Cockburn Tower

Cockburn Tower stands on Cockburn Law in Berwickshire, a low hill that rises above the Whiteadder Water. The remains mark the site of a small fortified house built in the 16th century. Archaeologists in 1980 measured its square foundations as 12.8 metres by 11.6 metres. The tower once belonged to the Cockburn family, who held the land for more than a century and a half. Before them the Dunbars and the Earls of Crawford had owned the same ground. A single stone stair led up the southern slope to the entrance. The tower’s history is tied to the Cockburns of that Ilk, who acquired the property in 1527. Sir James Cockburn, the first baronet, sold it in 1696 to pay his debts. After the sale the building was abandoned and soon became a ruin. By 1820 only the walls remained, stripped of roof and floors. Much of the stone was taken to build Cockburn Farm nearby, leaving the outline we see today. Visitors find a grassy rectangle where walls once stood. The site overlooks the Whiteadder Water and the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders. A farmhouse and outbuildings from the 17th century lie close by, built with stone from the tower. The path up Cockburn Law is quiet, with wide views across the valley.