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Bedrule Castle today

Scotland · Ruin

Bedrule Castle

Bedrule Castle is a 13th‑century ruined castle in the Rule Valley of the Scottish Borders, built by the Comyns and later held by the Douglases and the Turnbulls. The earthwork site on a bluff above the Rule Water preserves the footprints of an oval curtain wall, multiple circular towers and a central keep; excavations and geophysics have revealed wall lines and robbed masonry but the castle was abandoned in the 16th century.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1540

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1540

What Bedrule Castle looked like in its prime.

Perched on a partially artificial bluff with Rule Water along its western foot, the castle in its prime formed an oval enclosure roughly 200 by 130 feet, defined by a continuous stone curtain wall. Two towered gatehouses guarded a northwest entrance; circular towers stood at the southeast end and at west and southwest points, with corresponding towers on the northeastern side. A rectangular keep occupied the western interior, and the enclosure contained houses and subsidiary yards; masonry comprised cut facing stones and rubble walling.

Its story

The story of Bedrule Castle.

Bedrule Castle was built in the 13th century by the Comyn family on a bluff above the Rule Water in the Scottish Borders. Edward I stayed a night at 'Rule' on 30 September 1298, after the Battle of Falkirk, on his way to besiege Jedburgh Castle. When the Comyn lands were forfeited in 1306 the castle passed to the Douglas family, who made the Turnbulls their tenants.

The Turnbulls of Bedrule earned a notorious name, David Hume of Godscroft describes Border lairds reluctant to sign a band joining "the lawless and notorious Turnbulls of Bedrule". In 1516 they joined Lord Home in rebellion against Regent Albany, and the young James V issued a remission that November naming several of the family. On 19 April 1570, during the Marian Civil War, "Bedrowell, a howse of Sir Andrew Trumble" was burnt by an English army under the Earl of Sussex; Lord Hunsdon noted it was the first house Leonard Dacres took for his succour when he fled England.

The castle was abandoned in the 16th century. On the earthwork site above the Rule Water, excavation and geophysical survey have traced wall lines and robbed masonry, the footprint of an oval curtain wall, multiple circular towers and a central keep.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1540.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Bedrule Castle, including 2 interiors: central keep and inner courtyard, inner courtyard with houses and enclosures. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Northwest approach and twin gatehousesWestern curtain wall above Rule WaterSoutheast circular tower (exterior)Southwest intermediate tower (exterior)Central keep and inner courtyardNortheastern curtain with paired towersInner courtyard with houses and enclosuresBattlements view toward the parish church

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Whose castle

Clans who held Bedrule Castle.

The families that held Bedrule Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Comyn

    Built by the Comyns in the 13th century and held until their lands were forfeited in 1306.

  • Douglas

    Passed to the Douglas family on the Comyn forfeiture of 1306.

  • Turnbull

    Tenants of the Douglases from the early 14th century; "Bedrowell, a howse of Sir Andrew Trumble" was burnt by the English in 1570.

Questions about Bedrule Castle

What is the history of Bedrule Castle?

Bedrule Castle was built in the 13th century by the Comyn family. After the Comyn lands were forfeited in 1306, it passed to the Douglas family, who made the Turnbulls their tenants. English forces attacked or burnt it during raids in 1544, 1545 and 1570, and the castle was abandoned in the 16th century.

What is inside Bedrule Castle?

Bedrule Castle contained a central keep, an inner courtyard, houses and subsidiary enclosures. Archaeological work has identified the keep's remains, masonry walls, rubble layers and a possible tower entryway, while cut stones, floor flagstones and door or window lintels were reused nearby. Much of the interior survives only as buried or robbed remains.

Why was Bedrule Castle built, and what was it used for?

Bedrule Castle was built as a fortified enclosure on a partially artificial bluff above Rule Water. Its position provided an advantageous defensive view, while an oval curtain wall, towered gatehouses, circular towers and a central keep formed the main defensive arrangement. The enclosure also contained houses and smaller enclosures.

Where is Bedrule Castle?

Bedrule Castle is in the Rule Valley of the Scottish Borders. It stands on a bluff above Rule Water, with the river running along the western foot of the site. The parish church is 200 yards south-east of the castle site.

When was Bedrule Castle built?

Bedrule Castle was built in the 13th century. The first-raised year is not recorded, and the surviving evidence indicates construction in phases: an early fourteenth-century wall was built over an initial wall phase probably dating from the mid to late 13th century.

Was Bedrule Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Bedrule Castle was attacked and burnt by English forces on several occasions. In July 1544, English soldiers burnt Bedrule and other settlements; it was attacked again on 16 September 1545, and an English army under the Earl of Sussex burnt it on 19 April 1570. The castle was eventually abandoned in the 16th century.

Which family or clan held Bedrule Castle?

Bedrule Castle was built by the Comyns and later held by the Douglases. The Turnbulls became tenants of the Douglases from the early 14th century, and the castle was associated with the Turnbull family during the 16th-century border conflicts. In 1570, an English army burnt “Bedrowell, a howse of Sir Andrew Trumble”.

What did Bedrule Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Bedrule Castle formed an oval enclosure roughly 200 by 130 feet, with a continuous stone curtain wall. Two towered gatehouses guarded the north-west entrance, while circular towers stood at the south-east, west and south-west, with corresponding towers on the north-eastern side. A rectangular keep occupied the western interior; the walls used cut facing stones and rubble.

Is Bedrule Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Bedrule Castle is a ruin, surviving mainly as grassy mounds with protruding stones. Excavation and geophysical survey have traced wall lines, robbed masonry, the oval curtain-wall footprint, circular towers and the central keep. Parts of the enclosure were destroyed by cultivation, and nearby buildings reused stone taken from the castle.

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