Cockburn Tower: Difference between revisions
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'''Cockburn Tower''' was a small fortified house in [[Berwickshire|Berwickshire, Scotland]]. Now little more than the outline of a foundation, it occupied a site on the southern slope [[Cockburn Law]] overlooking the [[Whiteadder Water]].<ref name=cleat>Laurence H. Cleat, "Castles of the Cockburns", ''History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club'', vol. 47, no. 2, 1997, pp. 152-159.</ref><ref>Martin Coventry, ''The Castles of Scotland'', 2nd ed., Goblinshead, Edinburgh, 1997, {{ISBN-13|978-1899874101}}.</ref> The foundations of the Tower trace a roughly square outline measuring {{convert|12.8|m}} by {{convert|11.6|m}}, according to a survey conducted in 1980 |
'''Cockburn Tower''' was a small fortified house in [[Berwickshire|Berwickshire, Scotland]]. Now little more than the outline of a foundation, it occupied a site on the southern slope of [[Cockburn Law]] overlooking the [[Whiteadder Water]].<ref name=cleat>Laurence H. Cleat, "Castles of the Cockburns", ''History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club'', vol. 47, no. 2, 1997, pp. 152-159.</ref><ref>Martin Coventry, ''The Castles of Scotland'', 2nd ed., Goblinshead, Edinburgh, 1997, {{ISBN-13|978-1899874101}}.</ref> The foundations of the Tower trace a roughly square outline measuring {{convert|12.8|m}} by {{convert|11.6|m}}, according to a survey conducted in 1980<ref name=cleat/>. |
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The land surrounding Cockburn Tower |
The land surrounding Cockburn Tower belonged to the powerful [[Earl of Dunbar|Dunbar]] family in the early 1400s. In 1425 [[David de Dunbar of Cockburn|Sir David de Dunbar of Cockburn]], brother of the ill-fated [[George II, Earl of March|11th and last Earl of Dunbar and March]], bestowed this land to his daughter Marjorie/Margaret upon her marriage to [[Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Earl of Crawford]]. In about 1527, William Cockburn purchased the land from [[Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford]]. William Cockburn was the second son of [[Sir William Cockburn, Baron of Langton]], who fell at the [[Battle of Flodden]] in 1513. From 1527 until 1698 Cockburn Tower was the seat of the Cockburns of that Ilk<ref>It seems quite likely that members of the Cockburn family had occupied the land around Cockburn Law much earlier, likely as vassals of the Dunbars. [[Cockburn (surname)|Genetic evidence]] has shown that the Cockburns are descended from the same Anglo-Saxon clan as the Earls of Dunbar, and the their predecessors, the 11th-century Earls of Northumbria.</ref>. However, in 1696 the Tower and surrounding land were auctioned off to pay the debts of Sir James Cockburn of that Ilk. It seems that the Tower fell into disuse soon thereafter, and by 1820 it was already in a roofless, ruinous state although significant portions of the walls remained standing.<ref name=cleat/> It seems likely that much of the stone of Cockburn Tower was used to build the farmhouse and outbuildings of nearby Cockburn Farm. |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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Revision as of 15:44, 6 February 2012
Cockburn Tower was a small fortified house in Berwickshire, Scotland. Now little more than the outline of a foundation, it occupied a site on the southern slope of Cockburn Law overlooking the Whiteadder Water.[1][2] The foundations of the Tower trace a roughly square outline measuring 12.8 metres (42 ft) by 11.6 metres (38 ft), according to a survey conducted in 1980[1].
The land surrounding Cockburn Tower belonged to the powerful Dunbar family in the early 1400s. In 1425 Sir David de Dunbar of Cockburn, brother of the ill-fated 11th and last Earl of Dunbar and March, bestowed this land to his daughter Marjorie/Margaret upon her marriage to Alexander Lindsay, 2nd Earl of Crawford. In about 1527, William Cockburn purchased the land from Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford. William Cockburn was the second son of Sir William Cockburn, Baron of Langton, who fell at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. From 1527 until 1698 Cockburn Tower was the seat of the Cockburns of that Ilk[3]. However, in 1696 the Tower and surrounding land were auctioned off to pay the debts of Sir James Cockburn of that Ilk. It seems that the Tower fell into disuse soon thereafter, and by 1820 it was already in a roofless, ruinous state although significant portions of the walls remained standing.[1] It seems likely that much of the stone of Cockburn Tower was used to build the farmhouse and outbuildings of nearby Cockburn Farm.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Laurence H. Cleat, "Castles of the Cockburns", History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, vol. 47, no. 2, 1997, pp. 152-159.
- ^ Martin Coventry, The Castles of Scotland, 2nd ed., Goblinshead, Edinburgh, 1997, Template:ISBN-13.
- ^ It seems quite likely that members of the Cockburn family had occupied the land around Cockburn Law much earlier, likely as vassals of the Dunbars. Genetic evidence has shown that the Cockburns are descended from the same Anglo-Saxon clan as the Earls of Dunbar, and the their predecessors, the 11th-century Earls of Northumbria.
External links
55°49′29″N 2°22′08″W / 55.8248°N 2.3688°W
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