Archaeology Notes

Event ID 714008

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/714008

NT32NE 6 37872 25053

(NT 3787 2505) Kirkhope Tower (NR) (In Ruins)

OS 6" map (1900)

Kirkhope Tower. From an elevation of 800 ft. O.D. on the broken S slope of Tower Hill, this strong little building looks up the valley of the Ettrick Water and across the Tower Burn to the river-crossing at Ettrickbridge End, three-quarters of a mile to the SE.

It is embodied in the N wall of a small rectangular barmkin, the existing wall of which may be of no great age. The barmkin measures about 45 ft. from N to S by 90 ft. from E to W and contains fragments of outbuildings on the W and S sides as well as in the NE corner. The entrance to the barmkin is situated between this corner and the tower, and the tower can only be entered from the barmkin.

The tower itself, four storeys and a garret in height, is oblong on plan, measuring 22 ft. 10 in. from N to S by 27 ft. 9 in. from E to W. Except at a cap-house over the SE corner, the fabric is roofless, but otherwise it is almost intact. The masonry is of uncovered whin-rubble, in which freestone dressings are sparingly used. There is an entire absence of gun-loops. On three sides of the building there is a parapet walk at the wall-head, set out on rough whin corbelling; cap-houses surmount the NW and SE corners, the one to the SE covering the stair-head. On the W gable, where there is a massive chimney-stack, the parapet walk is omitted. The gables have tabled skews instead of crow-steps.

There are two entrances, both in the S wall, situated one above the other at the ground and first-floor levels respectively. The lower one, unaltered, has provision for a single door and no bar-hole; the upper doorway has been built up and a small window has been formed in the infilling.

In 1543 Kirkhope was burnt by the Armstrongs, (Letters and papers, foreign and domestic, Henry VIII, xix, pt ii, 1544, No.33, 13) but the existing tower does not seem to be much earlier than 1600.

RCAHMS 1957, visited 1934

The tower is as described by RCAHMS. The outbuildings on the sides of the barmkin (which is of drystone masonry and contemporary with the outbuildings) are dealt with on NT32NE 7 as, contrary to the report by the Commission, they are on the outside of the barmkin wall and, together with the existing barmkin wall, later in date than the tower.

Visited by OS (EGC) 5 June 1962

NT 3787 2505 A watching brief was conducted at Kirkhope Tower (NMRS NT32NE 6) by AOC (Scotland) Ltd on the excavation of a cable trench by Scottish Power. The trench was laid in the course of a programme of building and restoration works and extended from the NE angle of the tower, across the adjacent farm track, and along the N side of the track for a distance of c30m. This area had previosly been scarped by the creation of the farm track and no archaeological deposits were recorded.

Four sherds of late medieval pottery were recovered from machine spoil.

Sponser: Scottish Power.

J O'Sullivan 1995.

Kirkhope Tower is now roofed and occupied.

Information from Mr D Scott, Bemersyde, 9 February 2001.