Branxholme Castle

Branxholme Castle is a five-storey tower about 3 miles south-west of Hawick in the Borders region of Scotland.

History

The present castle is land owned by the Clan Scott since 1420. The Earl of Northumberland burned the first castle in 1532. The next held out against the English in the War of the Rough Wooing in 1547. But in due course the Scotts themselves slighted the castle in 1570, the English, under the Earl of Essex, finishing the job with gunpowder.Within a decade Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch had commenced the rebuilding. The Scotts were during these troubled years frequently the Wardens of the Middle March.The castle was extensively remodelled by William Burn in 1837 for the 5th Duke of Buccleuch.

Description

Branxholme castle consists of a sixteenth century tower house of five storeys, altered and incorporated in a later mansion. There are vaulted chambers in the basement, and a newel stair.

Poetic References

Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch was the “bold Buccleuch” of the Border Ballad Kinmont Willie.Sir Walter Scott’s Lay of the Last Minstrel celebrates the success of Baron Henry of Cranston in securing the hand of Lady Margaret of Branksome Hall.

Bibliography

*The Castles of Scotland, Martin Coventry, Goblinshead, 2001
* Scotland’s Castles, Hubert Fenwick, Robert Hale Ltd, 1976