Makerstoun is a parish 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 ...
area of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, as well as the
historic county of
Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) 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 Berw ...
, south-west of
Kelso.
[Survey Gazetteer of the British Isles, publ. J.G. Bartholomew, 1904, p. 535]
The parish lies north of the
river Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...
[New Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol III Roxburgh, Peebles, Selkirk, publ.William Blackwood, 1845, pp.235-240. (Makerstoun article by Rev.David Hogarth, Minister of Makerstoun, 1834)]), which forms the southern boundary of the parish. It is bounded on the west by the parish of
Mertoun
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. It was included in ...
in
Berwickshire
Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...
, on the north by the parish of
Smailholm
Smailholm ( sco, Smailhowm) is a small village in the historic county of Roxburghshire in south-east Scotland. It is at
and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing northwest of the abbey ...
, on the east by the parish of
Kelso and on the south by the parish of
Roxburgh
Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...
, from which it is separated by the
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water ( gd, Abhainn Thuaidh, sco, Watter o Tweid, cy, Tuedd), is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the R ...
.
[
The name of the parish reputedly means the town of Machar.][
For many centuries most of the land in the parish has been owned by the proprietor of Makerstoun estate, thus in the 19th century most of the land belonged to Sir ]Thomas Makdougall Brisbane
Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, 1st Baronet, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had served, he was appoint ...
of Makerstoun House (former Governor of New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
).[
Formerly, the greater part of the population was extremely fluctuating. All the families, except a few (nine in 1845), being the families either of farm servants or of tradesmen employed by the farmers, were liable to be removed every year.][ However, as the small farmers were dispensed with by the landlords, the population reduced from over 1,000 at the end of 18th century to 132 in 1981.][The MacDowalls, by Fegus Macdowall and William MacDougall, publ.by Clan MacDougall Society of North America, 2009, p.35]
The area of the parish is .[
The original medieval church was sited in the grounds of Makerstoun House (thus in the south of the parish near the Tweed), where some remains still exist.][Official web site of the government agency Historic Scotland http://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/designation/LB19734 retrieved Feb 2016] The first recorded minister of the church dates from 1567. In 1807 it was decided by the Makerstoun estate that the church, and the manse
A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions.
Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...
with its offices and garden should be moved to a more central site in the parish.[Church of Scotland web site: http://www.kelsolinkedchurchescofs.org/makerstoun retrieved Feb 2014] A new church was thus built in 1808, which stands to the present day.[
The Community Council for Makerston is the Floors, Makerstoun, Nenthorn and Smailholm Community Council,][Smailholm village web site has news on their common Community Council: retrieved Feb 2016] which covers the parishes of Makerstoun and Smailholm
Smailholm ( sco, Smailhowm) is a small village in the historic county of Roxburghshire in south-east Scotland. It is at
and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing northwest of the abbey ...
in Roxburghshire
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) 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 Berw ...
, the parish of Nenthorn
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 parishe ...
in Berwickshire
Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of th ...
and Floors Castle
Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorporat ...
. It has 12 members, two of whom (as of 2015) were the Laird of Makerstoun and his wife.[
]
Barony of Makerstoun
The barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
in later medieval Scotland was a very common franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
, increasingly defined as an estate to which specific ‘baronial’ powers attached. In general the barons had essentially the same criminal and civil jurisdiction within their barony as the sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
s had within the sheriffdom
A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a ...
. Commonly the baronies coincided with the parishes and were anyway roughly parish sized. Makerstoun, like 18 other baronies in Roxburghshire (Bedrule, Cavers, Ednam, Hownam, Linton, Longnewton, Maxton, Maxwell, Minto, Smailholm, Wilton, and Yetholm) corresponded exactly or closely with the eponymous parish.[Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles, ed. M. Prestwich, Boydell Press, 2008. Chapter 9 Franchises North of the Border: Baronies and Regalties of Medieval Scotland, by Alexander Grant, p 155 et seq] The earliest proprietor of the Barony of Makerstoun named in the records is Walter Corbet, who acquired the barony about the middle of the 12th century.[The History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire and Adjacent Districts , by ]Alexander Jeffrey
Alexander Jeffrey (c. 1806–1874) F.S.A. (Scot) was a solicitor and local historian who spent most of his adult life in Jedburgh, Roxburghshire. He was known as the Historian of Roxburghshire.
Early life
Jeffrey's parents were Alexander Jeffr ...
,publ. Edinburgh, 1859 About 1125, Walter Corbet, Laird of Makerstoun, built the village of Makerstoun and the church, St. Peter's.[ His father was ]Robert Corbet
Captain Robert Corbet RN (died 13 September 1810), often spelled Corbett, was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars who was killed in action in highly controversial circumstances. Corbet was ...
, who came from Shropshire in the beginning of the 12th century, and settled in Teviotdale
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) 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 Berw ...
under Earl David (later King David I of Scotland
David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Modern: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 1124 and later King of Scotland from 1124 to 1153. The youngest son of Malcolm ...
).[ A small fortified keep known as a ]pele tower
Peel towers (also spelt pele) are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, mainly between the mid-14th century and about 1600. They were free-standing ...
was built at Makerstoun in 1128. The tower was extended in 1300.[Makerstoun House web site: http://www.makerstoun.com/history.htm retrieved Feb 2016]
In 1374 Robert II confirmed Fergus MacDowall as baron of Makerstoun, which he had inherited from the Corbet family via his mother Margaret.[Genealogical and Heraldic History of The Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank;but Uninvested With Heritable Honours. By John Burke, pub. London 1836, Vol III, pp.430-436] This was the first baron of the MacDowall, also known as MacDougall, family (various spellings used for both). About 1390, Archibald McDowell got a grant from Robert III of the lands of “M'Carstoune”, Yetholm, and Elistone (Clifton).[ The tower was rebuilt by Thomas Makdowell in 1590.
By a settlement made by Henry Makdougall, 14th baron of Makerstoun, in 1715, the barony was infeft to his daughter Barbara Makdougall in 1723. She married Sir George Hay (later Hay-Makdougall), and the Makerstoun estate passed to the Hay-Makdougall family][
]
Makerstoun House
Makerstoun House, a square three storey building, is situated on the north bank of the Tweed, in the south of the parish, and stands in grounds (about ) that are extensive and well wooded.[Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by, Francis Groome, publ. 1882-4. Article on Makerstoun]
The medieval house, originally a keep, was destroyed in Hertford's invasion of Scotland of 1545. A mansion was rebuilt in 1590 on the foundations of this house. The East end with a first floor vaulted chamber may be the oldest part, a pele tower, to which in the 15th century a wing was added on the West.[
From 1714 to 1725 the house was extended on plans by William Adam, (father to ]Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his o ...
the architect who created Edinburgh New Town).[ In 1828 further additions were made, including castellations.
Makerstoun House was rebuilt after a fire in 1973 using William Adam's plans of 1714–21, without castellation.][
The burial ground of the Macdougall family is situated close to Makerstoun House.][ House and grounds contain a number of 18th and 19th century monuments, including that to Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales (d.1860).][
The current owner is Lord Biddulph.]
References
{{authority control
Villages in the Scottish Borders
Parishes in Roxburghshire