gb0551ms-36-2-172

Transcription

[Page 172]
[Continued from page 170]

The keep has been 35 ft. [feet] long and 29 ft. [feet] wide with
walls 6 ft. [feet] thick in the lower storey which was not
vaulted. The North wall is fairly complete and

Cockburnspath Castle.
is stepped and strengthened at the base in a peculiar
manner. The West wall exists for the greater part
but the remainder is much ruined. The offices
have been vaulted but only in the middle of the
three appartments does that now remain intact
The fine 17th cent. [century] doorway which gave access to
the N.E. [North East] appartment has within the last few years
been demolished and the moulded jambs are
lying around. Higher up the glen a short
distance above the present road bridge the
burn is crossed by the fragmentary remains

Cockburnspath Bridge
of an ancient bridge. The arch which is pointed has a span of
10 ft. 9 ins [10 feet 9 inches] and is now on the W. [West] side 3 ft. [feet] in breadth
while on the E [East] side of the burn it is a foot or so
more. The abutment on the W. [West] shows breadth of 6 ft. [feet]
as the arch on the W [West] side towards the NE [North East] projects a foot to 18 ins. [inches] beyond its
breadth at the W. [West] it has probably been 7 - 8 ft. [feet] broad originally.
It is in a very ruinous condition.
About 1 mile due North after climbing a steep bank
through brackens now breaking down with the wet and over
a Stretch of moorland from which I picked some
sprigs of bell heather still in bloom, I found the
camp on Ewieside. It is situated on the highest

Ewieside fort
part of the hill at its Eastern end and commands
a fine prospect to the North & East though the
mist obscured the view. I found it a circular
enclosure surrounded by three concentric ramparts
well preserved with intervening ditches and a trench
on the outside. From crest of the counterscarp of the

[Margin] Take measurements from O.S. [Ordnance Survey] 25” scale)

outer ditch to the crest of the inner rampart
measures (at the West side) 60 ft. – 17 ft. [60 feet - 17 feet] to crest of
outer rampt. [rampart] 20 from that to the crest of the intermediate
and 23 ft. [feet] thence to the crest of the inner.
The rampart slightly dominates the middle
one. Both are from 3 to 5 ft. [feet] high – the outer is
somewhat less. The ramparts seem to be of earth
and stone. The entrance has been on the West
where the inner rampart about 12’ distant on
either Side has been curved round to meet the
intermediate one and close the ends of the inner
ditch while the ends of the outer ditch remain
open. The entrance to the interior appears to have
been through a very narrow passage about 3 ft. [feet]
wide – but the growth of heather obscures details.
About 16 ft. [feet] South of the entrance a bank
about 6 ft. [feet] across connects the two inner ramparts
but if original its object is obscure.
A portion of the fort towards the South lies
across a stone wall in a field which has
been under cultivation and here has been
almost obliterated. The rest of the enclosure
is overgrown with heather. A walk of about
3 miles Northward crossing the Pease glen where

[Continued on page 174]