Stirling Castle (21)
To attempt to answer the question 'what did Stirling Castle look like 700 years ago?', I am using this exceptionally fine piece of digital artwork created by Bob Marshall.  Not only do I admire his artwork, but I appreciate the fact that he allows his work to be used for educational and social media purposes such as this.  Bob is a full time 'Architectural Illustrator and Digital (3D) Reconstruction Artist' working for English Heritage.

So first of all, let's get orientated to the geography.  This view is from more-or-less east.  In the distance is the Flanders Moss and the line across it is the boundary of the King's deer park.  The rocky outcrop on the left with a group of spectators standing on it, is still there, in the Old Town Cemetery (and is still a recognised view point!).  These days the Esplanade is where the sunlit hill in the centre of the picture is and the burned area in front of the castle, where the siege tower can be seen, is now covered by the 18th century outer works.  There is a suggestion that the Nether Bailey may not have been enclosed at that date.

So what's going on?  The scene is the 1304 great siege of Stirling Castle.  Bob Marshall points out that this picture is his visual interpretation of the siege and castle, and while a lot of research went into creating it, the fact is that we do not know much about what the castle looked like in the early 14th century (or for quite a long time thereafter for that matter).  

Stirling changed hands several times during the Wars of Independence.  It was undefended in 1296 when Edward I first captures it, but was surrender to the Scots following the Battle of Stirling Bridge the following year.  A year later, following defeat at the Battle of Falkirk, the Scots surrendered the castle, however Robert Bruce besieged and captured it in 1299.  It was still in Scottish hands 5 years later when the above scene took place.

I particularly admire the detail in this picture.  The English camp at bottom left, has been set up in what is now the Old Town Cemetery and the Drummond Pleasure Ground.  A number of trebuchets have been brought up to bombard the defences.  The trebuchet crews are protected from arrows fired from the castle by timber screens.  The timber built outer defences have been captured and burned, and trebuchets have then been moved up closer to the castle, which is also under attack from a sow (an armoured battering ram) and a mobile timber siege tower known as 'le berefry' - thought to be the same siege tower that took part in Edward I's siege of Bothwell Castle in 1301 (although I suspect it may not have actually been used here).  Perhaps of most interest though, is what is believed to have been the greatest siege engine of the Middle Ages - Warwolf.

'Loup de Guerre' or Warwolf, was ordered by Edward I specifically for the Stirling siege and is said to have taken 445 workman to build.  Once completed, it required 30 wagons to transport it to Stirling, where it took five master carpenters and 50 skilled workers over two months to assemble it.  King Edward I ordered the lead sheets to be stripped from the roofs of all the churches as far away as St Andrews, and then transported to Stirling and melted down to fill its counterweight.  Inside the castle, the garrison of only 140* men, under the command of William Oliphant, could only watch as Warwolf was assembled but eventually, realising the outcome was inevitable, they sought terms of surrender.  Edward I however, was not in the least interested in the castle surrendering, until he had had the opportunity to try out his new toy!  The garrison were sent back inside until Warwolf had been given a good work-out, whereupon the garrison were finally allowed out!

(*Various sources state that the castle was defended by 40 or even as few as 30 men against 'Proud Edward's army' in 1304 - which seems a bit improbable.  There is a memorial to Sir William Oliphant built into a wall within the castle, which states that he had a garrison of 140, which seems much more likely.)

An interesting post script to all that, is the involvement of Robert Bruce, then Earl of Carrick and still 3 years from becoming King of Scots.  As I mentioned above, he recaptured Stirling Castle from the English in 1299, but appears to have been assisting the English during the siege of 1304.  This is not altogether remarkable, as Bruce had interests on both sides of the border and didn't want to lose either.  His involvement on the English side in 1304 is indicated by the following letter, written by or on behalf of King Edward I no less:

<i>“The king to the earl of Carrik, greetings.

We have well understood by your letters, which you send us by the bearer of the present, how you have arranged to cause our engines to be transported to Stirling; for which we are much obliged to you. And whereas you have informed us that you cannot find a waggon in the country able to carry the frame of the great engine which is with you, wherefore you wish that we should send someone to you who could find how the same frame could be conveyed by land; know that we will send some person to help you to do as soon as we well can do so.

But we charge you especially, that on no account do you desist from using all the pains and deliberation you can to cause the same frame to be carried to us, and stones, and all the other things appertaining to this engine, and to the other engines, as far as you can procure them.  And for want of lead do not on any account desist from expediting the despatch of the said frame, and the timber, and the stones belonging to the said engine, and the others, together with all the lead which you can procure.”

</i>Bruce was clearly transporting a war engine of great size to the siege of Stirling.  The reference to the conveyance of stones in Edward's letter, 'appertaining to this engine', implies that the great engine conveyed by Bruce was a large trebuchet, which could well have been Warwolf.  The eents referred to in the letter tally with Pierre Langtoft, who wrote that 'Loup de Guerre' broke down on the way to Stirling and had to be fixed.  It seems Bruce repaired the monstrous contraption and had it sent on to the siege.

For other examples of Bob Marshall's remarkable work, including scenes from the great siege of 1304, visit: <a href="https://bobmarshall.co.uk/stirlingcastle/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">bobmarshall.co.uk/stirlingcastle/</a>
stirling stirlingcastle scotland fortress bobmarshall 1304siegeofstirlingcastle edwardi warwolf loupdeguerre