Preston is a small village in the ancient county of

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 t ...

, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It lies within the local

Abbey St Bathans Abbey St Bathans ( gd, Abaid Bhaoithin) is a parish in the Lammermuir district of Berwickshire, in the eastern part of the Scottish Borders. Unique in its topography, it is situated in a long winding steep wooded valley that follows the Whitead ...

, Bonkyl & Preston Community Council area. The united Parishes of 'Bunkle' and Preston, situated at the foot of the Lammermuir Hills, are bordered on the north by the Parishes of

and

Coldingham Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth. Parish The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwi ...

, on the east by the Parishes of Coldingham and Chirnside, on the south by the Parishes of Edrom and

Duns Duns may refer to: * Duns, Scottish Borders, a town in Berwickshire, Scotland ** Duns railway station ** Duns F.C., a football club ** Duns RFC, a rugby football club ** Battle of Duns, an engagement fought in 1372 * Duns Scotus ( 1265/66–1308 ...

and on the east by the Parishes of Duns and Abbey St. Bathans.

Locality

Preston is on the A6112 road and the B6355, near

. Places nearby include Bonkyl Kirk, Chirnside,

Cranshaws Cranshaws is a village on the B6355 road, near Duns, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Berwickshire. Of Cranshaws Castle only the tower remains, at Cranshaws Farm on Cranshaws Hill. Places nearby include Abbey St Bathans ...

, the Crosshall cross, Eccles,

Edin's Hall Broch Edin's Hall Broch (also Edinshall Broch; Odin's Hall Broch) is a 2nd-century broch near Duns in the Borders of Scotland. It is one of very few brochs found in southern Scotland. It is roughly 28 metres in diameter. Name In the late 18th centur ...

, Edrom,

Greenlaw Greenlaw is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish 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. At the 2001 United Kingd ...

, Greenlaw County Hall,

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

Hume Castle ' , partof = , location = Hume, Berwickshire, Scotland , image = Hume Castle - geograph.org.uk - 812984.jpg , image_size = , caption = , map_type = Scotland Scottish Borders , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = Shown within Scotland Scot ...

, the

Jim Clark Room Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim' ...

, Manderston House,

Polwarth Parish Church Polwarth Parish Church was a member church ( sco, kirk) of the Church of Scotland before closing in 2004. It is situated atop a mound off a minor road leading from the A6105, Greenlaw to Duns road in the old county of Berwickshire, now pri ...

The Village

The Old Parish Church was an outlying enclave of the diocese of

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

, and a possession of its bishop in 1275. It was abandoned in 1718 in favour of Bunkle, and is now an overgrown ruin. A Market Cross sits opposite Preston Farm, thought to be early 17th Century. It consists of a square plan shaft, and a broken cross. Nel Logan's Bridge, 1793, is a single segmental-arch over Preston Burn. The arch was later enclosed to form a cell below the bridge, used as a jail. Local tradition claims Napoleonic prisoners of war were held here while in transit to larger sites. According to a local story it is named after Nel Logan, the last person to be imprisoned there, for the crime of stealing sheep. There is a hole in the floor directly above the Preston Burn, this was the 'toilet'. The heavy wooden arch-shaped door fell apart some forty years ago. The bridge is now a Category B Listed Building.Nel Logan's Bridge
/ref> Preston Bridge, 1770, consists of three segmental arches which span the

Whiteadder Water Whiteadder Water is a river in East Lothian and Berwickshire, Scotland. It also flows for a very short distance through Northumberland before joining the River Tweed. In common with the headwaters of the Biel Water it rises on the low hillside ...

. Red sandstone, and notable for round recesses on the spandrels, with carved floral decorations in the south ones. Bonkyl Lodge lies east of the village. A classical house built by the twelfth Earl of Home circa 1890, with some later additions. Preston Farm Cottages are a late 19th-century U-plan range of nine cottages. Notable are blind armorial shields in the gable heads and casements with diamond-paned glazing. The Bastie Monument, early 19th century, consists of a square plinth and pedestal embossed with crosses and classical cornice, topped by a stylised urn. Erected by General James Home in honour of Antoine d'Arces, Seigneur de la Bastie, a warden of the Marche
murdered
by Clan Home near Langton in 1517.

History

Bunkle Wood, the remains of which can still be seen on the

to Grantshouse road at White Gate, is said to be the site where

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army ...

camped during his pursuit of Patrick Earl of Dunbar from Spott Wood to

Norham Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland. History Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ...

. Traditional: ''Bunkle, Billie and Blanerne'' ''Three castles strong as airn'' ''Built when Davy was a bairn;'' ''They'll a' gang doon'' ''Wi' Scotland's croon,'' ''And ilke ane sall be a cairn.'' All three castles are in this parish, and all three were destroyed during Hertford's Raid of 1544, part of

The Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...

of Scotland. The old moat of Bunkle castle can still be traced, 2.5 km to the north of Preston, but no sign remains of the village.

References

* Brooke, C J (2000) 'Safe sanctuaries: security and defence in Anglo-Scottish border churches 1290-1690', Edinburgh, pages 27–8, 363 * Cowan, I B (1967), 'The parishes of medieval Scotland, ''scot Rec Soc, vol.93'', Edinburgh, page 167

External links

Abbey St Bathans, Bonkyl & Preston Community CouncilRCAHMS/Canmore: Site record of Preston, Old Parish Church and GraveyardBorders Family History Society: Bunkle and PrestonScottish Borders Heritage: Preston Bridge
{{authority control Villages in the Scottish Borders

Locality

The Village

History

See also

References

External links