Jedburgh Sheriff Court

About Jedburgh Sheriff Court

Originally the site of the Council House. Built in 1812 by French prisoners of war, a courtroom was added in 1861 to the designs of the Edinburgh architect David Rhind. Sir Walter Scott, who made his first appearance as a defence lawyer here in 1793, often visited the previous court building. There is a plaque (on the Market Place side of the building) dating from 1932 to commemorate the centenary of Scott’s death. The building is still used as a court and justice is regularly dispensed from here.
As you continue up Castlegate, next door to the Sheriff Court is the town’s Police station.
On your left, after the police station is a red sandstone building, which is the town’s small Masonic Lodge designed by J.P. Alison in 1903. Notice the panels above the doors. That on the left reads “IN THE LORD IS ALL MY TRUST” and the one over the right door reads “ANNO DOMINI 1903”, although this is now badly eroded. On this site was thetown’sflesh market where meat was sold. On the road was the lawn market where goods such as linen were traded.