Allanton, United Kingdom
Allanton is a town of 1,266 people in Scotland, United Kingdom.
Why visit Allanton
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks and 2 places to eat in and around town.
Weather in Allanton
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Allanton
Allanton (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Alain) is a small village in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. Historically part of Berwickshire, for many years it was part of the estate of Blackadder House, which was demolished around 1925.
From the Wikipedia article Allanton, Scottish Borders (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks6
Restaurants and cafes2
Churches and places of worship2
Chirnside Parish Church
Church · 1.0 mi
Church in Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK
Shopping1
History
The village was traditionally part of the estate of the Blackadders, a powerful border clan.
The Blackadder family were an integral part of the constant Borders’ feuds, and opportunistically extended their lands by grants from King James II of Scotland. These were bestowed as a reward for repelling English raids with great ferocity. During an invasion of Scotland in 1482, the Duke of Gloucester, later Richard III of England, came to Blackadder Castle with his ally Alexander Stewart, Duke of Albany, who ordered the "great house and tower of Blackadder" to be destroyed.
In 1518 the Borders holdings of Clan Blackadder were taken into the family of Home (now the Home Robertson family) by the enforced marriage of the daughters of Robert Blackadder to younger sons of Home of Wedderburn.
A junior branch of the Blackadders, Lairds of Tulliallan disputed the succession, but without success.
Wedderburn Castle is still owned by Robert Blackadder's descendant, Georgina Home-Robertson.
Allanbank House, the Dower House to Blackadder House, was notoriously haunted by Pearlin Jean. Reputedly a French woman (possibly a nun), whom the first baronet of Allanbank, then Mr Stuart, met with at Paris.
Read more of the history
So called for the diaphanous lace in which she appeared, Jean was the Stuart's lover, until his return to Scotland. When she went to try and stop Stuart leaving her, he ordered his coachman to drive on. Jean fell and Stuart's carriage ran over Jean, killing her.
Nearby Edrom was notable as the site of a notorious incident of body snatching in 1826, which resulted in a riot in Duns. After its recovery, the body of Peter McGall was buried for a second time and it is believed that one Mary Manuel from Allanton claimed a possible unique distinction of preparing a body for burial not once but twice.
From the History section of Allanton, Scottish Borders on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries1
Healthcare1
Map of Allanton
13 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 46 miles away.
- Berwick-Upon-Tweed 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Wooler 18 mi southeast, about 29 min by car
- Dunbar 19 mi northwest, about 30 min by car
- Belford 20 mi southeast, about 32 min by car
- East Linton 22 mi northwest, about 36 min by car
- Saint Boswells 22 mi southwest, about 36 min by car
- Newtown St Boswells 23 mi southwest, about 36 min by car
- Galashiels 26 mi southwest, about 41 min by car
- North Sunderland 26 mi southeast, about 42 min by car
- Seahouses 26 mi southeast, about 42 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Allanton
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Allanton, Scottish Borders, Richard Slessor, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Chirnside Parish Church, Kevin Rae, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Epistrophe grossulariae - Flickr - S. Rae, S. Rae from Scotland, UK, CC BY 2.0
- 10109 South View Evangelical Church, Chirnside 001, WeeHolly, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, floatingboater, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, victuallers, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.