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Coldingham

Coordinates:55°53′00″N2°10′00″W/ 55.8833°N 2.1666°W/55.8833; -2.1666
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Coldingham
Coldingham High Street
Coldingham is located in Scottish Borders
Coldingham
Coldingham
Location within theScottish Borders
Population500 (2022)[1]
OS grid referenceNT905665
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEYEMOUTH
Postcode districtTD14
Dialling code01890
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°53′00″N2°10′00″W/ 55.8833°N 2.1666°W/55.8833; -2.1666

Coldinghamis a village and parish inBerwickshirein theScottish Borders.It lies a short distance inland fromColdingham Bay,three miles northeast of the fishing village ofEyemouth.

Parish[edit]

The parish lies in the east of theLammermuirdistrict. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwickshire county, after Lauder.[2]It is bounded on the north-west by the North Sea, on the east by the parish ofEyemouth,on the south-east byAytonon the south byChirnsideandBunkle,on the west byAbbey St Bathansand on the north byCockburnspath. [3]

Besides the village of Coldingham, the parish contains the villages of:[3]

The civil parish is divided between the Community Council areas of Coldingham,St Abbs,Reston and Auchencrow, and Grantshouse.[4]It was included in the former Berwickshire District ofBorders Region,by theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1973,from 1975 to 1996.

Parish of Coldingham (part formerly in Oldhamstocks shown in green)

Before the Reformation, a vaguely defined jurisdiction known asColdinghamshirewas linked toColdingham Prioryand extended along the east coast of Berwickshire.[5]By the 15th century, there is some indication that the civil administration was gradually attaining paramount sway with the consent of the Church itself. In 1406, the lordship of the Priory was held by Archibald,Earl of Douglas.In 1414, the Prior and Chapter ofDurham(the ecclesiastical superiors of the priory) signed a deed constituting the Earl of Douglas "sovereign bailie" and governor of the house and barony of Coldingham. The barony of Coldingham, which included Eyemouth and other areas adjacent to the parish of Coldingham, continued as a jurisdiction into the 17th and 18th centuries.[6]

Because of the size of the parish, an additional chapel was set up for the interior or western part of the parish in 1794. With the opening of a new trunk road in the area (now the A1) in 1816, communications between Grantshouse and Reston were so improved, it was decided in 1836 to erect a church midway between the villages, at Houndwood. Houndwood was made an ecclesiastical parish for the western part of Coldingham in 1851.[7]This parish is now linked to Ayton and is served by places of worship at Reston (formerly a free church) and Grantshouse.[8]The church became a crematorium in 2015.[9]

A Parochial Board was established under the Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845. With theLocal Government (Scotland) Act 1894,Coldingham Parish Council was established, and it carried out poor relief and various public works, such as the acquisition and improvement of Houndwood cemetery in 1901.[10]Civil parishes in Scotland, as units of local government, were abolished in 1929[11]but have been used later for census and other purposes.

In 1891 a Boundary Commission transferred a detached portion ofOldhamstocksparish, namely Butterdean, to Coldingham. It was already in Berwickshire, despite its mother parish being in East Lothian.[3]

The civil parish has an area of 25,379 acres (10,271 ha)[12]and a population of 1,919 (in 2011).[13]

Village[edit]

The settlement of Coldingham has a population of 563 (in 2011).[14]

NearbyColdingham Bayhas a sandy secluded beach popular with surfers, with rows ofbeach huts.

Monastery[edit]

Further information:Coldingham Priory

There was a monastery of high order on this site as early as AD 660 when it is recorded thatEtheldreda,the queen ofEgfrid,became anunat the Monastery of Coldingham, then under the management ofÆbbe, the Elder,aunt of her husband.Bededescribes it as "the Monastery of Virgins" and states that in 679, the monastery burnt down. It was rebuilt but was again destroyed by fire at the hands of a raiding party of Danes in 870. This time the ruins were not rebuilt, it would appear, until 1098, when King Edgar founded thePriory of Coldinghamin honour of St.Cuthbert of Lindisfarne.It became thecaputfor the Barony of Coldingham, with theprioras the feudal lord.

The priory continued in its religious purposes until 1560,[15]when it was partially destroyed during theScottish Reformation.However, a portion of it continued its religious activities until 1650, when it was fortified againstOliver Cromwell.After a siege of two days, the main tower in which the besieged defended themselves was so shattered by artillery that they were forced to capitulate. This great tower of the original priory finally collapsed about 1777. The ruins of about 40% of the original priory church were rebuilt in 1855; it is today used as the parish church and is the most notable building in the parish.

Gallery[edit]

  • The parish church built using stones from the priory
    The parish church built using stones from the priory
  • Beach huts at Coldingham Sands
    Beach huts at Coldingham Sands
  • Stream from the Spout, Coldingham Sands
    Stream from the Spout, Coldingham Sands
  • Coldingham Sands beach huts
    Coldingham Sands beach huts
  • Coldingham Sands
    Coldingham Sands

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland".National Records of Scotland.31 March 2022.Retrieved31 March2022.
  2. ^Coldingham - Parish and Priory, by Adam Thomson (minister at Coldstream), publ by Craighead, Galashiels,1908. P.20
  3. ^abcOrdnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by Francis Groome, 2nd edition publ. 1896. Article on Coldingham
  4. ^Community Council entries on Scottish Borders local authority web sitehttp://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory/30/a_to_z/sretrieved March 2016
  5. ^Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by, Francis Groome, 2nd edition publ. 1896. Article on Coldinghamshire
  6. ^Coldingham - Parish and Priory, by Adam Thomson, Galashiels,1908. pp.58 and 79
  7. ^Historic Scotland’s article on Houndwoodhttp://portal.historic-scotland.gov.uk/designation/LB4107retrieved March 2016
  8. ^Duns Presbytery web sitehttp://onlineborders.org.uk/community/dunspresbytery/our-churchesretrieved March 2016
  9. ^Houndwood Crematorium web suitehttp://www.houndwoodcrematorium.co.uk/retrieved March 2016
  10. ^Coldingham - Parish and Priory, by Adam Thomson, Galashiels,1908. p.176
  11. ^Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929
  12. ^Gazetteer of Scotland, publ, by W & AK Johnston, Edinburgh, 1937. Article on Coldingham. Places are presented alphabetically.
  13. ^Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. By National Records of Scotland. Web sitehttp://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/retrieved March 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Civil Parish 1930
  14. ^Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web sitehttp://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/retrieved March 2016. See “Standard Outputs”, Table KS101SC, Area type: Settlement/Locality 2010
  15. ^Coldingham - Parish and Priory, by Adam Thomson, Galashiels,1908. p.82
  • History of the Priory of Coldinghamby William King Hunter, Edinburgh & London, 1858.

External links[edit]

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