Megget

Megget
Megget is located in Scottish Borders
Megget
Megget
Location within the Scottish Borders
OS grid referenceNT203227
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSelkirk
Postcode districtTD7
Dialling code01750
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°29′30″N 3°15′47″W / 55.491571°N 3.2629476°W / 55.491571; -3.2629476
Parish of Lyne and Megget: Megget part (1821)

Megget is a former chapelry or parish containing the valley of Megget Water, now forming the westernmost part of the parish of Yarrow, Selkirkshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. The centre of the valley is 19 miles (31 kilometres) west of Selkirk.

The district is bordered on the west by the parish of Tweedsmuir, on the north-west by Drumelzier and on the north by Manor (all in Peeblesshire).[1] On the east side it is joined to the rest of the present parish of Yarrow, but formerly the parish boundary with Yarrow ran southwards from Black Law to Deer Law to Cappercleuch burn thence to St. Mary's Loch and continued down the west shore of the loch for almost one mile (1.5 kilometres) to Mare Cleuch by the Rodono Hotel.[2] It is bounded on the south by Ettrick in Selkirkshire and on the south-west by Moffat in Dumfriesshire. Megget Stone lies on the western parish boundary, with Tweedsmuir.[3]

It is about seven miles (eleven kilometres) long north to south and about six miles (ten kilometres) wide with an area of 14,500 acres (5,900 hectares).[1]

The population of Megget in 1861 was 53 [4] and in 1901 was 73.[5] At the latest census (in 2011) the population of Megget was around 50.[6]

The parish of Megget derived its name from the river Megget, which took its name from the whey colour of its waters (Gaelic or old Welsh).[7] Until 1891 it was part of Peeblesshire[8] and thus part of Tweeddale, however "the water of Meggit is the only water in Tweeddale, that pays no tribute to Tweed; but runs from the south-east, some five miles [8 km], and ends its course in the bosom of St Mary Loch, and from thence, with Yarrow, watereth the wοόdy banks of the Forrest" [9] (namely Ettrick Forest – the county of Selkirkshire).

  1. ^ a b Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, by Francis Groome, Volume V, publ Thomas C. Jack, Edinburgh: 1884. Article on Lyne and Meggett, p.567
  2. ^ Ordnance Survey One inch to One Mile, 1st edition, Sheet 16 – Moffat, Publication date: 1883
  3. ^ Web site of Historic Environment Scotland; Megget Stone canmore.org.uk/site/49794 retrieved June 2016
  4. ^ Census 1861 Scotland, page 124, Registration Counties and Districts, 1861. Counties of Haddington, Berwick, and Peebles. Entry for parish: Lyne and Megget, Registration District: Megget
  5. ^ Census Scotland 1901, Particulars of the Registration Districts 1901, p.125. Entry for parish: Yarrow, Registration District: Megget
  6. ^ Census of Scotland 2011, Table KS101SC – Usually Resident Population, publ. by National Records of Scotland. Web site http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ retrieved March 2016. See "Standard Outputs", Table KS101SC, Area type: Output Area. Output Area is S00094932, which is predominantly in Megget, but includes some areas outside Megget parish to the north, east and south of St Mary’s Loch (map provided on census site). Population of S00094932 is 65.
  7. ^ Caledonia: An Account, Historical and Topographic, of North Britain, from the Most Ancient to the Present Times. Vol. II. By George Chalmers, publ. London, 1810.  ; Chapter 7 Peebleshire. p. 950
  8. ^ Confirmed by Order in Council 12 January 1891, see Edinburgh Gazette 27 January 1891, p. 99
  9. ^ Description of Tweeddale, by Alexander Pennecuik, publ. Leith 1815; p.247