Smailholm, Scottish Borders
Encyclopedia
Smailholm is a small village in the old county of Roxburghshire
in south-east Scotland
. It is situated at
and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing 6 miles NW of the abbey
town of Kelso. Since local government reorganisation in Scotland in the early 1970s, Smailholm has been part of the Scottish Borders Council.
and was named from the Old English language as Smael Ham meaning narrow village. In early mediaeval times, the village was larger than it is now and was divided into three separate parts, East Third, West Third and Overtown. Sir Walter Scott, as a boy, was a regular visitor to his grandfather's farm at Sandyknowe. Captain Cook's mother Jean was born in Smailholm and married his father in Smailholm Church. Before the end of the 18th century, there were two schools in the village, a parochial school and a private establishment at Sandyknowe. St. Cuthbert is believed to have been born at Wrangham, a long disappeared village at New Smailholm. King Edward I of England passed through Smailholm in 1303 on his march to Lauder
.
. De Oliford subsequently granted the church and its tithes to the Benedictine
monks of Coldingham Priory
who held the church until the Scottish Reformation
in 1560. Smailholm Kirk avoided demolition after the Reformation and parts of an early Norman structure can still be seen in the chancel. The present church has had major renovation and renewal in 1632 and 1820. The church contains fine stained glass windows from 1907 commemorating Sir Walter Scott. Some of the ministers in the early years of the reformed church include : David Forsyth, Archibald Oswald and James Hunter.
, one in a string of Borders keeps guarding the Tweed
valley, was built not later than the early 15th century, when it was held by the powerful Pringle
family, four of whom were killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The tower passed, in 1745, to the Scotts of Harden but they left the structure in 1800. The tower fell into a perilous condition but was partially restored in the 1980s and is now in the care of Historic Scotland
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Dumfries to the west, Selkirk to the north-west, and Berwick to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria and Northumberland in England.It was named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh...
in south-east 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 situated at
and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing 6 miles NW of the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
town of Kelso. Since local government reorganisation in Scotland in the early 1970s, Smailholm has been part of the Scottish Borders Council.
History
Smailholm, in keeping with most of the south eastern part of Scotland, was part of the ancient kingdom of NorthumbriaNorthumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
and was named from the Old English language as Smael Ham meaning narrow village. In early mediaeval times, the village was larger than it is now and was divided into three separate parts, East Third, West Third and Overtown. Sir Walter Scott, as a boy, was a regular visitor to his grandfather's farm at Sandyknowe. Captain Cook's mother Jean was born in Smailholm and married his father in Smailholm Church. Before the end of the 18th century, there were two schools in the village, a parochial school and a private establishment at Sandyknowe. St. Cuthbert is believed to have been born at Wrangham, a long disappeared village at New Smailholm. King Edward I of England passed through Smailholm in 1303 on his march to Lauder
Lauder
The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scottish Borders 27 miles south east of Edinburgh. It is also a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire. It lies on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, on the Southern Upland Way.-Medieval history:...
.
Church
David de Oliford was granted the church and manor of Smailholm in the 12th century by King David I of ScotlandScotland
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...
. De Oliford subsequently granted the church and its tithes to the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks of Coldingham Priory
Coldingham 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...
who held the church until the Scottish Reformation
Scottish Reformation
The Scottish Reformation was Scotland's formal break with the Papacy in 1560, and the events surrounding this. It was part of the wider European Protestant Reformation; and in Scotland's case culminated ecclesiastically in the re-establishment of the church along Reformed lines, and politically in...
in 1560. Smailholm Kirk avoided demolition after the Reformation and parts of an early Norman structure can still be seen in the chancel. The present church has had major renovation and renewal in 1632 and 1820. The church contains fine stained glass windows from 1907 commemorating Sir Walter Scott. Some of the ministers in the early years of the reformed church include : David Forsyth, Archibald Oswald and James Hunter.
The Tower
Smailholm TowerSmailholm Tower
Smailholm Tower is a peel tower at Smailholm, around five miles west of Kelso in the Scottish Borders. Its dramatic situation, atop a crag of Lady Hill, commands wide views over the surrounding countryside. The tower is located at grid reference , just west of Sandyknowe farm, and is now a...
, one in a string of Borders keeps guarding the Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
valley, was built not later than the early 15th century, when it was held by the powerful Pringle
Pringle
Pringle is a Scottish surname, and may refer to:* Aileen Pringle , American stage and film actress* Alexander Pringle , Scottish Conservative politician* Andrew Seth Pringle-Pattison , Scottish philosopher...
family, four of whom were killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The tower passed, in 1745, to the Scotts of Harden but they left the structure in 1800. The tower fell into a perilous condition but was partially restored in the 1980s and is now in the care of Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
Popular Culutre
- Smailholm appeared in the third case of Ben Jordan: Paranormal InvestigatorBen Jordan: Paranormal InvestigatorBen Jordan: Paranormal Investigator is the main title of a planned series of eight amateur adventure games made by Francisco "Grundislav" Gonzalez with freeware adventure game engine Adventure Game Studio. To date, there have been seven games released in the series, each game being a separate...
, where he investigates the death of two girls, and find secret about the village's history inn witchcraft.
See also
- Brotherstone HillBrotherstone HillBrotherstone Hill is a hill near St. Boswells and the Eildon Hills in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, with two standing stones from the megalithic age, on the summit of Brotherstone Hill, at a height of 243 metres. The stones differ in height and stand 16 metres apart...
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland
External Links and further reading
- Smailholm Village Website
- RCAHMS/Canmore record for the Manor of Smailholm
- RCAHMS/Canmore record for Smailholm church
- RCAHMS record for Parish of Smailholm
- SCRAN image: Smailholm tower
- Statistical Accounts of Scotland
- Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland edited by Francis Groome