Whithaugh was a lairdship belonging to the Armstrong clan on the borders between Scotland and England and among the Border clans, none was more powerful, none more famous. During the sixteenth century the clan wielded an immense influence on both sides of the Border, an influence to be reckoned with, by both the Scottish and English Governments.

With the original charter of Whithaugh having been lost, Francis, Earl of Bothwell, re-granted the lands in 1586 to Lancelot Armstrong. The Armstrong’s of Whithaugh were regularly involved in Border affairs and before the union of the Crown in 1603 they had one of the strongest towers in the valley and it is recorded to have withstood numerous attacks.