Ochiltree Castle, West Lothian
Photo © M J Richardson, 12 March 2010
Ochiltree Castle, West Lothian
Photo © M J Richardson,
12 March 2010
The name Colville is believed to be of ancient Norman origin. It is believed to be derived from the town of Colleville -Sur-Mur in Normandy, France. The word "Col" meaning dark and swarthy and the word "Ville" meaning Village or "Castle on the Hill".
In 1405 on the 20th August Sir John De Colville and his wife Alice D'Arcy from Arncliff, Dale, England were beheaded at Durham. For what reason is not known.
For many years the two families of Colville and Auchinleck had been on good terms. Both families built castles on opposite sides of the River Lugar. In 1449 during the reign of King James II of Scotland the two families of Colville and Auchinleck had been on friendly enough terms that a rope was passed between the two castles over the river. Communications were often sent back and forth on the rope by means of a ring to which a message was attached. Often fights occurred between the families on the messages sent back and forth on the rope.
This came to a climax when Sir Richard Colville killed John Auchinleck. It is believed that Auchinleck sent Colville a wrapped parcel containing the bones of a sheep head. The Colvilles saw this as an insult and the family friendships were over. From now on it was nothing but war between the two families.
The Laird of Auchinleck at this time was going to pay a visit to his powerful ally, Lord William Douglas of the powerful House of Douglas. When Colville learned of this he sent his son Richard Colville to carry out his act of revenge. Sir Richard Colville and his clan waited for them, at a quiet part of a road and ambushed Auchinleck and his followers. Auchinleck was there killed. The Earl of Douglas did not wait for judge and jury and took matters into his own hands and flew to avenge his friend. The Earl of Douglas at the head of his Douglas troops attacked the Colvilles, besieging their castle, where many were killed. Douglas leveled Colville's Ochiltree Castle to the ground and put Colville and his men to the sword.
Douglas dragged the captured Colville Knight of Ochiltree back to Cumnock. The group was about to cross a stream when as legend has it Sir Richard Colville remarked that a witch had foreseen that he would die at this very spot. Douglas fulfilled the prophecy by putting Colville to death on the spot.
However Douglas would later suffer for his acts as he was stabbed to death by the King himself at Stirling Castle.
After this the Clan Colville decided to rebuild in a new area. They chose a stretch of land that filled the angle between where the River Lugar and River Burnock meet.
--OCHILTREE CASTLE, LINLITHGOWSHIRE.
Ochiltree Castle is situated about four miles south-east from Linlithgow, on high ground overlooking the valley through which runs the Edinburgh and Glasgow branch of the North British Railway. The house is in good preservation, and is occupied as a farm residence.
The original house was of the L form, with the circular staircase turret in the re-entering angle, and the entrance doorway adjoining to it in the north wall. At the time when the additions were made the old building underwent certain alterations, which had the effect of elongating the north leg of the L. Thus the original kitchen was in the north wing, as is evident from part of the old arched fireplace still remaining, and bearing the wide chimney seen at the roof in the view from the north-east. A new kitchen was placed in the extended wing. The entrance doorway was also changed from its original position in the north face, near the circular stair, to the west front. The projecting porch forming the present entrance is therefore not a part of the original design. The straight flight of steps leading from the porch to the first floor, and running along the west wall, is also an addition. Apparently the first kitchen was vaulted, from which we may conclude that the whole of the ground floor was vaulted.
These alterations necessitated further operations, such as the breaking through of doors and windows, and the building up of others.
In the wall, adjoining the circular staircase on the west, there was a large opening, now contracted to the size of an ordinary window. This wide opening seems to have been the position of a projecting garderobe. The two upper floors, which are reached by a wheel stair, are open from end to end, and are uninhabited.
A range of one-story offices extends to the west. The south wall of these seems to be old, and probably enclosed the courtyard.
In the gablets of the remarkable doorway or porch at the west end there are the initials and arms of Sir Archibald Stirling of Keir (three buckles on a bend), and his second wife, Dame Grizell, second daughter of James, Lord Ross (cheveron cheque, with three water-budgets). Her arms occur again on one of the dormers, while on another dormer is the date 1610.
The dormers and the doorway just described are part of the additions above mentioned, and serve to fix their date. The original part of the house may probably be about half a century older.
THE CASTELLATED AND DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE OF SCOTLAND BY DAVID MACGIBBON AND THOMAS ROSS, 1889--