Allanton, Scottish Borders
Encyclopedia
Allanton is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire
, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders
region of Scotland
.
Allanton is in Edrom
Parish, a rural Parish of east central Berwickshire being bounded on the north by the Parishes of Bunkle and Preston
and Chirnside
, on the east by the Parishes of Chirnside, Hutton
and Whitsome
and Hilton, on the south by the Parishes of Whitsome and Hilton, Swinton
and Fogo
and on the west by the Parishes of Langton and Duns
. Blackadder house nearby with beautiful scenery and landscapes.
and six miles west of the border with Northumberland
. Its closest market towns are Duns
and Berwick-upon-Tweed
. The village stands high above the confluence of the Whiteadder
and Blackadder
Waters, the site of two bridges.
Allanton Bridge forms two spans over the Whiteadder Water
, dated 1841, by Robert Stevenson and Sons
. Blackadder Bridge spans the Blackadder Water
, dated 1851. In a copse between the two bridges is an early 19th Century Ferryman's Cottage (ruined).
‘Adder’ is from the old English word ‘awedur’, meaning ‘running water’ or ‘stream’. There is mention of Blakadir de Eodem (of that ilk) holding lands in the earldom of March in 1426.
s granted by Steuart of Allanbank. In the 20th century the village was notable as a village of tailors' shops, having three, the last of which closed in the 1960s. All three are now private residences. The village contains a public house and restaurant, a village hall, a children's playground and a public telephone booth. The Village Post Office closed in 2006.
Allanbrae (John Lessels
1854), at the Northwest of the village overlooking the confluence
of the Whiteadder
and Blackadder
Waters, was formerly a school for the daughters of senior staff on the Blackadder Estate.
The Old Bakehouse, at the southern end of the western terrace, is a stone built end terraced cottage dating back to the early nineteenth century, and formerly the bakehouse to the Blackadder estate. Adjacent Sheaf House was once the bakers' shop for the Bakehouse.
Allanton Village Hall, the former schoolroom, breaks the western terrace of cottages in the middle of the village.
Opposite the hall is Holmeknowe, a two story stone house notable for tripartite segmental-arched windows - the centre one originally forming the doorway to the Tailor's shop. A single storey workroom was situated to the rear, with an exterior stable-block. It has a feu dating back to 1764.
Brunton House is a large stone built Victorian villa, with the remnants of workshops behind the main building. The Brunton family were renowned tailors in Edinburgh and moved the business to Allanton in 1873 and had the present property built in 1897. It is now a family home, upon two floors, though retains many features of the Tailor's shop.
The Allanton Inn forms the southern end of the eastern terrace, formerly two cottages joined in the 1830s. It is joined to the Old Fire Station (originally a stable and hayloft for the Inn).
The village also contains several other buildings relating to the Blackadder Estate: the Smiddy House, the two entrance lodges - Lydd Cottage and Westside Cottage (south west), and the Carter's House (east terrace).
Several houses in Allanton and on the Blackadder Estate use a common motif in their architecture: Tudor Style hood moulds, and fish scale bands of green, red and grey roof slating. This motif is seen on the Smiddy House, Sheaf House, North Lodge and Ardsheil among others.
Within Allanton's main street still stand a pair of splay-fronted lodges (Lydd Cottage and Westside Cottage), defining the entrance to the former Blackadder House, a magnificent classical house built in Palladian style around an earlier tower house
which possibly had circular towers at angles. James Playfair
drew up plans for substantial rebuilding and remodelling of the earlier house (but unexecuted), which were superseded by Robert Adam
's castellated proposals which gave the house its final profile. That was in turn remodelled and extended by John Lessels
, circa 1853, who balustraded the terraces and wallheads, built a large asymmetrical wing, and other improvements.
The farm of Blackadder Mains along with Blackadder Bank, Blackadder West and Blackadder Mount and the nearby village of Allanton were all originally part of the Blackadder Estate which surrounded Blackadder House.
While the house is gone, impressive ruins remain that make a walk through the estate worthwhile. Little remains of the house other than a folly walkway with stone balustrade which was at the back of the house below ground level, cut into the rock of a cliff face that overlooks the river Blackadder below. Where the house was, a wood was planted. Below the folly on the bank of the river the remains of the hydro electric power house is still visible (Blackadder House was reputedly the first in Berwickshire to have electric lighting).
Other buildings built to service the estate remain. Blackadder Cottage (or the 'Butler's House') with an impressive pair of lions on the parapet, sits on a high bank above the Blackadder Water
. Allanbank Courtyard is a U-planned steading begun c. 1780. There is also a Walled Garden with a Summerhouse, and several bridges over the Blackadder Water
. An impressive stable range with tower and obelisk steeple survive the destruction of the house, attributed to architect Alexander Boswell
in 1785.
of that Ilk were taken into the family of Home (now the Home Robertson family) by the marriage of Beatrix and her younger sister, the only heirs of their father Robert, to younger sons of Home of Wedderburn in 1518 (Wedderburn Castle
is still owned by his descendent, Georgina Home-Robertson).
According to Anderson, this was achieved in the following manner: ‘Andrew Blackadder
followed the standard of Douglas
at Flodden
in 1513 and was slain along with two hundred gentlemen of that name on that disastrous field leaving a widow and two daughters, Beatrix and Margaret, who at the time were mere children. From the unprotected state of Robert’s daughters, the Homes of Wedderburn formed a design of seizing the lands of Blackadder
.
They began by cutting off all within their reach whose affinity was dreaded as an hereditary obstacle. They attacked Robert Blackadder
, the Prior of Coldingham
, and assassinated him. His brother, the Dean of Dunblane
, shared the same fate. Various others were dispatched in like manner.
They now assaulted the Castle of Blackadder (which was sited somewhere on the land that is now Blackadder Mains and was destroyed in the early 16th century when the English, under the command of Surrey
, invaded Scotland) where the widow and her two young daughters resided.
The garrison refused to surrender but the Homes succeeded in obtaining possession of the fortress, seized the widow and her children, compelling them to the marriage by force. The two daughters were contracted to younger sons, John and Robert in 1518 and as they were only in their eighth year, they were confined in the Castle of Blackadder until they became of age.
Whatever the truth of this story, the Home possession of the estates was challenged by a cousin, Sir John Blackadder, who held the lands of Tulliallan
. Sir John sought assistance from Parliament but, as was so often the case at that time, the matter was ultimately resolved by steel. Sir John Blackadder was beheaded in March 1531 for the murder of the Abbot of Culross
in a dispute over land. He was succeeded in the barony of Tulliallan by his brother Patrick, who again renewed his dispute against the Homes for the family lands. Again, Anderson accused the Homes of treachery in the story of Patrick’s murder in an ambush near Edinburgh, where he was to meet the Homes to try to resolve their differences. The Blackadders thereafter relinquished their claim to the Borders lands, and Sir John Home was created Baronet of Blackadder in 1671.
House (which was the Dower House to Blackadder) and Kelloe House
, both of which are no more.
During the nineteenth century the Estate was owned by the Boswall family, and a Robert Boswall was chosen by a childless relative, Dr. Alexander Boswall, to be heir to the estate of Blackadder. To prepare him for this responsibility, Robert was placed in the Royal Navy and a fiance, Lady Lucy Ann Preston, was chosen for him. However, Robert did well at sea aboard the H.M. Queen Charlotte, and when his captain died at sea, he was bidden to take care of the widow and her daughter. He was stationed at the Royal Navy Garrison in Gibraltar, in command of the British Gunship Cacafogo during English hostilities with Spain, when he married his former Captain's daughter. Dr Boswall disinherited him for disobeying his wishes and marrying someone other than Lady Lucy, and Lady Lucy was given to another cousin, Thomas Boswall, who did inherit. Although the Blackadder estate was sold finally by his descendants, when Euphemia Boswall inherited it in 1830 she was considered to be one of the richest heiresses in Britain.
During World War I
the mansion was requisitioned by the government as accommodation for troops, who vandalised the building, using parts of the grand staircase bannisters for firewood. The post-war government refused to pay for the restitution of the house to its former state and with the agricultural depression it was closed up. It was demolished circa 1925.
House, the Dower House to Blackadder House, was notoriously haunted by Pearlin Jean. Reputedly a French woman, whom the first baronet of Allanbank, then Mr Stuart, met with at Paris, during his Grand Tour
to finish his education as a gentleman.
So called for the diaphanous lace in which she appeared, Jean was the wretched mistress of Stuart. He abandoned her in order to marry respectably, and so she threw herself under the wheels of his carriage. Thereafter, her miserable ghost ruined the domestic peace and marital harmony of Stuart's life.
was notable as the site of a notorious incident of Body Snatching in 1826, which resulted in a riot in Duns. After its recovery, the body of Peter McGall was buried for a second time and it is believed that one Mary Manuel from Allanton claimed a possible unique distinction of preparing a body for burial not once but twice.
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...
, now an administrative area of 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 of Scotland
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...
.
Allanton is in Edrom
Edrom
Edrom is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland....
Parish, a rural Parish of east central Berwickshire being bounded on the north by the Parishes of Bunkle and Preston
Preston, Scottish Borders
Preston is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland....
and 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...
, on the east by the Parishes of Chirnside, Hutton
Hutton, Scottish Borders
Hutton is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. It is a traditional, country village surrounded by farmland.-Locality:...
and Whitsome
Whitsome
Whitsome is a small rural village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B6437, near Duns, Fogo, Leitholm, Ladykirk and Swinton.-Place-name meaning:...
and Hilton, on the south by the Parishes of Whitsome and Hilton, Swinton
Swinton, Scottish Borders
Swinton is a small village in the Scottish Borders. It is in the former county of Berwickshire, around south-east of Duns, and north-west of the Anglo-Scottish border.-History:...
and Fogo
Fogo, Scottish Borders
Fogo is a village in the county of Berwickshire, in the Borders of Scotland, 3 miles south of Duns, on the Blackadder Water.The name Fogo means "foggage pit, den or hollow"....
and on the west by the Parishes of Langton and 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...
. Blackadder house nearby with beautiful scenery and landscapes.
Locality
Allanton lies one mile south of ChirnsideChirnside
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...
and six miles west of the border with 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...
. Its closest market towns are 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...
and 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....
. The village stands high above the confluence of the Whiteadder
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...
and Blackadder
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...
Waters, the site of two bridges.
Allanton Bridge forms two spans over 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...
, dated 1841, by Robert Stevenson and Sons
Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)
Robert Stevenson FRSE MInstCE FSAS MWS FGS FRAS FSA was a Scottish civil engineer and famed designer and builder of lighthouses.One of his finest achievements was the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse.-Early life:...
. Blackadder Bridge spans 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...
, dated 1851. In a copse between the two bridges is an early 19th Century Ferryman's Cottage (ruined).
‘Adder’ is from the old English word ‘awedur’, meaning ‘running water’ or ‘stream’. There is mention of Blakadir de Eodem (of that ilk) holding lands in the earldom of March in 1426.
The Village
Allanton is a single street, mostly lined with single storey terraced cottages. The earliest were built in the late 18th to early 19th century with gardens, on feuFeu
Feu was previously the most common form of land tenure in Scotland, as conveyancing in Scots law was dominated by feudalism until the Scottish Parliament passed the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. Act 2000...
s granted by Steuart of Allanbank. In the 20th century the village was notable as a village of tailors' shops, having three, the last of which closed in the 1960s. All three are now private residences. The village contains a public house and restaurant, a village hall, a children's playground and a public telephone booth. The Village Post Office closed in 2006.
Allanbrae (John Lessels
John Lessels
John Lessels was a Scottish architect and artist, notably active in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. He was responsible for numerous buildings and alteration projects in Berwickshire....
1854), at the Northwest of the village overlooking the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Whiteadder
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...
and Blackadder
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...
Waters, was formerly a school for the daughters of senior staff on the Blackadder Estate.
The Old Bakehouse, at the southern end of the western terrace, is a stone built end terraced cottage dating back to the early nineteenth century, and formerly the bakehouse to the Blackadder estate. Adjacent Sheaf House was once the bakers' shop for the Bakehouse.
Allanton Village Hall, the former schoolroom, breaks the western terrace of cottages in the middle of the village.
Opposite the hall is Holmeknowe, a two story stone house notable for tripartite segmental-arched windows - the centre one originally forming the doorway to the Tailor's shop. A single storey workroom was situated to the rear, with an exterior stable-block. It has a feu dating back to 1764.
Brunton House is a large stone built Victorian villa, with the remnants of workshops behind the main building. The Brunton family were renowned tailors in Edinburgh and moved the business to Allanton in 1873 and had the present property built in 1897. It is now a family home, upon two floors, though retains many features of the Tailor's shop.
The Allanton Inn forms the southern end of the eastern terrace, formerly two cottages joined in the 1830s. It is joined to the Old Fire Station (originally a stable and hayloft for the Inn).
The village also contains several other buildings relating to the Blackadder Estate: the Smiddy House, the two entrance lodges - Lydd Cottage and Westside Cottage (south west), and the Carter's House (east terrace).
Several houses in Allanton and on the Blackadder Estate use a common motif in their architecture: Tudor Style hood moulds, and fish scale bands of green, red and grey roof slating. This motif is seen on the Smiddy House, Sheaf House, North Lodge and Ardsheil among others.
Blackadder 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...
which possibly had circular towers at angles. James Playfair
James Playfair
James Playfair was a Scottish architect who worked largely in the Neoclassical tradition. He was born in Benvie near Dundee, where his father was the parish minister. He was the brother of William Playfair the engineer, and the mathematician John Playfair...
drew up plans for substantial rebuilding and remodelling of the earlier house (but unexecuted), which were superseded by Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
's castellated proposals which gave the house its final profile. That was in turn remodelled and extended by John Lessels
John Lessels
John Lessels was a Scottish architect and artist, notably active in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. He was responsible for numerous buildings and alteration projects in Berwickshire....
, circa 1853, who balustraded the terraces and wallheads, built a large asymmetrical wing, and other improvements.
The farm of Blackadder Mains along with Blackadder Bank, Blackadder West and Blackadder Mount and the nearby village of Allanton were all originally part of the Blackadder Estate which surrounded Blackadder House.
While the house is gone, impressive ruins remain that make a walk through the estate worthwhile. Little remains of the house other than a folly walkway with stone balustrade which was at the back of the house below ground level, cut into the rock of a cliff face that overlooks the river Blackadder below. Where the house was, a wood was planted. Below the folly on the bank of the river the remains of the hydro electric power house is still visible (Blackadder House was reputedly the first in Berwickshire to have electric lighting).
Other buildings built to service the estate remain. Blackadder Cottage (or the 'Butler's House') with an impressive pair of lions on the parapet, sits on a high bank above 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...
. Allanbank Courtyard is a U-planned steading begun c. 1780. There is also a Walled Garden with a Summerhouse, and several bridges over 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...
. An impressive stable range with tower and obelisk steeple survive the destruction of the house, attributed to architect Alexander Boswell
Alexander Boswell
Alexander Boswell may refer to:* Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck , 8th Laird of Auchinleck, Scottish judge* Sir Alexander Boswell, 1st Baronet, 10th Laird of Auchinleck, writer of traditional Scottish songs*Alexander Boswell...
in 1785.
Early History of the Blackadder Estate
The Blackadder family were an integral part of the constant Borders’ feuds, and opportunistically extended their lands by grants from James II. These were bestowed as a reward for repelling English raids, with great ferocity. The Borders holdings of BlackadderClan Blackadder
Clan Blackadder is a Scottish clan. The clan historically held lands near the Anglo-Scottish border.-Clan status:Today Clan Blackadder does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law...
of that Ilk were taken into the family of Home (now the Home Robertson family) by the marriage of Beatrix and her younger sister, the only heirs of their father Robert, to younger sons of Home of Wedderburn in 1518 (Wedderburn Castle
Wedderburn Castle
Wedderburn Castle, near Duns, Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders, is an 18th century country house. It is the historic family seat of the Home of Wedderburn family, cadets of the Home family .-History:...
is still owned by his descendent, Georgina Home-Robertson).
According to Anderson, this was achieved in the following manner: ‘Andrew Blackadder
Clan Blackadder
Clan Blackadder is a Scottish clan. The clan historically held lands near the Anglo-Scottish border.-Clan status:Today Clan Blackadder does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law...
followed the standard of Douglas
William Douglas of Glenbervie
Sir William Douglas of Glenbervie, Knt. was a Scottish nobleman, who fell at Flodden.He was the second son of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Angus and his wife Elizabeth Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd...
at Flodden
Battle of Flodden Field
The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field or occasionally Battle of Branxton was fought in the county of Northumberland in northern England on 9 September 1513, between an invading Scots army under King James IV and an English army commanded by the Earl of Surrey...
in 1513 and was slain along with two hundred gentlemen of that name on that disastrous field leaving a widow and two daughters, Beatrix and Margaret, who at the time were mere children. From the unprotected state of Robert’s daughters, the Homes of Wedderburn formed a design of seizing the lands of Blackadder
Clan Blackadder
Clan Blackadder is a Scottish clan. The clan historically held lands near the Anglo-Scottish border.-Clan status:Today Clan Blackadder does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law...
.
They began by cutting off all within their reach whose affinity was dreaded as an hereditary obstacle. They attacked Robert Blackadder
Clan Blackadder
Clan Blackadder is a Scottish clan. The clan historically held lands near the Anglo-Scottish border.-Clan status:Today Clan Blackadder does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law...
, the Prior of Coldingham
Prior of Coldingham
The Prior of Coldingham was the head of the Benedictine monastic community of Coldingham Priory in 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 Coldingham to the Church of...
, and assassinated him. His brother, the Dean of Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
, shared the same fate. Various others were dispatched in like manner.
They now assaulted the Castle of Blackadder (which was sited somewhere on the land that is now Blackadder Mains and was destroyed in the early 16th century when the English, under the command of Surrey
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
, invaded Scotland) where the widow and her two young daughters resided.
The garrison refused to surrender but the Homes succeeded in obtaining possession of the fortress, seized the widow and her children, compelling them to the marriage by force. The two daughters were contracted to younger sons, John and Robert in 1518 and as they were only in their eighth year, they were confined in the Castle of Blackadder until they became of age.
Whatever the truth of this story, the Home possession of the estates was challenged by a cousin, Sir John Blackadder, who held the lands of Tulliallan
Tulliallan Castle
Tulliallan Castle is a large house in Kincardine, Fife, Scotland.It is the second structure to have the name , and is a mixture of Gothic and Italian style architecture set amid some of parkland just north of where the Kincardine Bridge spans the Firth of Forth...
. Sir John sought assistance from Parliament but, as was so often the case at that time, the matter was ultimately resolved by steel. Sir John Blackadder was beheaded in March 1531 for the murder of the Abbot of Culross
Abbot of Culross
The Abbot and then Commendator of Culross was the head of the monastic community of Culross Abbey, Fife, Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1218 on the patronage of Maol Choluim I, Earl of Fife by Cistercian monks from Kinloss Abbey, Moray. Control of the abbey was secularized in the 16th century...
in a dispute over land. He was succeeded in the barony of Tulliallan by his brother Patrick, who again renewed his dispute against the Homes for the family lands. Again, Anderson accused the Homes of treachery in the story of Patrick’s murder in an ambush near Edinburgh, where he was to meet the Homes to try to resolve their differences. The Blackadders thereafter relinquished their claim to the Borders lands, and Sir John Home was created Baronet of Blackadder in 1671.
Demise of the Estate
The house was serviced by a small army of servants, many of whom were housed in the village. Berwickshire was once described as “The Home of the Stately Home” and within a mile of Blackadder House lay AllanbankAllanbank, Scottish Borders
Allanbank is a village near Allanton, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Berwickshire.Allanbank Chapel was dedicated to St...
House (which was the Dower House to Blackadder) and Kelloe House
Kelloe House
Kelloe House was a country house in the former Berwickshire, in the Parish of Edrom, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.The house is now demolished. Kelloe Mains and Kelloe Bridge remain.-See also:*Kelloe in County Durham*Allanbank*Allanton...
, both of which are no more.
During the nineteenth century the Estate was owned by the Boswall family, and a Robert Boswall was chosen by a childless relative, Dr. Alexander Boswall, to be heir to the estate of Blackadder. To prepare him for this responsibility, Robert was placed in the Royal Navy and a fiance, Lady Lucy Ann Preston, was chosen for him. However, Robert did well at sea aboard the H.M. Queen Charlotte, and when his captain died at sea, he was bidden to take care of the widow and her daughter. He was stationed at the Royal Navy Garrison in Gibraltar, in command of the British Gunship Cacafogo during English hostilities with Spain, when he married his former Captain's daughter. Dr Boswall disinherited him for disobeying his wishes and marrying someone other than Lady Lucy, and Lady Lucy was given to another cousin, Thomas Boswall, who did inherit. Although the Blackadder estate was sold finally by his descendants, when Euphemia Boswall inherited it in 1830 she was considered to be one of the richest heiresses in Britain.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the mansion was requisitioned by the government as accommodation for troops, who vandalised the building, using parts of the grand staircase bannisters for firewood. The post-war government refused to pay for the restitution of the house to its former state and with the agricultural depression it was closed up. It was demolished circa 1925.
Pearlin Jean
AllanbankAllanbank, Scottish Borders
Allanbank is a village near Allanton, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Berwickshire.Allanbank Chapel was dedicated to St...
House, the Dower House to Blackadder House, was notoriously haunted by Pearlin Jean. Reputedly a French woman, whom the first baronet of Allanbank, then Mr Stuart, met with at Paris, during his Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
to finish his education as a gentleman.
So called for the diaphanous lace in which she appeared, Jean was the wretched mistress of Stuart. He abandoned her in order to marry respectably, and so she threw herself under the wheels of his carriage. Thereafter, her miserable ghost ruined the domestic peace and marital harmony of Stuart's life.
Twice Buried McGall
Nearby EdromEdrom
Edrom is a small village in the pre-1975 ancient county of Berwickshire, now an administrative area of the Scottish Borders region of Scotland....
was notable as the site of a notorious incident of Body Snatching in 1826, which resulted in a riot in Duns. After its recovery, the body of Peter McGall was buried for a second time and it is believed that one Mary Manuel from Allanton claimed a possible unique distinction of preparing a body for burial not once but twice.
See also
- Allanbank, Scottish BordersAllanbank, Scottish BordersAllanbank is a village near Allanton, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Berwickshire.Allanbank Chapel was dedicated to St...
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- List of places in Scotland
- History of ScotlandHistory of ScotlandThe history of Scotland begins around 10,000 years ago, when humans first began to inhabit what is now Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last ice age...
- Timeline of Scottish historyTimeline of Scottish historyThis timeline outlines the main events in Scottish history.-1st century – 7th century:* c.84: Romans defeat Caledonians at the Battle of Mons Graupius.* c.143: Romans construct the Antonine Wall.* c.163: Romans withdraw south to Trimontium and Hadrian's Wall....
- Scotland during the Roman EmpireScotland during the Roman EmpireScotland during the Roman Empire encompasses a period of protohistory from the arrival of Roman legions in c. AD 71 to their departure in 213. The history of the period is complex: the Roman empire influenced every part of Scotland during the period, however the occupation was neither complete nor...
- Scotland in the Early Middle AgesScotland in the Early Middle AgesScotland in the early Middle Ages, between the end of Roman authority in southern and central Britain from around 400 and the rise of the kingdom of Alba in 900, was divided into a series of petty kingdoms. Of these the four most important to emerge were the Picts, the Scots of Dál Riata, the...
- Scotland in the High Middle AgesScotland in the High Middle AgesThe High Middle Ages of Scotland encompass Scotland in the era between the death of Domnall II in 900 AD and the death of king Alexander III in 1286...
- Economic history of ScotlandEconomic history of ScotlandThe Economic history of Scotland charts economic development in the History of Scotland from earliest times, through seven centuries as an independent state and following Union with England, three centuries as a country of the United Kingdom. Before 1700 Scotland was a poor rural area, with few...
- Scottish MarchesScottish MarchesScottish Marches was the term used for the Anglo-Scottish border during the late medieval and early modern eras—from the late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of England of the first Lord Warden of the Marches to the early 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, promulgated...
- Scottish BordersScottish BordersThe 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...
- Anglo-Scottish borderAnglo-Scottish borderThe Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
- Debatable LandsDebatable LandsThe Debatable Lands, also known as Debatable ground, batable ground or thriep lands, was land lying between Scotland and England, formerly in question to which it belonged, when they were distinct kingdoms...
- Border ReiversBorder ReiversBorder Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. Their ranks consisted of both Scottish and English families, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their victims' nationality...
- List of castles in Scotland
- Borders Family History SocietyBorders Family History SocietyBorders Family History Society, , founded in 1985, is a research society which concentrates on the Scottish Borders region in south-eastern Scotland....
- Plantation of UlsterPlantation of UlsterThe Plantation of Ulster was the organised colonisation of Ulster—a province of Ireland—by people from Great Britain. Private plantation by wealthy landowners began in 1606, while official plantation controlled by King James I of England and VI of Scotland began in 1609...
- Clan BlackadderClan BlackadderClan Blackadder is a Scottish clan. The clan historically held lands near the Anglo-Scottish border.-Clan status:Today Clan Blackadder does not have a chief recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, therefore the clan has no standing under Scots Law...
- Clan HomeClan HomeThe Homes are a Scottish family. They were a powerful force in medieval Lothian and the Borders. The chief of the name is David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Home.-Origins of the clan:...