St Andrews Castle (HS)

This cliff top castle, sited dramatically overlooking the North Sea, and protected by a rock cut moat, was the secure palace home of the Archbishops of St Andrews. Founded in the late 12th century, the castle was rebuilt on various occasions. Most of what can be seen today dates from the 16th century.It was in front of his castle in 1546 that Cardinal David Beaton, Archbishop of St Andrews, burnt the protestant preacher, George Wishaw, for heresy. The Bishop’s actions made many enemies, not least among protestant sympathisers. Two months later a group of Fife farmers, who also had a grudge against Beaton for other reasons, overcame the garrison, murdered the cardinal and hung his body from a window of his own stronghold.Cardinal Beaton’s death provoked the long siege of 1546-47 led by the Earl of Arran, then Scottish Regent. Unable to capture the castle, the besiegers started to dig a mine. However, aware of what was happening, the protestant sympathisers inside successfully dug a counter mine. Notwithstanding this success, the castle, after being bombarded from the sea by the French, was finally captured. The Protestants, including John Knox, were condemned to the galleys or imprisoned.The underground tunnels, said to be the finest of their kind in Europe can still be viewed today. There is a fascinating exhibition in the visitor centre on the history of both castle and cathedral.Visitor centre.