Mertoun

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Mertoun
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Mertoun
Location within the Scottish Borders
OS grid reference NT6175231765
Council area
Lieutenancy area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Melrose
Postcode district TD6
Dialling code 01835
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°34′40″N2°36′27″W / 55.5777°N 2.6076°W / 55.5777; -2.6076 Coordinates: 55°34′40″N2°36′27″W / 55.5777°N 2.6076°W / 55.5777; -2.6076
Mertoun parish church The parish church of Mertoun and Maxton - geograph.org.uk - 1166522.jpg
Mertoun parish church

Mertoun is a parish in the south-west of the historic county of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Together with the parish of Maxton, Roxburghshire it forms the Maxton and Mertoun Community Council area. [1] It was included in the former Ettrick and Lauderdale District of Borders Region, by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, from 1975 to 1996.

The parish is bounded by the Berwickshire parish of Earlston to the north and by the Roxburghshire parishes of Smailholm and Makerstoun to the east, Maxton and St Boswells on the south and Melrose in the west. Maxton, St. Boswell's and Melrose lie on the other side of the River Tweed, which forms the southern and western border of the parish. [2] [3]

The parish includes the hamlets of Dryburgh and Clintmains, the historically important sites of Dryburgh Abbey, Mertoun House, Mertoun Bridge and Bemersyde House. [4] Also the statue of William Wallace at Bemersyde.

Mertoun Church was erected in 1658 and restored in 1820 and 1898. It stands in a wood near Mertoun House ½ mile south-east of Clintmains. The date 1658 is carved in stone above one of the doors. [3] [5] For church purposes the parish is united with Maxton and linked with St Boswells and Newtown St Boswells. [6]

The original church of 1241, not on the same site, was dedicated to St Ninian. Robert Haig of Bemersyde built himself a stall or "laird's loft" in the old church in 1594. His neighbours, the Kers of Shaws and Dalcowie, took offence and dismantled it. [7]

Mertoun (1845) Mertoun Parish Map.jpg
Mertoun (1845)

A Parochial Board was established under the Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845. With the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894 the Parish Council was established. Civil parishes in Scotland, as units of local government, were abolished in 1929 [8] but have been used later for census and other purposes.

The civil parish has an area of 6377 acres [9] and a population of 309 (in 2011). [10]

Related Research Articles

Scottish Borders Council area of Scotland

The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and, to the south-west, south and east, the English counties of Cumbria and Northumberland. The administrative centre of the area is Newtown St Boswells.

Berwickshire Historic county in Scotland

Berwickshire is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in southeastern Scotland, on the English border. It takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, which was part of the Kingdom of Northumbria at the time of the county's formation, but became part of England in 1482 after several centuries of swapping back and forth between the two kingdoms.

Roxburghshire Historic county in Scotland

Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berwickshire to the north. To the south-west it borders Cumberland and to the south-east Northumberland, both in England.

Selkirkshire Historic county in Scotland

Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It derives its name from its county town, the Royal burgh of Selkirk.

Newtown St Boswells Human settlement in Scotland

Newtown St Boswells is a village in the historic county of Roxburghshire which serves as the administrative centre of the Scottish Borders council area. Lying on the Bowden Burn, Newtown St Boswells is situated between the larger settlements of St Boswells to the south-east and Melrose to the north-west.

Coldingham Human settlement in Scotland

Coldingham is a village and parish in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth.

St Boswells Human settlement in Scotland

St Boswells is a village on the south side of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, about 1 mile southeast of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 road. It lies within the boundaries of the historic county of Roxburghshire.

Bemersyde House

Bemersyde House is a historic house in Roxburghshire, Scotland.

Maxton is a hamlet and civil parish in Roxburghshire, Scotland, and part of the Scottish Borders region.

Bemersyde

Bemersyde is a hamlet in the Mertoun parish of Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders. It sits on the left bank of the River Tweed, about three miles east of Melrose. Bemersyde House, the ancestral home of the Haig family, is the most notable feature.

Darnick

Darnick is a village near Melrose in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire. The name was first recorded in 1124, and has changed from Dernewic, Dernwick and Darnwick to the present Darnick. Darnick Tower was built in c. 1425, and another tower house, Fisher's Tower, is still recognisable by its remains.

Cavers, Scottish Borders Human settlement in Scotland

Cavers is a parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former county of Roxburghshire, south and east of Hawick. The largest village in the parish is Denholm.

Clintmains

Clintmains is a village by the River Tweed, in the parish of Mertoun, to the east of Newtown St Boswells, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former county of Berwickshire.

Scoonie Human settlement in Scotland

Scoonie is a settlement and parish in Fife, Scotland, the parish contains the town of Leven. It is bordered on the north by the parishes of Kettle and Ceres, on the east by the parish of Largo, on the south by the parishes of Markinch and Wemyss, and on the west by the parishes of Markinch and Kennoway. It extends about 4+1⁄2 miles north to south. Its width varies between 5⁄8 and 2+3⁄4 mi . The parish is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, with a coastline of about 1+1⁄2 mi (2.4 km) The area of the parish is 4,107 acres.

Makerstoun Human settlement in Scotland

Makerstoun is a parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, as well as the historic county of Roxburghshire, 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Kelso.

Channelkirk Human settlement in Scotland

Channelkirk is a parish and community council area in the north-west corner of the historic county of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, forming the upper part of the ancient district of Lauderdale, while the parish of Lauder forms the lower part. The Community Council has the name Oxton and Channelkirk, Oxton being the main village of the parish. It was formerly in the Ettrick and Lauderdale district of Borders Region. A small strip of land along the northern boundary of the parish was added to Ettrick and Lauderdale district and thus also to the community council area, in the Brothershiels area, in 1988.

Nenthorn Human settlement in Scotland

Nenthorn is a parish and hamlet in the south of the historic county of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is included in the Floors, Makerstoun, Nenthorn and Smailholm Community Council area, which also includes the parishes of Makerstoun and Smailholm. It was included in the former Roxburgh District of Borders Region, by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, from 1975 to 1996.

Glencorse Human settlement in Scotland

Glencorse is a parish of Midlothian, Scotland, lying 7 miles south of Edinburgh. It is bounded on the north-west by the former parish of Colinton now within the City of Edinburgh, to the north and west by Lasswade and to the south and west by Penicuik.

Logie is a parish and village in east Fife, Scotland, 5 miles north-east of Cupar.

References

  1. ↑ Community Council entry on Scottish Borders local authority web site http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/7727/maxton_and_mertoun retrieved March 2016
  2. ↑ The New Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol. 2, Linlithgow-Haddington-Berwick. Publ William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh, 1845. Article on Mertoun, p. 26
  3. 1 2 Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by, Francis Groome, publ. 1882-4. Article on Mertoun
  4. ↑ Topographical, Statistical and Historical Gazetteer of Scotland, Vol 2, I_-Z, publ by.A. Fullarton and Co., Edinburgh,1853
  5. ↑ Web site of Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland and its successor Historic Environment Scotland http://canmore.org.uk/site/57277 retrieved March 2016
  6. ↑ Scotland’s Churches Trust web site https://www.scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/mertoun-parish-church retrieved March 2016
  7. ↑ David Masson, Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 1592-1599, vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1892), p. 622.
  8. ↑ Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929
  9. ↑ Gazetteer of Scotland, publ, by W & AK Johnston, Edinburgh, 1937. Article on Mertoun. Places are presented alphabetically.
  10. ↑ Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved March 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930
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