Channelkirk is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

and

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

area in the north-west corner of the historic 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 ...

in the Scottish Borders area 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 ...

, forming the upper part of the ancient district of

Lauderdale Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 trunk road, which runs from Darlington to ...

, while the parish of

Lauder The former Royal Burgh of Lauder (, gd, Labhdar) is a town in the Scottish Borders in the historic county of Berwickshire. On the Southern Upland Way, the burgh lies southeast of Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Lammermuir Hills. Etymo ...

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 Ettrick and Lauderdale (''Eadaraig agus Srath Labhdair'' in Scottish Gaelic) was one of four local government districts in the Borders region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. History The district was created on 16 May 1975 under the Local Govern ...

district of

Borders Region 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 Lothian an ...

. 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.Gazetteer of Scotland, 2nd edition, by W. Groome, publ. 1896. Article on ChannelkirkCommunity Council boundary map and description http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/7732/oxton_and_channelkirk retrieved March 2016Ordnance Survey 1 inch to 1 mile, Title: Sheet 74 – Edinburgh Publ.1925 (shows Channelkirk boundaries)Report of Local government Boundary Commission for Scotland, 1988 retrieved March 2016 The parish is bounded on the west by the parish of

Stow Stow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Stow, Lincolnshire or Stow-in-Lindsey, a village * Stow of Wedale or Stow, Scottish Borders, a village * Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, a small town * Stow, Shropshire or Stowe, a village * Stow ...

, on the north by the parishes of Fala and Soutra (in Midlothian) and Humbie (in East Lothian) and on the east and south-east by

(also in Berwickshire). The church is about 6 miles NNW of Lauder, while the village of Oxton (population 272 in 2001) is about 4½ miles NNW of that town. The parish is drained by several headwaters of the

Leader Water The River Leader, or Leader Water, is a small tributary of the River Tweed in Lauderdale in the Scottish Borders. It flows southwards from the Lammermuir Hills through the towns of Lauder and Earlston, joining the River Tweed at Leaderfoot. Cou ...

, the river of Lauderdale, one of which is Kelphope Burn, which forms the eastern boundary. There are several prominent hills, from Collie Law (1286 ft) in the south to Dun Law (1292 ft) and Ninecairn Edge (1478 ft) on the northern boundary, the westernmost reach of the Lammermuir hills. The parish is about 6½ miles; north to south and its width is about 5 miles. Channelkirk Church lies in open countryside, commanding a view down the valley. It is the mother kirk of Lauderdale and its site dates back to St Cuthbert.Channelkirk church website https://www.scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/channelkirk-parish-church retrieved March 2016 Near the source of the burn Holy Water Cleugh, nearby, St Cuthbert, while a child, was placed under the protection of a religious man during his mother's pilgrimage to Rome, in 636 AD. Afterwards a church was established by

Dryburgh Abbey Dryburgh Abbey, near Dryburgh on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, was nominally founded on 10 November (Martinmas) 1150 in an agreement between Hugh de Morville, Constable of Scotland, and the Premonstratensian canons regu ...

with the name 'Childeschirche' (the old name of Channelkirk), in his honour. More recently its name was Gingle-kirk and was so written in the parochial records and also pronounced as such. The present building was erected in 1817 by James Gillespie Graham, in Perpendicular Gothic style. The bell of 1702 is still rung on Sundays, although services take place at a hall in Oxton in the winter months. Baronies Oxton, Carfrae, Hartside, and Glengelt were designated "baronies" in law instruments, while Collielaw, Airhouse, Over Howden, and Kirktonhill may be styled "Residences", as distinguished from ordinary farms. However, in the case of Hartside, it was first referred to as a "barony" in 1728, by which time, the designation of " barony " was more a courtesy than signification of real baronial status.History of Channelkirk, by Rev.Archibald Allen, publ. by James Thin, Edinburgh, 1900; ch.16 It appears that "Oxton" as a name only came into regular use in the mid 19th century. The name "Ugston" is that commonly found in parish and other records, and in the churchyard, and this form was used for several hundred years. It appears occasionally in legal deeds as "the barony of Ugistoune," or "the territory of Ugistoune" and, from its earliest mention in records, was more than a village ; it was an estate or territory, and must have embraced a considerable area. By the beginning of 17th century the lands of Oxton appear to have become separated into several distinct properties, each with its own special designation.History of Channelkirk, by Rev.Archibald Allen, publ. by James Thin, Edinburgh, 1900; ch.13 Carfrae has a strategic position commanding the passes from Upper Lauderdale into Lothian, by way of Glengelt and Kelphope glens. The earliest form of the name is Carfra, which is Celtic, probably "caer" (Welsh for fort) together with some other name. Carfrae is first mentioned in a charter in which William de Morville, son of

Richard de Morville Richard de Morville (died 1189), Lord of Cunninghame succeeded his father Hugh de Morville (died 1162) as Constable of Scotland and in his Scottish estates and English lands at Bozeat in Northamptonshire, and Rutland, as well as a number of f ...

, Lord of Lauderdale, grants the lands of Carfrae to Henry de Saint Clair (Sinclair), in around 1196. The barony encompassed much of the eastern part of the parish.History of Channelkirk, by Rev.Archibald Allen, publ. by James Thin, Edinburgh, 1900; ch.14 Parish authorities A Parochial Board was established under the Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845. With the

Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. 58) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It created a Local Government Board for Scotland, and replaced existing parochial boards with parish councils. Part I of the ac ...

the Parish Council was established. In 1900 it had 7 members (Chairman: David Tweedie).History of Channelkirk, by Rev.Archibald Allen, publ. by James Thin, Edinburgh, 1900; ch.24 Civil parishes in Scotland, as units of local government, were abolished in 1929 Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 but have been used later for census and other purposes. The civil parish has an area of 14,197 acres Gazetteer of Scotland, publ, by W & AK Johnston, Edinburgh, 1937. Article on Channelkirk. Places are presented alphabetically. and a population of 492 (in 2011).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

References

- {{authority control Villages in the Scottish Borders Parishes in Berwickshire