Kelso  


Kelso is an attractive town centred on a large cobbled market square which is bordered by many fine buildings. The square has a continental look and radiating from it are narrow streets inviting exploration.

It was at Kelso the Scottish forces often assembled their armies when preparing to invade England.  Being relatively near the English Border Kelso suffered more than many places in the hands of English invaders.  It was attacked again and again and in 1522 and again in 1544 the town was virtually destroyed by burning.

Bonnie Prince Charlie, Prince Charles Edward Stewart, stayed at Kelso two nights on his retreat from England.

Nearby is Kelso Abbey and Floors Castle, the home of the Duke of Roxburghe. There is a fine view of them from Kelso Bridge. 

Kelso Abbey

Kelso Abbey, one of the earliest of the abbeys was founded by David I and the Benedictine order to which the monks belonged required them to be assiduous in the pursuit of knowledge and practical skills.  They were required to keep usefully occupied and, as a result, their industry brought them great wealth. 

At one time it is said that the monks of Kelso Abbey possessed no fewer than thirty-six churches, several manor-houses, huge areas of  land, farms, breweries, mills, salt works, fishing rights and other property throughout the Borders and as far north as Aberdeen and this far south as Durham.

During the Border Wars the abbey was virtually destroy by English attacks but it was rebuilt and continue to function as an abbey until Henry VIII's merciless raids of 1545 when he instructed the ruthless Hertford to concentrate all his strength on reducing the abbey. The abbey, with its huge wealth, was a desirable prize.

The abbey walls, although of great strength, were unable to with stand the force of the English artillery. The walls crumbled and the foreign mercenaries hired by Hertford, broke in and proceeded to kill everyone they could find.

It was nightfall and a few surviving monks made their way to the tower to make a last stand, but the English brought up their artillery and the defenders were soon overwhelmed and slaughtered.  Only a few were able to escape.

The abbey was reduced to which present state and Henry acquired the spoils.

The date was the 11th of September 1545.

Roxburgh Castle

Roxburgh Castle was in its day one of Scotland's principal fortresses, ranking with the great castles of Stirling and Edinburgh, and the home of many Scottish Kings.

Nothing now remains of the castle but little more than the ruins of the postern gate.

The castle was almost impregnable having thick high walls in a very strong position guarded by the river. Over a long period, it was held by the English who, from their commanding position, brought untold misery and humiliation to the neighbouring Scots. It was destroyed by the Scottish to prevent the English occupying it.

Below the castle walls lay a considerable town, the royal burgh of Roxburghshire.

Now, there is absolutely no trace of  the town except for grassy mounds which can be seen in the grounds of the castle. It is a puzzle that such a large town could disappear almost completely.

The elevated site of the castle is located a mile and a quarter from Kelso on the road to Melrose and is but a short walk from the town. It can be accessed from the road but is  best seen the footpath by the river.

In 1460, King James II was killed here when one of his own cannons exploded and a Holly tree now marks the spot in the parkland of Floors Castle. At the time is armies were bombarding Roxburgh Castle.

In 1312 the castle was in English hands, and Sir James Douglas, a close friend of Robert Bruce, took a force to the castle one dark night. It was an English holiday and the garrison was celebrating with wine and song in the great hall. There was much noise and merriment.

A few soldiers had been posted as lookouts but paid more attention to the party than to their duties

Very cautiously, shielded by the darkness of the night and the noise from the castle, Douglas and his men approached the foot of the castle walls and took up their positions. They wore dark cloaks over their armoured clothes and, although they were seen by some of the more alert and sober sentries, it was assumed that they were only cattle on the move.

A rope ladder was thrown over the parapet and  anchored itself on the masonry. The noise draw the attention of a guard, but before he had time to discover its cause, a Scots dagger was plunged into him.

Like a modern SAS attack Douglas and his men swarmed over the battlement and all the sentries were soon disposed of.

The attackers then made their way to the Great Hall where the noise was by now beginning to subside as the wine took its affect. Flinging open the doors the attackers swarmed in with cries of 'A Douglas! A Douglas!.' 

The surprise was complete and there was little resistance. The Scots force was not slow in avenging the wrongs of the past. No one escaped.

Roxburgh Castle was Scots once again.

It was the very same James Douglas who was known as the Black Douglas.

Smailholm Tower 

Near Smailholm village, six miles north west of Kelso on the B6937  stands impressively the tower of Smailholm in a commanding position overlooking the River Teviot.

Built around the early 1500s, Smailholm Tower is a fine example of the towers of the period and would be well nigh impregnable in its day. . It is sited high on an isolated crag and set within a stone barmkin wall.

This tower played a considerable part in the development of Sir Walter Scott as a boy being brought up in its shadow living with his grandfather in the nearby farmhouse of Sandy Knowe where there was so much to feed his boyhood imagination.

It has been said that the romance of Border history he absorbed at Sandy Knowe influenced hugely the writings of Sir Walter Scott. He was introduced to the traditional verse which had been handed down in song through the generations. He became an avid collector of ancient ballads.  While his ballads are formative and entertaining they cannot be relied upon for their historical accuracy. Sir Walter never allowed the truth to stand in the way of a good story and, being a Scott, he tended to have a bias to the achievements of his clan.

A small bastle house stood at the east of the village of Smailholm but all traces of this has gone.  The name occurs in documents as far back as the 11th century.

It was held by the Pringles and thereafter by the Scotts. d.

Smailholm tower or to be correct, the tower of  Sandyknowe, was long the property of Lord Polworth whose ancestor Scott of Harden and Mertoun, purchased about 1772 from the Pringles. It has been sensitively restored  and is open to the public.

Cessford  Castle               

Probably 14th century, Cessford Castle was one of the most important castles guarding the southern approaches of Scotland against English attack. The castle was comparatively small  compared to other Scottish strongholds yet it was considered a fastness of great strength. 

The Mowbray family were the first to possess Cessford.  After acquiring it and losing it, the Kerrs were granted possession by James V and retained possession for many generations.

In 1523, the Earl of Surrey, under the orders of Henry VIII, attacked the castle during the absence of its baron.  The English had a well equipped and powerful force and attacked time and again, employing every skill and subterfuge but each time they were repelled by the Scots defenders  and Surrey began to despair of ever taking the castle.

Returning home, the master of the castle saw from a distance that his castle was under severe pressure and approached the English commander and came to terms with him that the castle would be delivered to the enemy in return for the lives and property of the defenders.

The valiant defenders, who may well have survived  the siege,  were require to experience the humiliation of evacuating their castle when success had been so near.

A later Ker, Sir Robert, known as Habbie Ker, was only 15 years old when he was involved in the successful ousting from power of the Earl of Arran.  He became Warden of the Middle Marches.  His opposite number, the English Warden Sir Robert Cary, suggested to Ker that the meeting should be held to discuss the unruly state of the Border.  Before this could take place Ker crossed the Border and captured an Englishman he had long been seeking.  Immediately Ker had him put to death.

Sir Robert reacted by hanging Geordie Bourne, a notorious criminal.  These tit for tat actions may have gone on until all the prisoners were used up but for the intervention  of the authorities.  Cessford was censured for his provocative action and placed into English custody.He was allowed to chose  his guardian and he chose  Robert Cary.  The imprisonment was more like house arrest in Carey's home and the two men became great friends and resulted in an improvement in the Border behaviour.

In time, the English destroyed the Cessford Castle and  it was completely abandoned in the 17th century.

In 1616 Robert Kerr was made the Earl of Roxburghe.  The present  Duke of Roxburgh lives at Floors Castle

Floors Castle.

Floors Castle

The home of the Duke of Roxburghe and Duchess of Roxburghe since 1707.  They are members of the Ker family (pronounced Kar). in the grounds a Holly tree is said to mark the place where James the second while besieging Roxburgh Castle in 1460, was killed when the canon he was standing besides exploded. 

Floors Castle is Scotland's largest inhabited castle.  The castle and the grounds are open  to the public and it is only a short walk from Kelso town centre.

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