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Westside Tower
Tower House (Medieval)
Site Name Westside Tower
Classification Tower House (Medieval)
Alternative Name(s) Berryscaur; Black Esk Tower, Westside; 'ally Batties' Tower; 'blaikesk'; Blak Esk
Canmore ID 67393
Site Number NY29SW 26
NGR NY 230 929
NGR Description NY c. 230 929
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/67393
- Council Dumfries And Galloway
- Parish Eskdalemuir
- Former Region Dumfries And Galloway
- Former District Annandale And Eskdale
- Former County Dumfries-shire
NY29SW 26 c. 231 929
For (successor) farmstead (NY 2310 9296), see NY29SW 95. For Shaw Cottages, Berryscaur (NY 1616 9074), see NY19SE 19.
A slab, measuring 2ft 4 ins by 1ft 2 1/2ins forms the lintel of a cottage door facing the high road at the E end of Berryscaur (NY 161 907). It is sculptured in relief with a shield, showing a lion rampant - the Royal Arms of Scotland; also a holly leaf and saltire - the arms and badge of the Lords Maxwell, and the initials AB.
This stone is said to have been found in 1783, underground, in the remains of an ancient building at Westside (NY 231 929) and was then transferred to Berryscaur (NY19SE 19). The initials AB are probably those of a member of the Beatty family, one of whom, in 1532, was King's sergeant and officer in Eskdale. The tower of Ally Battie is marked at a place corresponding with Westside on the map of 1590.
RCAHMS 1920, visited 1912
Dr Brown states that the stone (described by the RCAHM supra, and) noted on NY29SW 25 was found on Westside farm by Adam Marchbank, who found it when digging in his garden. It bore traces of lime, but the building at Westside has long been demolished.
J and R Hyslop 1912
Westside is now completely ruined and there is no evidence of a tower to be seen. The stone, allegedly from this site, is still in use as a door lintel in a cottage at NY 1617 9074 (NY19SE 19). The cottage has been modernised and the stone painted over.
Visited by OS (BS) 12 October 1978.
Field Visit (July 1980)
Black Esk, Westside NY c. 229 929 NY29SW 26
There are no visible remains of' Ally Batties' tower noted on a map of 1590 and named 'Blak Esk' in Blaeu's Atlas of 1654; 'Alie Baty of Blaikesk' is on record in 1595. Carved in relief on a slab in use as the lintel of a cottage door at Barryscaur (NY 161 907) is a shield bearing the royal arms of Scotland together with those of the Lords Maxwell and the letters A. B. The slab 'is said to have been found in 1783, underground, in the remains of an ancient building at Westside'.
RCAHMS 1980, visited July 1980.
(Blaeu 1654; Fraser 1878, ii, 254; Hyslop and Hyslop 1912, 320, 571-2; RCAHMS 1920, pp. 113-4, No. 308)
Note (1997)
NY 231 929 NY29SW 26
Listed as tower.
RCAHMS 1997.
