Rossay Castle

**Rossay Castle** is a ruined castle in Rossay, the principal toun on the Isle o Bute, in wastren Scotland. The castle haes been descrieved as "ane o the maist byordinar in Scotland", fur its lang history stairtin fae the 13t yearhunner, an its unco circular plan.

The castle haes a muckle curtain waw, strenthened bi fower roond touers, thegither wi a 16t-yearhunner forewark, the hale castle is suroondit bi a broad moat. The castle, biggit bi the Stewart faimily, survived fechts wi the Norse an became an airt whaur ryals wid bide. Throu fawin intae ruin efter the 17t yearhunner, the castle wis repaired bi the Marquess o Bute afore passin intae the states hauns in the 20t yearhunner. 

A paddle steamer cried efter the castle wis biggit in 1816.

## The aerlie castle
The castle wis biggit bi Alan fitz Walter, Steward o Scotland (d1204), or bi his son Walter (d1246). Durin Alan’s tenure, the faimily eikit the Isle o Bute tae thair lordship. A widden castle wis biggit first, but the stane circular curtain waw wis pit in place bi the 1230s, whan the castle wis pit unner siege an taen bi the Norwegian-backed fleet o Óspakr-Hákon, King o the Isles (d1230). *Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar* seyed that Óspakr's forces focht fur three day tae tak the castle, knockin doun pairt o the eastren waw bi hewin the stane wi thair axes. This stramash is the aerliest recordit accoont o an attack on a Scots castle. In 1263, Rossay wis taen bi the Norwegian forces unner Hákon Hákonarson, King o Norawa afore the Battle o Largs. E'en tho the Battle o Largs is cried indecisive, Hákon's campaign wis a failure, the Norse retreatit, an it stapped Norawa’s haud ower westren Scotland.

The aerlie castle anely haed the circular curtain waw, 2.7 m (9 ft) thick, 7.9 m (26 ft) heich an aroon 42 m (138 ft) in diameter, biggit on a laich mound, wi a battlement on tap accessed bi apen stairs.The moat wis jyned thegither wi the sea, wi the shoreline then bein nearer tae the north-east o the caste nor it is the day. The broad crenellations kin be makkit oot athin the waws, that war later raised. Holes in the tap o the waw wid hae supportit a timber bretasche, a projectin structur uised as an eikit battlement. This curtain waw wis biggit o coursed ashlar, an haed anely twa apenins in its lenth. The main yett wis an arched apenin wi a simple timber door. The secont apenin wis a smaw postern yett in the west waw, that haes syne been blockit.

In the later pairt o the 13th yearhunner, the castle wis strenthened bi the eikin o fower roond touers, anely the north-west touer is aye thegither the day. Thae three-storey touers haed strang splayed bases, wi arrow slits ablo the crenellated parapet. A portcullis wis eikit tae the main yett.

## Wars o unthirldom an the Stewarts
Durin the Wars o Scots Unthirldom, Rossay was haudit bi the Inglis, but wis taen back bi Robert the Bruce in 1311. It wis taen bi the Inglis in 1334 ance mair, afore bein taen back bi the Scots. Follaein the accession o the Stewarts tae the throne o Scotland in 1371, the castle became a favourite place tae bide fur kings siclik Robert II an Robert III. Robert II gied the hereditary keepership o the castle tae his son John, ancestor o the Earls an Marquesses o Bute. Robert III makkit his auldest son David Duke of Rossay in 1401, stairtin a tradition o honourin the heir tae the throne o Scotland wi this title. In 1462 the castle survived a siege bi the forces o John o Islay, Earl o Ross an the last Lord o the Isles.

## The 16t an 17t yearhunners
In the aerlie 16t yearhunner Rossay Castle wis strenthened mair. A gatehoose stairtit tae be biggit, eikit fae the north of o curtain waw, an it begoud at the stairt o the yearhunner, tae gie a mair modren bidin fur James IV. The curtain waw itsel wis raised up tae ten metre in heicht, the warks wint ower intae the reign o James V. In 1527 the castle withstood anither siege bi the Master o Ruthven, that destroyed muckle pairts o the Rossay burgh. In 1544, the castle fell tae the Earl o Lennox, actin fur the Inglis durin the sae cried "Rough Wooing".

The forewark is an L-plan structur, that juttit intae the moat an wis accessed bi a draw-brig. The laicher flair haed a vaultit entrance tunnel rinnin intae the aulder castle courtyaird. Abuin, the fower-storey touer haed ryal lodgins, an aye bears the ryal coat o airms abuin the door. In the aerlie 16t yearhunner, a chaipel wis biggit inside the auld castle. Simple in form, the chaipel measured aroon 7 m (23 ft) bi 14 m (45 ft), an is nou the anely survivin structur athin the curtain waw. The north-west touer wis chynged intae a doocot, an is kent as the "Pigeon Touer", owin tae the nest boxes biggit intae the ootside waw.

Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, a favourite o James VI wis compelled bi the Ruthven Regime tae flit ootwi Scotland. He wint first tae Dumbarton Castle, an syne steyed at Rossay Castle in October 1582.

Rossay garrisoned fur the occupyin forces o Oliver Cromwell, wha invadit Scotland wi his New Model Airmy in the aerlie 1650s. Whan thay shiftit in 1660, the troops pairtly dismantled the structur. Whit wis left wis burnt bi the supporters o Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl o Argyll durin his risin of 1685, in support o the Monmouth Rebellion agin James VII.

## Mendin o the castle

Follaein a lang period o neglect, the 2nd Marquess o Bute employed 70 men tae excavate the ruins, clearin muckle amoonts o rubbish fae the castle in 1816–17. But it wisnae till 1871 that wark stairtit back up an the ruins war stabilised.The 3rd Marquess, a restorer o historic biggins, stairtit mony repairs an restorations, follaein surveys an advice fae his regular architect William Burges. His "restorations" wint on til 1900, an include the clearin an shapin o the moat, as weel as the eikin o reid sandstane tae the forewark, thay reinstatit the haw roof whiles makin muckle chynges tae the biggin.

In 1961 Rossay Castle wis gied tae the state, an is nou a Scheduled Auncient Monument, in the hauns o Historic Environment Scotland.
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