Lauderdale

Coordinates: 55°43′48″N 2°44′56″W / 55.73000°N 2.74889°W / 55.73000; -2.74889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Lauderdale (disambiguation).

The Southern Upland Way entering Lauderdale

Lauderdale is the valley of the Leader Water (a tributary of the Tweed) in the Scottish Borders. It contains the town of Lauder, as well as Earlston. The valley is traversed from end to end by the A68 trunk road, which runs from Darlington to Edinburgh.

Roman road

Map of Lauderdale from the Blaeu Atlas of Scotland (1654)

Many ancient camps, and many

Malcolm Canmore and probably used by him in his almost constant warfare against England. The Roman road has now been traced from the Tweed through Lauderdale to Soutra.[2]

Etymology

Lauderdale's name comes from the town of Lauder rather than the Leader Water.[3] The relationship between the names "Leader" and "Lauder" is very obscure; despite their similarity, they may have different origins.[4] Alternatively, they may both go back to a Britonnic root meaning "cleansing water".[5] The name of the valley is first attested in the late 12th century as Lauuedderdale.[3]

Medieval period

Lindisfarne."[6]

King

Robert The Bruce granted it to Sir James Douglas, his great supporter. Archibald Douglas
husband of Princess Margaret, daughter of King Robert III, had a reconfirmation c1390 of the Lordship of "Lauderdaill" as heir of the Earl of Douglas. Archibald is herein also called "Lord of Galloway, Lord of Annandale, and of Lowedre".[9] Finally the Douglases were also forfeited.

Towards the southern end of Lauderdale is the town of Earlston, an ancient superiority of the Earls of Dunbar or March. "Robertus de Lauuedirr tunc noster seneschallus" witnessed a charter of "Patricii de Dunbar, comitis Marchie" during the reign of Robert the Bruce, and "Robetus de Lawedre, consanguineus noster" (a cousin) witnessed a charter of "Georgii comitis Marchie" relating to Sorrowlessfield, a still extant property on the (A68) road south of Earlston in the reign of Robert III.[10]

Geography

Fields in Lauderdale

Southern Lauderdale could be considered to commence in the vicinity of Newstead. In the north Lauderale ends at part of the Lammermuir Hills where they reach 1733 feet,[11] where in winter the weather can be severe, often leading to road closures. The full length of Lauderdale exceeds ten miles (16 km) and its breadth varies from three to seven miles.[11]

Up until the 17th century Lauderdale was an immense forest. From the time of

Malcolm Canmore, at least, it was a Royal hunting ground. The entire district between the Leader and Gala Waters was covered with Lauder forest,[12] "the property of the Lauders of Lauder from a very early date"[13] and which was still in the possession of the family of Lauder of that Ilk through to the late 17th century.[14][15]

Today Lauderdale is almost completely agricultural.

The principal country house is Thirlestane Castle, the seat since 1595 of the Earl of Lauderdale, and where annual horse trials are held.

The district is part of the

Scottish Borders Council
's region.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Wilson's Gazetteer of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1882
  2. ^ Hardie, R. P., The Roads of Mediaeval Lauderdale, Edinburgh & London, 1942, p.viii, xi, & xiv.
  3. ^ a b Williamson, May (1942). The Non-Celtic Place-Names of the Scottish Border Counties (PDF) (Thesis). Edinburgh University. p. 45. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  4. ^ James, Alan (2022). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence (PDF). Vol. 2. The Scottish Place-Name Society. p. 190. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  5. ISBN 978-0-19-960908-6
    .
  6. ^ Anderson (1908)p.60-1
  7. ^ Thomson (1903) p.21
  8. ^ Young (1884) p.18
  9. ^ Romanes of Harryburn, Robert, Lauder - A Series of Papers, 1903, p.17
  10. ^ Young (1884) p.19
  11. ^ a b Thomson (1903) p.2
  12. ^ Thomson (1903) p.6
  13. ^ Romanes (1903) p.10
  14. ^ The Great Seal of Scotland, Charter no.1833 dated July 30, 1631
  15. ^ National Archives of Scotland Deed ref: RH15/25/59

55°43′48″N 2°44′56″W / 55.73000°N 2.74889°W / 55.73000; -2.74889

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