© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic Environment Scotland
Kirkhope Tower is a barmkin and barmkin wall located in Selkirkshire, Scotland, protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1728. The monument comprises a defensive enclosure typical of the Scottish Borders, where such fortified structures provided essential protection during centuries of cross-border conflict and cattle raiding. The barmkin—a stone-built outer wall—encloses the tower, creating a defended yard for livestock and supplies.
The site occupies wacke bedrock of the Hawick Group, formed during the Wenlock period of the Silurian, giving the landscape its characteristic rolling terrain and affecting the local stone available for building. This metamorphic geology is typical of the Southern Uplands, where such resistant stone supplied the material for substantial defensive works. The combination of tower and barmkin represents a practical response to the security challenges of the borderlands.
These fortified tower complexes became increasingly important from the late medieval period onwards, when raids and retaliation raids between Scottish and English families were frequent. The integration of livestock protection within the defended space demonstrates how domestic security and pastoral economy were closely interwoven in this region. Kirkhope Tower's barmkin reflects the strategic thinking that shaped settlement patterns and building practices throughout the Scottish Borders during this turbulent era.
Kirkhope Tower, barmkin and barmkin wall S of is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1728. View the official record →
Kirkhope Tower is a barmkin and barmkin wall located in Selkirkshire, Scotland, protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM1728.
Kirkhope Tower, barmkin and barmkin wall S of 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 SM1728.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brockhill Burn,earthwork (1.7 km), Huntly Burn,enclosure (2.8 km), Huntly Burn,earthwork (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Kirkhope Tower, barmkin and barmkin wall S of'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.
Kirkhope Tower, barmkin and barmkin wall S of stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.