in the west part of which there appears to have been an arched gate;
but, besides this garden, the Mar family had other pleasure grounds in
the vicinity, to which the gate alluded to led. Annabella, the widow
of the Regent, obtained from the crown, a charter of the ‘Parkhill of
Stirling,’ on the 16th April 1582, and a charter ‘_de rupe lie Heugh et
Brae de Parkhill de Stirling, &c._’ on the 29th of August 1588. These
grounds appear to be those now known by the name of the Ladies’ Hill,
Crandy Hill, and the Haining, still belonging to the family; and, at
this time, they were undoubtedly connected with the Royal Gardens,
and the King’s Park, which are immediately adjacent to them. In that
part of them, beside the Butt-well, may still be seen the remains of a
garden in a very warm and delightful spot; part of the beautiful public
walk, lately formed there, runs upon the very terrace; and, in various
parts of the hill above, were decayed fruit trees within the memory of
old people still living. At the south corner of the Crandy Hill, now so
tastefully enclosed by Dr Patrick Doig, stood a small house [depicted
in Slezer’s views of the castle,] which was inhabited by the Earl of
Mar’s gardener, previous to 1715. This gardener, probably, had charge
not only of the Earl of Mar’s grounds, but of the Royal Gardens and
King’s Park, beyond them; for the Mar family were generally captains
or constables of the castle of Stirling, and keepers of his Majesty’s
Gardens and Park, down till the union of the two kingdoms; and even
appear to have retained their connexion with Stirling Castle, from 1705
till 1714; Colonel John Erskine having been, during that period, deputy
governor.
In Mar’s Work, while in the possession of Annabella, James the
Sixth and his Queen took up their abode in December 1593, while the
castle was preparing for their reception, a fact which we state
on the authority of Moyse’s Memoires of the affairs of Scotland;
and here, according to Sir Robert Sibbald, the Earl who headed the
first Rebellion lived, in 1710, in great splendour. This Earl first
introduced the wilderness mode of planting into Scotland; and his
gardens at Alloa, in that style, were much visited and admired. It
may reasonably be supposed, that he gave some share of his attention
to his grounds in the Parkhill of Stirling; but the splendour of
this residence sunk with the catastrophe of 1715; and from that æra,
so fatal to his name, do we date the utter neglect into which the
Parkhill, the Royal Gardens, and King’s Park, still so beautiful amidst
all their desolation, have fallen.
* * * * *
[Transcriber’s note—the following changes have been made to this text.
Page 32: harguebussiers to harquebusiers.
1751 to 1571.
Page 39: govenor to governor—“governor of the castle”.
Page 43: Missisippi to Mississippi—“Mississippi Scheme”.
garrrison to garrison—“established a regular garrison”.
batallions to battalions—“substitute veteran battalions”.]