The Borthwick family take their name from the Borthwick Water — a stream in Midlothian — and rose to prominence as one of the most powerful families of southern Scotland. Their great castle, Borthwick Castle in Midlothian, built around 1430, is generally considered the finest surviving medieval tower house in Scotland. The first Lord Borthwick received his title in 1450, and the family's history is inseparably entwined with the dramatic events of Scottish royal politics in the sixteenth century.
History and Origins
The Borthwick family take their name from the Borthwick Water, a stream in Midlothian that flows through the valley where their estate was established. The family appear in Scottish records from the twelfth century, holding lands in Midlothian under the Scottish Crown. Their rise to the highest rank of Scottish nobility culminated in 1450, when Sir William Borthwick was created the first Lord Borthwick by James II — a creation that placed them firmly among the great magnate families of southern Scotland.
Borthwick Castle — The Finest Tower House in Scotland
Borthwick Castle, built around 1430 by Sir William Borthwick (later the first Lord), is a remarkable architectural achievement — a massive twin-towered structure in ashlar masonry that represents the highest development of Scottish tower house architecture. With walls up to fourteen feet thick and towers rising to over a hundred feet, Borthwick is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval tower houses in Europe. Its construction in the early fifteenth century, when Scottish magnate power was at its height, reflects the immense wealth and political ambition of the Borthwick family. The castle survives today in exceptional condition and operates as a luxury hotel.
Mary Queen of Scots at Borthwick
Borthwick Castle's most dramatic historical moment came in June 1567, when Mary Queen of Scots and her husband the Earl of Bothwell took refuge there following the murder of Darnley and Mary's controversial marriage to Bothwell. The confederate lords who opposed Bothwell besieged the castle, but Bothwell escaped. Mary herself, according to tradition, escaped in disguise — dressed as a page — and the pair reunited at nearby Cakemuir Castle before fleeing north. The episode is one of the most dramatic in Mary's tumultuous reign and left Borthwick Castle permanently associated with her story.
Later History and the Jacobite Period
The Borthwick family continued to hold their lands and title through the upheavals of the Reformation and the seventeenth century. During the English Civil War (1644), the castle was bombarded by Cromwell's forces — musket balls and cannon damage are still visible in the stonework. The family's involvement in the Jacobite risings of the eighteenth century was limited, and they survived the period without the forfeitures that devastated more committed Jacobite families in the Highlands.
The Diaspora
Borthwick families emigrated to North America, Australia, and New Zealand during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. As a Lowland family based in Midlothian, the Borthwicks' emigration patterns followed the agricultural improvements and urban migration that characterised Lowland Scotland rather than the forced clearances of the Highlands. Borthwick families are found in Ontario, New South Wales, and New Zealand, and in the urban centres of the United States to which Scottish emigrants were drawn throughout the nineteenth century.
The family name is preserved in Borthwick, a small community in Saskatchewan, Canada, named by Scottish settlers who carried their Midlothian origins with them to the Canadian prairies. This pattern of Scottish place-name transplantation — so common across Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — is one of the most tangible legacies of the Scottish diaspora.
How to Research Borthwick Ancestry
Borthwick research should focus on Midlothian records. The National Records of Scotland holds Old Parish Records (OPRs) for the county of Edinburgh (which included Midlothian). The parish of Borthwick itself has records from the seventeenth century. The Scottish Record Office holds sasine records (land transactions) for Midlothian that may document Borthwick property-holding tenant families. For emigrant families, the principal destinations were Ontario and New South Wales, and the relevant archives are Library and Archives Canada and the State Records of New South Wales respectively.
Notable Clan Members
- William, 1st Lord Borthwick (d. c. 1458) — Creator of Borthwick Castle around 1430 and first Lord Borthwick, created 1450. Built what is generally considered the finest medieval tower house in Scotland.
- Mary Queen of Scots (1542–1587) — Took refuge at Borthwick Castle in June 1567 with the Earl of Bothwell. The castle's most famous association — she escaped the besieging confederate lords and fled north.
- General William Borthwick (fl. 1640s) — Defended Borthwick Castle against Cromwell's forces during the English Civil War in 1644. Musket ball and cannon damage from the bombardment is still visible in the castle stonework.
- Archibald Borthwick (1743–1809) — Scottish printer and publisher in Edinburgh, active in the period of the Scottish Enlightenment. Published works by several of the major figures of that intellectual movement.
Related Clans and Families
Often allied, neighbouring, or linked by marriage: