In this third instalment of our Clackmannanshire Tower Trail, we move on from Alloa and go just about five miles northwest to the picturesque Hillfoots Village– Menstrie. We have brought you here once before on our tour of the Andy Scott sculptures as it is in Menstrie where you can find the ‘Fox Boy’ sculpture in the Nova Scotia Gardens.
Hillfoots? Nova Scotia? I know that you might have some questions already, and I promise that it will all make sense as we go and visit Menstrie Castle. So, come along for a trip to a small village in Clackmannanshire that was voted one the best places to live in Scotland in 2014. That might have been ten years ago, but we feel that Menstrie has only become more attractive since then.
Alright, here we go! Menstrie is first mentioned in the charters for Cambuskenneth Abbey, dating back to the 14th century, but obviously Menstrie has existed much longer than that since its name is of a Pictish origin. In any case, it gets mentioned mainly for its location along ‘Via Regia’ – The King’s Highway.
The King’s Highway is the old processional road between Stirling Castle and Falkland Palace. See, Menstrie is not only conveniently located near Alloa, but it is also only about five miles Northeast from Stirling, making it now a very popular commuter town. But I don’t want to jump ahead yet, so back to the history…
The King’s Highway travels along the southern foothills of the Ochil Hills (Ochils), through Clackmannanshire towards Perthshire and Fife. Along the way it weaves through many beautiful towns and villages like, Menstrie, Alva, Tillicoultry, Dollar, etc. Now, I know that I used the word ‘foothills’, but that is not the proper term in this case, because instead, all of these villages are collectively known as ‘The Hillfoots Villages’ or just ‘The Hillfoots’.
In the case of Menstrie, it was not just the beauty of the location as to the reason why people settled there; it was also the power of the location- more specifically the power of water. Menstrie sits just below the Menstrie Glen, a valley between two of the Ochil hills: Dumyat and Myreton Hill (both, especially Dumyat, are very popular with hikers). Through the glen runs Menstrie Burn, which runs into River Devon, and then ultimately into River Forth. However, it is Menstrie Burn that has powered the development of the town- both agricultural and industrial.
When you have that kind of power in any region, it will ultimately lead to some people harnessing that power, and therefore becoming powerful themselves. To find some of these powerful people in Menstrie, all we need to do is go and find Menstrie Castle and then dive into its history, specifically the history of the people who have called it home.
Menstrie Castle today, surprisingly looks a lot like it would have when it was first built around 1560. It was the Alexander family, (a branch of the Clan MacAlister, who are one of the oldest families in Scotland and claim to be descendants of Somerled, Lord of the Isles, - a 12th century Norse-Gaelic Lord who created the Kingdom of Argyll and the Isles) that built the house as a 16th century manor house. Through later expansions the house first merged into a L-shaped tower house. Then, with the later addition, into a U-shaped mansion house that was closed off with a curtain wall creating an inner courtyard. But, due to a fire and other ravages of time, the castle has returned close to its original shape and size.
As for the people of the castle – we will start with the Alexanders. As mentioned earlier it was the Alexander family that first built Menstrie Castle. In fact, the first Alexander was so ‘Alexander’ that they named him twice – Alexander Alexander of Menstrie!😉 However, it was his son, William Alexander, who became the most famous of the Alexanders. William Alexander was born in the castle in 1567, but after his father passed in 1580, he was looked after by his great-uncle in Stirling. In Stirling (and later in both Glasgow and the Netherlands), young William grew to be a well-learned man. He was one of the most highly regarded Scottish poets of his era, and soon acquired employment as a tutor to the Earl of Argyll. That position awarded him travels on ‘Grand Tours of Europe’. Even more importantly, it provided access to the highest echelons of society – including the Royal court of King James VI.
William first started as a courtier-poet for the King, but as he started to carry more favour with the King, so started his rise within the court. For a time he served as the Gentleman Usher to Prince Charles, before becoming knighted in 1609. Afterwards, his responsibilities only grew as he was appointed the Master of Requests for Scotland, essentially becoming the Kings private secretary and a member of the Scottish Privy Council. In those roles, he may have carried favour with King James VI, and even later when the prince he had looked after became the king – King Charles I. However, many of his acts regarding Scotland were actually quite harmful to the Scottish economy, and by that virtue to all Scots.
Now while he certainly wasn’t making any friends in Scotland, William’s legacy today mostly relies on his attempt to create a ‘New Scotland’ - a ‘Nova Scotia’ (the term used in Latin). The poet, turned politician, was put in charge of a vast territory which became Nova Scotia. At the time, the territory also included New Brunswick and even parts of Maine. These were all to be settled into plantations by the Baronets of Nova Scotia, under the guidance of William, who had risen to the position of Secretary of State for Scotland in 1626.
A quick sidenote (and a shameless promotion)- if you are interested in learning how exactly the Sasine – the lawful possessions of the Royal Providence were dealt out with a traditional ceremony of ‘Delivery of Earth and Stone’ to the Barons of Nova Scotia – join us on one of our Wee Walking Tours of Edinburgh. This is because our tours start in ‘Nova Scotia’ (i.e. in front of Edinburgh Castle)!
As for William, he continued to acquire titles and acknowledgements, including Earl of Stirling and Viscount of Canada. He is also regarded as the ‘founder’ of Nova Scotia, leaving behind some of that legacy in the forms of the Coat of Arms of Nova Scotia, as well as the flag of Nova Scotia. However, it can’t really be said that his venture into colonialism was a success to him personally. Nova Scotia was returned to France in 1632, and with that, vanished all the investments and savings of William Alexander. In fact, he suffered further losses in land deals around Long Island. So, despite his numerous titles, this ‘Lord’, ‘Earl’, ‘Viscount’, etc. lived out his days like a true poet – a starving artist who passed away penniless in London in 1640.
That is a fairly grim end to the story of William Alexander, but we have now established the connection with Menstrie Castle and Nova Scotia. However, the link between the Alexanders and the castle did not last long after William’s passing, because Menstrie Castle was burned and destroyed in 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
The next family to own Menstrie Castle was the Holbornes, when Major General Sir James Holborne of Menstrie purchased the castle in 1648. His record as a soldier might be somewhat questionable, as he switched sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, but at least he eventually fought against Oliver Cromwell in Dunbar. However, in terms of the castle, the most significant change was the addition – Windsor House- that he had built behind the original ‘L-shaped’ tower house. Thus, making Menstrie Castle into a ‘U-Shaped’ castle that was closed off with a curtain wall. Unfortunately, the Windsor House, which was built to be the more modern ‘Laird’s House’, no longer exists.
The next owner of Menstrie Castle was George Abercromby of Tullibody, who purchased the Castle from the Holborne family in 1719. However, the legacy of George was similar to that of Alexander Alexander in that he too was outshined by his son born in Menstrie Castle. In 1734, George’s son, Ralph Abercromby, was born. He, like William Alexander before, received education both in Scotland and on the European continent. However, for Ralph it wasn’t politics or poetry, or even the law that he had studied, that was calling him. Instead, he found his calling in the military.
As always is the case of ‘war heroes’, their legacy really depends on who you ask. That is also true with Ralph Abercromby, who is considered a great British War hero whose dedicated service covers nearly half a century, from 1756 to 1801. But he might not be thought of so fondly in Ireland, the West Indies, Africa, and many other European countries. Interestingly, he had such sympathies for the American Revolutionaries that he asked to remain in Ireland at the time so that he wouldn’t have to fight against the Colonists. Ultimately, it is fair to say that he commanded the respect of all the troops who served under him because he always had the utmost respect for them and their wellbeing.
Now, he may have lived a distinguished military career, but it was already in his lifetime that Menstrie Castle started to become a lot less distinguished from its glory days. In fact, the castle had become derelict. The disrepair for the castle continued for the entire 19th and well into the 20th century. By the 1950’s the castle was in desperate need of salvation, and it came from a famed Scottish character actor, director and producer – Moultrie Kelsall (pictured below).
In a career that spanned from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, Kelsall acted alongside people like Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Peter Sellers and Ingrid Bergman. He also adapted, wrote, directed and produced different plays for radio, television and film. However, for us, his greatest achievement was the restoration of Menstrie Castle. It was a project that he worked on from 1951 to 1964, getting the castle to be listed as Category A building of national importance in 1960.
As mentioned earlier, the castle today retains the shape and look as it had been originally in the 16th century. However, its interior has been altered quite a bit. It presently contains several flats, with two of them converted into self-catering accommodations. So, if you would like to stay in Menstrie Castle during your visit to Bonnie Scotland, you can find more information about it here.
There are also two rooms on the ground level of the castle that are dedicated to the history of Menstrie Castle and some of the influential people who have been born and lived there. Those rooms had been looked after by the National Trust for Scotland, but they are now in the care of the Clackmannanshire Council. The access to the rooms is now limited to Open Doors Days in September.
Despite the access being quite restricted, we highly recommend visiting Menstrie Castle in person. Even if you are not able to stay in the castle or visit the two museum rooms – Menstrie Castle, the entire town and Ochil Hills to the North of the town are always worth the visit! As for our tour of the Clackmannanshire Tower Trail, we are next heading out to Sauchie Tower, and we hope to see you all there!
Until next time- Explore & Discover!
