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THE See also: line between See also: England and Scotland
.
The See also: term has also a See also: literary and See also: historical as well as a See also: geographical sense, and is most frequently employed of the Scottish See also: side
.
The line begins on the See also: coast of See also: Berwickshire at a spot 3 M
.
N. by W. of See also: Berwick, and, after See also: running a See also: short distance W. and S., reaches the See also: Tweed near the See also: village of See also: Paxton, whence it keeps to the See also: river to a point just beyond Carham
.
There it strikes off S.S.E. to the Cheviot Hills, the See also: watershed of which for 35 M. constitutes the boundary, which is thereafter formed by a series of streams—Bells See also: Burn, the Kershope, Liddel and Esk
.
After following the last named for r m. it cuts across country due west to the See also: Sark, which it follows to the river's mouth at the See also: head of the Solway Firth
.
The length of the boundary thus described is io8 m., but in a See also: direct line from the Solway to the See also: North See also: Sea the distance is only 70 M
.
At the extreme See also: east end a small See also: district of 8 sq. m., consisting of the See also: tract north of the Tweed which is not included in Scotland, forms the " See also: bounds " or " liberties " of Berwick, or the country of the See also: borough and See also: town of Berwick-on-Tweed
.
At the extreme west between the Sark and Esk as far up the latter as its junction with the Liddel, there was a See also: strip of country, a " No See also: man's See also: land," for generations the haunt of outlaws and brigands
.
This was called the Debatable Land, because the possession of it was a See also: constant source of contention between England and Scotland until its boundaries were finally adjusted in 1552
.
The See also: English Border counties are See also: Northumberland and See also: Cumberland, the Scottish Berwick, Roxburgh and Dumfries; though historically, and still by usage, the Scottish shires of See also: Selkirk and See also: Peebles have always been classed as Border shires
.
On the English side the region is watered by the Till, Bowmont, Coquet, Rede and North See also: Tyne; on the Scottish by the Tweed, Whiteadder, Leet, Kale, Jed, Kershope, Liddel, Esk and Sark
.
Physically there is a marked difference between the country on each side . On the See also: southern it mostly consists of lofty, See also: bleak moorland, affording subsistence for See also: sheep and cattle, and rugged glens and ravines, while on the See also: northern there are many stretches of fertile See also: soil, especially in the valleys and dales, and the landscape is often romantffc and beautiful
.
Railway cohimunication is
supplied by the east coast route to Berwick, the Waverley route through See also: Liddesdale, the See also: London & North-Western by See also: Carlisle, the North See also: British branch from Berwick to St Boswells, and the North Eastern lines from Berwick to See also: Kelso, See also: Alnwick to See also: Coldstream, and See also: Newcastle to Carlisle
.
At frequent intervals during a See also: period of 1500 years the region was the scene of strife and lawlessness
.
The See also: Roman road of Watling Street crossed the Cheviots at Brownhartlaw (1664 ft.), close to the See also: camp of Ad Fines, by means of which the warlike Brigantes on the See also: south and the Gadeni and Otadeni on the north were held in check, while another Roman road, the See also: Wheel See also: Causeway, passed into Scotland near the headwaters of the North Tyne and Liddel
.
(For early See also: history see See also: LOTHIAN; NORTHUMBRIA; See also: STRATHCLYDE.) In the 12th century were founded the abbeys of See also: Hexham and Alnwick, the priory See also: church of Lindisfarne and the
See also: cathedral of Carlisle on the English side, and on the Scottish the abbeys of See also: Jedburgh, Kelso, See also: Melrose and Dryburgh
.
The deaths of See also: Alexander III
.
(1286) and
See also: Margaret the Maid of See also: Norway (1290), whose right to the See also: throne had been acknowledged, plunged the country into the See also: wars of the succession and independence, and until the union of the crowns in 1603 the See also: borders were frequently disturbed
.
Berwick and Carlisle were repeatedly assailed, and battles took place at Halidon See also: Hill (i333), Otterburn (1388), Nisbet (1402), Homiidon (1402), Piperden (r435), Hedgeley
See also: Moor (1464), See also: Flodden (1513), Solway See also: Moss (1542), and See also: Ancrum Moor (1544), in addition to many fights arising out of See also: family feuds and raids fomented by the Armstrongs, Eiiots, Grahams, Johnstones, Maxwells and other families, of which the most serious were the encounters at Arkenholme (See also: Langholm) in 1455, the See also: Raid of Reidswire (1575), and the bloody combat at Dryfe Sands (1593)
.
The English expeditions of 1544 and 1545 were exceptionally disastrous, since they involved the destruction of the four Scottish border abbeys, the See also: sack of many towns, and the obliteration of Roxburgh
.
The only other important conflict belongs to the See also: Covenanters' See also: time, when the See also: marquess of Montrose was defeated at Philiphaugh in 1645
.
Partly for the defence of the kingdoms and partly to overawe the freebooters and mosstroopers who were a perpetual menace to the See also: peace until they were suppressed in the 17th century, castles were erected at various points on both sides of the border
.
Even during the period when relations between England and Scotland were strained, the sovereigns of both countries recognized it to be their duty to protectSee also: property and regulate the lawlessness of the borders
.
The frontier was divided into the East, See also: Middle and West See also: Marches, each under the control of an English and a Scots See also: warden
.
The posts were generally filled by eminent and capable men who had to keep the peace, enforce punishment for breach of the See also: law, and take care that neither country encroached on the boundary of the other
.
The wardens usually conferred once a See also: year on matters of See also: common See also: interest, and as a See also: rule their meetings were conducted in a friendly spirit, though in 1575 a display of temper led to the affair of the Raid of Reidswire
.
The See also: appointment was not only one of the most important in this quarter of the See also: kingdom, but lucrative as well, See also: part of the fines and forfeits falling to the warden, who was also entitled to ration and See also: forage for his retinue
.
On the occasion of his first public progress to London, See also: James I. of England attended service in Berwick church (
See also: March 27, 1603) " to return thanks for his peaceful entry into his new dominions." Anxious to blot out all memory of the bitter past, he forbade the use of the word " Borders," hoping that the designation " Middle Shires " might take its place
.
Frontier fortresses were also to be dismantled and their garrisons reduced to nominal strength
.
In course of time this policy had the desired effect, though the expression " Borders " proved too convenient geographically to be dropped, the
See also: king's proposed amendment being in point of fact merely sentimental and, in the relative positions then and now of England and Scotland, meaningless
.
Some English strongholds, such as Alnwick, Chillingham,
See also: Ford and Naworth, have been modernized; others, like Norham, Wark.and See also: Warkworth, are picturesque ruins; but most of the Scottish fortresseshave been demolished and their sites built over, or are now represented by grass-grown mounds
.
Another See also: familiar feature in the landscape is the chain of peel towers See also: crossing the country from coast to coast
.
Many were homes of tnarauding chiefs, and nearly all were used as beacon-stations to give alarm of foray or invasion
.
Early in the 18th century the Scottish See also: gipsies found a congenial home on the See also: Roxburghshire side of the Cheviots; and at a later period the Scottish border became notorious for a See also: hundred years as offering hospitality to runaway couples who were clandestinely married at Gretna See also: Green, Coldstream or Lamberton
.
The See also: toll-See also: house of Lamberton displayed the following intimation—" See also: Ginger-See also: beer sold here and marriages per-formed on the most reasonable terms."
Border See also: ballads occupy a distinctive place in English literature
.
Many of them were rescued from oblivion by See also: Sir Walter See also: Scott, who ransacked the district for materials for his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, which appeared in 1802 and 1803
.
Border traditions and See also: folklore, and the picturesque, pathetic and stirring incidents of which the country was so often the scene, appealed strongly to James Hogg (" the See also: Ettrick Shepherd "), See also: John
See also: Wilson (" Christopher North "), and John
See also: Mackay Wilson (1804-1835), whose Tales of the Borders, published in 1835, long enjoyed popular favour
.
Besides the See also: works just mentioned see Sir See also: Herbert Maxwell, History of Dumfries and Galloway (1896) ; See also: George Ridpath, Border History of England and
.
Scotland (1776) ; Professor John See also: Veitch, History and See also: Poetry of the Scottish Border (1877); Sir George See also: Douglas, History of the Border Counties (Scots), (1899) ; W
.
S
.
Crockett, The Scott Country (1902)
.
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