LADYKIRK, a parish, in the county of Berwick,
6 miles (N. E. by N.) from Coldstream; containing,
with the two villages of Horndean and Upsetlington, 504
inhabitants. This place originally consisted only of the
parish of Upsetlington, the name of which is of very
uncertain derivation. It appears to have acquired a
considerable degree of importance at an early period;
and during the disputed succession to the crown of
Scotland, towards the close of the thirteenth century,
a meeting took place here between eight of the competitors,
attended by several of the Scottish prelates and
nobility, and Edward I. of England, for the purpose of
investigating their several claims, and more especially
fer settling the feuds of Bruce and Baliol. In 1500, a
new church was erected by James IV., and dedicated to
the Virgin Mary; the parish eventually took the name
of Ladykirk, and its former appellation has since been
confined to the village that had risen up around its
ancient church. Soon after the treaty of Chateau Carabresis,
a supplementary treaty was concluded here by
the English and Scottish commissioners, for which purpose
they met in the church of St. Mary; and on the
same day the duplicates were interchanged at Norham
Castle. The parish includes the suppressed parish of
Horndean, annexed to it at the time of the Reformation.
It is about four miles in length, one mile and a half in average
breadth, and is bounded on the north by the parish
of Whitsome, on the east by that of Hutton, on the south
by the river Tweed, and on the west by the parish of
Swinton. The surface is generally level, diversified only
by a few eminences which attain no considerable elevation,
and in some parts sloping gently towards the banks
of the Tweed.
In this parish the soil is various, but fertile; the whole
number of acres is estimated at 3100, of which about
three-fourths are arable, fifty acres in plantations, and
the remainder in meadow and pasture. The crops are,
grain of all kinds, potatoes, and turnips; the system of
husbandry is advanced, the farm houses and offices are
well built and commodious, and all the more recent improvements
in agricultural implements are in use. Great
attention is paid to live-stock, for which the pastures
are peculiarly favourable. The cattle are mostly the
short-horned, that breed having been introduced here in
1/88 by Mr. Robertson, who bought some of the finest
specimens he could find in the county of Durham: of the
cattle reared here several have been sold for very high
prices. All the sheep are of the Leicestershire breed,
and they are in high estiinatiou for their quality and the
fineness of their wool. Oak and plane are the trees
which appear best adapted to the soil. On the banks
of the river the substrata are compact micaceous sandstone
alternated with schistose, marl, and limestone of
inferior quality; and in other portions of the parish,
sandstone of the old red formation: no quarries, however,
have been opened hitherto. The annual value of
real property in the parish is £4430. The only mansion
is Ladykirk House, a handsome modern residence. A
salmon-fishery on the river Tweed is carried on at three
several stations; but it is not so lucrative as formerly,
and the whole rental does not e.xceed £100 per annum.
An annual fair is held on the .5th of April, for the sale
of linen and lintseed. Facility of communication with
Coldstream, Berwick, and other places, is maintained by
good roads; and a post between this place and Berwick
has a delivery daily.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposcs the parish is within the
limits of the presbytery of Chirnside, synod of Merse
and Teviotdale: patron, the Crown. The stipend of the
incumbent is about £16S: the manse, lately repaired
and enlarged, is a convenient and comfortable residence;
and the glebe comprises eleven acres and a half of profitable
land, valued at £33 per annum. Ladykirk church
is a handsome cruciform structure in the decorated
English style of architecture, but has been greatly disfigured
by injudicious alterations and additions; and
the general effect of the interior, originally of lofty proportions
and elegant design, has been destroyed by
partitioning off a portion of it for a schoolroom. It is
adapted for a congregation of 300 persons. There is a
place of worship for dissenters. The parochial school
is well attended; the master has a salary of £34. 4. 4.,
with a house and garden, and the fees average £25 per
annum. Some very slight vestiges of an ancient monastery
may be seen on the bank of the Tweed, below
the village of Upsetlington, in a place still called the
Chapel Park; and near them are three springs of excellent
wafer, called respectively the Nuns', the Monks',
and St. Mary's well. Numbers of cannon balls have been
found in a field opposite to Norham Castle, a celebrated
fortress situated on the south side of the river,
in England.