History of St. Boswells

St. Boswells Village

Name - The present name is derived from the mediaeval church dedicated to St Boisil, who was a prior of Melrose Abbey. The previous name of the village was Lessudden - ' the meadow by the sloping pasture' - from the Old English 'laes' and 'wynn'.

Graveyard Record - Recorded as St Boswells (Lessudden) as Volume XVII of the Roxburghshire Monumental Inscriptions series produced by the Borders Family History Society. (Available from McGregor's Scottish Borders Books, Kelso (01573 225309)) The present graveyard was attached to the demolished church of Lessudden, and is commonly now referred to as Benrig Cemetery, being next to Benrig House.

Places of interest

• Dryburgh Abbey
• Bemersyde House Gardens
• Mertoun House Gardens
• Wallace Statue

St Cuthbert's Way also passes through St. Boswells, on its way from Melrose to Lindisfarne.

People of Note Associated

• John Younger - poet, writer and shoemaker
• William Rankine - native of Lessudden
• John Doran Caird - made a Canon in 1994

Further Reading

• 'Old St Boswells' by Jean S Lawrie
• 'Change at St Boswells' by Lt Col F G Peake (Peake Pasha)

Articles about St. Boswells' History

The Adjacent Parish of Mertoun