Polwarth, Scottish Borders
Encyclopedia
Polwarth is a village and parish
in the Scottish Borders
area of Scotland
. It is located at , between Greenlaw
and Duns
, in the former county
of Berwickshire
.
Other places nearby include the Blackadder Water
, Fogo
, Langton, Scottish Borders, Longformacus
, Marchmont House
and Marchmont Estate
,
Polwarth Parish Church
was built in 1703, replacing a 13th century building.
Polwarth Castle was situated halfway between Polwarth village and Polwarth Parish Church.
The Polwarth Thorn was a thorn tree which was used in village festivities. Several verses and melodies have arisen, e.g.:
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the 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...
area of 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...
. It is located at , between Greenlaw
Greenlaw
Greenlaw is a small town situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water at the junction of the A697 and the A6105 in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Greenlaw was first made the county town of Berwickshire in 1596, and was the first town to take on this role since the...
and Duns
Duns
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...
, in the former county
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
of 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...
.
Other places nearby include the Blackadder Water
Blackadder Water
Blackadder Water is a river in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, forming part of the River Tweed system.Rising in the Harecleugh Forest plantation just south of the Twin Law cairns, north of the village of Westruther. The headwaters of the Blackadder join with those of the...
, Fogo
Fogo, Scottish Borders
Fogo is a village in the county of Berwickshire, in the Borders of Scotland, 3 miles south of Duns, on the Blackadder Water.The name Fogo means "foggage pit, den or hollow"....
, Langton, Scottish Borders, Longformacus
Longformacus
Longformacus is a small village in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is around north-west of Duns, in the Lammermuir Hills. The Dye Water runs through the village, flowing east towards its confluence with the Whiteadder Water nearby...
, Marchmont House
Marchmont House
Marchmont House lies on the east side of the small town of Greenlaw, and near the former village of Polwarth in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is about five miles south west of Duns, about west of Berwick-upon-Tweed and about south east of Edinburgh...
and Marchmont Estate
Marchmont Estate
Marchmont Estate lies near the village of Greenlaw in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, circa south east of Edinburgh. It is situated in the Merse, an area between the Lammermuirs to the north and the Cheviots to the south...
,
Polwarth Parish Church
Polwarth Parish Church
Polwarth Parish Church was a member church of the Church of Scotland before closing in 2004.It is situated atopa mound off a minor road leading from the A6105, Greenlaw to Duns road in the old county of Berwickshire, now part of the Scottish Borders Council...
was built in 1703, replacing a 13th century building.
Polwarth Castle was situated halfway between Polwarth village and Polwarth Parish Church.
The Polwarth Thorn was a thorn tree which was used in village festivities. Several verses and melodies have arisen, e.g.:
- At Polwarth on the green / Our forbears oft are seen / To dance about the thorn / When they got in their corn. - Also: At Polwarth on the Green / If you'll meet me in the morn / Where lads and lasses do convene / To dance around the thorn.
Reference
- McKinnon, E E (1969) 'Polwarth Mill, Nr Duns, hammer stone'
- John Mackay Wilson, 'Polwarth on the Green', in 'Tales of the Borders' (1835)
External links
- RCAHMS record of Polwarth Castle
- RCAHMS record of Polwarth Mill
- British Listed Buildings: Packman's Brae, Polwarth Crofts