Kirkhope Tower
Encyclopedia
Kirkhope Tower is a Scottish
Pele
, located in the Ettrick Valley
, in the historic county of Selkirkshire
, now a division of the Scottish Borders
. The tower lies a mile to the north west of Ettrickbridge
, and seven miles (11 km) from the Burgh of Selkirk.
. Its small windows are constructed with simple relieving arches and stand with the exception of the light into the Ground floor at heights of over thirty feet. It stands on rough ground that slopes steeply away to the valley below.
. The room was lit by an oblique light on the opposite wall to the entrance, affording no view or access to within the chamber from potential attackers. Access to the upper floors was by use of a timber staircase that leads from the left of the entrance to the northeast angle of the building.
of the tower with access to the above floors only to be gained by crossing the room to the turnpike in the south east angle. Adjacent to the turnpike is the main entrance to the building, which in times of war could be accessed by a wooden stair or ladder that could be retracted within, the door on the ground being firmly secured.
and his family with timber floors joisted with oak dividing them.
s in the northwest and southeast angles of the parapet, the latter of which acts of the caphouse for the turnpike staircase rising from below. There are walkways within the parapet to the North, South and East, the western gable being taken up by the flues for the Fireplaces in the floors below. The parapet is supported by simple Corbel
s. The addition of the covered turrets rather than simple Bartizan
s suggest a relatively late construction.
wall still extant. This originally formed a Bailey around the structure in which cattle and tenants could seek refuge in dangerous times.
, dated 1535 that required large landholders in the Borderlands to build Barmkin
s of Stone and Lime, sixty square feet in area and with walls of one Ell thickness and six Ells in height "for the resett and defense of him, his tennents, and his gudis in troublous tyme". Furthermore "with ane toure in the samen for himself gif he thinks it expedient. And that all ather landit men of smaller rent and reuenew (revenue) big (build) pelis and greit strenthis as they please for the saifing of thaimselfs, &c.; and that the said strenthis, barmkynis, and pelis be biggit and completit within twa yeris under pane"
in the early stages of the Rough Wooing of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Henry VIII of England
. The actual raiding itself was carried out by members of the cross border "Riding Family" of Armstrong
.
. Young Wat Scott brought his bride and cousin Mary Scott of Dryhope
, better known as the "Flower of Yarrow" back to Kirkhope prior to the death of his father William. Mary Scott was as renowned for her beauty as much as her mate was known for his belligerence. Wat Scott was later to be a supporter of Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell, an unsuccessful warrant for his arrest was made in 1592 by James VI. Wat Scott, although the subject of many Border ballad
s is perhaps best remembered by his wife's reaction to empty stores, presenting him with his spurs on a platter for dinner; a signal to ready his men for a raid.
, widow of the Duke of Monmouth
in the early eighteenth century and from mid-nineteenth century it was allowed to fall into a state of decay.
', a movement to reintroduce numerous wild species back into the United Kingdom.
In 2007 Peter Clarke was interviewed and gave a tour of Kirkhope Tower on the BBC TV programme "Castle in the Country", first aired on 16 July 2008, in episode 6 of the 4th series.
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
Pele
Peel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
, located in the Ettrick Valley
Ettrick, Scotland
Ettrick is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, located around south-west of the town of Selkirk.-Local area:...
, in the historic county of Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south...
, now a division of the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
. The tower lies a mile to the north west of Ettrickbridge
Ettrickbridge
Ettrickbridge is a village situated in Ettrickdale in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, near the village of Ettrick, and the town of Selkirk, away....
, and seven miles (11 km) from the Burgh of Selkirk.
Overview
A remote and austere building, Kirkhope Tower is of a square footprint and constructed from local stone. It consists of four main floors and a garret floor above the parapetParapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. Its small windows are constructed with simple relieving arches and stand with the exception of the light into the Ground floor at heights of over thirty feet. It stands on rough ground that slopes steeply away to the valley below.
Ground Floor
The ground floor is of vaulted construction and is accessible through a small door that could be easily barricaded by use of an iron YettYett
A yett is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses...
. The room was lit by an oblique light on the opposite wall to the entrance, affording no view or access to within the chamber from potential attackers. Access to the upper floors was by use of a timber staircase that leads from the left of the entrance to the northeast angle of the building.
First Floor
The first floor of the Tower would have housed the original HallGreat Hall
Great Hall may refer to* Great hall, the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or large manor house* Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square, Beijing* Great Hall of the University of Sydney, Australia* Cooper_Union#The_Great_Hall, New York...
of the tower with access to the above floors only to be gained by crossing the room to the turnpike in the south east angle. Adjacent to the turnpike is the main entrance to the building, which in times of war could be accessed by a wooden stair or ladder that could be retracted within, the door on the ground being firmly secured.
Second and Third floors
These levels provided accommodation for the LairdLaird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
and his family with timber floors joisted with oak dividing them.
Parapet and Garret
There are two rectangular turretTurret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s in the northwest and southeast angles of the parapet, the latter of which acts of the caphouse for the turnpike staircase rising from below. There are walkways within the parapet to the North, South and East, the western gable being taken up by the flues for the Fireplaces in the floors below. The parapet is supported by simple Corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s. The addition of the covered turrets rather than simple Bartizan
Bartizan
A bartizan or guerite is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of medieval fortifications from the early 14th century up to the 16th century. They protect a warder and enable him to see around him...
s suggest a relatively late construction.
Exterior
There are remains of the BarmkinBarmkin
Barmkin, also spelled barmekin or barnekin, is a Scots word which refers to a form of medieval and later defensive enclosure, typically found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland, and the north of England. It has been suggested that etymologically the...
wall still extant. This originally formed a Bailey around the structure in which cattle and tenants could seek refuge in dangerous times.
History
Although there is no records of its construction, Kirkhope was presumably constructed by the early part of the 16th century in accordance with an act of the Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, dated 1535 that required large landholders in the Borderlands to build Barmkin
Barmkin
Barmkin, also spelled barmekin or barnekin, is a Scots word which refers to a form of medieval and later defensive enclosure, typically found around smaller castles, tower houses, pele towers, and bastle houses in Scotland, and the north of England. It has been suggested that etymologically the...
s of Stone and Lime, sixty square feet in area and with walls of one Ell thickness and six Ells in height "for the resett and defense of him, his tennents, and his gudis in troublous tyme". Furthermore "with ane toure in the samen for himself gif he thinks it expedient. And that all ather landit men of smaller rent and reuenew (revenue) big (build) pelis and greit strenthis as they please for the saifing of thaimselfs, &c.; and that the said strenthis, barmkynis, and pelis be biggit and completit within twa yeris under pane"
Rough Wooing
Kirkhope was burnt and its stock removed during the campaign of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of SuffolkCharles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk
Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG was the son of Sir William Brandon and Elizabeth Bruyn. Through his third wife Mary Tudor he was brother-in-law to Henry VIII. His father was the standard-bearer of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond and was slain by Richard III in person at...
in the early stages of the Rough Wooing of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. The actual raiding itself was carried out by members of the cross border "Riding Family" of Armstrong
Clan Armstrong
Clan Armstrong is an armigerous clan whose origins lie in Cumberland, south of the frontier between Scotland and England which was officially established in 1237....
.
Auld Wat Scott of Harden
Walter Scott of Harden was a notorious Border Reiver. The tower of Kirkhope was used as a residence of the eldest sons of the Scotts of Harden Castle, immediately to the west of HawickHawick
Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
. Young Wat Scott brought his bride and cousin Mary Scott of Dryhope
Dryhope Tower
Dryhope Tower is a ruined Scottish pele tower in the valley of the Yarrow Water, in the historic county of Selkirkshire, now part of the Scottish Borders. It lies approximately equidistant between the burghs of Moffat and Selkirk, and defended the north eastern end of St Mary's Loch...
, better known as the "Flower of Yarrow" back to Kirkhope prior to the death of his father William. Mary Scott was as renowned for her beauty as much as her mate was known for his belligerence. Wat Scott was later to be a supporter of Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell, an unsuccessful warrant for his arrest was made in 1592 by James VI. Wat Scott, although the subject of many Border ballad
Border ballad
The English/Scottish border has a long and bloody history of conquest and reconquest, raid and counter-raid . It also has a stellar tradition of balladry, such that a whole group of songs exists that are often called "border ballads", because they were collected in that region.Border ballads, like...
s is perhaps best remembered by his wife's reaction to empty stores, presenting him with his spurs on a platter for dinner; a signal to ready his men for a raid.
Later Centuries
Kirkhope came into the possession of Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of BuccleuchAnne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch
Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch was a wealthy Scottish peeress.Anne was the daughter of Francis Scott, 2nd Earl of Buccleuch. In 1661, she succeeded to her sister's titles of 4th Countess of Buccleuch, 5th Baroness Scott of Buccleuch and 5th Baroness Scott of Whitchester and Eskdaill...
, widow of the Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...
in the early eighteenth century and from mid-nineteenth century it was allowed to fall into a state of decay.
Today
Kirkhope Tower was rescued from ruin in the later part of the twentieth century and by 1996 it was again in use as a private residence. It is now owned by Peter Clarke, a former Tory candidate and landowner. Clarke was spokesperson for 'The Wild Beasts TrustThe Wild Beasts Trust
The Wild Beasts Trust is an endangered species enthusiast movement who, in September 2006, declared their intentions to reintroduce numerous nationally extinct species back into the wild in the United Kingdom....
', a movement to reintroduce numerous wild species back into the United Kingdom.
In 2007 Peter Clarke was interviewed and gave a tour of Kirkhope Tower on the BBC TV programme "Castle in the Country", first aired on 16 July 2008, in episode 6 of the 4th series.
External links
- Smoor Architects overview and plans of restoration of Kirkhope
- Southern Reporter, June 2005: Historic tower goes on the market