St Ninian's Tower (site of)

Jedburgh Town Hall may occupy the site of St Ninian’s Tower, the remains of which might be visible in its basement.

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 is thought to have defended a gate into the precinct of Jedburgh Abbey.

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.

In 1551 St Ninian’s Tower was the residence of the chaplain of the altar of St Ninian, an altar which was located in the nave of the Abbey.

A Corn Exchange was built at this site incorporating two arched vaults in its basement which were described as from an “old malt barn” which once contained the town’s armoury. Whether these vaults were part of the original tower or from a different building is unclear as the exact location of St Ninian’s Tower is not known. In 1898 the Corn Exchange burnt down and it was replaced in 1900 with the Town Hall.