Edinburgh in Medieval Times

Edinburgh in the 1400s, 300 years after Ada's time, and then it was still only a village with a castle-- a fraction of what the city is today.

Where is your favorite place to visit in Edinburgh?

Eads Hall, Whitfield, Scotland

Field where Eads Hall stood

In A Pawn for a King, Ada de Warenne, Queen Mother of Scotland, Eads Hall is Ada de Warenne's first home after she marries Henry, Prince of Scotland. The Hall is  in Whitfield, Northumberland.

The mansion was originally a hunting lodge, and when Waltheof, the Prince's maternal grandfather, bought it, he fortified it and added more buildings, making it a proper palace. Waltheof had a sad ending, suffering beheading at the command of William the Conquerer for his part in the Revolt of the Earls.

Chapel of St. John

Looking across the field to the brook

Prince Henry, who inherited the Earldom of Huntington, took over Eads Hall in the late 1130s. The nearby medieval church,  Chapel of St. John, served Eads Hall in those days, and still stands across the brook from where the mansion was located. 


After Henry's death, Ada de Warenne made her home in Haddington, Scotland, and gave the Hall to her chaplain, Robert. 
She also gave her land in Whitfield to the nuns at Hexham Abbey.



The chaplain and his family took on the name of Whitfield, and it is said that those who go by the surname today are his descendants.


There is nothing left of Eads Hall today, only the field where once it stood. The trees on the right in the photo line the brook, and St. John's church stands just beyond them, surrounded by its impressive old graveyard. 

Door to Chapel of St. John

The area known as Whitfield--not much of the village is left but an elementary school and scattered homes throughout the valley.

 It is a beautiful drive to the spot, (through the moors from the south) a lovely walk through the church graveyard (beware of the pretty, Scottish thistles), and a serene place to remember Ada de Warenne and her love, Henry, the Prince of Scotland.

Thistles line path to chapel

Highway A69 runs between Carlisle and New Castle. Whitfield is shown almost centerpoint.

Have you driven through this area of England/Northumbria, and what were your impressions?

Crail, Fife, Scotland, UK--once home to Ada de Warenne

 The medieval royal family of Scotland never had a shortage of castles. Crail, in County Fife, was proclaimed a royal burgh by William the Lion and once was the setting of a castle believed to be often visited by Ada de Warenne.

Today there is no castle, only a privately owned tower on the spot where it is thought it stood.

Looking across the harbor.

Crail is distinctive with its stone wall that creates a safe harbor.

 Quaint, beautiful, clean, Crail is worthy of being featured on calendars, jigsaw puzzles, and souvenir mugs. 

Cobblestone streets near harbor

 Historical 17th and 18th century buildings are homes and shops of all kinds, including restaurants, ice cream and souvenir shops, and lobster stands.

The cobblestone streets are well maintained.

Hill thought where castle stood

This photo is taken from the harbor wall. The castle stood hil and looked over the North sea out to the Isle of May.

Looking down from the top of the approximately

ten foot wall.

Since my picture of the harbor did not turn out, I borrowed this one of a great jigsaw puzzle of Crail.

Reigate, Surrey, England: Ada de Warenne's Birthplace

There is nothing left of the castle in Reigate, Surrey, England, that was the birthplace of Ada de Warenne (cir. 1120.) But now a beautiful garden and memorial marks the spot.

The medieval village's original name was Churchefelle, the castle being Reigate, but today the town claims the castle's name. Beautiful modern-day Reigate is rated among the highest real estate values in the UK.

Ada's father, William de Warenne II, was the Earl of Surrey until his death in 1138, and his son, William, inherited the earldom. The castle stood on a hill, and looked over the village below. There are no ruins, but a memorial stands, and gardens now fills the space--an inviting spot to come and remenisce as times gone past.

 To get to the castle yard, find the stairs to the right of Boots Pharmacy in down town Reigate. They will take you to this delightful memorial arch built in 1777 by Richard Barnes. 



The plaque reads:
"To save the memory of William Earl Warren "who in old days dwelt here, and was a loyal champion of our liberties from perishing like his own castle by the ravages of time."

No admission fee.

Tribute to Earl William de Warenne

The gardens at the top are as peaceful as one would imagine the Garden of Eden, as the first below video reveals. 

There is also a cave beneath where the castle stood, known as Baron's Cave, and is open on certain days to the public. Here is the website telling the details.

Richard Vobes' video on Reigate Castle gives more of the history of the area.

Book Trailer for Ada de Warenne

Henry, the Prince of Scotland

Wikipedia
Genealogy and here.

A Pawn for a King, Ada de Warenne, Queen Mother of Scotland

Daughter of the Earl of Surrey, Ada de Warenne is destined to marry a nobleman of her parents’ choosing. Little does she know the king of England will mandate her marriage to Prince Henry of Scotland, the son of King David and heir to the throne, for England's gain. As much as she resists, the odds work against her, and she unwittingly falls in love with the handsome prince. What was once her greatest fear—a marriage without love—turns into one of the greatest romances of all time—until tragedy strikes. Can a privileged English girl survive the ruthless ways of medieval Scotland and be counted among the greatest women in history?