St Andrews Castle

Legend says that an angel appeared to the monk, St Rule, telling him to remove the bones of St Andrew to the "ends of the earth for safe keeping".  Leaving Constantinople, St Rule was shipwrecked on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, where he built a chapel for the relics of St Andrew.  The site went on to be known as St Andrews, and became the ecclesiastical centre of Scotland before the Protestant Reformation.  On a promontory that reaches into the North Sea and overlooks a small beach called Castle Sands, there has been a castle since 1189, when the son of the Earl Of Leicester, Bishop Roger, constructed the original one. 

Once constructed, the castle became a place to house the wealthy and powerful bishops of the Burgh.  It was known as the Archbishop's Palace.  In 1296, following the Sack of Berwick by Edward I of England, St Andrews Castle was captured and became a place of residence for the English King in 1303.  The Battle of Bannockburn, a significant event in the War of Scottish Independence and the subsequent Scottish victory in 1314, saw the castle taken by Bishop William Lambert, a staunch supporter of Robert the Bruce.

By the 1330s, the English had yet again captured St Andrews Castle and, in an attempt to keep it, they reinforced its defences in 1336.  Following a three-week siege, Sir Andrew Moray, the regent of Scotland, a prominent figure in the Scottish War of Independence whose father was a comrade of William Wallace, recaptured the castle.  In 1336-37, it was decided by the Scots that St Andrews Castle needed to be destroyed to prevent it falling back into English hands and providing a military stronghold for them.

The castle remained a ruin until the 1400s, when it was rebuilt by Bishop William Trial.  He completed the work on the castle, but died within a year of the castle being completed.  The castle became a place where royalty stayed.  James I of Scotland lodged at the castle while receiving his education from Bishop Henry Wardlow, who was the founder of St Andrews University in 1401.  The Bishop James Kennedy, trusted advisor of James II, resided in St Andrews Castle and, in 1445, James III of Scotland was born in the castle.

St Andrews Castle was also used as a prison.  The likes of David Stuart, the Duke of Rothesay, Duke Murdoch and Archbishop Patrick Graham were imprisoned in the castle.  The castle was known for its  notorious "bottle dungeon": a dark pit, with no fresh air, cut out of solid rock.  John Knox, the Scottish Reformer, said of the "bottle dungeon" that, "Many of God's children were imprisoned here."  During the Scottish Reformation, St Andrews Castle became the centre of religious persecution. 

The Archbishop of Glasgow, James Beaton, won the seat of Glasgow in 1521 and took up residence in the castle.  With the obviously growing tensions between the English Protestants and the Scottish Catholics, Beaton decided to reinforce the castle's fortifications.  It was at the hand of Archbishop James Beaton that Scottish Churchman and Protestant Reformer, Patrick Hamilton, was accused of heresy and burnt at the stake.  It was said that it took 6 hours for the execution to be complete, and Hamilton's suffering from noon 'til 6pm attracted many to the doctrines for which he had been martyred. 

In 1538, the wealthy and powerful nephew of James Beaton succeeded his uncle.  Cardinal David Beaton was an ambitious man who was strongly opposed to the marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to Prince Edward, later Edward VI, son and heir of Henry VIII.  This opposition resulted in growing tension, and new fighting ignited in 1544. 

Scottish Protestants became viewed as aligned with the English and therefore dangerous.  In 1546, Cardinal Beaton imprisoned the Protestant preacher, George Wishart, in the castle's Sea Tower.  Cardinal Beaton had Wishart burnt at the stake, a spectacle he was said to have sat and enjoyed from the comfort of the castle.  Supporters and friends of Wishart conspired against the Cardinal and, disguised as masons, entered the castle.  They murdered Cardinal Beaton, and were said to have hung his naked body from the castle, some say, suspended by one arm and one leg, in reference to the cross of St Andrew.

As a result of this murder, the Protestants took refuge in the castle.  A long siege ensued, during which a mine was dug by the attackers and a counter-mine was dug by the defenders.  Both mines went through solid rock.  Following rumours that Henry VIII was sending assistance to the besieged Protestants, Scottish Regent James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran, asked Lairds like John Wemyss to assist with the battle.  The invasion, however, never came.

In 1547, an armistice was declared, and Scottish Reformer, John Knox, was able to enter the castle as the Garrison's preacher.  A French fleet ended this period of peace, arriving with Italian engineer and member of the famed Strozzi family of Florence, Leone Strozzi.  A devastating attack was directed at the castle under the guidance of Strozzi.  In just six hours, the Protestants were taken from St Andrews castle.  Some were imprisoned in France, while some, like John Knox, were chained in the French galleys.  Knox served 19 months chained in a French ship, forced to row all day.  It's unclear how he attained his freedom, but he went on to become the founder of the Presbyterian denomination in Scotland.

St Andrews Castle was subsequently rebuilt by Archbishop John Hamilton.  The successor to Cardinal Beaton, he was the illegitimate son of Regent Arran.  With the death of John Hamilton, the castle was occupied by various constables and, in 1606, parliament separated the castle from the Archbishopric, and awarded the castle to the Earl of Dunbar. 

In 1612, it was returned to the Archbishop George Gledstone.  The office of Bishop became eroded and, in 1689, William of Orange, the sovereign Prince of Orange since birth, the stadholder of the Dutch Republic and King William II of England, Ireland and Scotland, affectionately known as King Billy, abolished the office of Bishop.

By 1656, St Andrews Castle had fallen into disrepair and it was decided that, instead of rebuilding it, the materials from its structure should be used to repair the St Andrews Pier.  All that remains now is the bottle dungeon, the kitchen tower, the underground mine and counter-mine, and the south wall enclosing a square tower.

With such a long and tumultuous history, it is no wonder that there have been many reports of paranormal activity at the site of St Andrews Castle (not to be confused with the ghosts of St Andrews Cathedral, which will be discussed in another post).  The most famous ghost at St Andrews Castle is that of the murdered Cardinal David Beaton.  The ghost of Cardinal Beaton has been witnessed on many occasions.  A visitor to the castle reported seeing a dark shadowy figure moving between the windows of the ruined castle, where no floors exist anymore.  The Cardinal has been sited in full ornate gowns walking around the bottle dungeon.  Patrick Hamilton, martyred by being burnt at the stake, is said to haunt the tower at the castle, a vantage point from which he can see the place of his execution.  It is said that students at St Andrews University don't step on the monogrammed tiles on the floor that mark the place where Hamilton was executed, for fear of failing their exams. 

When I visited St Andrews, I was only aware of its place in the golf world.  The history of the town is astonishing.  Walking amongst the windswept ruins of St Andrews Castle is quite an experience.  Looking down into the bottle dungeon, you are aware it was a site of suffering and cruelty but, seeing its ancient stones as they stand up to the blustering North Sea, there is also something magical about it.  You are aware of a long history, and it has the feel of a place significant in the history of Scotland and, indeed, the world.