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Marchmont Estate

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Civil parishes are small divisions used for statistical purposes and formerly for local government in Scotland .

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37-750: Marchmont Estate lies near the village of Greenlaw in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland , circa 45 miles (72 km) south east of Edinburgh . It is situated in the Merse , an area between the Lammermuirs to the north and the Cheviots to the south. It is part of what is commonly regarded as an exceptionally beautiful landscape, comprising a diverse range of land types from high and exposed grouse moor to rich alluvial agricultural land. The life of

74-544: A corballed parapet from which an 18 ft (5.5 m) steeple rises. The old iron gate or yett is the original one of 1712. A Court House also completed in 1712 stood on the west side of the tower, therefore by 1712 there stood by the side of the Church, a Tolbooth and Court House, hence the rhyme: "Here stands the Gospel and the Law, Wi' Hell's Hole atween the twa" A new jail was built in

111-713: A custom converted building now known as the New Palace Theatre Organ Heritage Centre, in the 75 seat multi-purpose auditorium of which is housed the world famous Hilsdon organ from the Edinburgh Playhouse as well as the Hilsdon organs of the Palace Picture House, Edinburgh and the Picture House, Paisley. The Centre draws visitors to Greenlaw from all over the world and the resident organist of

148-439: A feature of the architecture of that period. The church was expanded during the eighteenth century and completed in its present form around 1855. After Greenlaw became a county town in 1696, the church tower was planned as a tolbooth or prison and was completed by 1712. Its style was adapted to present the appearance of a Church Tower. It is unique in structure – square rising to a height of 60 ft (18 m) and ending in

185-487: A further 3,500 acres (14 km) of leased land, a total which is significant by modern-day standards. Research into the subject shows there are a number of documents of incidental interest that one comes across that tell a more human story about the estate and its workings. The Marchmont estate "Work Bork" of 1743-45 lists, day by day, the tasks of the estate labourers, where they worked and how much they were paid. We can take Jo Nisbet, one of those workers, as an example. He

222-498: A manor house located to the east of the town. It was owned by a branch of the Home family, including the surgeon Robert Boyne Home (1713–1786), father of Sir Everard Home and Anne Hunter . It ceased to be used as a laird 's house in 1729, and was demolished around 1820. Places nearby include Eccles , Legerwood , Gordon , Westruther , Polwarth , Fogo , Leitholm and Duns . Greenlaw has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ). There

259-558: Is a Met Office weather station located at RAF Charterhall , 3 miles (5 km) to the east. Notable people born in Greenlaw include: Civil parishes in Scotland Civil parishes gained legal functions in 1845 when parochial boards were established to administer the poor law . Their local government functions were abolished in 1930 with their powers transferred to county or burgh councils. Since 1975, they have been superseded as

296-630: Is detailed as "digging Marle" on Monday 20th. Marl, like lime was used as a soil additive, improving it chemically and biologically, and was used in areas such as this in Berwickshire and Roxburghshire which had clay soil. At places like Marchmont in the lowlands, adding marl and lime was central to agricultural success by improving the soil. He then went on to carry out other duties such as "moeing" or "forking hay", "holding up plow", "threshing oats", and "draining nursery". For 4 days work they would be typically be paid ¼, going up to 2- for 6 days work. Most of

333-535: Is now a respected member of a nationwide chain of independent weather stations and its webcam is viewed by thousands daily during periods of snow. The web designer of the site also established the Interactive Independent Climate Change Project which records data from a number of amateur Weather Stations around the UK, some of whom have data going back for over 25 years. Greenlaw Castle was

370-667: The Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) used to administer schemes within the Common Agricultural Policy . According to the website of the General Register Office for Scotland , there are now 871 civil parishes. Civil parish boundaries originally corresponded with the ecclesiastical parishes of the Church of Scotland . As parishes used for religious functions diverged from civil parishes,

407-490: The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 , with powers being transferred to county councils in landward areas of counties and burgh councils where they were within a burgh. Their boundaries continued to be used to define some of the local authorities created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and they continue to be used for census purposes. They are used as part of the coding system for agricultural holdings under

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444-495: The county town of Berwickshire in 1596. At that time, Greenlaw was situated about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the present village, atop a hill - the 'Green Law'. This area is now known as Old Greenlaw. In 1661, county town status was lost to Duns by an act of Parliament, the Duns Act 1661 (c. 136). When Patrick, Earl of Marchmont attained the barony of Greenlaw in the 1670s, he made it his business to restore what he saw as

481-680: The 1950s. Shops include the Blackadder Mini-market, Romanes pharmacy, Waldie's butchers and the Village Store. The Post Office closed in 2010 and Greenlaw is now served by a mobile post office. There was a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland , but this closed in 2014. Since 1992 the village has been home to ' STOPS' , the Scottish Theatre Organ Preservation Society, which Charitable Trust created its base in

518-565: The 25 or so men worked 6 days a week, even on Christmas Day and other days we would consider holidays. Greenlaw Greenlaw is a town and 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 census , the parish had a population of 661. Greenlaw was first made

555-544: The 3rd Earl ’s time that the house was actually built. The construction of this great house, together with many of the land purchases in the 18th century, were funded to a large extent by the sale of Cessnock estates, which came into the ownership of the family following the marriage between the Alexander the 2nd Earl, and Margaret Campbell. She was "a great heiress, and on her father’s death, in 1704, her husband succeeded him, not only in his Ayrshire estates, but also in his place on

592-462: The Centre, Larry McGuire, was one of the two people ultimately responsible for saving the Edinburgh Playhouse from demolition in 1975. An amateur Weather Centre was established at the Centre in 2006, the data from which was launched as bordersweather.co.uk, which website was initially conceived to give travellers to the Centre an idea of what weather to expect during their visit. The website has grown and

629-596: The Rt Hon the Earl of Marchmont" by John Wauchope WS we can see exactly how fast the estate expanded. The detailed inventory lists all the purchases from the last part of the 17th century and through most of the 18th century. Many of the names of farms and lands listed in the inventory are still used today. Others are now unrecognisable owing to the changing patterns of agricultural land use. The list of names and dates of acquisitions include: Slegden 1668; Greenlaw 1697; Foulshallow (probably

666-571: The Scottish Bench, where he sat under the same title of Lord Cessnock". The political power and wealth of the Hume family therefore continued. "Lord Marchmont took a great interest in his estates,....he laid out a great deal of money on his property and very much increased its extent by the purchase of Home Castle and its surrounding lands, and also of other farms lying nearer the Tweed". In the 1779 "Accounts of

703-451: The burgh was termed the landward area. Until 1891 some parishes lay in more than one county . In that year, under the terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , the boundaries of most of the civil parishes and counties were realigned so that each parish was wholly within a single county. In 1894 the parochial boards were replaced by more democratically elected parish councils. Parish councils were in turn abolished in 1930, under

740-479: The estate dated 1902. Therefore, the disposal of these must have taken place in the first few years of the 20th century. The central core north and north west of Greenlaw was largely retained. It is no surprise that the parkland around the house has changed little over the 250 years or so since the house was built. Although some trees have been cut down, the handsome avenue, arguably the longest in Scotland, stills leads to

777-416: The estate has seen many stages, including rapid growth, shrinkage and stability, from its foundation in the fifteenth century under the first Hume owner, Patrick Hume, of Polwarth, through his successors and subsequent owners to the present day. The history of Marchmont Estate can only be marked out by noting the changes to its constitution during the course of its existence. There are a number of documents on

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814-405: The estate much earlier in the 1660s.. It is not easy to see why these were bought as they don't seem to be part of a geographical pattern. In addition to the "Accounts of the Rt Hon the Earl of Marchmont" there are two further reliable references that document the composition of the estate and thereby act as milestones in its history. First is the detailed 1825 atlas and survey of the estate when in

851-450: The estate while the Humes of Marchmont were at their strongest financially and the most powerful magnates in Berwickshire. It was not however until 1755 that the Hume family moved from Redbraes Castle adjacent to their new home, Marchmont House , a family seat befitting such an estate. Ideas and plans had been drawn up earlier in the century by Alexander the 2nd Earl , but it was not until Hugh,

888-591: The grounds were laid for the Berwickshire Courts Act 1853 ( 16 & 17 Vict. c. 27), which authorising sheriff and commissary courts to be held at Duns. Another courthouse, known as County Buildings, was subsequently built at 8 Newtown Street in Duns in 1856. When Berwickshire County Council was created it held its first meeting on 22 May 1890 at County Hall in Greenlaw, when it decided by 18 votes to 12 that all subsequent meetings should be held at Duns. Greenlaw

925-468: The house from a north easterly direction. During the remainder of most of the 20th century and during the time of the former proprietor the estate comprised the following farms: Woodheads, Whiteside Slegden, Clerkenville, Castlemill, Elwartlaw and Cothill, the last two being sold off in about 1978 and 1981 respectively. However latterly the estate has seen some of areas of land bought back or added. It now has about 5,500 acres (22 km) of freehold land and

962-663: The matter in places such as the National Archives of Scotland and Register House in Edinburgh, but many of these are estate papers dealing with internal or personal issues rather than the bigger picture. This article is interested more in the fluctuations of its size and reasons for these changes. Marchmont Estate was developed as a result of the improved fortunes of a certain Sir Patrick Hume, 8th Baron of Polwarth, born in 1641. As his territorial designation indicates, he lived in

999-496: The now called Flourishwalls) 1700; Hallyburton 1702; East end of Fogo 1725; Bellshill 1710; Hurdlaw 1712; Gordonbank, Bellshill, Spencerigg 1775;Barony of Hume 1766; Rollandston 1762 Braelands of Hapington (Hassington), east end of Fogo 1771; Eccleshill 1779; The Slap 1779. The estate acquired farms many miles away and apparently unconnected to the existing land. Such farms were Headshaw and Kelphope at Carfrae, roughly halfway to Edinburgh.Channanbank at Abbey St. Bathans had been added to

1036-518: The ownership of Sir William Purves-Hume-Campbell. The second is the sale particulars of the auction of the house and estate in June 1913, held by John D Wood and instructed on behalf of Sir John Hume Campbell, Bt., the last of the Hume owners. The 1825 survey states that the lands extend to about 21,000 acres (85 km). Such was the importance of the estate that a railway station was built for it, presumably as much for agricultural use as personal. The station

1073-424: The parish of Polwarth (which was the core of the estate of Marchmont), a small but prosperous parish between Greenlaw and Duns . The name of the family seat was Redbraes Castle to which they removed from Polwarth Castle following the latter's destruction in the 'Rough Wooing'wars of the 1540s. The Humes of Polwarth acquired the barony through marriage in 1470. A staunch supporter of William of Orange , Sir Patrick

1110-526: The rights and privileges that came with the barony. In 1696 he succeeded: an act of Parliament, the Greenlaw Act 1696 (c. 16), was passed, laying down in statute that the town of Greenlaw should be the Head Burgh of Berwickshire. However, attempts were made in 1739, 1790 and 1810 to take the rights and privileges from Greenlaw and make Duns the county town once more. Though unsuccessful in their primary aim,

1147-401: The size of the estate when eventually sold at auction was 5,000 acres (20 km). The reduction in the size of the estate was due to the dwindling wealth of the Hume family of Marchmont. Many of the outlying farms were sold off, in particular the belt of estate situated south of Greenlaw such as Hume, Stanmore, Belmont and Hassendean. These are recorded as being part of Marchmont in a plan of

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1184-400: The smallest unit of local administration in Scotland by community councils . Civil parishes in Scotland can be dated from 1845, when parochial boards were established to administer the poor law . While they originally corresponded to the parishes of the Church of Scotland , the number and boundaries of parishes soon diverged. Where a parish contained a burgh , the area of the parish outside

1221-486: The town in 1824. This was used throughout the Victorian period but was taken out of use in the 20th century and demolished in the 1960s. Greenlaw Town Hall , completed in 1831, is a listed building from its county town era and was one of the buildings shortlisted in the 2006 BBC television series Restoration Village . Greenlaw Golf Club (now defunct) first appeared in the mid-1920s. The club disappeared some time in

1258-501: Was elevated to "the highest official position in the kingdom, that of the King's High Commissioner to the Parliament". These positions came with immense political power and therefore wealth. It is with this wealth that Marchmont Estate was able to grow so quickly while the Earl bought up surrounding lands and houses.– The late 17th century and most of the 18th century saw the rapid expansion of

1295-414: Was forced to flee to Holland and Polwarth estates were confiscated in 1686. He returned with the new king, King William III of Great Britain in 1689 and was rewarded greatly by the king for his brave loyalty by being given the title Lord Polwarth in 1690. In addition his lands and other dignities were restored to him. Moreover, he was made Lord Chancellor in 1697 and created Earl of Marchmont, and then in 1698

1332-529: Was situated between Duns and Greenlaw stations on the Berwickshire Railway line which was opened on 1 August 1849 to join Reston to the main Edinburgh to Hawick line at Ravenswood Junction near St Boswells. The track at Marchmont was lifted in 1953. However, by the time the estate was put up for sale in 1913, approximately 90 years later, the estate had reduced in size to about 13,500 acres (55 km). in fact

1369-408: Was still considered the official county town after 1890, despite the county council meeting in Duns and courts being held at both towns. The Berwickshire County Town Act 1903 ( 3 Edw. 7 . c. 5) finally revoked Greenlaw's status as county town and declared Duns to be the county town for all purposes. There is also a fine church, built in 1675, on earlier foundations. The corbie step gables preserve

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