Craigmillar Castle

I took this shot as I was leaving work. It's not the best picture but it was taken from the car park with my point and shoot but I liked the way the castle was bathed in the evening light.
Those of you who stopped by on 1st Feb. will remember I passed this castle on my trip back to the RIE...

...and now a little history lesson (for me also!)

Craigmillar Castle is one of the best preserved castles in Scotland. It was begun in the early 15th century by the Preston family, who had acquired the lands of Craigmillar in 1374. Sir Simon Preston was a staunch supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots and a member of her Privy Council.

In 1477 James III imprisoned his brother John, Earl of Mar, in one of its cellars where he died. (In 1813 a walled-up skeleton was found in one of the vaults!?).

Mary, Queen of Scots, used Craigmillar often, and stayed here for a week in September 1563, recuperating after her long tour of south-west Scotland.
On 20th November 1566, she fled here after the murder of David Rizzio (her secretary), at Holyrood by, among others, her second husband Darnley. She stayed at the castle until the beginning of December.

However later the same year, the famous "bond" was signed (at the castle) between the Earl of Bothwell and other noblemen which led to the murder of Lord Darnley the following year.

A couple of pieces of trivia -
The castle featured in the BBC production of "Ivanhoe".

Also the area round about is known as Little France. This is because Queen Mary, who for a time was Queen Consort of France, brought a large number of people to work for her from France when she moved to Edinburgh and Little France is where the French people stayed.