had the brewhouse, gates, and drawbridge repaired. James VI visited the palace on 11 June 1617. Andrew Simson presented a Latin poem celebrating the palace's grounds and describing the song of the Dalkeith nightingale. William, 7th Earl of Morton, Treasurer of Scotland, entertained King Charles I during his visit to Scotland in 1633. The king liked the place so much he considered buying the estate and turning it into a deer park. By 1637, Charles had decided to buy the castle and estate from Lord Morton. The castle was re-fortified and strengthened in order to prepare it for the king. Among other alterations, Charles I built an additional drawbridge and extra defences. With the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Charles I found it difficult to complete his purchase of Dalkeith, and the castle was eventually returned to the Earl of Morton. Dalkeith Palace In 1642, Dalkeith Castle was sold by the Earl of Morton to Francis Scott, 2nd Earl of Buccleuch. The 2nd Earl of Buccleuch's daughter, Anne, married the James, Duke of Monmouth, eldest illegitimate son of King Charles II in 1663, and they became the Duke and Duchess of Monmouth and Buccleuch. After the Duke had been executed for treason, his widow asked architect James Smith to use William of Orange's palace of Het Loo in the Netherlands as a model for the new Dalkeith Palace. Smith and his cousins, Gilbert and James, signed the contract for mason work at Dalkeith Castle in March 1702. Construction of Dalkeith Palace began later that year, Smith deciding to incorporate a portion of the tower house of the old castle into the western side of the new structure. The outline of the old tower walls is still visible in the western facade of the palace today. In 1704, William Walker and Benjamin Robinson, the chamberlain of the Duchess, went to London with a small party to choose items of furniture for the palace. Construction was proceeding at a steady pace, and the main portion of the palace was roofed by the end of 1705. The London marble-cutter Richard Neale spent sixty-four weeks at the palace with nine assistants between 1709 and 1711, carving the main stairwell and screen of the Great Staircase. Several marble chimney pieces were installed, as well as an intricately carved marble bas-relief of Neptune and Galatea. This internally extensive use of marble was very much the taste