Nenthorn

Nenthorn is a parish and hamlet in the south of the historic county of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is included in the Floors, Makerstoun, Nenthorn and Smailholm Community Council area, which also includes the parishes of Makerstoun and Smailholm. It was included in the former Roxburgh District of Borders Region, by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, from 1975 to 1996. The parish is bounded by the Berwickshire parishes of Earlston to the west and Hume to the north; then by the Roxburghshire parishes of Stichill and Ednam to the east, Kelso on the south; and Smailholm on the west. Its length from east to west is 4.5 miles (7.2 km), while its breadth varies between 0.25 miles (0.40 km) and 2 miles (3.2 km), there being a narrow neck of land where the Nenthorn portion of the parish in the west joins the Newton portion in the east. The Eden Water, which flows in from the north, runs 1.75 miles (2.82 km) along the western boundary, sharply bends and runs 2.25 miles (3.62 km) along the southern boundary, crosses the parish at its narrow neck in the middle, then runs 1.5 miles (2.4 km) along the northern boundary, then runs 0.5 miles (0.80 km) inside the parish before flowing into Ednam parish. Ednam (formerly Edenham), which is named after this river, originally included Nenthorn and thus old Edenham parish traversed the Eden valley from Mellerstain to the river's exit into the Tweed. Anciently called Naithansthirn, the name of the parish appears to be a joining of the name Naithan with a physical object, probably some rocks in the parish called thirn. This name may be the same as that occurring in Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire. In 1105 the chapels of Nathansthirn and Newton were recorded as being within Ednam parish, while the area was in the possession of the De Morevilles of Lauderdale. During that period the manors of Nathansthirn and Newton were formed, following which the parish of Nathansthirn appears to have been created during the…