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Dryhope Tower lies in ruins, an ancient tower adjacent to the farmhouse
upon a torrent named Dryhope Burn, at one time it formed one of the
possessions of the renowned family of Douglas. The tower is nearly
square with a circular turret within one of its angles for carrying up
the Staircase.
Dryhope Tower is a ruined Scottish
peel tower in the valley of the
Yarrow Water, in the historic county of Selkirkshire, now part of the
Scottish Borders. It lies approximately equidistant between the burghs
of Moffat and Selkirk, and defended the north eastern end of St Mary's
Loch. The site itself was protected on two sides, to the east by the
Dryhope Burn and to the west by the Kirkstead Burn.
I have included it in the Douglas Archives as it is said that at one
time it formed one of the possessions of the renowned family of Douglas.
However, modern history does not relect that.
Built of local stone, Dryhope Tower was originally a four storey
building, with the first two storeys of vaulted construction. The tower
rests within the remains of a barmkin which also contained other
buildings.
The tower was likely to have been raised according to a statute of the
Parliament of Scotland in 1535, that required large landholders in the
Borderlands to build barmkins of stone and lime, sixty square feet in
area and with walls of one ell thickness and six ells in height for the
resett and defense of him, his tennents, and his gudis in troublous tyme.
The castle belonged to the Scotts of Dryhope, and a daughter of the
House, Mary Scott was known as the "Flower of Yarrow" and was also an
ancestor of Sir Walter Scott. Mary was given in marriage to Wat Scott of
Kirkhope, a notorious Border Reiver. The property passed to Wat Scott's
family, the Scotts of Harden, and Scott took possession of Dryhope
following his marriage. However, in 1592, Wat Scott fell out of favour
with King James VI due to his association with Francis Stewart, 1st Earl
of Bothwell. King James levied an army and proceeded through the forest
and slighted many houses of his opponents. Wat Scott did not get off
lightly and Dryhope was amongst Scott of Harden's fortalices that were
slighted. The tower seems to have been rebuilt by 1613. The castle fell
into terminal decay in the latter part of the 17th century and was
acquired by the senior branch of the Scotts, the Dukes of Buccleuch.
Dryhope Tower today belongs to the Philiphaugh Estate, and has recently
been undergoing stabilisation work. It has been designated a scheduled
monument by Historic Environment Scotland.
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