At Alloa, in Clackmannanshire, Alloa Tower raises one of the largest medieval tower houses in Scotland to have survived. The residence of the Erskines, Earls of Mar, it holds a singular place in royal history: this family was the hereditary guardian of the children of the kings of Scotland.
The tower of the Erskines
Alloa Tower is an imposing medieval tower house of about 21 metres, with its timber roof and its original battlements. It was the seat of the Erskines, Earls of Mar, a great family whose office was exceptional: the Erskines were the hereditary guardians of the royal children of Scotland. To them was entrusted the education and safety of the young princes — including the future James VI, raised under their keeping. This function placed Alloa at the heart of Scottish dynastic life, the tower sheltering the heirs to the Crown far from the dangers of the court.
Mary Stuart at Alloa
The tower saw the greatest figures pass through. Margaret Tudor met there in 1524 the chancellor Beaton about the regency of her son James V. James V and Mary of Guise were received there in 1540. And Mary Stuart stayed there three times (1562, 1565, 1566), notably on 28 July 1566, shortly after the birth of her son, Prince James: received by John Erskine and his wife Annabell Murray, she 'loved to dance at Alloa'. Later, James VI himself stayed there four days in 1580. Alloa thus illustrates the role of the Erskines in protecting the royal line, through the reigns and the storms. To see: the medieval tower house of ~21 m with its timber roof and original battlements, the four storeys of medieval rooms.
Did you know?
The Erskines of Alloa carried a crushing responsibility: the very life of the heirs to the Crown of Scotland. To entrust the young princes to a trusted family, in a fortress away from the court, was a vital precaution in a realm where kings often came to the throne as children, surrounded by rival factions ready to seize their person. It was thus that the future James VI — who would one day unite Scotland and England — grew up under the vigilant keeping of the Earls of Mar.
Notes
Alloa Tower lies at Alloa Park, Alloa, Clackmannanshire; a tower house run by the National Trust for Scotland, open to visits. Seasonal hours to check.
Quiz
- What was the hereditary office of the Erskines of Mar?
- Guardians of the royal children of Scotland
- Treasurers of the realm
- Archbishops
- Which future king was raised under their keeping?
- James VI
- Henry VIII
- Charles II
- What did Mary Stuart do during her 1566 stay?
- She loved to dance at Alloa
- She was imprisoned there
- She was crowned there