J. W. Buchan and Rev. H. Paton. Published 1925-7.
This beautiful estate, comprising dwelling-house and policies, the Lour, and the farms of Easter and Wester Dawyck and Dawyck Mill, lying on the right bank of the Tweed, is bounded on the north by the lands of Barns, on the east by Woodhouse and Hallmanor, on the south by Drumelzier, and on the west by Stobo. The name is probably a corruption of Davach, which in the old Celtic system of land measures signified an extent of ground equal to 32 ox-gates or 416 acres. Dawyck originally formed a chapelry of Stobo after the Reformation it became (1598) a parish by itself, but in 1742 part of - Easter Dawyck, the Lour and Dawyck Mill - was annexed to the parish of Stobo, and the remainder to the parish of Drumelzier.
The earliest reference is about 1214, when there were present at the adjustment of the marches of Stobo, 'Gylmor hund apud Dauwic' and 'Mihhyn senescallus de Dauwic' By the close of that century, the Veitches were in possession.
In 1296 WILLIAM LE VACHE, of the county of Peebles, swore fealty to King Edward I. of England. He was doubtless the laird of Dawyck, and is the first of the name known in the country. The name is supposed to come from the French, and in that language means a cow, this animal being assumed in their coat of arms. The name underwent many forms of spelling in its use in this country, e.g. Vach, Vaich, Vaitch, Vatch, Veatche, Vetch, Wache, Waitche, Watche, Wauche, but it survives now in the two forms Veitch and Waugh.
There can be little doubt that the Veitch family descend from this William, but the next of the name is not found until 1434-5, when Barnaba le Vach of Dawic witnessed charters by the Hays of Yester at the Castle of Peebles (Neidpath) and at Peebles.
Paul Veitch of Dawyck is referred to in 1457, and in 1474, the name of WILLIAM THE VACHE OF DAWIC appears, from whom the pedigree is continuous. His deeds or misdeeds are referred to in the records of the Privy Council and the Lords Auditors, and there he appears sometimes as a reluctant debtor, and sometimes as a zealous creditor eager to force payment from his own kith and kin, for the family had by this time multiplied, and were in several farms in Peebleshire. In one of the entries (1474) the deceased Sir Paul the Vache is mentioned, who may have been William's father; and another (1489-90)tells us that though he had no seal, William could sign his name. On 4rth July 1475, he served on a jury for the retour of the laird of Drumelzier. One of his kinsmen, Bernard Veitch - he may have been his own grandson - was a source of trouble in 1493-4. This man seems to have indulged in a wholesale plunder of live stock and gear, for which the laird of Dawyck became responsible. Altogether there was more than a score of claims for restitution of property 'spulzeit and taken' and William Veitch was allowed till Candlemass, 1495 to settle these. In 1497 he sent herons to the king on two occasions, on the first of which the King seems to have been at Peebles, and on the second at Stirling. He died in 1502, having had at least three sons who are found on record.
1. Alexander, who as son and heir-apparent of William Veitch of Dawyck on 24th November, 1481, granted a charter to his brother John, of the Mains of Sinton in Roxburghshire (by annexation in the Barony of Dawyck), in exchange for the lands of Easter Dawyck. In 1506 he was receiving from the revenues of Peebles, apparently by the King's command, the sum of £8 yearly, which continued until 1509. In 1502 he witnessed a deed in Peebles Tolbooth, and in that year mention is made of Bernard Veitch, his son and heir, as witness to a deed at Glenriska.
2. William, of whom presently.
3. John, who, as mentioned above, received a grant of the lands of Sinton from his brother Alexander in exchange for those of Easter Dawyck, and founded the branch of the Veitches of North Sinton. He was succeeded by his son George, who in 1525 had the lands confirmed to him by William Veitch of Dawyck, who held the superiority, and who in the following year entered Walter, the son of George, in them. The possessor in 1535 was John Veitch, who may have been a brother of Walter. If so, he was probably succeeded by his son named Walter, as the next named successor was James Veitch of North Sinton in 1601, who was then served heir to his father Walter, and in 1604 had a charter from the King of the lands of Corslie in the forest of Ettrick, of which he is said to be the native tenant. James was succeeded by his son, Walter Veitch of North Sinton, who was served heir to his grandfather Walter in 1609, and in 1625, with consent of his wife, Jean Cairncross, sold Corslie to George Pringle of Torwoodlee; and in 1641, with consent of his second wife, Janet Ker, and James Veitch, his eldest son, sold North Sinton, with the exception of Clerklands, to Francis Scott of South Sinton and William, his son. James Veitch married Helen Veitch, daughter of George Veitch of Clerklands.
WILLIAM VEITCH OF DAWYCK, the second son, in 1503 is called son, heir and intromitter with the goods of the deceased William Veitch of Dawyck. The expression may be a mistake at that date as his elder brother Alexander was still alive in 1509, but by 1510 both Alexander and his son Bernard seem to have died, and William was Laird of Dawyck. From 1509 to 1517, he received the payments from the burgh of Peebles which had formerly been made to Alexander. In 1510 he gave his bond of manrent at Neidpath to John, Lord Hay of Yester, who in turn became bound to defend him, and in 1519 he was on the jury for serving Lord Yester as heir in his estates. As superior of North Sinton he granted a charter thereof to his nephew George in 1525, and a precept of sasine in 1526 to Walter, the son of George. In connection with these lands he had some litigation in 1535 with John Veitch, and obtained decree from the Lords of Council against him for the house of 'North-Centoun.' But a meeting at Gala Water beside Corslie took place between them, and John gave up to William Veitch the steading of Corslie in return for being allowed to retain the tower of 'North-Centoun.' William Veitch had a gift from the Crown on 20th February, 1532-3, of the rents of Glenrath and part of the west side of Easter Dawyck, which formerly pertained to him, but had been apprised to the King in 1522. In 1530, he had to give surety for his good conduct as he was implicated in the treasonable dealings of William Cockburn of Henderland, who was beheaded. On the 11th August, 1534, he wadset Lour and the west side of Easter Dawyck to David Pringle of Smailholm and his wife and son, and the following day he conveyed to them the lands of Dawyck in special warrandice - these transactions being confirmed by a Crown charter. In 1536 he resigned his lands of the Barony of Dawyck in favour of his son James. William Veitch died about 1545.
JAMES VEITCH OF DAWYCK, his son, as stated, had a charter of the lands in 1536, and he was then married to Margaret Cockburn, who appears to have been a daughter of the House of Skirling. Nothing seems known of him save that he was convicted in the justiciary Court at Lanark of certain acts of treason, as a result of which his estates were forfeited and he perhaps lost his life. On 3rd May, 1552, James Cockburn of Skirling received a Crown charter of the £20 lands of Dawyck and £10 lands of Sinton, which had belonged to the deceased James Veitch of Dawyck and had fallen to the Crown. Doubtless this action on the part of James Cockburn was on behalf of the son and heir of James.
William Veitch of Dawyck, the son of James, possessed the lands till 1602. He was contemporary with the 'Hoolet of Barns', and it is said was known as the 'Deil o' Dawick.' Both were of great physical strength, and constant allies in feuds and raids. 'The Deil' got his sobriquet because it was believed that no one ever rose up from under his sword-stroke. He and the 'Hoolet,' says Professor Veitch, were often together in the 'Hot-Trod' to England, for Peeblesshire was sufficiently near the Borders, and was frequently visited and harried by the Southern marauders. In his time a bitter feud broke out with the Tweedies of Drumelzier, the origin of which is not known. It is referred to elsewhere. In 1553, as grandson and heir of the late William Veitch of Dawyck he was infeft by Elizabeth Baird, the superior, in the lands of Over Glenrath on a Crown precept. These, with Horsehoperig, he held on a wadset for 400 merks, which was renewed in 1564. On 6th June, 1556, in view of his marriage to Marion Fleming, daughter of William Fleming of Boghall, he granted to her in liferent the £8 lands of Wester Dawyck. These must have included the mill and mill lands of Dawyck, extending to four acres of land with an onset of houses belonging to the mill called Henhill, as two years later she ratified (as being infeft in them) a wadset by her husband thereof to William Johnstone. In the interval, on 26th October, 1557, he appeared in presence of Mr. John Colquhoun, commissary of the Jurisdiction of Stobo, and renounced all curators elected by him prior to this date, especially Mr. John Gledstanes, Alexander Crichton of Newhall, and Bernard Veitch, and all deeds and contracts made by them in his name, a transaction which shows that he was quite a young man at this time. In 1564 he received a charter from the Crown of the £20 lands of Dawyck and £10 lands of Sinton, on his own resignations. He died in September, 1602. He had at least three sons:
I. John, his successor.
2. Patrick, who was killed on 16th June, 1590, at Neidpath Castle while returning from Peebles, by James Tweedie of Drumelzier and other Tweedies, including John Tweedie, tutor of Drumelzier, who four days later was killed in Edinburgh in revenge by a party of Veitches.
3. William, who had seven acres of the Kirklands of Peebles, in which his grandson John, then portioner of Ladyurd, was in 1677 served as his heir. He had a son Thomas, who was also portioner of Lochurd, to whom the said John was served heir in 1659. John married Margaret Geddes. Thomas Veitch had also a son, Mark.
JOIIN VEITCH OF DAWYCK, the eldest son, is mentioned along with his father as a witness at Hartree in 1579. The Presbytery in May, 1603, made a spasmodic effort to stop the feud between the Veitches and the Tweedies, but only succeeded in getting an assurance from the laird of Drumelzier that he would keep the peace until midsummer. John Veitch, in 1604, was present at Woodhouse at the making of John Burnet's will. He only survived his father a year or two, as he is mentioned as deceased in his son's sasine, dated 21st May, 1606. He married Janet Stewart, an aunt of John, first Earl of Traquair, and left four sons and three daughters.
1. William, his successor.
2. Malcolm Veitch of Muirdean, who was about 1623 servitor to Sir John Stewart of Traquair. He held Foulage for a time, but in 1618 resigned it in favour of Andrew Lauder in Heathpool. In 1624 he acquired from Sir William McDowall of Mackerston the lands of Lintounlaw, Muirdene, and Wester Mains of Mackerston in Roxburghshire. He died in 1630, and on 3rd February, 1631, his eldest son John was served heir to him. He had other children: William (who was apprenticed in 1643 to Robert Laurie, tailor, Edinburgh), James, Alexander, Joan, Janet, Elizabeth and Katherine (who married in 1645 John Little of Foulage), to whom on 16th December, 1630, their uncle, Mr. Frederick, was served tutor.
3. Mr. Frederick Veitch, who is mentioned as a servitor to Sir Robert Stewart of Shillinglaw in 1621. He was married, and had at least two daughters: Margaret, born in 1653, and Elizabeth, who died in that year.
4. Alexander Veitch in Nether Horsburgh and of Manor. He married in December, 1623, Janet Geddes, sister of James Geddes, portioner of Kirkurd, and had sons, - Alexander, John (born 1628), and William, who was in Redpath, and had a son, Henry, minister of Swinton. Henry's son, John, a writer in Edinburgh, had a son Hugh in Stewartfield, whose daughter Rachel married John Haig of Cameron Bridge in Fife, and their son Douglas is now Earl Haig of Bemersyde and Viscount Dawick.
Alexander Veitch had also a daughter, Helen, born in 1644. In 1631 he acquired a wadset from John Lowis of Manor, of Castlehill and other lands of his half barony of Manor, and ultimately obtained full possession of them in 1687, when he was styled 'of Manor.' He had then married his second wife, Margaret Scott, sister of John Scott of Hundleshope (contract 28th October, 1635), and she was infeft in liferent. But their possession was short. By 1645 he had wadset these lands to Sir John Veitch of Dawyck and was unable to redeem them.
5. Agnes, who married (contract dated 10th June, 1615) Mr. Alexander Greig, minister of Drumelzier.
6. Margaret, who married (contract dated 30th December, 1623, and 6th January, 1624) Adam Dalgleish of Deuchar.
7. Christian, who married about 1634 James Paterson of Caverhill.
WILLIAM VEITCH OF DAWYCK, the eldest son was infeft as heir to his father in North Sinton in 1606, and married in 1613 Christian Murray, daughter of Sir John Murray of Blackbarony. His kinsman, James Veitch in Stewarton, was killed in 1614 by William Hamilton, brother of the laird of Coldcoat (Macbiehill), and this feud was settled by the Veitches and the Hamiltons appearing before the Privy Council on 19th December, 1615, when William Hamilton 'humelie on his kneis acknowledgeit his offence done to the laird of Dawik and his freindis . . . and craved God and thame forgifnes. . . and did unto thame homage.' Thereafter 'the saidis pairteis. . . choippit handis everie one of thame with another.' This laird was present at the weaponshaw in 1627, 'Weil horsit with ane sword, accompanied with ane horseman with a sword and lance.' Tradition says that he killed James Tweedie of Drumelzier in 1617 in a duel by the banks of the Tweed. On the back of a receipt by him in 1637, which is witnessed by James Veitch, 'my natural son,' he is styled 'Old Dawick.' He was still alive in 1654. He left three sons
1. John, who succeeded him.
2. James. He won the bell in the Peebles race in 1637.
3. Robert. He also won the bell in the Peebles race in 1641, and was thereupon made a burgess. He married (contract dated 4th and 15th May, 1642) Elspeth Hunter, sister of Robert Hunter of Polmood, to whose tocher Andrew Hay of Haystoun and his son Mr. John Hay promised to contribute 3000 merks.
4. David, mentioned in 1654, as witness to a bond at Peebles.
SIR JOHN VEITCH OF DAWYCK, the eldest son, as younger of Dawyck, was on 26th September, 1634, the recipient of a Crown charter of the barony, and in 1636 he had a wadset of a fourth of Glenrath for 10,000 merks. He had the honour of knighthood conferred upon him, and for a time represented the shire in Parliament. He acquired the half barony of Manor from his uncle, Alexander Veitch, about 1643, and was made a burgess of Peebles on 9th August, 1649. In 1672 he was served heir to his great-grandfather, William Veitch of Dawyck, in Glenrath and Horsehoperig, and in the same year he disponed Castlehill and other lands in Manor to George Baillie, a son of Jerviswood. In the following year he made over Glenrath to John Murray, second son of Sir David Murray of Stanhope. Sir John was Master of Work and General Warden of the King's Tradesmen, and also joint Royal Architect, in the time of Charles I., and later he held the appointment of Presenter of Signatures in Exchequer. On 2nd May, 1650, along with the lairds of Barns and Posso, he signed a declaration before the Presbytery of adherence to the Solemn League and Covenant. He died before July, 1682. He married, first, in 1638, Marion Sinclair, daughter of Sir John Sinclair of Stevenston, by whom he had three sons. She died about 1644, and he married, secondly, in 1644, Christian Naesmyth, daughter of Sir Michael Naesmyth of Posso, by whom he had two sons and three daughters, Christian, Mary, and Agnes. Mary married John Mitchelson of Middleton. The sons were
1. John, who succeeded.
2. Robert, who is mentioned in the entail by his father in 1644.
3. David, who was apprenticed in 1652 to Patrick Christie, wright in Edinburgh.
4. William, who as the eldest son of the second marriage was provided with the lands purchased from Alexander Veitch of Manor, but he died before 1672.
5. Michael, the second son of the second marriage, was apprenticed in 1663 to James Justice, merchant in Edinburgh, and was served heir to his brother William in 1696.
JOHN VEITCH OF DAWYCK succeeded his father in his office of Presenter of Signatures in Exchequer. On 20th June, 1642, and 7th June, 1644, he was placed in the fee of the barony of Dawyck on his father's resignation, a provision being made for his brother Robert. In 1669 he was infeft in Over Glenrath. He married Isabel Greirson, and died about 1702. In his time Dawyck passed into the possession of Mr. James Naesmyth, advocate, who was infeft in it in November, 1691. Veitch was deeply in debt, and the provisions made by his father to the children of his second marriage are said to have been the chief cause. He had two sons, the second being Robert, who in 1704 had a sasine of the lands of Acrefield, was a writer in Edinburgh, and died without issue there in May, 1717.
JOHN VEITCH OF DAWYCK, the elder son, married (contract dated 21st December, 1699) Margaret Nisbet, only child and heir of James Nisbet of Whitehouse and his wife Mary Hay, and she brought to him what she inherited from both in Berwickshire. He also held the office of Presenter of Signatures in Exchequer, and died in 1719, leaving his widow and three sons and three daughters.
1. John Veitch, who married and had two sons and a daughter, mentioned in the will of his brother Charles in 1736, named Robert, Charles, and Christian.
2. Charles, who went abroad, and died at Bussorah in 1737 without issue.
3. Robert, of whom nothing has been ascertained.
4. Ann, who married (contract 22nd May, 1725) James Burnet of Barns, and had issue.
5. Mary, who married William Gaius, surgeon, afterwards a brewer in Haddington.
6. Christian, mentioned in her brother Charles' will.
NAESMYTH OF DAWYCK
Mr. James Naesmyth, who acquired Dawyck as we have seen in 1691, obtained on 17th September, 1703, a Crown charter by which it was erected into a Barony, into which were incorporated Naesmyth's other lands of Smellhope and Uriesland in Glenholm, and Wrae in Manor, and Crookston.
The story of the Naesmyths is told under Posso. This Mr. James Naesmyth was a grandson of James Naesmyth of Posso, who was sheriff-depute of Peeblesshire when the weaponshaw of 1627 was held. It is said that the new proprietor earned for himself the name of 'the Deil o' Dawyck,' but tradition has already given that title to William Veitch of Dawyck. He was an advocate and successful in his profession, and in 1706 was created a baronet of Nova Scotia. In 1709 he acquired Posso from his cousin, Dr. Robert Naesmyth, and then made an attempt to change the name of Dawyck to that of New Posso. But that attempt was resented and afterwards given up. He made his residence at Dawyck, where he practically rebuilt the house by adding to the front of the old peel-tower a square plain harled wing, with fourteen windows looking to the Tweed. Pennecuik (1715) thus refers to the estate:
'It is now in the hands of Sir James Naesmyth of Posso, an eminent lawyer, who has rebuilt the house and garden, and added some more ornamental planting for the beauty of the place. Here in an old orchard, did the herons in my time build their nests upon some large pear-trees, whereupon in the harvest-time, are to be seen much fruit growing, and trouts and eels crawling down the body of these trees. These fish the herons take out of the river Tweed to their nests; and this is the remarkable riddle that they talk so much of - to have flesh, fish and fruit at the same time upon one tree.'
Sir James Naesmyth entailed his lands in 1709, and died in 1720.
It was at the instigation of his son, Sir James, second Baronet, that Dawyck was suppressed as a separate parish in 1742. This was a change which was economically sound, and the stipend was added to Stobo and Drumelzier. The improvements which he and his successors carried out in the way of planting of trees have been referred to.
Sir James Naesmyth, third Baronet, who succeeded in 1779, acquired ten years later the old glebe of the parish from the ministers of Stobo and Drumelzier. The glebe, which lay south-west of the church, was about four acres, but it carried pasturage rights for a horse, two cows, and forty sheep.
[Foot Note: The church lands of Dawyck, under reservation of the glebe, were feued in 1580 by Robert Douglas, 'perpetual vicar' of Stobo, with consent of the archbishop, dean and chapter of Glasgow, to John Tweedie, tutor of Drumelzier, and are described as 'the vicarage lands of Dayik, with the pasturage of 38 soums of sheep; reserving four acres of land and the manse to the reader of the church.' The feu-duty was five merks yearly. These, lands were confirmed to Marion Tweedie, daughter of John, by Crown charter dated 4th February, 1606. There is no further trace of them, but they must have been acquired later by the Veitches or the Naesmyths.]
He also feued in 1795 from Robert Hay of Drumelzier the haughland (14 acres) on the north side of the road opposite Altarstone, for a yearly feu-duty of £13 1s. 8d.; and in 1816 he acquired for £382 and a yearly feu-duty of 1s., from William Hay of Drumelzier, a strip of ground (21 acres, Scots measure) planted with fir trees lying between Wester Dawyck and Drumelzier.
Sir John Murray Naesmyth, the forth Baronet, pulled down the old house in 1830 and built the present house and chapel, constructed the terraces, and planted the great mass of existing woods. He was an eager arborculturist, and his expenditure on the property far exceeded that of his predecessors or of his son and successor.
Dawyck was disentailed and sold in 1897 by Sir Michael George Naesmyth, sixth Baronet, to the trustees of Alexander Balfour, a Liverpool merchant, to whose honour a statue stands in George Square there. He was the representative of a family that had been settled in Fife for three centuries, and a man held in high estimation for a life devoted to the service of his fellow-men. His widow, whose evangelical devotion and loyalty to the Free Church constantly found expression in catholic goodwill and charity, was lady of the manor till her death in 1923. Her memory is cherished in the district. Considerable additions were made to the house in 1898 and 1913.
Their son, Frederick Robert Stephen Balfour, the present laird, was born in 1873 and educated at Loretto and Trinity College, Oxford. He served four years with his father's firm on the Pacific Coast, and then settled at home, marrying in 1904 Gertrude Norman, daughter of Frederick Norman, of Moor Place, Hertfordshire, and sister of Montague Norman, Governor of the Bank of England. He is a director of several companies, a member of the Royal Company of Archers, Hon. Lt.-Col. (1916), and was Vice-Lieutenant of the County of Peebles (1922-6). Keenly interested in arborculture, he contributed the chapter on Botany to this history, and his own collection of trees and shrubs is perhaps the most complete in Scotland. Dawyck is now, in the words of the late H. J. Elwes, 'a place of pilgrimage for all lovers of arboriculture.'
The present rental is £629 15s.
This information is reproduced from A History of Peeblesshire by J. W. Buchan and Rev. H. Paton, published in three volumes between 1925-7 by Jackson, Wylie and Co. of Glasgow. The original book includes many refences to the sources of the information, pedigrees and plates.
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