Wedderburn Castle

Built in the Grecian style , the splendid residence of Home of Wedderburn. The Castle and a considerable portion of the entailed lands are surrounded by walls 10 feet high. These walls, usually called ” Weatherburn Dykes,” enclosed the deer parks. In a park near the Castle there is a rude monument to the memory of George Home, who was killed there in 1497, while fighting with a party of English , who had approached his house while the faird was sitting at dinner. In 1517 during the minority of King James the V., a deed of atrocity was perpetrated on Sir Anthony D’Arcy, also denominated the Chevalier de la Beauté, at Swallow Dean, a ‘mile or two east from Dupse. The Chevalier, in performing the duties of Lord Warden of the Marches, acting with great severity, had incurred the displeasure of Sir David Home, the laird of Wedderburn. The Warden being worsted by the Homes fled unattended towards Dunbar, pursued by the laird of Wedderburn. His horse being swamped in a bog, he continued his flight on foot but, was overtaken by his adversary, who cut off his head, and fastening it to his saddle bow, carried it in triumph to the Castle of Wedderburn. A moss covered stone marks the spot where the unfortunate Warden fell, which is called by the people in the neighbourhood Bawtie’s Grave. On the 6th of October, 1519, Sir David Wedderburn attacked the Prior of Coldingham , Robert Blackadder, with six of his attendants, while hunting at Lamberton, and put them all to death . He also slew, in a skirmish, at the outskirts of Edinburgh , the Arch. deacon of Dunblane , who wished to succeed his kinsman to the Priorate of Coldingham . Vengeance overtook this desperate character in the year 1526. He was killed in front of his own Castle, at a place called the Cross Shot , where he was buried.