Eyemouth - History

History

Fort Point, Eyemouth, was the site of the first Trace Italienne style fortification in Britain. Building commenced in 1547 by Sir Richard Lee (1513–1575) and it cost £1,906. It was demolished under the Treaty of Boulogne in 1550. Rebuilt again six years later by d'Oisel it held some 500 French troops. It was demolished again under the Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis in 1559. Traces of the ramparts are still to be seen.

Eyemouth fell within the feudal barony of Coldingham, possessed until the early 17th century by Coldingham Priory, after which it passed to the Home family, who had held lands in that barony since at least the 15th century. All landowners (portioners) within the barony held their properties either by hereditary feu or by term renewable, occasionally hereditary, tack (Scottish word for a lease) from the barony.

The lands between the southern banks of the Eye Water consisted of three estates: Gunsgreen, immediately opposite Eyemouth, and Netherbyres, once part of the larger lands of Flemington which stretched all the way to Lamberton. At the beginning of the 17th century Gunsgreen estate was possessed by Alexander Lauder of Gunsgreen, a great-great-grandson of Sir Robert Lauder of The Bass (d.1508). On 17 January 1629, Alexander Lauder of Gunsgreen, acting as bailie for Sir David Home of Wedderburn, gave a sasine to Andrew Gray in Eyemouth, of some land on the boundaries of Houndlaw and also in Eyemouth.

Netherbyres was for at least 250 years held by the Craw (originally Auchincraw) family. "George Craw of Netherbyre" was "deceased" by July 1614 when his son William came into possession of that property and Reidhall, "with the walk mill" extending to 12 husbandlands (312 acres (1.26 km2)). A later William Craw, who had a passion for mathematics, built the first 'modern' harbour at Eyemouth and, in 1715, the elliptical walled garden, the latter almost certainly unique in the world. The Netherbyres House we see today was commenced about 1835 for Captain Sir Samuel Brown, R.N., who had the patent and monopoly for the supply of anchor chain to the Royal Navy. He later went on to design and patent chain suspension piers and bridges, including the Union Bridge over the River Tweed, still in use today. Netherbyres House was bought by Sir Christopher Furness in 1928, and was donated to the Royal Gardeners' Benevolent Society for charitable use by Colonel Simon Furness, the Vice Lord Lieutenant for Berwickshire, who now occupies a house overlooking the famous walled garden.

The life of the historical hero of the town, William Spears (1812–1885), is celebrated by the dramatic bronze statue in Eyemouth Market Place, where he stands pointing the way to Ayton, the scene of his peaceful demonstration. At great personal risk, Spears led a revolt against the tithes on fish levied by the Church of Scotland, even after the great Disruption of 1843 when most fishermen left the established Church to join other congregations.

Very soon after the cost of getting the tithes removed had been met, the town was struck by the Eyemouth Disaster when on 14 October 1881 most of the fishing fleet, some 20 boats and 129 men from the town were lost in a terrible storm. Including victims from other coastal towns, a total of 189 men lost their lives. This is commemorated in the Tapestry housed in the Museum.

A contemporary article offers an interesting insight into Eyemouth in the 1860s:

"Between Abbs Head and Berwick, however is situated Eyemouth, a fishing-village pure and simple, with all that wonderful filth scattered about which is a sanitary peculiarity of such towns. The population of Eyemouth is in keeping with the outward appearance of the place. As a whole, they are rough, uncultivated, and more druken in their habits than the fishermen of the neighbouring villages. Coldingham Shore, for instance, is only three miles distant, and has a population of about one hundred fishermen, of a very respectable class, sober and well dressed, and "well to do." – The Fisher Folk of the Scottish East Coast, "Macmillian's Magazine" No.36 October 1862.

In the late eighteenth century with the arrival of a group of Dutch engineers in the town a survey was undertook for a canal linking Eyemouth to Duns. The plan would have involved damming the Whiteadder river at Chirnside thus diverting the course of the Whiteadder river through the low lying area known as Billiemire to join the Eye river near Ayton. The plan was never carried out.

From 1891 until 1962 the town was served by a short branch railway line that ran from Burnmouth on the present day East Coast Main Line. The line was forced to close from August 1948 to June 1949 after being damaged by the flooding of the Eye Water.

The famous John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough was created Baron Eyemouth, in the Peerage of Scotland, in 1682. This was the first of his peerage titles.