Accessibility

Font Size

100% 150% 200%

Background Colour

Default Contrast
Close Reset

Detail of rainwater head on the North facade of Drumlanrig Castle.

SC 764740

Description Detail of rainwater head on the North facade of Drumlanrig Castle.

Date 13/6/2000

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 764740

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 68499 CN

Scope and Content Detail of Rainwater Head, North Front, Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway This lead rainwater head, the ornamental head of a rainwater downpipe on the north front, is emblazoned with emblems of Douglas heraldry. The shield bears the armorial of William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, and below is the Douglas motto, 'Forward'. Above is the Douglas crest, a winged heart surmounted by a crown, and three five-pointed stars. The latter dates from the 14th century when it was carried as the coat-of-arms of 1st Duke's ancestor, Sir James Douglas, and previous Lords of Douglas. The winged heart appears everywhere at Drumlanrig - in stone, lead, iron, wood, leather and carpeting. Its origins are founded in the story of Sir James Douglas, 'The Good' or 'Black' Douglas who was one of the foremost supporters of Robert Bruce, King of Scots in the early 14th century. When Bruce died in 1329 before going on crusade to the Holy Land, Sir James was entrusted to carry the king's heart to Jerusalem for burial. Douglas, unfortunately, was killed in Spain in 1330 while en route for the Holy Land, but before he died is said to have hurled the royal heart, contained in a silver casket, before him with the epic cry 'Forward, brave heart!'. From that time the Douglas motto became 'Forward' and the family crest, a winged heart surmounted by Bruce's crown. Drumlanrig Castle, one of the great Renaissance courtyard houses of Scottish domestic architecture, stands within extensive parkland amongst the hills of Nithsdale. The mansion was built between 1679 and 1690 for William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, incorporating part of a mid-16th-century house and the remains of a late 14th-century Douglas stronghold which originally stood on the site. The architect was almost certainly James Smith who had worked on the construction of Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, and the builder was William Lukup who is buried in Durisdeer churchyard nearby. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/764740

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap

People and Organisations

Events

Attribution & Licence Summary

Attribution: © Crown Copyright: HES

Licence Type: Full

You may: copy, display, store and make derivative works [eg documents] solely for licensed personal use at home or solely for licensed educational institution use by staff and students on a secure intranet.

Under these conditions: Display Attribution, No Commercial Use or Sale, No Public Distribution [eg by hand, email, web]

Full Terms & Conditions and Licence details

MyCanmore Text Contributions