The remains of Blanerne Castle near Edrom - geograph

Blanerne Castle is the remains of a 16th-century

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. During the earlier Roman Empire, Roman period it was common for wealthy landowner ...

, located in the grounds of Blanerne House, an 18th-century country house between

Chirnside Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire, Scotland, west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and east of Duns, Scottish Borders, Duns. Church The parish church at Chirnside dates from the 12th century. It was substantially rebuilt in 1878 and ...

and Preston in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

. The house and castle sit on the north bank of the

Whiteadder Water Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed. In common with the headwaters of the Biel Water it rises on the low hillside ...

, around north-east of Duns. The castle was the historical seat of the Lumsdaine family for over four centuries. The surviving remains are dated to the 16th century, although the site may have been occupied as far back as the 12th century. The remains include a

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

or kitchen block, with a detached guard house to the west. The castle is protected as a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

. A popular Berwickshire rhyme refers to the medieval strengths of Blanerne and the nearby fortresses of Billie Castle, and

Bonkyll Castle Bonkyll Castle (also variously spelled Bonkyl, Boncle, Buncle, Bunkle or Bonkill) was a medieval fortress situated in the historic Scottish county of Berwickshire, from 1973 the Scottish Borders. It is situated 4 miles north of Duns and 4 mil ...

referring to their construction in the time of

David I David I may refer to: * David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399 * David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741) * David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881) * David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048) * David I of Scotland ...

and their destruction following the

Rough wooing The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland ...

''Bunkle, Billie and Blanerne
''Three castles strong as airn''
''Built when Davie was a Bairn''
''Theyll all gang doon,''
''Wi Scotland's Croon''
''An ilka ane shall be a cairn''

Blanerne House

Blanerne House was constructed in the 18th century. Around 1830, plans for the house were prepared by the architect

William Burn William Burn (20 December 1789 – 15 February 1870) was a Scottish architect. He received major commissions from the age of 20 until his death at 81. He built in many styles and was a pioneer of the Scottish Baronial Revival, often referred ...

, although these may not have been carried out. A major fire in 1895 led to the rebuilding in 1897 of the house in its present form. It is currently operated as a guest house, offering access to fishing and game shooting. The house is a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

References

External links

Gazetteer for Scotland: BlanerneBlanerne House website
{{coord, 55.8002, -2.2701, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Castles in the Scottish Borders Scheduled monuments in the Scottish Borders Category B listed buildings in the Scottish Borders Listed houses in Scotland

Blanerne House

See also

References

External links