: 



ICKSHIKE. 



BERWICKSHIRE. 



MM 



&rep. On the iiill* the block-faced Tweeddale sheep are most 



common, bemfraVrong nnd hardy, and able to endure the severity of 



the climate. They are horned, and their wool is coarse. In the 



Men*, and along the slopes of tho hills, improved breeds have been 



Introduced from the south ; chiefly the Leicester*, aa they thrive 



^^Hkbly on the old pastures and artificial grasses, which the cou- 



system of husbandry produces in great abundance. The 



t breed is met with on the lower range of hills in Berwickshire. 



The Southdown breed of sheep has been found to answer well 



Pig*- Th*e was formerly a prejudice in Scotland against the use 

 of pork for food, and consequently the pig was not much prized. 

 Intercourse with England introduced the rearing and fatting of pigs 

 hi an article of commerce, and a great quantity of pickled pork and 

 some bacon was exported from all the principal ports. Pork now adds 

 much i-o the comforts of the farmer and the labourer. Tho breed of 

 pigs his been much improved. Bacon is not much used ; pickled 

 pork is preferred. 



fain. Fairs are held at Dunse, Lauder, Coldstream, Greenlaw, 

 'and Oldhamstock ; Berwick, though not in the county, is the place 

 whore one of the most important of the county fain) is held. The 

 great fairs in Northumberland and in East and West Lothian supply 

 tho farmer with means of purchasing or selling stock. There are 

 fairs at Dunse in June, August) and November, for fat cattle and 

 milch cows ; in July one for wool, at whicli much business is done ; 

 und markets for sheep in March, May, July, and September. The 

 >-.tle arc chiefly bought by dealers from the south, who drive them 

 peth, Darlington, Wakefield, &c. 



/>iruioM, Taicnt, d-c. Berwickshire contains 31 parishes, and parts 

 of two others : Ho;i e annexed to Stitchel, in Roxburghshire, and 

 part cf the parish of Oldhamstock in East Lothian. The county, 

 with tho exception of the united parishes of Cockbumspath and Old 

 Cambus, is within the jurisdiction of the synod of Merse and Teviot- 

 dale. Besides the SI clergymen of the Established Church and two 

 ministers of cV.i|>ol-of-ease in Dunse and in Coldingham, there are 

 upwards of 20 charges in connection with the Free Church and other 

 Presbyterian dissenters. 



The only royal burgh within the county is LAUDER. The towns 

 are few and small Berwick, from which it has its name, is no part 

 ? the county; it is however tho principal place of export for the 

 produce of the county. (BERWICK-UPOX-TWEED.) 



Grernlav, a small town and burgh of barony, population 842 in 

 1851, was made the county town in 1669. It is situated on the banks 

 of the Blackadder Water; 87 miles R.E. from Edinburgh, and about 

 miles N.W. from CoUMrcam. The public buildings in the town 

 t of the county hall, an elegant building of Grecian architecture, 

 the parish church, a Free church, a chapel for United Presbyterians, 

 the parochial school, and the public jail. The population is chiefly 

 employed in agriculture. Colditrcam is situated on the banks of 

 the Tweed, about 15 miles S.W. from Berwick, and 10 miles E. from 

 Kelao : population 2238 in 1851 ; the greater portion being employed 

 in trade, manufactures, or handicraft. In addition to the parish 

 church, to which is attached an excellent manse, there ore a Free 

 church and two chapels for United Presbyterians. The salmon 

 fishings in the Tweed are of considerable value, though much poached 

 upon. Being situated close to tho English border, smuggling exists 

 to s small extent. At the priory of Coldstream in tho time of 

 Henry VIII., the pope's legate published a bull with which ho had 

 been charged against the printing of tho Scriptures, which he was 

 afraid to publish in England. Tho site of this priory is covered 

 by extensive premises, which were recently for some years occupied 

 as a printing-office for the production of Bibles at a very low price. 

 It was by tho ford on the Tweed here, that Edward I. entered 

 Scotland in 1296: and the Scottish army in 1640 entered England. 

 It was here also that General Monk raised the regiment still known 

 as the CoUrtrearo Guards. Iimtr, a market-town, population 2567 

 in 1*5], is the most populous and most important town in this 

 :. It in situated on the plain at tho ban of Dunselaw, 44 niil.s 

 S.K. froin IMitiK'nyli, and 15 miles W. from Berwick. Thore are in 

 I)niiie the town-house, a modern gothic building in tho market-place, 

 tho parish church, a neat and commodious building erected in 1790, 

 three chapels for I'ni 1 .1 Presbyterians, a Free church, and chapels 

 for Episcopalians and Independents. The parish of Dunse claims to 

 be the birthplace of John Duns Scotus. The Rev. Thomas Boston 

 anil Dr. Thomas M'Crie were natives of the parish. Dunne was 

 erected into a burgh of barony by James IV. in 1489. In the neigh- 

 bourhood stoo ', until carried off piecemeal for repairing fences, the 

 ruin* of K<li:>-ln]|. a fortified building attributed to Edwin, king of 

 inbrian Saxons, A.D. 617. On the summit of Dunselaw 

 an the vestiges of the camp occupied by General Leslie in 1689. 

 Dunse Castle, Wedderburn Castle, and Manderston ore the chief 

 modern mansions which adorn tho parish. Eyemoulh, about 8 miles 

 N. from Berwick-iipon-Twecd, population of the parish 1488 in 1851, 

 a market-town and port, the only sea-port in the county, is situated 

 at the month of the small river Kyc, which here empties itwlf into 

 the sea, forming the bay and harbour of Eyemouth. In the town 

 are the parish church, a Free church, chapels for United Presbyterians 

 BaptinU, several schools, and a parochial library established in 

 1 821. The harbour of Eyemouth was much improved at the suggestion 



of Smeaton, who recommended the erection of a breakwater, since 

 the construction of which vessels can work in and out at all times 

 of the tide. There are extensive granaries near the j >icr. The cargoes 

 from foreign ports consist of timber, bones, and rags ; those inward 

 coastwise, chiefly of coals, slates, bricks, tiles, Ac. The cargoes 

 outwards coastwise consist principally of grain, flour, malt, and 

 spirits. A considerable portion of the population is employ c<l in 

 fishing. 



The following villages may be briefly noticed ; Ayton, population 

 of the parish 1959 in 1851, being an increase since 1841 of about 

 one-sixth, is a neat village, possessing a monthly cattle-market, 

 several grain-mill?, a paper-mill, a distillery, and a tannery, which 

 afford full employment to the population. Cockbunujtalh, on the 

 sea-coast, population of the parish 1196 in 1851 ; many families are 

 employed in fishing. Crabs and lobsters are obtained in large 

 quantities, and are shipped to London. Chirntidt, population 1384 

 in 1851, was the birthplace of David Hume. A paper-mill in 

 the adjoining parish of Edrom employs some of the inhabitants. 

 Besides the parish church there are here chapels for United and 

 Reformed Presbyterians. Coldiiiyham : population of the parish 3188 

 in 1S51. The ancient nunnery of Coldingham is noticed in a 

 subsequent part of this article. In Coldingham parish is situated 

 the rocky promontory called St Abb's Head, 55 55' N. lat, 2" 8' 

 W. long. According to tradition this was the seat of a nunnery, of 

 which the foundation stones are still pointed out ou the verge of a 

 rock overhanging the sea. Earbton, a village on the river Leader, 

 which falls into the Tweed : population 1819, partly employed in 



r 'culture, but chiefly in the manufacture of ginghams, merinos, 

 ivla, shirtings, plaidings, and flannels. The productions of the 

 hand-loom weavers of E:\rliton have obtained some repute. I ' 

 mills at Erooinhuusc and A llanbant give employment to a considerable 

 population. 



Population, <l-c. The population of the county in 1791 was 

 80,875; in 1841 it was 84,438; in 1851 it was 86,297. The annual 

 rental of real property in 1791 was 105,8641., in 1843 it was 252,!>45t 

 The county sends one member to the Imperial Parliament. The 

 constituency in 1852 was 1120. 



Ciril Ilittory. At the time of the Roman invasion Berwickshire 

 appears to have been occupied by the Otadini. (I'tolertueus ii. 3.) 

 It was afterwards invaded and peopled by bands of Saxons about 

 the middle of the 5th century. The district was part of the kingdom 

 of Northumberland until 1020, when it was ceded to Malcolm II. 

 of Scotland. About the llth century several Anglo-Saxon and 

 Norman families settled in Berwickshire. Berwick then began to 

 rise into importance, and became for centuries afterwards a point of 

 contention between the Scotch and the English. 



Antiquitiet. The antiquities of Berwickshire, as might be expected 

 from its position as a border county, the scene of much predatory 

 warfare, are interesting. There are tumuli, cairns, military stations, 

 nnd ruined castles in almost every parish; and there are numerous 

 remains of religious bouses. The nunnery of Coldingham is said to 

 have been the oldest nunnery in Scotland ; it is mentioned as early 

 as 661, when Abbe or Ebba, sister to Oswy, king of Northumberland. 

 was abbess. It was several times burnt and rebuilt. Of this priory 

 the only remains are the single aisle of the church. The windows 

 at the eaat end are circular. Inside the south wall are two stories of 

 pointed arches ; several ruined arches are at the east and the west end. 

 Dryburgh Abbey was founded in 1150 by Hugh de Morville, lord of 

 Laudcrdale. There are remains of the convent, the refectory, several 

 vaults and other offices, part of the cloister walls, and a fine radiated 

 window of stone-work. The area of the abbey is used as burying 

 aisles, and contains the remains of Sir Walter Scott The Peath 

 Bridge (or Pees), near the coast, a few miles distant from St. Abb's 

 Head, crosses a wooded chasm more than 160 feet deep, at the bottom 

 of which there is a rivulet ; the bonks are remarkably steep and 

 precipitous, and hence the place became one of the strong passes of 

 .Scotland. The present bridge was finished in 1786, and consists of 

 four unequal arches, with cast-iron rails ; but is only 16 feet broad. 

 About two miles north-west of the Peath Bridge stands Cockbums- 

 path Tower, overlooking a deep woody glen, through which runs a 

 small stream. It consists of a small strong square tower of rough 

 tone, with a circular staircase in ita south-west angle ; adjoining its 

 most southern staircase is a gate with a circular arch, on entering 

 which on the right are the ruins of a number of vaulted buildings. 

 Fast Castle, a picturesque ruin, is at a short distance south of I 

 Bridge, on a precipice overhanging the sea. It was a fortress of the 

 earls of Hume, and subsequently was tho dwelling of Logan of 

 Restalrig, who was concerned in tho Gowrie conspiracy. The parishes 

 of Karlston, originally KiciM'.un, in this county, was the birthplace 

 of Sir Thomas the Rymer, celebrated by Sir Walter Scott in his 

 ' Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border,' and part of his tower or castle 

 hi ill remains, besides a stone said to have covered his grave. Thirl- 

 stane Castle in tho parish of Lauder was built by the celebrated 

 Scottish Chancellor Maitland. Eccles was tho native parish of 

 Henry Home Lord Kamcs. In it there is a cross supposed to 

 have been erected after the second Crusade, and some remains of a 

 nunnery. 



(Grose's Anlv/uititt of Scotland, foL edition; The Neta Statistical 



