Eccles is a parish on the southern border of Berwickshire. It is bounded on the north by Fogo, on the east by Swinton, and Coldstream, on the south by the River Tweed, which divides it from England and Roxburghshire, on the south-west by Roxburghshire and Hume, and on the west by Hume and Greenlaw. (1867: The Imperial Gazetteer of Scotland, by John Marius Wilson).
Birgham or Brigham, Eccles, Leitholm, Mersington
Antonshill, Belchester, Purves Hall
PRE-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
POST-REFORMATION GOVERNANCE:
Prior to 1248 the church was dedicated to St Cuthbert, but on 4 October of that year Bishop David de Bernham consecrated a new church in honour of St Andrew. This was rebuilt and enlarged in 1774. The parish was divided of old into four parts, called the Quarters of Eccles. St Andrew's Quarter in the west, was attached to the parish church. The others were connected with the chapels of St John, on the north at Mersington; Our Lady, on the east at the Chapel Knowe of Leitholm, and St Magdalene on the south at Birgham. A priory of Cistercian nuns, dedicated to St Mary, was founded at Eccles in 1156 by Gospatrick, third Earl of Dunbar. It was burned down by the Earl of Hertford in 1545 and was not restored. (See: The Burning of Edinburgh on Wikipedia.)
Includes ministers, licentiates, assistants, readers, and clerks.
(1928: Fasti Ecclesiæ Scoticanæ, by Hew Scott, D. D.)
Parish registers turned over to the Registrar-General, as a result of the Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (Scotland) Act of 1854. The letters B. D. and M. indicate Births (or Baptisms), Deaths (or Burials), and Marriages (or Proclamations of Banns) respectively. Numbers indicate separate volumes or books. Note: These records are by no means complete or without damage; consult the Detailed List of the Old Parochial Registers of Scotland (1872) to learn more about the condition of the records.
| OPR and RD Numbers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date Range | Name | Number | Type |
| 1697-1854 | Eccles | 737 | OPR |
| 1755-1966 | Eccles | 737 | RD |
| 2009 | Scottish Borders, Coldstream | 787 | RD |
| 2026 | Scottish Borders Council; Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council | ||
(2009: Parishes and Registration Districts of Scotland - Old and New, National Records of Scotland)
Local community councils (2026) are provided as a potential source of additional information for settlements within the original boundaries of the parish. (Source)
Statistics from informal and official censuses
Elliott, Hunter, Jeffrey, Johnston, Middlemiss, Purves, Scott, Watson, Wilson, Wood
Note: Names appearing in research materials, other than censuses. Simple names (First name, surname only) have been omitted unless they appear associated with large properties. All women's names, and men's names with occupations, military ranks, or peerage titles are included.
By the Reverend Mr Adam Murray, Minister.
"From a very accurate survey of the present inhabitants, taken by the writer hereof, the number is not less than 1780. As agriculture is the principal business carried on in the parish, the inhabitants are mostly employed in that particular branch. There is a considerable number of tradesmen, such as smiths, carpenters, and plough-wrights, who are all employed by the farmers, and are generally in easy circumstances. No man in this parish is unemployed; and there is rather a want of hands for labour, than a superfluity."
(This section contains excerpts, at times restructured or paraphrased, from an article appearing in Statistical Account of Scotland, Sir John Sinclair, 1791-1799)
Primary Sources:
Statistical Account of Scotland (1791-1799), Volume 11, p. 230
New Statistical Account of Scotland (1834-1845), Volume 2, Section III, p. 50
See Parish Page Sources for all source information and links.
