Makerstoun is a parish in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian, and East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Dumfries and Galloway to the south-west, South Lanarkshire to the we ...

area of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, as well as the historic county of

Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

, south-west of Kelso.Survey Gazetteer of the British Isles, publ. J.G. Bartholomew, 1904, p. 535 The parish is bordered to the south by the

river Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers ...

.New Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol III Roxburgh, Peebles, Selkirk, publ.William Blackwood, 1845, pp.235-240. (Makerstoun article by Rev.David Hogarth, Minister of Makerstoun, 1834) It is bounded on the west by the parish of Mertoun in

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

, on the north by the parish of Smailholm, on the east by the parish of Kelso and on the south by the parish of

Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at lea ...

, across the

River Tweed The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, is a river long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed. The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers ...

. The name of the parish reputedly means the town of Machar. For many centuries most of the land in the parish has been owned by the proprietor of Makerstoun estate, thus in the 19th century most of the land belonged to Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane of Makerstoun House (former Governor of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

). Formerly, the greater part of the population was extremely fluctuating. All the families, except a few (nine in 1845), being the families either of farm servants or of tradesmen employed by the farmers, were liable to be removed every year. However, as the small farmers were dispensed with by the landlords, the population reduced from over 1,000 at the end of 18th century to 132 in 1981.The MacDowalls, by Fegus Macdowall and William MacDougall, publ.by Clan MacDougall Society of North America, 2009, p.35 The area of the parish is . The original medieval church was sited in the grounds of Makerstoun House (thus in the south of the parish near the Tweed), where some remains still exist.Official web site of the government agency Historic Scotland http://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/designation/LB19734 retrieved Feb 2016 The first recorded minister of the church dates from 1567. In 1807 it was decided by the Makerstoun estate that the church, and the

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

with its offices and garden should be moved to a more central site in the parish.Church of Scotland web site: http://www.kelsolinkedchurchescofs.org/makerstoun retrieved Feb 2014 A new church was thus built in 1808, which stands to the present day. The Community Council for Makerston is the Floors, Makerstoun, Nenthorn and Smailholm Community Council,Smailholm village web site has news on their common Community Council: retrieved Feb 2016 which covers the parishes of Makerstoun and Smailholm in

, the parish of Nenthorn in

and

Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for John Ker, 1st Duke of Roxbur ...

. It has 12 members, two of whom (as of 2015) were the Laird of Makerstoun and his wife.

Barony of Makerstoun

The

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

in later medieval Scotland was a very common franchise, increasingly defined as an estate to which specific ‘baronial’ powers attached. In general the barons had essentially the same criminal and civil jurisdiction within their barony as the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

s had within the

sheriffdom A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a r ...

. Commonly the baronies coincided with the parishes and were anyway roughly parish sized. Makerstoun, like 18 other baronies in Roxburghshire (Bedrule, Cavers, Ednam, Hownam, Linton, Longnewton, Maxton, Maxwell, Minto, Smailholm, Wilton, and Yetholm) corresponded exactly or closely with the eponymous parish.Liberties and Identities in the Medieval British Isles, ed. M. Prestwich, Boydell Press, 2008. Chapter 9 Franchises North of the Border: Baronies and Regalties of Medieval Scotland, by Alexander Grant, p 155 et seq The earliest proprietor of the Barony of Makerstoun named in the records is Walter Corbet, who acquired the barony about the middle of the 12th century.The History and Antiquities of Roxburghshire and Adjacent Districts, by Alexander Jeffrey, publ. Edinburgh, 1859 About 1125, Walter Corbet, Laird of Makerstoun, built the village of Makerstoun and the church, St. Peter's. His father was Robert Corbet, who came from Shropshire in the beginning of the 12th century, and settled in

Teviotdale Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh () is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the northwest, and Berwickshire to the north. T ...

under Earl David (later King

David I of Scotland David I or Dauíd mac Maíl Choluim (Scottish Gaelic, Modern Gaelic: ''Daibhidh I mac haoilChaluim''; – 24 May 1153) was a 12th century ruler and saint who was David I as Prince of the Cumbrians, Prince of the Cumbrians from 1113 to 112 ...

). A small fortified keep known as a pele tower was built at Makerstoun in 1128. The tower was extended in 1300.Makerstoun House web site: http://www.makerstoun.com/history.htm retrieved Feb 2016 In 1374 Robert II confirmed Fergus MacDowall as baron of Makerstoun, which he had inherited from the Corbet family via his mother Margaret.Genealogical and Heraldic History of The Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, Enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank;but Uninvested With Heritable Honours. By John Burke, pub. London 1836, Vol III, pp.430-436 This was the first baron of the MacDowall, also known as MacDougall, family (various spellings used for both). About 1390, Archibald McDowell got a grant from Robert III of the lands of “M'Carstoune”, Yetholm, and Elistone (Clifton). The tower was rebuilt by Thomas Makdowell in 1590. By a settlement made by Henry Makdougall, 14th baron of Makerstoun, in 1715, the barony was infeft to his daughter Barbara Makdougall in 1723. She married Sir George Hay (later Hay-Makdougall), and the Makerstoun estate passed to the Hay-Makdougall family

Makerstoun House

Makerstoun House, a square three storey building, is situated on the north bank of the Tweed, in the south of the parish, and stands in grounds (about ) that are extensive and well wooded.Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by, Francis Groome, publ. 1882-4. Article on Makerstoun The medieval house, originally a keep, was destroyed in Hertford's invasion of Scotland of 1545. A mansion was rebuilt in 1590 on the foundations of this house. The East end with a first floor vaulted chamber may be the oldest part, a pele tower, to which in the 15th century a wing was added on the West. From 1714 to 1725 the house was extended on plans by William Adam, (father to

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (architect), William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and train ...

the architect who created Edinburgh New Town). In 1828 further additions were made, including castellations. Makerstoun House was rebuilt after a fire in 1973 using William Adam's plans of 1714–21, without castellation. The burial ground of the Macdougall family is situated close to Makerstoun House. House and grounds contain a number of 18th and 19th century monuments, including that to Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, Governor of New South Wales (d.1860). The current owner is the 5th Baron Biddulph.

References

{{authority control Villages in the Scottish Borders Parishes in Roxburghshire