Cessford Castle & The Lord Compositor's House

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While Phil was out photographing artefacts at Edinburgh museum for you today, I was also out and about with my camera. After my Court sitting finished at lunchtime I called in at two of the Borders' lesser known historic attractions on my way home this afternoon.

This interpretation board shows Cessford Castle as it would have appeared in its heyday.

The castle occupies a prominent site on a hill above the small village of Cessford, about five miles south of Kelso.

To the left of the main castle are the remaining walls of foreworks, comprising defensive walls and outbuildings.

The castle was a stronghold of the Ker family, prominent Border Reivers and ancestors of the present Duke of Roxburghe.

Interest in Cessford Castle was revived when it featured in Brian Moffatt's book "The Devil and King James" published in 2003, and during 2004 some conservation works were carried out to make the exterior walls safe to approach, and Roxburghe Estates have provided a stile into their field where the castle stands, so lets take a closer look.

The north-west corner of Cessford Castle.

The north wall of the castle.

Moving round to the north-east corner - even on a pleasant summer afternoon this is a haunting and lonely spot. After several transgressions, Ker of Cessford was handed over to the English in 1598 and following this and the ensuing Union of the Crowns in 1603 Cessford Castle lost influence as a Borders stronghold, with the Ker family moving to a new home in 1607.