Ancient Border Reiver Towers: Mossburnford, Dolphinston, and Crag Tower

The Forgotten Triangle of Towers

The book described a “triangle of towers” just south of Jedburgh. These weren’t the grand castles you find in guidebooks or on brown heritage signs, but rough, practical places. The kind built for watching, warning, and weathering the storm of the Reiver era.

Mossburnford Tower: A Faint Footprint

The first site I visited was Mossburnford Tower. According to Drummond Gauld, it was the weakest of the three, less fortified than its counterparts. Historical records suggest someone visited the site as early as 1850, when the foundations were reportedly just visible.

Today? Almost nothing. A single large stone. Some scattered boulders. And the vaguest of earthworks hinting that something once stood here. But the atmosphere lingers — the name survives on local farms, and the quiet fields still feel like they’re holding secrets.

Dolphinston Tower: Ghost of the Kerrs

Next was Dolphinston. This place once belonged to the Dolphinston family, and before them, the Ainslies. Historical mentions describe a heavily fortified tower, a real bastion of the Borderlands.

Now, it’s farmland. There’s little to see. But the landscape tells the story. Benchmarks in the ground, massive blocks reused in nearby farm structures — perhaps remnants of the tower itself. Records even exist describing how hard it was to demolish this fortress, due to the thickness of its walls.

It likely fell victim to the same fate as many other towers after the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when King James VI/I ordered the dismantling of strongholds across the Borders.

Crag Tower: A Wild Ghost on the Cliff

Last, and most promising of the three, was Crag Tower. Located near the village of Oxnam, the site was marked by ditches, mounds, and crucially — actual masonry.

Perched on a cliff above a stream, Crag Tower had a commanding view and a natural defensive position. It would have been almost inaccessible from below. There’s even mention in old texts of a “marquis passage” — a secret escape route to the river. No visible cave or tunnel remains, but it stirs the imagination.

Nearby, the ominously named Gallows Knowe adds to the lore. Was this where justice (or vengeance) was carried out?

More Than Just Ruins

These towers were never built to last forever. They were built to survive the night. In the Reiver era, loyalty was local, justice was personal, and strength was measured by whether your tower still stood come morning.

Today, they may be forgotten. But their echoes still ring out in the fields, the farms, and the folklore.

So next time you’re out walking near Jedburgh or Morebattle, glance up at that rocky rise or that lonely cluster of trees. You might just be closer to a forgotten tower than you think.

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