THE ROBERT THE BRUCE HERITAGE CENTRE, Renton Station, Station Street, Renton,
G82 4NB.
King Robert the Bruce lived near Renton!
ACCESS : Easy access for all to the Robert the Bruce Heritage Centre. Other potentially related places vary in ease of access. The centre is right on the station platform in what used to be the booking and waiting hall. Check opening times.
The great man, King Robert the Bruce, had a very eventful life and a very prominent position in Scottish history. He is reputed to have settled in this area towards the end of his life. Quite where is not known. Castle Hill and Bruce Hill, not that far away were thought to have been where he had a castle. That is now thought incorrect. A partial internment in the small chapel of St Serf in Levengrove Park seemed to reinforce this perception. The Parish of Cardross, covered this whole area from the modern day town of Cardross through to the Clyde to the south and the Leven to the east. This was not yet Dunbartonshire. Indeed, the town of Dumbarton was not yet recognisable as such and even referring to Cardross as a "parish" is useful, but really premature. It was a district. Elsewhere in this website, the connections to Brucehill and Castlehill are covered as are Bruce's Flagstaff and other places and features that were imbued with connections to him way after his presence here.
Quite what his estate / grounds entailed in this period is open to conjecture. When developing the area in Cardross around and including Cardross Park Mansion the archeaologists identified what appeared to be a linear earthwork. [Canmore]. Local historians suggested that it could the eroded remains of the boundary enclosing King Robert I hunting park.However caution is in interpretation is advised as quite a lot had happened in this area in subsequent years including drainage, farming and gardens. If anything it gives us a rough idea of how the wider estate of Robert the Bruce could have been laid out.
The Robert the Bruce Heritage Centre is located in what was the Renton Station building.
The museum is small, but there are some amzing things within, some with potential connectivity through to the great man himself. This wonderfully crafted chair incorporates elements of "the Bruce Tree" believed to have been growing when he was still living in the area, but blown down in a storm some years ago.
We need to refer the references to "Cardross" very broadly. This actually leaves the consideration of his last home rather wide. We know that he died at his home in the Parish of Cardross on June 7, 1329, from an illness which some say was leprosy.
14th century records that the king resided at the “manerium de Cardross”. So we are sure about the general reference to Cardross. But what does manerium mean? The term refers to a manor or manor-house or an estate on which there is the right to hold a manorial court.
So does this mean that Bruce lived not in a castle, but in a manor?
Local enthusiasts and historians believe it was somewhere in the vicinity of what are now Dalmoak and Mains of Cardross Farms, an area adjoining Renton known then as Pillanflatt or Pailleanflath. That means tent of the great hero. Members or the local Bruce Heritage Centre and the Strathleven Artizans have found stone and medieval objects at a site that appears to support this. It is also pointed out that in the 14th century it would have been next to the Leven which has shifted its course over centuries, and it would have been surrounded by woods and very little farmland. Although much of this area has since been disturbed by farming and by topsoil removal, you can actually envisage this as you go down the path next to the Leven.
The Mains of Cardross Farm is no more and and remains can be a false clue, but this is still a very possible spot for that of Robert the Bruce's mansion.
This of course is hidden history. A good story, but hard to convey. In order to promote the Renton connection to Bruce those enthusiasts established a trust and set up a small museum dedicated to Bruce. It is this which you can visit at Renton Station. Although the centre is small, the group are certainly enthusiastic and will willingly tell you about what is known in detail, their experiences in searching for proof and the loose ends left by theories.
There are various versions of the theories on the actual spot. Lairich Rig writing on Geograph.Org gives some very interesting speculation.
You may be surprised who you meet here. Perhaps "Sir Duncan", a knight with a long campaign behind him, will expound on the importance of King Robert the Bruce, how he came to retire here in Renton, where he built his final home and what form it took, perhaps something of the "Bruce Tree".
Also see :
BRUCE HILL AND CASTLE HILL index.asp?pageid=715980
CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM MEMORIAL PARK index.asp?pageid=718446
The following extract is taken from a map reproduced with permission from NLS. (See below for references).
This extract from an OS map of 1860 shows an outcrop in Brucehill as a castle. That mound is likely to be natural and not a man-made motte. It is also too small and low for a suitable defensible structure. Earlier maps refer to Castlehill, but not an actual castle. The application of the name of "Castle" appears to be later. Similarly "Arthur's Seat" has been applied to an outcrop through sentimental association.
NLS ©
Much more likely is the suggested site of King Arthur's last home on the banks of the Leven. Information boards erected by the council suport the premise. The Mains of Cardross Farm is shown with an idea was to where the mansion was.
The local enthusiasts through the Robert the Bruce Centre are very convinced as to this being the correct location and have erected this sign on a fence.
If you look back on this area of riverbank just a short way further downstream you will see a marshy area. This could have been a benefit in terms of a means of creating a small personal harbour and what appears to be canals corresponds to that reputed to have been created for his boats. The reeds would have secluded most boats from prying eyes. Fresh fish and water fowl could have replenished the larder from here too.
This may be the moment King Robert thanked God for this excellent place to retire to. Easy boat access. Fresh fish and waterfowl close at hand. [With some liberties taken with a painting by William Allan, 1840, Kelvingrove Museum and Gallieries].
2024, 11th July to be precise, marks the birth of King Robert the Bruce.
CANMORE : https://canmore.org.uk/site/115432/cardross-park
GEOGRAPH.ORG : https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/Mains-of-Cardross-and-Castle-Hill and https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/The-location-of-Pillanflatt-Farm
THE NATIONAL newspaper website : https://www.thenational.scot/news/15921441.looking-robert-bruces-final-home/
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND (NLS) : Archive title : Dumbartonshire XXII.5 (Cardross) Survey date: 1860 to 1861 Publication date: 1862. https://maps.nls.uk/view/74940961
ROBERT THE BRUCE CENTRE : The Strathleven Artizans run the King Robert the Bruce Heritage Centre and also a charity called the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce Society. : https://www.facebook.com/RobertTheBruceHeritageCentre/
