Threave Castle
The Year of 1455
Instructions
1. Use your finger on the screen to drag the image so that it matches the position of the castle.
2. Turn your phone so that it is landscape (horizontal) rather than portrait (vertical).
3. Make the image full screen by pressing the two small arrows at the bottom right of the image.
4. You can zoom in and out on the image by pinching the screen with your fingers or thumbs.
Once you have done that, you should be able to view the area from which you are standing as it may have looked in 1455.
History
The uprising of James, the 9th Earl of Douglas, was defeated at the Battle of Arkinholm near Langholm on 1 May 1455, following which his strongholds were systematically besieged. Threave Castle was the last castle to fall, and the royal forces arrived in June. King James resided at Tongland Abbey during the siege, which lasted over two months. The new artillery house prevented the King's men from taking the castle by force, even when a bombard, a large siege cannon, was brought up from Linlithgow Palace at a cost of over £59. Instead, King James persuaded the garrison to surrender by making payments and grants of land to Douglas supporters.
