Amisfield Tower

Built circa 1600, for Sir John Charteris (1557-1616), 10th of Amisfield, and his second wife, Agnes Herries. The Charteris family were Normans who came over with William the Conqueror and were granted these lands a century later by the King of Scotland in 1166. Today, Amisfield is recognised as one of the best surviving examples of a tower house in Scotland and the original oak door is now on display at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh: it depicts Samson opening the jaws of a lion with a shield displaying the coats-of-arms of the Charteris and Herries families and the date, 1600. The house next door to the tower was built in 1631 and five years later Amisfield was occupied by Captain Alexander Dalziell who was executed as a Royalist in 1650....