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Duns is a town in southeast Scotland, 50
miles southeast of Edinburgh.
Duns is popular for the Jim Clark
Motorsport Museum, Duns Castle Nature Reserve,
and Manderston
House 2 miles east.
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Attractions
Camping & Touring Parks in
area
The images top are of Duns Market Cross and
Market Square in the Town centre.
The White Swan Hotel is in
the southwest corner of the Square.
The Polish Bear
Statue is by the Market Square. Named
Wojtek, this Syrian brown bear was rescued as a
cub by soldiers from the Free Polish Army. Over
the following years, the bear was used in the
war effort such as clearing ammunition.
The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum is on
Newtown Street, a short walk southwest of the
Market Square. Jim Clark was a Formula One
racing driver from Duns that won two World
Championships, in 1963 and 1965. Clark died in
1968 during a Formula Two racing accident at
Hockenheim in West Germany.
Duns Parish
Church and Duns Park are a short distance
south of the Market Square. The Church was
mostly built in 1880, a year after the previous
building was damaged by fire.
Duns Park has a
War Memorial, Polish War Memorial, John Duns
the Philosopher statue, Kids Play, and Bowling
Green.
Duns Golf Club, founded in 1894, is 1 mile
south of the Town centre.
Duns Castle is 1 mile
up Castle Street from the Market Square. The
Castle is private with it being used for
Weddings, Holidays, and Corporate Events. There
are two man made Lakes on the Estate that can
be visited as a Wildlife Reserve.
There is a circular Walking Route
to the Lakes and Duns Law Hill where the
original Town of Duns was situated.
Manderston House is 2
miles east of Duns, it can be visited from May
to September.
Wedderburn
Castle is 2 miles southeast of Duns. This
is a private Castle used for Holidays and
Weddings. Wedderburn Castle may have a few open
days each year for visitors. You need to check
the website for information.
Duns History
The original site of Duns was at Duns Law
Hill where there are remains of an Iron Age
hill fort at the summit, about 2 miles north of
where the Town of Duns is today.
1296 - one of the earliest recordings of
Duns is when the town is mentioned after a
'Robert of Douns' signed the Ragman Roll during
the First War of
Scottish Independence, a Roll where Scottish
Landowners pledged to support the King of
England in his quest to gain control of
Scotland.
1314 - the defeat of a vast English Army at
the Battle of Bannockburn leads to Robert
the Bruce becoming King of Scotland.
1320 - Duns Castle was built for the Earl of
Moray, nephew of King Robert the Bruce.
1333 - during the Second War of Scottish
Independence, Sir Archibald Douglas, Guardian
of Scotland, raised an army at Duns to attack
the English that were laying siege to Berwick.
Those Scots were defeated at the Battle of Halidon
Hill.
1372 - in response to Scots carrying out a
number of raids in England, the Earl of
Northumberland invaded Scotland and camped at
Duns. The English were defeated by locals in
what is known as the Battle of
Duns.
1490 - the Town was created a Burgh of
Barony in by King James IV with the townsfolk
given the right to hold a market every
Wednesday.
1544, 1545 and 1558 - Duns was badly damaged
by fire during the war of the Rough Wooing as
King Henry VIII tried to force the infant Mary
Queen of Scots to mary his young Son.
1517 - Antoine d'Arces
/known as the White Knight, who worked for the
King, tried to investigate George Home of
Wedderburn over the murder of a Frenchman. Home
cut his head off and stuck it on a pole at Duns
Market Cross.
1588 - the Town was moved from Duns Law to
its present location.
1630? - Nisbet House
was built 2 miles south of Duns for the Nisbet
Family.
1639 - fortifications were built on top of
Duns Law as the English Civil War spread into
Scotland. Remains of the fortifications can be
seen today.
1650 - during the English Civil
War, that spread into Scotland, Oliver
Cromwell stationed a garrison in Duns after the
Battle of Dunbar.
1670 - the Town and Duns Estate were bought
by Sir John Cockburn of Cockburn.
1680 - the first Tolbooth was built at Duns
Market Square.
1696 - Duns Estate was sold to John Hay, 1st
Marquess of Tweeddale.
1775 - Wedderburn
Castle was built for the Wedderburn family
2 miles southeast of Duns.
1790 - Duns Parish Church was built to
replace a much earlier building on that
site.
1816 - a new Tolbooth was built after the
original was damaged by fire.
1851 - Kimmerghame
House was built 3 miles southeast of Duns
for the Swinton family.
1880 - Duns Parish Church was re-built after
the previous building was dammaged by fire.
1882 - Duns Castle was
transformed into a Gothic Castle for the Hay's
by the architect James Gillespie Graham.
1894 - Duns Golf Club was founded.
1903 - a bill was introduced by the
Secretary for Scotland confirming Duns as the
county town of Berwickshire.
1903 - Manderston
House was built for the Liberal Peer, Lord
Palmer, 2 miles east of Duns.
1942 - the family of Jim Clark moved to
Edington Mains Farm by Duns.
1963 and 1965 - Jim Clark won
two Formula One Championships.
1966 - the Tolbooth was demolished.
1968 - Jim Clark died during a Formula Two
racing accident at Hockenheim in West Germany.
He was buried at Chirnside
Parish Churchyard 6 miles east of Duns.
1969 - the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum
opened in Duns.
1990s - many new homes start being built in
and around Duns.
2016 - the Statue of the War Hero bear
Wojtek is unveiled in Duns centre.
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