The name Howtel is thought to mean Low Ground with a Holt or Wood.

Howtel once possessed a strong pele, mentioned in the report of Sir Robert Bowes on the Border in 1542 as one of several that had been "rased and casten downe" by the Scots.

The surviving ruins of Howtel Tower are now surrounded by farm buildings.

The village is listed, too, along with Lanton, Milfield, Heatherslaw, Branxton, Heaton, Pawston, and Mindrum in the order of the watch in this part of the Border, as set forth in an act of Edward VI's reign.

The villages mentioned had to supply a nightly patrol of fourteen men, who made their rounds on horseback.