80 On Haivick and its Neighbourhood. 



and kin of the Scotts of Goldielands. The tower is two 

 miles up the Teviot. A short distance below Goldielands 

 the site of Crumhaugh Tower can yet be traced. The 

 knights of Crumhaugh were also kinsmen of the " Bold 

 Buccleugh. " There is a stronghold of the Scotts at 

 Allanhaugh, further up the water, but it is in a very ruinous 

 condition. Branxholm Castle is now a combination of the 

 ancient and modern styles of architecture. It is situated 

 on the north bank of the Teviot, three miles above Hawick. 

 The tower on the western flank, the vaulted cells in the under 

 fiat, and the remnants of masonry around it, are indications 

 of its ancient greatness. Branxholm has belonged to the 

 house of Buccleugh since the reign of James the First, and 

 was long the chief residence of the family. Sir Walter 

 Scott, chief of the clan in the days of Queen Mary, could 

 command the service of three thousand men in his own 

 locality. 



The towers of Branxholm may moulder away stone by 

 stone, or yield to utilitarian taste, but they are embalmed 

 by the " Lay of the Last Minstrel " ; the stanzas of which 

 will continue as household words as long as literature 

 endures. 



Harden Castle, a heritage of Lord Polwarth, is altered 

 into a modern residence, but it still retains its ancient out- 

 line as a fortress of feudal days. It is about four miles to 

 the west, and is near the Borthwick water. It stands on a 

 high and wooded terrace overlooking the deep, dark glen, 

 where Wat of old secured his booty. The structure is 

 adorned with a few sculptured stones, and such like traces 

 of its former lairds. But the chief charm of Harden is 

 owing to the fame of Wat and his wife, Mary Scott, the 

 Flower of Yarrow. Wat, like his namesake and kinsman 

 of Branxholm, lived in the time of Queen Mary, but of his 

 death nothing is known ; and there is no record even of his 

 grave. He seems, however, to have lived to an old age, as 

 he is generally spoken of as Auld Wat o' Harden. His feuds 

 and forays are familiar to all, and a portrait of him is 

 preserved in the ballad of " Jamie Telfer." 



Cavers House is easterly, and three miles from Hawick. 

 Its architecture is the representative of many ages. As 

 early as the twelfth century it was the residence of 

 the Norman family of Baliol, who afterwards attained the 

 crown of Scotland. A branch of the Douglas clan has been 



