Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/550

THIRD PERIOD 530 HERMITAGE CASTLE to defend the building as flanking works. There can be no doubt that these towers are additions, as three of the square angles of the earlier oblong keep jut into the corner towers in a way they would not have done had they formed part of the same design. A wet ditch was also introduced between the two northern towers, and the drain from it under the north-west tower still exists. The ditch was probably carried round the west side also. FIG. 453. Hermitage Castle. Interior of West Wall of Eastern Division. The north-east tower contained a dungeon with vaulted roof and small hatch (detached Plan, Fig. 451). In it and in the small guard-room above there are garde-robes. Tradition points to this small dungeon as that in which the Knight of Liddesdale confined Sir Alexander Ramsay, Sheriff of Teviotdale, until he was starved to death. But this scarcely carries out the whole story, according to which Sir Alexander was enabled to live for some time on the grains of corn which fell through the floor of a granary above his prison. Here there is only a very small stone hatch in the vault, and no granary above. The south-east tower contained a circular draw-well, carefully built with ashlar, and with a drain through the wall adjoining. It now measures 9 feet 6 inches to the surface of the water. This tower also contained a postern door, which had an outer door with sliding bar, and within it a portcullis. A small stair leads from the well-room to the place for working the portcullis, and was continued to the floor above. The south-west tower or wing is much larger than the other towers, and seems to have contained the private apartments of the warden. On the ground floor there still remains a large oven 7 feet in diameter, and,