Cousland is a village in Midlothian, Scotland. It is located east of

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-ce ...

and west of Ormiston, on a hill between the Rivers

Tyne Tyne may refer to: __NOTOC__ Geography * River Tyne, England *Port of Tyne, the commercial docks in and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England *River Tyne, Scotland * River Tyne, a tributary of the South Esk River, Tasmania, Australia Peop ...

and Esk.

History

Cousland was a possession of the Sinclair family of Roslin from the late 12th century, and passed to the Ruthvens in the late 15th century. It formerly had its own

chapelry A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. Status It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel of ease (chapel) which was the com ...

, which was annexed to the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Cranston about the time of the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

. In 1547, during the Rough Wooing, the English army led by Protector Somerset burned the village, around the time of the Battle of Pinkie which was fought nearby. The village was a centre of lime production from the 16th century. The Confederate Lords, opponents of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

, gathered at Cousland in 1567 at the time of the stand-off at

Carberry Hill The Battle of Carberry Hill took place on 15 June 1567, near Musselburgh, East Lothian, a few miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland. A number of Scottish lords objected to the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots, after she had married the Earl of Bothw ...

. After the execution of William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, in 1584 for his part in the events of Carberry Hill, Cousland passed successively to the Herries, the Hays of Kinfauns, and the Macgills of Oxenfuird, before coming to the Dalrymples, later Earls of Stair, in the 1690s. Cousland Smiddy is a blacksmith's workshop built in the 18th century, which unusually remains in working order, and is a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

An archaeological survey, the Big Cousland Dig, was carried out in 2007–2008, and focused on the sites of the castle, the windmill and an 18th-century pottery.

Cousland Castle

The ruins of a tower house and enclosure walls are located on the south side of the village. Although formerly thought to be a nunnery, the remains are now attributed to William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruthven, and dated to the late 15th century. The original tower was extended to form a larger residence in the 16th century. The tower house had a vaulted basement, and was extended southwards. It stands at the north-east corner of a walled garden area, square, enclosed by walls thick, probably constructed after 1690. The house was demolished after 1760, and the walls survive intact on the northern sides. The tower, house and walls are protected as a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

. Dorothea Stewart, Countess of Gowrie, was commanded to surrender Dirleton, Ruthven, Cousland, and the Gowrie lodging in Perth to the crown in May 1584.David Masson, ''Register of the Privy Council of Scotland: 1578-1585'', vol. 3 (Edinburgh, 1880), p. 663.

References

{{authority control Villages in Midlothian Dalkeith