Kilham Township, 1848

KILHAM, a township, in the parish of Kirk-Newton, union, and W. division of the ward, of Glendale, N. division of Northumberland, 6 miles (S.S.E.) from Coldstream; containing 279 inhabitants. The township is situated on the borders of Scotland, and upon the road between Wooler and Kelso; it comprises 2,826 acres, of which 776 are in the hamlet of Thornington. About 1,350 acres are good arable land, and the remainder chiefly mountain and moor, affording fine pasturage for sheep. The soil on the banks of the river Beaumont, which intersects the township, is rich, while that in some other parts is of a light thin quality, resting on whinstone, and well adapted for turnips. The Kilham hills lie to the south; and about two miles further along the road, the pleasant and fertile vale of Paston, long the seat of a branch of the Selbys of Twizell, and through which runs the river Glen, affords a fine contrast to the steep and rugged mountains that fill the surrounding country. Thornington haughs are celebrated for a breed of short-horned cattle.