Turnberry Castle

Turnberry Castle ruins are on a low peninsular close to the A77 road north from Girvan, adjacent to Turnberry Golf Course. It is near the town of Maybole in Ayrshire, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic:Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, Alba). The origins of the castle are now no longer known. At one time it was a fortress of the Lords of Galloway, but passed into the possession of the Earls of Carrick in the 13th century. It is a fragmentary ruin and there is little left of the old castle today, although its lower vaults and cellars are intact. Its position by the sea, which at one time offered protection, has now left it vulnerable to coastal erosion. In 1873 a lighthouse was built on part of the castle's site where it remains today. Turnberry Castle has an association with King Robert I of Scotland (Robert the Bruce) who was known to have spent time there when young and may even have been born there. 

Turnberry Castle's association with Robert the Bruce saw it help in his rise to power and also he played a significant role in its final destruction. Medieval legend has it that, Marjorie, widowed Countess of Carrick, held the knight Robert de Brus captive at Turnberry Castle until he agreed to marry her. This marriage in 1271 between Marjorie and Robert led to his gaining the title Earl of Carrick. Their first son, also named Robert, went on to become "Robert the Bruce". When he was only 12 years old, on 20 September 1286, a meeting of Scottish barons at the castle planned for Robert's succession to the throne. Many years later, in 1307, when the castle was in English hands, Robert the Bruce attempted to win it back. The English eventually withdrew. Subsequently Robert's battles with the English led to victory at Bannockburn. In order to stop Turnberry Castle ever again falling to the English, Robert the Bruce ordered the destruction of the castle in 1310. 

Image: Ailsa Craig with Turnberry Castle. Image taken from 'Select Views of the Clyde' by J. M. Leighton (1830). Engraved by Joseph. Swan.