Ferniehirst Castle
Encyclopedia
Ferniehirst Castle is an L-shaped construction on the east bank of the Jed Water
, about a mile and a half south of Jedburgh
, in the Scottish Borders
area of Scotland
, and in the former county of Berwickshire
. It is an ancient seat of the Clan Kerr
, and after a period of institutional use it was restored by the 12th Marquess of Lothian in the late 20th century. It is currently used by his second son, Lord Ralph Kerr, who also owns Melbourne Hall
in Derbyshire, and is the heir presumptive to the marquessate as his brother the 13th Marquess (Michael Ancram
) has no sons.
The castle is open to the public without charge at limited times.
(or Kerr) family around 1470, was occupied by English
forces in 1547, but they were dislodged by a force of Sir John Ker's clansmen, and the Earl of Huntly
reinforced by French auxiliaries led by Captain Pierre Longue in February 1549. The gate was fired, then d'Essé
brought more artillery and the soldiers set about the wall with picks and mattocks. The French soldier Jean de Beaugué
described the recapture and the fate of the English captain and garrison. An English army led by the Duke of Rutland
recaptured the castle in June 1549, but the war was nearly over.
Ferniehirst was damaged by an English retaliatory raid in 1570, after Sir Thomas Ker had raided northern England, and again in 1573 by Queen Elizabeth's army on their way to Edinburgh Castle
. James VI
attacked the castle in 1593 as the Kers had assisted Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell, who had conspired against the king. The Kers were for a long period Wardens of the Middle and East Marches
. As the building had been undermined, reconstruction of the castle began in 1598.
The castle was unused in the 18th century, and re-roofed and repaired circa 1830, with a further major restoration of a part of it in 1890. It was used as a Youth Hostel from 1934 to 1984, apart from during the Second World War, when it was requisitioned as a billet for troops. In 1988 major repairs, restoration, and alterations were carried out, and the castle is once again a private home.
The Ker Chapel, dating from the 17th century, is part of the property. Probably originally a mortuary chapel, it was re-roofed in 1938 and had restrained conversion and repair in 1988.
. The stair is in a spiral, corbelled
out in the angle: apparently more for elegance than for necessity. There are many shot-holes
, allowing a wide angle for musket
fire, and of the more restricted shut-holes used for ventilation.
Ferniehirst also has a romantic array of conically-capped corner turrets. These - known as studies - are not primarily defensive: they open from the rooms of the upper floor. There is some renaissance
decoration around the windows and doors. The castle is approached through a classically-styled archway.
Jed Water
The Jed Water is a river and a tributary of the River Teviot in the Borders region of Scotland.In total Jed Water is over 20 miles long, it flows into the Teviot near Jedfoot Bridge from a source in the Cheviot Hills....
, about a mile and a half south of Jedburgh
Jedburgh
Jedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
, in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
area of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and in the former county of Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
. It is an ancient seat of the Clan Kerr
Clan Kerr
Clan Kerr is a Scottish clan that played an important role in the history of the Border country of Scotland.-Origins:The origins of the name Kerr are disputed as being either:*Caer *Ciar...
, and after a period of institutional use it was restored by the 12th Marquess of Lothian in the late 20th century. It is currently used by his second son, Lord Ralph Kerr, who also owns Melbourne Hall
Melbourne Hall
Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire, England was once the seat of the Victorian Prime Minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, and thus is the ultimate origin for the naming of Melbourne, Australia. The house is now the seat of Lord Ralph Kerr and Lady Kerr and is open to the public...
in Derbyshire, and is the heir presumptive to the marquessate as his brother the 13th Marquess (Michael Ancram
Michael Ancram
Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, PC, QC , known as Michael Ancram, is a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician. He is a member of the House of Lords, former Member of Parliament, and a former member of the Shadow Cabinet...
) has no sons.
The castle is open to the public without charge at limited times.
History
The original castle, built by the KerClan Kerr
Clan Kerr is a Scottish clan that played an important role in the history of the Border country of Scotland.-Origins:The origins of the name Kerr are disputed as being either:*Caer *Ciar...
(or Kerr) family around 1470, was occupied by English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
forces in 1547, but they were dislodged by a force of Sir John Ker's clansmen, and the Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman.-Biography:He was the son of John Gordon, Lord Gordon, and Margaret Stewart, daughter of James IV. George Gordon inherited his earldom and estates in 1524 at age 10...
reinforced by French auxiliaries led by Captain Pierre Longue in February 1549. The gate was fired, then d'Essé
André de Montalembert
André de Montalembert , Seigneur d'Essé, was a French noble man and officer of the 16th century. As a young boy he fought in the Italian Wars...
brought more artillery and the soldiers set about the wall with picks and mattocks. The French soldier Jean de Beaugué
Jean de Beaugué
Jean de Beaugué, was a French soldier who served in Scotland in the 1540s during the war of the Rough Wooing. He wrote a memoir of the fighting which, first published in 1556, is still an important source for historians...
described the recapture and the fate of the English captain and garrison. An English army led by the Duke of Rutland
Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland
Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland, 14th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG was the son of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. He also held the title of 14th Baron de Ros of Hamlake, a title to which he acceded in 1543....
recaptured the castle in June 1549, but the war was nearly over.
Ferniehirst was damaged by an English retaliatory raid in 1570, after Sir Thomas Ker had raided northern England, and again in 1573 by Queen Elizabeth's army on their way to Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
. James VI
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
attacked the castle in 1593 as the Kers had assisted Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell, who had conspired against the king. The Kers were for a long period Wardens of the Middle and East Marches
Scottish Marches
Scottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated...
. As the building had been undermined, reconstruction of the castle began in 1598.
The castle was unused in the 18th century, and re-roofed and repaired circa 1830, with a further major restoration of a part of it in 1890. It was used as a Youth Hostel from 1934 to 1984, apart from during the Second World War, when it was requisitioned as a billet for troops. In 1988 major repairs, restoration, and alterations were carried out, and the castle is once again a private home.
The Ker Chapel, dating from the 17th century, is part of the property. Probably originally a mortuary chapel, it was re-roofed in 1938 and had restrained conversion and repair in 1988.
Description
The shorter arm of this L-plan fortalice is the 16th century tower, containing the stair turretTurret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
. The stair is in a spiral, corbelled
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
out in the angle: apparently more for elegance than for necessity. There are many shot-holes
Embrasure
In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
, allowing a wide angle for musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
fire, and of the more restricted shut-holes used for ventilation.
Ferniehirst also has a romantic array of conically-capped corner turrets. These - known as studies - are not primarily defensive: they open from the rooms of the upper floor. There is some renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
decoration around the windows and doors. The castle is approached through a classically-styled archway.
See also
- List of castles in Scotland
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland
External links
- RCAHMS record of Ferniehirst
- RCAHMS record of Ferniehirst Castle
- SCRAN image: Ferniehirst Castle
- Gazetteer for Scotland: Ferniehirst Castle
- Beaugué, Jean de, Histoire de la guerre d'Écosse pendant les campagnes 1548 et 1549, Maitland Club, Edinburgh (1830), bk. 3 chp. 10, pp.101-103
- Beaugué, Jean de, History of the Campaigns of 1548 and 1549, (1707) pp.92-96