Ladykirk, a Border parish of SE Berwickshire, whose church stands near the left bank of the river Tweed, 1½ mile W by N of Norham railway station, 6 miles NNE of Coldstream, and 10 WSW of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Tradition says that it took its name from the dedication of this church to the Virgin Mary by James IV., in gratitude for his deliverance from being swept away by a powerful freshet of the Tweed at a neighbouring ford; and a village around the church was formerly a place of some little note, but has dwindled to a few hinds' houses, with a post office and a fair on 5 April.
The parish contains also the village of Horndean, and it consists of the ancient parishes of Horndean and Upsetlington. It is bounded NW and N by Whitsome, NE by Hutton, E and SE by Northumberland, S by Coldstream, and W by Swinton. Its utmost length, from NE to SW, is 4¼ miles; its breadth varies between 6¼ furlongs and 2½ miles; and its area is 3446¾ acres, of which 66½ are water. The Tweed, curving 37/8 miles north-north-eastward, traces all the Northumbrian border, and along it the surface declines to 95 feet above sea-level, thence rising gently to 213 feet near Upsetlington, 181 near Ladykirk village, and 235 near Fellowhills. Sandstone underlies the entire area, and a very fine variety of it has been quarried within the policies of Ladykirk House. The soil is extremely fertile. Some 55 acres are under wood; about 845 are disposed in perennial pasture; and all the rest of the land is in tillage. A ford on the Tweed, between Ladykirk village and Norham, gave frequent passage in bygone days to armies of invasion; and, although always dangerous, continued to be used till, in 1839, it was superseded by a wooden bridge on stone piers. Holywell Haugh, adjacent to the Ladykirk side of the ford, was the meeting-place of Edward I. of England and the Scottish nobles to adjust the dispute respecting the succession to the crown of Scotland; and the parish church of Ladykirk, in the time of Queen Mary, was the scene of a treaty concluded by commissioners. An ancient rectory, midway between Ladykirk and Upsetlington, has bequeathed to the ground around its site the name of Chapel Park, and is now represented by only a few large stones. Ladykirk House, near the Tweed's left bank, 1¾ mile SSW of Norham, is a finely-situated modern edifice, surrounded by a beautiful park, and commanding an exquisite view along the river. It is the seat of the widow of David Robertson, first and last Lord Marjoribanks (1797-1873), who sat for the county from 1859 till the year of his death. She owns 5853 acres in the shire, valued at £9992 per annum. There are two lesser proprietors. Ladykirk is in the presbytery of Chirnside and synod of Merse and Teviotdale; the living is not worth the £254 at which it is returned. The parish church, built in 1500, was originally a handsome cruciform Gothic edifice, to which a tower was added in 1743. Internally it was greatly disfigured by alterations and additions during the first half of this century; but in 1861 it underwent thorough repair, and has now five stained-glass windows, a turret clock, and 300 sittings. A U.P. church, containing 450 sittings, is in Horndean; and a public school, with accommodation for 110 children, had (1881) an average attendance of 60, and a grant of £47. Valuation (1865) £6851, (1882) £6548. Pop. (1801) 516, (1831) 485, (1861) 564, (187l) 518, (1881) 438.-Ord. Sur., sh. 26, 1864.
Ladykirk, an ancient parish in Stronsay island, Orkney. Including the south-western limb of the island, and bounded N by St Peter's, E by Mill Bay and St Nicholas, S and W by Stronsay Firth, it is compressed at the centre by Linga Sound on the N and Rousholm Bay on the S; projects south-south-westward, to the extent of about one-half of its area, in a peninsula terminating in Rousholm Head; and now forms part of the united parish of Stronsay and Eday. Its greatest length, from NNE to SSW, is 5½ miles; and its greatest breadth is 12/3 mile.
Ladykirk or Northkirk, an ancient parish in Westray island, Orkney. It comprises the northern part of the island; is bounded on the SE by Westkirk, on all other sides by the sea; contains the village of Pierwall; and now forms part of the united parish of Westray and Papa-Westray. Its greatest length, from NNE to SSW, is 6 miles; and its greatest breadth is 3½ miles.
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