Baron's Folly

The fifth son of Sir John Rutherford of Edgerston, Robert spent the bulk of his career as a banker in Leghorn (Livorno) in Tuscany. There he met many of the grand tourists of the day including Robert Adam and James Boswell and helped nurture the career of the American artist Benjamin West. In 1769 Rutherford became Consul for the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean and in the wake of the Russian victory over the Turks at Chesme was richly rewarded by Catherine the Great who make him a Baron of the Russian Empire in October 1777. She also presented him with a gold enamelled box richly set with diamonds. Rutherford returned home in 1779, purchased the 1,400-acre estate of Fairnington and established himself as a liberal improving landlord. Prominently situated on summit of Down Law within the Fairnington estate.

The Baron’s Folly stands some 300 metres to the east of Dere Street. It is an octagonal summerhouse and observatory, with piended roof surmounted by an iron finial. It has Gothic pointed window openings on three sides. Which are now boarded up, a later wooden door to NE, rubble with dark whinstone pinning’s and rusticated quoins on window and door openings. Welsh slate roof. 

It is described as a summerhouse on John Ainslie´s 'Map of the Southern Part of Scotland´ of 1821 but by 1843 is recorded as 'Baron´s Folly’ It is visible from several miles away from every direction and is an important feature in the landscape. (Historic Scotland)

Local traditions say it was  where he would meet young ladies another is it was where he would sit and keep an eye on his workers.   Who knows!!