Berwickshire

Berwickshire is a historic area in south-eastern Scotland, close to the border with England. Its name comes from Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town that used to be part of Scotland but became part of England in 1482. Over time, the main towns that led the area were Duns and Greenlaw.

Berwickshire has a rich history. It was its own county council from 1890 to 1975. After that, it became part of a larger region called the Borders. In 1996, the area joined together with other nearby places to form the Scottish Borders council area.

The flat land between the Tweed and the Lammermuirs is called "the Merse," an old Scots word for a floodplain. People who live there are known as "Merse-men." Berwickshire touches Midlothian to the west, East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, Roxburghshire to the south, and the English county of Northumberland to the south as well.

Geography

Berwickshire has gentle hills and lots of farms, with small towns spread across the area. The Lammermuir Hills run along its border with East Lothian, and Meikle Says Law is the tallest point, standing at 535 metres above sea level. The River Tweed marks the border with England to the south, and several other rivers flow through the region, including the Eye Water, Whiteadder Water, Dye Water, Watch Water, Eden Water, and Blackadder Water.

History

Between the late tenth and early eleventh centuries, the land between the rivers Forth and Tweed came under Scottish control. The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed became a special town called a royal burgh by David I, who ruled from 1124 to 1153. During his time, the area known as Berwickshire was created, covering Berwick and the rural area to its north-west.

After Berwick became part of England in 1482, the role of the main town for the area was shared between Duns and Lauder. Later, in 1596, Greenlaw became the main town by order of James VI. The main town changed a few times over the years, moving back to Duns in 1661 and then to Greenlaw again in 1696.

In 1829, a special building called County Hall was built in Greenlaw to serve as a courthouse. In 1853, a law allowed courts and meetings to also take place in Duns, and a new courthouse was built there in 1856.

County council

Elected county councils were set up in 1890 under a law called the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. Berwickshire County Council met for the first time on 22 May 1890 at County Hall in Greenlaw. The council decided to hold all future meetings in Duns, so they based themselves at the County Buildings there, sharing space with a sheriff court. Over time, they added offices in different houses on Newtown Street. In 1967, they built a modern extension to the County Buildings.

Greenlaw was still called the official county town after 1890, even though the council met in Duns and courts were held in both towns. An Act of Parliament in 1903 changed this, making Duns the official county town for all purposes.

When the county council was stopped in 1975, Berwickshire had four burghs and three districts: Coldstream, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder Royal Burgh, East District, Middle District, and West District.

District Council

Berwickshire County Council stopped working in 1975 because of new rules about local government in Scotland. Berwickshire became part of the Borders Region, which was split into four smaller areas. One of these areas was called Berwickshire, and it looked almost the same as the old county, except for a few places that went to other areas.

In 1996, the Borders region and its smaller councils were combined into one big council area called the Scottish Borders. The old buildings in Duns where the Berwickshire council used to meet are still used by the new council for some work.

The first election for Berwickshire District Council happened in 1974. During that time, the new council worked alongside the old authorities before fully taking over on May 16, 1975. Most of the seats on the council were held by the Conservatives during its time.

Coat of arms

The county council of Berwickshire was created in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889. That same year, they asked the Lord Lyon for special symbols to represent them, and they received these symbols on October 10.

The symbols look much like the ones from Berwick-upon-Tweed. They show a bear tied to a wych tree, which is a playful hint at the area's name. When the old council was disbanded, these symbols were given to the new Berwickshire District Council.

Civil parishes

See also: List of civil parishes in Scotland

• Abbey St Bathans
• Ayton
• Buncle (Bonkyl)
• Cockburnspath
• Coldingham
• Chirnside
• Coldstream
• Cranshaws
• Channelkirk
• Duns
• Eyemouth
• Edrom
• Eccles
• Earlston
• Foulden
• Fogo
• Greenlaw
• Gordon
• Hutton
• Hume
• Longformacus
• Langton
• Ladykirk
• Liberties of Berwick
• Lauder (former seat of the county Commissariat)
• Legerwood
• Mordington
• Mertoun
• Nenthorn
• Part of Oldhamstocks, since 1891 in East Lothian
• Polwarth
• Swinton
• Whitsome
• Westruther

Settlements

Berwickshire is home to many charming villages and towns. Some of the places you can find there include Abbey St Bathans, Allanton, Auchencrow, Ayton, Birgham, Burnmouth, Chirnside, Clappers, Clintmains, Cockburnspath, Coldingham, Coldstream, Cove, Cranshaws, Dryburgh, Duns, Earlston, Eccles, Edrom, Eyemouth, Fogo, Foulden, Gavinton, Gordon, Grantshouse, Greenlaw, Horndean, Houndwood, Hume, Hutton, Ladykirk, Lamberton, Lauder, Legerwood, Leitholm, Lennel, Longformacus, Nenthorn, Oxton, Paxton, Polwarth, Preston, Redpath, Reston, St Abbs, Swinton, Westruther, and Whitsome.

Some notable spots include Ayton Castle, Burnmouth, Cranshaws, Eyemouth, and Hume Castle.

Transport

The East Coast Main Line railway runs along the coast of Berwickshire. Many small stations opened here in 1846, but they all closed by 1964. A new station at Reston opened in 2022. The old Berwickshire Railway closed in 1948 after a big storm. Today, the closest stations are in Dunbar and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The A1 road runs close to the railway, linking Edinburgh to the north and Berwick-upon-Tweed to the south, and continuing to Newcastle. The A68 and A697 roads serve towns in western Berwickshire.

Legacy

Berwickshire has many groups and organizations that include its name, such as the Berwickshire Housing Association and Berwickshire Sports Council. The Berwickshire Civic Society works to keep the area beautiful and wants road signs to remind visitors they are entering the ancient county of Berwickshire. Every April, they hold a campaign called "Keep Berwickshire Tidy."

There is a high school west of Duns called Berwickshire High School, which opened in 1896. It teams up with Eyemouth High School for a rugby team called the Berwickshire schools. The Berwickshire Coastal Path is a walking trail that stretches 28 miles (45 km) from Cockburnspath to Berwick-upon-Tweed.