Parish of Eccles

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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1791-99: Eccles 1834-45: Eccles

Eccles, a Border village and parish of Berwickshire. The village stands, 244 feet above sea-level, in the SW of the parish, 2 miles NNW of the nearest reach of the Tweed, 5½ SE of Greenlaw station, 5¾ NNE of Kelso, and 6 ¼ WNW of Coldstream, under which it has a post office. Though now consisting of but one small street, it represents an ancient town of no little consequence, the seat of St Mary's Cistercian nunnery, founded in 1155. Town and nunnery were burned in Hertford's raid of 1545; and nothing remains now of the latter save two vaulted cells and a fragment of wall near the churchyard. The parish, containing also the villages of Birgham and Leitholm, is bounded N by Fogo, E by Swinton and Coldstream, S by Northumberland and by Sprouston in Roxburghshire, SW by Ednam and Stichill in Roxburghshire, W by Hume, and NW by Greenlaw. Its length, from ENE to WSW, varies between 2 ⁵/₈ and 6 ³/₈ miles; its utmost breadth is 5½ miles; and its area is 12,488¾ acres, of which 70¾ are water. The Tweed, here a glorious fishing river, sweeps 3 miles east-north-eastward along all the Sprouston and Northnmberland border; Leet Water, ditchlike but troutful, flows 2 miles south-south-westward along the boundary with Coldstream; and, through the northern interior, Lambden Burn, after tracing 2¾ miles of the Greenlaw border, meanders 4 ¼ miles eastward to the Leet, past Leitholm. A partially drained bog near Birgham is much frequented by wild ducks. The surface sinks along the Tweed to 80 feet above sea-level, thence rising in gentle parallel ridges to 230 feet near Wester Whitrig, 272 at Bartle Hill, 296 near Harlaw, 338 at Eccles Hill, and 353 near Hardacres. The chief rocks are a sandstone resting on clay-stone porphyry, and quarried for masonry; a sandstone covered by amygdaloid, containing green steatite and calcareous spar; a dark slaty, marly sandstone, containing 25 per cent. of carbonate of lime; a magnesian limestone, containing red hornstone and crystals of calcareous spar; and red massy gypsum, in thin beds, containing feruginous crystals. The soil is light on the bank of the Tweed; in the middle and northern districts, is chiefly clay and loam. All the land, with slight exception, is arable and very productive, having fine embellishments of enclosures and plantations, and presenting a rich and charming appearance. Kames was the birthplace of the distinguished judge and philosopher, Henry Home (1696-1782), who from it assumed the title of Lord Kames, and here was visited in 1759 by Benjamin Franklin. Leitholm Tower, a ruined Border peel, stands beside Lambden Burn; and at Deadriggs is the sculptured stone of Crosshalls. Eccles House is the property of James Lewis Greig, Esq. (b. 1868; suc. 1869), who owns 363 acres in the shire, valued at £871 per annum. Other mansions, most of them noticed separately, are Anton's Hill, Belchester House, Bughtrig, Kames, Mersington House, Purves Hall, Spring Hill, and Stoneridge; and 17 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 5 of between £100 and £500, 1 of from £50 to £100, and 10 of from £20 to £50. Eccles is in the presbytery of Dunse and synod of Merse and Teviotdale; the living is worth £348. The parish church, at the village, with handsome spire and 1000 sittings, was built in 1774, successor to its ancient predecessor which was dedicated first to St Cuthbert, afterwards to St Andrew. There are also a Free church (280 sittings) of Eccles and a U.P. church (300) of Leitholm; whilst the three public schools of Birgham, Eccles, and Leitholm, with respective accommodation for 88, 114, and 119 children, had (1880) an average attendance of 23, 70, and 117, and grants of £18, 18s., £57, 3s., and £103, 15s. Valuation (1864) £22,846, 4s. 2d., (1882) £25, 265, 17s. 10d. Pop. (1801) 1682, (1831) 1885, (1861) 1861, (1871) 1780, (1881) 1546—Ord. Sur., shs. 25, 26, 1865-64.

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Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer