Nisbet Castle

The original location of the East Nisbet Castle can be clearly seen in the "Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654." It is labeled E. Nisbeth Cast. and is on the north bank of the Blackadder Water, southeast of the village of Duns in Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. The Blaeu Atlas labels this area as Marcia, Mercia or the Merse.

Mercia or the Merse is the name of the land which first occurs on the boundaries of Scotland and England on the east side. For March means boundary, and although the vernacular pronunciation of the region is now Merse. In the middle of the region is the small town of Duns, where the annual prefect (Sheriff) dispenses justice to the people of the Merse.

The principal Castles are Hume set on a steep hill, which gave its name to the Earls of Home, and the whole family of Humes, the most powerful in the Merse; Fast Castle on a promontory of the sea, is well defended both by natural position and by human industry. Duns Castle, Langton and Nisbet are quite strong castles, as are Ayton and Wedderburn Castle, belonging to the Humes. [Blaeu, Joan, "Blaeu Atlas of Scotland"1654 Amsterdam]

References

* Blaeu, Joan 1596-1673 "Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654" [http://www.nls.uk/maps/early/blaeu/index.html] Blaeu Atlas of Scotland, 1654, "National Library of Scotland"

* Robert Chancellor Nesbitt (1994) "Nisbet of that ILK"