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Brief History of Ownership
In 1603, James VI of Scotland acceded to the English throne, and left for London. At that time, the Scottish Court was established in Dunfermline, and the King left his palace in the care of the Queen's Chamberlain, Henry Wardlaw. In 1614, in recognition of services rendered, James VI & I appointed Henry (now Sir Henry) Wardlaw Baron of Pitreavie. A year later, Henry began the building of the 'castle' more accurately a defended family home - in the grounds of his new estate. Queen Anne rewarded her faifthful Chamberlain the following year by giving him the Royal Burying Vault in the "Auld Kirk". Henry inserted an oblong stone above the vault door bearing the inscription:
ANNA . REGINA. MAGNAE . BRITANNIAE . AC. DOMINA. DOMINII. DE. DUNFERMLINE. DOMINO. HENRICO . WARDLAW . DE .PITREAVIE . MILITI . ET. SUIS. POSTERIS . HUNC . LOCUM . IN. SEPULTURUM. DEDIT 1616.
(Anne, Queen of Great Britain, and Lady of the Lordship of Dunfermline gave to Henry Wardlaw of Pitreavie, Esquire, and to his posterity, this place of sepulture, 1616.)
There is anecdotal evidence that the Wardlaws sold the house to Lord Primrose, Earl of Rosebery In 1703. It is generally agreed that the house was sold in 1711 to Sir Robert Blackwood, Lord Dean of Guild, Edinburgh, after which the building gradually changed from a fortified keep to an 18th century home. The Blackwood name lives on in naval history, one Captain Blackwood, after whom the Blackwood class frigate was named, fought with Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar. In Edinburgh, the family is best remembered for having founded Blackwood's Magazine.
The house remained in the family for 170 years, although it lay empty for nearly a century. In 1884, it was bought by Henry Beveridge, and sold in 1938, with the remaining grounds, to the Air Ministry for £12,306. While this may seem a paltry sum, it represented 60 years wages for a working man at that time.
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