Megget Reservoir is an impounding reservoir in the
Megget
Megget is a former chapelry or parish containing the valley of Megget Water, now forming the westernmost part of the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The centre of the valley is 19 miles west of Selkirk.
...
valley in
Ettrick Forest
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk ( gd, Siorrachd Shalcraig) 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. ...
, in the
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...
. The reservoir is held back by the largest
earth dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface an ...
in Scotland. The reservoir collects water from the
Tweedsmuir
Tweedsmuir ( gd, Sliabh Thuaidh) is a village and civil parish in Tweeddale, the Scottish Borders Council district, southeastern Scotland.
Geography
The village is set in a valley, with the rolling hills and burns on both sides, covering some ...
Hills, which is then conveyed via underground pipelines and tunnels to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
. The pipelines are routed through the
Manor Valley and the Meldon Hills, to
Gladhouse Reservoir
Gladhouse Reservoir, formerly known as Moorfoot Loch, is a reservoir in Midlothian, Scotland, five miles (8 km) south of Penicuik. It is the most southerly reservoir in Midlothian, as well as being the largest area of freshwater in the Lothia ...
and
Glencorse Reservoir
Glencorse Reservoir is a reservoir in Midlothian, Scotland, two miles west of Glencorse, in the Pentland Hills.
It is retained by an earth dam, and it was built between 1820 and 1824 by James Jardine to provide water for the mills of Auchendin ...
in the
Pentland Hills
The Pentland Hills are a range of hills southwest of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around in length, and runs southwest from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.
Etymology
The name is first recorded for the farm of Pentlan ...
. These two reservoirs store the water until such times as it is required. Excess water which overflows from the reservoir is returned to the
Megget Water
Megget Water is a river in the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The Water rises at Broad Law (2,760 ft), passes through Megget Reservoir and empties into St Mary's Loch. Places in the vicinity inclu ...
, and hence into
St. Mary's Loch
St Mary's Loch is the largest natural loch in the Scottish Borders, and is situated on the south side of the A708 road between Selkirk and Moffat, about south of Edinburgh.
Description
It is long and wide, and was created by glacial ac ...
.
History
The Megget Reservoir Scheme was first seriously considered in 1963. In 1974, the then water authority Lothian Regional Council applied for and received authority from the Secretary of State to proceed. Design was carried out by chartered civil engineers Robert H Cuthbertson & Partners on behalf of the water authority, and construction started in 1976. The dam which holds the reservoir is concrete with an asphalt impermeable core. The reservoir was officially opened on 30 September 1983. It has a capacity of , and a maximum water level of above
Ordnance Datum
In the British Isles, an ordnance datum or OD is a vertical datum used by an ordnance survey as the basis for deriving altitudes on maps. A spot height may be expressed as AOD for "above ordnance datum". Usually mean sea level (MSL) is used fo ...
. The embankment is high and its crest is long.
In 1983, Lothian Regional Council commissioned a short film - ''"A Different Valley"'' - on the construction of the dam and associated works. A copy of this is held by the
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...
and can be viewed online.
Cramalt Tower
![A partial reconstruction of Cramalt Tower by Megget Reservoir - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/A_partial_reconstruction_of_Cramalt_Tower_by_Megget_Reservoir_-_geograph.org.uk_-_726062.jpg)
The site of Cramalt or Cramald tower or castle was covered by the water of the reservoir. The excavated foundations have been reconstructed near the shoreline of the reservoir.
Cramalt Tower was used by
James V
James V (10 April 1512 – 14 December 1542) was King of Scotland from 9 September 1513 until his death in 1542. He was crowned on 21 September 1513 at the age of seventeen months. James was the son of King James IV and Margaret Tudor, and duri ...
when he came to hunt deer in the area. His masons worked on the building in 1533. There were two towers. When James V came to hunt in September 1538 his servant
John Tennent brought bedding from
Linlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Scotland in the 15th and 16th centuries. Although mai ...
and Malcolm Gourlay brought tents stored at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
for his company. His men were equipped with staffs and halberds. The castle belonged to
Lord Hay of Yester
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...
.
A later 16th-century chronicle by
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie
Robert Lindsay of Pitscottie (also Lindesay or Lyndsay; c. 1532–1580) was a Scottish chronicler, author of ''The Historie and Chronicles of Scotland, 1436–1565'', the first history of Scotland to be composed in Scots rather than Lati ...
describes James V hunting at Meggetland in June 1528 (but really 1529) with 12,000 courtiers and followers. After hunting in the region he caught the outlaw
Johnnie Armstrong
Johnnie Armstrong depicted in a 19th-century painting at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne.">Newcastle_upon_Tyne.html" ;"title="Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne">Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne.
''Johnnie Armstrong'' ...
.
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
and
Lord Darnley
Lord Darnley is a noble title associated with a Scottish Lordship of Parliament, first created in 1356 for the family of Stewart of Darnley and tracing a descent to the Dukedom of Richmond in England. The title's name refers to Darnley in Scot ...
stayed for few days in August 1566 while hunting in Meggetland. While Mary was at the castle she wrote invitations to the
baptism of Prince James to be held at
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...
. They found little sport, and Mary issued a proclamation that no one should shoot deer with handguns or bows.
John Hill Burton
John Hill Burton FRSE (22 August 1809 – 10 August 1881) was a Scottish advocate, historian and economist. The author of ''Life and Correspondence of David Hume'', he was secretary of the Scottish Prison Board (1854–77), and Historiograph ...
, ''Register of the Privy Council'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 477.
See also
*
Talla Reservoir
Talla Reservoir, located a mile from Tweedsmuir, Scottish Borders, Scotland, is an earth-work dam fed by Talla Water. The reservoir is supplemented by water from the nearby Fruid Reservoir. It was opened in 1905. To assist in bringing the mat ...
*
Baddinsgill Reservoir
Baddinsgill Reservoir is a small reservoir in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland close to Carlops, West Linton, and the boundary with Midlothian. It is close to Baddinsgill House. The Lyne Water is dammed to form the reservoir, not the Badd ...
*
Fruid Reservoir
Fruid is a small reservoir in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, UK, near Menzion. It is formed by damming the Fruid Water, and supplements the contents of Talla Reservoir, forming part of the water supply for Edinburgh.
The construction of ...
*
Westwater Reservoir
*
List of reservoirs and dams in the United Kingdom
This is a list of dams and reservoirs in the United Kingdom.
England Buckinghamshire
* Foxcote Reservoir, north of Buckingham
*Weston Turville Reservoir, between Weston Turville and Wendover
Cambridgeshire
*Grafham Water
Cheshire
* Bollinhurs ...
References
Megget Reservoir remedial work to upstream face rip-rap protection, by Hesselberg-Hydro* Lothian Regional Council Brochure, ''Megget Water'', circa 1983
External links
Biggar Archaeology Group Megget reservoir projectSouthern Reporter, 10 February 2010: Fighting flood from Megget reservoirCase Study, Megget Reservoir: Fighting erosion
{{authority control
Reservoirs in the Scottish Borders
Civil engineering
Dams in Scotland