Caption 1 The remains of the castle at Roslin today, photographed from the path leading to what would have been the drawbridge in early times. The house can easily be identified in Fig. XX. The initials Sir William Sinclair, “SWS”, and the date 1622, above the front door of the house. |
During the years of turbulence and political instability in the late sixteenth century, even whilst he was in the midst of cautions and litigations, William St. Clair was employing stonemasons and other craftsmen to improve and extend the castle at Roslin. The castle had almost been totally destroyed in 1544 during the rupture between England and Scotland over Henry VIII’s attempt to unite the two kingdoms through marriage. When Henry’s plot failed, the Earl of Hertford was sent to Scotland in May 1544 to take revenge, and the castle was attacked and burnt.
Hay (in 1700) described William’s improvements:
... he built the vaults and great turnpike of Roflin; upon the last, his name and arms, with the arms of his lady, are as yet feen. He builded one of the arches of the Drawbridge, a fine houfe near the Milne (mill), and the Tower of the Dungeon, where the clock was kept. The initiall lettres of his name are graven on a ftone above the dyall, with the following, 1596, which defigns the year wherein that worke was finished.
He also built the Great Hall, the fireplace of which still stands, bearing the date of 1596. His son later finished building over the vaults to the level of the courtyard. His initials remain over the door of the new house, with the date 1622, as does the ornate plaster ceiling of the same date in the Great Room.
Roslin housed a great many rare manuscripts, collected by William’s father after being saved when the monasteries were destroyed during the Reformation. The castle was also closely associated with an even more romantic tale concerning his father, recounted by Hay:
... Sir William Sinclar of Roflin, knight; he delivered once ane Egyptian from the gibbet in the Burrow Moore, ready to be ftrangled, returning from Edinburgh to Roflin, upon which accoumpt the whole body of gypfies were, of old, accuftomed to gather in the ftanks of Roflin every year, where they acted feverall plays, dureing the moneth of May and June. There are two towers which were allowed them for their refidence, the one called Robin Hood, the other Little John.
William was also responsible for building the vaults and the great turnpike of Roslin – the large stone staircase, four feet wide, leading from the basement to the top of the castle. His son, Sir William Saintclair of Pentland, continued his work, building over the vaults up to the level of the courtyard.
The castle was badly damaged by General Monk’s artillery in 1650, after the battle of Dunbar and its surrender to Oliver Cromwell’s forces by John Saintcler, William’s grandson. John was also known as the “Prince”, and after surrendering the castle “was fent prifoner by Cromwell to Tinemouth, where he remained during the troubles.”
Walter Scott, many years later, in 1805, wrote of Roslin in his The Lay of the Last Minstrel, an epic poem illustrating the customs and manners prevailing in ancient times on the Borders of England and Scotland. “The inhabitants, living in a state partly pastoral and partly warlike, and combining habits of constant depradation with the influence of a rude spirit of chivalry, were often engaged in scenes highly susceptible of poetical ornament.” Scott put the poem into the mouth of an old Minstrel, the last of the race, who might have lived about the middle of the 16th century, a time when the St Clairs of Roslin were caught up in the historical drama unfolding around Mary, Queen of Scots. He makes a number of references to the St Clairs of old, and in particular to their castles at Kirkwall, Ravenscraig [Ravensheuch], and Roslin.