Belstane Castle
This tower house, near Carluke, Lanarkshire, was held by the
Livingstones, the Maxwells, the Lindsays and the Douglases.
The 'manor' of Belstane is first recorded in a grant to Ellen de
Quarantly by Robert the Bruce in 1312. The castle was attacked, and
the Livingstone women maltreated by Hay of Yester in 1585.
Livingstone himself was inside, dodging a rain of lead which came
through the window apertures.
Charter, dated at Whitehall, 24 May 1671 in favour of William
Lindsay of Belstane, his heirs and assignees, heritably and
irredeemably, of all and whole the five pound land of Belstane,
comprehending the lands of Bashaw, with tower, fortalice, manor
place, houses, biggings, yards, orchards, woods, coals, coalheughs,
limestone, muirs, mosses, meadows, tenants, tenantries, service of
free tenants, parts, pendicles, privileges and all their pertinents,
lying within the parish of Carluke and sheriffdom of Lanark.
William Lindsay was appointed one of the commissioners of excise
for the county in 1661. In May, 1671, he obtained a charter under
the great seal confirming to him the £5 land of Belstane,
comprehending the lands of Bashaw, which was ratified by parliament
in the following year.
In 1673, William Lindsay, elder of Belstain, and John
Lindsay, y thereof, disponed these lands to Sir Daniel Carmichael,
of Mauldslie. The elder and younger Lindsays married sisters,
daughters of Sir John Maxwell, of Calderwood and Mauldslie, by his
first wife, Isobel, daughter of Sir Alexander Hamilton, of Innerwick; but William must have been twice married,—for Margaret Muirhead, by a tack dated at Kinshaw, 16th August, 1678, describes
herself as "Relex" of William Lindsay, of Belstaine, and in her own
name let lands and limestone at Gair. Mr. Oliphant, minister of
Carluke, after his removal to Carstairs, prosecuted "Margaret
Muirhead, lady , belstane, and Archibald Gray in gair, Thomas and
William Grays his sons, tenants of the said lands, for arrears of
stipend for 1689-90-91-92." These facts establish, that Sir Daniel
Carmichael must have purchased Belstane with the burden of the
liferent of Margaret Muirhead to a certain portion of the lands.
James Lindsay, her son, and "Robert Norvall, Wryter, Carlouk,"
subscribe the tack to the Grays as witnesses.
Daniel
Carmichael, third son of John, Lord Carmichael, afterwards Earl of
Hyndford, succeeded to Bellstain in 1694, on his father, the heir of
conquest, renouncing in his favour (Decreet of adjudication).
Daniel Carmichael, his son, in 1712 succeeded (Retour of sp:
service), who, under the powers conferred on him by an Act of
Parliament passed in the nineteenth year of George II., sold
Belstane to Archibald, Duke of Douglas, in December, 1750, namely,
"All and Haill the five-pound land of Bellstain, comprehending
therein the lands of Bashaw, with the tower, fortalice, houses,
biggings, yeards, orchyeards, meadows, fishings, coalls, coalheughs,
lime and limestone, peats, mosses, muirs, parts, pendicles, and
pertinents thereof, lying within the parochine of Carlouck."
The Duke of Douglas entailed these lands in July 1761, and died the
same year.
I would welcome further
information on the 'castle'.
Location: NS 850515
Sources
Sources for this article include:
• Notices, Historical, Statistical and Biographical, Relating to
the Parish of Carluke, from 1288 Till 1874
Errors and Omissions
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