Thornton Castle

Thornton Castle was a Scottish fortress near Innerwick in East Lothian. It stood on the opposite side of Thornton Glen from Innerwick Castle, about a mile east of Innerwick village. The castle belonged first to the Montgomery family and later to Lord Home. In September 1547 it was blown up during the Rough Wooing. No visible remains of the castle survive today. The castle’s owners included John Montgomery, who gave the lands to his wife Alison Hamilton in 1477. Alison Hamilton was confirmed as owner in 1502 by James IV, though earlier transfers were questioned. Alexander Home, 2nd Lord Home, received parts of Thornton in 1500 and 1502. James IV later granted the lands to Alexander Home, 3rd Lord Home, in 1507. The castle was captured and destroyed by the English army before the battle of Pinkie in September 1547. The Duke of Somerset demanded its surrender, but the small garrison resisted before yielding. Four cannons and muskets under Peter Meutas bombarded the castle, and it was demolished with gunpowder. The site lies within Thornton Glen, managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust.