Site type BURGH, VILLAGE
Canmore ID 58513
Site Number NT74NW 33
NGR NT 71057 46001
Council SCOTTISH BORDERS, THE
Parish GREENLAW
Former Region BORDERS
Former District BERWICKSHIRE
Former County BERWICKSHIRE

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Accessing Scotland's Past

The town of Greenlaw is the second settlement of that name. Old Greenlaw was situated further south, near Old Greenlaw House. In the later part of the sixteenth century, the village of New Greenlaw began to expand, and soon became the larger of the two settlements. It was accorded burgh status in 1600.

In 1698, Greenlaw became county town of Berwickshire, replacing Berwick, which had been in English hands since the late fifteenth century. Its new status heralded a programme of building work, the results of which can still be seen today, and which include the County Hall and the old jail. Some of the construction work was carried out at the expense of the Earls of Marchmont, who had been instrumental in erecting Greenlaw to the county status. Greenlaw finally lost its county town status to Duns in 1903.

Greenlaw is arranged around two streets and a square. The two streets, Duns Road and the High Street, intersect to form a T-junction, and The Square is situated to the east of this, surrounding a green.


Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project at http://www.accessingscotlandspast.org.uk

Archaeological Notes

NT74NW 33 71057 46001

NT74SW 13 716 445 Old Greenlaw burgh

Greenlaw was erected a burgh of barony in 1598 when it had 'become more populous than Old Greenlaw'.

Visible on Ordnance Survey large scale vertical air photograph (OS 70/364/058).

Architectural Notes

EXTERNAL REFERENCE:
Scottish Record Office:
RHP/9411
Capt. Armstrong and Son, surveyor - engraved map of Berwickshire with inset plan of Greenlaw.

Notes and Activities

Gibson, R (1905) An old Berwickshire town: history of the town and parish of Greenlaw from the earliest times to the present day, Edinburgh
Held at RCAHMS D.1.13.GRE

NSA (1834-1845) The new statistical account of Scotland by the ministers of the respective parishes under the superintendence of a committee of the society for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the clergy, 15v Edinburgh
Page(s): Vol. II, p. 40-9 Held at RCAHMS B.2.2.STA

RCAHMS (1980b) The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. The archaeological sites and monuments of Berwickshire District, Borders Region, The archaeological sites and monuments of Scotland series no 10 Edinburgh
Page(s): 59, No.522 Held at RCAHMS A.1.2.ARC/10