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Blacklaw Tower is a post-medieval fortified structure located in Dumfriesshire, situated upon bedrock of the Gala Group, a wacke formation dating to the Telychian period. The tower and its associated buildings occupy a landscape typical of the Scottish Borders uplands, where stone-built defences became increasingly important during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as local landholders sought to protect their properties and interests amid the region's volatile political circumstances.
The monument comprises not only the tower itself but also associated buildings and enclosures that form a domestic and agricultural complex. This arrangement reflects the dual purpose common to such structures, serving both as defensible residences and as focal points for estate management. The wacke bedrock provided readily available stone for construction, as evidenced by the stonework throughout the site.
Blacklaw Tower is protected by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument under reference SM8659, ensuring the preservation of this significant component of Dumfriesshire's post-medieval heritage. The site remains an important archaeological record of fortified domestic settlement during a period of considerable social and political change in the Scottish Borders.
Blacklaw Tower, associated buildings and enclosures is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8659. View the official record →
Blacklaw Tower is a post-medieval fortified structure located in Dumfriesshire, situated upon bedrock of the Gala Group, a wacke formation dating to the Telychian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM8659.
Blacklaw Tower, associated buildings and enclosures dates from the post-medieval period, and is classified as a associated buildings and enclosures. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Blacklaw Tower, associated buildings and enclosures is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM8659.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Knock Hill,fort 1200m WSW of Kirkpatrick-Juxta Church (6.6 km), Fauld Burn, enclosure and building 875m W of Stidriggs (7 km), Stidriggs, fort and settlement 400m ESE of (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Blacklaw Tower, associated buildings and enclosures's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Blacklaw Tower, associated buildings and enclosures stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.