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There is now no trace of William
Douglas of Bonjedward’s
house at Cunzeirton in
the Cheviot Hills, (66) but of its razing and the theft of his cattle in
1540 (cited in
Armstrong, 1883, LI, App. XXXIV) we have the following record:
Thai come apon the XXI day of November last bypast, to his house of
Cunzertoun, with ledderis, spadis, schobs, gavelockis and axis, cruellie
assegit, brak and undirmyndit the said place, to have wynnyn the samyn,
and
tuik his cornis, and caist to the yettis, and brynt thairin VIIJ ky and
oxin, and
spulyeit and tuik away with thaime XXVJ ky and oxin, an horss…(67)
Zeune (1992, 168) supposes that Cunzeirton must have been a pele-house
or bastle
with livestock kept in the ground floor otherwise eight cattle and oxen
‘therein’
would not have been lost. In general, however, the livestock may have
been kept on
the property or ‘place’ rather than in the house itself. Given that this
record is an
official complaint lodged by Douglas against English reivers, it may
have been
exaggerated in the hope of compensation for 34 animals rather than the
26 that may
be recovered.
The RCHME (1970, 66) cite two documentary references to support the
theory that
livestock were housed within the main body of the house. Firstly, the
author of ‘A
Survey of the Possessions of the Earls of Northumberland and
Westmorland…’,
1570, who stated that lodging of livestock at night is the usual
practice – this general
observation need not relate to, or only to, the ground floor of
stone-built two-storey
houses. Secondly, a reference to the losses sustained by one John
Sparman,
Rothbury, who, in 1586, was said to have had “his house burnt and one
hundred
sheep in it”. The average space available in the basement of surviving
English bastles
is 42.6 m2 (ibid, 61); it is conceivable that this number of sheep could
be housed
inside but it seems more likely that additional accommodation would have
been
required to house a flock of that size on a nightly basis and, as it is,
most English
bastles do have associated outbuildings. However, the first secure
references to
livestock being housed on the ground floor of stone-built houses in
Rothbury
(Northumberland) and in north-east Cumberland date to the 19th century;
therefore
the architecture of 16th century examples confirms only that “the lower
floor was
never intended as living quarters… [and] could be interpreted, like
medieval town
cellars, as a storehouse” (ibid, 66).
Notes:
66 Note: Zeune mistakenly ascribes Cunzeirton to Dumfriesshire with the
suffix ‘DF’ each time it is
mentioned, however, the grid reference provided in the index (NT 741
180) is correct and the
house would have been up in the Cheviots with a direct route from
Douglas’s seat in Bonjedward
(near Jedburgh) along Dere Street.
67 Translation: They come upon the 21st day of November last bypast
[past/gone by], to his house of
Cunzeirton, with ladders, spades, schobs [?stobs: forked thatching
rods], gavelocks [crowbars or
heavy hammers] and axes, cruelly assieged [besieged], broke and
undermined the said place, to
have wynnyn [won] the same, and took his corns, and cast to [threw down]
the yetts [gates], and
burnt therein eight cattle and oxen, and spulyied [spoiled/plundered]
and took away with them 26
cattle and oxen, one horse…
• In 1537 sheep were stolen from William Douglas. “Andrew Hall,
called ‘Fat Cow’ and William Hall ‘Wanton Pintle’ were denounced rebels
for stealing sheep from William Douglas of Bon Jedward and his
neighbours…” They also stole corn from Douglases’ place at Cunzeirton.
• In 1540 Cunzeirton was associated with William Douglas of
Bonjedward.
‘‘• William Douglas of Cunyertoun’ was on the Roxburghshire Land
Tax Roll between 1645 and 1831. (Scotland's Places).
• In September 1696, William Douglas of Cunzeirton represented
Roxburgh
•
Christian Douglas, spouse to Archibald
Douglas of Garvald, lands
at Cunzeirtoun, and others, Date of Tailzie: 3 Dec 1705 Date of
registration: 6 Nov 1707.
• In the reign of George III (1760 onwards) there was a ‘Reverend
Dr James Douglas of Cunzeirton’, the son of
Archibald Douglas of Cavers, who
died in 1741 and Anna, daughter of Francis Scott of Gorrenberry.
Prebendary
of Durham Cathedral. He was served heir to Archibald
Douglas of Cunziertoun 28th September 1736. He married Jean,
daughter of Halyburton of Pitcur, but had no issue. He died
1780.
• In 1992 John Henderson stated that "Cunzeirton Farm is owned by
the Misses Douglas who live at
Swinside Hall’’.
See also:
• Cunzeirton - research by
Sally Douglas (pdf; updated 5th
November 2018)
•
Peles, towers and bastles of the Scottish Borders (pdf)
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