Drumelzier
The twin towers at Wrae Farm and Drumelzier Place are remains of Peel towers. These were small fortified keeps, built in the 1430s along the English and Scottish Borders, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by moss-troopers to warn of approaching danger. Peel towers are not usually found in larger places which would have a castle but in smaller settlements. They are often associated with a Church. By an Act of Parliament in 1455 each Peel Tower was required to have an iron basket on its summit and a smoke or fire signal, for day or night use, ready to hand.
Apart from their primary purpose as a warning system, these towers were the homes of the Lairds and landlords of the area, who dwelt in them with their families and retainers, while their followers lived in simple huts outside the walls. The towers also provided a refuge so that, when cross-border raiding parties arrived, the whole population of a village could take to the tower and wait for the marauders to depart.
Drumelzier - The ruins of Drumelzier Castle stand within the precincts of Drumelzier Place farm. It was built in the 16th century, probably incorporating an older structure, three storeys remain, with a square tower built later at one corner. Drumelzier was the property of the Tweedie family until 1632, when it passed to the Hays of Yester, who held it until the mid-19th century. The castle was abandoned for a new house nearby in the 18th century and it had fallen into ruins by 1790.
Wrae - Only a fragment of the northeast corner stair tower, around 9m high and 4m across, remains standing.