Whitslaid Tower

Overview

Whitslaid Tower is a ruined 16th-century tower house located south of Lauder in the Scottish Borders. Once the stronghold of the Lauder family of Whitslaid, the tower occupied a commanding position overlooking the Leader Water and the surrounding countryside. Though now reduced to a fragmentary ruin, it remains an evocative example of the small fortified residences that dotted the Borders during a time of constant unrest between England and Scotland.

Early history

The lands of Whitslaid were held by a branch of the influential Lauder family, who were also lords of nearby Thirlestane and Whittingehame. Whitslaid Tower was probably built in the early 1500s as a defensible residence, during a period when frequent Border raids made fortification a practical necessity for even minor landowners. The Lauders were a powerful family in the region, serving as sheriffs and royal officials, and their various tower houses reflected both their authority and their need for security.

Building and layout

Whitslaid Tower was a typical Scottish tower house of its time — a rectangular structure, probably three or four storeys high, built of local rubble stone. It would have featured a vaulted basement for storage, with the main hall on the first floor and private chambers above. Defensive features such as narrow slit windows, thick walls, and a parapet walk provided protection against attack. The tower likely stood within a small barmkin or courtyard, enclosed by a wall that contained outbuildings and livestock pens, as was common for such Border holdings.

Later history and decline

By the 17th century, the union of the English and Scottish crowns had brought greater stability to the Borders, and towers like Whitslaid began to lose their defensive purpose. The Lauders shifted their main residence to Thirlestane Castle in Lauder, and Whitslaid fell into disuse. By the 18th century, it was recorded as a ruin, its stonework gradually plundered for local building materials. Despite this, the site remained known locally as “the old Lauder tower,” preserving its memory in the regional landscape.

Present condition

Today, only a small portion of Whitslaid Tower survives above ground — mainly parts of the lower walls and foundation courses, rising from a grassy mound on private farmland. The remains are a Scheduled Monument, protected for their archaeological and historical importance. Though modest in scale, Whitslaid Tower vividly represents the defensive domestic architecture that defined the Scottish Borders for centuries and stands as a quiet reminder of the turbulent history of the Lauder family and their lands.