Menzion
Encyclopedia
Menzion, sometimes Minzion is a small settlement in southern Scotland
near Tweedsmuir
in the Scottish Borders
, in the valley of the River Tweed
.
Menzion was part of the barony of Oliver Castle
and originally belonged to Clan Fraser
. After Sir Simon Fraser died it was divided between his two daughters Joanna and Mary. Joanna married Sir Patrick Fleming and Over Menzion became the property of the Flemings and Mary married Sir Gilbert Hay and Nether Menzion became the property of the Hays. The Fleming family held the lands until 1636, when John (Fleming), second Earl of Wigtown, conveyed Over Menzion to Sir David Murray of Stanhope
who obtained a Crown charter on 17 March 1645 incorporating the lands into the barony of Stanhope-Murray.
It was in around 1645 that a vagrant called Marion Chisholm came from Edinburgh while the Plague was raging there carrying a bundle of clothing with the disease in it. The occupants of Nether Menzion and two other farms at Fruid, and Glencotho became infected. Those who escaped the pestilence pulled down the roofs and walls of their houses onto the bodies of those who had died. Marion Chisholm was buried near Nether Menzion in a grave that can no longer be found.
Around this time, Sir David Murray also acquired Nether Menzion which his son William inherited in 1654. The lands eventually became the property of Sir David Murray, nephew of John Murray of Broughton
, who was active in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. As a result of his participation, the Murray estates were confiscated (as were those other Jacobite sympathisers). Many properties on the Stanhope estate were tenanted by members of the Tweedie family with whom the Murrays had at various times fought or intermarried.
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...
.
Topography
Menzion lies along the Menzion burn, being separated into Nether Menzion and Over Menzion. Nether Menzion lies at the foot of the burn near the Fruid road. The burn is surrounded on both sides by commercial forestry which is set back to reduce the immediate impact of the acidic run-off. Over Menzion, which was formerly a shepherd's abode, is now abandoned.Ancient stones
Menzion displays evidence of very early habitation with three ancient stones standing on a minor road leading to Fruid Reservoir, just north of the village of Tweedsmuir. Of these, the main stone is known as "The Giant's Stone" which is about 1.60 m high. The two other stones nearby were not mentioned in the Ordnance Survey map of 1859, where the Giant's Stone is described as "Remains of Druidical Temple". The parish records of 1833 state that there were other stones but that these were carried away and put to other uses.Menzion was 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,...
and originally belonged to 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...
. After Sir Simon Fraser died it was divided between his two daughters Joanna and Mary. Joanna married Sir Patrick Fleming and Over Menzion became the property of the Flemings and Mary married Sir Gilbert Hay and Nether Menzion became the property of the Hays. The Fleming family held the lands until 1636, when John (Fleming), second Earl of Wigtown, conveyed Over Menzion to Sir David Murray of Stanhope
Stanhope, Peeblesshire
Stanhope is a small settlement in the Scottish Borders region. It is situated in the parish of Drumelzier in Peeblesshire, in the valley of the River Tweed....
who obtained a Crown charter on 17 March 1645 incorporating the lands into the barony of Stanhope-Murray.
It was in around 1645 that a vagrant called Marion Chisholm came from Edinburgh while the Plague was raging there carrying a bundle of clothing with the disease in it. The occupants of Nether Menzion and two other farms at Fruid, and Glencotho became infected. Those who escaped the pestilence pulled down the roofs and walls of their houses onto the bodies of those who had died. Marion Chisholm was buried near Nether Menzion in a grave that can no longer be found.
Around this time, Sir David Murray also acquired Nether Menzion which his son William inherited in 1654. The lands eventually became the property of Sir David Murray, nephew of John Murray of Broughton
John Murray of Broughton
Sir John Murray of Broughton, 7th Baronet Stanhope was a Jacobite, who served as secretary to Prince Charles Edward Stuart during the Jacobite Rising of 1745...
, who was active in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. As a result of his participation, the Murray estates were confiscated (as were those other Jacobite sympathisers). Many properties on the Stanhope estate were tenanted by members of the Tweedie family with whom the Murrays had at various times fought or intermarried.