Ab'botsford, the former country seat of Sir Walter Scott, on the south bank of the Tweed, near Melrose Abbey, 28 mi. s. e. of Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1811 it was purchased by Scott and given its name because it was located near a ford which was formerly used by the abbots of Melrose. It stands in the midst of picturesque scenery, forming an extensive and irregular pile in the Scottish baronial style of architecture.