Zamek w St Andrews, Scottish guides, Historic Investigations
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A key site in the Wars of
Independence and the
Reformation, its mine,
countermine, and bottle dungeon
are evidence of
St Andrews
Castle
bloodthirsty past.
INVESTIGATING
ST ANDREWS CASTLE
Information for Teachers
INVESTIGATING
HISTORIC SITES
ST ANDREWS CASTLE
2
Even by Scottish standards,
St Andrews Castle has had a
dramatic history. A key site
in the Wars of Independence
and the Reformation, its mine,
countermine, and bottle dungeon
are evidence of its bloodthirsty
past. Though now in ruins, it is still
a site that brings history vividly
to life.
centres of political and church life in
Scotland.
Timeline
1200
Castle built by
Bishop Roger
Following the battle of Flodden in 1513,
Bishop James Beaton strengthened
the castle’s defences with the addition
of two colossal circular gun towers or
blockhouses
. The Church was at this
time under threat from the ideologies of
the Protestant Reformers. One ‘heretic’,
George Wishart, was burnt at the
stake in front of the castle in 1546 and
following this, a group of Protestants
bluffed their way into the castle and
murdered Cardinal David Beaton.
Early 1300s
Castle taken
and retaken in the Wars
of Independence
Late 1300s
Castle rebuilt
by Bishop Walter Trail
1400s
Castle in use as
base for bishops and
archbishops
Historical background
The history of the castle at St Andrews is
closely linked with that of its neighbour,
the cathedral. In medieval Scotland,
St Andrews became the headquarters
of the Church, and the castle was the
home of its bishops and archbishops.
1520s
Defences of castle
strengthened
The Protestants, including John
Knox, then occupied the castle for
a year. The regent, Arran, attempted
to burrow into the castle by building
a
mine
(tunnel) but in the end the
siege was broken when French forces
supporting Arran bombarded the castle
from the cathedral. The castle was
badly damaged but was remodelled
and upgraded again by Archbishop
Hamilton.
1546
Burning of George
Wishart; murder of
Cardinal Beaton
1546 – 47
Castle
occupied by Protestants;
Mine and countermine
constructed
In about 1200 Bishop Roger built the
irst castle as his residence. Almost
nothing of this original castle survives
as the castle suffered greatly during the
Wars of Independence.
1550s
Castle defences
and living quarters rebuilt
From about 1385, Bishop Trail began
to rebuild the castle, and it is these
remains which are the oldest we can
see today. It was laid out in the form
of a pentagon, with towers at each
corner, maximising its powerful natural
defences. Within the defensive walls
lay accommodation for the bishop,
his household, and guests, and also
a prison. This was one of the major
1559
Cathedral sacked by
Protestants
With the Reformation and then the
abolition of bishops in Scotland, the
castle lost its political importance.
Stones from the site were used to
repair the local harbour, and what
bombardment began, wind and
weather continue to the present day.
1560
Parliament
abolishes Mass as main
form of worship
1689
Ofice of bishop
abolished and castle falls
into ruin
1801
Great hall falls into
sea
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
ST ANDREWS CASTLE
3
Supporting learning
and teaching
A visit to
St Andrews Castle
is particularly appropriate for
teachers working on class study
topics such as:
Before the visit
Working on site
• 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. This could be added to after
the visit.
When exploring the castle, pupils
should be encouraged to look critically
at what they see and to make and test
theories based on physical evidence.
Useful starting points are:
• Why do you think the castle was built
here? What are its natural defences?
• What materials were used to build
the castle?
• What evidence is there for everyday
life?
• How has the castle changed over the
years?
• The Middle Ages
• Castles
• The Reformation
Many teachers will visit the
castle in combination with
a visit to nearby St Andrews
Cathedral. The history of the
sites is closely intertwined and
a visit to the cathedral will lesh
out the important religious
context of the castle site.
• Discuss the organisation of life in
a castle. Pupils could investigate
the roles of these key managers:
steward, constable, marshal
.
• Discuss with pupils all the different
activities that would have gone on
in a castle. Pupils could research
different topics (e.g. food, travel,
entertainment, weapons) to prepare
them for the visit.
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:
• 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.
• 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.
•
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.
•
develop effective
contributors
by broadening
pupils’ knowledge and
understanding through
investigative, creative and
critical thinking.
Pupils can record evidence by:
• Taking notes.
• Sketching.
• Taking photographs.
• Recording impressions into a tape
recorder.
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
.
• The role of the church in everyday
life in medieval times is hard for
today’s children to grasp. Research
into everyday life at this time will
help show its inluence.
• It is helpful if pupils know some
of the architectural terminology
of castles as this makes discussing
on-site easier. Useful words might
include:
courtyard, chamber,
shield, coat of arms, archway,
dungeon, mine, countermine,
siege, moat, drawbridge
. Pupils
could develop a class illustrated
dictionary to explain these terms.
Suggestions for follow-up work
Following the visit pupils can pool their
indings in groups to create a fuller
record of the castle and the lives of the
people who lived and worked there.
This could form the basis for a range of
presentation activities, e.g.
• A guide book for future visitors.
• A slide show with commentary of
their visit.
• Imaginative writing based on the
lives of the inhabitants of the castle,
for example a spy guide on how to
attack the castle.
• A series of drama sketches showing
different snapshots of events in the
castle through the ages.
• Even if you are not discussing the
Reformation in detail, it would help
if pupils were familiar with some of
these names and ideas:
Catholic,
Protestant, Bishop, Reformation,
Cardinal Beaton, George Wishart,
John Knox, martyr
.
• The idea of a siege should be
explored and discussed, as so much
of what makes St Andrews Castle
exciting relates to siege and siege
breaking.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
ST ANDREWS CASTLE
4
Plan of St Andrews Castle
On the trail of the
Bishops
This tour guides pupils
around key castle
locations relating to the
lives of the St Andrews
bishops. It takes in nine
key locations inside the
palace, marked on the
plans to the right:
1. Outside the Castle
2. The Gatehouse
3. The South Range and
Fore Tower
4. The East Wall
5. The Kitchen Tower
6. The Seagate and
Cellars
7. The Sea Tower and
Bottle Dungeon
8. The Courtyard
9. The Mine and
Countermine
5
6
4
9
7
8
3
2
1
We also suggest that you
visit the castle Visitor
Centre displays.
Background information
is given in this pack for
each location. It is written
in fairly simple language
so that it can be read
aloud to pupils if desired.
Plan with tour route marked
Also included are
suggested
questions for
discussion.
The focus is
on encouraging pupils
to interpret the building
and deduce what they
can from clues they see
around them.
We suggest that the class
is divided into groups of
about 10. Allow about an
hour for the suggested
tour.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
ST ANDREWS CASTLE
5
Tour notes: On the trail of the
Bishops
Outside St Andrews Castle
Setting the scene. This can be read to pupils.
• This castle isn’t an ordinary castle. It was the home of the most important person
in the Scottish medieval Church: the Archbishop. It was also used as a kind of
school for important Scots, like King James I and James II.
• Because it was so important, it was often under attack. It has been knocked down
and built again lots of times.
• It’s really unusual because underneath the castle is a tunnel that some people
used to try and break into the castle...and there’s also a really horrible dungeon.
Are you brave enough to look round?
St Andrews Castle: artist’s impression
HISTORIC SCOTLAND
EDUCATION
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