Branxholme is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the Scottish Borders area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, overlooking the River Teviot, three miles southwest of

Hawick Hawick ( ; sco, Haaick; gd, Hamhaig) is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one ...

, on the A7 road to

Langholm Langholm , also known colloquially as the "Muckle Toon", is a burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, southern Scotland. Langholm lies between four hills in the valley of the River Esk in the Southern Uplands. Location and geography Langholm sits nort ...

. Nearby are

Ale Water The Ale Water is a tributary of the River Teviot, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It rises at Henwoodie Hill and flows through Alemoor Loch. It meets the Teviot south of the village of Ancrum, and it runs through Ashkirk and Lilli ...

, Alemoor Loch, Burnfoot,

Borthwick Water The Borthwick Water ''( Border Scots: Borthwick Witter)'' is a river in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and a tributary of the River Teviot. The Aithouse Burn, the Howpasley Burn, and the Northhope Burn (amongst others) are some of the fe ...

, Colterscleugh Monument, Roberton, Stobs Castle, Teviothead and Wilton

Branxholme Castle

The novelist

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

, a close friend and relative of the 4th

Duke of Buccleuch Duke of Buccleuch (pronounced ), formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created twice on 20 April 1663, first for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and second suo jure for his wife Anne Scott, 4th Cou ...

, chose Branxholme as the setting for his book '' The Lay of the Last Minstrel''. The castle had been the hereditary seat of the Scotts of

Buccleuch Buccleuch may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places Australia * Buccleuch County, an administrative division in New South Wales, Australia * Buccleuch, South Australia, a small locality and railway station * County of Buccleuch, an administrative division in ...

since the 15th century, and it was the centre of power in Upper

Teviotdale Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and ...

, on one of the main historic routes south towards England. The original

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

was burned in 1532 by the

Earl of Northumberland The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...

, and it was blown up in April 1570 by the

Earl of Sussex Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel (up to 1243) were often also called Earls of Sussex. The fifth creation came in the Peera ...

Edmund Lodge Edmund Lodge, KH (1756–1839), herald, was a long-serving English officer of arms, a writer on heraldic subjects, and a compiler of short biographies. Life and career Lodge was born in Poland Street, London on 13 June 1756, the son of Edmund Lo ...

, ''Illustrations of British History'', vol. 2 (London, 1791), p. 43.

Branxholme Easter Loch and Wester Loch

The Easter Loch lies 2 miles west of Branxholme, and its outlet is the Newmill Burn.

References

External links

SCRAN image of Branxholme CastleRCAHMS / Canmore record for Branxholme Castle / Twentyfoot TowerSCRAN Pathfinder Pack: Family Names: SCOTT
Villages in the Scottish Borders {{Borders-geo-stub

Branxholme Castle

Branxholme Easter Loch and Wester Loch

See also

References

External links