North Berwick Castle

North Berwick Castle once stood on a low mound east of the town, overlooking the Firth of Forth. Built in the 13th century, it began as a wooden motte-and-bailey fortress. The MacDuff Earls of Fife later held the barony and controlled a ferry nearby. Some historians believe the de Vaux family built the first stone parts. Bishop Antony Bek occupied the castle in 1298 during a turbulent period. By 1314, troops of the Earl of Pembroke took it but fled after Bannockburn. The castle changed hands several times through the 14th century. The Lauders built a stone tower late in the century, though it was soon abandoned. James Douglas, the Black Douglas, may have slighted the site after taking control. The Stewarts of Fife held the barony under Robert II, and William Douglas, 2nd Earl of Angus, may have further damaged the ruins. Archaeologists have found few traces, making its exact form uncertain. Today, Castle Hill remains a grassy knoll on the East Links. A shallow ditch cuts across the neck of land south of the mound. The summit holds faint earth-and-stone banks, possibly remains of an old wall. Geophysical surveys show hints of wall foundations and internal features beneath the surface. Erosion from public access continues to reshape the mound. Visitors see a quiet green hill with little visible stone, yet it marks a site once at the heart of Scotland’s medieval conflicts.