Stow of Wedale

Stow of Wedale, or more often Stow, /ˈstaʊ/ is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland (historically Midlothian), 7 miles (11 kilometres) north of Galashiels. In the 2011 Census the population was 718. It is served by Stow railway station.

Stow
Stow is located in Scottish Borders
Stow
Stow
Location within the Scottish Borders
Population700 (mid-2020 est.)[1]
OS grid referenceNT456447
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGALASHIELS
Postcode districtTD1
Dialling code01578
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Stow of Wedale
Elevation
180 m (590 ft)

The name

The name Stow is an Old English word stōw meaning 'holy place' or 'meeting place', whilst Wedale is probably derived from the words wēoh (or wīg) meaning 'shrine' and dæl meaning 'valley'.[2]

History

There has been a church at Stow since the 7th century, but the earliest example still visible today was built in the late 15th century on the site of the Church of St Mary which was consecrated on 3 November 1242. The church used today, St Mary of Wedale, was built in 1876 and features a 140-foot-high clock tower.[3]

A mile or so north of Stow lies the clachan of Torquhan, likely in the 13th century to have been one of the last places where the Brittonic language Cumbric was finally replaced by English.

Our Lady's Well is situated 1 mile (2 kilometres) south of the village and was rebuilt in 2000.[4]

A rare example of a packhorse bridge, built in the 1650s, can be found in Stow.[5]

Stow of Wedale Town Hall was completed in 1857.[6]

In 1870, James Thin purchased a plot of land in the village and had a house built which was completed in 1873 and was named Ashlea. This house is still a private residence but is not owned by the Thin family.[7]

Famous residents
  • St. Mary's of Wedale Parish Church
    St. Mary's of Wedale Parish Church
  • Pack horse bridge across the Gala Water, at the south end of Stow
    Pack horse bridge across the Gala Water, at the south end of Stow
  • Stow of Wedale Town Hall
    Stow of Wedale Town Hall

See also

References
  1. "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. Smith, A. H. (1956). English place-name elements. Cambridge: English Place-Name Society. pp. i.125, ii.159, ii.264–5.
  3. Historic Environment Scotland. "Stow Parish Church, St Mary of Wedale (LB17403)". Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  4. Historic Environment Scotland. "Stow, Galashiels, Our Lady's Well (54525)". Canmore. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  5. "Stow Packhorse Bridge". Scotland Starts Here. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  6. Historic Environment Scotland. "Townfoot, Town Hall (LB51301)". Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  7. "Ashlea House, Stow". Capital Collections. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  8. Maclagan (1888). "Sir John Rose Cormack". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 14: 53–58. doi:10.1017/S0370164600004521. ISSN 0370-1646.
  9. Stevenson, Alison M. (23 September 2004). Mercer, Sir Walter (1890–1971), surgeon. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40762.

Sources


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