Bowden, Scottish Borders
The Bowden Gallery
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The Kirk
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The ancient bell
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The village hall
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The market cross
Description
Bowden is a village in the old county of Roxburghshire situated three miles south of Melrose two miles west of Newton St. Boswalls and tucked in the shadow of the Eildon Hills, Scotland.
In 1113 when King David I of Scotland granted lands to the monks of Selkirk he also granted them the land at Bothandene (Bowden) and Hailiedene (Holydene). The charter was renewed in 1124 when the monks moved to Kelso where they founded the maginificent Kelso Abbey At the same time a religious establishment was founded at Bowden. The abbot of Kelso built a tower at Holydean which was destroyed in 1296. The tower was rebuilt and extend by Isabel Ker of Cessford and renamed Holydean Castle The castle became the home of the Ker family, later the Dukes of Roxburghe, for two centuries before finally being destroyed in 1760 by the 3rd Duke, John Ker. The Roxburghes moved to their new home Floors Castle in the early 18th century.
In 1531, Bowden village was granted the right to hold a market, the first non-burghal market in Scotland, and a market cross, which still stands today was erected - such was the importance of the village in mediaevel times. The cross is now used as the parish war memorial
The present Bowden Kirk was greatly enlarged in the 17th century but parts of an older church are still evident. The church is unusual in as much it has three bells, two of which are still in use. The third bell is contained inside the church and bears the inscription SOLI DEO GLORIA JOHN MEIKEL ME FECIT EDINBURGHII ANNO 1690 meaning 'I was built by the grace of God at Edinburgh in 1690 by John Meikle' John Meikle was an eminent bell maker and tuner in 17th century Edinburgh. The old kirkyard contains many interesting gravestones and, under the east wing, a burial vault, contains 22 members of the Ker family, six of them Dukes of Roxburghe. The church is embellished with some wonderful stained glass windows including the Priest's Door, built at the old priest's doorway.
Bowden has been blessed with educarion since just after the Scottish Reformation in 1590. The last school was built in the middle of the 19th century but closed in the mid 20th century. The school and schoolmaster's house are still standing and are used as private homes.
The Bowden village well was erected in 1861 and still stands in the atmospheric village adjacent to the old school. The village hall was erected in 1896.
While the first mention of Bowden is in the early 12th century, its original name of Bothanden is from the old English language meaning houses at the stream, the stream in question being the Bowden Burn which cuts through the village. Many ancient finds from the Iron-Age have been found in and around Bowden and there were even traces of an old military road from the Romans in Scotland period. It is known that ancient British tribes lived on the Eildon Hills and the Romans built a fort at nearby Newstead and named it Trimontium (meaning three hills)
Originally the people of Bowden were farm labourers and weavers but in modern times the village is inhabited by many professional people including doctors, nurses and schoolteachers. After local government restructuring in the early 1970s, Bowden bacame part of the newly formed Scottish Borders Council.
Sir Lauder Brunton Andrew Scott Lady Grizzell Baillie Thomas Aird - William Dick
References
- Groome, Francis. The Ordnance Gazetteer for Scotland pages 181-182))
Further References
New Statistical Accounts for Scotland 1799 and 1834. *
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland *
www.bowden.bordernet.co.uk *
'Holydean Castle' on Wikipedia *