To the manor born: Thirlestane Castle

Words: Roddy Martine

Edward Maitland-Carew, descendant of one of Scotland’s most politically powerful families, welcomes us onto his grand family estate

Possibly the quickest way to take ownership of a great estate is to marry an heiress. So it was that Sir Richard Maitland, whose forebears had accompanied William the Conqueror from France in 1066, came into the lands of Thirlestane, Hedderwick and Blythe on his marriage c.1228 to Avicia, heiress of Thomas du Thirlestane. The ruins of the 13th-century tower in which he and Avicia lived can still be seen two miles from the present building on the A697.

However, it was not until the late 16th century that Sir Robert’s descendant, Sir John Maitland, erected the eccentric turreted building that forms the central block of today’s splendid edifice. An oblong block is held between four enormous corner towers, corbelled out to squares on top, while six smaller stair-turrets are evenly disposed along the north and south sides.

In common with the other great landowning families of Scotland, the rise to political power of the Maitlands was both steady and consistent. In 1314, Sir William Maitland fought for Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn. His great grandson, another William, died with James IV on the battlefield of Flodden in 1514.

Meanwhile, their descendants proliferated, the chief line styling itself ‘of Lethington’ after the additional East Lothian seat (re-named Lennoxlove in 1702 and today home of the dukes of Hamilton) which they acquired in 1345 from Sir John Gifford.

Sir William Maitland of Lethington served as a loyal secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1590, his younger brother, John, became Lord Chancellor of Scotland and was created 1st Baron Maitland of Thirlestane.

In 1624, Sir John’s son, lawyer, judge and President of the Parliament of Scotland, was created 1st Earl of Lauderdale. These were turbulent times in Scotland. With the outbreak of the English Civil War, Lauderdale surprisingly supported parliament. His son, yet another John, became a Royalist and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

“The sense of religion that a long imprisonment had impressed upon his mind was soon erased by a course of luxury and sensuality which ran him into great expense and which he stuck at nothing to support . . . he was the coldest friend and the most violent enemy that ever was known,” wrote Bishop Burnett of his contemporary, the 2nd Earl (later to become the first and only Duke of Lauderdale).

No doubt it was such qualities that enabled the earl to survive nine years of imprisonment in the Tower of London, the execution of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth and to navigate his all-powerful reinvention with his second wife, the Countess of Dysart, following the restoration of King Charles II.

In celebration of this and to enhance his status, Lauderdale engaged Sir William Bruce to modernise Thirlestane in his exuberant style with an emphasis on domestic comfort. Next came the redecoration of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh – as leader of Charles I’s governing cabal, Lauderdale dominated Scotland.

With flamboyant Renaissance ideas that contrasted dramatically with the severe baronial style of the past, Bruce added front towers, sumptuous interiors unrivalled for their plasterwork, and a grand staircase.

However, by the 19th century, the needs of the landowning aristocracy had changed. Country houses were for the entertainment of friends and the indulgence of country sports. The 9th Earl of Lauderdale therefore employed David Bryce and William Burn, two Edinburgh-based architects of high repute, to design two large wings extending to north and south, with towers to match those of the original keep. The Victorian era arrived almost overnight while retaining the magnificent Baroque interior.

Centuries passed and during the First World War, Thirlestane Castle was commandeered as a military hospital for convalescing officers. In the Second World War, it housed St Hilary’s School for Girls from Edinburgh.

With the death of his grandmother, Ethel, widow of the 15th Earl of Lauderdale, the Thirlestane estate passed to Captain the Hon. Gerald Maitland-Carew. Aged 30, he was immediately faced with the choice of allowing the old building to crumble away before his eyes or to undertake urgent repairs to 40 major intrusions of dry rot.

Bruce’s tower was in imminent danger of collapse. Since most of the original keep was built with small stones taken from earlier fortifications, the stonework below the tower needed to be entirely rebuilt and the cost of repairs was astronomic. It was therefore with enormous courage that he and his supportive wife Rosalind set about persuading the Historic Buildings Council to come to their aid. Skilled craftsmen from Peebles undertook replacement of the damaged areas using techniques similar to those employed in the 17th century.

In 1983, Captain Gerald employed a brilliant young Edinburgh lawyer, Douglas Connell, to negotiate the future of the castle on behalf of the family with the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). As a result of his skilful negotiations, Thirlestane Castle Trust was established. It was the first Trust of its kind.

In return for the family gifting the main part of the castle plus its important contents, the NHMF provided a grant to preserve the castle for the foreseeable future. The family retained ownership of the north wing and the overseeing of the day-to-day running of the castle, which had already been open for a few years. This formula has proved to be an outstanding success and saved for the nation one of the most important and popular castles in Scotland.

In 2012, Gerald’s son Edward and daughter-in-law Sarah took over the management of the castle. Edward admits to it being an ongoing and daunting challenge. He nevertheless has risen to the task admirably, although not before having to confront yet another crippling outbreak of dry rot.

Mercifully, support this time came from the EU LEADER Fund and has thankfully enabled the affected areas to be transformed into events spaces and accommodation, re-purposing areas hitherto underused.

From the magnificent stone steps of the front entrance, visitors ascend into the surprisingly modest entrance hall, remodelled in 1840 from the 16th-century original. In the centre of the original keep is a panelled room in which hangs a portrait of the 1st Baron Maitland of Thirlestane. The library features a quizzical portrait of the Duke of Lauderdale painted by Mary Beale, a student of Sir Peter Lely. The walls of the Billiard Room are lined with photographs, most of them taken by the 14th Earl, a gifted photographer whose collection is also on display in the north library.

The south library boasts an Italian lectern on top of which is the Maitland family bible, printed in 1772. The mouldings on the ceilings of the Duke’s dressing room are considered to be among the finest of their kind in Britain. Most of the furnishings at Thirlestane are from the 19th century because on the Duke’s death in 1682, 14 wagonloads of the earlier contents were removed by the Countess of Dysart to Ham House, her home in Richmond.

In the Duke’s bedroom, under the spectacular modelling of the English plasterer George Dunsterfield, is a magnificent four-poster bed on loan from Burleigh House in Lincolnshire. The pretty room in which Prince Charles Edward Stuart slept during his visit in 1745 features a splendid tester bed. The drawing room with gilded musical instrument motifs on the ceiling, features a small bust beside the fireplace of Captain Sir Frederick Maitland (1777-1839), the man who accepted Napoleon Bonaparte’s surrender aboard HMS Bellerophon after the Battle of Waterloo.

There follows the ante drawing room with two chairs from the coronation of King George VI; the Chinese room with its attractive collection of porcelain; the splendid dining room with its Jacobean-style ceiling and ancestral Maitland portraits. In the nurseries there is an amusing collection of Georgian toys including several charming Edwardian and Victorian dolls. The servants’ quarters once retained a residential staff of 40.

Thirlestane remains a working estate, with 500 acres of parkland closest to the castle given over to grazing livestock and other agricultural work. Grouse, partridge and pheasant are bred on the estate and occupy the woodland and moorland behind the castle and there is trout fishing on the River Leader.

Edward Maitland-Carew is particularly proud of the luxurious accommodation created in the south wing. The castle can sleep groups of up to 16 or be taken individually by couples or small groups. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, and several have adjoining private drawing rooms. Guests can choose to either self-cater or be catered for by the castle’s award-winning caterers in the state dining room. Edward and Sarah, with the support of the trustees, have worked brilliantly to weave the castle’s history into the level of comfort required in such five-star apartments, and shooting, fishing and horse riding can be arranged.

Plan your visit

Thirlestane Castle is located in Lauder in the Scottish Borders, just half an hour south of Edinburgh. The castle is currently open for small group tours (2-6 people), and accommodation. The house and grounds plan to reopen fully in May 2021.

+44(0)1578 722430, www.thirlestanecastle.co.uk

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