Edrington

Edrington is a medieval estate occupying the lower part of Mordington parish in Berwickshire, Scottish Borders, Scotland, five miles (8 km) west of Berwick-upon-Tweed. From probably the 14th century, if not earlier, a castle occupied the steep hill above the mill of the same name on the Whiteadder Water. The castle ruin is still marked on today's Ordnance Survey maps, and still appears in locality references in The Berwickshire News. The principal farm of the estate is Edrington Mains.

Carr’s Coldingham Priory states that Edrington derived its name from its contiguity to the river Whitadder but he does not further explain how he associates the names. James Logan Mack refers to Edrington as "one of the earliest Border strongholds. The ancient castle occupied the summit of a steep bank above the Whitadder, and must have been a place of considerable strength and importance."

An early reference to Edrington is in Coldingham Parish & Priory which mentions charters (c.1097) of King Edgar by which were granted the profits of the mansions of, inter alia, Fulden & Hadrington (Foulden & Edrington) "for the souls" of His House (i.e. the Priory). 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.

Bain carries a reference in the year 1304 to "the King’s lands of Edringtone", and also to the King's mill there. However The Parish of Mordington suggests that the King was Edward I of England. These were 'disputed lands', as we have already seen, with the early charters referring to King Edgar, although Edrington has always been in Scotland.

For centuries the proprietors of Edrington were the Lauders of The Bass. This family had campaigned with both Sir William Wallace, and Robert The Bruce who had appointed Sir Robert de Laweder of the Bass Justiciar of Lothian (or more properly Justiciary of Scotland South of the Forth) before 1316. 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. Witnesses to this charter included Roberto de Lawedre, senior, Knight, (ref: Stones). 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. In 1330 he possessed hereditarily the fishings of Edrington and was Keeper of Berwick Castle and Sheriff there."

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