Smailholm Tower

History

Smailholm Tower resides atop the rocky outcrop summit of Lady Hill in the Scottish Borders, about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Kelso. Its history involves two notable Scottish families, namely the Pringles, known initially as the Hoppringills, and the Scotts of Harden, who were ancestors of Sir Walter Scott.

The precise date for the construction of Smailholm Tower is unknown. George Pringle owned the land before 1459, when his brother Robert succeeded him as laird. Given the peel style of the tower and inverted keyhole gun loop above the entrance, the fortification was most likely built around 1450. However, some clues hint the tower may have been made before 1455 when the Pringles served as squires to the Earls of Douglas (Black Douglas line of the Douglas family). Since the architecture of Smailholm Tower is similar but smaller compared to the early 15th century Black Douglases residence of Newark Castle, many surmised that the Pringles were mimicking the style of the Douglas Clan on a less ambitious scale. A heart-shaped decorative motif near the hall fireplace of Smailholm Tower was closely related to the Earls of Douglas, who fell from power in 1455. Consequently, it is doubtful Smailholm Tower was constructed after that time.

Between the 13th and 17th centuries, Scotland's border region was a turbulent area fraught with danger and pillaging from raiders along the English/Scottish border. Smailholm Tower protected the area from such groups but suffered losses during the Rough Wooing, Henry VIII's campaign to force a marriage between his son Edward and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots. The tower was burned in 1543, and English raiders attacked the castle and nearby village again in 1544. In June 1546, the garrison of Wark Castle raided Smailholm and drove off its cattle. The barmkin wall gave the Pringles a place to shelter livestock and people during such raids. One such account thereof is provided below.

A party of reivers from Tynedale and Redesdale … with certain assured Scots took up Smailholm village and Smailholm Craig and took away 100 prisoners, 600 cattle, 100 horses, and much more household furnishings.

The constant raids of John Pringle's lands and castle drove him to become an Assured Scot in 1548. Accordingly, he refused to initiate forays against England and confrontations with Englishmen operating in Scotland. In return, Pringle was promised his property would be left alone. Thereafter, no further raids against Smailholm were recorded. The Pringle family owned other estates in the border region of Scotland, especially in Galashiels on the edge of the Ettrick Forest. Over time, they relocated to Galashiels and leased the tower to various families until Sir James Pringle died in 1635. In July 1640, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a group of Covenanters under Sir Andrew Ker of Greenhead successfully defended the tower against a detachment of musketeers from a Royalist regiment. In 1645, the Pringle family sold Smailholm Tower to William Scott of Harden.

The tower on its rocky crag.

William Scott of Harden, already occupying an estate elsewhere, leased Smailholm Tower to his kinsman, Walter "Beardie" Scott, great-grandfather of Sir Walter Scott. During this time, the courtyard buildings were erected within the west courtyard of the tower, as well as a barmkin, the stone perimeter wall around the square. After their construction, the tower served less of a role as a primary residence. At the beginning of the 18th century, Sir William Scott recorded that an elderly dowager lady once resided at Smailholm Tower. Her death probably caused the family to abandon the rocky summit and move to a more comfortable residence in the hollow of Sandyknowe. As a boy in the late 18th century, Sir Walter Scott spent time at nearby Sandyknowe farm, where the tower's dramatic setting and the Border ballads recited there captivated him. They influenced works such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. In the poem entitled "Marmion," he writes about the tower as follows:

And still I thought that shatter’d tower
The mightiest work of human power;
And marvell’d as the aged hind
With some strange tale bewitch’d my mind,
Of forayers, who, with headlong force,
Down from that strength had spurr’d their horse,
Their southern rapine to renew,
For in the distant cheviot blue,
And, home returning, fill’d the hall,
With revel, wassel-rout, and brawl
Methought grim features, seam’d with scars,
Glared through the window’s rusty bars,
And ever, by the winter hearth,
Old tales I heard of woe and mirth,
Of lovers’ slights, of ladies’ charms,
Of witches’ spells, of warriors’ arms

By the 19th century, the empty tower had fallen into ruin, but it was partly restored around 1800. The last owner, the Earl of Ellesmere, transferred the property to state care in 1950, and it underwent major conservation during the 20th century, including work in the 1980s. Today the tower holds exhibits on Border life and Scott's connection to the tower.

Castle Highlights

Ruined walls of the outer courtyard buildings.

Standing upon its rocky crag, Smailholm Tower appears quite intimidating for a Peel Tower. Historic Environment Scotland says that on a clear day, from the top of the tower, you can see Bamburgh Castle along the coast of Northumberland, England, more than 33 miles away. Due to my fear of heights, I did not attempt to confirm whether this was an accurate statement. However, the tower's rooftop is accessible to visitors who may want to explore for themselves. The rooftop of Smailholm Tower also has a watchman's seat and a recess for his lantern, likely attributed to this line from the Laws of Marches in 1570:

"Everie man that hath a castle or towre of stone shall, upon everie fray raysed in the night, give warning to the countrie by fire in the topps of the castle or towre."

The rectangular tower, about 20 meters (65 feet) high with walls up to 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) thick, represents most of the site today. It has four main storeys plus a caphouse. A single arched red sandstone doorway that leads into the building still retains the original iron-gate inner door. In contrast, the initial outer wooden door was previously replaced. Cellars occupy the ground floor, and the great hall on the first floor includes a large fireplace and grandiose windows flanked by stone seats. The bedchamber above the hall served as the laird's private chamber, with further chambers at the top. While outer courtyard buildings and barmkin exist as partial walls and foundations today, their remnants still give visitors a notion concerning their original dimensions. The facilities included a hall on one side and a smaller kitchen opposite. Inside the tower, the rooms are still intact and sparsely furnished, and there is a small shop inside.

Smailholm Tower can be thoroughly explored in a couple of hours. While possible to explore Hermitage Castle on the same day, it represents somewhat of a distance to drive. Alternatively, nearby Dryburgh Abbey and Jedburgh Abbey are well worth a visit.