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Barony of Sunderland
This page was last updated on 12 July 2025

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Sunderland Hall, situated on the southern banks of the River Tweed near its junction with the Ettrick, has long been a notable estate in Scottish history. Identified as the ‘Sonderland’ granted to Sir James Douglas following the Battle of Bannockburn, it was incorrectly recorded in some early sources as lying within the Barony of Hawick. Its association with the Douglas family reflects the broader territorial consolidation undertaken by the house in the late medieval period.

In the aftermath of land forfeitures within the Douglas kinship network, William Douglas of Cluny acquired Sunderlandhall, along with Cranston in Midlothian, and Traquair and Leithenhope in Peeblesshire. These lands were formally erected into the Barony of Sunderland on January 16, 1464, reinforcing Douglas’s status and influence in the region. As part of Selkirkshire’s territorial framework, the barony encompassed multiple estates, contributing to the political and economic landscape of the Scottish Borders.

By the early 17th century, Sunderlandhall came under the administration of the Shaws, who held the annual rent and were known for their roles as schoolmaster and minister in Selkirk. The estate subsequently passed to the Kerrs, before ownership transitioned to the Plummers, and later to the Scott-Plummers, whose lineage traced back to the Scotts of Woll.

Source

 

Sources for this article include:
  • The Hawick Book of Words
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    Last modified: Sunday, 08 March 2026