Catherine Lodge

Catherine Lodge. A name whispered through the centuries, echoing with tales of both elegance and sorrow. Here, nestled within the grandeur of Edinburgh’s Canongate, stands this 17th-century mansion, now a part of the Scottish Parliament complex. Catherine Lodge witnessed history unfold from its very windows. Originally built for Dame Margaret Douglas of Balmakellie in 1667, it later became the home of Charles Maitland, Lord Hatton, who was forced to leave his accommodations at Holyrood Palace. Imagine the bustling activity within these walls, perhaps even the clandestine clinking of coins as Lord Hatton, a Master of the Scottish Mint, possibly used the kitchen for refining precious metals. In 1686, William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, purchased the house. He died here in 1695, leaving Catherine Lodge to his son James, the 2nd Duke. James, a signatory of the controversial Treaty of Union in 1707, faced the wrath of the Edinburgh mob, who attacked the house, viewing the treaty as an act of treason. Catherine Lodge bore witness to the tumultuous public reaction. The house later passed to Charles Douglas, and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Queensberry, a patroness of the poet John Gay, graced the halls with her presence. It’s intriguing to picture John Gay visiting Catherine Lodge, perhaps finding inspiration within these very walls. During the Jacobite rising of 1745, wounded officers from the Battle of Prestonpans found refuge within Catherine Lodge, their stories adding another layer to the building’s rich history. One particularly chilling tale is associated with the 2nd Duke. On the night he signed the Treaty of Union, he left his violently insane eldest son, James, Earl of Drumlanrig, alone in Catherine Lodge with a young servant boy. Upon his return, the Duke discovered a horrific scene: his son roasting the body of the servant over the kitchen fire. The rumor spread that the duke had his son strangled, adding a spectral presence to Catherine Lodge. The truth is shrouded in mystery. The boy was secretly sent to a family estate in Yorkshire, where he died in 1715. But the whispers of the servant’s ghost still linger within these walls. Catherine Lodge has seen the ebb and flow of fortune, from aristocratic residence to hospital during the cholera epidemic of the 1830s, and even a refuge for the homeless. Each chapter of its history has left an indelible mark, contributing to the unique atmosphere that pervades Catherine Lodge today.