Dryhope Tower facts for kids
Dryhope Tower is a ruined old Scottish tower, called a peel tower. It stands in the beautiful valley of the Yarrow Water, in a part of Scotland now known as the Scottish Borders. This tower is about halfway between the towns of Moffat and Selkirk. It used to protect the north-eastern end of St Mary's Loch. The tower's location was naturally safe, with the Dryhope Burn on its east side and the Kirkstead Burn on its west.
Building Dryhope Tower
Dryhope Tower was built using stones found nearby. It originally had four floors. The first two floors had strong, arched ceilings, like a tunnel. The tower itself was inside a walled yard called a barmkin. This barmkin also had other buildings inside its walls.
The Story of Dryhope Tower
The tower was probably built around the year 1535. At that time, a law in Scotland said that big landowners in the Borderlands had to build strong stone walls (barmkins). These walls were meant to be a safe place for them, their workers, and their animals during dangerous times.
Dryhope Tower belonged to the Scott family of Dryhope. A daughter from this family, Mary Scott, was known as the "Flower of Yarrow." She was also an ancestor of the famous writer Sir Walter Scott. Mary married Wat Scott of Kirkhope, who was a well-known Border Reiver. Border Reivers were groups who often raided and stole from others in the border areas between Scotland and England.
After Mary and Wat married, the tower became part of Wat Scott's family, the Scotts of Harden. However, in 1592, Wat Scott upset King James VI. This was because Wat was involved with Francis Stewart, 1st Earl of Bothwell and took part in an attack on Falkland Palace. King James gathered an army and traveled through the area, damaging many homes of his opponents. Wat Scott's properties, including Dryhope Tower, were damaged. The tower seems to have been rebuilt by 1613. But by the late 1600s, the castle started to fall apart. Later, it was bought by the main branch of the Scott family, the Dukes of Buccleuch.
Today, Dryhope Tower is owned by the Philiphaugh Estate. Work has recently been done to make sure it stays stable. It has been recognized as a scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland, which means it's an important historical site.
Images for kids
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You can still see parts of the arched ceiling in the basement. This lets you look at the ground floor and first floor at the same time.
