WESTRUTHER, a parish, in the county of Berwick,
5^ miles (E. by N.) from Lauder; containing 829
inhabitants. This place, it is said, was originally called
Wulfstruther, from the number of wolves with which it
was infested, but subsequently, on their disappearance,
was styled H'estruther, to distinguish it from an extensive
morass to the east of it, now called Dogden Moss. The
term Struther signifies "a marsh". The lands anciently
formed part of the parish of Home, from which they
were separated at the time of the Reformation, and annexed
to the parish of Gordon; and owing to the distance
of the church of Gordon, the remains of an old
chapel in the village of Bassendean were fitted up as a
place of public worship for the inhabitants. This place
of worship, however, being eventually found inconvenient
for the population of the northern parts of Westruther,
a church was erected in the village of Westruther
in 1649; and the adjacent lands being severed
from Gordon, were erected into an independent parish
by act of the General Assembly. On a high hill at the
northern extremity of the parish, called the Tvvinlaw
Hill, are two lofty cairns of stone. There is a tradition
of a battle having been fought there between the Anglo-
Saxons and the Scots, who had previously been engaged
in frequent wars. On this occasion, it is said, a challenge
given by one of the Saxon chieftains to decide the
contest by single combat, was accepted by Edgar, the
only son of an aged Scottish warrior, and whose twinbrother
had been carried off captive in his infancy by
tlie Saxons in a former battle. The Saxon chieftain
was killed, and Edgar himself severely wounded. After
the combat, an aged Saxon, lamenting the death of the
chieftain, whom he eulogised as the bravest of the Edgars,
and bewailed as his adopted son, betrayed the
secret of his Scottish birth; and Edgar, frantic with
remorse, tore the bandages from his wounds, and expired
on the corpse of his long-lost brother. The two large
piles of stones, now called the Twinlaw Cairns, were
raised by the warriors of both armies to commemorate
this melancholy event, for which purpose, suspending
all hostilities, and ranging themselves in one continued
line, they passed the stones from tlie brook at the base
of the acclivity, from hand to hand, to the siimmit, till
the monuments of their fallen leaders were completed.
The PARISH is of elliptical form; nearly seven miles
in extreme length from north to south, and from three
to five miles in breadth from east to west; comprising
about 13,000 acres, of which 11,000 are arable, 850
woodland and plantations, and the remainder moorland,
moss, and waste. Its' surface is varied, and terminates
towards the north in one continuous ridge of hills of
bleak and barren appearance, attaining an elevation of
1260 feet above the level of the sea, and commanding
extensive prospects over the fertile vales of Merse and
Teviotdale, which abound with picturesque and romantic
scenery. Towards the south, the lands by a gradual
descent expand into a spacious and undulating valley,
which intersects the parish from east to west throughout
its whole breadth, without any elevation that deserves
the name of a hill. The Blackadder has its source near
Wedderlie, in this parish, through which it flows for
nearly three miles in a winding course: afterwards,
taking a south-eastern direction, and forming a boundary
between this parish and Greenlaw, it falls into the
Whitadder at Allanton. Several rivulets also intersect
the grounds in various directions, constituting tributaries
to the Leader and the Tweed: of these, the Eden, celebrated
for the size and quality of its trout, attracts anglers
from all parts of the neighbouring country. Numerous
perennial springs afford an ample supply of pure
water; and on Harelaw moor is a chalybeate spring
which, from the efficacy of its water in scorbutic complaints,
was formerly frequented by numbers of invalids,
who took lodgings in the vicinity, but which has of late
years fallen into neglect.
In general the soil, is light, resting on a rocky or
gravelly subsoil; in the higher lands, a deep tenacious
clay well adapted for wheat; and in some other parts, a
black sandy loam. Crops are raised of oats, barley, and
a little wheat, of potatoes, and turnips, with the usual
grasses. The husbandry is greatly improved; the lands
are well drained, and inclosed with hedges of thorn and
dykes of stone. Considerable breadths of waste land
have been reclaimed and brought into profitable cultivation.
The farms, which were of very small extent, are
now of much larger size; the farm houses generally arc
substantial, and the offices well built. Lime, brought
from a distance of twenty miles, is liberally used for the
improvement of the lands, and bone-dust has been introduced.
Threshintr. mills have been erected on all the
larger farms; and under the encouragement afforded by
the propiietors, every recent change in the construction
of agricultural implements has been adopted. Great
attention is paid to the management of live-stock: the
cattle, which are of various breeds, have been much improved
by a cross with Teeswater bulls; the sheep are
of the Cheviot, Leicester, and black-faced breeds. The
produce of the parish, both in grain and cattle, is sent
to the market of Dalkeith. Forests of natural wood
formerly overspread nearly the entire surface, and in the
mosses are still found trunks of trees; but the only
portion of the woods now remaining is on the lands of
Flass, where are some large old trees. The plantations
originally formed on the lands of Spottiswoode, by the
grandfather of the present proprietor, have been greatly
extended, and the whole are generally in a thriving state;
they consist of larch, which seems best adapted to the
soil, and of firs, interspersed with various other kinds of
trees. At Bruntaburn, one of the highest and most exposed
situations on the brow of Lammermoor, and where
it was thought no timber would thrive, are numerous trees
of lu.xuriant growth. The principal substrata are greywacke,
sandstone, and slate. Near Hounslow, freestone
of a reddish tinge, and of good quality for building, is
quarried; and from the quarry were taken the materials
for the houses of that village, and for part of the new
mansion of Spottiswoode. A slate-quarry was wrought
at Bruntaburn; but the quality of the slate being very
inferior, the works were soon abandoned. The annual
value of real property in the parish is returned at the
sum of £5339.
Spottiswoode House, the seat of John Spottiswoode,
Esq., is a stately edifice in the old English style of
architecture, with a tower in the centre, and is surrounded
by a handsome terrace 300 yards in length. It
is crowned by an open balustrade ornamented with
pedestals and vases. The house contains a good suite
of rooms, and includes the old family mansion, which
was restored, and incorporated into the present structure.
Bassendcaii, the seat of Colonel Home, is an ancient
mansion modernised, and is finely situated in a
demesne tastefully laid out, and embellished with thriving
plantations. H'eddcrlie, the property of Lord Blantyre,
is also an ancient mansion: it has been suffered to fall
into neglect, and is now never inhabited by the family,
except for a few weeks during the shooting season. The
village of Wedderlie has been gradually decreasing for
many years, and is now extinct; the only villages in
the parish are the small ones of Hounslow and Westruther.
Facility of communication is maintained by
good turnpike-roads, which intersect the parish for about
fifteen miles, and by other roads: the principal roads arc
those to Kelso, to Dunse, i»nd to Coldstream. There are
bridges over various streams.
For KCCLKSiASTiCAL purposcs this place is within the
bounds of the presbytery of Lauder and synod of Merse
and Teviotdale. The minister's stipend is £158. 6. 8., of
which about one third is paid from the exchequer; with
a manse, and a glebe valued at £'25 per annum: patnm,
the Crown. Wcstruthcr old church, erected on the
separation of the parish from that of Gordon in 1649,
has, after imdergoing several alterations and repairs,
been al)andoned; and a new church, well adapted to the
acconmiodation of the people, has been erected; it was
opened in 1840. The members of the Free Church have
a place of worship. The parochial schoolmaster has a
salary of £"25. 13. 3., with a house and garden, and the
fees: the school-house is spacious and well suited to the
purpose. There is a parish library of standard worits,
formed by subscriptions of the parishioners; and a
savings' l)ank has been established, in wliich are deposits
to the amount of £1300. Some remains still exist of
the chapel at Bassendeuu, used as a bnrying-place by
the family there. Of the chapel at Wedderlie the only
portion left is a vault, into which, at the Reformation,
the monks removed their most valuable effects, and
which just serves to mark out the site. The last vestiges
of the chapel of Spof.Hawoode, founded in the reign
of David II., have disappeared; the only relie of it
which has been preserved is the baptismal font. There
are some traces of an ancient road called Horits dyke,
which extended from Berwick through the county, and
passed by the village of Westruther; and there are also
remaining, but in a very dilapidated state, the walls of
a castellated building called Evelaw, which was one of
the border fortresses. Several stone coffins, containing
skeletons in good preservation, have been discovered by
the plough on lands that have been for ages in pasture;
they were composed of large broad stones, and were
arranged with the greatest regularity. The situation of
these graves, together with the circumstance of many
similar relics having been found in the adjoining parish
of Lauder, appears to strengthen the tradition, already
referred to, that a battle occurred in the northern part
of Westruther.