Drochil Castle

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Drochil Castle, a ruin in Newlands parish, Peeblesshire, on the brow of a rising-ground between the confluent Tarth and Lyne Waters, 7 miles WNW of Peebles. A noble pile, mantled in ivy and crusted with yellow lichens, its basement story converted into byres, it was, says Pennicuik, 'designed for a palace more than a castle of defence, and is of mighty bulk; founded, and more than half built, but never finished, by the then great and powerful Regent, James Douglas, Earl of Morton. Upon the front of the S entry of this castle was J.E. O.M., James, Earl of Morton, in raised letters, with the fetter-lock, as Warden of the Borders. This mighty Earl, for the pleasure of the place, and the salubrity of the air, designed here a noble recess and retirement from worldly business; but was prevented by his unfortunate and inexorable death three years after, anno 1581; being accused, condemned, and execute by the Maiden, at the Cross of Edinburgh, as art and part of the murder of our King Henry, Earl of Darnley, father to King James the Sixth ' (Description of Tweeddale, 1715). See also vol. ii. of Billings' Baronial Antiquities (1852).—Ord. Sur., sh. 24,1864.

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Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer