east-lothian-1924/05-091

Transcription

DUNBAR.] -- INVENTORY OF MONUMENTS IN EAST LOTHIAN. -- [DUNBAR.

the defender with a fortified position where one
was required ; it only left open a sea-gate to
the Lothians. Therefore, when war occurred
in 1496, James IV. found it advisable again to
construct a castle at Dunbar. On 10 March
1497 Sir Andrew Wood got £5 to buy lime
for the building of Dunbar. Early in April the
King himself was at the place and quarriers
were at work preparing stones, clearing the
site that the masons might get to work and
" wynning " the well. The mason work was
in the hands of Walter Merlioune, one of a
family of masons employed by the King, and
in April the " forwork " was in hand. During
April payments were being made to Sir Andrew
Wood for the work at Dunbar. Roofing beams
for " Hannis toure," and other beams and
rafters were being bought and forwarded to
the building. Hans was one of the King's
gunners, a Dutchman apparently. In May,
gate nails and " dowbil byspikars " for the
" yettis," door nails, and " gret wraklin nalis "
were being provided, with 200 " seme and
ruffis " i.e. bolts and rivets for " the yet of
Dunbar," while Thom Barker had to go down
to take the measure of the iron gate " to mak
it." The doors were hung by " bands " on
" crukis " of iron. A chamber was built after
the measurements of the King's chambers at
Edinburgh. There was also a pended or
vaulted Hall. In August Hans Tower was
being roofed. Not, however, till 1501, when
the buildings apparently were completed, do
we hear of the " iron windows " being got
ready. A chapel dedicated to St. John was
also built.4
In the next reign Dunbar Castle was possessed
by John, Duke of Albany, " Governor of
Scotland " during the minority of James V.
He is said to have been built " in the samin ane
great stane house and insche callit the uttwart
blokehouse and garnist it with artaillze pulder
and bullattis."5 This ' blockhouse ' may be
identified with the round structure (marked
" Fort " on the O.S. map) on what would
have been an isolated mass (" insche "=
island) before being linked up with the rest by
a bridge. In 1547 the English considered the
occupation of Dunbar as an alternative to
Haddington (cf. Introd. p. xxiv) : it was later
urged by Lord Grey that " a great part of
Dunbar town is beyond danger of shot, and if

27

fortified may ' inrynge the castle and some part
mak it.' "6 In 1558 it was reported that " the
castle is old, full of old buildings, and whoever
is stronger on land could batter it with 10 or
12 pieces and gain it."7 But in the spring of
1560 the castle was refortified by the French
and was thereafter declared to be " mare ample
by the dowbill then it was off before and
capable " of 500 men at least more than it
could contain before.8 These French fortifi-
cations were probably in the main of earth,
as might be expected, and had to be destroyed
in accordance with the Treaty of Leith (6 July
1560) where the reference is to " rasing the
new buildings at Dunbar."9 The work was
allotted to East Lothian barons and lairds,
each group of these with their tenants and
vassals accounting for the demolition of so
much, the details of which are specified as
" rampire," counterscrap, " great platfourme,"
" flanker," " blockhowse." Included is the
" ditch from the castle cross (cf. Art. No. 38)
to the captain's garden."10 No houses are
mentioned. It was to the Castle that Queen
Mary fled from the murderers of Riccio ; also
to the same place, Bothwell, who had just been
appointed Keeper, brought the Queen after
seizing her and her company near Edinburgh
(April 24, 1567). Thereafter it was ordered by
Parliament to be demolished ; its recon-
struction had been costly, it was again becoming
ruinous and would require inconvenient ex-
penditure to put in repair, while it was in
any case " unprofitable to the realm and not
able to defend the enemies thereof in case the
same were assaulted."11
Until October 21, 1869, when it was thrown
down by a high gale, there stood on the site
a considerable piece of wall with a large doorway,
above which was a group of panels carved with
arms forming " what must originally have been
a splendid example of mediaeval sculpture."12
The high central panel bore a lion rampant
within a bordure of roses having an elaborate
crest above, which, in 1868, was much decayed
but which Miller says (1830) shows a " horse's
head bridled." On the dexter a shield con-
tained three legs conjoined for the Isle of Man,
while that on the sinister displayed the saltire
and chief of Annandale. As George the 10th
Earl of Dunbar (d. 1416) was the first to bear
the central arms, while Annandale had gone to