Jedburgh Castle
Jedburgh Castle Details
Jedburgh Castle, site of an important C12 royal castle destroyed C15. Site now covered by castellated C19 jail (& museum)
- Closest To: Jedburgh
- Access: Chargeable Public Access
- Grid Reference: NT648202
The site of Jedburgh Castle is occupied by the Jedburgh Castle Jail, and there are no visible remains of what was once one of the most important castles in the Borders. The Jail is a tourist attraction and is open to the public for a fee.
Jedburgh is close to the English Border, and King David I founded an abbey here and may have been responsible for the establishment of the castle and burgh. The form of the castle, which saw the death of his son Malcolm in 1165, is unknown, but there is no guarantee that it was defended in stone at this point, and may have consisted of a palisaded enclosure within a ditch, perhaps with a stone hall within. It was one of those demanded by Henry II in 1173, and changed hands repeatedly. In the 1330s it consisted of two towers on opposite sides of a “pele” together with an outer gate and ditches. It remained in English hands from 1346 to 1409, when it was destroyed at the orders of the Regent Albany. It was never repaired.
HES Canmore database entry
Official Jedburgh Castle Jail and Museum website