Cousland Village

Cousland Castle

Cousland Castle, likely to have been built in the reign of William the Lion 1165-1214AD. Under the old ecclesiastical regime, Cousland was the seat of a Chapelry. This Chapelry had previously belonged to the Abbey of Dunfermline and was annexed to the Parish of Cranston around the reformation. It seemed to be dependent on the church of lnveresk.

Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots

Cousland Castle is currently under threat from a planning application for housing. The application plans to surround the remaining ruined castle walls with 2-storey housing. The villagers are fighting this as being out of keeping with the character of the existing housing and the proximity to this scheduled historic monument. Hundreds of objections have been lodged with Midlothian Council and the application has been amended several times. Contact CVHA for more information.

A simple Peel Tower of great strength, it probably resembled Elphinstone Tower though smaller and they would have communicated with each other by beacon lights. It was in existence when the Barony came into possession of the House of St. Clair in 1215AD when the St. Clairs used it as a hunting lodge.

Malcolm Canmore gifted Cousland Chapelry to the Dunfermline Abbey along with Musselburgh, lnveresk, mills and harbour. It shared the fate of the Religious houses of Melrose, Kelso, Dryburgh, Jedburgh, Eccles, Haddington and Holyrood during the English invasion of 1544, where Cousland paid more dearly and lost not only its Chapel but afterwards its Castle. Not a part of the Chapel, said to have been dedicated to St. Bartholomew, now remains, but what was left of St. Bartholornew's House, was probably taken to build the Nunnery which tradition says was erected on the site. Part of whose ruins, together with it's enclosure walls, called "White Dyke", are still seen today.

Cousland Castle last appears as a fortress in 1547AD when it was captured by the invading English before the battle of Pinkie Cleugh. When the badly led Scots army was routed by the Duke of Somerset's forces, Cousland Castle was left as a heap of blackened ruins, never to be restored.

A considerable portion of Cousland Castle ruins still exists adjoining the ruins of the Nunnery. What remains now is the basement storey but like its superior, Roslin Castle it is the mere wreck of its former self after ruthless attacks of human violation in order to use the stone for other buildings.

Mary Queen of Scots
1547

The Duke of Somerset crossed the Tweed to 'woo' Scotland into the marriage of Mary and Edward. Reaching Haddington, Somerset dispatched a division of his army by way of Pencaitland, Ormiston and Cousland as a corps of observation.

He took the main body through Tranent to the crest of Fawside hill, which overlooks the field that was to prove so fatal to Scotland. The corps of observation, having taken possession of Cousland and its Castle, crossed Bellyford Valley and joined the main army on Fawside hill.

The Scots sweeping round the western side of Inveresk took up a new position along the base of Carberry Hill. This was the Battlefield of Pinkie.

It was indeed 'Black Saturday' for Scotland, that dark 10th September 1547 in Pinkie Cleuch. Cousland Castle fell prey to the wrath of the invader.

The Battle of Pinkie

1567

Mary's Mount at CarberryTwenty years later the blackened walls witnessed one of the most tragic episodes in the sad story of Mary Queen of Scots - her desertion by Bothwell and her surrender to the Confederate Lords led by Morton.

Bothwell and some 2000 men marched to Carberry Hill, where he encamped on 14th June 1567. Mary accompanied him and the stone of Mary's Mount points out the exact spot where they camped. The next day the associate lords left Edinburgh and took up the position on the ill-fated field of Pinkie, later they swept round by Smeaton to camp beneath the walls of the ruined Cousland Castle. The two hostile armies were in full sight of each other separated only by the Bellyford Burn.

After many days Bothwell offered to end the quarrel by engaging in single combat with any one of the confederate Lords of equal standing with himself. Many offered to engage in combat with Bothwell but they were rejected on the grounds of inferiority of rank. By 7pm the Lords sent a message to the Queen to bring the matters to a close, to the effect that if she left her husband and returned with them to Edinburgh they would render her all due respect. Mary had no choice, through desertion of her troops, she had only a few of Bothwell's personal followers left and Bothwell rode off towards Dunbar leaving Mary to surrender.

She was taken by Laird of Grange down the slope of Backhill, across Bellyford Burn and into the ranks of the confederate troops drawn up in front of Cousland Castle's ruined pile. ln her surrender at Cousland Castle Mary lost everything - royalty and liberty and even life itself. There, witnessed by this old ruin, began her hopeless captivity until the tragic stroke at Fotheringay.

Source, Ruined Castles of Midlothian, St. Ninian's, Leith, February 1894 Summarised by L. Chapman, Maps by N. Campbell, Propeller Design.

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