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.
Oliver Castle, mentioned in a document of about 1200, was originally part of the line of peel towers along the Tweed valley in upper Tweeddale. It was first associated with Clan Fraser, perhaps named for Oliver Fraser, who gave lands to Newbattle Abbey, and Sir Bernard Fraser and Sir Gilbert Fraser in turn held the hereditary office of Sheriff of Tweeddale from the castle.
The estate remained with their successors until 1524, when 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 eventually parted with the estate, which passed to the Tweedies soon afterward, the family that owned the property for most of its existence, amid the bitter inter-family feuds and livestock raiding of the lawless Scottish Marches.
The medieval tower was replaced in the seventeenth century by a house; in 1734 James Tweedie, recently married to Margaret Ewart, built a new house, the date survives on a marriage lintel, and the present Oliver House followed in the late 18th century. The exact site of the tower is uncertain, though the hillfort known as Oliver Castle, north of Tweedsmuir, keeps its earthwork banks.
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.
