I. PAST OWNERS CASTLIT D EAN S : SOME NOTE THEIN SO R HISTORY. BY WILLIAM DOUGLAS, F.S.A. SCOT. hardls i t I y necessar thay ruine sa tth yo f Fast so t Castle (fig stan) .1 d on a rocky promontory on the coast, and that they have a witchery all their own. Only a few fragments of the keep and of the surrounding wall remainw s no thesd ,an e rest, peacefull thein yi r solitude, on the brow of a little grass-covered plateau. The site is unique and perfect in its loneliness, and what is left of the ruin is just large enough keepinn i e b o t g wit e scenepromontore hth Th . y extends seawardr sfo 26 s 6cliffsit feet d , an ,feetrisin0 well-nige 15 ar , go t fro0 mh10 unclimb- able frojoinee mainlanw th mno o r ds shorea t i eitheo y t a dI b .se r very narrow pathway whic s non-existenhwa olden i t n times e inter,th - vening chasm being then spanne a drawbridge y db . We cannot fail to be impressed by the intense isolation of the scene- and this is emphasised by the chattei-ing hek-hek-hek of the peregrines as they circle the air from their centuries' old eyrie on the cliffs above, and by the yammer and the youll of the gulls which resound all day long fro surroundine mth g crags thae b s surrounding it t.y 'Ima t e ar s now even more desolate than the e Homeye tim th wer th d f eo n an sei the Logans, for the castle was then the " principal messuage " of the lands of- Gunnisgreen, Flemington, etc., and of "the demesne lands of Fast castell called Wester Lummisden, Dowla and Duddoholme otherwise called Caldsyde with the Mill1 of Fast castell."2 greae Onth f teo through routes from Berwic Dunbao kt Edind an r - burgh would pas l sprobabilit al nea s gatesn i it r r fo , y thin througra s h 1 The mill was in Dowlaw Dean, near the present bridge; see Blaeu's Atlas. • Reg. Mag. Siff., vi., No. 778. '' :

58 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1921Y10 . Goldingham, Lumsden farm, over Dowlaw, and on by St Helen's Kirk moute sande th th Dunglast f o Peaso t sa t ho y ewa Deans . it Thun o , s a ste t t pwouli bu asid e db e fo a traveller o avait r l himsele th f o f doubtful hospitalit f Fasyo t Ca.stle. Although r WalteSi s ,a r Scott tells, nevee Fas1h w sa rt Castle except from the sea, yet from this passing view he has left two delightful word pictures. Of Wolf's Crag he said: " A wilder, or more disconsolate dwell- ing, it was perhaps difficult to conceive" ; and of Fast Castle: " Imagina- tion can scarce form a scene more striking, yet more appalling, than this rugge ruinoud dan s stronghold, situate abrupn a inaccesd n do an t - sible precipice, overhanging the raging ocean, and tenanted of yore by men stormy and gloomy as the tempests they looked down upon."

It is uncertain when it was last used as a place of residence. Ther2 e is no record of this later than when Logan was conducting his desperate deeds against law and order. When he died in 1606 it came into the hands of the Earl of Dunbar, and it would then, no doubt, be used as a prison, when Commissiones ,a Bordere th f ro " e ,h hange d ove hundrera d and forty of the nimblest and most powerful thieves in all the Borders." 3 The Ear f Dunbao l r s heirdie hi 1611n di sd 161n soli ,an Jameo t 5t di s Arnott, a son of the Provost of , who would probably, like his brothe t Cockburnspathra , lea dmora e homely life thers hi f e o thay nan predecessors. Of his brother, Taylor the Water Poet records that he was "a worthy gentleman whose chief delight was in giving strangers entertainment gratis, and who desired nothing so much as to know his duty towards God and the king and to practise works of piety, charity and hospitality." From Arnott the castle passed to the ,

and then, after som4 e forfeiture restorationsd an s t cami , r Si 168n ei o 2t John Hal Dunglasf o l whosn ,i e famil t remaineyi d till 1919, s whenwa t i acquire Franr M y kdb Usher along wit Dunglae hth s property.

PLANS PICTUBESD AN . The earliest is " the platte of ffawscastle" (fig. 6), which was drawn to the scale of 32 feet to the inch, under the direction of Henry, second Earl of Rutland Lor,s whewa d e nWardeh Ease Middld th an f t no e Marches in 1549. Sinc ebees theha n t ni preserve t Belvoida r Castlee , andth y b , kindnes Marquese th f permissioo e s th f Granby o sy Dukb e th d f enan ,o of Rutland, it is now reproduced for the first time. This plan is not only of interest as an important document in the history of the castle, bute earliest e earliestth castly , th t an frof f no s eo beino m ,it f e i , gon 1 Introduction, Bride of Lammermoor. 2 Provincial Antiquities, . 188p . .ii 3 Scots Peerage, iii . 287p . , quoting Balfour's Annals,. 17 . p . i

Colonel Arnott's House of Arnott. 4 FAST S OWNERSCASTLIT D AN E . 59

Fig. . Pla2 f Fasno t Castl 1880n i e .

4 10O 0 O 4 8 91TO0O O S W20O FEE0 4 3TO I——I——I——I——I——I——I——I——I Fig. S. Tracing of Plan made in 1549. 60 PROCEEDING SE SOCIETYOTH F , JANUAR , 1921Y10 . housr o Scotlandn ei comparinn I . gt witcastle i plae th hf th eno mady eb Messrs M'Gibbon & Ross in 1880 (fig. 2), we see that most of the foundations buildingd ol e oth f s have disappeared thad an , t onl yportioa f "thno e e curtaith f Hallevisiblew o n no d wal e "an . ar l However, enougw hno remain confir o sdoubt o n pland accurace d ol carefuma t th an ,e th f lyo search would reveal traces of the.other foundations. The lettering on the old sixteenth-century plan reads as follows: —The See, Acowrtte,

Fig. 4.I - Fast-Castle fro e Nortmth ' n 1789hi . e HalleTh , brewehowse fott-2 3 o thincht t e A , , Acowrtte e CrageTh , , The Platte of ffawscastle, The See.: In Blaeu's A tlas of 1645, there is a map of Mercia on which the castle is represented by a drawing of a conventional four-sided building. This is only interestin indication a s ga occupation i ns thawa t ti t thana t time. In 1778, it is noted, on a map of " the Great North Road," as being then in ruins. In 1789, Adam de Cardomiel's etching, here reproduced (fig. 4), is the first pictorial representation we have of it, and it shows the building unroofe e e wallb th o t d s beginnindan falo . gt in l In 1820, the Rev. John Thomson of Duddingston painted several pictures which are siipposed to represent Fast Castle, but many of them are very fanciful.1 The one in William Baird's John Thomson is perhaps . ' There is one in Scott's Provincial Antiquities, one in Lang's James' VI.; one in The Bride of Lammermoor, thre Napier'n ei s LifeBaird'n i e Artist,e oon th fs d bookan . FAST CASTLE AND ITS OWNERS. 61 more tru doubtfus naturi o e t t othere muci o s t th ef f bu i h o l stha ; y nan of the walls was standing then as is shown in this picture. 1829n I , James Skene's etchin s Localitieshi Waverleye n gi th f o Novels give goosa ruie dstate t th idethan th a f f eo a o t date. In 1836, Alex. A. Carr gives a picture of the ruins in his History of Priory.

FAST CASTLE

Fig . Fas5 . t Castle fro e Nortmth 1880n i h .

In 1880, M'Gibbon and Ross made some drawings of the castle1 (fig. 5), thesd an e show that buildine mucth f ho disappeares gha d since then. From these plan pictured san s easi t castle gaiso yi t ideth n na f eao in the time of its strength. The plateau, on which the buildings stood, rises from 99 feet above sea-level at its seaward end to 153 feet at its highest point, and measures 266 feet by 88 feet. This plateau was cut off fro mainlane mth chasa y db m som fee0 e2 t wide, whic spannes hwa a y db drawbridge fringes curtaia wa y t I b d .n wall running roun clife dth f edge so that no access could be had to it from the sea without leave from the garrison. The picture of a crane and bucket, shown on the 1549 plan as swinging 100 feet above the entrance to the great cave, explains how communicatio maintaines nwa d wit seathie d hth s an ; gives another blow

M'Gibbo Ross'd nan s Castles, iii. 222p . . 1 62 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 192110 Y .

to the fascinating tradition that there was a secret passage from the

underground sea-cave int castle oth e1 above by e meanth n f i step o st scu rock through its heart. This cave was explored in May 1920, and was found to extend for about 80 yards; but no signs of any steps on its aperturn a f s rooo wallit r fn ei sno coul discovered.e db 2 Not much of the curtain wall remains, but fragments of its foundations stiln seee ca b l n extending herd ther ean r dow efa e clif nth f l faceAl . of it that exists now above the plateau level is a portion of the tower at the drawbridge entrance, showing a shot-hole window still entire, and another bit at the seaward end of about 12 feet long, in which a fligh f stepo t s gives accese parapetth o t s . There is little of the castle itself standing now, only a portion of the wall comprising the north-east corner of " the Halle"; and this rises to the height of the corbels. In it there is a recess, on the first floor, with a portio Gothid a rudelol f t no cycu archhea sandstond re n di e which s completwa e whe r M'GibbonM n sketche 1880n i t di . Ther larga s ei e mass of masonry which has evidently been thrown to the ground from the parapet of the castle, and completely turned upside down in its fall. embeddee ar t i n I d eighmarvellous i corbelsd t i ol t d an , s thamase th t s t completelno s wa y shattered fale sais i lTh hav o dt . e occurred during a thunderstorm in 1871.8 Ther trace-oo n s ei sprina f -welr go l withi castle nth e eon wallss i r no , indicate 154e th problee 9 n th plando water-suppld a f an m, o thae on t s yi is difficult to solve. There is, outside the drawbridge, a circular hole with built sides which, at one time, may have been the castle well, but t wouli d have been dangerou obtaio t s n water fro t mdurini gsiegea . Hector Boece tells of a wonderful stone which was in Fast Castle, full of eyed holean s s lik a esponge , hollowe e middleth n di n whic i , l al h sea-water washing therein at once becomes fresh and delicious to the mouth.4 HISTORY. s responsiblwa e e origi o impossiblw th th wh r f no no y efo s i sa t I o et e buildeknoe th w castle f l wo gatheres i rAl . d fro e illuminatinmth g remar Jamef ko builSixte o s th t muswh i th n that ma hav t e "th e been knava t heart."ea 5 Durin fourteente gth h centur e castlyth e appear havo t s e been some- times in the hands of the Scots and sometimes in those of the English.

1 For references to this tradition see Carr's Coldingham, p. 95 ; Fraser-Tytier's Hist., iv. p. 286; and M'Gibbon and Ross's Castles, iii. p. 224. 2 Scottish Mountaineering Journal, xv. p. 305. 3 Ber. Nat. Club, 1881, p. 445. 4 Hume-Bro.wn's before 1700, p. 79. 6 Hume Brown's Surveys of Scot. Hist., p. 186.

FAST CASTLE AND ITS OWNERS. 65 Formans o'f Hutton.1 He was in command of troops at the siege of Dum- barton in 1489, appeared at a tournament in 1495, was sheriff-depute at Berwic 1504 n ki died ,an d before Cuthbert sons ,hi , returned from "Turkie" e sam th r Patric 1463-7n s i eSi o wa i ns describee k8wh i h 1510 f I . s da "Archdekyr f Tevedalo i ned ean r kynnesma Loro nt d Alex. Home,e "h must have bee nwila d s youttimet appeari hi r n ,fo hi s1463 n i tha , ,the with his brother John " entird and withoute any titill of right occupied the celle and lordshipp of Coldingham"2 and excluded the Prior and brethren therefrom. No officer of the Crown was bold enough to serve a writ on these "masterful persons." William Barton, "messynger and mandatary of our haly fadre the pape," relates in 1465 that " Sir Patrick Home and John Home have ben abouteward to distresse every man- datary tha executto t takitr o o ehd anythinuppoo t m nhi g against them," and " daI r noght tharfore take r fer uppof detfo o e seke o ht nm e thair persons."3 He therefore fixes a notice to the doors of the churches of Norham and St Nicholas in Newcastle summoning them to appear at Durham on the 26th day from the date of the placard. No doubt they paid little hee thiso d t ther e excommunicate,fo yar Pope 146n th di e y 7b (a facsimil denouncemene th f eo t appear Surteee th n si s Society's volume on Coldingham), and they kept possession of the Priory for fifteen years. Sir Patrick married first a lady whose name has not been discovered, and secondly Isobel Forman of Hutton, in Berwickshire.4 Durin r Patrick'Si g s reign evento tw , s occurre n Fasi d t Castlf o e widely different character firsa e somewha s i Th t . t gruesome storyf o , prisoners being kep confinemenn i t t until they died. Thisf aroso t eou the murder in 1500 of the Warden of the Middle Marches, Sir Robert Ker of Caverton, younger of Cessford.6 The murderers were the bastard Heron, Starked Lilburnd an , . Hero Starked nan d escaped t Heron'bu , s brother lore f Ford,th d o , with Lilbur seved nan n others, were delivered for himdied Fasn an ,di t Castle prisoner r thafo s t deed.6 The second incident is of a more pleasing nature, and the castle must have presented a gay sight on the evening of the 1st of August 1503, when passed the night there on her way to Holyrood Jamed we e Fourth th s o t s wifr Patrichi Si e. d Isobekan l Forman received her at their house of Fast Castle, and we are told there was

Keg. Mag. . 375Si@.,p . . ii Those land e keepinf Huttoo sth d f Berwicnan go k Castle were witpurchase m t comwifs hi 1hno hi Patrick r eo et d IsobeSi di y dd b l,an Forma Huttonf no . They were in the possession of the Formans in 1426 (Reg. Mag. Sig., ii. p. 15), they passed to Sir Robert Logan through his'marriage with Sir Patrick's grand-daughter, and their grandson, Robert Logan of the Gowrie conspiracy, sold them in 1597 to Sir George Home of Wedderburn. Coldingham, Surtees Soc., p. 231. Ibid., p. 203. 42 Scots Peerage, iv. p. 451. 35 Ibid., vii. p. 329. Border Calendar, i. p. 195; and Ridpath, p. 481. 6 5 VOL. LV. 66 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 10, 1921. " very good cheer so that every man was content." Her company were lodged fou e abbe th rtow d milen i y an f Coldingham f no sof , " whes rwa ordonned Mett and Drynke for them, and also Liveray for ther horsys, of Hay and Otts ychon to hys Quantyte." A thousand Scots, of whom 500 were mounted on horses of great price and well appointed, had met her and her English train at Lainberton Kirk, and 500 of the English train continued with her on her journey into Scotland. When she left Fast Castl e followineth g mornin r rid he Edinburgo et r s gfo wa e hsh attired in a rich riding dress and mounted on a beautiful white pony, with footmen on either side, very honestly appointed, with portcullises embroidered on their jackets, and "they schott much Ordnnounce" from e castlth e r journe wallsstore he f Th yo .s delightfull yi ye th tol n di quaint language of the time by John Younge the Somerset Herald, who attende e queeth dr thafo n t s printei purpose t i n Joannii d an , s Lelandi's Collectance, vol. iv. p. 281. After the death of Sir Patrick Home, "his son Cuthbert succeeded him s ownea f Faso r t Castle. Holinshed give accounn sa f Cuthberto t d an , returs ohi f Scotlano nt d from " Turki e 1510n say"e i H s. : " Alexander, bastard sonne to the king, newlie made archbishop of St Andrews, came from Flander a intse oy sScotlanb joifullis wa d dean i-eceived lore Th d. of Fast castell came ouer 'wit travelled h ha himo dwh , throug hgreaa t par f christendomeo t moreoued an ; r passing into Turkie, e camth o et emperou f Turkio e citir th f Caire eo .reteinet o e a n seruicei wh , m dhi , d gau'goom an ehi d interteinement thao s ,e remaine h t d with him, till e hearh d thae lininth t f Faso g lawfuly tb castel m s fallelhi wa lo t n succession; notwithstanding that when he departed out of Scotland, there were eight seuerall persons before him to succeed one after another, which in the meane time were all deceased."1 It would appear that Cuthbert had to pay a heavy ransom before he could return to Scotland. " Seven and forty sacks of wool of the Lam- mermoors, each sack weighing about 640 Ibs. troy, were shipped by his father at , to be exchanged in or on the :Continent for gold to pay it."2 Cuthbert did not live to enjoy his succession for more than two or three years, for he died on the field of Flodden by the hands of Lord Dacre, who wrote to the Lords in Council (17th May 1514): " Cuthbert Home of Fast castell was slayiie be me and my folks on the field of Brankston [Flodden]."3 In January 1514, four months after Flodden, there is a memorandum

Holinshed's Scottish Chronicle, 1808 ed., v. p. 470. ' 81 Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., . 161p . , ii fro m Excli. -Bolls, July 1508-9 . 340No ,. Raine's North Durham, vii. p . 3

68 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUARY 10, 1921. showing tha captaie th t f Fasno t Castle (unnamed beed ha )n n i sen r tfo hast consideo et bes w provido t t ho artilleryrd e an th t wite i n d hme ,an Lords being advised by him " ordanis ane pece of gret artalze be sent to ye said castel t wilya l l brek bulwerkis togither with certan powdin egu r fodefence y r kepid samin."e y ean f no 1 After Cuthbert's death (9th September 1513), Alex., third Lord Home, the Chamberlain of Scotland, appears to have been in control of the castle—probably either as guardian of Cuthbert's widow and family, or as Warden of the East and Middle Marches. Although he was e noble th o invite onf o wh ese Duk th d f Albano e o returt y n from France, he seems not to have been long in quarrelling with him, and, e followinath s g extracts show, this quarrel s losinendehi e n gth i d s trie r higcastlewa d fo e h H treaso. beheaded nan 1516n di . On the 7th of August 1515, Dacre wrote the Council he is " sure Lord Home will never obe e Dukth y e without Henry's assente h f i , regard s promiseshi s e victualH . s Fast Castlee , th meanin o d o t g Duke all the annoyance he can, and take refuge in England if com- e Ear th f Bothwellpelled o s lwifd Hi an e . , 'hie rth u[ncle],n i e ar ' e 14thcastle."th r Anthonn ,Si O 2 y Ughtred wrote from Berwico t k Wolsey, "The Lady of Fast castle3 still keeps it, and will not deliver it to Albany, who has come thither with a small company."4 On the 25th, Ughtred again wrote that "the Chamberlain had entrusted Fast castle to his brother, and has now given it to Albany."5 In 1515, Lord Home had arranged to capture Queen Margaret's children from e Queen' Albane th tim th f o et sya escap England,o t e ' and to keep them in • Fast Castle; but this fell through, and Lord Home

was outlawed. Albany then too castle 6 kplanteth d ean dgarrisoa n ni s own Homee hi f Th o . t i s eoon after succeede n retakindi e castlgth e from the Regent, but, not being sure of being able to hold it, they levelled its walls.7 In 1521, George, fourth Lord Home (a brother of the third Lord) rebuilt the castle.8 1523n I , 23rd October, Ughtred wrote Surrey that "Alban s comyi e forward Lade Th f Fasy.o t castll prepare r himsfo . Expect Duke sth e this night."9 We now come to the time of the war (1543-1550) which arose out

1 Part. Sec., January 1513-4, pp. 539 and 540. . . ' 2 Letters and Papers, For. and Dom., Henry VIII., ii. No. 788. 3 Probably Cuthbert's widow, Elizabeth Martin, who a charte ,n i f 1538o r s styledi , ' Lady Fastcastle.—Hist. MSS. Com., Hamilton . 218,p . 4 Letters Papers,d an For. Dom.,d an Henry . VIII.,219p . . ii 6 851. Ibid.,.No . ii 6 Striekland's Queens of Scotland, 3rd ed., i. p. 118. ' Carr's Coldingham, p. 88. 8 Ibid., p. 88. " Letters and Papers, For. and Dom., Henry VIII., iii. No. 3460. FAS9 6 T S OWNERSCASTLIT D EAN . of Henry VIII.'s desire to compel the Scots into a matrimonial alliance between his son Edward and the infant Queen Mary, during which Fast Castle fell into the hands of the English. We are told that after the battle of Pinkie (10th September 1547) e renegadth e George Douglas, brothee Ear th f Angus o f l o r , trien i d vain to take it, " but could not by reason of its strength, and the hardieness of the holders."1 It fell soon after this, for Holinshed relates that about this time (December 1547) "the t als ygo ostrona g fortresse called Fast castell, standing neere to the sea side, and placed a garrison within it."2 In 1549, the castle was under the command of the Marshal of Berwick, Thomas Gower (afterward r Thomas)Si s . n a Gowe s wa r active fellow eved an ,n befor e battlth e f Pinkieo harryfine m ew hi d - ing the Scots. He was out on the 5th September 1544 at Dawcowe and stilled the same, took nine prisoners, burnt and spoiled the house, and brought much " insight gere."3 He was out again on the 25th, and too a a cra kcovf "Whitaderro n i ge d seizean " d Hutton Hall belonging to the Lord Home. At " Bales" he burnt abbey, church, and town, took 30 prisoners, slew 100 Scots, took 160 nolt, 120 horses naggsd an , with onlEnglishmae yon n slain.4 In 1547, Gower had been made prisoner at Pinkie, but had been afterwards released on paying a considerable ransom.5 The keeping of those insanitary and lonely little forts proved very troublesom e Englishth e Ear o f t eRutland Th o ln 154d i . ha 9o wh , been appointed to be "Lorde Warden of the East and Midle Marches foranempt Scotland havo t e chie d eth an f, rule, ordr governauncd ean e of our garrysons and men of warre upon those frontires,"6 wrote to Lorde th Councin si l (14th October 1549) that " generall eschutn me l eyal e miserth forte d sickner an yfo s n themi s , and, wha deaty b d t an h ronning away they can not long abyde in this state," and (on the

22nd November 1549) the soldiers " are so naked that the7 y run away, sicken, and die • daily. If you do not out of hand send a thousand fresh Englishmen for their relief, the forts will be in great danger,"8 The forts that Rutland had to look after and keep supplied were those of Dunglass, Fast Castle, Lauder, Eyemouth, Broughty crag, and Home, as well as the camp at Haddington. He wrote to his mother (8th August 1549) plag:e "Th e (plague s sori ) Hadyngton ei allsd nan o in Barwyke; and even so yt ys in fere in my campe."9

Carr's Coldinghain, p. 61. Holinshed, v. p. 552. 2

31 Raine's North Durham, p. xx. 4 Ibid., p. xxi. 6 Diet. Nat. Biog. ' Hist. MSS. Com., Rutland, i. p. 33. ' Ibid., IF. 193p . . . Ibid.,42 » . p . i . e Ibid.,50 . p . i 70 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, JANUARY 10, 1921.

Somerset now seems to have suggested that "Faws castell" should be destroyedl and abandoned, and Rutland wrote (12th October 1549) that Mr Gowre desires that he may either "enjoye the house and landes thereunto belonging as his own, or els to be recompensed of his charges in obteining the same, which (as he saieth) amounteth to £120."2 Gower himself writes to Rutland that "wher as Fast castle is at this present under my charge it may pleas your Lord-ship and Counceill movo t Lorde'y em s Grace contenew o tha s e samy th t ema , considering tha t i liett h verey necessari nerd Donglaso an et e alsd mosan oa , t meat place for stowage of victuall and other necessaries to be con- veyed from Donglas."o et e thencse y eb 3 Amon e reportth g s thae Ear th f tRutlan o l d sen Londoo t t e ar n some lists of artillery in the forts under his charge; unfortunately t giveno the ne yar fo r Fast Castl detailn ei l tha saie Al , h aftet. dis r detailing thos r Eyemouthefo , " like r Fawslisfo t t Castell. r EyeFo " - mout e detailhth s are:— " Two ' demi-culveryns' of iron, one ' saker of brasse,' one ' fawcen' of fawkenet' brass e on , f brasso ' , fiv fowlers' e f irono ' serpentyn' , e powder o dimitw , d barrell,' thirt morrispykes,' y n bowste ' , forty sheaves of arrows, with shot for the respective pieces."4 It was at this time that the " Platte of ffaws castle " was prepared.

The castle did not remain long enough in the hands of Mr Gowe5 r destroyee b e Englisho t th y db , e Scotfoth r s recovere clevea y b rt i d stratagemd historiaol s e relatei th s na y , b dHolinshed e storTh y. runs: " When the capteine of Falke castll had commanded the husband- men adioining brino t , g thither certeina t ,(a e day), great stor vittelsf eo , The yoon thern me ge abouts hauing that occasion, assembled thither appointedy da e takino th wh t , a g their burdens fro e horsesmth , and laieng them on their shoulders, were receiued (after they had passed the bridge, which was made ouer -two high rocks,) into the castle, where, (laieng downe that which they brought,) they suddenliea y (b , signe giuen,) set vpon the keepers of the gates, slue them, and (before the other Englishmen could be assembled,) possessed the other places, weapon d artilleri e an castells th d thef o ean , n receiuin e resf th go t their companie into the same, (through the same great and open gate,) they wholie kepenioied an t castele dth l for their countrimen."

There is a very interesting commentary on thi6 s old story of Holinshed Hist. MSS. Com., Rutland, iv. p. 192. Ibid., iv. 192. 1 Ibid., . 203p . . 568-9Ibid.,pp . 2 .iv 3 Ther e planear s e sam alsoth f eo , time f Roxburgho , , Eyemouth, Lauder, Broughty4 f o d an , a for5 t without a name in Belvoir Castle, where the original of the Fast Castle plan is preserved. —Ibid.,. 38 . i.p 6 Holinshed, v. p. 561. 1 FAS7 T S OWNERSCASTLIT D AN E . in a MSS. volume of Acts and Decreets, and I am indebted to Mr Angus e Registeoth f r Hous . it Thi r a contractellinf o es fo i s e gm f 1553 o t , from whic t woulhi d appear that these " yoon "n wergme e acting under e orderth f Loro s d Home. e contracTh 1 s betweei t n "the nobld an e mighty lord Lor pare Roberd don an t Hume th t n Loganeo f Lestalrieo g on that other part," with consent of the Queen Dowager, the Regent e Prive LordArranth th f d yo s ,an Council showe d preamblth an , n i s e that Lord Home with his servants and assisters had recovered the castle fro Englishe mth thin I .s contract Lord Home binds himsel restoro t f e Fast Castle withi dayx n si Rober o st t Logan doorss , witit l hal , windows, and insert "work in the walls complete, and to arrange with Adam Gray, James Galbraith, Thomas Dawson, and Mungo Lumsden to renounce the infeftments grante theo dt r thei mfo rtakine castlee parth th n f i gto . For this Lord Home was to receive £700, £300 of which was to be paid by the Queen Dowager and the balance by Logan.2 In May 1547, that is, six years before the foregoing contract, "The Lar f Rastalrido s appointeg "wa havo dt e cur e kepind "e th ean th f go bail Dowhilf eo l aboun Fast eastellfea , w he month d " ;an s s later, seems havo t e been livin Edinburgn gi h wit wifes hhi , Margaret Seton, where they signe dcharte a 10t e th h n Decembero r 1547.4 There is something interesting about this Margaret Seton, daughter of George, fourth Lord Seton, and wife of Robert Logan, for in a letter of Lord Grey to Somerset (17th June 1548) it is said: " This news [regarding the movements of the French navy] is from the Lady of Fast (Faulst) castle, one of the 4 appointed to attend upon the young Queen." gatheo 6t e Whaw r e frotar m thi younger s he remarks wa r t I ? sister who was the Marie Seton of the Queen's "four Maries."6 e nexth r t foufo 1567n I d r an ,years , Lord Hom s occupyinewa g Fast s ownCastle explanatiohi Th s .a e married ha s tha i ne h td Logan's widow, Dame Agnes Gray, and young Logan, the one who was after- wards accuse f complicitdo e Gowrith n yi e conspiracys s thehi n wa n,i minority. In July 1567, an incident occurred in the history of Scotland which touches Fast Castle understano T . s significancedit muse w , t recall that Queen Mary had surrendered to the lords on the 15th June, and was 1 Alexander, fifth Lord Home, who was taken prisoner at Pinkie, released 6th December 1548, appointed an d Lord Warden, April 1550. 2 Register of Acts and Decreets, x. p. 160. 3 Reg. Privy e seveth f no Council,. beacone Dowla73 on . p s . i wswa between Berwicd kan Linlithgow tha event firewerthe be din te to Englis oan f h invasion otherThe .s wer Abb'eSt s Head, Dounlaw above Spott, North Berwick Law, " Dounprenda [Traprain]w r "La , Arthur's Seat, and the Binnie Crag. •> Hist. MSS. Com., Stirlin f Rentongo . 648p , . 6 Cal. Scot. Papers, Bain; i. p. 121. • Scots Peerage, viii. p. 585. 72 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S JANUAR- , , 1921Y10 .

then in Lochleven. Elizabeth was uneasy, and dispatched in haste her ambassador, Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, to learn what was happening in Scotland. A meeting to discuss the situation was arranged between a deputatio d an m nhi fro e lords mth thid an s, meeting took placn i e Fast Castle on the evening of the llth July 1567. There were present Queen Mary's secretary, William Maitland of Lethington; Sir James Melville, one of the Privy Council; Alexander, fifth Lord Home; and Throckmorton. Maitlan o Throckmortot h 8t d e wrotth n o en sayin woule gh d meet him near Coldingha Fridayn mo lead tham an ,d hi t nigh Faso t t Castle, " wheare althogh yow can have no good cheare, yet, I dare well assure yowshalw welcome."e yo ,b l 1 Throckmorton then wrot Cecio et l from Berwick on the llth: " This daye I take my journeye towardes the Faux accompanyedm Castlea d an , wit r e horseMarshal0 th hM 20 o t sd an l bounderoode, where the deputy wardens to the lorde Hume, well accompanyed receyve do , e me."-followine agaie Th h 2 y n gda wrot o t e Cecil: " As yow might perceave by my lettres of the llth of July, I lodgys castlFa t eda that night, accompanyd wit lorde hth e Humee th , lord of Ledington and James Melvin; wher I was intretyd very well accordinge to the state of the place, which is fitter to lodge prisoners then folk t lybertyea svers i t vers yi y t littls yy a , stronge."o es e H 3 relato goet n t greaso ea t lengt conferencee resule th hth f o t saye H s. he found the lords were suspicious of Elizabeth's motives, and that they would in the meantime neither join with France nor England. When he assured them of Elizabeth's good faith, "the lorde of Ledington smyled and shoke hys head and sayd, 'yt were better for us you wolde let us alone then neyther to do us nor yourselffs good, as I feare me in the end yt will prove.'" The letter finishes with the words, "thus havinge no more leysure, but compelled to leap on horsebacke with thes o Edinburghet eo lordgo o t s I ,humbly e tak leavy em f yowe o e , from Fast e 14tcastle." th wrote hh n O o Elizabett e4 h e tellinh r ghe d reacheha d Edinburg e 12thth n , ho accompanie d withorses.0 h40 5 n 1569I , Queen Elizabet s annoyewa h d wit e Scot th hr havin fo s g sheltere e EarCountesd dth an l s of e Ear th ,f West o l - moreland, and " divers others of the principal rebels " who had escaped into Scotland. She sends George Carey instructions on the 22nd December 1569 whicn i , s narratedi h s vehementli , "t I y suspected thae saith td Earls and their complices will either be conveyed to the west coast of Scotland, where they may have shipping, to escape by the sea; or else by help of the Lord Hume will put into Fast Castle, there to remain till 1 Selections from Unpublished MSS., Ibid., * Maitlan . 195p . d Club . 191p , . 3 Ibid., . 197p . « Ibid., . 199p . 5 Ibid., . 203p .

O FAST CASTLE AND ITS OWNERS. 73 they escape by the sea on that coast. Which we the rather suspect, because we understand that the Lord Hume has of late victulled the said castle.d LorAn d " Hunsdon complain e Regenth o t s t Murraf yo

this (9th Januar1 y 1570), and says that the Countess of Northumberland has been received at Home Castle, "where she is yet, unless this day. conveyed to Vaux [Fast] Castle, and that the Queen will make him [Lord Home] repent of his folly." Elizabeth was not long in taking

1570y Eare ,th Ma Sussef r revengeo lh he 4t n x O write. hero st : "Having 2 appointed sufficient forc horsemenf eo , footme ordnancd nan e convenient for the taking of Fast Castle where your rebels have been most main- tained, the same was this day rendered before any piece was planted; wherei I nhav e placed certain shot until your highness' pleasure b e further known, finding that the Castle does not belong to Lord Hume, rightfus i t bu l inheritanc youne th f eo g Lair f Lestarrikedo warda w ,no Lade th yo t Hurnann formea d so y eb r husband."3 Elizabeth's reply (llth July 1570) to the Earl of Sussex's letter says, with regard to the retaining of the castles of Home and Fast, " we think t gooi d that the stile r commandmentyb lou kept guarded a an e t b o dt , prayin u thereforgyo o havt e e regard e surethereith r f themyo fo n . Using, nevertheless, to our friends there such persuasion on our part that they may not conceive but that the keeping of them is purposely for their weal, as the same shall so prove in the end." * n JunI e 1572 r Willia,Si m Drury writes from Restalri o Lort g d Hunsdo "e dissatisfactioth f no Queee th t f Englanna no d keeping Home and Fast Castles."5' Then follows some correspondenc e ownershith o castlee t th s ea f po . Elizabeth writes to Morton (19th July 1573): " We understand that Fast Castle does not appertain to Lord Hume but in right of his wife, who (we are informed) did not consent, but was much grieved and displeased with her husband's doings in these matters against the king, and there- fore by no reason can forfeit her right. Wherefore we must needs think, till we can understand reason to the contrary, that the poor lady ought to have good assurance for saving of the right of Fast Castle to her and her heirs, and some consideration of her living during the life of r husband."he 6 Morton writes in reply (13th November 1573): " The right which the 1 Gal. Scot. Papers (Boyd), Hi. p. 31. » Hist. MSS. Com., Hatfleld, i. p. 459. 3 Cat. Scot. Papers (Boyd), iii. p. 149. According to Holinshed, iv. p. 243, Sir William Drury marched against the castle with a force of 2000 men, took it without firing a shot, and hy agree- men to depar t suffere n e tgarrisome th witd0 1 hf o nthei fourtee. ror livesn e lefte H nt . Englishme wero ewh though, it n i t " number sufficient enoug keepo ht t e againsi powe e th l ral t of Scotland, the situation thereof is so strong." 4 Ibid. (Boyd), iii . 206p . . 5 Gal. State Papers (Thorpe) . 357p . i ., • Col. Scot. Papers (Boyd), iv. p. 599. 74 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1921Y10 . Lady Hume may claim in it is only during the wardship of her own son by her first husband, the Laird of , which draws near an end."1 Th Englise e Eare th castl th f Mortony gives o lb o ht ewa p o nu wh , writes on the 13th November 1573 to Elizabeth saying he had " received housee th Homf so Fasd ean t castle fro r handofficere mth he f st o s ";bu

from a letter of 26th June 15752 , it would appear that the ordnance of those castles had not been delivered " because it had not the King of Scotland's arm markr so s upo gune n it."Th s wer merlownis' eo "tw ' [merlinsf ]o

brass and four falcons."3 4 The young Robert Logan of Restalrig, great-great-grandson of Sir Patrick Home of Fast Castle, came into possession of his father's lands in 1576. The Logans of Restalrig were an ancient and honourable family, with claim.ta o royal descent throug hdaughtea Roberf ro t II.; but, as Andrew

Lang remarks, " thei rthei n glori s r ywa ancestor Roberr Si , t Logano 5 ,wh fell where the good Lord James of Douglas died, charging the Saracens on a field of Spain, and following the heart of Bruce. So Barbour sings, namee b o Barboury t d b deata d deea d an chivalrousr o hs an dfo , s i , honour enough." They reigned in their eyrie above the little loch of

Lochen e paristh n f Restalridi ho g ~6 for several generations before th e castl f Faseo t came into their possessio 1533n ni , though the held yha d lands in Berwickshire for many years before that date.8 Flemyntone, called Nether Aytoun, passed fro mJoha n Logan f Restalrino so s hi o gt Joh 1495n thesd i an , e lands passed fro r RobermSi n tso Logas hi o nt Rober 1539.n i t 9 Sir Robert's wife, Elizabeth Home, besides being a co-heiress10 of Fast Castle, brough Logane th o t s half "the land Huttof so mild nan l thereof, lande th f Bonyntouso n wit e keepin hth e Castl th f f Berwickgo eo e th , lands of Horndene, two husband lands in the town of Dunse, two husband towe killand a th f Lethem no d n i san e landth , f Nesbetsheillo s s with the wood thereof, and the superiority of the lands of Rawburn, with their pertinents, all in the sheriffdom of Berwick." n 1 Gal. Scot. Papers (Boyd), iv. 626p . . 2 Gal. State Papers (Thorpe) . 850p . .ii , 3 Ibid., i. p. 390. " Gal. Scot. Papers (Boyd), v. p. 156. 5 Scots Peerage, n.6 1 . p . [ Gowriee th 6d Jamesan Mystery,. VI . 150p . 7 The lovely well of St Triduana in Restalrig was said to have been built by the Logans for a family mausoleum. The well was restored in 1908. See Trams. Edin. Archit. Assoc., vii. p. 56. 8 A twelfth-century charter, with a seal of Edward! de Lastalric, confirms a gift of two tofts in eimuthe (Eyemouth) to St Ebbe and the Priory of Coldingham by Robert, son of Matilda of Berwick.—Raine's North Durham, p. 40. 9 Hist. MSS. Com., Stirlin Rentonf go . 647p , . 10 Alison, Elizabeth's sister, was the other co-heiress, and she married Sir Walter Ogilvy of Dunlugas. Sir Walter's son George is connected with Logan in a number of transactions for the sal landf eo whicn si h join a the d ty ha interest Hist.e Se . MSS. Com., Miln. e Home64 d 1. 4an pp , 11 Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home . 222p , . 5 FAS7 T S OWNERSCASTLIT D AN E . From onwardw ,no s writer e Loganth n so s have mad granea d mix-up in the names of fathers and sons and mothers and sons,1 hut when a sentence of the court pronounces that the name, memory, and dignity of the deceased Robert Logan he extinct and abolished,2 what else could expectede b ? In 1536, Sir Robert finds caution to the extent of £1000 "to underly the law at the next Justice-aire of Edinburgh for art and part of the cruel Slaughte f Adao r m Purdy," t whabu 3 t cam t show f thino eo s i sn in Pitcairn. He was alive in 1542, as his son is then named "fear of Restalrig,"probabls wa e charteh e t yth t dea4bu f go o rd n beforso s hi e the lands of Restalrig confirmed in September 1543.5 In 1542, Lord Seton acqiiired the gift of Robert Logan the younger's marriage fro Queene mth time , whicon e t "pertenia h gifd ha t Davio t d e CraWoth f go d comptrollar d renuncian , n i d ourgevi an m t hi e b n umquhill our souerane ladyis faderis handis for certane soumes of money and compositionis payit." 6 Soon after this Loga marries ni Loro dt d Setoii's daughter Margaret.7 In 1547, he is appointed to keep the baile fire on Dowlaw by the Privy Council.8 1555n s describeI i e h , Johy db n Knox, who tellinn e sal,i f th e o f go e superioritth e Queef Leityo th o ht n Dowagere s "an a , m referhi o t s man neither prudent nor fortunate."9 e Lothiath f o ne lairdon joineo s n 1557I e wh sLordwa th de f ,h o s the Congregation, but later "randered himself undesired to Monsieur d'Osell."10 In 1560, he was committed to prison by order of the Magistrates of Edinburgh.11 He died in 1561.12 His widow, Dame Agnes Gray, married [1568?] Alexander, fifth Lord Home.18 Robert Logan of Restalrig, grandson of Sir Robert Logan and Elizabeth Home, and son of Robert Logan and Dame Agnes Gray, obtained possession of his father's lands in 1576, fifteen years after his father's death. From this we may presume he had to wait until then for his coming of age. If we are right in this conjecture, the year of his birth would be 1554. He would thus be six years old when his father died, eighteen when he was with Kirkcaldy of Grange at the surrender 1 See Carr, p. 90; Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home, p. 14 ; "The Summons of 1570," Hist. MSS. Com., Ear Homef lo . 116p , . 1 Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, 291. p . .ii 3 Ibid., . 176*p . i . I Reg. Sec. Sig., xvii. fol. 27. 5 Reg. Mag. Sig., iii. p. 693. 6 Beg. Sec. Sig., xvii. fol. 27. ' Hist. MSS. Com., Stirling of Renton, p. 648. 8 Privy Council Reg., i. p. 73.

Knox's Works, David Laing's ed. . ppi , . 426-7. Calderwood . 464p . i ,.

9 10

I 2 1 Eobertson'I s Antiquities of . Leith,n 0 3 . p Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home . 223p , . 13 Scots Peerage, iv . 462p . . 76 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1921Y10 .

of , and fifty-one when he died in 1606, "Old Rugged and Dangerous." In 1560, the village of Restalrig, and doubtless also the Logan chateau above Lochend, were occupie Englise th y Scottisd db han h troops during the great siege of Leith. Such stirring events must have made a deep impressio mine th f youndn o n o g Logan ,sixts thehi y hn i yearma d an , have stimulated a natural propensity to lawlessness and intrigue which he developed to such an extent in later years. 1573n I contraca , mads wa t e betwee r WillianSi m Drur Lord yan d Ruthven tha f Logati captures nfale wa f Edinburgth o l t da h Castle, he , along with others, was to be "reservit to be justifit be the lawis of Scotland."1 Logan was in Edinburgh Castle2 at the time of its surrender in 1573, but he appears to have escaped this doom, for we find him in 1577 being surety, with otherse extenth f o t £10,00o ,t 0 that Lord Robert Stewart of Orkney shall remain in ward within the Palace of Linlithgow.3 In 1576, Logan married Elizabeth M'Gill, daughter of David M'Gill, advocate, of Lochcotes, Nisbet, and Cranstoun Riddell, and from her he was divorced.4 About 1586, he seems to have married again, for we find the Master of Gray writing to Archibald Douglas: " I was force t a Restalrig'd s sui o engagt t ey cupboard e somm th f o ed an , best jewel I had, to get him silver for his marriage."5 His wife at the time of his death in 1606 was Marion Ker. After the death of Lord

Home his mother married the Master of Glamis.6 7 1576n I , Loga t possessiongo father's hi f no followe sth lands,n i -d an 8 ing months he began to dispose of them thus:—A villa in Auchincraw to James Bour; husbana 9 d lan Easn di t Resto Patrico nt k Auchincraw;10 two husband lands, three acres in Hutsoun's croft, and a cottage in Eyemouth to John Gray;n certain lands in Coldingham to David Ellem ;12 e husbanon d lan n Dundi Georgo t s e Hom f Aeo y ton;13 four husband lands in Swoiiwode to William Auchiiicraw; his half of a fishing boat,

eight acres fivd ean , house Eyemoutn si Davio ht d Hom f Nynewells;eo w 15 e lands sharth hi f Blackballf o s. o e Hom f Wm Ayton;o eo t s e 1th C land mild f Huttounsan o l , Bonitoun e keepinth d f Berwickan ,g o Castle,

I Privy Council Beg., ii. pp. 216-8. . ' Scots Peerage, iv. p. 462. * Privy Council Beg., . 622p . . ii 4 Scots Peerage, . 486p . .ii 6 Hist. MSS. Com., Hatfleld, iii. p. 178. . HumH r Si e Campbellothen I . r document79 . p , name sth e appear Marios sa n Kie. 76 Privy Council Beg., iii. 649p . . 8 Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home, p. 223 ; and Stirling of Renton, p. 648.

9 Carr's Coldingham, . 223p . 10 Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home . 234p , .

I 1 J Ibid.,I Milne Home . 208p , . Ibid., Stirlin Rentonf go . 648p , . 1 Duns3. f Ibid.,o 41 y . p , Ha " Ibid., Milne Home . 238p , . 15 Ibid., MUne Home 208. p , . " Ibid., oy £ Duns. Ha 63 . p , FAST CASTLE AND ITS OWNERS. 77 Horneden, Dunce, Nisbitscheillis, Rawburne, Auldhamstocks, Cokburns- 'peth, Schillistaines, Edwardsounes, and Lumsdaines, and his share of Acrasthland, Aittounes, Beapark, twelve cottage n Coldinghami s , W. Kenton, Swynewod, Renton, Auchincraw, Swyneisfield, and Paxtoun, wit e fishinghth s thereof r GeorgSi o t , e Hom f Wedderburn.eo 1 A singular transactio recordes ni Registee th e Grea th n di f o tr Seal under date 1580y 13thMa , whe e Kinth n g wills that Logan shall pay, within seven years, a sum of £3380 to John Lumsden of Blanerne. He was cited at an address over the north side of the loch of Restalrig, where he commonly had his residence, and at the castle and fortress of Fast Castle, where he had his residence at the time with his retainers and family.2 In 1581, Logan complained to the Privy Council that Patrick and John Hum f Manderstowo e n came under " sylenc f nychts o e hi o t " lands of Nethir Byre and Flemyngtoun and "spuilyeit" 20 bolls of oats.3 The Humes protested, and said they were not within six miles of time. e e placth th t 4a e 1584n I Prive ,th y Council order Dame Agnes Hume Thomar ,M s Lyoun of Balduky, now her spouse, and Robert Logane of Restalrig, keepers of the castle of Fast castell, to deliver it to the King's officers within six hours after being charged pain o ,f treason. no 5 Six very interesting letters from Logan, written in 1585-7 to the infamous Archibald Douglass the Londowa n ni o wh ,s officia na l agent for the King at the English court, are printed in the " Hatfield Calendar."6 These show him to have been a man of considerable education, in touch wit e sociahth l evente dayd deeplth an ,f o sy steepee politicath n i d l intrigue e courtth f so .lono to Thequoto g t e yfular n ei l t i here t bu , f intereso e b noto y t t ema tha gave h t morea e pleasing descriptiof no James's grie'f on the death of Queen Mary than is to be found in many other contemporary aceoxints tak . daithe s sth saiMy hi e f s H e do : ". Hi mother very hevely hesd thar an ,, fo t cause, retirit hemsel Dalkeitho t f e dayespacn e fote th r f quyet.n eso i " Archibald Douglas, to whom these letters were written, was, on 26th May 1586, tried for the murder of Darnley. Logan was on the packed jury for his acquittal which " absolved him most shamefully and un- honestl e exclamatioth o yt whole th f neo people." In March 1587, Logan's rule over Berwickshire seems to have been extensive. Ballard wrote from Newcastle: " hyreI dmessengea e go o rt to the Larde of Lesterrick for his safe-conduct, but after three days

Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home, pp. 64-5. " Reg. Mag. Sig., iv. p, 837.

' 1 Privy Council Reg., iii 419. p . . * Ibid., iii 449. .p . 6 Ibid., p. 649. • Hist. MSS. Com., Hatfleld, vols. iii. and iv. 8 7 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1921Y10 . absenc curreouy m e r retorned s wit gone repor wa Edeno th het e h t - brough to the Kinge."1 1587n I , Logan with three others finds cautio £40,00n Mastee i th r 0fo r of Gray that he shall within a month " pas furth of this realm " and shall t returno n withou King'e th t s consent.2 n 1591I e findh , s caution tha "e shalh tt rese no r lintercommun o t e with. the king's declared traitors."3 1593n I , Loga ntroubln i bega e b o ent wit law e 12tn hth O h. February, having faile appeao dt answeo t r r " upou s treasounablnhi e conspyring, consulting, trafficquing d divisinan , g with Frances, sometyme Erll Bothuill," he was denounced rebel.4 In the same year, " under silence of e night,th e took"h , from William Nisbe f Newtono t , golsilved dan o rt the value of 3000 merks.5 In 1594, his servants having near Berwick beset Robert Gray, a burgess of Edinburgh, and taken from him £950, " maist cruellie and bar- barouslie invadi s lyffe. hi persewid f an "o t t appeaLoganm no hi t d rdi to answer to the charge, and was denounced rebel.6 In 1594, John Napier of Mercbiston was called to his aid in a search ' for treasure said to be hidden within Fast Castle. Searching for hidden treasure, by supernatiu'al means, was occasionally practised in those days, and the lurid description in The Antiquary of Dousterswivel's adventure Priore t Rulth S n f s i yesecrecy o e tellth f so thanecessars twa y on those occasions. Napier, with his familiar, a jet black, cock, was more than suspecte f dealin do e blac th n kdree gi h wit , arts wd up h an , his own hand, a contract binding himself to " do his utter and exact diligen ae lb outk crafsercho ingynsi d d st ,d an an t ean e tha dowe th , to tempt, trye, and find out the sam, and be the grace of God, ather sail find the sam, or than mak it suir that na sik thing hes bein thair: sa far as his utter trawell, diligens, and ingyne may reach."7 The contract is e possessioth printe n i e Memoirs*e originath w th f n o di no d s an i l Professor Glaishe f Trinito r y College, e clauseCambridgeth f o se On . provide beins it r gsfo destroyed whe s conditionnit s were fulfilleds a d an , stils i existencen t i i l , this raise douba s•whethe o t s a t searce th r h ever took place. Mark Napier is unwilling to part with the idea " that the philosopher actually went to the dreary castle; that there, in his gown and cowl, he sat betwixt the wild Earl of Bothwell and the turbulent Restalrig, both teethe armeth o d;t tha partooe h t f theio k daynt' r y cheir—fyne hattit kit, with succar, comfeiti d wyn' d thaan se an th ;t

1 Border Calendar, i. p. 249. 2 Privy Council Beg., iv. p. 173. 3 Ibid., iv. p. 679. " Ibid., v. pp. 27-12. 5 Lang's James VI., p. 158. Privy Council Beg., v. p. 148. ' Memoirs of John Napier, by Mark Napier, p. 221. 86 And reproduced in facsimile as well in the Nat. MSS. of Scotland, vol. iii. FAST S OWNERSCASTLIT D AN E. 79 necromantic noblema e lawlesth d san n chief bowed befor e purth e e but mighty mind n stori r who t fo becomo ,e t edestin ye mth s eywa e universath l benefacto e arts."f scienco th r d l ean n 1597-8I , Loga d somnha e dealings with George Ker Catholie th , c intriguer with whos n Spaino d ean , person "the Spanish blanks" were found. Ker wrote from Calais (18th February 1597-8): " We haif delt with the skipper qlk. is John Brunne of Burntillund and hes agreit with hi t Heymouthmlana o t s du r Falo e s castle e hopewillingd W .Go , , ye morro o saill."wt Carey wrote (March 1597-8) furthem : a " I r

enformed that 2 he (George Ker) landed at a place called Coldinghame baye, hard by Listerickes house, a pryncipall man of that Papist faction. t I being myleo etw f Eymouthe o s shipe th d tha ps an ,a tcam e alonge the quoast being right against that bay, he toke a bote, and came secreteli thio et s Listerickes house."3 In 1598, Logan seems to have regained favour with the King. A royal lande charteth Fasf f s o o grantes tm wa rCastle hi o dt , Flemington, etc., which he and his ancestors had held of the Prior of Coldingham, now annexed to the Crown, for a yearly payment of 30s.4 In 1599, Lord Willoughby, in a letter to Cecil, describes him as a " vayne lose man greata , e favore f thefeo r s reputed f gooo n d, (yema ta clann thes ea y felow." d hergu ea tearm5d an ) eit In 1599, Logan became bound " not to suffer his place of Fast Castle to be surprised by any of his Majesty's traitors and rebels or by foreigners and strangers, as he shall answer upon his life and heritage."6 n 1601I resee h , t John Bur f Coatsno pledga ,e hande th th f n ei b s English, who, as Ralph Gray tells Cecil, " is with the Laird of Leystaryck howss inhi t Fawea s castell."' Before Logan's death in 1606 he had disposed of his lands of Mount Lothan and Nether Gogar to Andrew Logan of Coatfield in 1596,8 Restalrig Quarred an l hole Loro t s d Balmerin 1604,n oi 9 Fast Castl Archibalo et d Dougla Pittendreich,f so followine th d 10an g disposition shows where eth lands reshi f so t went:— Robert Logan, sometime of Restalrig, with the consent of Marion Kie [?Ker] his spouse, disposes "the lands of Flemingtoun called Nather Aytoun, Reidhall, Nether Byir, Brownislaiid, and Gunnisgrene, with the corwald nan k mill f Flemingtono s e baronth n f i Coldingha,y o d man shire of Berwick, to George, Earl of Dunbar, Lord Home of Berwick; and also acquiesced in the acquisition by the said Earl of the lands of 1 Napier's Memoir, p. 223. Hist. MSS. Com., Hatfleld, viii. p. 39.

3 Border Calendar, . 523p . .ii 2 Hist. MSS. Com., Stirling of Renton, p. 648.

5 Border Calendar, ii. p. 583. *4 Privy Council Beg., v. p. 539. 7 Border Calendar, . 762p . ii . 8 Douglas's Peerage, p. 65.

» Ibid., p. 65. Hist. MSS. Com., Stirlin Rentonf go . 648p , .

0 1 0 8 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1921Y10 . Fast castle, wit e Mainhth s thereo r Westeo f r Lumsden, Dowlad wan Doliolme or Cauldsyde with the mills in the foresaid barony, from

Archibald Douglas, whic acquiree hh d from Logan,—4th Jan. 1606." x ...... ,.-•-- -• THE GOWBIB CONSPIRACY. The crowning episode in Logan's variegated career was his connec- tion wit e Gowrihth e mystery. Althoug s lifetimhi n he i escapeh e d e accusatioth f complicit no e must h , f guiltyit i , n yi , hav mand ha e y an uneasy hour. Thing livins l pointhi al s o gt unde e apprehensioth r n of some such tragedy d thian s; would explai e e sellinlasth nth t f go of his remaining houses and lands and the purchase from Lord Willoughby in 1601 of a share in a sailing vessel then lying at Berwick fully manned.2 As Andrew Lang says : " He wallowed in drink; he made his wife wretched; with his eldest son he was on ill terms ; he wandered o Londont f plague o Francee t returne(o h d e d di n 1605an ,,i an o t d, t seemsi Canongatee th n i ) a landles, t moniesbu d man Juln i , y 1606."8 The truth about the Gowrie conspiracy,4 for the capture of the r keepinfo Kin prisoned m hi an g n Fasi r t Castle, willn a eve e b r insoluble mystery partisane e Th Ruthven.th f o s s claim tha ploo n t t was devised by Gowrie and his brother, and that the whole affair was arranged by the King in order to get rid of the Ruthvens. Modern historians, after sifting the whole evidence, are convinced from Gowrie's falsehood as to the King's departure from Gowrie House, and other indications, that there was some kind of plot laid by Gowrie and his brother. But as to Logan's part in the conspiracy, that anothes i , generallw rno matters i y t I accepte. e d th tha l al t alleged Logan letters, produced at the trial and now in the Register handwritine th Housen i e ar , f Sprotgo . Andre ws gon ha Lang eo wh , deeply inte questionth o f opinioo s i , n thae mosth t t importanf o t them all, No. 4 [of the series, is genuine in substance, and was copied by Sprot from an original by Logan, and that the others were

based upon it. 5 I, thef so thi n e a conspiracb sther s e parwa e f th Gowrieo tn yo , and Logan was in it. Though, as Calderwood said at the time, "it was thought strange by manie that the Erie of Gowrie and his brother would communicat a epurpos f sucho e e importanc e Lairth f o o dt e Restalrig deboshea , d drunken man."8 Muc s beehha n writte mand nan y books publishe conspiracye th n do , Hist. MSS. Com., Milne Home, p. 223. > Lang's James VI'., pp. 218-219. Gowriee th 31d Jamesan Mystery, . VI . 161p . * For the pros and cons see Pitcairn's Criminal Trials, Scott's Life and Death of John, Earl f Gowrie,o Andred an w Lang' Gowriee th sd Jamesan Mystery. . VI

Lang's James VI., . 238p . Calderwood . 779p . . vi ,

5 6 1 FAS8 T S OWNERSCASTLIT D AN E . so man s almosa y o fort t ma smal l librar themselvesn yi . Mosf o t the points in them have been touched on in Andrew Lang's book, so no more need be said than to recall briefly what happened on the 6th of August^l600. The King, James VI., left Falkland to hunt a buck. Afte e huns overth r wa t , Alexander Ruthvens hi convoye o t m hi d brothe e Ear th f rGowrie'o l s hous n Perthi e . When dinnes wa r finishe e Kinleds th d ,gwa under pretext f witn seeinpo o t ma ha ga of gold under his cloak, to an upper chamber. Then word was sent to the party below that the King had left for Falkland, and was riding across the Inch. While his party were in the yard and mounting their horses, a turret window was suddenly thrown open and the King was heard shouting, " Treason ! HelLorr y M pdMa ! e Hel th pn I !" scrimmage that followed both s brotheG-owrihi d an er were slain. From the confessions of Sprot eight years later, it would appear havo that Kin e s eth t gwa bee n take Logan'o nt s hous f Faseo t Castle, thad rewardee an b t castl e Logao t th gif a s Dirletonf f ey o o td n b wa . Spro Logan's wa t s "doer, notara d "an y publi Eyemouthn ci . After Logan's death he produced a number of letters which he said were written by Logan to Gowrie. He alleged that Logan had entrusted the mJoho t n Bour, from obtained whoha e mh d them. These letters have been printe fuln i d l many shal1 times, t lbu

give three extracts from them which speciall ycastle:e refeth o t r —1 (I.) "I dowt nocli t . (MasteMA .bo t r Alexander Rutliven) yowr lo. brother lies informed you . qhalo r t cowrs I elai d down o brint , l gal you . associatilo r liowsy m f fas o o eseyt e s b t, qhail al I rsulw dhe materialli reddynesn i s r thaifo s r saif recayvin a gland d inty an o,m liowse ; making as it ver bot a maiier of passing time, in ane bote on seye thin i th , s fair soinertyde iiand an , e other strangeri liano st y m t . howse, qhill ve had concluded oil the laying of owr plot, quhilk is alredy devysed be M. A. and me." (II.) "Ane soiieth dbroghe rv purposr bettere ow th t r paso et ,ve t si before harwest. Let iiocht M. W. R. (William Rhynd) yowr awld pedagog ke yowf no r commhig t rathebo , rbaldI durso s val f iiitreii o e t ,, b dtI t aviy yowm n . anie s lo howsercomo t sd an e ,keipi w qhaiy he m tI r lo. Bo(thwell) in his gretest extremityis, say the king and his consell qhat they vald." (III.) "I think all matteris sail be concluded at my howse of Fa(st- . concludR . A . eM thad castell)sowle an y t I dr fo com; d ean vitm hhi his lo. and only ane other man vith yow, being bot only fowr in company, untill ane of the gret flsching botis, be sey to my howse, qher ye sail land as saifly as on Leyth schoir; and the howse agane his lo. comming to be qtiyet. And qhen ye ar abowt half a myll fra schoir, as it ver passing by the howse, to gar set forth ane vaf." It is interesting to find, as Mark JYapier points out, that these letters conclude with committin s correspondenthi g thin i s s nefarious Pitcairne 1Se , Carr Langd an , . VOL. LV. 6 82 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , JANUAR , 1921Y10 .

matte o "tht r e protectiou e Almychtith f o n eo "Chrysti t God r o " s haly protectioun"; yet he gives as a reason for excluding Gowrie's "auld pedagog" from the plot, that he "will dissuade us fra our purpose with ressounes of religion quhilk I can never abyd." Spro s trie wa Augusn ti d e chargtth 160 n f treasonablo o e8 y con- cealin s knowledghi g f Logan'o e s connection wite conspiracyth h , found guilty, and executed on the 12th of that month. From the scaffold he said that " his continuall beiring of company with Restalrig and Laird Bour, who wes irreligious and without the feir of God, brocht him frome one syn to another."1 Fast Castle was not used constantly by Logan as a place of residence, but he apparently reserved it for his more desperate adventures while he live Gunnisgreen,n di t a s watere wa 2 Ey t nea I moute e . th rth f ho Gunnisgreen thas greahi t t Yule festivals too f theseko e place, On . referred to by Sprot in his confessions,3 gives a lurid picture of Logan. The Christmas of 1602 arrived, and the Laird "keepit ane great Yule t Gunnisgreen,a t whica " h were present eight yeomen. e Lad"Th y (Lady Restalrig) was also present at the table that night, and at her risin Devie saide gTh sh ' ,l deligh sucn i t feastha , that will makl al e the children weep hereafter'; and this she spoke as she went past the end of the table. And, after entering the other chamber, she wept a while, ' and we saw her going up and down the chamber weeping.'" " A fortnight later, Lady Restalrig blamed Bower for the selling of Fastcastle. Bower appeale o Logans Logan't d wa t i ;s fault t hisno ., ' One of two things,' said Bower, ' must make you sell your lands: eithe thinu yo r k your childre e bastards nar havu yo e r planneo , d some treason.'" Logan replied, "' If I had all the land between the Orient and the Occident, I would sell the same, and, if I could not get money I woul fo, it r d googivo t t ei d fellows.'" * 160n I 9 Logan's bones were exhumed fro e gravemth , where thed yha lain for three years, brought into court, and a sentence pronounced on them as follows :— "This Courte of Parliament Decemis and Declairis the name, memory dignitid saie an th d f eurnqlo e Robert Logan f Restalrieo extince b o gt t and abolisheit s armehi d s an cancellat, , rivin deleitd ean te furtth f o h .. "~ buikis of Armes and nobilitie ; sua that his posteritie sail be excludit and be unhable to posses or injoy ony offices, honouris, digniteis, landis, tenementis, rowmes, rentis, possessioni r guidiso s moveabl r vnmoveeo - able, richtis and vtheris quhatsumeuir within this kingdome, in all tyme ' ' Pitcairn 260. p . ii , 2 The present house with its secret underground chambers was only built some 200 years ago. Logan's hous s loneha gcallew disappeared coach-house build no dth ol g de in th t sais i ebu , o dt

have beehouse d dove-coe ol n th e .th f o t 3 Lang's James VI., p. 203. • Ibid., pp. 203-5. FAST CASTLE AND ITS OWNERS. 83 dimming saidie th thad l sal tAn : gudis , landis rowmes, teuementis and vther gudis, moveable and vnmoveable, richtis and vtlieris quhatsumeuir, pertenin saie th d go umqlt e Robert Logan Restalrif eo quhlikir go s micht onyways haue perteiiit to him at ony tyme, sen his conspyring of the saidis treasonable cryiues escheae b o foirfaltid t ,r soveranan t ou o t t e lord apperteno t , remano t d ean e perpetualie wit Majestis hhi pron i e - pirtie And this I give for dome." l With the death of Logan the story of Fast Castle practically comes to an end, and though it did not fall into ruins for another hundred years, what occurred during that time can only be of little importance.