Kirkurd

Kirkurd is a parish in Peeblesshire in the Scottish Borders situated 3 miles south-east of Dolphinton and 6 miles north-east of Broughton. Tarth Water, a tributary of Lyne Water (itself a tributary of the River Tweed) forms the northern boundary, with the parishes of Linton and Newlands on the north bank. The parish of Stobo lies to the east and south, the parish of Broughton, Glenholm and Kilbucho to the south, Skirling and Dolphinton (Lanarkshire) to the east.[1]

Kirkurd Parish Church

Kirkurd
Kirkurd
Location within the Scottish Borders
Population218 
OS grid referenceNT127442
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWest Linton
Postcode districtEH46
Dialling code01721
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

The parish lies in the Southern Uplands. It is lowest, at 680 ft, where Tarth Water leaves the parish in the east and the land rises to the south reaching 1,872 ft at the Broughton Heights at the southern boundary. Much of the land is around 700 ft above sea level.[1][2]


The name signifies the Kirk of a place called Urd or Orde, but the origin of this place name is uncertain.[2] The name "Urd" also appears in the place names Netherurd, Lochurd and Ladyurd within the parish and may mean quarter.[3] Netherurd lies in the west of the parish, Lochurd south of Netherurd, Kirkurd near the centre and Ladyurd in the east.[4]

The parish also contains the settlements of Kirkdean and West Mains, near the present site of Kirkurd church.[4]

It is recorded that a church in "Kercayrd" belonged to the bishopric of Glasgow in 1116. It was later given to the hospital at Soutra and in 1462 transferred to Trinity church in Edinburgh. The original church was located in the grounds of the Castle Craig estate, but when the present church building was built in 1766,[2][5] it was located further west. Kirkurd Church was closed for public worship in 1985 when the ecclesiastical parish was joined to Newlands and used its church.[6]

The principal mansions in the parish are Castle Craig (formerly Kirkurd house) and Netherurd. Castle Craig became a hospital during and after the Second World War, which it still is. The mansion of Netherurd was let to the Girl Guides in the 1950s and is now an outdoor activities centre.[3][7]

The civil parish of Kirkurd is in the Lamancha, Newlands and Kirkurd Community Council area.[8]

The civil parish has a population of 218 (in 2011) [9] and its area is 5,704 acres.[10]

References
  1. Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by Francis Groome, 2nd edition 1896; article on Kirkurd
  2. Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol III Roxburgh, Peebles, Selkirk, publ.William Blackwood, 1845; article on Kirkurd (Peeblesshire section)
  3. Third Statistical Account of Scotland: Peebles and Selkirk, Ed. James Boyd Prentice Bulloch, John Munro Urquhart; article on Kirkurd
  4. Ordnance Survey one inch to one mile Sheet 62 - Edinburgh; Publication date 1960
  5. Canmore website of Historic Environment Scotland, formerly the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland canmore.org.uk/event/709689 retrieved May 2016
  6. Church of Scotland parish web site www.newlands-kirkurd.org/churchhistory.html retrieved May 2016
  7. Netherurd official site www.netherurd.co.uk retrieved May 2016
  8. Scottish Borders Community Council web site www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/7721/lamancha_newlands_and_kirkurd retrieved May 2016
  9. Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved March 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930
  10. Gazetteer of Scotland, publ, by W & AK Johnston, Edinburgh, 1937. Article on Kirkurd. Places are presented alphabetically
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