ROXBURGHSHIRE. 



ROXBURGHSHIRE. 



36S 



half M under the plough, and the remainder U hill pasture, moor, or 

 MMfcwllM popolSon in 1841 was 48,025 : 18?1 '* " 51 . 64i 



Tk.eouty'^ 00 ln mbwtothaIm ' >eri ' 1 ^ rUa ? < ? lt r r 

 '*.-,, 11 *lrgr*t*y. and t\MiiiarioiM. Th whole surface of 



k, count, to undukUng and dirwuGed, but in the northern and 

 Mini parts tb. hilU aw of la- elevation than along the English and 

 DtmfrMiir* borders. A rang* of lofty hilU extends along the 

 . thumberland, to which the general designation of Cheviot 

 HilU U sometimes grw- Th* Carter Fell (2020 feet), the Peel Fell, 

 *ad Laoriston Crag form part of this ranse. From the head of the 

 :.fr tb* rang* of bill* turn* wentward an. I run through the 

 rounty into Dumfrie-Oiire, wparating the basin of the Tweed from 

 -dale and Eskdale. Prom each ide of the range, hills irregu- 

 larly grouped overspread a wild partoral district drained by the upper 

 wattr* of tb* Teviot on the one aide and the Liddel on the other. 

 In the wparaUng range are Windburgh Hill (2000 feet) and Wisp Hill 

 (1*30 fet). In Liddesdal* (the country drained by tho Liddel) are 

 Pwt K*U, th* UurUton Hills, and Mildenwood Hill (2000 feet). In 

 the northern part of the county are the Eildon Hills (1364 feet); and 

 on the bankt of th* Teri.it, new the centre of the county, are Ruber's 

 Law (14 19 feet) and Dunian (1120 feet) on the south side, and the 

 Minto Crags (721 feet) and ilinto Kame on the north. 



Tb* county belongs almost entirely to tho basin of the Tweed, 

 which first touches the border of the county at the junction of the 

 Ettrick Water ; that part of its course which belongs to Roxburgh- 

 shire may be estimated at SO miles. It is valuable for its salmon 

 fishing*. The principal affluent of the Tweed is the Teviot, which 

 flow* through the county in nearly its whole extent, giving to the 

 greater portion of it the name of Teviotdale. It drains nearly the 

 whole county, receiving the Slitrig, the Rule, the Jed, and the Kail 

 from th* Northumbrian border, and the Borthwick water and river 

 Ale from Selkirkshire. The Ettrick, the Gala, the Leader, the Eden, 

 and other small affluents of the Tweed have part uf their course in 

 this county. Lid.legdale U drained by the Liddel and its tributary 

 the Hermitage. It receives the other streams of Liddesdale, and joins 

 the Ek, which falls into the Solway Frith. The whole course of the 

 Teviot u beautiful; it flows along the bottom of a spacious open 

 valley, the aides of which often rise to a considerable height, and its 

 hank* are adorned with numerous mansions. Above Hawick the 

 riilUy U narrower, and becomes pastoral rather than agricultural. 

 None of the streams are navigable, except for ferry-boats. 



The roads in Roxburghshire are very good. Several roads from 

 London to Edinburgh pass through this county. One through Wooler 

 just cruaaes the north-eastern part through Kelso ; another, branching 

 from this at Morpeth, passes through Jedburgh and St. Boswell's ; 

 and a third, through I'enrith and Carlisle, crosses the western side of 

 the county through Dryden and Hawick to Selkirk. A road from 

 Hawick follows the valley of the Teviot, and then of the Tweed, 

 through Kelso to Berwick. The Edinburgh and Hawick railway 

 traverse* part of the county. A branch from the York, Newcastle, 

 and Berwick line joins the Edinburgh and Hawick line near 

 St Boiwell's Green. 



Otology, <tc. The eastern side of the county is chiefly occupied by 

 tb* formations of the red-marl or new red-sandstone group, the 

 western side by the grauwacke rocks ; the Cheviot or border hills are 

 chiefly of trap formations, and with Liddesdale, form an extension of 

 the Northumberland coal-measures. The predominant rock of the 

 red-marl formation U a sandstone, commonly red but sometimes white. 

 It frequently occurs in strata of considerable thickness, and is employed 

 in building, for which purpose both the red and white varieties are 

 quarried. It more commonly however occurs in thin horizontal beds, 

 which are soft, brittle, and easily decomposed. No coal is dug in the 

 county. The trap formations of the border hills comprehend green- 

 stone, basalt, trap tuff, amygdaloid, and especially a felspar porphyry 

 of r-ddi-h-tiiown colour. In the red-sandstone districts, trap rocks 

 are frequent Limestone U procured in some parts of the county, but 

 il U neither good nor abundant. 



Soil a*d Agriculture. The soil in the western parts of the county, 

 where the predominant rock U grauwacke, is generally thin, cold, and 

 clayey, but capable of improvements by underdraining, aud of pro- 

 ducing good though late white crops. The red-sandstone district, 

 where th* sandstone is finer grained, and more clayey and adhesive, 

 ii marked by a deep rich red soil producing its harvest rather early ; 

 but where the sandstone U more siliceous and loose, the surface is 

 covered with a barren sand. The trap and porphyry district is usually 

 covered by a loose, light, warm, and dry soil, except in the bottoms, 

 where there is commonly a deposit of rich strong clay loam. The 

 highest parts of th* trap district afford fin* sheep-pasture. The 

 arable land, from tho great improvements which have taken place ol 

 Ut* year* by the introduction of the drill turnip husbandry, the use 

 of manure*, better draining, and the intermixture of the feeding and 

 gracing of live stock with tillage, is exceedingly fertile. On the largei 

 farm, the inclosures contain from twenty to forty acres. The number 

 of abeep annually raised has greatly increased since the beginning o 

 tb* century, considerable attention having been shown both to th< 

 breeding and the feeding of them. The Cheviots are put on the hill 

 (tares, and the Leicester, or long-wooled, on the lower grounds. The 

 Tresdale, or short-horned, 1s the common stock of cattle; but th< 



Ayrshire and the Highland breeds are also kept, the breeding of cattle 

 wing much attended to. 



Divuima, Totetu, <tc. This county is divided into 30 parishes, of 

 which 5 are partly in other counties. There are 4 divisions of the 

 county, namely, the districts of Melrose, Hawiok, Jedburgh, and Kelso. 

 !ts popular division into Teviotdale, Liddesdale, &c., has been meii- 

 ioned above. It contains 5 market-towns : JEDBOIIOH, the county 

 own ; HAWICK and KELSO, described under their respective heads ; 

 ,'astletowu and Melrose, which we notice here. 



Cattletotcn, or Newcaftleton, a market-town in the southern part of 

 the county, had a population in 1851 of about 1030. Tho caatln is a 

 nassive border tower, or fortress, nearly 100 feet square. The town 

 consists of two long parallel streets, which are lined with neat new 

 louses, on the right bank of the Liddel. The old village of Castle- 

 avra (so called from a border fortress now demolished) was situated 

 ligher up the vale. 



Melrote, a burgh of barony, is situated on the right bank of tho 

 Tweed, 36 miles S. from Edinburgh, and 12 miles N.W. from Jedburgh. 

 The population of tho town in 1851 was 966. It appears to have been 

 Jie seat of a religious community in the time of the Saxon heptarchy. 

 [n 1136 David 1. of Scotland founded here a Cistercian abbey, the 

 ruins of which yet remain. They are chiefly of the abbey church, 

 which was cruciform ; the length of the nave and choir was 258 feet, 

 ;he breUdth 79 feet; the length of the choir alone about 50 feet; the 

 ength of the transept was 130 feet, the breadth 44 feet. The walls 

 of the nave, choir, and transept are standing, and part of the central 

 iower. The shaft of an ancient cross in the centre of the village in 

 surmounted by the crest of the earls of Haddington. The town of 

 Vlelrose consists of a central triangular space, with streets diverging 

 'rom it. The place has an air of antiquity, and some of the houses 

 lave in their walls stones with inscriptions derived from mediaeval 

 times. The parish church is on an eminence west of the town. There 

 are a Free church, and United Presbyterian and Episcopal chapels ; 

 several schools, a library, and a savings bank. A suspension-bridge 

 crosses the Tweed for foot-passengers and single horses. The only 

 manufacture is that of woollens, in connection with the manufactures 

 of Galashiels. 



The following villages may be noticed : the populations are those ot 

 ;he parishes in 1851 : 



Ancrum, population 1554, is on the right bank of the Ale Water, 4 

 miles N.N.W. from Jedbnrgh. The battle of Ancrum Moor was fought 

 n 1545 on a field about a mile and a half north from the village. 

 Near Ancrum are several caves hewn out of the rock on the bank of 

 the river. The remains of a British fort are near the village. In the 

 centre of the village green is an ancient cross. Denholm, population 

 of the parish of Cavers 1495, oil the right bank of the Teviot, 5 miles 

 N.E. from Hawick, is a thriving village, dependent chit-fly on the 

 stocking manufacture carried on at Hawick. There are a Free church, 

 a chapel for Independents, a subscription library, a free library which 

 contains about 1000 volumes, and a parochial school. Of the old 

 baronial castle of the Douglases, the former sheriff's of Teviotdate, 

 which was of considerable strength and importance, there are now no 

 remains. The town.of Cavers was destroyed by the English in 1596. 

 Lessudden, population of St. Boswell's parish 884, is pleasantly situated 

 on the right bank of the Tweed, 5 miles S.E. from Melrose. Of the 

 ancient village of St. Boswell's there are now no remains. Besides 

 the parish church there is a Free church. An extensive fair for sheep, 

 cattle, horses, linen, pedlery, &c., is held on St. Boswell's Green on 

 July 18th. Liliicsleaf, population 798, about 9 miles \V. by N. from 

 Jedburgh, possesses a parish church, a chapel for United Presbyterians, 

 a parochial school, and a library. In the times of border warfare there 

 were in the village and vicinity several forts or peels ; of these the 

 remains of 14 existed till within the last century. There still remain 

 small portions of one or two of the towers. Morebattle, population 

 997, about 10 miles S. by E. from Kelso, on the Kale or Kail Water, 

 a feeder of the Teviot, contains some good houses. Besides the parish 

 church there are a Free church, a chapel for United Presbyterians, a 

 parochial school, and a' parish library. Roxburgh, population 1141, is 

 on the left bank of the Teviot, 4 miles S.S.W. from Kelso. The ancient 

 town of Roxburgh, formerly the county town, was at one time the 

 fourth in point of importance of the towns of Scotland ; but scarcely 

 any remains of it now exist. The houses were mostly of wood. The 

 ruins of the celebrated castle of Roxburgh are a short distance west 

 from the site of the old town. Kirk Yetholm and Town Yetholm are 

 burghs of barony in the parish of Yetholm, which had n population in 

 1851 of 1352. The villages are situated near the border of the county 

 and of Scotland, about 8 miles S.E. from Kelso. Two annual fairs 

 are held in each of the villages. Besides the parish church there are 

 chapels in Town Yetholm for the United Presbyterians and United 

 Original Seceders. Kirk Yetholm is remarkable as the head-quarters 

 of a community of gipsies which has been settled here for about 150 

 years. 



Jfiitory and Antiquitiei. Of prehistoric nations, cairns, barrows, 

 tumuli, aud other sepulchral memorials, have been found in different 

 parts of the county. Standing stones, some of them arranged in 

 circles, are found; and the Eildoii Hills and other eminences are 

 crowned with forts. On the conquest of this part of the island by 

 the Romans the county was comprehended in the province of Valentia, 



