Hindhaughhead
Farmstead (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Kiln Barn (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Tower (Medieval)
Site Name Hindhaughhead
Classification Farmstead (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Kiln Barn (Medieval) - (Post Medieval), Tower (Medieval)
Canmore ID 56941
Site Number NT61SW 15
NGR NT 6432 1042
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56941
- Council Scottish Borders, The
- Parish Southdean
- Former Region Borders
- Former District Roxburgh
- Former County Roxburghshire
NT61SW 15 6432 1042.
(NT6432 1042) Hindhaughead Tower (NR) (Site of).
OS 6"map, Roxburghshire, (1924).
Hindhaughhead Tower (Site). No structural remains survive.
(RCAHMS 1956, visited 25 August 1932).
The town and peel of Hindhaughead were destroyed by Sir John Ratcliffe in 1513.
(A Jeffrey 1864).
Contrary to the RCAHMS remains of this tower do survive and consist
of earth-covered walls now spread to a width of c 3.5m and c 0.7m high. The outer wall face can be distinguished on the NW and SW sides and, in places, the inner face so that the tower measured 8.7m x 6.8m over walls 1.2m thick The footings of two rectangular buildings and a turf-banked enclosure at the site are of a later date.
Surveyed at 1/2500
Visited by OS(WDJ) 8 February 1967.
Field Visit (23 April 1992)
This tower and farmstead lie on the edge of a terrace on the S of the Jed Water.
The tower, which has been reduced to its footings, measures 6.2m from NE to SW by 4.3m transversely within rubble-faced walls 1.4m in thickness and 1m in height. A small enclosure is attached to the SE of the tower. A slight dip in the NE end-wall may indicate the location of an entrance.
Lying to the E of the tower, within the enclosure, and aligned roughly NE-SW, there is a one compartment building. A second building lies around 20m to the N of the tower; it is of three compartments and measures 15.9m from NE to SW by 4m within rubble-faced walls 0.8m in thickness and up to 0.4m in height. In the middle of the SE side-wall there is an entrance to the central compartment, from which access was gained into the NE compartment, but there was no visible entrance into the SW compartment. A kiln, a rare feature of the area, lies a short distance to the NE of the tower; the bowl measures 1.7m in diameter within a wall 0.8m in thickness and 0.25m in height, and the site of the kiln-barn is marked by a dog-legged stretch of bank to the SW of the kiln. (ROX92 78-81) Hindhaughhead is depicted incorrectly to the N of the Jed Water on Blaeu's map of Teviotdale, based upon Pont (Blaeu 1654), and correctly by Stobie (Stobie 1770) to the S, but had been abandoned by the mid-19th century (1st ed OS 6-inch map, Roxburghshire 1863, sheet 27). At the time of the Hearth Tax it was occupied by Lady Shaw with three hearths (SRO E69/21/1).
Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 23 April 1992.
