Qualla: Craigmillar Castle https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:23 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/y/craigmillar-castle-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Craigmillar Castle https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle Craigmillar Castle: Introduction https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle/ Photo credit Photograph by Stuart Yeates, from en:Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0. Edinburgh has two castles, but only one of them housed a murder conspiracy that changed the course of Scottish history. While the famous castle on its volcanic rock draws millions of visitors, Craigmillar sits three miles southeast of the city centre on a quiet hill, remarkably well preserved and remarkably overlooked. It was here, in November 1566, that a group of powerful nobles gathered in each other's bedchambers and agreed on a course of action regarding Mary Queen of Scots' deeply unpopular husband, Lord Darnley. The document they signed -- the Craigmillar Bond -- does not survive. Darnley was murdered three months later.

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Image: Photograph by Stuart Yeates, from en:Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/y/craigmillar-castle-wp/gcvy-craigmillar-castle-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Craigmillar Castle: A Castle Built in Layers https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle/ Photo credit User:Jonathan Oldenbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Preston family began building at Craigmillar in the late 14th century, after King Robert II granted them the lands in 1374. The L-shaped tower house they raised on the rocky outcrop became the castle's core, its walls up to 3.3 meters thick, with vaulted ceilings and a guard ...

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Image: User:Jonathan Oldenbuck | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/y/craigmillar-castle-wp/gcvy-craigmillar-castle-a-castle-built-in-layers.mp3 0:06 2 full Craigmillar Castle: The Craigmillar Bond https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle/ Photo credit CC BY-SA 2.0 de. Mary arrived at Craigmillar on 20 November 1566, recovering from a serious illness that had followed the birth of her son, the future James VI. The French ambassador Philibert du Croc reported she was also suffering from depression. Her marriage to Darnley had collapsed. He had b...

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]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/y/craigmillar-castle-wp/gcvy-craigmillar-castle-the-craigmillar-bond.mp3 0:06 3 full Craigmillar Castle: Fire, Witchcraft, and Kings https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle/ Photo credit Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0. Craigmillar's history extends well beyond the Darnley plot. English troops under the Earl of Hertford burned the castle in May 1544 during the Rough Wooing, Henry VIII's military campaign to force a marriage between his son and the young Queen Mary. Sir Simon Preston repaired the...

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Image: Richard Webb | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/y/craigmillar-castle-wp/gcvy-craigmillar-castle-fire-witchcraft-and-kings.mp3 0:06 4 full Craigmillar Castle: Edinburgh's Forgotten Castle https://qualla.com/craigmillar-castle/ Photo credit Otter at Dutch Wikipedia (Original text: Hopmans), CC BY-SA 3.0. In 1660 Sir John Gilmour, Lord President of the Court of Session, bought Craigmillar and modernized the west range with larger windows and fashionable interiors. But by the early 18th century, the Gilmours abandoned the castle for nearby Inch House, preferring modern comforts ove...

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Image: Otter at Dutch Wikipedia (Original text: Hopmans) | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/g/c/v/y/craigmillar-castle-wp/gcvy-craigmillar-castle-edinburghs-forgotten-castle.mp3 0:06 5 full