Timpendean Tower

We spied this tower on the map while on our way to Fatlips Castle, but when we parked and had a peep at it through the monocular, it looked a good kilometre away. As we were trying to cram in quite a few places that day we decided to send in Red5 drone to have a look instead.

Timpendean Tower is a ruined 15th century tower house near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. The tower was a stronghold belonging to the Douglas family and was built in 1479, adjacent to the site of an earlier fortification. This earthwork can still be seen today, and was thought to have originally been a roman settlement.

The Douglases were one of Scotland's most powerful families and often held the real power behind the throne of the Stewart kings.

The land where the tower was built was one part of the Bonjedward Estate (nothing to do with the singing twins sadly) and was owned by the Douglases until the mid 19th century.

In 1545, the tower was attacked during the War of the Rough Wooing. An English army under Edward Seymour invaded Southern Scotland in an attempt to compel a marriage between King Edward VI and Mary Queen of Scots. The tower suffered extensive damage, but was repaired after the war ended.

It looks a sad little ruined tower sitting all in its own in the field. Fortunately it has made friends with a tree that is growing out of the middle of it.