With nearly 4,000 ewes, they soon became known for the wool and skins, exporting as far as Florence and Venice! But that wasn’t all. They also reared cattle, wheat and other produce.
Then somewhere between 1437 and 1530, Orroland was separated from Dundrennan and became its own estate. It comprised all the land from here to the Abbey and had been granted to Cutlar, one of the Abbots (which you’ll notice are the names of our lodges today).
We don’t know what the property looked like at that time. The present farmhouse at Orroland was almost certainly a tower house. There was also a very early mediaeval farm building which was demolished in 1970 by a previous owner.
Image: Dundrennan Abbey today
Orroland Farm and the Lodge have changed hands several times. In 1920, it was sold to a neighbouring landowner, who then rented out the Lodge to Mr Adam Brown in 1925. The Brown’s then bought the freehold in 1947 and so did the Mackies, the tenants of the farm.
We bought the Lodge from Mrs Brown’s daughter in 1996 and as they say, the rest is history. Over our years with Orroland, we have cultivated and developed the property, landscaping and adding our own personal touches wherever we can. Today, Orroland is an adventure and enchanting place, filled with wildflower meadows and hidden treasures wherever you look.
Image: Orroland Lodge 1910