Archaeology Notes

Event ID 732663

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Archaeology Notes

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/732663

NY37SE 7 3891 7412.

(NY 3891 7412) Kinmont Tower (NR) (Site of)

OS 6" map (1957)

Published apparently on the authority of local residents (Name Book 1858, as the stronghold owned and occupied by Kinmont Willie (Armstrong), who in fact had Sark, or Morton, which is shown on a map of 1590 as Kinmont Tower (see NY37NW 5).

This is almost certainly the site of one of the two towers shown on the map (Royal MS. 18D iii, Burghley Atlas map 1590) at Woodhouselees (Withisleis). Ebye Armstrong, 'the goodman of Waddusles', is mentioned in 1583. The majority of the many border towers in the area were owned by members of the Armstrong clan.

J and R Hyslop 1912; H Maxwell 1896

At this site, there is a very large, probably artifical, circular gravelly mound, with a flattish top, which measures about 20 m in diameter and 1 m high, being quarried into on the SE side. It is unlikely to be associated with the quarry to the SE. No trace of any tower exists on the mound, nor could any local information be found regarding the name of the tower.

Resurveyed at 1:2500.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 23 June 1970

The mound, which pre-dates the quarry (not shown), is shown as a pecked outline, some 21.0m by 23.0m. A penannular ring of trees occupies the site of the quarry.

OS 25" map (1859)

No change to the previous field report.

Visited by OS (JP) 20 February 1973