Fa'side Castle

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Fa’side Castle, sometimes known as Falside or Fawside, is a 14th century Keep located in East Lothian, approximately 2 miles southwest of Tranent. The map reference is NT378710.

[edit] History

The name dates from 1189, when the monks of Newbattle Abbey granted land to the De Quincy family to build the castle on the site. The land was lost to Robert the Bruce after the De Quincy family declared their loyalty to Edward I of England. (An alternative view is that it was held by Alexander de Such.) Bruce granted the castle to the Seton family.

The castle was burned by the English before the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, suffocating or burning all those inside. It was was rebuilt in the late 16th Century and sold in 1631 to an Edinbugh burgess and merchant called Hamilton. By the 19th Century, it had fallen into ruin, and was close to being demolished altogether in the 1970s. However, the castle was saved and underwent restoration by Thomas Moodie Craig. Nigel Tranter set up the Fa'side Restoration Society in 1970 and introduced Tom Craig to the castle in 1975. After investigation it was discovered that the original name of the castle was Fawside Castle and this remains its name today. The restoration work began in 1976 was completed by 1982. The castle is now privately owned.

[edit] Description

Fa'side is an L-plan building, being a fifteenth century four-storey keep with a later turretted block added. There is a vaulted basement.

The castle is on a high ridge with extensive views over East Lothian, and the Firth of Forth.

[edit] Bibliography

• 'The Castles of Scotland', Martin Covenry, Goblinshead, 2001.