The
History of Winton House
The Setons were granted the lands of Winton c.1152 by Scotland's King David I,
which grant was re-confirmed in a charter to them, to Philip de
Seton, from William the Lion in 1169.
Philip bestowed Winton on his 2nd son who thus became de Winton
and who's descent Alan de Winton later married the heiress Margaret Seton.
Alan's eldest son, William adopted his mothers surname and
continued the line of the Seton's and became the 1st Lord Seton,
his 2nd son, Henry de Wyntoun kept his father's name and founded
the Winton's of Wrychthouses and who's grandson was the noted
Scottish Chronicler.
Nevertheless, while the
3rd Lord Seton (the first to be named George, of five that were
named George in succession after him) began the Castle of Winton,
it was the 4th Lord Seton who completed the original Castle. His taste for splendid buildings may have
contributed to his embarrassments. "...He...erected the original
house of Wintoun, which appears to have been destroyed in Lord
Hertford's inroad. The historian of the family says, '(He)
...built the haill place of Wintoun, with the yard and gardens
thereof,' and he describes quaintly its ornamented gardens, the
flower-pots of which were surrounded by a hundred wooden towers or
temples, surmounted by bells over-gilt with gold".
Winton Castle was the first in a series of structures built on the current spot
which originally consisted of a tower house of four stories, with various
out-buildings and a defensive curtain wall, which was necessary as Winton lay
directly in the main travelling route, or invasion route, from
England into Edinburgh. This castle however, was burnt by
the English Earl of Hertford during the "Rough Wooing" in 1544,
under orders of England's King Henry VIII and largely destroyed as
a result. Winton House as we now know, was 1st rebuilt by
Robert Seton, 1st Earl of Winton, using the remains of the older castle and
it was
rebuilt again by his second son, George Seton, the 3rd Earl of Winton in the early 17th century, who
created the house as it is now and added the embellishments that Winton House is known for.
Previously Winton was a
defensive structure, but George, 3rd Earl of Winton's work
transformed the residence into a more palatial one. As the
Seton's were the custodians and tutors of King Charles I, Winton
was another of the young Prince's early residences, and a
favourite retreat after he ascended to the Scottish throne.
It was visited
frequently by King Charles I, who was raised in his youth largely
by the Earl of Winton's brother, Alexander Seton, 1st Earl of Dunfermline
and Chancellor of Scotland, and who educated the future King at
Seton Palace and Pinkie House.
Similary, Winton played host
to King Charles II, and was the private, or personal family home
of the head of the Seton Family as a retreat from the rigors at
the Palace of Seton,
and it
is one of Scotland's finest houses, described as 'intimate on a
grand scale'.
Architecturally, Winton is also one of the most important houses in Scotland. This is largely
due to the work of William Wallace, the King's Master Mason who was responsible for adding the
famous carved twisted chimneys and the beautiful plaster ceilings at the start of the Scottish
Renaissance. As a result of Wallace's work, he was chosen as the Architect for Heriot's
Hospital in Edinburgh.
Later still, Winton belonged to one of East Lothian's most powerful heiresses,
Constance Nisbet Hamilton, whose estates covered some of the country's best
farmland and golfing ground including Muirfield. It was Lady
Nisbet Hamilton who added the gaudy and unflattering additions
which filled in the old courtyard.
Constance Nisbet Hamilton Ogilvy. She
was descended from the 7th Earl,
who had been so anxious to secure the Nisbet Hamilton inheritance to the
Elgin title. About this time Constance took stock of her affairs, to
consider providing an income for her heir in entail, J.P. Grant. Otherwise,
he was faced with going to Nigeria, then known as the White Man's Grave.
Constance's husband, Henry Nisbet Hamilton Ogilvy died on 19 December 1909.
His obituary notices tell us he was a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the
Peace in the county, and a member of the County Council. He was Chairman of
the Lunacy Board and the Bill Committee, and member of several School
Boards and Parish Councils. He was a keen curler and President of the Biel
and Dirleton Curling clubs, and Patron of that at Winton. Two services were
held at Biel and one at St. Baldred's, North Berwick. The funeral came from
Biel to Pencaitland at two o'clock and the service was performed according
to the Anglican rite.
After her husband's death, his widow lived a quieter life mainly at Winton.
During this period she perhaps gained the reputation that led to my title,
visiting the farms but saying little or nothing. Devoted to the memory of
her husband with whom she had been so happy, she expected the tenants to
have their photographs in their dining rooms. She visited the schools in
the villages and seemed a very formal old lady to the children. Once more, there was building work. Gilbert Ogilvy designed the laundry at
Winton for her, and in 1914 she fitted it out as a convalescent home for
officers. The War Office declined it and she dismantled the fittings, at
which point the War Office changed its mind.
Mrs. Nisbet Hamilton Ogilvy died on 25 June 1920. Her funeral service was
held in the Inner Hall at Winton, and she was buried beside her husband in
the new burial ground at Pencaitland. Many tributes were paid to her
generosity, to her support of the Church, especially the Episcopal church,
to her accomplishments, to her interest in local affairs, her love of music
and history, to her patriotism and finally to justify my title, in the
words of the Parish Minister of Pencaitland "To outsiders she might seem
stiff and proud, but under great shyness there was a very humble and tender
heart. No good object appealed to her in vain and she was ever ready to
help where there was distress."
The estates of Biel and Archerfield passed to Lt. Col. J.P. Nisbet Hamilton
Grant D.S.O. of Kilgraston, who was descended from Lady Lucy Bruce. He died
in 1950 and Biel then passed to his relative, Vice Admiral Basil Brooke. In
1952 Admiral Brooke demolished the chapel built by Rowand Anderson in 1883,
and most of the building done by William Atkinson in the early nineteenth
century. The porch was resited. He sold Biel to Charles J. Spence Esq. in
1958. Admiral Brooke died in 1982.
The Winton Estate was bequeathed to Gilbert Ogilvy. Herbert Ogilvy had
succeeded to the Ogilvy Baronetcy because his nephew had been killed in
action in 1914. Gilbert had already been involved in building projects at
Winton. His elder son, David, inherited it from his father in 1953 and, as
Herbert died in 1956 without an heir, he also inherited the Ogilvy title.
Sir David Ogilvy died in 1992 and was succeeded by his only son, Francis,
as 14th Baronet of Inverquharity and Laird of Winton.
Winton is now the family home of Sir Francis and Lady Ogilvy.
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