Nisbet House
Encyclopedia
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...
. It is located on the north side of the Blackadder Water
Blackadder Water
Blackadder Water is a river in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, forming part of the River Tweed system.Rising in the Harecleugh Forest plantation just south of the Twin Law cairns, north of the village of Westruther. The headwaters of the Blackadder join with those of the...
, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) south of 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...
, in the Merse, a low-lying part of the former county 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...
. It was built in about 1630 by Sir Alexander Nisbet, ancestor of the heraldic authority Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet
Alexander Nisbet is one of the most important authors on Scottish heraldry. He is still much-cited, and his publications are still in print after nearly 300 years....
(1657–1725). Architectural evidence suggests that the building incorporates, at its eastern end, a square pele tower that was the former house. The house is protected as a category A listed building.
History
The Nisbet familyClan Nesbitt
Clan Nesbitt is a Scottish clan recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms and first mentioned in a Scottish charter of 1139. It is a lowland family centred in Berwickshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh and Ayrshire, with a significant historical presence in Northumberland and Durham...
built two fortified houses or pele towers in the 12th century, East Nisbet and West Nisbet. East Nisbet, now known as Allanbank, was located on the Blackadder Water
Blackadder Water
Blackadder Water is a river in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, forming part of the River Tweed system.Rising in the Harecleugh Forest plantation just south of the Twin Law cairns, north of the village of Westruther. The headwaters of the Blackadder join with those of the...
near Allanton
Allanton, Scottish Borders
Allanton is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland....
, although the original tower no longer exists. Wester Nisbet remains, and was extended in the 1630s to form the bulk of the present house. The laird at the time was Sir Alexander Nisbet of that Ilk (c. 1580–1660). Sir Alexander Nisbet overextended his finances in supporting Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and was forced to sell the property to John Ker in 1652. A square tower, with fine interior plasterwork, in the classical style of William Adam was added to the west end in 1774. The house remained with Ker descendants (latterly in the person of Lord Sinclair
Lord Sinclair
Lord Sinclair is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1449 for William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney. In 1470, Lord Orkney surrendered the earldom in return for the earldom of Caithness. In 1477, Lord Caithness wished to disinherit his eldest son from his first marriage to Lady...
) until the 1950s, when the estate was sold to Lord Brocket
Ronald Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron Brocket
Ronald Nall Nall-Cain, 2nd Baron Brocket was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom....
. After partial modernisation, the house was sold again in the mid-1960s to a local farmer, and remained unoccupied until its recent and comprehensive restoration as a private residence.
Nisbet estate
The former estate contains a very small mill, an 18th-century U-plan stable range (now converted into homes), and a scattering of cottages and farmhouses. Dunse Spa, a source of mineral water in the 18th century, is just to the north of the Nisbet estate and the spa house still stands.See also
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- Battle of Nesbit MoorBattle of Nesbit MoorThe Battle of Nesbit Moor was a small but significant clash between Scottish and English forces in the borders area north of the River Tweed. Specifically this clash took place on the Kimmerghame Estate in a field now named Slaughter Field...
(1402) - Clan NesbittClan NesbittClan Nesbitt is a Scottish clan recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms and first mentioned in a Scottish charter of 1139. It is a lowland family centred in Berwickshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh and Ayrshire, with a significant historical presence in Northumberland and Durham...