A Short History

The house was originally a "peel tower", and a perquisite of the Abbots of Melrose Abbey. It was rebuilt in the late 16th Century after being destroyed by the invading armies of Henry VIII in 1544 during the "rough wooing" (when Henry, after unsuccessfully trying to coerce the scottish government into the betrothal of the scottish Queen to the Prince of Wales, sent his armies over the border to lay waste and "teach them not to defy him"); the Scots continued to do so with greater determination.

Sadly the records of the time seem to have been destroyed too. It is thought that there has been a house here since about the 10th Century. It has been impossible to tell exactly what the earlier house consisted of or how much of it survives within the rebuilt one.

In the 17th Century, the house was acquired by the Scotts of Raeburn: They were quakers, and this was a dangerous faith to hold at the time; because of this, the authorities removed their children "into care" as it was.

Thus they lavished their love and attention on the house instead: They built a new and splendid staircase, stone up to the first floor and above that the same design in oak, but perhaps unfortunately bricked up the old spiral staircase, as also, perhaps later, the pigeon loft. They enlarged most of the windows, and built a new wing on the East end of the house. They also built, in 1684, a burial aisle, where many of them are interred, with stones giving some brief references to the circumstances of their deaths. It is evident that they were much travelled, on a worldwide scale, and also travelled widely within Scotland when they were at home. The great Sir Walter Scott's uncle and aunt were Lairds of Lessudden in their time; and Sir Walter himself used to visit frequently, although it is evident that he did not like his uncle. Walter was one of the most favourite family names and frequent use of a narrow range of names, mostly Walter and William, can at times be confusing in studying their history.

The Scotts of Raeburn lived at Lessudden for about 300 years until the last of the line, Miss Louisa Scott, died aged about 100 and the house was acquired in 1968 by Pamela, Lady Lever, mother of Alasdair Douglas-Hamilton, who together with his wife Angela are the present owners.

Local area
The nearby village of St Boswells, which until the 19th Century was known as Lessudden has many small shops including a supermarket. It lies about 40 miles from Edinburgh and 60 miles from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Lessudden is in the middle of beautiful borders countryside where there is plenty to do and see including fishing, golf, walking, bird-watching, and riding or even just enjoying some of the many good places to eat out. The area also has many historic buildings to visit and explore.

You will find a warm welcome in our home and you can sample the delights of Angela's home cooking. She has previously worked as a professional cook and is rightly renowned for her culinary talents. Much of the food served at Lessudden will be fresh from the garden (or the chickens!)

We welcome overseas visitors. German and French are spoken when required.

We hope you come and see for yourself our house and its beautiful surroundings. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions at all.

(The view from Lessudden to the Eildons)