Chipchase Castle

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The Herons occupied the 14th Century pele tower at Chipchase, near Chollerton, which is privately owned. The present Grade One listed castle is a scheduled ancient monument and is only open to the public in June, while the grounds are open year-round.
The old tower is incorporated into the Jacobean mansion that stands today and in 1583 in a document entitled ‘Rules for the Defence of the Borders,’ an English official reckoned that if more footmen from Berwick were deployed there, they would ‘soon lay the pride of the Elliots and Crosers, thieves of Scotland, that commonly trouble the Middle Marches.’
Sir John Heron of Chipchase was Keeper of Tynedale in 1587. The family were heavily embroiled in all of the action of the time as both riders and officials and were long at feud with the Kerrs and Taits of East Teviotdale.
Chipchase is also now used as a wedding and events venue and a base for countryside sports such as shooting and fishing.
Nearby Swinburne Castle was the scene of a less famous and celebrated but equally important gaol break around the same time that Kinmont Willie was getting busted out of Carlisle.
Sir Robert Kerr got himself in hot water for breaking the reiver James Young of the Cove out of Swinburne with 200 riders. Sir Henry Woodrington was holding the Teviotdale raider illegally and the English Middle March Warden Ralph Eure forbade him from pursuing the matter further, which saw him quit his local duties in a huff. The ruins of the castle were demolished in the 1600s and replaced with the Grade Two listed private residence that stands on the site today.
The 14th century Crawley tower was another stronghold of the Herons, set in the stunning Breamish valley right on the cusp of the East March.

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