BOSWELL'S-ST, a parish, in the district of Melrose,
county of Roxburgh, 4 miles (S. E.) from Melrose;
containing, with the village of Lessudden, "4*
inhabitants. This place derives its name from its
church, which is supposed to have been first founded by
St. Boswell, abbot of Melrose, whose disciple, St. Cuthbert,
flourished in the ninth century; and traces of the
ancient village of St. Boswell's are still occasionally discovered
by the plough. Few historical events are
recorded; the principal one is the burning of the village
by the English of the border, in 1544, when many
of the inhabitants were killed, and the lands laid waste;
at that time the village is said to have contained many
fortified houses. The parish is situated on the river
Tweed, which forms its eastern and northern boundary',
for two miles; and is about three miles in length, and
one mile and a half in breadth, comprising an area of
four and a half square miles. Its surface is uneven,
rising in the upper portion in ridgj' undulations, with
intervening valleys, but towards the river being more
level. The lower grounds are watered by numerous
springs, and by a rivulet called St. Boswell's burn,
which in its course towards the Tweed is augmented by
several tributary rills. The scenery is generally of
pleasing character. Adjoining the village of Lessudden
is an elevated ridge, from which is obtained a fine view
of the old abbey of Dryburgh, shaded by venerable
woods, and nearly surrounded by the windings of the
Tweed; and of the remains of Lessudden Place, an
ancient fortress, the property of the Scotts of Raeburn,
forming an exceedingly interesting feature in the landscape.
The lands, with the exception of about thirty acres on
the steep banks of the river, nearly ISO acres of woodland,
and about forty acres of common called St. Boswell's
Green, are all arable, and about 2300 acres are
under cultivation. The soil, for the greater part, is a
stiff clay; in the neighbourhood of Lessudden, a black
loam; and in other parts alluvial. The system of agriculture
is good, and considerable improvements have
been made in draining the lands, and in the formation
of plantations; the soil is well adapted to the growth
of forest-timber of every kind, and on the lands of
Ellieston are some of the most flourishing larch-trees in
the kingdom. Lime is to be obtained only from a great
distance, and bone-dust has been substituted, which has
been found to succeed well for turnips. Some progress
has been made in embankments against the inundations
of the Tweed, and two have been completed to a considerable
extent on the farms of Fens and St. Boswell's.
The annual value of real property in the parish is £3800.
There are quarries of red sandstone, which is of good
quality for building, and in some places appears resting
on a seam of whitish-coloured stone of great hardness,
strongly impregnated with pyrites of iron: coal is supposed
to exist, but no attempts to procure it have been
attended with success. Great facility of intercourse is
afforded by the Edinburgh and Hawick railway, which
intersects the parish. To the north of the Green, a
very handsome hunting establishment has been erected
by the Duke of Buccleuch. A fair is held on the Green
on the 18th of July, or the following Monday, if the
18th happen on a Sunday: it is a very extensive market
for sheep and lambs, cattle, and horses, the sales which
annually take place averaging from £8000 to £10,000;
it is also frequented by a great concourse of people from
all parts, for the purchase and sale of Scotch and Irish
linens, hardware, books, toys, and other articles.
For ecclesiastical purposes the parish is within the
hounds of the presbytery of Selkirk, synod of Merse
and Teviotdale; patron, the Duke of Buccleuch. The
stipend of the incumbent is about £'2 12; the manse,
built in 1791, was substantially repaired in 1811, and
the glebe comprises seven acres of excellent land. St.
Boswell's church, situated at the eastern extremity of
the parish, was built near the site of a more ancient
structure which had fallen into decay, and probably
about the year 1652; it was enlarged and thoroughly
repaired in 1837, and affords accommodation to 430
persons. A place of worship has been erected in connexion
with the Free Church. The parochial school
affords education to a considerable number of scholars.