Scheduled Monuments›Scotland›Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse
Towerhouse

Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse

Scotland
HES SM6318
Site type
Towerhouse
Nation
Scotland
Boundary

Scheduled area

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Overview

History & significance

Elphinstone Tower is a towerhouse located in East Lothian, Scotland, dating to the medieval period. The structure represents a characteristic form of fortified domestic architecture developed in lowland Scotland, designed to provide both residential accommodation and defensive capability for a landholding family. The tower survives as a substantial stone-built structure typical of its class, with the robust masonry and compact plan characteristic of Scottish towerhouses constructed during the late medieval period. Such structures served as important symbols of landholding authority and provided practical fortification during a period of considerable baronial and border instability in southern Scotland.

Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6318. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse?

Elphinstone Tower is a towerhouse located in East Lothian, Scotland, dating to the medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6318.

Who is responsible for protecting Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse?

Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse 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 SM6318.

What other scheduled monuments are near Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pathhead,Roman camps,enclosures and pit alignment (7.1 km), Hope,enclosure 300m SSE of (7.6 km), Play Hill, settlement (7.9 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Stat Accounts
The parish Statistical Accounts of the 1790s and 1830s, describing life, work and population here.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Pathhead,Roman camps,enclosures and pit alignment
Roman · Roman camps,enclosures and pit alignment7.1 km
Hope,enclosure 300m SSE of
Post-Medieval · Enclosure7.6 km
Play Hill, settlement
Settlement7.9 km
Crichton Mains,souterrain 1280m E of
Iron Age · Souterrain7.9 km
Longfaugh Fort,Crichton
Crichton8.1 km
Longfaugh,enclosures 200m E of
Post-Medieval · Enclosures8.3 km
Crichton Castle
8.7 km
Saughland,enclosure 150m W of
Post-Medieval · Enclosure8.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse

Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse stands on Clackmannan Group, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is sedimentary rock cycles, clackmannan group type.

The wider landscape

Around Elphinstone Tower,towerhouse

Battle of PinkieBattle (1547) · ~2.5 milesBattle of PrestonpansBattle (1745) · ~2.7 milesBattle of Roslin 1303Battle (1303) · ~8.3 milesBattle of Rullion Green, 1666Battle (1666) · ~11.7 miles
All Scheduled Monuments