BOWDEN, a parish, in the district of Melrose,
county of Roxburgh, 3 miles (S. by E.) from Melrose;
containing, with the villages of Bowden and Midlem,
85" inhabitants, of whom 253 are in the village of
Bowden. This parish, in ancient records, is called
Bothenden, Botheldene, and Boulden. Early in the
twelfth century it was granted to the abbey of Selkirk,
by a charter of David I., in which it is designated by the
first of these names; and in subsequent charters, confirming
that grant, bestowed by Malcolm IV. in 1159,
and by Walter, Bishop of Glasgow, in 1232, it is mentioned
by the latter appellations, probably corruptions
of the former. The monks had a grange at Holydean,
in this parish, which in the sixteenth century was given
by royal charter to Sir Walter Ker of Cessford, ancestor
of the Dukes of Roxburghe, as a reward for his services
during the border warfare. A strong fortress was
erected by the proprietor on the lands of Holydean,
which was occasionally the residence of the family; but
at present very little is remaining, the greater portion
having been removed during the minority of John, the
third duke, by his grace's agent, to furnish materials
for the erection of a large farm-house and offices. The
court-yard, comprising an area of nearly an acre, was
inclosed with walls of stone, four feet in thickness and
sixteen feet high, pierced at intervals for the discharge
of arrows and musketry, and having an arched gateway
defended with a strong portcullis. Within the inclosure
were two strong towers, the one three, and the other
five, stories high, containing many spacious apartments,
and every requisite for a baronial residence. Part of
the wall on the south side is remaining, but greatly
dilapidated; and near it is the ancient well of the
castle, which affords a supply of excellent water to the
family living at the farm-house. About 500 acres of
the farm of Holydean are inclosed with a wall of loose
stones, which has stood for more than three centuries,
and is still in good condition; this inclosure is called in
an old lease the " Great Deer Park of Haliedean ".
The parish is situated on the river Ale, by which it is
bounded on the south, and is about five miles and a
half in length, and four and a half in breadth, comprising
above 6000 acres, of which 3460 are arable,
2531 meadow aud pasture, 260 woodland and plantations,
and 30 acres garden and orchards. Its surface is
broken by a series of parallel ridges, extending from
east to west, and declining in height towards the south,
between which arc fertile valleys of various breadth,
watered by rivulets flowing eastward into the Tweed;
and towards the south-west are some smaller streams,
that fall into the river Ale. One of the Eildon hills,
and part of another, rising in three conical summits,
to the height of 900 feet above the general level, and
about 1360 above that of the sea, are within the limits
of the parish, and form conspicuous objects in the landscape.
The scenery is pleasingly enriched with plantations
of modern growth, and the several demesnes of
the chief proprietors contain many trees of lofty and
venerable appearance. In the ancient deer-park of the
Duke of Roxburghe is some fine timber j at Holydean is a
wood forming the only remains of natural forest in this
neighbourhood, and around the churchyard are some of
the largest sycamores and ash-trees in the country.
Tow ards the north and west, the soil is a stiff clay of
considerable depth; in the southern part, especially on
the ridges, lighter and more friable; and in the valleys,
a rich deep loam. The substratum is generally whinstone;
and in some parts are considerable tracts of
moss, below which shell marl is found, resting on a layer
of fine blue clay. The system of agriculture is highly
improved, and the crops are favourable; lime, marl,
bone-dust, and guano are the principal manures. The
lands are all inclosed and subdivided: most of the
fences are thorn-hedges, with hedge-row trees. Considerable
improvements have been made in draining,
and in the breed of sheep and cattle, of which great
numbers are fed: the sheep are mostly of the Leicester
and the Cheviot kinds, and occasionally a cross between
them, which is on the increase; the cattle are chiefly
of the short-horned breed. Numbers of small Highland
cattle are pastured here during the winter, and fattened
in the summer and sold to the butchers. The annual
value of real property in the parish is £4963. Among
the seats is Kippilaw, a handsome mansion, pleasantly
situated in a demesne embellished with timber of luxuriant
growth; Cavers and Linthill are also pleasant,
and on the north bank of the Ale, to which the lawns
in front have a gentle slope. The village contains little
that is remarkable, except an ancient cross in the
centre, the date of which is unknown: there were lately
removed the remains of one or two small towers or
peels, of which there were several within the last thirty
years, containing in the lower part a place for cattle,
and in the upper, apartments for the family, to which
access was afforded by a stone staircase outside.
Ecclesiastically the parish is in the presbytery of
Selkirk, synod of Merse and Teviotdale, and in the
patronage of the Duke of Roxburghe; the minister's
stipend is about £210, with a manse, and a glebe valued
at £15 per annum. Bowden church, situated near the
eastern extremity of the parish, is an ancient structure,
of which the original foundation is unknown; it affords
accommodation for nearly 400 persons, and is in a state
of good repair. The oldest date that appears on any
part of the building is 1666. Under the east end is
the funereal vault of the Ker family, containing twentyone
coffins, ranged along the sides of the building,
among which are those of five Dukes of Roxburghe, predecessors
of the present duke. There are places of worship
for members of the Free Church and United Original
Seceders. Two parochial schools were until lately supported,
one in the village of Bowden, and the other in
that of Midlem, but the latter has been discontinued as
a parochial school; the master of the former has a
salary of £30 per annum, with a house and garden rentfree,
and the fees produce about £12.
The remains of a military road, with stations or camps
of a circular form at intervals of more than two miles,
uniformly occupying eminences in view of each other,
may be traced in various places, extending across the
centre of the parish, in a direction from south-east to
north-west. Where not obliterated by the plough, the
road may be traced, in the form of a ditch about twenty
feet in width, and, in some places, in the form of two
parallel ditches, with an interval between them fifty
feet in width. Warlike instruments of different kinds
have been discovered by the plough, in the immediate
neighbourhood of the road, and also in the adjacent
mosses. On the summit of a precipice at Holydean,
nearly 150 yards from the principal farm-house, and
overhanging a deep dell called Ringans-Dean, was an
ancient chapel and burying-place; the foundations of the
building may yet be traced, and grave-stones, handles of
coffins, and human bones have been frequently found
near the site. It has been conjectured that from this
ecclesiastical establishment the place derived the name
of Holydean. Trees of various kinds, and of very large
dimensions, have been discovered in the mosses of the
parish, while digging for peat and marl; they are chiefly
oak, ash, and fir, and have been found generally at a
considerable depth below the surface, and in a good state
of preservation.