At the beginning of the 19th century certain gentlemen in Jedburgh and district decided to raise a fund by subscription for the pious and charitable purpose of procuring cordials and medicines for the relief of the indigent sick of the parish. A dispensary for the "industrious poor" had already been set up in nearby Kelso as far back as 1777. A subscription list was prepared for the Jedburgh Dispensary, announcing the enterprise and setting out the regulations. This pamphlet gives details of the Dispensary's finances, a list of office holders and the regulations for the association running the Dispensary. Money appears to have been in short supply and in later years the Marquess of Lothian and Earl of Ancrum had to donate money to keep it afloat. The dispensary was situated at 4 The High Street, but in 1867 there was a forced auction, or roup, at the premises that seems to indicate that there were continuing cash flow problems. The dispensary finally closed in the 1930s. The printer, Alexander Ballantyne, was the younger brother of John and James who relocated to Edinburgh where they became renowned as the printers and editors of Walter Scott's works.

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