Kinneil House is a historic house to the west ofBo'ness in east-centralScotland.^[1] It was once the principal seat of theHamilton family in the east of Scotland.^[2] The house was saved from demolition in 1936 when 16th-century mural paintings were discovered, and it is now in the care ofHistoric Environment Scotland. The house now consists of a symmetrical mansion built in 1677 on the remains of an earlier 16th- or 15th-centurytower house, with two rows of gunloops for early cannon still visible. A smaller east wing, of the mid 16th century, contains the two painted rooms. The house is protected as a Category Alisted building.^[3]

Kinneil House
Location	Bo'ness, Scotland
Built	1553
Built for	James Hamilton, 2nd Lord Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran
Governing body	Historic Environment Scotland

It sits within a public park, which also incorporates a section of the RomanAntonine Wall and the only example of an Antoninefortlet with visible remains.

The lands of Kinneil withLarbert and Auldcathy were given toWalter Fitz Gilbert, an ancestor of the Hamilton family, byRobert the Bruce in 1323.^[4] A charter of 1474 mentions the castle of "Kynneil called Craig Lyown", lands to be reclaimed from the sea, andsaltpans which added to the estate income.^[5] The Castle of Lyon may have been near the sea at Snab Brae, and is remembered by the name of Castleloan housing estate.^[6] There was a deer park at Kinneil from an early date, and in November 1503James IV sent a man to bring deer nets from Kinneil toFalkland Palace.^[7] James IV came to Kinniel in July 1508 to see Lord Hamilton's horses.^[8]

Parts of an older castle, which replaced the castle at the Snab may be incorporated in the present building.James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran died at Kinneil in 1529, but wished to be buried atHamilton.^[9] The presence of the former parish church close to the west of the palace across a narrow ravine suggests the early use of the site. The church is now a roofless ruin. The west gable survives. One of its bells is preserved in the nearby Kinneil Museum and has an inscription "EN KATHARINA VOCOR UT PER ME VIRGINIS ALME", which may be translated as "I AM CALLED KATHARINE, AND THROUGH ME, OF THE VIRGIN MARY, ARE".^[10] A large stone cross from the church is kept with the palace.^[11]

The east wing of the surviving building, and perhaps the earlier tower with wide-mouthed gunloops, was built byJames Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran (c.1516–1575). He was the Governor or Regent of Scotland on the death ofJames V of Scotland. Coal was shipped from Kinneil to Leith for Edinburgh Castle, and timber for repairing Arran's chamber at "Craig Lyon" came from Leith in May 1545.^[12] Arran's wife,Margaret Douglas, came to Kinneil in December 1546. Arran stayed with her during the last week in February 1547.^[13]

Some payments for building at Kinneil were recorded in the royal treasurer's accounts; timber for roofing, floors and panelling was sent by boat from Leith in 1549 and 1550 to complete one section.^[14] Around this timeFriar Mark composed a "History of the Hamiltons" for Regent Arran which connects his heraldry to an incident at Kinneil or "Borough Muir".^[15][16]

The garden or "yaird" was improved for the Spring of 1553, by planting hedges,marjoram, and lettuce. Trees were brought fromFife andStrathearn.^[17] In September 1553, Arran gave a gift of 44 shillings to masons laying the foundation stones of another part of the Palace. One of the masons was Thomas Bargany, who was given tips called "drinksilver" and a bonus of £12Scots to buy clothes.^[18] The well for the house or castle is now concealed under the floor of the east wing. At this timeJohn Scrimgeour of Myres was royal master of work or architect, while Dean John Sclater was master of work atHamilton and possibly Arran's other houses.^[19]

The 16th-century painted interior decoration and a stone armorial carry Arran's ducal coronet, and the collar of theOrder of Saint Michael, French honours he received in 1548.^[20] An armorial stone has the Hamilton motto, the woodsman's cry, "Through!", and the arms of his wife, Margaret Douglas, with her motto "Lock Sickar", meaning secure or steadfast. The stone was formerly set on the north pavilion of the main block, and is now displayed with other carved stones in a cellar. One of the painted rooms has decoration that evokes verdure tapestry with vignettes ofSamson and Delilah,Abraham and Isaac, andDavid and Bathsheba andThe Temptation of St. Anthony; this vaulted room is now called the Arbour Room. The other room has scenes from theParable of the Good Samaritan,Lucretia,Saint Jerome andMary Magdalene. The original use of this suite of rooms is unknown, although they were probably the principal bed chambers. The name of the painter seems be unrecorded, and it has been suggested a French painter in Edinburgh, Guillaume, was involved.^[21] The subjects of these paintings allude to thePower of Women, perhaps a political reference to Mary of Guise, Mary Queen of Scots and the two Tudor Queens of England.

The house was empty on 4 February 1560 when French troops led byd'Oysel attacked and burnt it.^[22] In 1562James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell came to Kinneil to make his peace withJames Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran. It was said that Bothwell proposed they kidnapMary, Queen of Scots and imprison her inDumbarton Castle and kill her half-brotherLord James Stewart and her secretaryWilliam Maitland of Lethington. A few day later, on Easter Day, the Earl of Arran, who suffered from mental ill health, escaped from his worried father and bedchamber at Kinneil using sheets as a rope. The drop was 30fathoms. He made his way toFalkland Palace to speak with the queen and reveal the plot. Some, likeWilliam Douglas ofLochleven, thought he was motivated by his friendship for Lord James.^[23] The incident was described in a chronicle: "And upon the xxix of Merche 1562, my lord of Arrane came furth of the palice of Kynneill, on ane fransy in the nycht, at ane heich wyndo, and past to the quenis grace at Falkland".^[24]

After theBattle of Corrichie in October 1562, Arran's father, the Duke of Châtellerault was the reluctant keeper ofGeorge Gordon at Kinneil, the forfeited heir of theEarl of Huntly.^[25]

Regent Lennox damaged the house in May 1570 with gunpowder and spoiled the lands after the assassination ofRegent Moray atLinlithgow by aHamilton.^[26] Lennox was assisted by an English force commanded byWilliam Drury and they also burnt houses at Pardovan,Binny, andKingscavil.^[27]

James VI reduced the power of the Hamiltons by military force in 1579, and the Duke's wife, Margaret Douglas, and daughterJean Hamilton, Countess of Eglinton, were brought to Kinneil fromCraignethan Castle.^[28] In 1581 the king gave their estates and titles toJames Stewart. The new Earl gifted a site for a newsalt pan at Bo'ness to one of his servants, James Quhyte or White.^[29] Arran often resided at Kinneil until after his own fall in the autumn of 1585, when he remained at Kinneil under house-arrest, and for a time Kinneil was called Arran House.^[30]

James VI of Scotland stayed in May 1582, to receive an envoy, Signor Paul, sent by theDuke of Guise with a gift of horses and gunpowder. The visit was controversial because Paul was known to have been involved in theSt. Bartholomew's Day massacre. (Some sources say Paul was received atDalkeith Palace)^[31]

The Earl of Arran's enemies alleged that he and theEsmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox frequented Kinneil and Dalkeith with their unsuitable companions.^[32] After theRaid of Ruthven, the Earl of Arran was confined at Kinneil. When the Ruthven regime collapsed, James VI came to banquet at Kinneil with Arran on 11 November 1583.^[33] On 14 November,Ludovic Stewart son of the King's favouriteEsmé Stewart arrived from France at Leith and was taken to Kinneil to meet the King.^[34] In April 1584 the captiveEarl of Gowrie was brought to Kinneil from Edinburgh byColonel William Stewart. He stayed five days and was then taken to Stirling for trial and beheaded.^[35][36]

James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran returned to Kinneil House for a time in 1585. A messenger brought him a legal summons raised byJohn Kincaid ofWarriston. The messenger saw the Earl on the "green of Kinneil" on 5 September, but was not allowed to speak to him in person.^[37] King James VI held court at Kinneil again at Christmas-time in 1588 as the guest ofJohn Hamilton,Commendator of Arbroath. He played at the "maye", possibly the card-game "maw" now called "Forty-fives" or a long game resembling a form ofWhist, with his English courtier,Roger Aston. He told Aston that the more he did to pleaseElizabeth the less regard she had of him. TheEarl of Huntly, theEarl of Crawford and the Chancellor,John Maitland, were present.^[38] Elsewhere, James VI was recorded playing other card and dice games, including "mont" and "mumchance".^[39]

The Arbour Room was redecorated c.1620 forJames Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and his wifeAnn Cunningham and the "shakefork" and rabbit supporters of Cunningham heraldry can still be seen. This painting was almost certainly the work ofValentine Jenkin, described as an Englishman, aburgess ofGlasgow and painter of the Chapel Royal atStirling Castle.^[40]

In October 1641 theEarl of Argyll,Marquess of Hamilton andEarl of Lanark were forced to flee from Edinburgh to Kinneil due to aconspiracy known as the Incident. They were said to be 10 miles from Edinburgh, at "Lady Marquises Hamilton mothers".^[41]

When Anne Cunningham died in 1644, she left Kinneil with its new tapestries and the furnishings she had made to her son,James, 1st Duke of Hamilton. She had laboured to make the coal mines and salt pans profitable and urged him to employ faithful servants and never put it out of his own hand.^[42]

The main house was rebuilt byWilliam Douglas, 3rd Duke of Hamilton in 1677 with a uniform facade and a pair of stone staircases at the ends. He sent his plans to helpWilliam Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry with his building works, which includedDrumlanrig Castle in Dumfriesshire andQueensberry House in Edinburgh.^[44] An inventory of 1688 gives the names of rooms in the now gutted main house. The front door opened into a Laich Hall, and a grand stair to the south led to the dining room above. A similar arrangement can still be seen at the contemporaryArgyll's Lodging, Stirling.^[45]

In 1700 the new Duchess of Hamilton, Elizabeth Gerard, came to stay at Kinneil.James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton ordered that the "two pavilions be whitened, as the body of the house is".^[46]

But family use of the house declined, as income from the mines and port increased. In the late 18th century,Dr John Roebuck, founder of theCarron Iron Works lived at Kinneil House,^[3] during which time the engineerJames Watt worked at perfecting his steam engine, in a cottage adjacent to the house.^[47] Between 1809 and 1828 the9th Duke gave the philosopherDugald Stewart use of the house.^[3]

By 1936 the Hamiltons had abandoned the house, and Bo'ness Town Council were demolishing it whenStanley Cursiter, director of theNational Galleries of Scotland, heard that wall paintings had been discovered.^[48] TheMinistry of Works quickly secured the wing with the paintings, and recovered the oak ribbed ceiling of the Parable Room. The paintings were restored, and the whole building is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.^[49]

The house is reportedly haunted by a White Lady, believed to be the ghost of Lady Alice who killed herself by leaping from the building in the 17th century to escape her cruel husband.^[50] Lady Alice or Ailie was traditionally supposed to haunt the nearby glen of the Gil Burn.^[51] The ghost story was recorded byMaria Edgeworth in June 1823. She observed that the building was "an old but white-washed castle-mansion", this being the traditionalScottish lime harling that can still be seen in patches today. Her hostHelen D'Arcy Stewart told her about "Lady Lilyburn" who flutters on top of the castle and leaps into the sea, or stomps around the house in boots frightening the maids.^[52] Alice's name "Lilyburn" seems to derive from a Commonwealth soldier, ColonelRobert Lilburne, who briefly possessed some Hamilton lands.^[53]

Historically it was thought that there may have been aRoman Fort near Kinneil House.^[54]Sir George Macdonald speculated about a fortlet near the house.^[55]

In July 1961 two sites in Bo’ness were excavated. This followed on from previous excavations carried out in 1960 which were sponsored by the Inspectorate of Ancient Monuments, Ministry of Public Building and Works. The first site was located in a field near Kinneil House.^[56] The excavation revealed laid firestone blocks which once formed part of the wall base. These were partially destroyed with only one kerbstone still remaining.^[57]

In the 1970s aRoman fortlet was located and two timber buildings. A short section of the Antonine rampart has been reconstructed.^[58] Kinneil has the only visible example of an Antonine fortlet available today. Among the finds at the site a Roman horse harness loop was found.^[59] A digital reconstruction of the fortlet has been created.^[60]

A detailed video of the copper alloy harness fitting is available online.^[61] A fine leather shoe from the fortlet has also been digitally reconstructed.^[62] A single Roman coin was also found.^[63]

In 2018, nine trenches were opened at Kinneil. These revealed the remains of ametalled surface, well preserved in one trench, which were possibly part of the Military Way.^[64]

• Morag Cross and Dennis Gallagher,Bibliography of Properties in Care, vol. 2, Historic Scotland (2003), 491-493.
• RK Marshall, in Gow & Rowan ed.,Scarce Finer a seat in Scotland (1995), 'Kinneil and the 4th Duke of Hamilton'
• MacGibbon & Ross,Castellated & Domestic Architecture of Scotland, vol. iii (1887), 228-231
• "Kinneil House".CANMORE. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved13 May 2010.

• Historic Environment Scotland:Visitor guide
• "Kinneil House and Park information".
• Friends of Kinneil, SoundCloud
• The Kinneil House 'Great Escape', short film by the Friends of Kinneil
• "Kinneil House and the Power of Women", Michael Pearce
• Elizabeth Robson, 'Social Value Case Study Report: Kinneil House and Estate', University of Stirling (2020)
• Friar Mark's History of the Hamiltons and Kinneil Muir: Scots language text
• Salmon, Thomas James,Borrowstounness and district, being historical sketches of Kinneil, Carriden, and Bo'ness, c. 1550-1850, (1913)
• Snab Brae at Castleloan, site of Craig Lyon Castle, geograph
• Site record for Castle Lyon, RCAHMS Canmore

56°00′26″N3°38′03″W / 56.0071°N 3.6342°W /56.0071; -3.6342