BERWICKSHIRE , a See also:county of See also:Scotland, forming its See also:south-eastern extremity, bounded N. by See also:Haddingtonshire and the See also:North See also:Sea; E. by the North Sea; S.E. by the county of the See also:- BOROUGH (A.S. nominative burh, dative byrig, which produces some of the place-names ending in bury, a sheltered or fortified place, the camp of refuge of a tribe, the stronghold of a chieftain; cf. Ger. Burg, Fr. bor, bore, bourg)
- BOROUGH [BURROUGH, BURROWE, BORROWS], STEVEN (1525–1584)
borough and See also:town of See also:Berwick; S. by the See also:Tweed and Roxburgh-See also:shire, and W. by See also:Mid-See also:Lothian. Its See also:area is 292,577 acres or 457 sq. m., and it has a See also:coast-See also:line of 21 M. The county is naturally divided into three districts: See also:Lauderdale, or the valley of the See also:Leader, in the W.; Lammermuir, the upland See also:district occupied by the hills of that name in the N.; and the Merse (the See also:March or Borderland, giving a See also:title to the earls of See also:Wemyss), the largest district, occupying the S.E. The Lammermuirs are a range of See also:round-backed hills, whose See also:average height is about loon ft., while the highest See also:summit, Says See also:Law, reaches 1749 ft. From these hills the Merse stretches to the S. and E., and is a comparatively level See also:tract of See also:country. The coast is lofty, rocky and precipitous, broken by ravines and not accessible, except at See also:Eyemouth See also:Harbour, for small vessels, and at Coldingham and Burnmouth for fishing boats. St Abb's See also:Head, a promontory with a lighthouse upon it, rises to .310 ft. The See also:Eye is the only See also:river of any See also:size which falls directly into the sea. The others —the Leader, the See also:Eden, the Leet and the Whiteadder with its tributaries, the Blackadder and the Dye—all flow into the Tweed. Of these the largest and most important is the Whiteadder, which has its source in the See also:parish of Whittingehame on the See also:East Lothian See also:side of the Lammermuirs, and, following a sinuous course of 35 m., joins the Tweed within the See also:bounds or liberties of Berwick. There are small lochs at Coldingham, Legerwood, See also:Spottiswoode, the Hirsel, near See also:Coldstream, Hule See also:Moss on See also:Greenlaw See also:Moor, and tiny sheets of See also:water near See also:Duns and Mersington.
See also:Geology.—The north portion of the county embraces that See also:part of the See also:Silurian tableland of the south of Scotland which stretches from the Lammermuir Hills east to St Abb's Head. The strata consist mainly of grits, greywackes, flags and shales, repeated by innumerable folds, trending north-east and south-See also:west, which are laid See also:bare in the See also:great cliff See also:section between Fast See also:Castle and St Abb's Head. This section of the tableland includes sediments, chiefly of Tarannon See also:age, which See also:form a See also:belt ro m. across from the See also:crest of the Lammermuir Hills to a point near Westruther and Longformacus. In the Earnscleuch See also:Burn north-east of See also:Lauder representatives of See also:Llandovery, Caradoc and Lllandeilo rocks, together with the Arenig cherts, appear along an anticlinal See also:fold in the midst of the younger strata. Again in the extreme north-west of the county near Channelkirk and to the north of the Tarannon belt radiolarian cherts and See also:black shales with See also:graptolites of Upper Llandeilo and Caradoc age are met with. The See also:Lower Old Red See also:Sandstone rocks, which See also:rest unconformably on the folded and denuded Silurian strata, appear at Eyemouth and Reston Junction, and at St Abb's Head are associated with contemporaneous volcanic rocks which are evidently on the same See also:horizon as the interbedded lavas of Lower Old Red age in the Cheviots. The intrusive igneous materials of this See also:period are represented by the granitic See also:mass of See also:Cockburn Law and the porphyrites of the Dirrington See also:Laws. The Upper Old Red See also:Sand-815
See also:- STONE
- STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
- STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
- STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
- STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
- STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
- STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
- STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
- STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)
stone, consisting of conglomerates and sandstones, rest unconformably alike on the Silurian See also:platform as at Siccar Point and on the lower See also:division of that See also:system. The age of these beds has been determined by the occurrence of remains of Holoptychius nobilissimus in the sandstones at See also:Earlston and in the Whiteadder north of Duns. On the Black See also:- HILL
- HILL (0. Eng. hyll; cf. Low Ger. hull, Mid. Dutch hul, allied to Lat. celsus, high, collis, hill, &c.)
- HILL, A
- HILL, AARON (1685-175o)
- HILL, AMBROSE POWELL
- HILL, DANIEL HARVEY (1821-1889)
- HILL, DAVID BENNETT (1843–1910)
- HILL, GEORGE BIRKBECK NORMAN (1835-1903)
- HILL, JAMES J
- HILL, JOHN (c. 1716-1775)
- HILL, MATTHEW DAVENPORT (1792-1872)
- HILL, OCTAVIA (1838– )
- HILL, ROWLAND (1744–1833)
- HILL, SIR ROWLAND (1795-1879)
Hill of Earlston these strata are traversed by a See also:sheet of See also:trachyte resembling the type of reek capping the Eildon Hills ( see See also:ROXBURGHSHIRE: Geology ). Overlying the strata just described there is a See also:succession of volcanic rocks extending from Greenlaw southwards by Stichil and See also:Kelso to Carham, which, at several localities, are followed by a See also:band of cornstone resembling that near the See also:top of the Upper Old Red Sandstone in the midland valley of Scotland. Next in See also:- ORDER
- ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
- ORDER, HOLY
order comes a great development of the Cementstone See also:group of the Carboniferous system which spreads over nearly the whole of the See also:low ground of the Merse and attains a great thickness. At See also:Marshall Meadows north of Berwick-on-Tweed, thin bands of marine See also:limestone occur, which probably represent some of the calcareous beds above the See also:Fell sandstones south of Spittal.
See also:Climate and See also:Agriculture.—Owing to the maritime position, the See also:winter is seldom severe in the See also:lowland districts, but See also:spring is a trying See also:season on See also:account of the east winds, which often last into summer. The mean See also:annual rainfall is 302 in. and the average temperature for the See also:year is 47° F., for See also:January 370 F., and for See also:July 58.5° F. The climate is excellent as regards both the See also:health of the inhabitants and the growth of vegetation. The soils vary, sometimes even on the same See also:farm. Along the See also:rivers is a deep See also:rich See also:loam, resting on See also:gravel or See also:clay, chiefly the former. The less valuable clay See also:soil of the A/Terse has been much improved by drainage. The more sandy and gravelly soils are suitable for turnips, of which great quantities are grown. Oats and See also:barley are the See also:principal See also:grain crops, but See also:wheat also is raised. The flocks of See also:sheep are heavy, and See also:cattle are pastured in considerable See also:numbers. Large holdings predominate—indeed, the average size is the highest in Scotland—and scientific farming is the See also:rule. The labourers, who are physically well See also:developed, are as a whole frugal„industrious and intelligent, but somewhat migratory in their habits. This feature in their See also:character, which they may have by See also:inheritance as Borderers, has admirably fitted them for colonial See also:life, to which the scarcity of See also:industrial occupation has largely driven the surplus See also:population.
Other See also:Industries.--Next to agriculture the See also:fisheries are the most important See also:industry. The Tweed See also:salmon fisheries are famous, and the lesser rivers of the Merse are held in high esteem by anglers. Eyemouth, Burnmouth, Coldingham and See also:Cove are engaged in the sea fisheries. See also:Cod, See also:haddock, See also:herring, See also:ling, lobsters and crabs are principally taken. The season for herring is from May to the See also:middle of See also:September and for See also:- WHITE
- WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
- WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
- WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
- WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
- WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
- WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
- WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
- WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
- WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
- WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
- WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)
white See also:fish from See also:October to the end of May. See also:Coal, See also:copper ore and ironstone exist in too small quantities to See also:work, and the limestone is so far from a coal district as to be of little economic value. Earlston sends out ginghams and woollen cloths. At Cumledge on the Whiteadder, blankets and plaids are manufactured, and See also:paper is made at Chirnside. The other manufactures are all connected with agriculture, such as distilleries, breweries, tanneries, &c. The See also:trade is also mainly agricultural. Fairs are held at Duns, Lauder, Coldstream and Greenlaw; but the sales of cattle and sheep mostly take See also:place at the See also:auction marts at Reston, Duns and Earlston. There are grain markets at Duns and Earlston. Berwick, from which the county derives its name, is still its See also:chief See also:market. There is, however, no legal or fiscal connexion between the county and the borough.
The North See also:British railway monopolizes the communications of the county. The system serves the coast districts from Berwick to Cockburnspath, and there is a See also:branch from Reston to St Boswells.
Population and See also:Government.—The population of Berwickshire was 32,290 in 1891 and 30,824 in 1901, in which year the number of persons speaking Gaelic and See also:English was 74, and one See also:person spoke Gaelic only. The only considerable towns are Eyemouth (pop. in 1901. 2436) and Duns (2206). The county returns one
member to See also:parliament. Lauder is the only royal See also:burgh, and Duns the county town, a status, however, which was held by Greenlaw from 1696 to 18J3, after which date it was shared by both towns until conferred on Duns alone. Berwickshire forms a sheriffdom with Roxburgh and See also:Selkirk shires, and there is a See also:resident See also:sheriff-substitute at Duns, who sits also at Greenlaw, Coldstream, Ayton and Lauder. In addition to See also:board and voluntary See also:schools throughout the county, there is a high school, which is also a technical school, at Duns, and Coldstream and Lauder public schools have secondary departments. Duns school is subsidized by the county See also:council, which pays the expenses of students attending it from a distance.
See also:History.—Traces of See also:Roman occupation and of See also:ancient British See also:settlement exist in various parts of the Merse. Edin's or Etin's See also:- HALL
- HALL (generally known as SCHWABISCH-HALL, tc distinguish it from the small town of Hall in Tirol and Bad-Hall, a health resort in Upper Austria)
- HALL (O.E. heall, a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. Halle)
- HALL, BASIL (1788-1844)
- HALL, CARL CHRISTIAN (1812–1888)
- HALL, CHARLES FRANCIS (1821-1871)
- HALL, CHRISTOPHER NEWMAN (1816—19oz)
- HALL, EDWARD (c. 1498-1547)
- HALL, FITZEDWARD (1825-1901)
- HALL, ISAAC HOLLISTER (1837-1896)
- HALL, JAMES (1793–1868)
- HALL, JAMES (1811–1898)
- HALL, JOSEPH (1574-1656)
- HALL, MARSHALL (1790-1857)
- HALL, ROBERT (1764-1831)
- HALL, SAMUEL CARTER (5800-5889)
- HALL, SIR JAMES (1761-1832)
- HALL, WILLIAM EDWARD (1835-1894)
Hall, on Cockburn Law, 4 m. north of Duns, is still called the Pech's or Pict's See also:House, and is one of the very few brochs found in the Lowlands. After the See also:Romans withdrew (409) the country formed part of the Saxon See also:kingdom of See also:Northumbria, and the inhabitants were converted to See also:Christianity through the missionary efforts of Modan in the 6th, and See also:Oswald, See also:Aidan and See also:Cuthbert (traditionally believed to have been See also:born in the vale of the Leader) in the 7th centuries. The Northmen invaded the sea-board, but the rugged coast proved an effectual barrier. The Danes, however, landed in 886, and destroyed the nunnery at Coldingham, founded about 65o by Ebba, daughter of lEthelfrith, See also:- KING
- KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
- KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
- KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
- KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
- KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
- KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
- KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
- KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
- KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
- KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
- KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)
king of Northumbria, after whom the adjoining promontory of St Abb's Head was named. After the See also:battle of Carham (Tor 8) the district, which then constituted part of the division of Lothian, was annexed to Scotland. Birgham (pron. Birjam), 31 M. west of Coldstream, was the See also:scene of the See also:conference in 1188 between See also:- WILLIAM
- WILLIAM (1143-1214)
- WILLIAM (1227-1256)
- WILLIAM (1J33-1584)
- WILLIAM (A.S. Wilhelm, O. Norse Vilhidlmr; O. H. Ger. Willahelm, Willahalm, M. H. Ger. Willehelm, Willehalm, Mod.Ger. Wilhelm; Du. Willem; O. Fr. Villalme, Mod. Fr. Guillaume; from " will," Goth. vilja, and " helm," Goth. hilms, Old Norse hidlmr, meaning
- WILLIAM (c. 1130-C. 1190)
- WILLIAM, 13TH
William the See also:Lion and the See also:bishop of See also:Durham, which discussed the See also:attempt of the English See also:- CHURCH
- CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
- CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
- CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
- CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
- CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)
church to assert supremacy over the Scottish. Here also met in 1289 a See also:convention of the Scots estates to consider the projected See also:marriage of See also:Prince See also:Edward of See also:England to the Maid of See also:Norway; and here was signed in 1290 the treaty of Birgham, assuring the See also:independence of Scotland. During the See also:long period of See also:international strife the shire was repeatedly overrun by armies of the English and Scots See also:kings, who were constantly fighting for the ancient frontier town of Berwick. It was finally ceded to England in 1482, and the See also:people afterwards gradually settled down to peaceful pursuits. The See also:ford at the confluence of the Leet and Tweed near Coldstream gave See also:access to south-eastern Scotland.
Edward I. crossed it with his See also:army in 1296, encamping at See also:Hutton the See also:day before the See also:siege of Berwick, and it was similarly employed as See also:late as 1640, when the See also:marquess of See also:Montrose led the See also:Covenanters on their march to See also:Newcastle, although See also:- JAMES
- JAMES (Gr. 'IlrKw,l3or, the Heb. Ya`akob or Jacob)
- JAMES (JAMES FRANCIS EDWARD STUART) (1688-1766)
- JAMES, 2ND EARL OF DOUGLAS AND MAR(c. 1358–1388)
- JAMES, DAVID (1839-1893)
- JAMES, EPISTLE OF
- JAMES, GEORGE PAYNE RAINSFOP
- JAMES, HENRY (1843— )
- JAMES, JOHN ANGELL (1785-1859)
- JAMES, THOMAS (c. 1573–1629)
- JAMES, WILLIAM (1842–1910)
- JAMES, WILLIAM (d. 1827)
James VI. had already caused a See also:bridge to be constructed from Berwick to Tweedmouth. There are several places of historic See also:interest in the county. Upon the site of the nunnery at Coldingham King See also:Edgar in 1098 founded a See also:Benedictine priory, which was one of the See also:oldest monastic institutions in Scotland and See also:grew so wealthy that James III. annexed its revenues to defray his extravagance, a step that precipitated the revolt of the nobles (1488). The priory was seriously damaged in the See also:earl of See also:Hertford's inroad in 1545, and See also:Cromwell blew up part of the church in 165o. The See also:chancel (without aisles) was repaired and used as the parish church. The remains contain some See also:fine architectural features, such as, on the outside, the Romanesque arcades surmounted by See also:lancet windows at the east end, and, in the interior, the See also:Early Pointed See also:triforium. On the coast, about 4 M. north-west of Coldingham, are the ruins of Fast Castle—the " See also:Wolf's See also:Crag " of See also:Scott's See also:- BRIDE (a common Teutonic word, e.g..Goth. bruths, O. Eng. bryd, O. H. Ger. prs2t, Mod. Ger. Bract, Dut. bruid, possibly derived from the root bru-, cook, brew; from the med. latinized form bruta, in the sense of daughter-in-law, is derived the Fr. bru)
Bride of Lammermoor—situated on a precipitous headland. From See also:Sir See also:Patrick See also:Hume it passed to Sir See also:Robert See also:Logan of Restalrig; who is alleged to have been one of the See also:Gowrie conspirators, and to have intended to imprison James VI. within its walls (r600). Four See also:miles west is the See also:Pease or Peaths bridge, built by See also:- THOMAS
- THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
- THOMAS (d. 110o)
- THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
- THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
- THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
- THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
- THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
- THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
- THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
- THOMAS, ST
- THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
- THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)
Thomas See also:Telford in 1786 across the deep pass which was of old one of the strongest natural defences of Scotland. The bridge is 123 ft. high, 300 ft. long and 16 ft. wide. Near it are the ruins of Cockburnspath See also:Tower, once a strong fortress and supposed to be the " Ravenswood " of the Bride of Lammermoor. In thesouth-west of the shire besides Dryburgh See also:Abbey (q.v.) there are, at Earlston, the remains of the castle that was traditionally the See also:residence of Thomas the Rhymer. Hume Castle, the ancient seat of the See also:Home See also:family, a picturesque ruin about 3 m. south of See also:Green-law, is so conspicuously situated as to be visible from nearly every part of the county. Coldstream-and Lamberton, being See also:close to the Border, were both resorted to (like Gretna Green in the west) by eloping couples for clandestine marriage. In Lamberton church was signed in 1502 the See also:contract for the marriage of James IV. and See also:Margaret Tudor, which led, a See also:century later, to the See also:union of the crowns of Scotland and England.
See W. S. See also:Crockett, Minstrelsy of the Merse (See also:Paisley, 1893) ; In Praise of Tweed (Selkirk, 1889) ; The Scott Country (See also:London, 1902) ; J. See also:Robson, The Churches and Churchyards of Berwickshire (Kelso, 1893) ; F. H. Groome, A See also:Short Border History (Kelso, 1887) ; J. See also:Tait, Two Centuries of Border Church Life (Kelso, 1889) ; Margaret Warrender, See also:Marchmont and the Humes of Polwarth (See also:Edinburgh, 1894); W. K. See also:Hunter, History of the Priory of Coldingham (Edinburgh, 1858).
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, a market town, seaport, municipal borough and county in itself, of England, at the mouth of the Tweed on the north See also:bank, 339 M. N. by W. from London. Pop. (1901) 13,437• For See also:parliamentary purposes it is in the Berwick-upon-Tweed division of See also:Northumberland. It is the junction on the East Coast route from London to Scotland between the North Eastern and North British See also:railways, a branch of the See also:company first named See also:running up the Tweed valley by Coldstream and Kelso. The town lies in a bare district on the slope and See also:flat summit of an abrupt See also:elevation, higher ground rising to the north and south across the river. It has the rare feature of a See also:complete See also:series of ramparts surrounding it. Those to the north and east are formed of See also:earth faced with stone, with bastions at intervals and a ditch now dry. They are of Elizabethan date, but there are also lines of much earlier date, the fortifications of Edward I. Much of these last has been destroyed, and threatened encroachment upon the remaining See also:relics so far aroused public feeling that in 1905 it was decided that the Board of See also:Works should take over these ruins, including the See also:- BELL
- BELL, ALEXANDER MELVILLE (1819—1905)
- BELL, ANDREW (1753—1832)
- BELL, GEORGE JOSEPH (1770-1843)
- BELL, HENRY (1767-1830)
- BELL, HENRY GLASSFORD (1803-1874)
- BELL, JACOB (1810-1859)
- BELL, JOHN (1691-178o)
- BELL, JOHN (1763-1820)
- BELL, JOHN (1797-1869)
- BELL, ROBERT (1800-1867)
- BELL, SIR CHARLES (1774—1842)
Bell Tower, from the town council, and enclose them as See also:national relics. The Bell Tower, from which alarms were given when border raiders were observed, is in See also:fair preservation. There are slight remains of the castle, which fell into disrepair after the union of the crowns of England and Scotland. There are no traces of the churches, monasteries or other principal buildings of the ancient town. The church of See also:Holy Trinity is a See also:plain See also:building without See also:steeple, of the See also:- TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
- TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
- TIME, STANDARD
time of Cromwell. Of See also:modern places of See also:worship, the most noteworthy is See also:Wallace Green See also:United Presbyterian church (1859). The chief public building is the town hall (176o), a stately classic building surmounted by a lofty See also:spire. Educational institutions include an Elizabethan See also:grammar school and a See also:blue-coat school; and there is a See also:local museum. Two See also:bridges connect the town with the south side of the Tweed. The older, which is very substantial, was finished in 1634, having taken twenty-four years in building. It has fifteen See also:arches, and is 924 ft. long, but only 17 ft. wide. A unique See also:provision for its upkeep out of Imperial funds See also:dates from the reign of See also:Charles II. The other, the Royal Border Bridge, situated a See also:quarter of a mile up the river, is a magnificent railway viaduct, 126 ft. high, with twenty-eight arches, which extends from the railway station, a castellated building on part of the site of the old castle, to a considerable distance beyond the river. This bridge was designed by Robert See also:Stephenson and opened by See also:Queen See also:Victoria in 185o.
The reach of the river from the old bridge to the mouth forms the harbour. The entrance to the harbour is protected by a stone See also:pier, which stretches See also:half a mile south-east from the north bank of the river mouth. The See also:depth of water at the See also:bar is 17 ft. at See also:ordinary tides, 22 ft. at spring tides, but the channel is narrow, a large rocky portion of the harbour on the north side being dry at low water. There is a wet See also:dock of 31 acres. Principal exports are grain, coal and fish; imports are bones and See also:bone-ash, manure stuffs, See also:linseed, See also:salt, See also:timber and See also:iron. The herring and other sea fisheries are of some value, and the salmon See also:fishery, in the hands of a company, has long been famous. A fair is held
annually at the end of May. There are iron-works and See also:boat-building yards.
The See also:custom of specially mentioning Berwick-upon-Tweed after See also:Wales, though abandoned in acts of parliament, is retained in certain proclamations. The title of " county in itself " also See also:helps to recall its ancient history. The liberties of the borough, commonly called Berwick Bounds, include the towns of Spittal, at the mouth, and Tweedmouth immediately above it, on the south bank of the river. The first is a watering-place (pop. 2074), with pleasant sands and a chalybeate See also:spa; the second (pop. 3086) has iron foundries, See also:engineering works and fish-curing establishments. Berwick-upon-Tweed is governed by a See also:mayor, 6 aldermen and 18 councillors. Area, 6396 acres.
Very little is known of the history of Berwick before the See also:Conquest. It was not until the Tweed became the boundary between England and Scotland in the 12th century that Berwick as the chief town on that boundary became really important. Until the beginning of the 14th century Berwick was one of the four royal boroughs of Scotland, and although it possesses no See also:charter granted before that time, an See also:inquisition taken in Edward See also:IIl.'s reign shows that it was governed by a mayor and bailiffs in the reign of See also:Alexander III., who granted the town to the said mayor and the commonalty for an annual See also:rent. After Edward I. had conquered Berwick in 1302 he gave the burgesses another charter, no longer existing but quoted in several confirmations, by which the town was made a See also:free borough with a gild See also:merchant. The burgesses were given the right to elect annually their mayor, who with the commonalty should elect four bailiffs. They were also to have freedom from See also:toll, pontage, &c., two markets every See also:week on See also:Monday and See also:Friday, and a fair lasting from the feast of Holyrood to that of the Nativity of St See also:John the Baptist. Five years later, in 1307, the mayor and burgesses received another charter, granting them their town with all things that belonged to it in the time of Alexander III., for a See also:fee-farm rent of 500 marks, which was granted back to them in 1313 to help towards enclosing their town with a See also:wall. While the See also:war with Scotland dragged on through the early years of the reign of Edward II., the fortification of Berwick was a See also:matter of importance, and in 1317 the mayor and bailiffs undertook to defend it for the yearly sum of 6000 marks; but in the following year, " owing to their See also:default," the Scots entered and occupied it in spite of a truce between the two kingdoms. After Edward III. had recovered Berwick the inhabitants petitioned for the recovery of their See also:prison called the Beffroi or Bell-tower, the See also:symbol of their independence, which their predecessors had built before the time of Alexander III., and which had teen granted to William de Keythorpe when Edward I. took the town. Edward III. in 1326 and 1356 confirmed the charter of Edward I., and in 1357, evidently to encourage the growth of the borough, granted that all who were willing to reside there and desirous of becoming burgesses should be admitted as such on See also:payment of a fine. These early charters were confirmed by most of the succeeding kings, until James I. granted the See also:incorporation charter in 1604; but on his See also:accession to the English See also:throne, Berwick of course lost its importance as a frontier town. Berwick was at first represented in the See also:court of the four boroughs and in 1326 in Robert See also:Bruce's parliament. After being taken by the English it remained unrepresented until it was re-taken by the Scots, when it sent two members to the parliament at Edinburgh from 1476 to 1479. In 1482 the burgesses were allowed to send two members to the English parliament, and were represented there until 1885, when the town was included in the Berwick-upon-Tweed division of the county of Northumberland. No manufactures are mentioned as having been carried on in Berwick, but its trade, chiefly in the produce of the surrounding country, was important in the 12th century. It has been noted for salmon fishery in the Tweed from very early times. There was a bridge over the Tweed at Berwick in the time of Alexander and John, kings of Scotland, but it was broken down in the time of the latter and not rebuilt until the end of the 14th century.
See Victoria County History, Northumberland; John See also:Fuller, History of Berwick-upon-Tweed, &c. (1799); John Scott, Berwick-upon-Tweed: History of the Town and Guild (1888).
End of Article: BERWICKSHIRE
Additional information and Comments
There are no comments yet for this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.
Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.
|