原址早于12世纪已经是皇室的庄园[1]。由于地理位置得宜,它后来成为了往来爱丁堡城堡及斯特灵城堡之间不可或缺的重要军事基地,以确保这补给路线不受强盗所滋扰。受命于爱德华一世,堡垒于1302年4月开始动工,由建筑大师圣乔治的詹姆斯设计[2],两名神职人员负责监工,聘请了60名男工和140名女工,以男工每日两便士、女工每日一便士的薪酬[3],马不停蹄连日赶工,另外亦调配了百多名士兵协助建筑于1303年夏季完成[4]。
1424年,林利思哥市镇遇到大火,部分的建筑物被焚毁[1],当时的苏格兰王国詹姆斯一世下令扩建堡垒,使之成为苏格兰皇室的其中一个行宫,同时亦修葺了宫殿旁边的圣迈克尔教区教堂[5]。
往后数代的君主詹姆斯三世、四世和五世都曾经扩建林利思哥宫,令它的布局渐渐正规化。苏格兰女王玛丽一世在这里出生,詹姆斯六世的女儿伊丽莎白·斯图亚特更长居于此[6]。
Accounts of the Master of Works, vol. 1 (1957) HMSO, lxvi, (Latin).
Simpson, Grant, & Galbraith, James, ed., Calendar Documents Scotland in PRO and British Library, vol. 5 supplementary, SRO (n.d), no. 305, no. 472 (h, j, u), 'j' mentions Robert de Wynpol (Wimpole) working in Summer 1303, 472 (k) mentions the Warwolf lupus-guerre siege engine at Stirling Castle.
Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol 10 (1891), 521.
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