[Illustration: FIG. 911.--Chapel, Rothesay Castle. Plan.]
In the description of Rothesay Castle[181] the plan of the ground floor
of the chapel is shown standing within the courtyard, and at right
angles to the east wall of enceinte. The chapel itself, however, was on
the upper floor of this building, which is two stories in height. The
chapel (Fig. 911)
[Illustration: FIG. 912.--Chapel, Rothesay Castle. View from
North-West.]
is 30 feet in length by 20 feet in width internally. The west wall is
now much broken down, so that in the view from the north-west (Fig. 912)
there is seen the exterior of the north side and the interior of the
south side. The chapel has been lighted by two windows in the north and
two windows in the south wall, all towards the east end. About the
middle of the structure there is a small window in each of the north and
south walls, and further westwards the entrance doorway occurs in the
south wall. The doorway is still pretty complete, and has a round arch
and splayed jambs. Being at the height of one story from the ground, it
must have been approached by an outside staircase, probably somewhat in
the manner shown by dotted lines on Plan.
[Illustration: FIG. 913.--Chapel, Rothesay Castle. Windows in North
Wall.]
There is no window in the east wall, as a window in that position would
have been blocked by the staircase leading to the battlements on the
outer wall of the fortress. The eastern part of the church, however, is
amply lighted by the two large windows on each side. These windows (Fig.
913) are pointed, and each had a central mullion and simple branching
tracery. The mouldings consist of simple splays. There is a piscina in
the south wall of the chancel to the east of the eastern window.
The small windows in the side walls are pointed, and may have lit altars
at the rood screen. The western portion of the chapel had probably a
window in the west wall.
The whole structure is simple, but massive. There are few features by
which the date may be fixed, but it seems most probable that it was
erected towards the end of the fourteenth century, when the castle was
enlarged and frequently occupied by Kings Robert II. and III.