NENTHORN
The present church is small and quite modern, having been erected in 1802. It is situated about a quarter of a mile from the site of the old church and burial ground.
There are two communion cups, engraved:
"NENTHORN PARISH 1780."
Of the Chapel of Newton
There is now no trace remaining, and even its exact site is uncertain. Referring to it, Mr. Balfour writes:
"This chapel has a long history. The chapels of Little Newton, Nathansthyrne, and Stitchell were originally chapels of the mother church of Ednam. Between 1158 and 1163, they belonged to Coldingham Priory, a dependency of Durham. In 1204, the monks conceded to William, Bishop of St. Andrews, both the chapels of Newton and Nathansthyrne. David of Bernham, Bishop of St. Andrews (1238–1252), is said to have consecrated the church of Nenthorn, which likely then became the parish church, with the chapel of Little Newton as a dependent chapel, rather than both being chapels of Ednam. In 1316, William of Lamberton, Bishop of St. Andrews, gave the church of Nenthorn and the chapel of Little Newton to the Abbey of Kelso, in exchange for Cranston and Preston in Mid-Lothian. By 1567, the 'kirklands of Neuthorne' are recorded as producing a rental of forty shillings, and the 'lands of Lytill Nutowne' thirty shillings."
"The site of the chapel of Little Newton is likely the old burial ground of the Don family, outside the Mid-Lodge of Newton Don. The only other possible site is in the Lawn Park, where the village is said to have been. When laying drains there some years ago, workmen discovered stone coffins, which were left in situ."
The walls of the burial vault referenced above, which appears to be relatively modern, are still standing. The site is no longer used as the family burying vault. Just outside the walls lies a fragment of an old tombstone with part of the inscription:
"and Margt. Novr 14, 1729 years."
Nearby, another fragment of an apparently much older stone bears a grotesque figure sculpted in relief but contains no inscription.
Ministers of Nenthorn since 1597:
John Spottiswood — 1597 to 1611
Andrew Kinneir, M.A. — 1611 to [no date recorded]
James Fletcher, M.A. — 1660 to 1662
James Robesone — 1664 to [no date recorded]
James Fletcher, M.A. (reinstated) — 1669 to [no date recorded]
Robert Calder — 1689 (a few months)
William Brown, M.A. — 1692 (a few months)
James Ker, M.A. — 1696 to 1754
Abraham Ker — 1754 to 1793
Gavin Wallace — 1793 to 1834
John Gilford (assistant and successor) — 1832 to 1854
Manners H. Graham — 1855 to 1866
John Barclay — 1866 to 1868
Henry G. Graham — 1868 to 1884
David Anderson (present incumbent) — 1885
A Free Church exists in this parish, built in 1843. Designed in the Gothic style, it is small but very comfortable. The present minister is Donald Iverach, M.A., who was settled in 1885.
SOURCE: The Churches And Churchyards Of Berwickshire By James Robson 1893, updated 2025 Nathan Zipfel