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The expansive parkland of Floors Castle, on the banks of the River Tweed, boasts many fine trees. One of these is a solitary and conspicuous holly (Ilex aquifolium) which commemorates a tragic moment in Scotland’s history: it is said to mark the very spot where King James II of Scotland (1430 - 1460) died in an unfortunate accident.
Roxburgh Castle siege
King James II was an enthusiast of modern artillery and had a large collection of cannon, which he used to good effect in his many campaigns. In 1460, while laying siege to nearby Roxburgh Castle, one of the last Scottish castles held by the English after the Wars of Independence, a cannon loaded with too much powder exploded. A large shard of wood severed the King’s leg and he bled to death very quickly.
The Fife chronicler Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie (c. 1532 - 1580) graphically records the incident in his ‘Historie and Chronicles of Scotland, 1436 – 1565’:
"His thigh-bone was dung in two with a piece of misframed gun that brake in shooting, by the which he was stricken to the ground and died hastily.”
Older than it appears?
The solitary holly is a living reminder of this untimely end to the monarch’s reign. The tree is enclosed by a stock fence, and displays a typically bushy, if windswept crown. Several well-established suckers appear to emerge from a decayed stump, suggesting that this modest heritage tree is older than it first appears.
Floors Castle, the largest inhabited castle in Scotland, has been the ancestral home of the Dukes of Roxburghe since it was built in 1721.
Where to see the King James II Holly
Floors Castle and estate lie on the western edge of Kelso, Scottish Borders. It is well signposted from the town and its approach road. The castle and grounds are open to the public daily from April to October. Admission chargers apply. The holly tree stands on the open parkland to the south west of the castle, on the riverside walk by the banks of the River Tweed.
Image: copyright Edward Parker
