Pickeringhaw (The Gatehouse Record of the Aglionby Platt)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Pricking Haugh; Breaken

In the civil parish of Castleton.
In the historic county of Roxburghshire, Scotland.
Modern Authority of Scottish Borders, Scotland.
1974 county of Borders, Scotland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY54389432
Latitude 55.24104° Longitude -2.71882°

Prickinghaugh has been suggested as a location on the Aglionby Platt although is doubtful that it was such.

There are no visible remains.

The likely form(s) of this building in 1590 are;

Tower House (gentry).

Reproduced by permission of the National Library of Scotland

Description

Only the foundations remain of a tower which stood at Prickinghaugh (cf NY59SW 7 and NY59SW 13 ). (OSA 1795)
Pont's map of Liddesdale (1608) shows Prickinghaugh on a tributary called Todscleuch (Todshaw Sike: name 536 944) which joined the liddle Water from the right. However, a map dated 1590, now in the British Museum, indicates "Pickeringhaw" with a tower symbol on the right bank of the Liddle Water below the junction of Helcaldenburne (NY 5800 9885). Also, a building named "Prickinghaugh" appear on Gordon's map at approximately NY 541 940. (A Jeffrey 1864; R Gordon 1650 (MS. map of Eskdale and Liddesdale in NLS))
Prickinghaugh Tower is the correct name for that published as Breaken at NY 5438 9432 (see NY59SW 7); the general location is not disputed. On perambulation of the above alternative sites no significant features were noted. That placed further north along the Liddle Water almost certainly refers to an entirely different site. (Visited by OS (JRL) 27 July 1979)
See also NY59SW 7. (Canmore 68037)

(Approx NY 547 944) The strong fort of Robert Elliot stood on the left bank of Liddel Water and adjacent to the house of Haggishaugh (marked on Stobie's map of Roxburghshire, 1770, at Larriston). When its foundations were dug up about sixty years ago, the workmen discovered what had been a large oven also an 18 lb cannon-ball. A map in the British Museum dated 1590 marks a tower symbol in this area, with the name "Robert Elliot, Ladiestane". All the Border Elliots are descended from this Robert Elliot. (cf NY59SW 7 and NY59SW 8 ). (A Jeffrey 1864) (Canmore 68008)

(NY 5438 9432) Breaken Tower (NR) (Site of) (OS 6" map (1957))
The Breaken or Pricking Haugh Tower, now entirely demolished, stood near Larriston (cf NY59SW 8 and NY59SW 13 ). (J Hardy 1890)
This spot was pointed out by James Elliot of Middleholm as the site of the Breaken Tower, property of the Elliots. (Name Book 1858)
Dr Robson (Hawick Museum) confirms that Breaken and Prickinghaugh Tower are one and the same and that the former name is just a shortened corruption of the latter. He also confirms the general location, although an 1816 map of Liddesdale held at Wilton lodge Museum shows the site on the opposite bend of the river in area NY 5435 9423. The tower was entirely demolished for wall building material in 1792.
The OS published site falls in a featureless and gently undulating pasture field; nothing significant was noted on the opposite bank of the Liddle Water. Visited by OS (JRL) 27 July 1979
Site confirmed by 'divining'. Information from letter and plan from A Elliot, Providence Cottage, Westgate, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham 7 August 1986. (Canmore 68036)

Comments

This confabulation between this site and Larriston.
The 1590 map probably records fortified house of border reviers but was probably made by someone with only general knowledge of the local geography and who was probably working from second-hand accounts. It shows two houses called 'Pickeringhaw' and 'Ladiesstaine Ro: Ellotts' on opposite banks of the Liddel Water.
The Pont map of 1608 (published in Blaeu in 1654) shows habitations (not just towers) and, while Pont probably understood the geography somewhat better is still a rough map. It shows, with a somewhat large symbol than usual, a place called 'Prickinghauch' north of the Liddel Water and opposite a 'N. Laristoun' and further upstream a 'Zaristounn'.
The Roy map of c. 1750 shows two residences, close to each other, on the south side of the Liddel Water, the downstream site is unnamed the upstream site is labelled 'Hagygs haugh'.
The Liddel Water does sit in a 'U' shaped valley and has changed course within that valley over time. I suspect that in the C16/C17 the course of the Liddel Water was between the two sites.
On this bases I suggest the 1590 house called Pickeringhaw was the Breaken Tower site and this was a small tower house, which accounts for it's somewhat different presentation on the Pont map.
The finds reported by Jeffrey relate to this site which he, in my view, erroneously equated with the 'Ladiesstaine Ro: Ellotts' site.

Sources of information, references and further reading

Canmore (The online National Monument Record for Scotland) Number 68037; 68036.

Books
- Coventry, M., 2008, Castles of the Clans: the strongholds and seats of 750 Scottish families and clans (Musselburgh) p. 181
  RCAHMS, 1956, An inventory of the ancient and historical monuments of Roxburghshire (Edinburgh: The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland) Vol. 1 p. 89 no. 83 online copy
  Jeffrey, Alexander, 1864, The History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire Vol. 4 p. 233 online copy
  Sinclair, John (ed), 1795, The statistical account of Scotland, drawn up from the communications of the ministers of the different parishes (Edinburgh) Vol. 16 p. 83 online copy (large file)
Periodical Articles
- Hardy, J., 1887-9, 'Report of the meetings of the Berwickshire Naturalists Club for the year 1889' History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club Vol. 12 p. 460 online copy
  Ellis, H., 1829, 'Copy of a manuscript tract addressed to Lord Burghley, illustrative of the Border topography of Scotland, AD 1590, with a platt or map of the Borders taken in the same year' Archaeologia Vol. 22 p. 161-71 online copy
Maps (Early maps)
- 1590, A Platt of the opposete Borders of Scotland to ye west marches of England (The Aglionby Platt) British Library online Gallery and Old Cumbria Gazetteer
  Blaeu, J., 1654, 'Lidalia vel Lidisdalia regio, Lidisdail' in Theatrum Orbis Terrerum, sive Atlas Novus, Vol.5; Scotice et Hibernia (Amsterdam) Map online copy
  Roy Military Survey of Scotland 1747-55 British Library Maps C.9.b 6/1c online copy

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The Gatehouse website record of

Pickeringhaw (Prickinghaugh)

a location shown on a 1590 map of the West Marches of Scotland (The Aglionby Platt)