Zamek MacLellan, Scottish guides, Historic Investigations
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This urban tower house is
largely the vision of one man,
Sir Thomas MacLellan. Though
empty and rooless, enough
remains to gain a good idea of
what life was like for a wealthy
16th-century burgher of
Kirkcudbright.
INVESTIGATING
MACLELLAN’S CASTLE
Information for Teachers
INVESTIGATING
HISTORIC SITES
MACLELLAN’S CASTLE
2
Timeline
1449
James II establishes
convent of Greyfriars at
Kirkcudbright
In the centre of the bustling
town of Kirkcudbright, close to
the harbour lies the intact shell
of MacLellan’s Castle. This urban
tower house is largely the vision
of one man, Sir Thomas MacLellan.
Though empty and rooless,
enough remains for pupils to gain a
good idea of what life was like for
a wealthy 16th-century burgher of
Kirkcudbright.
there to beneit from the redistribution
of their lands. Soon after, William
MacLellan was made Provost of
Kirkudbright.
The castle was built to demonstrate
the power and taste of Sir Thomas
MacLellan. With only a nod to defences,
this was a domestic house on grand
scale. Its position in the centre of
Kirkcudbright relected the central
position of the family in that society.
Work progressed steadily, and the
castle was probably inished around
1582, although there is the suggestion
that a cash-low problem prevented
completion of the internal ittings.
1466
William MacLellan
made Provost of
Kirkcudbright
1547
Kirkcudbright
besieged by English
1569
Sir Thomas
MacLellan acquires land
and convent site after
Reformation; begins work
on castle
Historical background
The story of MacLellan’s castle begins
in the mid-15th century. James II took
a break from his campaign against the
Black Douglases to establish a convent
known as Greyfriars in the centre of
the important burgh of Kirkcudbright.
Following the Reformation of 1560
the convent was disbanded. In 1569
Sir Thomas MacLellan was granted the
rights to the land formerly owned by
the convent. Shortly after, building on a
grand new tower house began.
1581
Sir Thomas visits
France
Unfortunately, the family did not enjoy
the castle for long. Although they
continued to rise in status, with Sir
Thomas’s son Robert becoming the irst
Lord Kirkcudbright in 1633, the family
fortunes went into decline from then
on. By 1741 there is a sad story that the
then Lord Kirkcudbright could be seen
hovering at the fringes of grand balls in
Edinburgh, attempting to sell pairs of
gloves to the dancers.
1582
Castle completed
1584
Sir Thomas marries
Grissel Maxwell
1597
Sir Thomas dies;
buried with wife in
Greyfriars’ Church
1633
Robert MacLellan
created irst Lord
Kirkcudbright; squanders
family fortunes in Ireland
1742
Roof stripped
off castle; contents
removed by MacLellans of
Orchardton
One of the leading families of the area,
the MacLellans had risen in prominence
during the 15th century. Working
in customs, they proited from the
town’s trade with England in hides,
woollen cloth, and coal. When the
Black Douglases fell from power in the
mid-15th century, the MacLellans were
In 1742 the castle was stripped of its
roof and contents by another branch of
the family and remained neglected until
taken into state care in 1912
1912
Castle given into
State care
Castle from the east
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
MACLELLAN’S CASTLE
3
Supporting learning
and teaching
A visit to
McLellan’s Castle
is
particularly appropriate for
teachers working on class
study topics such as:
Before the visit:
Working on site
• It is helpful if pupils have some of
the architectural terminology of
castles as this makes discussion
on site easier. Words particularly
relevant to MacLellan’s might
include:
gun-loop, turret, latrine,
chamber, shield
. Pupils could
produce an illustrated class
dictionary to explain these and
other terms.
When exploring the castle, in addition
to our suggestions for discussion,
pupils should be encouraged to look
critically at what they see and to make
and test theories based on physical
evidence. Some general starting points
could include:
• The Middle Ages
• Castles
The
Curriculum for
Excellence
aspires to
motivate and challenge pupils
through a wide range of
varied learning experiences.
Site visits have a particular
role to play in joining up
learning outcomes across the
curriculum. A visit, and use of
the supporting materials, will
help to:
• What materials were used to build
the castle? Why were these materials
chosen? Are there any materials
which might have rotted away or
been stolen since then?
• Help pupils gain a clearer grasp of
the time scale by making a time
line with them, counting back the
centuries and then marking on key
events in the history of the castle.
This could be added to after the
visit.
• Do you think this room has always
looked like this? Can you see
anywhere it has been altered? Why
might it have been changed?
• develop successful
learners
by challenging
pupils to consider how life
has changed for people.
It will help them to think
critically about evidence
and arrive at their own
conclusions.
• What evidence is there for everyday
life?
• Discuss the servants that would
have been necessary to run a castle
like this. Pupils could research and
investigate who would have carried
out which tasks and how.
Pupils can record evidence by taking
notes, sketching, taking photographs,
recording impressions into a tape
recorder.
• develop conident
individuals.
Pupils wilI
learn about aspects of
their community’s past,
develop an understanding
of social changes, establish
some of their own values
and communicate
their views on different
historical and social issues.
On the Historic Scotland website:
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
education_unit
teachers can ind
additional resources to help with work
on site. These include compiling an
Evidence Record
and a
My Impressions
Record.
• This castle is a particularly good
one for helping children to gain an
understanding of life in a castle, as
it is relatively intact. Pupils could
choose from a range of research
topics (e.g. cooking, sleeping,
entertaining) in advance and
prepare questions, so that they visit
the castle with a sense of mission.
Suggestions for follow-up work
• develop responsible
citizens.
It will help to
increase pupils’ social
and historical knowledge
and understanding and
encourage greater respect
for their own historic and
built environment.
Following the visit pupils can pool their
indings in groups to create a fuller
record of the castle. This could form
the basis for a range of presentation
activites, for example:
• Some children ind it hard to grasp
that a castle was ever anything
other than a ruin. Discuss how wind
and weather can affect the look
of a building as well as the many
deliberate changes that people
choose to make to buildings as their
use evolves.
• A guide book or lealet for future
visitors
• develop effective
contributors
by
broadening pupils’
knowledge and
understanding through
investigative, creative and
critical thinking.
• A slide show with commentary
• Imaginative writing based on
the lives of the people who lived
or worked at the castle – even a
prisoner
• A series of drama sketches showing
snapshots of life in the castle through
the ages.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
MACLELLAN’S CASTLE
4
Plan of MacLellan’s Castle
On the trail of Sir
Thomas MacLellan
Our suggested tour route
guides you and your
pupils around the castle,
in order to uncover as
much as possible about
Sir Thomas MacLellan and
how he lived.
After the introduction, it
doesn’t really matter on
the order in which you
visit the locations, so you
may prefer to split your
class into groups and
start at different points.
8
After checking in with
the steward, we suggest
you visit these locations,
marked on the plan to
the right:
1. Introduction: Outside
the Castle
2. The Castle Entrance
3. The Cellars
4. The Kitchen
3
7
5. The Steward’s
Chamber
2
6. The Hall
7. The Private Chamber
6
8. Greyfriar’s Church
4
5
Background information
is given in the pack for
each location. It is written
in simple language so
that it can be read aloud
to pupils if desired. Also
included are suggested
questions for discussion.
Allow about 45 minutes
for the tour.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
MACLELLAN’S CASTLE
5
Did you know...
Tour notes: On the trail of Sir
Thomas MacLellan
Stand on the grass by the kiosk.
Sir Thomas didn’t
always make his money
legally: in 1577 he got
into trouble for doing
business with a pirate
called Leonard!
Location 1: Outside the castle
Setting the scene. This can be read to pupils.
• More than 400 years ago, in the 1500s, one of the most important people in
this area was Sir Thomas MacLellan. The MacLellans were in charge of taxing the
ships that came into the harbour at Kirkcudbright to trade. This was quite a
good job, but they reallly made their fortunes in the 1400s, when they shared the
same enemy as the king of Scotland. King James II and the MacLellans were both
enemies of the powerful Black Douglas family. When the king inally crushed the
Douglases at Threave Castle, the Douglas land was shared out and the MacLellans
became rich.
• In about 1569 Sir Thomas MacLellan was given a present of land right in the
centre of Kirkcudbright. He decided to build himself a grand home, and work
started on the castle in 1570.
• Even though he was very rich, Sir Thomas didn’t quite have enough money to put
the inishing touches to his castle. After he died, his son Robert spent most of his
money and by the 1700s the castle was abandoned.
Window on south west side
• Although it is a ruin, if we look carefully, we can still work out quite a lot about Sir
Thomas MacLellan and how he lived in his grand castle.
Teacher prompts
Desired pupil responses
Why was this a good place for Sir Thomas Right in the centre of
to build a castle?
Kirkcudbright – showed how
important he was.
Close to the river – could keep an
eye on ships coming in and out;
also easy to transport building
materials.
Castle from the kiosk
Look at the castle. How many loors do you Ground loor and at least two
think there used to be in Sir Thomas’s castle? others.
How many chimneys can you count? 4 are visible from here, and there
are at least 3 others.
What does this tell us about how comfortable Many ireplaces – to keep his
the castle was? guests and family warm.
Do you think that Sir Thomas expected to be Probably not – the windows are
attacked in his new home? very big, there aren’t places for
soldiers to attack people from,
there isn’t a moat or a ditch to
protect the castle.
Do you think this castle
was
ever attacked? Probably not – the walls are still
standing, no sign of damage.
Follow the path around the castle to the left, past a well. Stop by the entrance door,
where there is an information panel.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
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