The harbour at St. Andrews

St. Andrews Castle

In days of yore , people accused of witchcraft were thrown of these cliffs after their thumbs were tied to their big toes.  Tradition has it that the witches floated but the innocent drowned!

St Andrews Castle  

Situated on a cliff edge looking out over the North Sea, St Andrews Castle was built c.1200 as a defensive residence for the bishops and, later, archbishops of St Andrews.

During 400 years of turbulent history it was destroyed and rebuilt several times but after the Reformation it declined in importance and much of its stonework was used to rebuild the harbour wall of St Andrews. Interesting features include a bottle dungeon of 1386 and a mine and countermine dating from the siege of 1546-7.

George Wishart, 1513-1546
A powerful Protestant preacher, he was betrayed to Cardinal Beaton.  Brought here, put in the sea tower, condemned for heresy and burnt at the stake on 1 March.  The lettering GW on the  roadway marks where he died.  His friends conspired against the cardinal, and on 26 May gained entry to the castle, killed him and hung his body from the battlements, then together in the castle they created the first congregation of the Protestant Church in Scotland.

St. Andrews Abbey

The grave contains the bodies of a father and son, both very famous golfers. The father, James Hunter, died in Mobile, Alabama in 1866.His son Thomas, was even more famous, a world champion, and died in Darien ,Georgia. Both bodies were braught home to be buried in this church yard. The big memorial on the wall was erected to the memory of them and today golfers from all over the world come and leave tees etc on the grave.

This 1660 tombstone is carved into the wall at the Abbey.

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