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Wattie's Spindles is a pele house and associated buildings located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. Pele houses were fortified residential structures built throughout the Anglo-Scottish border region from the 13th century onwards, serving as defensible dwellings for local landowners and their families during the lawless period of border raids and conflicts. The buildings at this site occupy a foundation of ancient volcanic rock—mafic lava and tuff dating from the Devonian period, around 400 million years ago, which formed from undersea volcanic activity in what would become Scotland.
The site comprises the main pele tower alongside supporting structures, typical of such defensive homesteads which combined living quarters within a stone-built tower with storage and domestic buildings nearby. These structures were designed to provide refuge and protection whilst allowing the occupants to maintain their agricultural and pastoral operations across the surrounding Roxburghshire landscape. The compound's arrangement reflects the practical necessities of border life, balancing fortification with functionality.
The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under scheduling reference SM6637, ensuring the preservation of this significant example of border architecture and settlement patterns.
Wattie's Spindles, pele house and associated buildings is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6637. View the official record →
Wattie's Spindles is a pele house and associated buildings located in Roxburghshire, Scotland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6637.
Wattie's Spindles, pele house and associated buildings 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 SM6637.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Chapel Knowe, farmstead 100m WSW of (0.3 km), Northbank Tower (0.8 km), Steel Knowe, medieval and later settlements and field systems (1.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Wattie's Spindles, pele house and associated buildings'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.
Wattie's Spindles, pele house and associated buildings stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Silurian To Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Devonian. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.