Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Abbot's Tower
Tower House (Medieval)
Site Name Abbot's Tower
Classification Tower House (Medieval)
Canmore ID 65463
Site Number NX96NE 8
NGR NX 97250 66643
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/65463
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish New Abbey
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Nithsdale
- Former County Kirkcudbrightshire
NX96NE 8 9724 6663.
(NX 9724 6663) Abbot's Tower (NR) (remains of)
OS 6" map (1971)
The late 16th century Abbot's Tower is an L-shaped building measuring 20 ft by 15 ft with the short wing projecting 8 1/2 ft from the N wall. The W wall and staircase wall still exist to a height of about 32 ft, but the other walls are completely ruined and robbed of all hewn work.
RCAHMS 1914, visited 1911; F Grose 1789; D MacGibbon and T Ross 1892
Generally as described and illustrated by the previous authorities. The tower is much overgrown. All the walls stand to about 32ft, but are broken down in places; only the W wall and staircase wall remain in almost complete condition.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 8 July 1964
Two fragments of 16th-17th century pottery were found during the trial clearance of a possible cistern beside the Abbot's Tower (built about 1540); large amounts of plaster, slate and nails were also recovered. Timber from the tower is in Dumfries Museum.
A E Truckell and J Williams 1967; J Williams 1965; DES 1976
A trial excavation was carried out in and around Abbot's Tower prior to development as a dwelling. To the S of the tower is a small drystone building, possibly a byre or stable. One wall was rebuilt to block an entrance, and a green glass bottle base in the rebuild should date it.
Between the byre and the tower is a hedgebank or other boundary, containing 19th century pottery fragments.
Two sections of the supposed barmkin wall were uncovered, one immediately W of the tower, and a corner at the NE end of the site. No dating evidence was found, but the W section of wall used a shell laden mortar very similar to that used in the tower.
An ancillary length of dry stone wall was revealed on the W side of the tower, parallel to that mentioned above.
A trench was dug immediately N of the tower, revealing the W wall of a building. This had been widened to the W and an oven or chimney inserted. The building was also expanded to the S using (or re-using) a dressed sandstone block of 16th century type. The area between this building and the tower was paved with granite slabs.
A small trench dug inside the tower revealed a compact layer of clay, presumably a floor or basis for a floor, with building debris below. Sponsors SUAT, HS.
A Bailey 1991c; SUAT 1992.
