Mordington
Encyclopedia
Mordington is an agricultural parish in the extreme south-east of Berwickshire
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
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...
region. It is five miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
and borders Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
to the east, and south (where the boundary is the Whiteadder Water
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...
), Foulden to the west, and Lamberton to the north. The parish is bisected by the A6105 Berwick to Duns
Duns
Duns is the county town of the historic county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders.-Early history:Duns law, the original site of the town of Duns, has the remains of an Iron Age hillfort at its summit...
road. The lower part of the parish is covered by the Edrington
Edrington
Edrington is a medieval estate occupying the lower part of Mordington parish in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland, five miles west of Berwick-upon-Tweed. From probably the 14th century, if not earlier, a castle occupied the steep hill above the mill of the same name on the Whiteadder Water...
estate
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
. It is possibly the warmest parish in Scotland; the annual hours of sunshine are said to be almost as high as at Dunbar
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
, which records the most hours in Scotland.
Origins
It is said that there was once a Saxon village, dating from the 11th century, in the northern part of the parish but this has long vanished. Originally claimed by Coldingham PrioryColdingham Priory
Coldingham Priory was a house of Benedictine monks. It lies on the south-east coast of Scotland, in the village of Coldingham, Berwickshire. Coldingham Priory was founded in the reign of David I of Scotland, although his older brother and predecessor King Edgar of Scotland had granted the land of...
, the larger part of the parish eventually came into the possession of the de Mordington family who appear to have failed in the male line. Sir Peter de Mordington, knight, son of the deceased Sir William de Mordington, gave a feu to Simon Baddeby of certain lands in neighbouring Lamberton circa 1276.
Churches
Mordington was said to have had a chapel before the 11th century. The first parish church of which there is reasonable record stood on high ground known as the Kirk Park, near Mordington House, above the ancient bullock-track which dissected the parish from the Whiteadder to Lamberton Common. Apart from the tarmac, this single-lane road is the same today. In 1275 the vicar at Mordington refused to pay the crusader's titheTithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
, and his successor, Bernard de Linton
Bernard de Linton
Bernard de Linton was the parson of Mordington mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where he is styled persone del Eglife de Mordington, del counte de Berewyk, "parson of the church of Mordington, in the county of Berwick". Nothing else is known of him...
, swore allegiance to King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
on 24 August 1296. It mysteriously burnt down in 1757 and a new church was erected on the Duns road on what became known as the Minister's Glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
. Both of these churches had burial grounds attached to them, and the latter has survived. Little remains of the original churchyard, although in 1662 William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington
William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington
William Douglas, 2nd Lord Mordington was the eldest son and heir of Sir James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington by his spouse Anne, daughter of Lawrence Oliphant, 5th Lord Oliphant....
erected a new doorway to an ancient burial vault which is still extant. In 1870 a new church was erected a quarter of a mile uphill from the 2nd church. It was Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
and cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
. It too had a churchyard, which is still in use. This church was quickly demolished circa 1989 when the Duns Presbytery refused to pay less than £10,000 for essential roof repairs.
In 1843 the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
erected a church on Kirk
Kirk
Kirk can mean "church" in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.-Basic meaning and etymology:...
Hill adjoining Edrington Mains farm and services were maintained there until about 1910. Although still standing, it is now used as a farm building. The two manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
s in Mordington are today private residences.
After more than 900 years Mordington has no parish church and parishioners must now travel to Foulden.
Later proprietors
With the exception of Edrington, the rest of Mordington parish had a succession of landed proprietors over the centuries. The feudal barony of Mordington was long held by the Douglas of Dalkeith family but was split, with Crown consent, early in the 17th century. At that time Over Mordington came into the ownership of Sir James Douglas (died 1656), a son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of AngusWilliam Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus
William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus was the son of William, the 9th Earl . He was a direct descendant of King James I through his paternal grandmother, Lady Agnes Keith, a daughter of William Keith, 3rd Earl Marischal....
. In 1641 Sir James Douglas
James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington
Sir James Douglas, 1st Lord Mordington was the second son of William Douglas, 10th Earl of Angus by his spouse Elizabeth, daughter of Laurence Oliphant, 4th Lord Oliphant...
was made a Lord of Parliament
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
as Lord Mordington. Three years later a Visitation to the parish of Mordingtoun by the Presbytery of Chirnside
Chirnside
Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire in Scotland, west of Berwick-upon-Tweed and east of Duns.-Notables:David Hume, the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, lived in Ninewells House, just south of the village...
, called upon James, Lord Mordington, to conform to an Ordinance of the Commissioners of the General Assembly that he, "in the face of God's kirk, should renounce Popery", swear and subscribe the Confession of Faith, and also the Solemn League and Covenant
Solemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
, which his Lordship did at Mordington Kirk, 23 May 1644.
The Ramsay family held Nether Mordington direct from the Crown, and had a tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
there (today Edrington House). Eventually the Lords Mordington acquired this too. However, Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington
Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington
Charles Douglas, 5th Lord Mordington , son of George Douglas, 4th Lord Mordington by his wife Catherine née Lauder, was a Jacobite.He went to sea when he was young and did not return to Britain until after his father's death....
, took part in the Jacobite rising
Jacobite rising
The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and wars in Great Britain and Ireland occurring between 1688 and 1746. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland and II of England, and later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by...
, was captured at Carlisle and died in prison in 1745, his estates all forfeited to the Crown. The Over Mordington estate was next purchased by Thomas Hay of Mordington (died 1752), brother of Sir John Hay of Alderston, 1st Baronet
Sir John Hay of Alderston, 1st Baronet
Sir John Hay of Alderston, 1st Baronet was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia on February 22, 1703. He was the son of Thomas Hay of Hermiston one of the Clerks of the Court of Session and a Clerk of the Privy Council of Scotland, and Anna, daughter of Sir John Gibson of Pentland, Baronet.Sir John...
. In 1752 it passed to a relative, Alexander Hay of Mordington (died 1788), Advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
. Thereafter it passed to the Renton (later Campbell-Renton) of Lamberton family who retained possession until the 1970s, when, having failed in the male line, the family ended with a female inheritor who preferred to reside in Edinburgh.
Mordington House
A Pele or tower houseTower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
existed at Mordington from a very early date, probably from the time of the ownership of Thomas Randolph, 1st Earl of Moray, in the time of Robert the Bruce. His daughter Black Agnes certainly lived there, where she is buried. On the 22 July 1650 Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's forces marched from Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
to the Mordington Tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
and camped there for two days. It appears the Hays may have been responsible for the construction of the magnificent Mordington House, a Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
mansion centred upon the original 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...
sections of which were incorporated in its walls. This was the centre block, two storey with basement and vaults, a seven bay front, flanking wings, originally two-storey Palladian pavilions, with single storey links to the main house. In 1932 the artist Frank W Wood
Frank W Wood
Frank Watson Wood commenced his career as a Royal Navy officer, and was described in 1907 as "naval artist, Portsmouth". He went on to become an internationally regarded watercolorist....
painted the house and grounds (see above). Tragically, with great controversy, the house was demolished in 1973. A few years later a new smaller house was built on the site. The original house's lodge survives.
The Clappers
Nearby is the Old School House (c1840), and the old schoolroom which was originally built next to it a few decades later and extended in 1909. Both have been given Listed Building status by Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for historic monuments in Scotland.-Role:As its website states:...
. At one time as many as 50 pupils attended the school but by 1960 the school had closed due to dwindling numbers. Thereafter it was used as a village hall. The schoolroom was sold in 2002 and despite its Listed status was gutted three years later to form a small private residence.
The Holdings
Following The Great War a great part of the Mordington estate was compulsorily purchased to provide small-holdings for returning soldiers. Because of their size these could only ever be of a subsistence-farming nature and since 1950 several of the small holdings have been merged with others to provide larger farms.Council
Following the 1973 Local Government Act, Mordington became part of the monolithic Borders Regional Council (today Scottish Borders Council or SBC). In 1976 the combined Foulden Mordington and Lamberton Community CouncilCommunity 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...
(the rough equivalent to an English parish council) was established, with a dozen elected councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s, which considers all planning and other matters, and advises the SBC accordingly of local decisions.