296 Notes on Newton Bon. By C. B. Balfour. 



issue; and Isobel in 1639 was retoured heir of her father. In 

 1676 Peelrig was sold to William Ancrum, merchant, and feuar 

 in Duns, whose wife Margaret Lorain, is described in 1642 as 

 daughter of John Lorain, Kelso, clerk to Alexander Don, writer. 



Alexander Don himself inherited Auldtounburn and Plender- 

 leith from his cousin Patrick Don in 1672, so that with his wife's 

 and his own estate, he could command a considerable amount of 

 capital for those times.*^ In proof of this, besides Newton, he 

 also bought Rutherford for his second son. He executed an 

 entail of Newton in 1681, and died in 1688. 



With the purchase of the lands of Newton by Alexander Don, 

 and their erection into the Barony of Newton, begins the history 

 of the present estate. The Don family were in possession of the 

 property for two hundred years ; it is to them that it owes its 

 name of Newton Don, and by various members of the family the 

 policies were laid out, and the planting of trees done which gives 

 it its present appearance. 



The present house was built in 1817-18 by Sir Alexander Don ; 

 but it may have been begun or planned by his father Sir 

 Alexander, who owned the estate from 1776 to 1815. The 

 architect was Sir E. Smirke. 



Lady Louisa Stuart, writing from Newton Don in 1800— on 

 27th May, thus describes the place — "This is a remarkably 

 pretty, cheerful place, fine single trees scattered over a beautiful, 

 sloping lawn — all unfinished (Sir A. having more taste, I fancy, 

 than cash), but meant to be in the English style, kept neat about 

 the doors, with walks and a shrubbery." 



A Plan of 1828 shows the walks, shrubberies, etc., finished and 

 laid out very much as they are now — but the extent of the pro- 

 perty was then very much larger : besides the present estate it 

 included the farms of Courthill, Kaimflat, Harpertoun, High- 

 ridge Hall, and Edenmouth, and the rights of fishing on the 

 Tweed from Sharpitlaw to the Berwickshire March. All this 

 was sold between 1828 and 1847. 



In the policies of Newton Don are many fine trees, but some 

 of those mentioned by Jeffrey, e.g. the large thorn near the 

 house, and the woolly-leaved poplar with a remarkable growth 

 of ivy on it, are now no longer in existence. 



The large Birch in the north garden, described by Jeffrey in 

 1859 as 74 feet in height, 14 feet at the base, and dividing into 

 2' Retour of Heirs. 



