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ROXBURGHE, EARLS AND DUKES OF

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Originally appearing in Volume V23, Page 791 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ROXBURGHE, EARLS AND See also:DUKES OF . See also:ROBERT See also:KER, 1st See also:earl of Roxburghe (c. 1570-1650), was the eldest son of See also:William Ker of Cessford (d. 1606) and the See also:grandson of See also:Sir See also:Walter Ker (d. c. 1584), who fought against See also:Mary See also:queen of Scots both at Carberry See also:Hill and at Langside. He was descended from Sir See also:Andrew Ker of Cessford (d. 1526) who fought at See also:Flodden and was killed near See also:Melrose in See also:January 1526 by the Scotts of See also:Buccleuch. The See also:deed was avenged when the Kers under Sir Walter killed Sir Walter See also:Scott of Buccleuch in See also:Edinburgh in 1552. Robert Ker was also descended, on the maternal See also:side, from Andrew Ker of Ferniehurst (c. 1471-1545), a celebrated border chieftain. Another famous member of the See also:family was Andrew's grandson, Sir See also:Thomas Ker of Ferniehurst (d. 1586), who, See also:Camden says, was " of an immovable fidelity to the queen of Scots and the See also:king her son." He was the See also:father of Robert Carr, earl of See also:Somerset, the favourite of See also:James I.

After a turbulent See also:

life on the border Robert Ker became a Scottish privy councillor in 1599 and was made See also:Lord Roxburghe about the same See also:time; he accompanied King James to See also:London in 1603, and was created earl of Roxburghe in ,616. He was lord privy See also:seal for See also:Scotland from 1637 to 1649, and in the Scottish See also:parliament he showed his sympathy with See also:Charles I.; but he took no See also:part in the See also:Civil See also:War, although he signed the " engagement " for the king's See also:release in 1648. He died at Floors, his See also:residence near See also:Kelso, on the 18th of January 1650. His son Harry, Lord Ker, had died in January 1643; consequently his titles and estates passed by See also:special arrangement to his grandson, WILLIAM See also:DRUMMOND (d. 1675), the youngest son of his daughter See also:Jean and her See also:husband See also:John Drummond, 2nd earl of See also:Perth. William took the name of Ker, became 2nd earl of Roxburghe, and married his See also:cousin Lord Ker's daughter Jean. The second earl's son was ROBERT, 3rd earl (c. 1658-1682), whose son was JOHN, 1st See also:duke of Roxburghe (c. 168o-1741). John became 5th earl on the See also:death of his See also:brother Robert, the 4th earl, in 1696, and is described by See also:George See also:Lockhart of Carnwath as " perhaps the best accomplished See also:young See also:man of quality in See also:Europe." In 1704 he was made a secretary of See also:state of and small, the largest being See also:Yetholm or Primside See also:Loch and Horselaw, both in the See also:parish of See also:Linton among outlying hills of the Cheviots. See also:Teviotdale, See also:Liddesdale, Tweedside and Jedvale are the See also:principal valleys. See also:Geology.—This See also:county contains a considerable range of sedimentary rocks from the Ordovician to the Carboniferous systems, and with these are associated large tracts of volcanic rocks.

The Ordovician and See also:

Silurian rocks occupy the N.W. and, W. part of the county; they have been thrown into numerous See also:sharp folds. It is on the crests of the anticlines that the strata of the former See also:system appear flanked on either side by those of the latter. The See also:oldest rocks are the mudstones and radiolarian cherts with contemporaneous and intrusive igneous rocks of Arenig See also:age; these are followed by shales and greywackes of Llandeilo age and similar rocks of Caradoc age. Then comes the Silurian with the Birkhill shales and massive grits and greywackes of the Gala or See also:Queensberry See also:group with the See also:Hawick rocks; these are all of See also:Llandovery age and they occupy the greater part of the Silurian See also:area. See also:Wenlock and See also:Ludlow rocks are found S. of Hawick rocks from Wisp Hill N.E. by Stobs See also:Castle; other inlying masses occur in the Old Red See also:Sandstone and Carboniferous areas, the largest of these being that which appears in a See also:belt some 14 in. in length from near Riccarton in the direction of Hobkirk. Two divisions of the Old Red Sandstone occur; the See also:lower, which consists of subordinate sandstones and conglomerates in sheets of contemporaneous lavas with some tuffs, is confined to the Cheviots; the strata are unconformable upon the upturned Silurian beds. The upper See also:division, which in its turn is unconformable upon the lower, occupies about one-third of the county. It consists of coarse conglomerates at the See also:base followed by sandstones and marls. It is well See also:developed in the N., where volcanic rocks come in; the Trow Crags of Makerstown which See also:cross the See also:Tweed are due to these lavas. It extends from See also:Newtown and Kelso to Kirkton with extensions in the valleys S.W. Carboniferous rocks are represented by the Calciferous sandstone See also:series; in the S.W. in Liddesdale and on the uplands of See also:Carter See also:Fell, Larriston Fell, &c., they are sandstones with shales, some calcareous beds and See also:coal and volcanic beds. In the N.E. corner of the county the See also:outer part of the See also:Berwickshire Carboniferous See also:basin just comes within the boundary.

An interesting series of volcanic " necks " belonging to this See also:

period is exemplified in Dunain See also:Law, See also:Black Law, See also:Maiden Paps, Ruberslaw and other hills. Glacial deposits are represented by See also:boulder See also:clay and beds and ridges of See also:sand and See also:gravel. See also:Climate and See also:Industries.—The See also:average See also:annual rainfall is about 37 in., higher in the hilly regions and somewhat lower towards the N. and E. The mean temperature for the See also:year is 48° F., for January 38° F. and for See also:July 6o° F. The See also:soil is chiefly See also:loam in the level tracts along the See also:banks of the larger streams, where it is also very fertile. In other districts a mixture of clay and gravel is mostly found, but there is besides a considerable extent of mossy See also:land. Of the area under See also:grain about two-thirds are occupied by oats, the See also:remainder being principally devoted to See also:barley. Among See also:green crops turnips and swedes are most generally cultivated, potatoes covering a comparatively small acreage. In different parts of Tweedside and Jedvale several kinds of See also:fruit are successfully grown. Both in the See also:pastoral and arable localities See also:agriculture is in an advanced See also:condition. The hill See also:country is everywhere covered with a thick green pasturage admirably suited for See also:sheep, which occupy the walks in increasingly large quantities. The herds of See also:cattle are also heavy, horses are kept mostly for farming operations, and pigs are raised in moderate See also:numbers.

.Fairly large holdings predominate, farms of between See also:

ioo and 300 acres being See also:general, and only in See also:Berwick-See also:shire ;s the proportion of farms of more than See also:I000 acres exceeded. Many districts on the Tweed and See also:Teviot are beautifully wooded, but having regard to the See also:great area once occupied by See also:forest, the acreage under See also:wood is now relatively small. The county is the principal seat of the tweed and See also:hosiery manufactures in Scotland. See also:Engineering, ironfounding, See also:dyeing and tanning are also carried on at Hawick and See also:Jedburgh, and agricultural implements and machinery, chemical See also:manures and especially fishing tackle are made at Kelso. The See also:salmon See also:fisheries on the Tweed are of considerable value. The Waverley route of the See also:North See also:British railway runs through the county from near Melrose in the N. to Kershopefoot in the S. At St Boswells branches are sent off to See also:Duns and Reston, and to Jedburgh and Kelso via Roxburgh. The North-Eastern railway, an See also:English See also:company, has a See also:line from Berwick to Kelso, via See also:Coldstream and Carham. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The population in See also:Tool was 48,804, or 73 persons to the sq. m. In 1901 there were 132 persons who spoke Gaelic and English, but none Gaelic only. The principal towns are Hawick (pop. 17,303), Kelso (4008), Jedburgh (3136), Melrose (2195).

The county returns a member to parliament, and Hawick' belongs to the Border group of See also:

parliamentary burghs. Jedburgh, the county See also:town, is a royal See also:burgh, and Hawick, Kelso and Melrose are policeburghs. The shires of Roxburgh, Berwick and See also:Selkirk See also:form a sheriffdom, and a See also:resident See also:sheriff-substitute sits at Jedburgh and Hawick. The county is under school-See also:board See also:jurisdiction, and there are secondary See also:schools at Hawick and Kelso, while the board schools at Jedburgh and Melrose have secondary departments. Most of the " See also:residue " See also:grant is expended in assisting teachers to attend See also:science and See also:art classes at Edinburgh University and Hawick, and in subsidizing science and art and technical classes at Hawick, Kelso and elsewhere. See also:History and Antiquities.—Among the more important re-mains of the See also:original inhabitants are the so-called " Druidical " stones and circles at Plenderleath between the Kale and Oxnam; on Hownam See also:Steeple, a few See also:miles to the N.W. (where they are locally known as the Shearers and the Bandster); and at Midshiels on the Teviot. The stones on Ninestane Rig, near Hermitage Castle, and on Whisgill are supposed to commemorate the Britons of See also:Strathclyde who, under See also:Aidan, were defeated with great slaughter by Ethelfrith, king of See also:Bernicia, at the See also:battle of Degsanstane or Dawstane in 603. There are hill forts in Liddesdale on the See also:Allan, in the parish of Oxnam, and on the most easterly of the three Eildons. This last is said to be the largest example of its See also:kind in Scotland. The fortress was defended by palisades around the three circular terraces which form the hill-See also:top. Within the enclosure there was a town of huts, judging from certain marks that indicate the site of such dwellings, and the See also:relics of See also:early British pottery that have been found, while the fact that springs exist renders the theory of a See also:settlement all the more probable.

One of the most important and most mysterious of British remains is the Catrail, or Picts' See also:

Work Dyke. In its original condition it is supposed to have consisted of a line of See also:double mounds or ramparts, averaging about 30 ft. in width, with an intervening ditch 6 ft. broad, the slope from the centre of the See also:mound to the See also:middle of the bottom of the See also:trench being Io ft. Owing to See also:weather and other causes, however, it is now far from perfect and in places has disappeared for miles. Beginning at Torwoodlee, N.W. of See also:Galashiels, it ran S.W. to See also:Yarrow See also:church, whence it turned first S. and then S.E., following a meandering course to See also:Peel Fell in the Cheviots, a distance of 48 miles. Though it must have been difficult to defend so See also:long a line, the bulk of See also:opinion is in favour of its being a See also:defence work. See also:Roman remains are also of exceptional See also:interest. Watling See also:Street crossed the Border N. of Brownhart Law (1664 ft.) in the Cheviots, then took a mainly N.W. direction' across the Kale, Oxnam, Jed and Teviot to Newstead, near Melrose, where it is conjectured to have crossed the Tweed and run up See also:Lauderdale into See also:Haddingtonshire. The See also:chief stations were Ad Fines on the Cheviots, Gadanica (Bonjedward) near Jedfoot and Eildon Hill (? See also:Trimontium). Another so-called Roman road is the See also:Wheel See also:Causeway or Causey, a supposed continuation of the Maiden Way which ran from Overburgh in See also:Lancashire to Bewcastle in See also:Cumberland, and so to the Border. It entered See also:Roxburghshire N. of Deadwater and went (roughly) N. as far as Wolflee, whence its direction becomes a See also:matter of surmise. Of Roman camps the principal appear to have been situated at Cappuck, to the S.E. of Jedburgh, and near New-See also:stead, at the base of the Eildons, the alleged site of Trimontium.

After the See also:

retreat of the See also:Romans the country was occupied by the Britons of Strathclyde in the W. and the Bernicians in the E. It was then annexed to Northurnbria for over four centuries until it was ceded, along with See also:Lothian, to Scotland in 1018. See also:David I. constituted it a shire, its See also:ancient county town of Roxburgh (see KEI.so) forming one of the See also:Court of Four Burghs. The castle of Roxburgh, after changing hands more than once, was captured from the English in 146o and dismantled. Other towns were repeatedly burned down, and the abbeys of Dryburgh, Jedburgh, Kelso and Melrose ultimately ruined in the expedition of the earl of See also:Hertford (the See also:Protector Somerset) in 1544-45. The Border freebooters—of whom the Armstrongs and Elliots were the chief—conducted many a bloody fray on their own See also:account. On the See also:union of the crowns the county gradually settled into what was comparatively a state of repose, disturbed to some extent during the Covenanting troubles and, to a much slighter degree. by the Jacobite rebellions.

End of Article: ROXBURGHE, EARLS AND DUKES OF

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