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The castle of Barnes, with
it's symmetrical square design and courtyard was very unusual in
it's time and very advanced. Sir John Seton had it constructed
as a grand country residence and to be his principal seat when
away from court, where he spent the majority of his time at the
Royal court in Edinburgh and in-residence at the Palace of
Holyroodhouse.
The
lands of Barnes were long held by the Seton's, and the Barony of Barnes was
erected by George Seton, 7th Lord Seton, for his third son, Sir
John. Sir John Seton of Barnes like his younger brother
Chancellor Seton, had been educated both in Scotland, France and Italy, before
himself
proceeding to Spain. There he served initially on Royal
dispatches from his father's embassy in France, later as a
diplomat in the Royal Court of
King Philip II of Spain, and rose to become Master of that
King's Royal Household
and of the King's BedChamber, and later created a Knight of the Order of Jago
(or Iago).
He was born in 1553, and has been described as a brave man, well
travelled and well educated. He was brought up at the
court of King Philip II of Spain and rose to become a knight of the Kings
personal bodyguard and master of his Household. So distinguished
was he that he
was summoned home by King James VI & I to
serve in his Royal Court. He was given
the office of Treasurer, as well as Master of the Horse, and Master of the Kings Household for life,
and was vice Prior of Pluscarder, and proprietor of Hailes Castle and that of Garleton Castle, while he waited for his Castle at Barnes to
be built.
In 1588 he was admitted an Extraordinary of the College of Justice,
though he died only a few short years later, and his castle of
Barnes then, was never
completed. Later, from his descent, this branch assumed the title of the Earl of
Dunfermline, forfeit, which is still
maintained to this day.
Sir John
Seton was proprietor of most of the land around Aimsfield. He died in 1594
and was buried in the nave of the old church of Haddington, where
a grand carved monument was to be seen in the Seton's of the Barnes' burying place. The farm of Amisfield Mains, formerly
called Harperdean Mains was originally two farms. The west part of it was called
"The Barnes", and Amisfield Mains formed part of the estate of Seton's of
the Barnes.
The Seton's of Barnes later became generally
known as the Seton's of Hailes (or Hallis) after their
acquisition of that Castle from the heir s of Hercules Stewart,
and who also had later acquired Crichton Castle, albeit briefly,
from James Stewart, brother of Lord John Stewart, Prior of
Coldingham.
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