Edrington
Edrington is a medieval estate occupying the lower part of Mordington parish in Berwickshire, Scotland, five miles (8.0 km) west of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The castle ruin is still marked on today's Ordnance Survey maps, and still appears in locality references in The Berwickshire News.
Edinburgh lawyer and amateur historian James Logan Mack refers to Edrington as "one of the earliest Border strongholds.
The superiority of the lands of Edrington appear to have originally been claimed by the Palatinate of Durham, although at a very early date they were annexed by the Scottish Crown.
[citation needed] On 28 July 1328, Robert the Bruce granted a charter of restitution to Sir Henry Percy of all his father's lands and rents, etc., in Scotland.
John J. Reid states: "Sir Robert of Lauder of The Bass was, in 1329, employed on a mission to England, no doubt diplomatic in its character, and payments out of public funds amounting to £60 were made to him for the expense of his journeys to London and York.
Shaw records that "Sir Robert Lauder or Lawedre – both father and son – were present at the battle of Halidon Hill, on July 20, 1333."
The famous chronicler Knyghton also states that Sir Robert senior "was present but did not take part due to the fact that he was unable to dismount from his horse in full armour owing to his advanced age".
Further, in a charter dated 20 June 1443 re the lands of Hownam, 'Robert of Lawadre of Eddringtoun' appears as a witness[5] James Logan Mack [who?]
[9] On 20 January 1478, the King again appointed Robert Lauder of Edrington as custodian of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed for five years with a retainer of 200 merks (Scott gives it as £250) per annum.
Scott notes that he continued as Governor of Berwick Castle till the last year of Scottish occupation, when Patrick Hepburn of Hailes had possession.
The printed Exchequer Rolls record that payments were made to "Robert Lauder, Captain and Keeper of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed" in 1480 and 1481.
[citation needed] On 12 September 1489, a Charter signed at Linlithgow from King James IV confirmed "to his squire, Robert Lauder of Edrington" various lands.
As a result, on 5 July 1568, at Edinburgh, Casper Home was granted an escheat of the goods of Robert Lawder of The Bass, including his cattle and other goods on the steading and lands of Eddringtoun and the dues of the mill thereof, in the sheriffdom of Berwick, the said Robert being convicted, become in will, fugitive or at the horn for taking part with Archibald Earl of Argyll, Claud Hammiltoun, and others at Langsyde or for not finding surety to underlie the law for art and part in the slaughter there of one James Ballany.
688), a reconfirmation at Holyroodhouse on 21 March 1598, of "Eddrington" belonging to Sir George Lauder of The Bass who was a Privy Counsellor and personal friend of King James VI of Scotland and tutor to his son, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales.
A sasine registered on 10 March 1634 (RS25/22 fol.82) mentions "the late William Lauder of Edringtoune" and his "eldest lawful son and apparent heir, Robert".
[citation needed] By the end of 1641 the superiority of Edrington had passed to Sir Patrick Hepburn of Waughton, the last George Lauder of The Bass's uncle.
His son John Hepburn, a Royalist and Episcopalian, held the castle of The Bass against Oliver Cromwell, and was heavily fined and imprisoned.
John Hepburn of Waughton was forced to resign Edrington in charter 1948 dated 1 March 1648 to James Scott, a merchant-burgess of Edinburgh.
It then passed to another of his family, probably his son, Patrick Scott, who also became a merchant-burgess of Edinburgh,[13] and who was designated "of Edringtoune" in a charter dated 22 February 1653, when he was confirmed in the lands of Langshaw in the barony of Melrose.
Tytler states that during the crisis of 1481 the Border barons and those whose estates lay near the sea were commanded to put into a posture of defence their various castles, one of which was Edrington.
The Parish of Mordington says of Edrington castle that "at the close of the eighteenth century the tower and battlements were substantially intact"; and H. Drummond Gauld (Brave Borderland, London 1934) states "towards the close of the 18th century Edrington Castle was still four storeys in height, a commanding ruin perched on the pinnacle of a crag clothed with trees.
By 1892, the year of publication of the abovementioned architectural survey, Mr. Edward Grey, the new owner, had completed a new country house nearby called Cawderstanes, with some cottages also adjoining the castle incorporating parts of it.
By 1909, Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bt.,[16] notes: "Edrington Castle, opposite Paxton, once a place of great strength and importance, has been quarried away to near ground level."
From about 1890 on the mill was tenanted out, the last miller facing the massive floods which swept the district on 12 August 1948 (a stone on the wall today shows the high-water mark).
