A HISTORY OF TANTALLON CASTLE

It is believed the castle was built by Sir William Douglas in the latter half of the 1300s, in the style of a French chateau. Tantallon earned a reputation for political intrigue and opposition. Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus, led an attack on James III’s forces at Lauder in 1482. In 1491 his plotting with the English monarch Henry VII against James IV was discovered. This lead to a three-month siege of the castle. The stronghold held out, eventually securing a reconciliation. In 1528, the castle was attacked again, this time by the 16-year-old James V. He was seeking vengeance on Archibald, the 6th Earl of Angus. Archibald had married James’ mother, Margaret Tudor, then reneged on an agreement to care for the young king. Instead he imprisoned him in Edinburgh Castle in order to maintain authority over the royal bloodline. James escaped and Archibald retreated to Tantallon. Legend has it that the drums of James’ army beat the rhythm “ding doon Tantalloun” or knock down Tantallon, as they approached. A 20-day siege left this castle “never ane hair the worse”. On 8 February 1651, Tantallon’s doom was finally secured when up to 3,000 Roundheads attacked during the Civil War. For 12 days they used gun batteries and six battering pieces against the 91 defenders. Succumbing to a breach in the wall, the castle was finally defeated.