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Seton Castle is the work of famous
Scottish architect Robert Adam . It was built in
1789 from the ruins of Seton Palace . The
castle has 14 bedrooms and over 20 acres of land .
The castle has been totally refurbished in the last
year by the current owner
Mary McMillan, bought the castle for £1.3m
in December 2003. She has since overseen a complete
overhaul of the stately home. The 43-year-old
mother-of-six today, who would not reveal how much
had been spent on the refurbishment, said she would
be reluctant to leave her home but explained that
she could not turn down a multi-million pound
offer
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She was brought up by her mother in a Loanhead
miner's cottage, her father died when she was just
eight, and she left Lasswade High at 16. Through
"buying and selling" items as diverse as furniture
and property she developed a healthy bank-balance
and later married husband David, now a retired
property developer. Despite living apart since
1995, he remained involved in the restoration
project. Three of her daughters - 11-year-old
Velvet, Mercedes, eight, and Porsche, three - now
attend Scotland's oldest private school, Loretto,
while her other three children are all grown up.
John, who is the oldest at 26, now lives in an
annexed cottage in the west wing of Seton Castle,
while the family's butler also lives in the
home.
Mrs McMillan sold her Brunstane home for over
£1m in 2002, which enabled her to purchase the
castle. The castle's previous owner, the Earl of
Wemyss, had put the house on the market for the
first ever time - inviting offers over
£750,000. Mrs McMillan explained: "There were
over 70 offers, 20 of them serious, and those were
whittled down to two, mine being one. I had to
sweat because I was given 16 days to come up with
the cash. "I also had to convince the earl, who's
in his 90s, that I was really serious - not only
with my initial offer of well over £1m, but
also that I'd lovingly look after the house and be
responsible for gradual restoration where needed.
"I promised I'd give it every respect. He was
genuinely delighted that Seton Castle was going to
function as a family home." Mrs McMillan began the
refurbishment last spring, which included
rebuilding brickwork in the courtyard, and
transforming the dark and dingy cellar into a
basement - complete with kitchen, billiard room,
wine cellar, and a playroom for the children which
is Mrs McMillan's favourite room. The open spaces
in the house are all painted red, while each room
has a unique silk wallpaper design. On the ground
floor, the house has a large reception hall, as
well as a drawing room, dining room, morning room,
and butler's pantry. Upstairs, the first-floor
contains a 440 square feet master bedroom, a hall,
two smaller bedrooms and a dressing room. On the
second floor, there are three en-suite bedrooms, a
library, a study, gallery, and two more guest
rooms. All of the interior decorating, which is
different in each room, was completed by Malcolm
Duffin. As one of Scotland's top interior designers
working for Whytock & Reid, Mr Duffin also
designed fabrics and furnishings for the royal
family, before the 199-year-old Edinburgh company
went into liquidation earlier this year. Mrs
McMillan said she was "forever grateful" to Mr
Duffin and all the other workers who had spent 18
months refurbishing the castle. In particular, she
praised cabinetmaker Michael Hart, artist Rachel
Bell, plumber Tom Knight, Thomas Maxwell of Maxwell
Flowers and painter Mark Hunter. Although there is
still some textile work to be completed at the
castle, Mrs McMillan said she was "absolutely
delighted" with the finished product. "I love every
part of the house and I don't think a refurbishment
like this could be repeated. If I do sell, I know
that I will have to stay in East Lothian - I
couldn't move too far away from Seton Castle."
Palace was poisoned chalice THE site of Seton
Castle, nine miles south east of Edinburgh, is next
to that of the historic Seton Palace, a vast
courtyard house originally built in the 1100s. The
Seton family who lived there are considered one of
the most illustrious of the great houses of
Scotland. The clan was founded by Seier de Seton,
who was granted lands in East Lothian to which he
gave his own name. His family married into powerful
alliances and his descendant, Sir Christopher
Seton, married Christian Bruce - sister of Robert
the Bruce. He was later executed for that support,
so King Robert enlarged the existing Seton lands by
confiscating the property of English supporters -
soon a large stretch of the East Lothian coastline
became Seton territory. Towards the end of the 15th
century, the fourth Lord Seton endowed a collegiate
church, which stands just yards from Seton Castle
and is now looked after by Historic Scotland.
George, the seventh Lord Seton, was a close friend
to Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. The queen spent
time at the home of the Seton family following the
murder of her second husband, Lord Darnley - the
couple also spent their honeymoon there. As
supporters of the Stuart dynasty, the family took
to the Jacobite cause and their lands and titles
were forfeited after the 1715 rebellion. Seton
Palace endured much rebuilding over the centuries,
often being destroyed because of its proximity to
the main invasion route from England. By the 1780s,
it was a ruin. But its stones were used by Robert
Adam when he was commissioned to design Seton
Castle in the summer of 1789. The new owner,
Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Mackenzie, was in his
early 20s when he had commissioned Adam. But he
would not live long to enjoy his new house.
According to a local tradition he evicted an old
woman who lived in a cottage on the estate near
Seton Palace. She laid a curse on him and
prophesied that the new Seton Castle would never
become his family home. He died five years later in
1796.
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Our Clan MacDonald tour runs
on July 25th and includes visits to Dunstaffnage Castle ,
Duart Castle , Glencoe , Armadale Castle , Dunvegan
Castle , Fernie Castle , Scone Palace and Edinburgh
Castle
On August 31st , 1632 , McConillreich signed a bond of
fealty or loyalty with Sir Donald MacDonald of Sleat. In
1513 the castle was saved from attack by the ingenuity and
heroism of a young maid Mary MacDonald , known ever since as
Mary of the Castle.
When Good John of Isla disinherited his first wife's sons
he gave Skye to Ranald, his first born son. Thereafter the
MacDonalds conquered Knock, Dun Sgathaich and also
Trotternish with Duntulm Castle. From Knock the Chief of
Clan Donald left for Dun Sgathaich, leaving Knock as one of
the fortresses of the Baronets of Sleat. In 1617 Donald Gorm
held his lands in Sleat under the condition that he should
hold Knock ready to receive the King or his representative.
In 1690 Castle Knock was uninhabited.
When Iain Borb Macleod was still a child his tutor, Iain
Mushealbhach (John the Ill Fated) lost Dun Sciath and Knock
Castle to Donald MacDonald. But when attacking Dun Bheagan
itself MacDonald was defeated by MacLeod of Lewis and a
mixed army of Skye and Lewismen.
In 1690 after the burning of Armadale House, the king's
men sought refuge here from the revenging MacDonalds but
failing supplies they were defeated.
After Culloden Allan MacDonald of Knock seized and
captured Donald MacLeod of Galtrigal who had served Bonnie
Prince Charlie and had been responsible for his safety from
April 21st to June 21st that year.
This castle is for sale along with the title baron of
Macdonald for £1 million ( $1.5 million ) . For more
details please fill in a feedback
form .
A rare opportunity has arisen to acquire
the co-ownership rights to the bygone styled title name and
legend "Lordship of the Manor of ( your name here ) ".
More details
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