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"The castle of Neidpath has been so often described of late that a very
short notice of it may suffice. It is a large square building more distinguished
for massive strength than architectural beauty. It was built and long
possessed by the powerful family of Frazer and by the marriage of the heiress
of that house passed along with the hereditary Sheriffship of the county
into the family of the Hays of Gifford the ancestor of the present Marquiss of Tweed-dale.
In 1686 the second Earl of Tweeddale sold his estates in Peeblesshire to the
first Duke of Queensberry who settled them on his second [son] the Earl of March
who on the abolition of heritable jurisdiction in 1747 claimed £4000 for
the Sheriffship of Peebles and was allowed £3418.4.5 for that office and the
regality of Newlands." -- New Stat. Acct. [New Statistical Account] of Peeblesshire page 9.

"Of these the castle of Neidpath not far from the old town of Peebles and in
the line of its principal Street is the Strongest one in the best preservation
its walls are 11 feet in thickness and
cemented with lime almost as hard as strong whin stone of which they are built.
It was anciently the property and chief residence of the powerful family of the Frazers
first proprietors of Oliver Castle and afterwards of a great part of the lands from
that to Peebles and Sheriffs of the County and from whom Spring the families of
Lovat and Saltoun in the N. [North] The last of that family in the male line in Tweeddale
was the brave Sir Simon Fraser who in 1303 along with Sir John Cummin,
with only 10,000 repulsed and defeated 30,000 English in three battles