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Repentance Tower today

Scotland · Still standing

Repentance Tower

Repentance Tower is a mid-16th century watch tower built in 1565 on Trailtrow Hill near Annan, Dumfries and Galloway. It is a compact three-storey, nearly square stone tower erected as a beacon and lookout over the Solway Firth and surrounding borderlands. The tower stands amid gravestones of a former chapel and is approached by a narrow lane up the hill.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1565

Its prime

1565

Today

Still standing

As it stood in 1565

What Repentance Tower looked like in its prime.

A compact, nearly square three-storey stone watchtower of coursed local sandstone with a low hip roof of stone slabs; small vertical slit windows, gunloops and shot-holes puncture the thick walls. A parapet walk crowns the top and the summit originally carried a bell and a beacon fire pan; the top storey is vaulted. The first-floor entrance sits above ground level beneath a re-used lintel carved with the word REPENTANCE; graves and chapel stone fragments cluster around the base on the grassy conical hill.

Its story

The story of Repentance Tower.

Repentance Tower is a very rare survival, a mid-sixteenth-century watch tower on Trailtrow Hill, six miles north-west of Annan in Dumfries and Galloway. It was built in 1565 by John Maxwell, 4th Lord Herries, who had raised Hoddom Castle on the lower ground nearby, and takes its name from the single word "Repentance" carved above the entrance door.

A beacon on Trailtrow was first prescribed in 1448, in a border-defence regulation made by William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas: "for cuming of ane Inglis oist in Scotland, ther sal ane baill be brynt on Trailtrow hill". The fire pan was kept burning as a signal so long as English troops remained in Scotland, watching the Solway from the conical, 350-foot hill. Bishop Pococke recorded the tradition that Maxwell, who had "committed great ravages against Queen Mary", built the tower in a spirit of penance.

The tower stayed with the Maxwells until around 1627, when the sixth Lord Herries sold Hoddam Castle and the tower to Sir Richard Murray of Cockpool. The barony and castle were purchased in 1690 by John Sharpe, whose family held them until 1878. Thomas Carlyle lived at the nearby farm with his family from May 1825 to May 1826.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1565.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Repentance Tower, including 3 interiors: vaulted basement chamber, middle storey accessed by ladder, upper chamber with fireplace. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach along the lane up Trailtrow HillGraveyard and chapel remains at the tower baseFirst-floor entrance with 'REPENTANCE' lintelVaulted basement chamberMiddle storey accessed by ladderUpper chamber with fireplaceParapet walk and rooftop beacon/bellAdjacent retaining wall and slope

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Whose castle

Clans who held Repentance Tower.

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

  • Maxwell

    Built by John Maxwell, 4th Lord Herries, in 1565; held by the Maxwells until c.1627.

  • Murray

    Sold to Sir Richard Murray of Cockpool (Comlongan) Castle around 1627.

  • Sharpe

    Purchased by John Sharpe in 1690; the family held the barony and castle until 1878.

Questions about Repentance Tower

What is the history of Repentance Tower?

Repentance Tower is a mid-sixteenth-century watch tower built as part of border defence. John Maxwell, 4th Lord Herries, raised it in 1565, and it remained with the Maxwells until around 1627. Sir Richard Murray then acquired it, while John Sharpe’s family held the barony and castle from 1690 until 1878.

What is inside Repentance Tower?

Inside Repentance Tower are a vaulted basement chamber, a middle storey reached by ladder and an upper chamber with a fireplace. The basement and top storeys are vaulted, while the entrance is at first-floor level. The tower was not designed as a habitation and had only one small fireplace.

Why was Repentance Tower built, and what was it used for?

Repentance Tower was built as an elevated lookout and beacon for border defence. Sentinels watched the West March, the Solway Firth and the surrounding land for English invaders or raiding parties. A bell and beacon fire gave warning of an invasion, and during the Second World War the Annan Home Guard used it to watch for enemy forces.

Where is Repentance Tower?

Repentance Tower stands on Trailtrow Hill, six miles north-west of Annan in Dumfries and Galloway. The conical hill is about 350 feet high and gives views towards the Solway and the hills of Cumberland. The tower and former chapel were approached by a lane from near Hoddom Mains.

When was Repentance Tower built?

Repentance Tower was built in 1565, placing it in the sixteenth century. It is a mid-sixteenth-century watch tower, and the same year is given for its first raising and inception. The tower was built by John Maxwell, 4th Lord Herries, near Hoddom Castle.

Was Repentance Tower ever attacked or besieged?

Repentance Tower was besieged and damaged by the English in 1570. It was repaired by 1579, when Lord Herries wrote that the watch tower needed mending after the damage caused by the English army. The supplied account does not say that the tower fell during the assault.

Which family or clan held Repentance Tower?

Repentance Tower was held first by the Maxwell family, who retained it until around 1627. Sir Richard Murray of Cockpool acquired it around that time, and John Sharpe purchased the barony and castle in 1690. Sharpe’s family held them until 1878.

What did Repentance Tower look like in its prime?

Repentance Tower is a compact, nearly square, three-storey stone watchtower built from coursed local sandstone. It has thick walls pierced by slit windows, gunloops and shot-holes, with a low stone-slab hip roof and a parapet walk. A rooftop beacon and bell originally crowned the tower, while graves and chapel fragments surround its base.

Is Repentance Tower still standing or is it a ruin?

Repentance Tower is still standing and intact rather than a ruin. It retains its compact three-storey form, thick stone walls, parapet walk and vaulted upper storey. Some repairs and alterations were made over the years, especially to the parapet in the eighteenth century.

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