Dawyck Chapel sits on an ancient religious site within the gardens.
The name is also given as 'Dawic', and 'Dauwic' in circa 1200. It may derive from the Gaelic for an ox and the Old English 'wic' for a camp or dwelling.[1]
The Veitch family planted the garden at Dawyck House in the 17th century until the Naesmith family took over in 1691. Sir John Murray Naesmith supported plant-hunting expeditions, especially those undertaken by the explorer and plant hunter David Douglas (1799–1834). In 1897 the Balfour family acquired the Dawyck Estate, and in 1978 they gave the Garden to the Royal Botanic Garden, with the exception of Dawyck House and chapel which remain in private use.
The private Dawyck Chapel, built in 1837, sits on the site of the ancient Dalwick Chapel within the gardens.
Of the eleven "Heritage Trees of Scotland" in the Scottish Borders, three are at Dawyck.
The Dawyck Silver Fir is 35 m (115 ft) in height, the trunk measures 172 cm (5 ft 7 in), and its girth is 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in). There are also the Dawyck Larch, planted 1725, girth 4.46 m height 33 m; and the Dawyck Beech, planted 1860, has an unusual form with upswept branches.[2]
Further reading
Young, Alice (2017), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Dawyck Guidebook, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, ISBN978-1-910877-18-0
