Cessford Castle

Cessford Castle
Cessford Castle

Cessford Castle is a ruined L-plan castle lying equidistant between the Royal Burgh of Jedburgh, and the Burghs of Kelso and Kirk Yetholm, in the historic county of Roxburghshire, now a division of the Scottish Borders. The Castle is caput of the Barony of Cessford, and the principal stronghold of the Kers/Kerrs, notorious Border Reivers, many of whom served as Wardens of the Middle March.

Contents

History

Cessford Castle in the landscape

Overview

Cessford was built c. 1450 by Andrew Ker, ancestor of Robert Ker, 1st Earl of Roxburghe, and ancestor of the Dukes of Roxburghe. It is from this place that the Duke takes his subsidiary titles: Baron Ker of Cessford, and Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford. It is possible that the castle incorporates parts of an earlier structure. The fortalice was built on an L-plan, with a main keep with a wing of almost the same magnitude. With up to six storeys, two of which were barrel vaulted, and with walls up to 13 feet (4.0 m) thick, it was a formidable place of defence. The angle of the building was enclosed by a single-storey defensive gatehouse, and the whole was surrounded by a barmekin and defensive earthworks, a fact that is corroborated by the record of English troops having to use an escalade to gain access to the castle courtyard during the siege of 1523. The castle was besieged in 1523 by the Earl of Surrey who remarked: "It might never have been taken had the assailed been able to go on defending".[1]The castle was last inhabited in 1650.

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ^ Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer Vol. I, p.258,

References

Groome, F.H. (1884) Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland in VI Vols. Edinburgh: Thomas C. Jack.

Coordinates: 55°30′27.74″N 2°24′50.69″W / 55.5077056°N 2.4140806°W / 55.5077056; -2.4140806



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cessford Burn — The Cessford Burn North West Aspect The Cessf …   Wikipedia

  • Cessford — Cheviot countryside near Cessford Cessford is a village off the B6401, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The placename is from Gaelic ceis and means the wattled causeway over the ford ; spellings vary between Cesfuird, Cesford, Cessfoord …   Wikipedia

  • Cessford —    CESSFORD, a village, in the parish of Eckford, district of Kelso, county of Roxburgh, 6 miles (N. E.) from Jedburgh; containing 150 inhabitants. It is situated in Teviotdale, and near the Teviot stream, which here runs on the west, and… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • Clan Kerr — Crest badge …   Wikipedia

  • Eckford —    1) ECKFORD, a parish, in the district of Kelso, county of Roxburgh; containing, with the villages of Caverton and Cessford, 1069 inhabitants, of whom 98 are in the village of Eckford, 5 miles (S. by W.) from Kelso, and 48 in that of… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • Liste des châteaux écossais — Cette liste non exhaustive répertorie les principaux châteaux en Écosse, au Royaume Uni. Elle inclut les châteaux au sens large du terme, c est à dire : les châteaux et châteaux forts (généralement bâtis en milieu rural, y compris… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • List of places in the Scottish Borders — This List of places in the Scottish Borders is a list of links for any town, village, hamlet, castle, golf course, historic house, hillfort, lighthouse, nature reserve, reservoir, river, and other place of interest in the Scottish Borders,… …   Wikipedia

  • Anglo-Scottish border — Border country redirects here. For the novel, see Border Country (novel). Map of the modern border Scotland is to the north and England is to the south …   Wikipedia

  • Morebattle and Mow —    MOREBATTLE and MOW, a parish in the district of Kelso, county of Roxburgh; containing 1051 inhabitants, of whom 365 are in the village, 7½ miles (S. S. E.) from Kelso. The name of Morebattle is supposed to have been derived from the Saxon… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • Duke of Roxburghe — For the ship, see Duke of Roxburgh (ship). Dukedom of Roxburghe Creation date 1707 Created by Anne of Great Britain Peerage …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”