The accession of David II (Robert Bruce's son) to the Scottish throne in 1329 and the reopening of hostilities between Scotland
and England was the signal for Sir Eustas to change allegiance once again. The traditional loyalties of the Maxwells were to the Balloils and not to the Bruces. When, in 1332, Edward Balloil was crowned King of Scots at Scone, Sir Eustas repaired and garrisoned Caerlaverock and placed it at Balloil's disposal. The story of Caerlaverock Castle is obscure from that point until about 1356 when Roger Kirkpatrick is recorded as having returned the whole of Nithsdale to the Scottish Crown and so doing captured the castles of Dalswinton and Caerlaverock "by force and valour and demolishing them to the ground". When peace was restored, the task of rebuilding the castle began and much of the castle as it exists today dates from that time.
In 1406, King Robert III died and his brother, Robert, first duke of Ablany took over as Regent for twelve-year-old James, the heir to the throne, who had previously been taken captive by the English. When Robert Duke of Albany died in 1420 he was succeeded as Regent and Governor of Scotland by his son Murdoch, second Duke of Albany. When James was eventually ransomed and returned to Scotland in 1424, he proceeded to have his cousin Murdoch and several other nobles arrested. Murdoch was held in the West Tower at Caerlaverock and subsequently beheaded at Sterling Castle in 1425 and the West Tower has since been known as "Murdoch's Tower".
Caerlaverock Castle again figured in the conflicts between Scotland and England in the sixteenth century. In 1542, James V visited the castle before the Battle of Solway Moss, which resulted not only in defeat for the Scots but in the capture by the English of Robert, fifth Lord Maxwell. Released shortly thereafter, Lord Maxwell was captured again in May of 1544 and his castle surrendered to the English. In the following year it was retaken by the Scots. In 1570 it was again besieged, this time by the Earl of Sussex as he harried the district. Although it was said that he "threw down" the castle, there is little evidence in the structure for this demolition. In 1593, Robert, eighth Lord Maxwell was recorded as making great fortifications to the castle.
The accession of Scottish King James VI to the English throne as James I in 1603 brought peace to the border country for the first time in centuries. This tranquility led to a new confidence among the marcher lords. Robert Maxwell was created the first Earl of Nithsdale and in 1634 built a new house, an elegant modern mansion, within the walls of the old castle.
King Charles I, son of King James inherited none of his fatherŐs skill as a politician and yet all of his problems. The Earl of Nithsdale was one of his staunchest supporters, but the King warned him to look to himself when the truce with his Scottish subjects broke down in 1640. The Earl bravely carried on resistance against the Covenanting army, garrisoning his castle with 200 soldiers. They gallantly held out for thirteen weeks in the summer of that year until, seeing the hopelessness of their position, surrendered with the king's permission.
After the siege of 1640, the castle was partially dismantled by the Covenanters. But this time there was no reprieve. The castle, redundant both as fortress and as residence, fell into decay. The castle passed by inheritance to the Duke of Norfolk and in 1946, the sixth Duke placed it in State care.
Caerlaverock Castle stands on solid rock at the edge of the saltmarshes (known locally as merse) and sands, where at low tide miles of gleaming mudflats are exposed. The highest tides flood through the sea banks and across the low fields, creating a vast area of salty, mineral-rich grazings. The storm-swept shore is a vital winter home for thousands of migrating geese and other waterfowl. In summer, the sky is filled with the songs of the Skylarks from which Caerlaverock, "Castle of the Lark", takes its name.
