etc..) until 1639
- General Leslie, a Scot, attacks and takes the castle, 1639
- Oliver Cromwell takes possesion of the castle, 1650
- Mary, elder daughter of Francis Scott, Countess of Buccleuch marries Water Scott (she is 11 he is 14)??!
Marey died at the age of 13 and is bured at Dalkeith. At age 12 her sister, Anne, marries 14 year old James, Duke of Monmouth, illegitimate son of King Charles II. They become Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Count and Countess of Dalkeith. The Duke is beheaded in 1685 ( a person couldn't make this stuff up!) for attempting to gain the throne from his uncle after his father's death. Anne returns to the Castle at Dalkeith and hires James Smith in 1701, Scotland's leading architect, to transform the castle into the Palace it is today.
- Francis 2nd Duke of Buccleuch, Anne's grandson, succeeds to Duke, 1732
- Francis marries Lady Elizabeth Montegue, 1751
- Some generations of Montague Douglas Scotts follow realatively uneventfully.
- Walter Francis John Montague Douglas Scott 9th Duke of Buccleuch and 11th Duke of Queensberry, Knight of Thistle, 1973 (This is the person who worked with Wisconsin in Scotland to start the program)
- Richard Montague Douglas Scott (Walter's Son) is current manager of property for family, 2007


Richard is undertaking some renovation of the place.  Two years ago he put a new roof (which is slate tile and lead) on the place, and now he is doing some landscaping.

The ravine down toward the river located behind the castle had grown into a forest over the last hundred years or so, and now it is being returned to it's original parklike setting by clearing the trees and re-shaping the side of the hill to allow residents to use the ravine as an amphi-theatre and picnic area near the river.

Up to castle from Montegue bridge and from castle down to Montegue bridge.

There are two branches of the River Esk that run on either side of the estate and converge on the south end of the property. The property's proximity to the rivers made it a natural settling place that experts surmise has been used by humans for at least 3,000 years.
 

The North Branch of the River Esk

 -

The South Branch of the River Esk



The majority of the grounds are open to the public as walking trails, but some of it is designated as pasture to livestock that live here as well.

There are many mature trees on the property including some monsters in "The Oak Grove" that feature original growth oak trees that date back up to 1,000 years! They're incredible.

 



Scots Pine











Weeping Willow

A little heavy on the pictures of the trees, but it was really an amazing evening when we came across the oak grove on an evening hike. We are finding out more about the place all the time. As two weeks in country approaches, our sense of place is increasing rapidly. We are becoming expert bus riders, after a couple of time consuming lessons early on. The long history found in Europe, in comparison to the realativly short history of America since Europea contact, is sometimes hard to grasp. 

We are becoming familiar withthe city of Edinburgh, the town of Dalkieth,  and the estate itself. The early perceptions of where we are have changed, and we look forward to how we will feel about this place months from now.

A final picture for this posting shows Denise sitting atop "Athur's Seat" - a 250m high hill (an ancient volcano core scoured by glaciation) that allows great 360 degree views of the city to the west, the Firth of Forth to the North, the Atlantic Ocean to the East, and to the South, pictured here, are the farmlands reaching out to the Dalkeith house in the Esk valley.