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Andrew
Spratt contributes:
North
of the East Lothian village of East Linton on a rocky mound a few
fragmented walls remain of Markle castle, with the shell of a
1300's tower and a 1500's hall house to the east forming a small
courtyard. The entire site was originally surrounded by a
fortified ditch which helped highlight it's position. There was a
village of Markle. But it has long since vanished, so too have the
monastic buildings mentioned in early accounts.
The
castle name Markle originally 'Merkill' has one claim to fame
which pre-dates the castle and goes back to 832 A.D. The hillside
of 'Merkill' was where the Scots/Picts army under King Angus
rested while watching the approach of King Athel and his Southern
'English' raiders (some accounts call them 'Saxons' or even
'Angles'). King Athel was in hot pursuit of the Scots for having
stolen cattle, women and children from Northumberland which was
regarded as 'Saxon' raiding ground. In this whole affair the poor
people of Northumberland were the innocent victims caught between
the Scots from the North and the 'Saxons' from the south. This was
a pattern which would repeat itself in the border land wars of the
15th and 16th centuries.
As
King Angus withdrew from 'Merkill' over the ford some distance
east of the present day Athelstaneford village, the clouds above
formed a diagonal cross. Angus took this to be a good omen and in
the ensuing battle of Athelstaneford, King Athel was killed and
the 'Saxons' defeated. With this event the white cross on blue was
adopted as Scotland's banner and Saint Andrew as Scotland's Saint.
The name Athelstaneford is said to come from King Athel being
killed stone dead at the ford and 'Merkill' is said to come from a
miracle where the clouds formed a cross in the sky.
The
background history to Markle castle like the ruin is very sparse,
although it is closely inter-linked with Hailes
castle which was held by the Dunbars, the Hepburns and the
Stewarts. It was the Hepburns who first raised a tower of Markle
in the late 1300's.The Hepburns were descended from a Northumbrian
knight 'Adam de Hepburne' who in 1271was captured in battle by
Lord Dunbar, Earl of March. Later 'Hepburne' saved Lord Dunbar
from a wild horse and was rewarded by marrying Lord Dunbar's
daughter and becoming a Dunbar vassal Lord holding Hailes castle
which encompassed the lands of 'Merkill'.
The
Hepburns rose from vassaldom in the 1400's to become powerful
Lothian Lairds in their own right, holding the castles of Hailes
,Markle, Waughton,a
town house at Haddington, St Martins and Nunraw tower. Branches of
the family in the 1500's held Bolton, Beanston, Humbie, Monkrigg,
Morham tower and Smeaton tower. This rise ended abruptly with
James Hepburn 4th Earl of Bothwell, 'Mary's Bothwell', third
husband of Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1567),chief instigator in the
assassination of Lord Darnley, Mary's second husband. After the
defeat of Mary's forces at Carberry hill and then Langside,
Hepburn fled to Scandinavia where he died insane in the prison of
Dragsholm castle. Hailes castle and Markle then passed to the
Stewart Earls of Bothwell.
Markle
castle was attacked on two occasions. First in 1401 by George
Dunbar exiled owner of Dunbar
castle with the aid of the English Knight 'Hotspur' Percy.
Secondly it was burnt in 1544 by the Earl of Hereford's men during
the wars of the 'Rough Wooing' where by use of force the English
hoped to bring about the marriage of the infant Mary Queen of
Scots to the English Prince Edward.
In
1396,George Dunbar, Earl of March's daughter Elizabeth was married
to Prince David. However, Archibald the 'Grim' 3rd Earl of Douglas
secretly suggested to King Robert III of Scots (1390-1406) that
the marriage should be abandoned in favor of his daughter Marjory.
To this end, the King, totally out of character, massed an army at
Haddington with 'Black' Douglas support and besieged Dunbar castle
"in connection with the irregular marriage of his son and a
daughter of the Earl of March". The King also invoked the
wrath of the church, claiming the marriage had gone ahead before
the permission of Pope XIII had officially been given.
The
siege dragged on into February 1397 when George Dunbar obtained a
safe-conduct order from King Richard II of England (1377-1399) for
himself and one hundred of his household to travel and reside in
England for six months. On the 10th of March, the Pope dissolved
the marriage, ending the King's assault on Dunbar castle.
Surprisingly, Dunbar returned to his castle bearing the King no
ill-will since he was under the misconception that when enough
time had passed and the Pope gave his blessing, Prince David would
officially re-marry his daughter. Dunbar seemed to be totally
oblivious to Archibald's scheme.
In
1400, the news broke of Prince David's proposed marriage to
Archibald's daughter. Angered by this insult to his daughter,
Dunbar challenged the King to "keep his agreement with him,
or he would arrange for something unheard of and unusual to be
done in the Kingdom." The marriage went ahead despite
Dunbar's threats and, to add insult to injury, Prince David made
the Master of Douglas (Archibald's son) lifetime keeper of
Edinburgh castle, effectively turning it into a 'Black' Douglas
stronghold within striking distance of Dunbar's Lothian lands and
his principal seat, Dunbar castle itself.
Dunbar
met with several of his vassalmen, including the Hepburns,
divulging his plans to switch allegiance from King Robert III to
King Henry IV of England (1399-1413). He commanded them to return
to their respective castles and prepare for war, in case King
Robert's forces attacked. George Dunbar then left his castle
defended by his nephew Maitland of Lethington (Lennoxlove tower)
while he and one hundred of his men traveled to England to offer
to offer his services as a soldier, including the use of such
castles as Billie, Cockburnspath and Dunbar itself as staging
posts for any planned invasion of Scotland. 'Hotspur' Percy was
about to take Dunbar up on his offer when news came that Dunbar
castle had been attacked by the Master of Douglas, acting in King
Robert's name. To save bloodshed, Maitland had thrown open the
gates and surrendered on reasonable terms, since Dunbar's family
were courteously allowed time to pack up their belongings and
leave. Billie castle and Cockburnspath tower were still in Dunbar
hands unlike Hailes castle and Markle castle as their keepers, the
Hepburns had sided with the Douglases.
In
reply, King Henry with Dunbar and 'Hotspur' invaded Scotland
besieging Edinburgh castle which was defended by Archibald the
'Grim' and his son-in-law, Prince David the Duke of Rothesay. The
siege proved ineffective and Henry declined David's offer of ten
or twenty of their best men to fight to the death to settle the
outcome of the siege, since Henry had superior numbers and time on
his side. Though his camp was heckled by the Master of Douglas
with the help of the Ramsays of Dalhousie
castle near Bonnyrigg. During these raids, the Master of
Douglas discovered Prince David's uncle, the Stewart Duke of
Albany, with a large army nearby. But Albany refused to join in
the assaults on the English camp. Likely he wanted Edinburgh
castle to fall and Prince David to be killed or captured so he
would be a step closer to seizing the throne from his weak willed
brother King Robert III. As these camp raids continued Henry, at
Dunbar's insistence sent a task force to besiege Dalhousie. Both
sieges of Edinburgh and Dalhousie were suddenly abandoned when
reports came that Owen of Glendower, the self-styled Prince of
Wales had revolted against his English over Lords and was
attacking Caerphilly castle. Henry and his entire army marched
quickly south to Wales to prevent Owen's rebellion from gaining
support and to save Caerphilly, a key symbol of English domination
over the Welsh.
In
1401,Dunbar and 'Hotspur' with 2,000 men made a lightning raid
into the Lothians burning down Markle castle and village along
with the villages of Traprain and Hailes. The castle of Hailes
proved too strong stoutly defended by the Hepburns who, as
ex-Dunbar vassals, recognized Lord Dunbar would give them no
quarter making their resistance all the more determined. Today the
ruin of Hailes castle below Traprain law appears a weak site.
However, in the 1400,the Traprain burn was dammed back, trapping
rainwater from the hillside and flooding the castle ditches on
three sides before cascading down on the river Tyne which
protected the north side. Dunbar and 'Hotspur' made two
unsuccessful assaults on the castle before making camp for the
night, planning to attack again at first light.
In
the darkness, disguising his small numbers, Archibald 4th Earl of
Douglas with an 'armed force' from Edinburgh castle threw the
English camp into total confusion. The Hepburns raced out from
their castle to join in the slaughter which ensued. Somehow Dunbar
and 'Hotspur' escaped with 'loss of camp and booty.' The remaining
English fled to Cockburnspath tower but this was soon stormed by
the Scots and captives taken. Others fled to Berwick where one
knight, Thomas Talbot, tried to make a stand against the pursuing
Douglases before the town walls, but was unhorsed and his banner
taken as a trophy.
In
June 1402,the Hepburns with about 500 horsemen raided the north of
England. On their return, they were engaged and defeated at the
second battle of Nisbet near Duns by Dunbar and 'Hotspur'. At
first the battle was favourable to the Scots but at the last
moment Dunbar's son arrived with reinforcements from Berwick
castle, winning the day for the English. Dunbar then executed
Patrick Hepburn, son of Hepburn of Hailes and Markle. A few months
later Dunbar and 'Hotspur' defeated the Douglases at the battle of
Homildon hill near Wooler. With his old scores settled George
Dunbar returned to the Scots side in 1409 and was given back his
castle of Dunbar by the Duke of Albany, who was ruling as
'Governor' of Scotland while King James I of Scots (1406-1437) was
held captive by the English.
In
1434,Adam Hepburn of Hailes and Markle with William the 'Red'
Douglas of Tantallon castle near North
Berwick, seized Dunbar castle by royal decree when the Dunbars
once again fell from favour. The Dunbars fled to England calling
for help in regaining Dunbar castle by force of arms. This help
materialised in the spring of 1435 when Sir Robert Ogle, the
Governor of Berwick, with the Percies and 1,600 men marched north
to take Dunbar. However, he was met and defeated by the Hepburns,
the Douglases and the Ramsays of Dalhousie at the battle of
Piperdean just short of Cockburnspath tower.
In
1544 Markle was burnt by the English along with several other
Lothian castles. However, in the invasion of 1547 when the same
castles were burnt Markle is not mentioned. It could be that the
Hepburns left Markle a burnt out shell, while they concentrated
their forces at Hailes and Waughton. During the 1547 invasion the
Hailes gunners released a great barrage on the English army of
16,000 men as they crossed the valley. This was ignored, so the
daring Hepburns then charged out to attack the rear of the convoy
almost capturing the Earl of Warwick, before being chased by
superior numbers.
With
the English re-invasion of 1548 Hailes and Waughton
were both captured, but yet again no mention of Markle. In 1588
Markle castle reappears in the 'Register of the Great Seal of
Scotland' when it was held by the Stewarts. So sometime between
the end of the 'Rough Wooing' wars in 1550 and 1588 Markle was
rebuilt. Markle is last shown in the 'Great Seal' in 1635 but as
to its condition in 1650-51 during Cromwell's destruction of
Lothian castles no record exist. Some time between 1635 and the
1700's Markle became a quarry. The fact that anything remains of
Markle castle considering the actions of the Hepburns and its
position on an ancient invasion route is in itself a 'Merkill' or
miracle.
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