Gowrie House

Gowrie House

Culture,Immovable Culture Heritage

Gowrie House is an intriguing piece of lost heritage. It was an old townhouse located in Perth, Scotland beside the River Tay and was constructed in the early 1520s. It was owned by the Ruthven family, an infamous yet noble family who held great power and wealth around the county. The most significant event to occur at the Gowrie House was a peculiar assaiantion attempt on King James VI of Scotland which took place on the 5th of August 1600. This event is known as the Gowrie Conspiracy and it involved the king being lured to Gowrie House by Alexander Ruthven who then tried to take the king's life, however both Alexander Ruthven and the 3rd Earl of Gowrie were subdued and murdered. The strange thing about this story is that it cannot be corroborated and most of the story was King James VI’s account. Many think the king had made the story up as there was a lot to gain from murdering the Ruthvens. Gowrie House was demolished in 1807 and the Sheriff court was built in its place. The only tangible thing left to acknowledge it is a plaque on the side of the courthouse.

isfiveoneonezero,worldheritagelayer

1520

ef93

Site

237

16/04/2021

04/16/2021 12:09:16 pm

cm x cm x cm

current,56.394940011170256,-3.425937294960022;

Gowrie House

TEXT

Building

Tay St, Perth PH2 8NL

250

1807

1

ef93@st-andrews.ac.uk