Kingledoors
Encyclopedia
Kingledoors is a group of settlements in a valley in southern Scotland
near Tweedsmuir
in the Scottish Borders
, in the valley of the River Tweed
. It is part of the parish of Drumelzier
and is bounded on the north by Mossfennan, on the east by Polmood
, on the south by the lands of Crook and Oliver
.
The settlement is at the foot of a long valley through which runs Kingledoors Burn and it is divided into three parts - Chapel Kingledoors is a small settlement at the foot of the valley, Kingledoors Hope or Over Kingledoors is at the tope end of the valley and. Kingledoors Craig occupies the lands to the north of the Burn. Kingledoors was originally part of the barony of Oliver Castle
which was originally owned by the Clan Fraser
. When Sir Simon Fraser was killed in 1306, Craig Kingledoors became the property of the Hays, and the other lands the property of the Flemings.
Chapel Kingledoors is named from a chapel dedicated to St Cuthbert. This had been a hermit's cell and as a chapel it was granted to the monks of Melrose along with the adjacent lands called then South Kingledoors. There was previously a Peel tower
a short way up the valley on the north side of the burn. Much of the land was later tenanted or owned by the Tweedies and a conflict with the Flemings in 1524 led to the death of the then Lord Fleming. Craig Kingledoors was acquired by William Hay of Drumelzier in 1686 and the Tweedies were proprietors of Chapel Kingledoors and one half of Over Kingledoors in 1712, which property William Hay acquired from the Tweedies before his death, and his son Alexander in 1736 had a Crown charter of the whole property. The estate then passed through a succession of owners including Sir George Montgomery of Macbiehill, Baronet and James Tweedie of Quarter who bought up many properties previously owned by the Tweedies.
Kingledoors Burn which runs through the valley is a gravel bed stream which has provided a basis for several geographical research papers.
55.53°N 03.42°W
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
near Tweedsmuir
Tweedsmuir
The village of Tweedsmuir is a village and civil parish situated from the source of the River Tweed, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland....
in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, in the valley of the River Tweed
River Tweed
The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is long and flows primarily through the Borders region of Great Britain. It rises on Tweedsmuir at Tweed's Well near where the Clyde, draining northwest, and the Annan draining south also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" as the Border saying...
. It is part of the parish of Drumelzier
Drumelzier
Drumelzier , is a village on the B712 in the Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders.The area of the village is extensive and includes the settlements of Wrae, Stanhope, Mossfennan and Kingledoors. To the north is Broughton and to the south the road passes Crook Inn to Tweedsmuir.The Drumelzier or...
and is bounded on the north by Mossfennan, on the east by Polmood
Polmood
Polmood is a small settlement in southern Scotland near Tweedsmuir in the Scottish Borders, in the valley of the River Tweed.Polmood was for many centuries the centre of the Hunter family in the lowlands and the earliest record was a charter dated 1057 to Norman Hunter of Polmood. It was once a...
, on the south by the lands of Crook and Oliver
Oliver Castle
Oliver Castle was a small tower house, located in the upper Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders, within the bounds of the village of Tweedsmuir. The castle was originally part of the line of peel towers along the Tweed Valley. It was replaced in the seventeenth century by a house on the same site,...
.
The settlement is at the foot of a long valley through which runs Kingledoors Burn and it is divided into three parts - Chapel Kingledoors is a small settlement at the foot of the valley, Kingledoors Hope or Over Kingledoors is at the tope end of the valley and. Kingledoors Craig occupies the lands to the north of the Burn. Kingledoors was originally part of the barony of Oliver Castle
Oliver Castle
Oliver Castle was a small tower house, located in the upper Tweed Valley in the Scottish Borders, within the bounds of the village of Tweedsmuir. The castle was originally part of the line of peel towers along the Tweed Valley. It was replaced in the seventeenth century by a house on the same site,...
which was originally owned by the Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser
Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of French origin. The Clan has been strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gained lands there in the 13th century. Since its founding, the Clan has dominated local politics and been active in every major military conflict...
. When Sir Simon Fraser was killed in 1306, Craig Kingledoors became the property of the Hays, and the other lands the property of the Flemings.
Chapel Kingledoors is named from a chapel dedicated to St Cuthbert. This had been a hermit's cell and as a chapel it was granted to the monks of Melrose along with the adjacent lands called then South Kingledoors. There was previously a Peel tower
Peel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
a short way up the valley on the north side of the burn. Much of the land was later tenanted or owned by the Tweedies and a conflict with the Flemings in 1524 led to the death of the then Lord Fleming. Craig Kingledoors was acquired by William Hay of Drumelzier in 1686 and the Tweedies were proprietors of Chapel Kingledoors and one half of Over Kingledoors in 1712, which property William Hay acquired from the Tweedies before his death, and his son Alexander in 1736 had a Crown charter of the whole property. The estate then passed through a succession of owners including Sir George Montgomery of Macbiehill, Baronet and James Tweedie of Quarter who bought up many properties previously owned by the Tweedies.
Kingledoors Burn which runs through the valley is a gravel bed stream which has provided a basis for several geographical research papers.
External links
- http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/248018
- Michael Forbes Tweedie The History of the Tweedie or Tweedy Family (1902)
55.53°N 03.42°W