Although the
West Lothian lands of Winchburgh, or Wynchelburgh had been in the
Seton family prior, they were formally granted to
Phillip de Seton by King William in one of the original Charters
granted to the Seton family in 1169, and it is one of the oldest
Scottish Charters known to exist, now held by the Earl of Eglinton and
Winton. The construction
of Niddry Castle as we know it was begun on the hereditary lands of Winchburgh, in
the late 15th century by George, 5th Lord Seton, a great favourite
of his King, James IV. The 5th Lord was held in high esteem by
the King,
but he was not able to oversee the completion of the Castle, falling
with his sovereign on the fatal field of Flodden in 1513. He left a
widow, eldest daughter of the first Earl of Bothwell, who survived
him for a period of nearly half a century, and it was to his wife and
eldest son, George Seton, the 6th Lord Seton, who oversaw the completion of
the Castle in the early 16th century.
During the "Rough Wooing" the castle
became the principle residence of Lord Seton, as the Palace of
Seton was under English occupation. It was during this period
that the castle was enlarged and highly embellished, with the
elaborate 5th storey with it's ogee-roofed dormer windows for
which nothing now remains. It was twice besieged
unsuccessfully by the Regent Morton, and later te English Army
quartered in and around it on Septh 14th, 1650, during
Cromwell's revolution. Niddry is most noted for the
marriage of the 7th Lord Seton to Isabel Hamilton, which marriage
took place at the Castle, and for the famed rescue of Mary Queen
of Scots by George Seton, 7th Lord Seton who brought her from
captivity at Lochleven Castle to safety at Niddry Castle. Email:
secretary@niddrycastlegc.co.uk
