Ancrum House
Armorial Panel (16th Century), Armorial Panel (17th Century), Tower House (Medieval)
Site Name Ancrum House
Classification Armorial Panel (16th Century), Armorial Panel (17th Century), Tower House (Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Ancrum House Policies
Canmore ID 56970
Site Number NT62NW 11
NGR NT 6297 2505
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/56970
- Council Scottish Borders, The
- Parish Ancrum
- Former Region Borders
- Former District Roxburgh
- Former County Roxburghshire
NT62NW 11.00 6297 2505
(NT 6297 2505) Ancrum House (NAT).
OS 6" map, Roxburghshire, (1923).
[NT62NW 11.00 NT 6297 2505 Site of tower-house
NT62NW 11.01 NT 629 251 Site of Over Ancrum village, and field banks]
NT62NW 11.01 NT 62885 25555 North Lodge
NT62NW 11.02 NT 63223 25075 Estate Burn (Ancrum Park)
A late 19th century house which occupies the site of a castle erected by Robert Ker about 1558. The remains of this castle were incorporated in the predecessor of of the modern house, and were finally destroyed by fire in 1885.
The village of Over Ancrum, some of whose houses bore the date 1592, stood in the immediate vicinity on the north.
NSA 1845; A Jeffrey 1864; F H Groome (ed.) 1901.
The tower (see above) is mentioned, as still standing, in a letter written in 1632.
RCAHMS 1956.
No further information. As described by RCAHMS.
Visited by OS(WDJ) 10 December 1963.
NMRS REFERENCE:
Architect: Wardrop & Reid 1874
Demolished 1970
EXTERNAL REFERENCE:
Scottish Record Office:
GD 40 / portfolio xiv / page 2
Building at Ancrum House, Building and the lay out of policies discussed in a letter from Sir Robert Kerr to the Earl of Lothian, 1632.
(Undated) information in NMRS.
Field Visit (14 July 1933)
Carved Stones, Ancrum House.
On the outside of the E wall of the modern house of Ancrum there has been inserted a fine 16th-century panel, measuring 2ft 5in in height by 1ft 9 1/2in in width, evidently taken from a tower which formerly stood on this site (Information from Corrrespondence of Sir Robert Kerr). The upper half of the panel bears the inscription ROBERT KER / AND ISOBEL HOME / FOUNDAR AND / COMPLEITAR / ANNO 1558, an index hand preceding the words and a love-knot being inserted before the date. The lower part of the panel contains two shields, the dexter one upheld from behind by a man wearing a lose-fitting cap, the sinister one by a woman with a flat hat and a veil. The dexter shield is charged : On a chevron, three mullets, in base a stag's head couped, for Ker of Ancrum. The sinister shield is charged : In chief three papingoes, in base a lion rampant, for Home of Wedderburn. The papingoes are shown in an L-shaped arrangement. Commenting on this panel, the late Sir J. Balfour Paul, Lyon King of Arms, pointed out that "the sinister shield must have been executed by somebody with a very rudimentary notion of armoury, for the birds which appear in chief of the shield are arranged in a manner which no herald would ever think of".
A second panel, measuring 1ft 9in in width by 1ft 7in in height and now in two pieces, is preserved inside the house. Dating from the 17th century, it exhibits a shield with helm and mantling. The shield is charged : Three lions' heads erased, on an in- escutcheon at fess the Royal Arms, for Scott of Ancrum.
RCAHMS 1956, visited 14 July 1933.
Sbc Note (21 March 2016)
Visibility: This was the site of an archaeological monument, which may no longer be visible.
Information from Scottish Borders Council
Photographic Survey
Photographs of Ancrum House and estate, Roxburghshire, by the Scottish National Buildings Record in 1959.
