Kirk Wynd Tower (site of)

A tower once stood at the west end of Market Place in Jedburgh although nothing of it now remains.

The tower stood at the entrance to the Kirk Wynd, guarding the approach to the Abbey from Market Place. Exactly when the tower was built is not known however it has been suggested that it may have been constructed in the 15th century during an upgrade of Jedburgh’s defences following the destruction of Jedburgh Castle in 1409.

It was one of the “six good towers” in Jedburgh described by Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Surrey, who attacked the town in 1523. Jedburgh was attacked again by Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, in 1544 and was occupied by the English before the Battle of Ancrum in 1545 and before the Battle of Pinkie in 1547.

The tower was still standing in the first half of the 17th century as it was occupied by Andrew Ker in 1629. The site now falls on the pavement in front of a 19th century building to the east of the market square.

I have named the tower Kirk Wynd Tower in the absence of a more appropriate name although it is apparently also known as the Tower in the Square.