Haddington Castle

Haddington Castle is presumed to have existed since the 12th century when the burgh of Haddington was granted to Ada de Warenne, daughter-in-law of King David I. Many of the burghs at this time had royal castles associated with them. However Haddington is an anomaly as no mention of a castle exists in contemporary records, and no garrison was recorded under Edward I, suggesting that there may not have been one. A similar situation exists in Perth, where there is actually no record of a castle, although the town was walled from an early date.

King Alexander II  was born in a royal residence at Haddington in 1198, generally classified as a “palace” and it is likely this should be interpreted as a royal manor with gardens within the bounds of the burgh. It is unlikely we should expect this building to have been a large stone structure, although the royal chapel and maybe a hall would have merited this. Instead we should consider a largely timber structure that could have been destroyed in the fires resulting from King John’s attack of 1216, and subsequently rebuilt. There were other “palaces” in Haddington in the 13th century, including that in which the earl of Atholl was murdered in 1242. It is likely that a stone manor or “house” for the king was maintained here, and perhaps destroyed by the English during the first half of the 14th century. Haddington’s defences were strengthened with stone walls, and it is defence of the town rather than any castle that would have been associated with the constabulary, created in the 15th century. Later in the century an artillery fort was constructed to defend Haddington with a “donjon” in the centre, indicating a tower-keep of some description. In 1549, the town being occupied by the English, there was an English constable of Haddington castle. This is likely to have been the artillery fort, dismantled in 1550, and the location now lost.

RCAHMS Canmore database entry for the Palace