MELROSE, a market-town and parish and burgh of barony
(anciently), in the district of Melrose, county
of Roxburgh; including the villages of Darnick, Eildon,
Gattonside, Newstead, Newtown, the Blainslies, and
more than half the town of Galashiels; and containing
5331 inhabitants, of whom 893 are in the town of Melrose,
13 miles (N. W. by N.) from Jedburgh, and 37
(S. E. by S.) from Edinburgh. This place derived its
ancient name, Mullross, of which its present is only a
slight modification, from the Gaelic words Mull or Moel,
bare, and Ross, a promontory, descriptive of its position
on a peninsula formed by the river Tweed, and which
at that remote period was literally a barren and rugged
rock. In the beginning of the seventh century, a society
of Culdees established themselves here from lona,
and a monastery was founded on a commodious site,
which is now, in contradistinction to the present town,
called Old Melrose. A monastery of greater extent was
built five centuries after in a more convenient part of
the parish, to which were transferred the remains of the
former establishment, and where are yet preserved the
ruins of the venerable abbey, so remarkable for their
beauty. During the seventh century, Oswald, the Saxon
King of Northumbria, at that time an exile among the
Picts, who occupied the district to the north of the river
Forth, was converted to Christianity by the Culdees of
this place, and on his restoration to his kingdom prevailed
upon certain of the monks to visit his dominions
for the conversion of his subjects; he appointed Aidan
to the bishopric of Lindistarn, and built churches and
planted missionaries in this parish and various other
parts of his territories. The church at Old Melrose,
over which was placed one of Aidan's disciples, flourished
in peace and security for more than two centuries,
and produced many eminent characters, of whom St.
Cuthbert, who was afterwards Bishop of Lindisfarn, and
St. Boswell, who gave his name to a neighbouring parish,
were the chief. In 839, the peninsula of Old Melrose
was taken by Kenneth II., who laid waste the country
as far south as the river Tweed; and the monastery,
which was then destroyed, was never afterwards restored.
It became the temporary residence of a few monks from
Girwy, and ultimately was only a chapel dedicated to
St. Cuthbert, having attached to it the privileges of a
sanctuary, the road to which, called the Girthgate, may
be traced over the moorlands. During the interval between
the decay of the Old and the foundation of the
New Melrose, a religious establishment was formed on
a site nearly central to both: this, from the colour of
the stone with which the church was built, was termed
the Red Abbey, and the field where it stood is still called
the Red Abbey stead.
In 1136, the magnificent abbey referred to above,
and of which the ruins are so celebrated, was founded
by David I. in honour of the Virgin, for monks of the
Cistercian order brought from Rivaulx, and then first
introduced into Scotland. It appears to have been progressively
enriched, and the character of the buildings to
have been improved to a height of elegance and magnificence
to which, at the time of its foundation, it had no
pretensions; but there are no records of its history to
show by what means, or under whose auspices, it attained
that perfection in its architectural character which has
rendered it conspioious as one of the most splendid
ecclesiastical remains in the kingdom. Notwithstanding,
however, that it made this progress during the whole
period in which it flourished, it suffered very severely at
different times. The English army, in its retreat iinder
Edward II. in 13^^, plundered and despoiled it to so great
an extent that Robert Bruce felt compelled, four years
afterwards, to grant the sum of .£2000 sterling for restoring
it and reb\iilding those parts which had been
destroyed. In 1384 it was burnt by the English under
Richard II. Sir Ralph Evcrs and Sir Bryan Layton
sacked it in 1545; and again, in the same year, the
structure fell a prey to the Earl of Hertford, while Queen
Mary was an infant. It was sadly defaced in 1560, at
the period of the Reformation; and lastly, it was ruthlessly
bombarded by Cromwell from the (iattonside hills.
On its dissolution at the introduction of the Reformed
religion, the abbey was annexed to the crown by a sta-
tute which provided that the sovereign should not have
power to alienate it; but this was rendered nugatory by
subsequent acts of parliament, and grants of different
portions of the property were made to individuals favoured
by the court. The whole is now the property of
the Duke of Buccleuch. The revenue of the establishment
was stated iu 1561 at £1/58 Scots, and nearly 200
chalders of wheat, barley, oats, and meal, besides payments
in capons, poultry, butter, salt, peat, and other articles.
The monks received annually for their own consumption
sixty bolls of wheat and 300 casks of ale; while for the
service of the mass eighteen casks of wine were allotted j
for the entertainment of strangers, thirty bolls of wheat,
forty casks of ale, and twenty casks of wine; and a considerable
sura was set aside for the nourishment of the
sick and infirm. The number of monks seems latterly
to have varied from sixty to 100, with an equal number
of lay brethren: in 1520 there were eighty monks; in
1540, seventy, and sixty lay brethren; and in 154'2 the
number of monks was 100.
The REMAINS of Melrose Abbey are situated about
three miles westward of the peninsula on which the old
church was built, and in the most picturesque part of
the vale between the Eildon hills and the heights of
Gattonside, a quarter of a mile to the south of the river
Tweed. They consist chiefly of the ruins of the church,
a stately cruciform structure 258 feet in length and ISO
feet in breadth, with part of a central tower eighty-four
feet high. The nave, choir, and transepts, with part of
the cloisters, are still remaining, and exhibit a gradation
of style from early to later (or perpendicular) English,
but are principally decorated English; the conventual
buildings have totally disappeared, and slight traces only
of their extent and situation are to be perceived. The
nave is separated from the aisles by elegant ranges of
pillars, supporting deeply-moulded and richly-sculptured
arches in the most finished style; and the transejjts and
choir are of the same character, elaborately embellished,
and lighted by windows enriched with tracery, the principal
of which are of lofty dimensions. The grand east
window has been particularly admired for its surpassing
elegance, and is in the later English style, measuring
fifty-seven feet in extreme height, and twentyeight
in breadth; the south transept window is also remarkable,
but is characterised rather by majesty than
by the light elegance of the east window, than which it
is rather loftier, though rather narrower. The principal
buttresses terminate with pinnacles of the finest tabernacle
work, and these, as well as the windows ranged
along the sides of the edifice, are ornamented with
figures admirably carved, and with niches highly sculptured;
but the statues placed in the niches were demolished
in the year 1649. In the interior are some good
ancient monuments. Under the east window stood the
high altar, beneath which Alexander II., who died at
Kerrera, \ipon an expedition to the Western Isles, in
1249, was buried; and a large marble stone is pointed
out as the monarch's tomb, though some suppose it to
be that of St. Wahiave, the second abbot of Melrose,
whose death occurred in 1158. Here, also, according
to the best historians, was deposited the heart of the
great king Robert Bruce, after an unsuccessful attempt
to carry it to the Holy Land; the body having been
interred in the abbey of Dunfermline. Michael Scott,
who flourished in the thirteenth century, and whose
discoveries in chemistry and other sciences led to the belief
that he was a wizard, was buried in this monastery; as
were, too, many of the renowned family of Douglas,
after they became lords of Liddesdale. Among these
may be named William Douglas, knight of Liddesdale,
for his valour called the "Flower of Chivalry," who barbarously
murdered the gallant Sir Alexander Ramsay,
and was himself killed while hunting in Ettrick Forest,
in 1353; William, first Earl of Douglas, who was
wounded at the battle of Poitiers in 1356, and who died
in 1384; and James, second Earl of Douglas, who fell
at the battle of Otterburn. Their tombs, occupying
two crypts near the high altar, were defaced by Sir
Ralph Evers and Sir Bryan Layton, when they made
their incursion into this part of the country, which has
been already referred to; but the sixth Earl of Angus,
descendant of the Douglases, amply revenged this insult
at the battle of Ancrum-Moor, in which both the
English leaders were slain, and their forces were totally
routed. In conclusion, the remarkable fact may be
mentioned, with regard to these far-famed remains, that
they were but little known as an object of interest to
the tourist until the publication of the Lay of the Last
Minstrel, which caused numbers to resort to them;
while the prominent figure they occupy in The Monastery
and The Abbut, in which the abbey is designated " St.
Mary's" and the town of Melrose " Kennaquhair", gave
additional charms to the district, previously described by
Scott only in poetry.
The TOWN is pleasantly situated on the banks of the
Tweed, over which is a handsome suspension-bridge for
foot-passengers and single horses; but the place is not
remarkable for any peculiarity of character distinguishing
it from a large rural village. It is in the form of a
triangle, with small streets leading out at the corners,
and contains several elegant modern houses; many of
the houses are of early date, and evidently built in part
of materials from the abbey. The bridge leads to the
antique and rustic village of Gattonside, surrounded by
gardens and orchards; and the scenery near the town
is generally of the most beautiful description, attracting
numberless visiters during summer. Melrose has a
station of the Edinburgh and Hawick railway. The
inhabitants are principally employed in trades requisite
for the supply of the district, and in agricultural pursuits:
the manufacture of linen formerly occupied a
considerable number of persons in connexion with the
commercial establishments of Galashiels, but it has long
since declined. In the centre of the town, near the
south entrance to the abbey, is an ancient cross, for the
maintenance of which half an acre of land is appropriated;
but the chief object of attraction is, of course, the
ruin of the monastery. A subscription library, containing
a good selection, is supported, and there are smaller
libraries in the adjacent villages; also two branch banks
established in the town, some friendly or benefit societies,
and two excellent inns. The market-day is Saturday.
Three fairs are annually held, one in the beginning of
June, called, from the old style, the May fair, one at
Lammas, and one at Martinmas; they are all great
cattle-markets, and are numerously attended, and the
Lammas fair has attained such celelDrity for its sheep as
to rival the celebrated fair of St. Boswell's, in the adjoining
parish. The regality of the burgh is vested in
the ducal family of Buccleuch, whose bailie is the prin-
cipal officer, and exercises jurisdiction in matters originating
in the fairs of Melrose and St. Boswell's, over
both which parishes his jurisdiction as bailie of the
barony extends. No record of criminal cases has been
preserved; the only delinquencies cognizable by the
bailie or his deputy have been such as subject the
offender to a fine of five shillings. Melrose is the head
of the district, and has a fiscal, acting under the justices
of the peace, who hold a court here on the first Saturday
in the month.
The PARISH, which is one of the largest in the county,
extends ten miles in length, from the summit of the
central of the Eildon hills to Upper Blainslie, and four
miles and a half in breadth, from the river Gala to the
Leader; comprising an area of forty-five square miles.
It is bounded on the north by the parish of Lauder, on
the east by the parishes of Mertoun and Earlstoun, on
the south by those of St. Boswell's and Bowden, and on
the west by Galashiels and Stow. The Tweed, which
enters the parish from the south-west, forms a boundary
between it and the parish of Galashiels for some distance,
and then flows through Melrose parish. In its
course it receives the streams of the Gala, the Allan,
and the Leader: the Allan, a beautiful stream, issues
from an opening in the Langlee hills, and flows for five
miles through the parish, in many parts concealed by
overhanging woods. The surface is boldly diversified
by the Eildon hills, which are partly within the parish,
and by the heights of Gattonside, which, with the Langlee
and Ladhope hills, form a ridge extending from the
Leader to the Gala river. Of these elevations, the
Eildon hills are seen from the north with peculiar effect;
the two highest summits alone are then visible, and appear
with majestic grandeur, towering above the level of
the adjacent country. The view from the Eildon hills
is magnificent, commanding the windings of the Tweed
through the vale of Melrose, with its banks thickly studded
with villas, and the south front of the venerable
abbey embosomed in woods: to the south is seen the
whole of Teviotdale, bounded by the range of the Cheviot
mountains, at the eastern extremity of which are Flodden
hill and two other eminences of conical form. The
valley of Melrose is supposed at some remote period to
have been a lake, and the substratum of water-sand is
still found by digging a few feet below the surface. The
climate of the vale, sheltered by surrounding heights, is
extremely mild, but the upland parts of the parish are
exposed to severe northern gales.
The SOIL is various. In the south, a strong clay adapted
to the growth of wheat is prevalent. On the banks of
the river the land is light and dry, favourable to all
kinds of grain. In the northern parts it is generally
mixed with sand, resting on a substratum of gravel, but
in some places clayey and wet, and in others a moss,
under which marl is found. Fogs are very prevalent,
and frequently assume a variety of picturesque forms;
from the south of the Eildon hills, the vale of Teviot sometimes
appears a continuous sheet of mist, above which
are seen only the summit of Ruberslaw and the shaft of
the Waterloo pillar. Of the land, about 1 1,500 acres on
the north side of the Tweed are in tillage, and '600 in
pasture; while on the south side of the river the lands,
consisting of one-third of the parish, are wholly under
cultivation. About 1 '200 acres are in plantations; the
only natural wood is a few scattered trees, chiefly
birch, on the banks of the river Allan. The system of
agriculture is improved, and the crops in general are
favourable; the farm-buildings are substantial, commodious,
and in good repair, and the inclosures and fences
are kept in proper order. Considerable advances have
been made in draining and planting, and a large portion
of waste land has been reclaimed and brought under
profitable cultivation. The principal breeds of sheep
are the Leicestershire, the Cheviot, the half-bred, and
the black-faced; the common breeds of cattle are the
Teeswater, the Ayrshire, and the Highland breeds, with
an occasional admixture of other kinds. The salmonfisheries
of the Tweed, formerly very lucrative, are much
reduced; the fish appear to be intercepted by the fishermen
of Berwick, and few are taken in this parish. The
chief fuel is, coal, the thinnings of the plantations, and
peat from the mossy districts. The annual value of real
property in Melrose is £"20,671.
The parish is divided amongst numerous proprietors,
of whom fifty hold lauds each to the annual value of £,iO
and above; and within its boundaries, and chiefly near
the Tweed, are numerous villas and handsome mansionhouses,
among which is Abbotsford, the seat of the gifted
Sir Walter Scott, Bart., whose memory will ever be cherished
by his country, and by the admirers of literary
genius throughout the civilized world. These residences
are principally built of sandstone, of coarse puddingstone
from the neighbouring quarry-hill, and of greywacke,
which abounds in the parish. The far-famed
mansion of Abbotsford, " a romance in stone and
lime," occupies a slip of level ground at the foot of an
overhanging bank on the right side of the river, and
looks out upon a beautiful haugh on the opposite bank,
backed with the green hills of Ettrick Forest. It is in
the south-western part of the parish, and about two
miles distant from the town of Galashiels. The house,
the garden, pleasure-grounds, and woods, were all the
creation of the late proprietor; and thousands of the
trees which adorn the demesne, and appear in beautiful
clusters around the mansion, were planted by his own
hands: the name, also, is recent, having been adopted
by Sir Walter from an adjoining ford over the river. Resembling
no other building in the kingdom, the house
has a peculiar but picturesque and imposing appearance;
and its walls have been enriched with many an
antique carved stone, procured from old churches, castles,
and seats in different parts of Scotland, in the course of
their demolition or decay. The interior contains the
innumerable curiosities in the collection of whicii Sir
Waiter Scott displayed so refined a taste; and even were
Abbotsford destitute of attractions in respect of scenery,
there would be suflicient in the relics here arranged, the
arnioiir, the paintings, the books, and the furniture, to
ensure the prolonged visit of the tourist. But the
rarities and the architecture of the mansion are not more
worthy of the stranger's notice than are the beautiful
features of nature which the spot presents to his view.
The sweeping amphitheatre of wood in which the house
is seated, the banks of the meandering Tweed graced for
miles with ranges of forest-trees, the numberless serpentine
walks through the woods, and the ravines, bowers,
waterfalls, and mountain lakes, that enrich the vicinity,
all unite to form a scene of surpassing loveliness. Nor
does Abbotsford possess slight interest for tiiosc who
can regard with feelings akin to veneration the abode of
one of the master-spirits of our literature. In addition
to the town of Melrose, there are several villages within
the limits of the parish, of which Darnick, Gattonside,
and Newstead are less than a mile from the town, Eildon
about two miles east-south-east, Newtown about three
miles to the south-east, the Blainslies seven miles to the
north, and the newer and larger part of the very flourishing
town of Galashiels four miles to the west.
For ECCLESIASTICAL purposes the parish is within the
limits of the presbytery of Selkirk, and synod of Merse
and Teviotdale. The stipend of the incumbent averages
about £2.50: the manse was built in 1813, and is in
good repair, and the glebe comprises four acres of land,
worth about £11 per annum. Melrose church, erected
in 1810, is situated on Wear hill, a little westward of
the town. John Knox, nephew of the celebrated reformer,
was the second incumbent after the Reformation.
The episcopal chapel of the Holy Trinity, at Melrose,
was built by the munificence of the Duke of Buccleuch,
and consecrated on St. Bartholomew's day (August 24th),
1S49, by the Bishop of Glasgow, assisted by the Bishop
of Edinburgh. It is in the early English style, and
combines simplicity and beauty; the seats are all open,
and will contain about 200 worshippers. There are a
Free church at Melrose, and two places of worship for
the United Presbyterian Church, one of them in the
town, and the other in a romantic dell through which
the Bowden rivulet flows into the Tweed. In the district
of Ladhope is a church belonging to the Establishment,
and another belonging to the Free Church. The
parochial school affords an excellent education to nearly
eighty children; the salary of the master is £30 per
annum, with a house and garden, and the fees amount
to about £44. The school-house was built with money
arising from funds bequeathed by Bishop Fletcher, to
whose memory there is a tablet in the wall of the edifice.
At Langshaw is a small school with an endowment of
£3 per annum; and there are six schools in the villages,
for each of which a comfortable school-house has been
built by the villagers. On the side of the Eildon hills is
a tumulus of artificial construction and of large dimensions,
supposed to have been the site of a pagan altar;
the road leading to it, through a ravine named the Haxalgate
heugh, is called the Haxalgate. A stone appearing
to be part of a Roman altar was dug up lately in the
parish, and is now in the possession of the Urygrange
family; it is inscribed to the god " Silvanus", by Curius
Doniitianus, of the XX. legion, " pro solute sua et suortim".
In the walls of several houses in the town are inserted
stones sculptured with religions devices, and the letters
J. H. S., thought to have been removed from the ruins
of the old abbey.