Cockburn Tower facts for kids
Cockburn Tower was once a small, strong house in Berwickshire, Scotland. Today, only its foundations remain. It stood on the southern side of Cockburn Law, looking over the Whiteadder Water river.
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Cockburn Tower: A Scottish Ruin
Where Was This Tower?
Cockburn Tower was located in a beautiful part of Scotland, near a river called the Whiteadder Water. It was built on a hill called Cockburn Law. In 1980, experts measured the old foundations. They found that the tower was shaped like a square. It was about 12.8 meters (42 feet) long and 11.6 meters (38 feet) wide.
Who Lived at Cockburn Tower?
The land around Cockburn Tower first belonged to a very powerful family called the Dunbars in the early 1400s. In 1425, a man named Sir David de Dunbar of Cockburn gave this land as a gift. He gave it to his daughter Marjorie/Margaret when she married Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Earl of Crawford.
Later, around 1527, a man named William Cockburn bought the land. He bought it from Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford. William Cockburn's father had died in a big battle called the Battle of Flodden in 1513. From 1527 until 1698, Cockburn Tower was the main home for the Cockburn family.
What Happened to the Tower?
In 1696, the tower and its land were sold at an auction. This happened because the owner, Sir James Cockburn of that Ilk, 1st Baronet, had money problems. It seems the tower was not used much after that. By 1820, it was already a ruin with no roof. Even so, many parts of its walls were still standing. It is thought that much of the stone from Cockburn Tower was later used to build the nearby Cockburn Farm.
