Kirkandrews Tower
Another dwelling of the Grahams,
Kirkandrews Tower is a Grade Two listed pele dating from the 16th
century situated on the West bank of the River Esk near Longtown.
The isolated square tower is reputed to
have been built by Thomas Graham in around 1540 and is well preserved with a
vaulted basement, two floors and a spiral staircase to the attic.
The property is now situated next door to a
high end self-catering holiday let at Kirkandrews House, with prices and
details available online.
The hardy Grahams had held no land on the
Esk within the living memory of men in 1583, as detailed in a note on the
Border Riders from Thomas Musgrave, deputy of Bewcastle, to Lord Burghley.
But Lord Dacre led a warden party over the
line but the Scottish riders had been tipped off that he was coming. The West
March warden suspected old Richard Graham of the forewarning and was going to
execute him for it, but Graham escaped the jail and captured the Storey who had
in fact blabbed.
The Storeys fled to Kilham in north
Northumberland to escape ‘Dacre’s fury’ and the Grahams divided up their land
between seven original brethren – Rich, Fergus, Tom, Hutcheon, John, William
and Will of the Fauld.
