Philip De Sayton's Grandfather Fought with William the Conqueror At

Philip de Sayton’s grandfather fought with William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066. Winton was built by the Setons following a grant of land by David I to Phillip de Sayton in 1150. Phillip’s grandson married the sister of King Robert “The Bruce” of Scotland. In the sixteenth century, Henry VIII had Winton burnt in an effort to impress Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary Seton was later her Lady-in-Waiting. The Seton’s tenure lasted until 1715 when they backed the Jacobites and the Earl of Winton was taken to the Tower of London. The Earl’s capture ended an era when Kings were entertained and master craftsmen were engaged fresh from Edinburgh Castle to embellish Winton House in the style of the Scottish Renaissance. In the absence of the Earl but in his name, Winton was requisitioned by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 when his rebel army camped on Winton Estate. The Hamilton Nisbets, who bought the House and Estate, linked it to one of the greatest inheritances of the 18th and 19th centuries. The furnishings came from all over Europe and the Turkish Empire and the impressive estates covered some of the country's best farmland. Golf was not just a pastime but was carried out on estate land, which, at that time, included Muirfield and Gullane Links. For over a century, Winton has hosted musical evenings and private functions; more recently it has successfully been used for corporate dinners and lunches, conferences, product launches and weddings, using the main rooms of the House. Activities and team-building events take place in the grounds. Today Winton is the family home of Sir Francis and Lady Ogilvy. Visitors are welcome and private and corporate events are encouraged. THE LORDS SETON Winton was a Seton stronghold for nearly 600 years. 1000 years ago As the builders of Winton, their history can be traced back to 1050 and Robert FitzPicot de Say, Lord of Aunay (Normandy), whose son, also Robert, fought at the Battle of Hastings with William “the Conqueror” in 1066. Phillip de Sayton, his grandson, was granted the lands of Seton, Winton and Winchburgh around 1150 by David I of Scotland, who was consolidating his power around Edinburgh with Norman nobles. There began almost six centuries of Setons at Winton. The Royal Court Phillip’s grandson married the sister of King Robert “The Bruce”. The family were heavily involved in the Wars of Independence in the 14th century including the Siege of Berwick and the Battle of Bannockburn. Their names, through marriage, can be seen in the family trees of Hay, Gordon, Stewart, Campbell, Douglas and Montgomerie, and are linked to Dukes and Viscounts down to mere Earls, including the title bestowed upon Robert, 6th Lord Seton, 1st Earl of Winton. They held notable positions such as Mary Seton, Lady-in-Waiting to Mary Queen of Scots, Robert, 4th Lord Seton, Lord of Session, and Alexander (brother of the 1st Earl) who became Earl of Dunfermline and Chancellor of Scotland. The Burning Although the Seton seat was nearby at Seton Palace, Longniddry, George Ist Earl of Winton built a stone tower at Winton around 1480. When Henry VIII adopted an unusual style of courtship on behalf of his son Edward with hopes of wooing Mary Queen of Scots, the Setons were caught up in the aggression of the Earl of Hertford. Under Henry’s orders, Winton was burnt by the English Army in 1544 around the time of the siege of Haddington. The thick walls of the vaulted basement survived the fire. The atmospheric Vaulted Cellar is still used for entertaining today. The Earls Restoration The 6thth Lord Seton was made 1st Earl of Winton in 1600 and set about making a home out of the ruin. The work was continued by his nephew, the 3rd Earl, who engaged the services of William Wallace, the King’s Master Mason. Wallace was responsible for many of the prodigious projects at the time and Winton rose to be amongst the finest examples of Scottish Renaissance architecture and a Jacobean gem. Prisoner Two generations on, support for the Royal Stuarts at the Jacobite uprising of 1715 saw the capture of George 5th Earl of Winton at the Battle of Preston. He was taken to the Tower of London; his land and titles were confiscated by the crown and the land was later leased to the York Buildings Company. It was later requisitioned for use during the uprising of 1745 by Bonnie Prince Charlie, on behalf of the exiled 5th. Earl. The rebel army camped on the Estate and were fed by the local tenantry. LAWYERS TURN LAIRDS The Setons’ departure left a vacuum at Winton. All Change The York Buildings Company who followed were interested principally in the minerals (coal) on the Estate and the House was leased to a market gardener. When they went bankrupt in 1779, the house was sold to Mrs Hamilton Nisbet of Pencaitland. This was the start of an extraordinary lineage involving over twenty families whose intertwined his- tories pre-date even the Setons. The Hamiltons Whilst the Setons were siding with Robert the Bruce, loyalty to The Bruce at Bannockburn by Walter Fitzgilbert Hamilton was rewarded with a grant of land from which stemmed the most senior family in Scotland today. And when George Seton, Earl of Winton was creating his Renaissance Palace at Winton, the Hamiltons also formed a base in East Lothian. Sir James Hamilton, Sheriff of Lanark bought Biel, to the east by Dunbar, in 1641. It had formerly been owned by the Earls of Dunbar and then Lauder of the Bass (Rock). Sir James Hamilton’s son, Sir John, was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1635 and 1st Lord Belhaven and Stenton in 1647 for his support for King Charles 1 during the Civil Wars. He avoided Cromwell heading south via the Solway to become a respected horticulturalist at Kew and a messenger for Charles II. Meanwhile his cousin James Hamilton, Senator of the College of Justice like his father, Sir Robert of Pressmennan, moved closer to Edinburgh. He bought Pencaitland Estate in 1698 and took the title Lord Pencaitland. The granddaughter of James, Lord Pencaitland, was Mary Hamilton, who bought Winton for her second son, Colonel John Hamilton. She was already linked to Archerfield Estate and the village of Dirleton through her marriage in 1747 to William Nisbet before she inherited Biel from her father Alexander in 1758. When her cousin, James 5th Lord Belhaven died in 1777, he left her the estates of Belhaven, Pencaitland and Barncleugh. The opportunity was taken two years later to purchase Winton and amalgamate it with the neighbouring estate at Pencaitland. BUILDER LAIRDS Colonel John Hamilton began making his mark at Winton planting woodlands and greatly enlarging the House. Grand Designs Colonel John Hamilton enlarged Winton House with the help of the local architect, John Paterson. He was colonel of the East Lothian Fencibles, a regiment who exercised their horses above Wintonhill Farm. He married Janet Dundas of the ruling political family from the nearby estate of Arniston. They are remembered together with plaques in Pencaitland Kirk, showing the degree of affection held for them within the locality. Presumably they lived nearby at Pencaitland House and intended Winton to be their main home. John’s neo-gothic additions on the north and west sides, however were left incomplete when he died in 1804, leaving Winton to his sister Mary Campbell. The Estate passed to her daughter, also Mary, who married James, Lord Ruthven (also of Nisbet descent). Throughout this time, however, the House would at best have been only a second home, just as it had been for all previous seven centuries. By all accounts, Mary Hamilton Campbell, Lady Ruthven, was a local character. She was possibly the first person to live at Winton permanently as the laird. Most of the older buildings of the east side of Pencaitland date from her time or her uncle’s and the village of New Winton was built by her to replace houses (or hovels) which were falling down within the grounds of Winton House. She built a new school, though improvements to heating technology were not fore- most in the design. The park next door was gifted to those in the parish for a playground “for the games of Football, Cricket and others…and the Bowling Green…. for the Pencaitland and Winton Bowling Club“ in 1884, just four years before she died. She was fondly remembered by the community with whom she had made great links during her time, possibly making the largest impact of any Winton Laird including the Setons. She left no children and Winton was left to her cousin, Constance, the great-grand-daughter of her other uncle, William Nisbet Hamilton of Biel. ARCHERFIELD AND THE ELGIN MARBLES Constance Dundas Christopher Nisbet Hamilton was a mouthful of a name even before marriage to Henry Ogilvy. Three Ladies Each of Constance Nisbet Hamilton’s names represented a property with a house or a castle (or both) and a family lineage whose members had helped to shape the political map not just of Scotland but the British Empire. Her mother may have been described mockingly as a grand dame; she had married Robert Dundas, grandson of Robert Dundas of Arniston and great nephew of Lord Melville. As with Constance, Mary’s inheritance came principally from her mother, a repeating pattern in Winton’s history. The story of Constance’s grandmother is the subject of several books, for she was amongst the most fascinating characters of her time.

Load more