Scotland · Demolished
Oliver Castle
Oliver Castle was a medieval tower house sited in upper Tweedsdale, historically part of the line of peel towers along the Tweed valley. The medieval tower was later demolished and replaced by successive houses; the hillfort site retains earthwork banks and possible internal foundations but the exact footprint of the medieval tower is uncertain.
Its prime
1300
Today
Demolished
As it stood in 1300
What Oliver Castle looked like in its prime.
Set on a low knoll about 60 metres above the valley floor, Oliver Castle in its prime reads as a compact multi-storey stone tower house occupying the centre of a small prehistoric hillfort. Two concentric earthen banks encircle the summit and appear as grassy ramparts, while interior ground shows traces of foundations and timber-house platforms. The tower rises with thick masonry walls, a vertical silhouette punctured by small window openings, and a simple roofline, complete and defensible above the Tweed valley.
Its story
The story of Oliver Castle.
The Frasers of Oliver and the Sheriffdom of Tweeddale
Oliver Castle was a medieval tower house in upper Tweeddale, mentioned in a document of about 1200 and part of the line of peel towers strung along the Tweed valley. It was associated from the first with Clan Fraser, and was perhaps named for the Oliver Fraser whose gift of lands to Newbattle Abbey is recorded in the abbey's register. The lines of descent from Oliver and from his nephew Adam are uncertain, but the Frasers went on exercising power from the castle: Sir Bernard Fraser and Sir Gilbert Fraser held in turn the hereditary office of Sheriff of Tweeddale.
Sir Simon Fraser and the Scaffold of 1306
A later member of the family, William Fraser, became bishop of St Andrews and died in exile in France. His brother, presumed the elder of the two, was Sir Simon Fraser of Oliver and Neidpath, Knight Banneret, who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence. Sir Simon changed sides more than once before he was taken by the forces of Edward I of England and sent to London, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered in September 1306.
Flemings, Tweedies and the Lawless Marches
Oliver Castle was inherited by Sir Simon's daughter Joan, who married Sir Patrick Fleming of Biggar, and the estate remained with his successors. Feud and stock-raiding were the ordinary business of the Scottish Marches, and the castle's lands appear in that record: on 16 February 1489 Thomas Porteus of nearby Hawkshaw was arraigned for lifting seventy-four lambs from the lands of Oliver Castle belonging to William Tweedie and Lawrence Tweedie.
In 1524 John, 2nd Lord Fleming, was murdered by Thomas Tweedie. His son Malcolm, 3rd Lord Fleming, pledged Oliver Castle to Robert Dickson for one hundred pounds and in the end parted with the estate altogether. It passed to the Tweedies soon afterwards; for most of its existence the property has been owned by members of that family.
The Tweedie Houses and the Site of the Lost Tower
A new house replaced the tower in 1734, built by James Tweedie, lately married to Margaret Ewart; the marriage lintel carrying the date and their initials survives, and an older date of 1649 is also recorded as inscribed on the old house. Thomas Tweedie of Oliver began the present Oliver House in about 1780, on lower ground to the south-west, and it remains occupied; it carries a heraldic panel brought from the earlier house. Both are thought to have reused stone from the medieval tower.
Where that tower stood is not certain. Tradition places it on the hillfort north of Tweedsmuir that carries the name Oliver Castle, but no excavation has confirmed the connection. The hillfort keeps two lines of defence as grassy banks, with possible timber house sites and later stone foundations inside, and is protected as a scheduled monument.
Step inside
5 places to explore in 1300.
The record describes 5 distinct spots at Oliver Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Oliver Castle.
The families that held Oliver Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Originally a Fraser stronghold, perhaps named for Oliver Fraser; Sir Bernard and Sir Gilbert Fraser held the hereditary sheriffdom of Tweeddale from the castle.
Fleming
Held until 1524, when John, 2nd Lord Fleming, was murdered; Malcolm, 3rd Lord Fleming, pledged the castle and eventually parted with the estate.
Tweedie
Owners for most of the property's existence, from soon after 1524; James Tweedie built the replacement house in 1734.
