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Ancrum
Cave(S) (16th Century)
Site Name Ancrum
Classification Cave(S) (16th Century)
Canmore ID 57091
Site Number NT62SW 14
NGR NT 6288 2471
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/57091
- Council Scottish Borders, The
- Parish Ancrum
- Former Region Borders
- Former District Roxburgh
- Former County Roxburghshire
NT62SW 14 6288 2471
(Name: NT 6285 2471) Caves (NAT).
OS 6" map, Roxburghshire, (1923).
(NT 6239 2463) Thomson's Cave (NAT).
OS 6" map, Roxburghshire, 2nd ed., (1899); OS 25" map, (1898).
The information in RCAHMS 1956 is from an article on the caves at Ancrum, which were "probably in use as early as the middle of the 16th. century" and which seem to have been artificial. See Roxburgh 13 NW 10 Area centred NT 6288 2471. On the right bank of the Ale Water, between NT 6295 2473 and NT 6284 2469, five caves and the remains of two others were noted as follows:-
Two caves at NT 6293 2473.
One cave and the remains of a second at NT 6290 2472.
Two caves and the remains of a third at NT 6284 2469.
They are probably those mentioned by the RCAHMS, (though the Commission's description '... between the manse and the smithy ...' appears to be incorrect and the grouping is different). All the caves are inaccessible or virtually so.
'Thomson's Cave' has been destroyed by erosion.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 24 February 1967.
Field Visit (May 1939)
Four inaccessible caves were observed in the right bank of the Ale Water, between the manse and the smithy (NT 625 246 - NT 627 247). In the same bank, near the weirs at Townfoot and 12ft above the river bed, there is a group of three caves (NT 628 247). Two of these are practically destroyed by landslips : the third, which is roofless, measures 11ft long by 5ft wide at the mouth and 9ft wide at the back.
Thomson's Cave has now been destroyed, but is shown by the 1899 edition of the OS map to have been situated in the right bank N of Townhead (NT 624 246).
RCAHMS 1956, visited May 1939
Laser Scanning (29 January 2018 - 30 January 2018)
In late-January 2018 HES undertook a recording exercise on a series of artificial caves carved into the steep sandstone cliffs on the right (south) bank of the Ale Water at Ancrum. Health and safety concerns meant that none of the caves was entered on the date of visit and all dimensions given have been calculated from laser scan data obtained from the opposite bank of the river.
Information from HES Survey and Recording (GLB) 21 June 2019.
Note (21 June 2019)
At least eight artificial caves have been excavated into the steep face of the sandstone cliff that forms the right (south) bank of the Ale Water at Ancrum. Seven of the caves (NT62SW 14.01-03 and 14.05-08) are situated on a 100m length of the river bank about 115m N of the centre of Ancrum. The eighth cave (NT63SW.04), which no longer exists, was situated 450m west of them. The Statistical Account mentions fifteen caves along the banks of the Ale, but these include others along the river to the west -- see NT62SW 4 (one cave) and east NT62SW 3 (seven caves). Research by RCAHMS for the Roxburgh Inventory (1956) suggests that at least some of the caves were already in use by the middle of the 16th century. None of the caves is now readily accessible and therefore the architectural features said to present in some, for example the vestiges of chimneys or fireplaces, cannot be easily confirmed. The caves along the south bank of the Ale Water were visited by HES staff in February 2017 or January 2018. None were entered and the following site descriptions are based largely on laser scan data obtained from the opposite bank of the river.
NT62SW 14.01 NT 62844 24695 Cave (Possible)
NT62SW 14.02 NT 62850 24700 Cave
NT62SW 14.03 NT 62853 24700 Cave
NT62SW 14.04 NT 62390 24630 Cave (Destroyed)
NT62SW 14.05 NT 62905 24722 Cave
NT62SW 14.06 NT 62907 24724 Cave
NT62SW 14.07 NT 62933 24734 Cave
NT62SW 14.08 NT 62936 24736 Cave
Information from HES Survey and Recording (GLB) 21 June 2019.
Sbc Note
Visibility: This is an upstanding earthwork or monument.
Information from Scottish Borders Council
