Edrington
Encyclopedia
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
occupying the lower part of Mordington
Mordington
Mordington is an agricultural parish in the extreme south-east of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders region. It is five miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed and borders Northumberland to the east, and south , Foulden to the west, and Lamberton to the north. The parish is bisected by the A6105 Berwick to...
parish in Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
, Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, five miles (8 km) west of Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
. From probably the 14th century, if not earlier, a castle occupied the steep hill above the mill of the same name on the Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed...
. The castle ruin is still marked on today's Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps, and still appears in locality references in The Berwickshire News. The principal farm of the estate is Edrington Mains.
Early history and lairds
Carr’s Coldingham PrioryColdingham Priory
Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predecessor King Edgar of Scotland had granted the land of...
states that Edrington derived its name from its contiguity to the river Whitadder but he does not further explain how he associates the names. James Logan Mack refers to Edrington as "one of the earliest Border strongholds. The ancient castle occupied the summit of a steep bank above the Whitadder, and must have been a place of considerable strength and importance."
An early reference to Edrington is in Coldingham Parish & Priory which mentions charters (c.1097) of King Edgar
Edgar of Scotland
Edgar or Étgar mac Maíl Choluim , nicknamed Probus, "the Valiant" , was king of Alba from 1097 to 1107...
by which were granted the profits of the mansions of, inter alia, Fulden & Hadrington (Foulden & Edrington) "for the souls" of His House (i.e. the Priory). The superiority of the lands of Edrington appear to have originally been claimed by the Palatinate of Durham, although at a very early date they were annexed by the Scottish Crown.
14th century
Bain carries a reference in the year 1304 to "the King’s lands of Edringtone", and also to the King's mill there. However The Parish of Mordington suggests that the King was Edward I of EnglandEdward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
. These were 'disputed lands', as we have already seen, with the early charters referring to King Edgar, although Edrington has always been in Scotland.
For centuries the proprietors of Edrington were the Lauders of The Bass. This family had campaigned with both Sir William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
, and Robert The Bruce who had appointed Sir Robert de Laweder of the Bass Justiciar of Lothian
Justiciar of Lothian
The Justiciar of Lothian was an important legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland.The Justiciars of Lothian were responsible for the administration of royal justice in the province of Lothian, a much larger area than the modern Lothian, covering Scotland south of the Forth and Clyde,...
(or more properly Justiciary of Scotland South of the Forth) before 1316. On the July 28, 1328, Robert the Bruce granted a charter of restitution to Sir Henry Percy of all his father's lands and rents, etc., in Scotland. Witnesses to this charter included Roberto de Lawedre, senior, Knight, (ref: Stones). John J.Reid states: "Sir Robert of Lauder of The Bass was, in 1329, employed on a mission to England, no doubt diplomatic in its character, and payments out of public funds amounting to £60 were made to him for the expense of his journeys to London and York. In 1330 he possessed hereditarily the fishings of Edrington and was Keeper of Berwick Castle and Sheriff there."
"Roberto de Lawedre, Militibus, Justiciario Lowdonie" was a witness in a charter granted by Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus
John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus
Sir John Stewart, 1st Earl of Angus & suo jure uxoris Lord of Abernethy was a medieval Scottish nobleman.Stewart was the son of Sir Alexander Stewart of Bonkyll, grandson of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland and an unknown mother. Sir Alexander died c...
, of Morthyntoun (Mordington
Mordington
Mordington is an agricultural parish in the extreme south-east of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders region. It is five miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed and borders Northumberland to the east, and south , Foulden to the west, and Lamberton to the north. The parish is bisected by the A6105 Berwick to...
) in 1331. Edrington to this day lies within the parish of Mordington.
Shaw records that "Sir Robert Lauder or Lawedre - both father and son - were present at the battle of Halidon Hill
Battle of Halidon Hill
The Battle of Halidon Hill was fought during the Second War of Scottish Independence. Scottish forces under Sir Archibald Douglas were heavily defeated on unfavourable terrain while trying to relieve Berwick-upon-Tweed.-The Disinherited:...
, on July 20, 1333." The famous chronicler Knyghton also states that Sir Robert senior "was present but did not take part due to the fact that he was unable to dismount from his horse in full armour owing to his advanced age". Halidon Hill is just two miles (3 km) from Edrington Castle. J. Stewart Smith (1898) states that "the eldest son of Lauder of The Bass took Edrington during his father’s lifetime".
During the English wars the Lauders were frequently forfeited of Edrington and other estates by the English King, but which were always overturned upon Scottish restoration. Until 1376 Edrington Mill had been feued to the de Paxton family in which year it was forfeited due to their part in a rebellion. Thereafter millers were directly employed by the Lauders.
15th century
"Robertus de Lawedre de Edryngtoune de Scotia, miles" [knight] is mentioned along with "Venerabilis pater Wills epus Glasguen' cancellar' Scotie (William de LawedreWilliam de Lawedre
William de Lauder [Lawedre] was bishop of Glasgow and Lord Chancellor of Scotland.The son of Sir Robert de Lawedre of Edrington, and The Bass, by his spouse Annabella, William was uterine brother William de Lauder [Lawedre] (born – June 14, 1425) was bishop of Glasgow and Lord Chancellor of...
, Bishop of Glasgow and Lord Chancellor of Scotland
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland was a Great Officer of State in pre-Union Scotland.Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower status with the title of Keeper of the Great Seal...
) and Patricius de Dunbar de Bele de Scotia, mils," under date May 12, 1423 in the Rotuli Scotiae. Again on August 19, 1423, when he was envoy for the ransom of King James I of Scotland
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
; and again on 3 December of that same year. Joseph Bain, quoting from Foedera and other original documents, confirms this.
On December 14, 1425 he was invested in the family estates:- "The King confirms to Robert de Lawedre of Edringtoun, knight, justiciario Scotia, the lands of le Crag, Balgone, the Bass, Edringtoun, Simprin, Easter Pencaitland
Pencaitland
Pencaitland is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, about south-east of Edinburgh, south-west of Haddington, and east of Ormiston.The land where the village lies is said to have been granted by William the Lion to Calum Cormack in 1169, who gave the church, with the tithes and other property...
, Newhall, etc"., for him and his legitimate heirs. According to Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....
he too was Justiciar of the Lothians. Describing him as "Roberto de Lawedre de Edringtoun militi," John J Reid mentions that this Sir Robert was also an Auditor of Exchequer, and between 1425 and 1433 he was Governor of Edinburgh Castle. His name can be seen today on the Table of Governors on display in the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Human habitation of the site is dated back as far as the 9th century BC, although the nature of early settlement is unclear...
.
His son thereafter took Edrington. Rev.Ferrier notes that Sir Robert de Lawedre de Eddringtoun, knight, endowed an alter to St.Mary in North Berwick
North Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
Church on March 4, 1435. Further, in a charter dated 20 June 1443 re the lands of Hownam, 'Robert of Lawadre of Eddringtoun' appears as a witness
James Logan Mack states that "about the year 1450 Edrington was conveyed by James II of Scotland
James II of Scotland
James II reigned as King of Scots from 1437 to his death.He was the son of James I, King of Scots, and Joan Beaufort...
to Robert Lauder of Bass" but as already noted they were already designated "of Edrington" so this must have been another reconfirmation. A Great Seal charter dated 25 April 1450 mentions a David de Lawder, "a nephew of Robert Lawder of Edringtoune". The same "Robert de Lawedre Lord of Edrington, militibus" appears as a witness to a charter to "Patrick de Dunbar de Bele, militi", signed in "the castle of Bele" (Biel, near Stenton
Stenton
Stenton is a parish and village in East Lothian, Scotland. It is bounded on the north by parts of the parishes of Prestonkirk and Dunbar, on the east by Spott and on the west by Whittingehame. The name is said to be of Saxon derivation. In earlier times, when names were often written phonetically,...
), and confirmed at Edinburgh 24 April 1452.
About 1462 Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
Castle was put into the hands of Robert Lauder of Edrington. He kept his position uninterruptedly till 1474 when he was succeeded, briefly, by David, Earl of Crawford (later David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose
David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose
David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose was a Scottish nobleman.He was the son of Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford, and inherited the Earldom of Crawford on his father's death in 1453...
). Scott records that in 1464 Robert Lauder was paid £20 for repairs made to Berwick Castle." Robert de Laweder de Edringtoun is the first witness to a Retour of Service dated 1467 of Margaret Sinclair as one of the heirs of her grandfather John Sinclair in the lands of Kimmerghame, Berwickshire.
In a charter of 1471 the King confirmed to Robert Lauder son and heir apparent of Robert Lauder of Edrington, the lands of Edrington and Coalstell with the fishings of 'Edermouth' (Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water
Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed...
) plus the mill there (at Edrington) which Robert the father personally resigned to Robert junior and his male heirs failing which those relations bearing the Lauder arms. The spouse of Robert senior, Jonette Home, gave her consent.
In a further charter signed at Edinburgh 26 June 1474 and confirmed there on 27 July 1475, the King confirms a charter of Robert Lauder junior, "Lord of Edringtoun", Witnesses included Robert Lauder of Bass, father of said Robert junior.
On 20 January 1478 the King again appointed Robert Lauder of Edrington as custodian of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
for five years with a retainer of 200 merks (Scott gives it as £250) per annum.(The Great Seal). He was not at the castle the following month, as on 2 February 1478, King James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
advised the bearers of the instalment of Princess Cecilia's dower that he had sent, amongst others, Robert Lawdir of Edrington, son and heir apparent to Robert Lawdir of The Bass, to conduct them to Edinburgh (Bain). Scott notes that he continued as Governor of Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England.The castle was founded in the 12th century by the Scottish King David I. In 1296-8, the English King Edward I had the castle rebuilt and the town fortified, before it was returned to Scotland...
till the last year of Scottish occupation, when Patrick Hepburn of Hailes had possession. The printed Exchequer Rolls record that payments were made to "Robert Lauder, Captain and Keeper of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed" in 1480 and 1481.
On September 12, 1489 a Charter signed at Linlithgow from King James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
confirmed "to his squire, Robert Lauder of Edrington" various lands. This Robert Lauder of Edrington had married Isobel Hay, daughter of John Hay, 1st Lord Hay of Yester
John Hay, 1st Lord Hay of Yester
John Hay, 1st Lord Hay of Yester is the ancestor of the Marquesses of Tweeddale. He was created a Lord of Parliament on 29 January 1488 by James III of Scotland....
(a descendant of Robert The Bruce), and his wife Mary Lindsay.
16th century
Various charters in The Great Seal of further confirmations of Edrington to the Lauders exist throughout the following century, including number 3330 confirmed 29 March 1509 which mentions the next Robert Lauder of Edrington (d.1576) and his father Sir Robert Lauder of The BassRobert Lauder of The Bass
Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass, was a Scottish knight, armiger, and Governor of the Castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed. He was also a member of the old Scottish Parliament...
(who had married Isobel Hay); and on 29 April 1519 Sasine from the Crown, was confirmeded to [the new] Robert Lauder of The Bass, as superior, of the "island of The Bass, the lands of Edringtoun with tower, and mill, and fishing rights and all pertinents extending to [at least] 15 husbandlands [about 390 acres] &c." (Exchequer Rolls).
About 1540 the Lords of Council issued a summons against Ninian Trotter at the instance of Robert Lauder of the Bass (d.1576), who claimed that Mr.Trotter had interfered with people using Robert Lauder's mill at Edrington in Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
. Trotter had now abducted and imprisoned Mr.Rauf Cook from Berwick, who, with Lauder's consent, "had come to grind his corns at the said Robert's mylne forsaid."
On the 15th August 1542 King James V sent an order to the Captain of Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle is the remnants of one of the most mighty fortresses in Scotland, situated over the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian.-Early history:...
to blow up Edrington Castle "with two half-barrels of powder" because it had been taken and strengthened by the English. The Captain is told to that he consult a William Lauder "the man of most experience within the said castle". However it is clear this order was never carried out.
The Privy Council Registers record that Robert Lawder of The Bass (d.1576) had loaned two thousand pounds to Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Henry Stewart or Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany , styled Lord Darnley before 1565, was king consort of Scotland and murdered at Kirk o'Field...
, and was with Queen Mary at Carberry Hill on 14 June 1567, and subsequently at the battle of Langside
Battle of Langside
The Battle of Langside, fought on 13 May 1568, was one of the more unusual contests in Scottish history, bearing a superficial resemblance to a grand family quarrel, in which a mother fought her brother who was defending the rights of her infant son...
. As a result, on the 5 July 1568, at Edinburgh, Casper Home was granted an escheat of the goods of Robert Lawder of The Bass, including his cattle and other goods on the steading and lands of Eddringtoun and the dues of the mill thereof, in the sheriffdom of Berwick, the said Robert being convicted, become in will, fugitive or at the horn for taking part with Archibald Earl of Argyll, Claud Hammiltoun, and others at Langsyde or for not finding surety to unerlie the law for art and part in the slaughter there of one James Ballany. (Donaldson, 1963.) This escheat was later removed by a Precept of Remission.
The next laird of Edrington of note was Robert Lauder of the Bass's 4th son, a cleric, George, then Rector of Auldcathy, a Lauder possession in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
. In charter of The Great Seal (no.688), a reconfirmation at Holyroodhouse on 21 March 1598, of "Eddrington" belonging to Sir George Lauder of The Bass
George Lauder of The Bass
Sir George Lauder of The Bass, Knt., , was a cleric, Privy Counsellor, and Member of the Scottish Parliament. He was also Tutor to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales.-Family:...
who was a Privy Counsellor and personal friend of King James VI of Scotland and tutor to his son, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales was the elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's throne...
. Sir George, like several of his predecessors, married late in life Isobel, daughter of Sir Patrick Hepburn of Waughton . This charter also confirms the superiority of Edrington to his only child and heir, George jnr (b.1597).
George’s younger brother, William, was at sometime invested in the hereditary feu of the Edrington estates. In the Muniments of the Scottish National Archives (GD45/16/2757) there is an instrument of sasine dated 19 July 1574 in favour of William Lauder, son of Robert Lauder of The Bass (d.1576), and Isobel Ramsay, William's future wife in liferent, of the lands and mill of Edrington, Berwickshire.
He was described as William Lauder of Edrington in a precept of clare constat containing a precept of sasine dated 7 September 1587 granted by his brother George Lauder of Bass, but was dead by 1622.
17th century
In a DunsDuns
Duns is the county town of the historic county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders.-Early history:Duns law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfort at its summit...
Sheriff Court
Sheriff Court
Sheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
Deed (SC60/56/1) dated 6 November 1622 two of William's sons are mentioned: "Alexander Lauder brother to Robert Lauder of Edrington". A sasine registered on 10 March 1634 (RS25/22 fol.82) mentions "the late William Lauder of Edringtoune" and his "eldest lawful son and apparent heir, Robert". Robert’s brother Alexander is also again mentioned here, and the Edinburgh Apprentice’s Register records that they had another brother, "William, son to William Lauder of Edrington" who was indentured in 1609. Robert was still alive in 1642, in receipt of the annualrents of Poppill in Haddingtonshire, In this Sasine, Robert was resigning them to Sir Patrick Hepburn of Waughton.
Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall
John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall
Sir John Lauder of Fountainhall, 2nd Baronet, Lord Fountainhall was one of Scotland's leading jurists who remains to this day an oft consulted authority...
states that during a journey he made with his father to the Borders in 1670 he "saw Paxton, and Edringtone a part of [Lauder of] Basses lands, and given away to a brother; now belongs to my Lord Mordington".
By the end of 1641 the superiority of Edrington had passed to Sir Patrick Hepburn of Waughton, the last George Lauder of The Bass's uncle. His son John Hepburn, a Royalist and Episcopalian
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
, held the castle of The Bass against Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, and was heavily fined and imprisoned. John Hepburn of Waughton was forced to resign Edrington in charter 1948 dated 1 March 1648 to James Scott, a merchant-burgess of Edinburgh. Mr.Scott was dead by June 1653 when his wife, Jeanete Archibald, was described as his relict in a charter of that date. It then passed to another of his family, probably his son, Patrick Scott, who also became a merchant-burgess of Edinburgh, and who was designated "of Edringtoune" in a charter dated 22 February 1653 when he was confirmed in the lands of Langshaw in the barony of Melrose
Melrose, Scotland
Melrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
.
Lord Mordington
Patrick Scott and James Winraham, who held wadsets (mortgages) over Edrington, resigned "the lands of Edrington", with fishings etc., and "the manor-place" [castle], on June 16, 1661 by sale, recorded in the Great Seal of ScotlandGreat Seal of Scotland
The Great Seal of Scotland allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to make official...
, to James, Master of Mordington, "eldest lawful son of William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington
William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington
William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington was the eldest son and heir of Sir James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington by his spouse Anne, daughter of Lawrence Oliphant, 5th Lord Oliphant....
, and his heirs male, whom failing to William Douglas his next younger brother and his heirs male, whom failing to Francis Douglas his second brother" etc.
The Lauder connexion continued as Lords Mordington intermarried with the Douglas of Whittingehame
Whittingehame
Whittingehame is a parish with a small village in East Lothian, Scotland, about halfway between Haddington and Dunbar, and near East Linton. The area is on the slopes of the Lammermuir Hills...
family who had intermarried with the Lauders of The Bass about 1537. George Douglas, 4th Lord Mordington
George Douglas, 4th Lord Mordington
George Douglas, 4th Lord Mordington, died 10 June 1741 at Covent Garden, London, was the son and heir of James Douglas, 3rd Lord Mordington by his wife Anne, daughter of Alexander Seton, 1st Viscount of Kingston...
was married to Catherine Lauder (both died 1741). Their son, Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington
Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington
Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington , son of George Douglas, 4th Lord Mordington by his wife Catherine née Lauder, was a Jacobite.He went to sea when he was young and did not return to Britain until after his father's death....
, was a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
and was forfeited following the 1745 uprising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
. He died s.p. Uncles did not attempt to reclaim the title and it fell dormant. In 1799 the proprietor of the estate was a Joseph Marshall, Esq.
Today
Thereafter the estate changed hands at least twice in every century. In 1945 it came into the possession of the Miss Robertson sisters, who established in May 1961 the Robertson Trust. Miss Elspeth, Miss Agnes, and Miss Ethel Robertson had inherited, from their father William, the controlling interest in Robertson & Baxter and Clyde Bonding Company, which was renamed The Edrington GroupThe Edrington Group
The Edrington Group Limited is a major Scotch whisky company involved in blending, bottling, distributing and marketing. It produces several well-known brands, including The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark, and premium single malts The Macallan and Highland Park...
, today wholly owned by the Trust.
The estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
is today owned by Mr. Michael Edmund Thornhill, a former Hong Kong solicitor, who purchased it in 1991.
Edrington Castle
Tytler states that during the crisis of 1481 the Border barons and those whose estates lay near the sea were commanded to put into a posture of defence their various castles, one of which was Edrington. In July 1482, Edrington Castle was taken and burnt by Richard (the future King Richard IIIRichard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
), Duke of Gloucester’s army but was soon afterwards rebuilt and fortified by order (and presumably paid for) of the Scottish Parliament.
Pitcairn records on April 7, 1529, a "remission to Robert Lauder of The Bass and eleven others for treasonably intercommuning, resetting and assisting Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
(who had been forfeited), George Douglas, his brother, and Archibald, their uncle" whom Lauder had given refuge to in his castle of Edrington. The Douglases went into exile across the border.
About 1546 Edrington Castle was again captured by the English and in that year the Scots demanded that "their house of Edrington" should be immediately restored to them; and in accordance with a Treaty concluded in the church at Norham
Norham
Norham is a village in Northumberland, England, just south of the River Tweed and the border with Scotland.It is the site of the 12th century Norham Castle, and was for many years the centre for the Norhamshire exclave of County Durham...
, Edward VI vacated it.
Edrington Castle as a residence, it would appear, was eventually superseded by the Pele Tower at Nether Mordington, today Edrington House, probably when it was rebuilt about 1750. [See: Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
’s map of Mercia in Blaeu’s Atlas]. The Parish of Mordington says of Edrington castle that "at the close of the eighteenth century the tower and battlements were substantially intact"; and H.Drummond Gauld (Brave Borderland, London 1934) states "towards the close of the 18th century Edrington Castle was still four storeys in height, a commanding ruin perched on the pinnacle of a crag clothed with trees. On the western side the castle was inaccessible and was well adapted to stem the torrent on incursion from the English shores of the Tweed." James Logan Mack too said that "after the Union [1707] it was suffered to fall into decay." The Old Statistical Account of Scotland (vol.15. c1795) mentions "Edrington Castle, ruins, demands our notice."
One hundred years on, the Ordnance Gazetteer (Edinburgh 1885) was still referring to Edrington castle as "a ruined fortalice". But The Castellated & Domestic Architecture of Scotland from the 12th to the 18th Century, (vol.IV, Edinburgh, 1892) says that it was by then "a mere fragment of an ancient castle; a place of some importance in the Border wars."
By 1892, the year of publication of the abovementioned architectural survey, Mr.Edward Grey, the new owner, had completed a new country house nearby called Cawderstanes, with some cottages also adjoining the castle incorporating parts of it. Almost certainly his builders have been responsible for quarrying the stone from the castle for the big house.
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Paxton
-United Kingdom:* Great Paxton, England* Little Paxton, England* Paxton, Scottish Borders, UK* Paxton House, Berwickshire, Scotland* Paxton's Tower, near the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire, Wales-United States:* Paxton, California...
, once a place of great strength and importance, has been quarried away to near ground level." The Sixth Report & Inventory of Monuments & Constructions in the County of Berwick (HMSO, Edinburgh, 1915,) states "this castle is situated about three and a half miles west of Berwick, on a rocky bank above the Whitadder. A mere fragment remains, adjoining and incorporated in the farm buildings." Mr. Drummond Gauld (1934) laments that the castle "has suffered more from the attentions of local vandals than it ever did from the English."
Edrington Mill
Edrington Mill, however, continued in its full operations into the 20th century. In 1789 a major rebuild of the mill commenced and a stone to this effect can still be seen. From about 1890 on the mill was tenanted out, the last miller facing the massive floods which swept the district on 12 August 1948 (a stone on the wall today shows the high water mark). All work ceased and the mill has been closed up ever since, having operated since at least 1300. Calls have recently been made by the BerwickshireBerwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
Civic Society for its restoration.
Edrington remains an entirely rural estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
on the English border, largely unchanged over the centuries.
External links
- RCAHMS record for Edrington
- CANMORE/RCAHMS record for Edrington Mains
- GENUKI: Edrington
- Forestry Commission Report on Borders and Lothian: Forest Habitat Networks
- GEOGRAPH image: Water Crowfoot in Whiteadder Water at Edrington Castle Mill
- GEOGRAPH images: Castles of Scotland
Other references
- Systems of Heraldry, by Alexander NisbetAlexander NisbetAlexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....
, Edinburgh, 1722. - The History of Scotland, by Patrick Fraser TytlerPatrick Fraser TytlerPatrick Fraser Tytler was a Scottish historian.-Life:The son of Lord Woodhouselee, he was born in Edinburgh, where he attended the Royal High School. He was called to the bar in 1813; in 1816 he became King's counsel in the Exchequer, and practised as an advocate until 1832...
, Edinburgh, 1866, vols: IV (p. 226) and V (p. 204). - The Register of The Privy Council of Scotland, vol.III, Edinburgh, 1880, p118-119.
- History of the Province of MorayMorayMoray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
, by Lachlan Shaw, 3 vols, Glasgow, 1882. - Early Notices of the Bass RockBass RockThe Bass Rock, or simply The Bass, , is an island in the outer part of the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland. It is approximately offshore, and north-east of North Berwick. It is a steep-sided volcanic rock, at its highest point, and is home to a large colony of gannets...
and its Owners, by John J Reid, B.A., in The Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of ScotlandSociety of Antiquaries of ScotlandThe Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body in Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum, Chambers Street, Edinburgh...
, Edinburgh, December 1885. - The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1480–1487, edited by George Burnett, LL.D., Lord Lyon King of ArmsLord Lyon King of ArmsThe Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
, Edinburgh, 1886, vol.IX, pps: 63/4. 81, 145 & 157. - Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland, by Joseph Bain, Edinburgh 1888, vol.4, number 1445, p. 294.
- Berwick-upon-Tweed, The History of the Town and Guild, by John Scott, London, 1888.
- The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1513–1522, edited by A.E.J.G.Mackay, M.A.,LL.D. Edinburgh, 1893, vol. XIV, pps: 619-620.
- The Grange of St.Giles, by J Stewart-Smith, Edinburgh, 1898.
- Journals of Sir John Lauder, Lord FountainhallJohn Lauder, Lord FountainhallSir John Lauder of Fountainhall, 2nd Baronet, Lord Fountainhall was one of Scotland's leading jurists who remains to this day an oft consulted authority...
, 1665 - 1676, edited by Donald Crawford, Edinburgh, 1900, p. 202. - Coldingham Parish & Priory, by A. Thomson, GalashielsGalashielsGalashiels is a burgh in the Scottish Borders, on the Gala Water river. The name is often shortened to "Gala" .Galashiels is a major commercial centre for the Scottish Borders...
, 1908. - The Border Line, by James Logan Mack, Edinburgh, 1924.
- Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland 1567 - 1574, edited by Gordon DonaldsonGordon DonaldsonGordon Donaldson CBE, FRHistS, FBA was a Scottish historian.Born in Edinburgh of Shetlander descent, Donaldson attended the Royal High School of Edinburgh, before being awarded a scholarship to study at the University of Edinburgh. He also supplemented his income by undertaking some tutoring...
, D.Litt.,vol.vi, Edinburgh, 1963, number 355, p. 76. - Anglo-Scottish Relations, 1174-1328, edited & translated by Professor E.L.G. Stones, Oxford, 1965, p345, no.172.
- The Parish of Mordington, by W. R. Johnson, Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, 1966. - The North BerwickNorth BerwickThe Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
Story, by Reverend Walter M Ferrier, North Berwick, 1980. - The Borders Family History Society Magazine, issue number 41, October 1999.
- Edrington Mill in the Berwickshire Civic Society Newsletter, no.27, Autumn 2006.