Roxburghshire
Encyclopedia
Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a registration county
of Scotland
. It borders Dumfries
to the west, Selkirk
to the north-west, and Berwick
to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria
and Northumberland
in England.
It was named after the Royal Burgh
of Roxburgh
. Roxburghshire is now within the Scottish Borders
council area
.
Until 1975, Roxburghshire was one of the counties of Scotland
, governed by a county council
from 1890. The county council was based in Newtown St Boswells. At the time of the county's abolition it contained four burgh
s and four districts:
The ancient royal burgh of Roxburgh, from which the county had taken its name, had fallen into decay by the fifteenth century.
abolished the county and incorporated its area into the Borders Region. Borders was divided into four districts, one of which was named Roxburgh. Roxburgh District consisted of the former county less the Melrose area (which was included in Ettrick and Lauderdale District), plus the parish of Nenthorn from Berwickshire. The regional and four district councils were abolished in 1996, merging to form the present Scottish Borders
council area.
The County of Roxburgh was the first Scottish county to receive a grant of arms. This was made by Lord Lyon King of Arms
on July 9, 1798. The coat of arms
seems to have been granted for the use of the volunteer and militia units then being organised under the authority of the county's lord lieutenant
. When the county council was formed in 1890, the arms passed to them.
The shield depicted a unicorn: this is a national symbol of Scotland. At the top of the shield was a hunting horn between two helmets: probably a reference to the border reivers, one of whom featured in the arms of the royal burgh of Jedburgh. The crest above the shield was an armoured arm brandishing a scimitar. The Latin
motto was Ne Cede Malis Sed Contra Audentior Ito or Yield not to misfortunes (evil things) but go on more boldly against them., it was a quotation from Virgil
's Aeneid
6, 95.
On May 6, 1975 the coat of arms was regranted to Roxburgh District Council, without the crest. When the district council was abolished in 1996, the arms reverted to The Crown
.
Following the boundary changes carried out under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
, the county of Roxburgh contained 30 civil parishes:
Registration county
A registration county was, in Great Britain and Ireland, a statistical unit used for the registration of births, deaths and marriages and for the output of census information. In Scotland registration counties are used for land registration purposes....
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It borders Dumfries
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries is a registration county of Scotland. The lieutenancy area of Dumfries has similar boundaries.Until 1975 it was a county. Its county town was Dumfries...
to the west, Selkirk
Selkirkshire
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south...
to the north-west, and Berwick
Berwickshire
Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area of Scotland, on the border with England. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482...
to the north. To the south-east it borders Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
in England.
It was named after the Royal Burgh
Royal burgh
A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
of Roxburgh
Roxburgh
Roxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...
. Roxburghshire is now within the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
council area
Council Area
A Council Area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act.-Legislation :1889...
.
County
Counties of Scotland
The counties of Scotland were the principal local government divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. They are often referred to as historic counties....
, governed by a county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
from 1890. The county council was based in Newtown St Boswells. At the time of the county's abolition it contained four burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s and four districts:
- The royal burghRoyal burghA royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
of JedburghJedburghJedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey... - The burghs of HawickHawickHawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
, Kelso and MelroseMelrose, ScotlandMelrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:... - The County of Roxburgh Hawick, Jedburgh, Kelso and Melrose Districts.
The ancient royal burgh of Roxburgh, from which the county had taken its name, had fallen into decay by the fifteenth century.
District
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
abolished the county and incorporated its area into the Borders Region. Borders was divided into four districts, one of which was named Roxburgh. Roxburgh District consisted of the former county less the Melrose area (which was included in Ettrick and Lauderdale District), plus the parish of Nenthorn from Berwickshire. The regional and four district councils were abolished in 1996, merging to form the present Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
council area.
Coat of arms
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
on July 9, 1798. The coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
seems to have been granted for the use of the volunteer and militia units then being organised under the authority of the county's lord lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
. When the county council was formed in 1890, the arms passed to them.
The shield depicted a unicorn: this is a national symbol of Scotland. At the top of the shield was a hunting horn between two helmets: probably a reference to the border reivers, one of whom featured in the arms of the royal burgh of Jedburgh. The crest above the shield was an armoured arm brandishing a scimitar. The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
motto was Ne Cede Malis Sed Contra Audentior Ito or Yield not to misfortunes (evil things) but go on more boldly against them., it was a quotation from Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
6, 95.
On May 6, 1975 the coat of arms was regranted to Roxburgh District Council, without the crest. When the district council was abolished in 1996, the arms reverted to The Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
.
Civil parishes
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889
The Local Government Act 1889 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the Act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland...
, the county of Roxburgh contained 30 civil parishes:
- AncrumAncrumAncrum is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, north of Jedburgh and south of St Boswells....
(No.12 on map) - BedruleBedruleBedrule is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, by the Rule Water which gave the village its name. Other local place-names based on the river include Hallrule, Abbotrule, Ruletownhead and Spittal-on-Rule....
(22) - BowdenBowden, Scottish BordersBowden is a village in the Roxburghshire area of Scottish Borders, situated south of Melrose, west of Newtown St Boswells and tucked in the shadow of the Eildon Hills, Scotland.- History :...
(6) - CastletonCastleton, Scottish BordersCastleton is a civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire, in the extreme south of the Borders area. It is bounded by Northumberland , Dumfries and Galloway, and the parishes of Teviothead, Southdean, and Hobkirk.-See also:*List of places in the Scottish...
(2) - CaversCavers (parish)Cavers is a parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former South Roxburghshire, south-west of HawickThe name means "enclosure".Currently, the Church of Scotland Parish comprises Cavers and Kirkton linked with Hawick....
(28) - CrailingCrailingCrailing is a village on the A698, in Teviotdale, 4m east of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, in the former Roxburghshire.Places nearby include Ancrum, Crailinghall, Eckford, Hownam, Kelso, Nisbet, Roxburghshire, the Oxnam Water, the River Teviot.Rory Bremner bought Crailing House...
(15) - EckfordEckford, Scottish BordersEckford is a village on the A698 and the B6401, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, close to the place where the Kale Water joins the River Teviot...
(16) - EdnamEdnamDisambiguation: "Ednam" can also refer to the aristocratic title Viscount EdnamEdnam is a small village near Kelso in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland....
(5)
- HawickHawickHawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
(19) - HobkirkHobkirkHobkirk is a village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, by the Rule Water, south-west of Jedburgh and south-east of Hawick....
(29) - Hownam (25)
- JedburghJedburghJedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
(23) - Kelso (9)
- LilliesleafLilliesleafLilliesleaf is a small village and civil parish south east of Selkirk in the Roxburghshire area of Scottish Borders of Scotland. To the north of Lilliesleaf is the Ale Water which runs east to west...
(11) - Linton (17)
- Makerstoun (8)
- MaxtonMaxton, RoxburghshireMaxton is a hamlet and civil parish in Roxburghshire, Scotland, and part of the Scottish Borders region.Maxton lies just off the A68, south of St. Boswells, north of Ancrum, and east of Newtown St. BoswellsMaxton is part of the St...
(13) - MelroseMelrose, ScotlandMelrose is a small town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders, historically in Roxburghshire. It is in the Eildon committee area.-Etymology:...
(1) - MintoMinto, Scottish BordersMinto is a village north of the River Teviot, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, , and almost midway between the towns of Hawick and Jedburgh....
(20) - MorebattleMorebattleMorebattle is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B6401, seven miles south of Kelso, Scottish Borders, beside the Kale Water, a tributary of the River Teviot.The nearby Linton Loch was drained in the 19th century to improve agriculture....
(26) - OxnamOxnamOxnam is a village near Jedburgh, in Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It is a primarily residential town.The placename Oxnam is from Old English oxa "oxen" and ham "village", the meaning being "village where ox are bred"...
(24) - Roberton, Scottish BordersRoberton, Scottish BordersRoberton is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the B711 and near to the A7, five miles from Hawick, 22 miles from Galashiels, and 23 miles from Langholm...
(18) - RoxburghRoxburghRoxburgh , also known as Rosbroch, is a village, civil parish and now-destroyed royal burgh. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland...
(14) - SmailholmSmailholm, Scottish BordersSmailholm is a small village in the old county of Roxburghshire in south-east Scotland. It is situated at and straddles the B6397 Gordon to Kelso road. The village is almost equidistant from both, standing 6 miles NW of the abbey town of Kelso...
(3)
- SouthdeanSouthdeanSouthdean is a village in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the A6088, by the Rule Water and in the Wauchope Forest area. Other settlements nearby include Abbotrule, Hobkirk, Bedrule, Hallrule, Bonchester Bridge, Denholm and the Swinnie Forest....
(30) - Sprouston (10)
- St. BoswellsSt. BoswellsSt Boswells is a village on the south side of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders. It lies about 1 mile SE of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 road....
(7) - StichillStichillStichill is a village and civil parish in the historic county of Roxburghshire, a division of the Scottish Borders. Situated north of the Burgh of Kelso, Stichill lies north of the Eden Water and from the English Border at Coldstream....
(4) - TeviotheadTeviotheadTeviothead is a small village and civil parish in Teviotdale in the Scottish Borders, known locally as Teviotheed. It is located south of the River Teviot....
(27) - YetholmKirk YetholmKirk Yetholm is a village in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, south east of Kelso and less than west of the border. The first mention is of its church in the 13th century. Its sister town is Town Yetholm which lies half a mile across the Bowmont Water...
(21)
Notable residents
- Robert Livingston the ElderRobert Livingston the ElderRobert Livingston the Elder was a New York colonial official, and first lord of Livingston Manor. He married Alida Schuyler in 1679. He was the father of nine children, including Philip, Robert and Gilbert...
, (1654–1728), born in Ancrum, was the Secretary for Indian affairs of the New York Province and the first lord of Livingston ManorLivingston ManorThis article contains information related to Livingston Manor, the 18th century New York estate. Livingston Manor, New York is a town in Sullivan County...
. - Thomas PringleThomas PringleThomas Pringle was a Scottish writer, poet and abolitionist, known as the father of South African Poetry, the first successful English language poet and author to describe South Africa's scenery, native peoples, and living conditions.Born at Blaiklaw , four miles south of Kelso in Roxburghshire he...
the nineteenth century Scottish writer, poet and abolitionist was born at Blakelaw, a 500 acres (2 km²) farmstead four miles (6 km) to the south of the town of Kelso where his father was the tenant. - "Chief" Robert Riddell (1820 - 1921), born in Tiviotdale, was a Scottish-Canadian pioneer and veteran of the Upper Canada RebellionUpper Canada RebellionThe Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...
. He is noted for having pioneered the township of Beverly in OntarioBeverley Township, OntarioBeverley Township was a township established in 1792 in Home District in the then Upper Canada, today Ontario, Canada. It was named for the town of Beverley in Yorkshire, England, by John Graves Simcoe....
.