Stanhope, Peeblesshire
| Stanhope | |
| Peeblesshire | |
|---|---|
 Stanhope | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NT122296 |
| Location: | 55°33’11"N, 3°23’35"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Biggar |
| Postcode: | ML12 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Scottish Borders |
Stanhope is a small village in Peeblesshire, within the parish of Drumelzier. It is to be found in the valley of the River Tweed, to the west of the main river, at the mouth of a valley called Stan Hope, down which runs the Stanhope Burn. The name appears to be from the Old English / Scots Stan hop, meaning "Stone Valley".
On the hills above the village are signs of older settlement: the remains of abandoned, ancient settlements, and fortresses. Three dead-end lanes run out of the village to the hills, and Stanhope is connected to the outside world only by a little bridge carrying a lane over the Tweed to the A701.
The Murray family acquired and established a Barony at Stanhope in 1634 as part of an estate that extended into Tweedsmuir. The settlement consists of a cluster of buildings by Stanhope Burn. It was the property of Sir David Murray, nephew of John Murray of Broughton who was active in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. As a result of his participation the Murray estates at Broughton and Stanhope were confiscated (as were those other Jacobite sympathisers) and in 1761 it was still in the hands of creditors.
Stanhope was sold by order of the Court of Session by deed in 1767 to a James Montgomery. Many properties on the Stanhope estate were tenanted by members of the Tweedie family with whom the Murrays had at various times fought or intermarried.
Outside links
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