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Dryhope Tower was originally a four story building with the first two stories of vaulted construction. The tower rests within the remains of a strong house or “barmkin” which would also have contained other buildings.
The tower was likely to have been built according to a Statute of Parliament in 1535 that required large landowners in the Borderlands to build strong houses for the defence of themselves, their tenants and goods in troublesome times.
The tower belonged to the Scotts of Dryhope and a daughter of the house, Mary Scott, “The flower of Dryhope” , was an ancestor of Sir Walter Scott. The tower passed to Wat Scott, a notorious border riever, through marriage but In 1592 Wat fell out of favour with James VI because of his association with the Earl of Bothwell. The king raised an army and marched against the Scotts. As a result the tower was slighted. It seems to have been rebuilt later but subsequently fell into decay and was acquired by the Dukes of Buccleuch. It has recently been stabilised and partially restored.
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