Bonjedward

Last updated January 21, 2024

Bonjedward (Scottish Gaelic: Bun Jedward) is a hamlet in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, two miles north of Jedburgh where the Jed Water joins the River Teviot.

Place name

Bonjedward, recorded as Bonjedworth in 1342, is formed of the original name of Jedburgh (Gedwearde c.1050, Gedwirth 1177) and the Gaelic word bun 'river-mouth'.^[1]^[2] 'Jedward', rather than 'Jed' has been interpreted as the name of the river by the Gaelic speakers who coined Bonjedward.^[2] 'Jedward' itself is formed of the ancient river-name 'Jed' and Old English weorð 'an enclosure' (later 'an enclosed homestead').^[3]^[4]^[1] The element weorð was replaced by Middle English burgh 'town'; Jeddeburgh is recorded in c.1160.^[3]^[5] The name Jed is of obscure origin.^[3] James has suggested that it may derive from Proto-Indo-European *wei(h₁)- d- 'a bend, something curved or twisted'.^[6] He also notes that Scots Gedde- in Jedburgh may have been adopted from Cumbric gwï:δ 'a wood', and that the river name may be a back-formation.^[7]

History

The castle and town of Bonjedworth suffered their full share of the miseries of border warfare. The castle was converted at a later period into a gaol. In 1683 Sir John Biddell of that ilk and another were tried at the court of justiciary at Jedburgh for their religious opinions, and sentenced to be confined in the prison of Bonjedworth. The castle is now so completely demolished that not a trace of even its situation can be found. It was, in 1850, an inconsiderable hamlet though once a seat of strength having possessed a castle of some note.

A short distance farther to the west of the likely castle site is Bonjedward House, a Georgian house dating from the 18th century.^[8] It was remodelled and extended during the next century and is set in an imposing position in the centre of its own extensive gardens. The house is built of cream sandstone rubble with polished cream ashlar dressings.

Bonjedward was, as part of large holdings in the Jedburgh Forest, and elsewhere, in 1320 granted by Robert Bruce, earl of Carrick to Sir James Douglas, partly as a reward for his support at the battle of Bannockburn, and partly to bind him to the Bruce cause. These estates passed to James, 2nd Earl of Douglas. Douglas married the Princess Isabel, a daughter of King Robert II of Scotland. He left no legitimate male issue. His natural sons William and Archibald became the ancestors of the families of Douglas of Drumlanrig (see Marquess of Queensberry) and Douglas of Cavers. His sister Isabel, inherited the lands and earldom of Mar, and the unentailed estates of Douglas. Isabel arranged for the Bonjedward estate to be passed to their half-sister, Margaret, who became 1st Laird of Bonjedward. Margaret had married a Thomas Johnson, but he and his son, John, changed their names to Douglas.

In 1479, George Douglas of Bonjedward, with consent of his heir, James, granted Timpendean to a younger son, Andrew.^[9] James appears to have died before his father, so in 1540 William Douglas, then son and heir of the late George Douglas of Bonjedward became Laird of Bonjedward.

In about 1710, Thomas Rutherfurd of Edgerston acquired the lands of Bonjedward and Mounthooly, together with the estates of Hunthill and Scraesburgh. In 1845, Bonjedward was sold to the Marquess of Lothian, in whose ownership much of the estate continues, the estate offices being located in the stables for Jedneuk House in Bonjedward, which were converted to form a suite of offices.

Related Research Articles

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The River Teviot, or Teviot Water, is a river of the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and is the largest tributary of the River Tweed by catchment area. The Teviot is an important river for wildlife, especially the Atlantic salmon, but in recent years has witnessed at least four extreme flooding events.

Sir James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas and Mar was an influential and powerful magnate in the Kingdom of Scotland.

Blackadder Water is a river in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, forming part of the River Tweed system. It reached 2.84m at Mouthbridge, which was its highest level ever recorded on Tuesday 22 October 2002 at 2:45pm.

Denholm is a small village located between Jedburgh and Hawick in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, UK. The estimated population of Denholm is 600. There is a village green in the centre. It lies in the valley of the River Teviot. Denholm is a Conservation Area listed as 'a planned village as opposed to the traditional unplanned or organic form of village usually found in Roxburghshire.'

Nisbet is a small hamlet on the B6400, in Roxburghshire, along the River Teviot, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is located 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) north of Jedburgh and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Roxburgh.

The Jed Water is a river and a tributary of the River Teviot in the Borders region of Scotland.

Eden Water is a tributary of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders of Scotland. "Water" is the Lowland Scots term for a small river.

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Monteviot House is the early 18th century home of the Marquess of Lothian, the politician better known as Michael Ancram. It is located on the River Teviot near Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.

Timpendean Tower (tim-pen-deen) or Typenden Castle as it was once known, is a ruined 15th-century tower house near Lanton, around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north-west of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders.

Camptown is a small settlement on the A68, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, 5m (8 km) south of Jedburgh, and the same distance south to Carter Bar. The village lies on the course of the Jed Water, and the remains of a peel tower are close by at Edgerston.

Bedrule is a hamlet and civil parish in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The hamlet lies on the east side of the Rule Water, which gave the village its name, about 4 miles west of Jedburgh. It lies south of the A698 between Hawick and Jedburgh. Other local place-names based on the river include Hallrule, Abbotrule, Ruletownhead and Spittal-on-Rule. Larger settlements include Bonchester Bridge and Denholm, as well as Hawick and Jedburgh.

The Rule Water is a river in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and a tributary of the River Teviot. The Rule Water rises in Wauchope Forest and passes Hobkirk, Bonchester Bridge, Hallrule, Abbotrule, and Bedrule until it joins the River Teviot at Spittal-on-Rule.

Eckford is a small village located between the larger towns of Kelso and Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. The village is in close proximity to both the River Teviot and its tributary the Kale Water, and the A698 and the B6401 which run approximately parallel to the respective rivers.

Cavers is a parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former county of Roxburghshire, south and east of Hawick. The largest village in the parish is Denholm.

Peniel Heugh is a hill near Ancrum and Nisbet in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. On it stands the Waterloo Monument.

Crailing is a village on the A698, in Teviotdale, 4m east of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the historic county of Roxburghshire.

References

1 2 Scott, Margaret Rachael (2004). The Germanic Toponymicon of Southern Scotland: Place-Name Elements and their Contribution to the Lexicon and Onomasticon (PDF). University of Glasgow (Unpublished PhD Thesis). p. 597. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-03-29.
1 2 Watson, William J. (1926). The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh and London. p. 137.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
1 2 3 Mills, A. D. (2011). A Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 261.
↑ Williamson, May G. (1942). The Non-Celtic Place-names of the Scottish Border Counties (PDF). University of Edinburgh (Unpublished PhD Thesis). p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-21.
↑ Nicolaisen, W. F. H. (2001). Scottish Place-Names. Edinburgh: John Donald. p. 99.
↑ James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-name Evidence (PDF). Vol. 2: Guide to the Elements. pp. 380–381. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-11.
↑ James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-name Evidence (PDF). Vol. 2: Guide to the Elements. p. 385. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-11.
↑ "Bonjedward House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-24.
↑ Publications. 1851.

External links

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[:0-1] 1 2 Scott, Margaret Rachael (2004). The Germanic Toponymicon of Southern Scotland: Place-Name Elements and their Contribution to the Lexicon and Onomasticon (PDF). University of Glasgow (Unpublished PhD Thesis). p. 597. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-03-29.

[Watson_1926_137-2] 1 2 Watson, William J. (1926). The History of the Celtic Place-Names of Scotland. Edinburgh and London. p. 137.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[:1-3] 1 2 3 Mills, A. D. (2011). A Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 261.

[4] Williamson, May G. (1942). The Non-Celtic Place-names of the Scottish Border Counties (PDF). University of Edinburgh (Unpublished PhD Thesis). p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-21.

[5] Nicolaisen, W. F. H. (2001). Scottish Place-Names. Edinburgh: John Donald. p. 99.

[6] James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-name Evidence (PDF). Vol. 2: Guide to the Elements. pp. 380–381. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-11.

[7] James, Alan G. (2014). The Brittonic Language in the Old North: A Guide to the Place-name Evidence (PDF). Vol. 2: Guide to the Elements. p. 385. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-11.

[8] "Bonjedward House | Canmore". canmore.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-03-24.

[9] Publications. 1851.

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