Swinton is a small village 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 ...

. It is in the former county of Berwickshire, around southeast of Duns, and northwest of the Anglo-Scottish border. Aerial view of Swinton

History

Swinton dates to the 11th century or earlier, and is associated with the

Swinton family Clan Swinton is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs ...

, who took their name from the settlement. In 1769, the village was re-designed and a market was created, now marked by the

market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosse ...

. A parish church was built and still stands today. In the churchyard, the Swintons have their own burial enclosure. In 1843, the Free Church of Swinton was built, but in the 1900s the spire was removed and it became the local village hall. The main parish church was remodelled in 1910 by Robert Lorimer.

Notable people

* Daniel Laidlaw, recipient of the Victoria Cross

Etymology

The name of the village is a contraction of Swine Town, a name borne from the large number of wild boar the land was once inhabited by.

Swinton House

Swinton House, west of the village, dates in its current form to 1800, and was the residence of many of the

. It was built to replace an earlier house, which was destroyed by fire in the late 18th century. Both the house and the nearby 18th century dovecote are protected as category A listed buildings.

References

{{authority control Villages in the Scottish Borders