Lauderdale
Lauderdale is a valley in the Scottish Borders. It lies along the Leader Water, a tributary of the Tweed, and includes the towns of Lauder and Earlston. The A68 road runs the length of the valley from Darlington to Edinburgh.
The area has many ancient camps and burial mounds. The Roman road Dere Street crossed a ford at Newstead near Melrose and entered Lauderdale; it was repaired by King Malcolm Canmore and used in his wars with England. The route has since been traced from the Tweed through Lauderdale to Soutra.
The name Lauderdale comes from the town of Lauder, not from the Leader Water. The link between the words Leader and Lauder is unclear; they may have different origins or both come from a Brittonic root meaning “cleansing water.” The valley name is first recorded in the 12th century as Lauuedderdale.
Feudal history: King David I created the Lordship of Lauderdale and gave it to Hugh de Morville. The town existed before his arrival, and the Lauder family already held lands from the Crown, including Whitslaid Tower. Through marriages and royal grants, control passed to Alan of Galloway, then to John Balliol, and then to Sir James Douglas under Robert the Bruce; the Douglases held it until their forfeiture. Archibald Douglas reconfirmed the Lordship around 1390. The southern end includes Earlston, linked to the Earls of Dunbar or March.
Geography: The southern edge of Lauderdale is near Newstead. In the north it reaches the Lammermuir Hills, which rise to about 1,733 feet and can bring severe winter weather and road closures. Lauderdale is more than 10 miles long (over 16 km) and 3–7 miles wide.
Forests and today: Until the 17th century it was a vast royal forest used for hunting. The area between the Leader and Gala Waters was Lauder forest, owned by the Lauders of Lauder for generations. Today Lauderdale is mostly farmland. The main country house is Thirlestane Castle, the seat of the Earl of Lauderdale since 1595, and it hosts annual horse trials.
Region: Lauderdale is in the Scottish Borders Council area.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:20 (CET).