Corsbie Tower
Wellies Needed
This interesting tower is in the middle of very boggy ground on all sides -- everything squishes. I hopped the fence to take a picture, but didn't venture any further. Next time, I'm bringing wellies! The tower sits on a small rise in the bog (possibly a man-made motte?) and the faint remains of ditches and ramparts for defence can be seen, if the light is right. There is a causeway out to the tower on the north.
Only the south and east wall remain, but the corner are rounded ,making this an interesting little ruin. The rounded corners, made of dressed stone, are fairly uncommon (Neidpath has them, for example, but I can't recall seeing any others on this trip). The tower dates from the 16th century. And outbuilding may have existed to the southwest, but mostly the area is full of rubble and scattered stone, probably from when the tower was dismantled.
The tower was original five stories, and the basement is vaulted. Several small windows can still be seen on the top story, but if the rmeains here are any indication, the tower was quite plain. it measured 12.6m x 8.3m, with extremely thick walls. The first and fourth stories were vaulted, and the remains of the main hall are on the second story; the fireplace still exists in the wall, and a spiral staircase rose in the south corner.
The tower belonged to the Cranstoun family until the middle of the 17th century. I have no info on what happened to it after that. Long before that, though, RCAHMS reports that the area may have been settled by Bronze Age peoples, as a decorated Bronze Age axe was found in the bog.