Dunglass Castle

Dunglass Castle stands on the East Lothian coast where the Dunglass Water meets the sea. The site once held a medieval castle built by the Pepdie family in the 14th century, later passing to the Home family through marriage. James IV of Scotland stayed there in 1496 and enjoyed a banquet with spices from Edinburgh. The castle played a part in the power struggles of the 16th century, when Regent Albany besieged it in 1515 and the English slighted it during the Rough Wooing in the 1540s. The castle’s history includes visits from Stewart kings and dramatic events like the arrest of the Earl of Home in 1516. During the Rough Wooing, English forces under Richard Lee built a new artillery fort nearby, using stone from the old castle. The fort was later besieged by the French and Scots, and finally slighted in 1550 after the Treaty of Norham. The Home family rebuilt the castle in the early 17th century, hosting King James VI twice in 1603 and 1617. Today, the site is best known for the Dunglass Collegiate Church, maintained by Historic Environment Scotland. The church stands near the castle’s former grounds, where no upstanding masonry remains. Visitors can walk the coastal path and see the remains of the fort’s earthworks. The church and the surrounding landscape offer a quiet place to reflect on the site’s turbulent past.