Cavers Castle to be saved in a major rescue and restoration effort

During the centuries when clashes between English forces and the Lowland Scots were commonplace and so deeply entrenched that they found their way into legends and ballads of the day, Cavers Castle was at the centre of much of the turmoil.

One of the greatest Border Ballads of all, The Battle of Otterburn, made famous by The Corries and performed and recorded by many others, tells how the Scots, numbering 6,000, under the leadership of Sir James Douglas, and an 8000-strong English army led by Sir Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy, who had previously lost his pennon to Douglas and resolved to win it back, faced each other in combat in August of 1388. The battle was a resounding Scottish victory but Douglas was killed. 

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The Wars of Scottish Independence, which commenced in 1296, had prompted a period of inter-border instability that would continue until the Union of the Crowns over three centuries later. There was periodic military conflict between the two nations (Scotland had forged a treaty of mutual military assistance with France known as the ‘Auld Alliance’).

There were also powerful regional struggles as locals on both sides increasingly took to raiding and plundering, using their intimate knowledge of the wild terrain in daring cross-Border strikes.

By 1388, the Percy and Douglas families had developed a bitter rivalry which led to increased military action in the region. In Northumberland, the Percy family had been closely involved in the conflicts and claimed territories in southern Scotland. The Douglas family sought to wrestle back control of the territories and there was major animosity between the two factions.

It is said that earlier, when the pair came face to face in one of the incursions, he fought Douglas in a skirmish outside the city walls of Newcastle, but came off the worse, being un-horsed and concussed, and that Douglas, mocking him, captured his pennon, a banner attached to the end of his lance that bore his coat of arms (a blue lion rampant).

Despite the subsequent defeat at Otterburn, though, Percy’s decision to pursue the Scots over a pennon turned him into a national hero.

Now, Cavers is being saved, thanks to the vision and financial clout of an American who fell in love with the place as soon as she first saw it.

The wife of a high-ranking officer who served as an American Marine for much of his adult life, Julie Sharrer is familiar with the motto Ever Faithful, and has given a pledge to see this project through to the end.

Resolute in her determination to see the work completed to the highest standards possible, she is also committed to employing the best of local tradesmen and expertise as a priority. The Douglas family motto being Never Behind, she concedes there is a lot of catching up to do before any flag can be hoisted once again above the ramparts. 

“I will be 66 on my birthday next week,” she said, “and friends will occasionally ask me why I have taken on what they perceive as such a major and potentially daunting undertaking at this stage of my life. All I can say is that if a cost of a million pounds is quoted, frankly I don’t see that as a big deal.”

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Her indomitable spirit could well be explained by her genetic makeup which is one-third Viking, one-third Irish, with the heritage of the Choctaw tribe of Native Americans.

Due to an amazing turn of unlikely events, the project manager who will oversee every detail from making funding applications and supervising work to ensuring all of the necessary historic and environmental requirements are addressed, is someone who possibly possesses more knowledge about the property than anyone else.

That man is Simon Forder, known in historic circles as “The Castle Guy”, is a member of the Scottish Castles Association, and had previously considered purchasing the rundown castle and grounds. He had completed much of the preliminary investigative work that would accompany a rebuilding.

Forder, 50, who lives with his wife in Glenlivet, Morayshire, explained that the individual in the group he had been dealing with on a one-to-one level departed without passing any information about his interest.

His wife then fell pregnant and he stepped back temporarily, then fell ill and had no contact with the selling agents for some time. When he finally re-established contact to pick up from where he had left off, he found, initially to his dismay, that the sale had been completed.

Now fully teamed up and still as enthusiastic, Forder and Sharrer have each been hugely encouraged by the level of support the plan has won from the local community, with offers of physical and professional support, as well as pledges of financial input.

A website all about the project will go live within the next two weeks and a dedicated Facebook page is already attracting a lot of interest.

Sharrer said: “I made enquiries and told my eldest son ‘I’m going to Scotland to look at a castle’, but didn’t really say much more at that point. As soon as I saw the place I had a feeling that was so strong, I just decided there and then – I’m doing this.

“Those who know me will tell you that I am relentless in my determination to complete this restoration. Neither hell nor high water will stop me from doing it.
“In the past, I have organised million-dollar fashion shows and I thought, ‘I can pull this off’.

“It will be restored to what it was and hopefully when we get to that point, the castle should then look after itself – that’s how it should work. I’ve never said that I’ve purchased it for me.

“It’s my project and I very much hope that there will be jobs created for and within the local community.”