History

Faside Castle is perhaps best known for its association with the Battle of Pinkie (1547) when the Duke of Somerset commanded the English from a position beside the castle, where he also placed his ordnance. A most interesting account of the battle, and the efforts of the inhabitants of Faside, is given by W. Patten, (who was present as an eye witness), in 'The Expedicion into Scotlande', printed in 1548. He gives sketches of the progress of the battle, the final one showing the castle in flames.

The previous history of Faside however contains a wealth of interest. The name, Fawside is first recorded during the reign of David I (1124-1153) when William de Ffauside sat in the Scottish Parliament, but the earliest record relating to the lands of Fawside, found so far, is a charter dated 1189 between the Monks of Newbattle and Saier de Quency. Since that time Fawside has passed through several families including the Fawsides, the de Quencys and the Setons amongst others.

The name Fawside, with its various spellings, Ffauside, Fauxside, Fawsyde, Falside, Fa'side etc., occurs in a variety of charters, deeds, statements and documents of other kinds. It is supposed, however, that Robert de Quency built a castle at Fawside in the 12th century. Its defensive situation would probably have been a scene of habitation from very early times and certainly the existing tower is not of an earlier date than the 14th century. The de Quencys, along with other Norman families, came from Normandy with William the Conqueror. Four charters in the 12th and 13th centuries still survive in the National Library of Scotland and concern agreements made with the Monks of Newbattle; one of them is the first Scottish document dealing directly with coal.

Associated with Faside is the first recorded mining of coal in Scotland in the 13th century. As a result of arson at Faside mine, the Act of 1606 was passed which returned miners to a state of virtual slavery. Coal continued to play an important part in the life of the inhabitants of the castle and in 1620 the Government reacted to a case of 'price fixing' brought about by Lady Fawside and other local mine owners. Local feuds are recorded in which the Fawsides were involved but the major battle with which they were associated was the Battle of Pinkie (1547). This was the last battle to be fought between Scotland and England as separate nations. After the battle the English set fire to the castle.

Faside Castle is not referred to in the window tax records between 1748 and 1798 thus suggesting that the castle was uninhabited during this time. If you wish to view technical drawings of the exterior of Faside Castle, please Click Here.

The castle remained uninhabited and was twice threatened with demolition. The farmer at St. Clement's Wells Farm, whose land Faside Castle stands on, approached East Lothian Council for permission to raze it to the ground, as the castle was a magnet for children and he was unwilling to be responsible for any accident. East Lothian Council Planning Authority granted permission for demolition. This prompted a local outcry and the demolition did not proceed. A few years later, the farmer again approached East Lothian Council for permission to demolish and after this second grant of permission Nigel Tranter, the author, and Bill Caird, former Provost of Musselburgh, headed a group dedicated to making the castle ruins safe and set about finding someone willing to take on the restoration.

Tom Craig, an engineer from Loanhead - who used to run past the castle when he was a schoolboy at Loretto - and his wife, Claire, purchased Faside and one hectare of land in 1976. After many years of hard work on the part of the Craigs, the nearly restored castle was sold to Jamie and Charmie Douglas in the late 1980s. Following a car accident which made it difficult for Mrs. Douglas to manage the stairs the Douglas family sold it in 1989 to Ian and Sue Brash, who still live in it with their family.