Rutherford Village

The village of Rutherford once stood in a field north of the A699, south-east of Rutherford Lodge. 'Rutherford' was the name finally given to the settlement, which was also variously known in its history as 'Capehope' and 'Hunthill'.

No traces can now be seen of this village, which probably had its origins in the medieval period. A hospital at Rutherford dedicated to St Mary Magdalene is first recorded in 1276, and would have provided shelter and care for the old, the sick and the destitute of the parish.

Records suggest that the village was burned and spoiled by the English in 1544 and 1545, but by 1666 its fortunes had improved, when it was made into a burgh of barony. This burgh status allowed markets and fairs to be held, and enabled craftsmen to work and sell goods within its boundaries.

A map of 1770 shows Rutherford to have been made up of two groups of buildings at that date. By the late nineteenth century, however, when the 1st edition of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch map of Roxburghshire was surveyed, all traces of the village had been removed from the landscape, probably as a result of agricultural improvements.

Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project

NT63SE 11 6537 3124.

(Name:NT 6537 3124) Rutherford Village (NAT) (Site of).

OS 6"map, Roxburghshire, (1924).

Parish:

Thomson writes that Rutherford was a pre-Reformation parish annexed to Maxton; recording has produced no evidence therefor and Jeffrey, in his History, specifically states that he can find no authority for this.

New Statistical Account (NSA, J Thomson 1834) 1845; A Jeffrey 1864.

Village:

Evidence for the village is also slight. Thomson notes that the village was considerable some centuries before his time and that it had a hospital and church of its own. This latter is certainly an error, for the Book of Melrose refers to the settlement of a dispute "in the chapel situated in the Hospital of Rutherford" and there is no record of a separate church in known sources. Thomson states that the churchyard was ploughed up, circa 1815, and the gravestones broken and thrown into drains as part of agricultural improvement. Rutherford, is, however, shown on Stobie's map of 1770, which was from an actual survey, and the name is printed once to cover two small and well separated groups of buildings at approx. NT 653 316 and 655 312. Rutherford Mill is printed and indicated at approximately, NT 656 314. Jeffrey, in his Guide, states that all trace of the village is gone but supports its former existence by writing "in 1752 a chest of lead and several antiques were found. In 1788 there were found near the Burn of Broomhouse (unlocated) five or six skeletons and on top of a stone quarry the threshold and sides of a door of freestone".

Orig Paroch Scot 1851; Liber de Melros 1837; Fasti Eccles Scot [H Scott ed.] 1917; J Robson 1893; A Jeffrey 1838; M Stobie; D E Easson 1957; Name Book 1859.

Hospital:

Although mentioned by all authorities only Easson deserves quoting. He writes "This hospital is said to be mentioned in 1276. Its dedication is given as St Mary the Virgin, in 1296 and as St Mary Magdalene in 1395 and 1444. It was granted by Robt III to Jedburgh Abbey, 2 May 1395, but there is an appointment to the mastership, 18 May 1426". Easson is unable to give any indication of the terminal date nor type.

D E Easson 1957.

Nothing can now be seen at the sites given above which are all in pasture fields. No other knowledge of the village or hospital or their sites was found locally.

Visited by OS(WDJ) 13 September 1962.

Rutherford, formerly known as Capehope, and later as Hunthill, was erected burgh of barony in 1666.

G S Pryde 1965.