Borders of Scotland and England
An area from Edinburgh in the north to the English border in
the south. It has suffered from both incursions from the English and from border
bandits. James II of Scotland finally pacified the area in the 15th century,
when he defeated the powerful Border Earls.
The violence, the stories of medieval wizards, the romance of
the countryside, inspired the tales of Sir Walter Scott, who lived in this area.
The tiny village of Coldstream is where General Monk raised a regiment of Coldstream
guards in 1650 for Cromwells army. They are today one of the premier regiments
in the British army
Lots of towns grew up along the borders, Hawick, Jedburgh, Kelso,
Selkirk, Melrose. Each has its own history
- Hawick
- A border town whose economy is based on sheep. Its sheep
market sells some 250,000 sheep every year, and there are woollen mill s in
the town. Wilton Lodge, beside the River Teviot, has a museum of Border Life,
covering everything from rugby to natural history.
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- Selkirk
- Another border mill town, rich in history. Destroyed by the
English at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, the occasion is still marked annually
in the town. It overlooks Ettrick Forrest and Ettrick Water, a renowned Salmon
and Trout fishing stream. A few miles outside the town is Bowhill, the ancestral
home of the Scotts of Buccleuch, which has an outstanding collection of Old
Masters.
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- Melrose
- There are spectacular ruins of a ruined Cistercian Abbey,
the victim of 14th century border wars. The nearby Priorwood Garden was the
monks orchard, and now grows flowers for drying Just outside Melrose is Abbotsford
House, the home of Sir Walter Scott. In an interesting mixture of styles,
it houses Scott's library, armoury collection and other momentoes.
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- Dryburgh Abbey
- Just south of Melrose, ruins of a 12th/13th century abbey,
which was sacked by the English in 1322, and rebuilt later with help from
Robert the Bruce. Sir Walter Scott was buried in the ruins, his funeral procession
pausing at Scott's view nearby.
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- Floors Castle
- Near Kelso, Floors is a Scottish Castle, which looks just
like a French chateau. It was developed by Robert Adam in the 19th century,
for the Duke of Roxburghe from an original plain 17th century house. Nearby
is Kelso Abbey, the largest of the border abbeys, founded by monks from Chartres
in the 12th century
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- Jedburgh
- Another town attacked on many occasions by the English. The
huge ruins of the Augustine abbey dominate the town. Also worth visiting in
the town is Queen Mary's House, a 15th century fortified bastle house, which
is a museum to Mary Queen of Scotts.
