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Torwood Castle is an L-shaped mid 16th century tower house built in the
vicinity of an earlier 13th century castle, where Robert the Bruce and
his arch rival John Comyn would meet as joint guardians of Scotland.
This later castle is furnished with with defensive shot-holes to reflect
the military technology of its time.
The roofless castle is three
storeys tall and comprises a vaulted ground floor, a first floor and an
attic. The short wing housed the staircase and has gables at its north
and south ends. It had a cobbled courtyard enclosed by three ranges of
buildings, although little remains of them. Two rooms of the north range
were excavated in 1999, revealing a kitchen and a well room.
This
is not a 'Douglas castle', but does feature in our history.
The
castle is located at the end of a long track from the main road, where
with consideration you can park. There is a woodland track that that you
to nearby Tappoch Broch which is also well worth exploring.
The
estate was held originally by the Foresters of Garden, who were the
foresters responsible for the nearby Royal Forest of Tor Wood from the
second half of the 15th century until the mid-17th century. Based on the
date found on a carved stone panel found not far from the castle in
1918, the castle has been estimated as being built around 1566 for Sir
Alexander Forrester. It passed to Clan Baillie in the early 16th century
and then to George, 1st Lord Forrester in 1635.
Timeline
1314 ~ Tor Wood is used as camp and gathering place for Scottish
soldiers led by James Douglas, one of the commanders of the army of King
Robert the Bruce, before the Battle of Bannockburn.
1463 ~ Clan
Forrester are made the hereditary keepers of the Royal Forest of Tor
Wood by King James III of Scotland.
1480 ~ Sir Duncan Forrester is
awarded the important position of Keeper of nearby Stirling Castle.
1566 ~ Alexander Forrester, keepers of Tor Wood for royal hunting; the provision of timber for the King; builds himself an L-plan tower
house.
1585 ~ The Earls of Angus and Mar capture the castle as they
prepare to take Stirling Castle
1635 ~ The estates pass to Lord
Forrester of Corstorphine, who reconstructs the rectangular forecourt of
ancillary buildings on the north side of the castle.
1650's ~ The
next owner is James Baillie of Castlecary who marries Lord Forrester's
third daughter and so inherits both castle and title. However, he is
obliged to sell off the estate by Oliver Cromwell to meet his enforced
debts, due to his family's support for the Royalist cause. James had
been fined £2,500 by Cromwell, whose troops had caused significant damage
to his estate.
1660's ~ With Torwood still in his possession, James's
financial situation is dire, and he is recorded as having become a
depressed alcoholic.
1679 ~ James refuses to return from his heavy
drinking spree for a meeting and is stabbed to death with his own sword
by his niece after a quarrel over the matter. This tragedy being a crime
of passion since he had previously seduced his niece.
1698 ~ James's
nephew William is forced to sell Torwood Castle due to the family's
massive debts.
1748 ~ The Torwood estate is sold to the Dundas
family.
1817 ~ The castle is recorded as 'in ruins'.
In the
late 20th century, the Torwood Castle Charitable Trust was established "to
preserve and conserve for the benefit of the public generally and of
students of architecture, history, archaeology and art, in particular
the ruinous buildings of what was Torwood Castle; b) to advance the
education of the public about the history and culture of the Castle and
the persons who inhabited it and its environs throughout the centuries".
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