Anglo-Scottish border

Border country redirects here. For the novel, see

Border Country (novel).
The Anglo-Scottish border (or English-Scottish

Map of the modern border: Scotland is to the north and west and
England is to the south and east
A boundary wall marking the border on the A1

A sign marking the border on the East Coast Main Line railway

A fence marking the border

border, known locally as simply The Border) is the ofcial border and mark of entry between Scotland and
England. It runs for 96 miles (154 km) between Marshall
Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in
the west. It is Scotlands only land border. England shares
a longer border with Wales.

tween England and Scotland,[1] with the exception of

the Debatable Lands, north of Carlisle, and a small area
around Berwick, which was taken by England in 1482.
It is thus one of the oldest extant borders in the world,
although Berwick was not initially fully annexed by EngAlthough it had long been the de facto border, it was land. (It was not included in Northumberland for parlialegally established in 1237, by the Treaty of York be- mentary purposes until 1885.)
1

1 HISTORY

The border country, historically known as the Scottish

Marches is the area either side of the Anglo-Scottish
border including parts of the modern council areas
of Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders,
and parts of the English counties of Cumbria, County
Durham and Northumberland. It is a hilly area, with the
Scottish Southern Uplands to the north, and the Cheviot
Hills forming the border between the two countries to
the south. From the Norman conquest of England until
the reign of James VI of Scotland, who in the course of
his reign became James I of England while retaining the
more northerly realm, border clashes were common and
the monarchs of both countries relied on Scottish Earls
of March and Lord Warden of the Marches to defend and
control the frontier region.

1.1 Clans

History of the border

A 16th century Act of the Scottish Parliament talks about

the chiefs of the border clans and a late 17th century statement by the Lord Advocate also uses both terms interchangeably. Although Lowland aristocrats may have increasingly liked to refer to themselves as families, the
idea that the term clan should be used of Highland families alone is a 19th-century convention.[4]

For centuries until the Union of the Crowns the region on

either side of the boundary was a lawless territory suer- Historic Border clans include the following: Armstrong,
ing from the repeated raids in each direction of the Border Beattie, Bannatyne, Bell, Briar, Douglas, Elliot, Graham,
Hedley of Redesdale, Henderson, Home or Hume, Irvine,
Reivers.
Jardine, Johnstone, Kerr, Little, Moat, Nesbitt, Ogilvy,
Following the Treaty of Union 1707 which united Scot- Porteous, Scott, Tweedie.
land and England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain,
the Border continues to form the boundary of two distinct
legal jurisdictions as the treaty between the two countries 1.2 Scottish Marches
guaranteed the continued separation of English law and
Scots law.[2]
Main article: Scottish Marches
The age of legal capacity under Scots law is 16, while it
was previously 18 under English law. The border set- During late medieval and early modern erasfrom the
tlements of Gretna Green, Coldstream and Lamberton late 13th century, with the creation by Edward I of Engwere convenient for elopers from England who wanted to land of the rst Lord Warden of the Marches to the early
marry under Scottish laws, and marry without publicity. 17th century and the creation of the Middle Shires, proThe marine boundary was adjusted by the Scottish Adja- mulgated after the personal union of England and Scotcent Waters Boundaries Order 1999 so that the boundary land under James VI of Scotland (James I of England)
within the territorial waters (up to the 12-mile (19 km) the area around the border was known as the Scottish
limit) is 0.09 km north of the boundary for oil installa- Marches.
tions established by the Civil Jurisdiction (Oshore Ac- For centuries the Marches on either side of the boundtivities) Order 1987.[3]
ary was an area of mixed allegiances, where families or
The border is marked by signposts welcoming travellers clans switched which country or side they supported as
suited their family interests at that time, and lawlessness
both into Scotland and into England.
abounded. Before the personal union of the two kingdoms under James, the border clans would switch allegiance between the Scottish and English crowns depend1 History
ing on what was most favourable for the members of the
clan. For a time a powerful local clan dominated a reSee also: Scottish Marches, Border Reivers and gion on the border between England and Scotland. It was
Debatable Lands
known as the Debatable Lands and neither monarchs writ

3
was heeded.

1.3

Middle Shires

Hadrians Wall, for centuries the boundary between

Britannia (roughly modern England and Wales with the
exception of the parts of England north of the wall)
and Caledonia (modern Scotland) is often used as a
popular reference to the border, especially in humorous
contexts.[lower-alpha 1] However Britannia occasionally extended as far north as the Antonine Wall and Hadrians
Wall lies to the south of the modern border, entirely in
England, and has never formed the actual border between
England and Scotland.

King James VI & I decreed that the Borders should be

renamed 'the Middle Shires. In 1605 he established a
single commission of ten drawn equally from Scotland
and England to bring law and order to the region. Reivers
could no longer escape justice by crossing from England
to Scotland or vice versa.[5] The rough-and-ready Border It has been proposed that a new sculpture, to be called
Laws were abolished and the folk of the middle shires the Star of Caledonia, be sited near Gretna to mark the
found they had to obey the law of the land like all other English-Scottish Border.[7]
subjects.
In 1603 the King placed George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar in charge of pacication of the borders. Courts were 3
set up in the towns of the Middle Shires and known reivers
were arrested. The more troublesome and lower classes
were executed without trial; known as "Jeddart justice"
(after the town of Jedburgh in Roxburghshire). Mass 3.1
hanging soon became a common occurrence.

In 1607 James felt he could boast that the Middle Shires

had become the navel or umbilic of both kingdoms,

planted and peopled with civility and riches. After ten

years King James had succeeded; the Middle Shires had

been brought under central law and order.

By the early 1620s the Borders were so peaceful that the

Crown was able to scale down its operations.
Nevertheless, the Joint Commission continued its work,
and as late as 25 September 1641 under King Charles
II a local laird, Sir Richard Graham, was petitioning the
Parliament of Scotland for regulating the disorders in the
borders.[6]

List of places on the border, or

strongly associated with it
On the border
Solway Firth
Union Bridge (Tweed)
Pennine Way
Scots Dike

3.2 England

References in popular culture

Welcome to England & Cumbria

3.2.1 Cumbria
Main article: Cumbria

Sections of Hadrians Wall near Greenhead and along the route,

reconstructed in Victorian times. Other large sections have been
dismantled over the years to use the stones for various nearby
construction projects.

Arthuret
Blackpool Gate
Carlisle

3 LIST OF PLACES ON THE BORDER, OR STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH IT

Crookham
Doddington
Duddo and Duddo Tower
Etal and Etal Castle
Fowberry Tower
Goswick
Greystead

Welcome to Northumberland

Haggerston and Haggerston Castle

Hornclie

County of Cumberland
Hethersgill
Kershopefoot
Longtown

Howtel
Islandshire
Kielder, Kielder Forest and Kielder Water

Skitby

Kilham

Stapleton

Kirknewton

3.2.2

Northumberland

Main article: Northumberland

Lilburn and Lilburn Tower

Lindisfarne and Lindisfarne Castle
Lowick

Alnwick and Alnwick Castle

Middleton

Ancroft

Mileld

Bamburgh and Bamburgh Castle

Barmoor Castle
Barrow Burn
Beadnell

Mindrum
Morpeth
Norham and Norham Castle

Belford

North Sunderland

Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the former borough

Otterburn

Bowsden

Redesdale & River Rede

Branxton

Scremerston

Byrness
Carham
Catcleugh Reservoir
Chatton

Spittal
Twizell Castle
Wark on Tweed

Chillingham Castle

Wooler

Cornhill-on-Tweed

Yeavering

3.3

Scotland

5
Ayton
Birgham
Cessford Castle
Chirnside
Coldstream
Dinlabyre
Duns
Eccles
Eden Water
Edgerston
Ednam

A sign marking entry to Scotland on the A7, on the border of

Galloway

Edrington
Edrom
Ettrick
Eyemouth
Fogo
Foulden
Galashiels

The bridge over the Tweed at Coldstream

3.3
3.3.1

Scotland
Dumfries and Galloway

Main article: Dumfries and Galloway

Auchenrivock Tower
Canonbie
Gilnockie Tower
Gretna
Gretna Green
Langholm
Rowanburn
3.3.2

Borders

Main article: Scottish Borders

Hermitage and Hermitage Castle

Hilly Linn
Hilton
Hume Castle
Hutton
Jedburgh
Kelso
Kirk Yetholm & Town Yetholm
Ladykirk
Lamberton
Leitholm
Liddesdale
Mordington
Morebattle
Mowhaugh
Newcastleton
Oxnam

Allanton

Paxton

7 NOTES
Roxburgh and Roxburgh Castle
Saughtree
Southdean
Swinton
Timpanheck
Whitsome

3.4

Rivers

River Esk
River Rede
River Sark
River Tweed
Whiteadder Water
Liddel Water

3.5

Mountains

The Cheviot
Carter Bar & Carter Fell
Windy Gyle

Controversial territories

Although the border has been amongst the most stable in

history, it has not been without its controversies, notably
the debatable lands and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Berwick
only became properly annexed to Northumberland in the
19th century, and Berwickshire is in Scotland, while the
town is in England (though both the town and lands up to
the Firth of Forth belonged to the Kingdom of Northumbria in the Early Middle Ages).[8] Wendy Wood moved
the border signs to the middle of the River Tweed as a
protest.[9]
The debatable lands, on the other hand, were long a hideaway for criminals.

Migration

Cumbria and Northumberland have amongst the largest

Scottish-born communities in the world outside Scotland.
16,628 Scottish born people were residing in Cumbria
in 2001 (3.41% of the regions population) and 11,435
Scottish born people were residing in Northumberland
(3.72% of the countys population); the average percentage of Scottish born people in England is 1.62%.[10]

6 See also
Republic of IrelandUnited Kingdom border
Anglo
Cheviot Hills
Southern Uplands
Border Reivers
Border ballad
Border pipes
ITV Border
Border Collie
Border Terrier
Both sides the Tweed
Scottish Marches
Scotch Corner
Debatable Lands
Wales-England border
Welsh Marches

7 Notes
[1] Three examples of a humorous reference to Hadrians
Wall:
and there are plans for an electried fence along
Hadrians Wall to prevent emigration from the rump
republic (Sandbrook 2012 quoting Robert Moss in
The Collapse of Democracy (1975));
a situation that the (notional) electrication of
Hadrians Wall is unlikely to change (Ijeh 2014);
A cartoon: Hadrians Wall Extension Plan showing an extension of Hadrians Wall around the coastline of England and Wales (Hughes 2014).
[1] Scotland Conquered, 1174-1296.
Archives. Retrieved 19 May 2012.

The National

[2] Collier, J.G. (2001). Conict of Laws (PDF). Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press. p. 6. ISBN 0-521-782600. For the purposes of the English conict of laws, every country in the world which is not part of England and
Wales is a foreign country and its foreign laws. This means
that not only totally foreign independent countries such as
France or Russia... are foreign countries but also British
Colonies such as the Falkland Islands. Moreover, the
other parts of the United KingdomScotland and Northern Irelandare foreign countries for present purposes, as
are the other British Islands, the Isle of Man, Jersey and
Guernsey.

[3] Scottish Parliament Ocial Report 26 April 2000. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
[4] Agnew, Crispin (13 August 2001). Clans, Families and
Septs. Electric Scotland. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
[5] Act anent fugitive persones of the borders to the in countrey (1609): Forsamekle as the kingis majestie is resolved
to purge the mydele schyres of this isle, heirtofoir callit the
bordouris of Scotland and England, of that barbarous crueltie, wickednes and incivilitie whilk be inveterat custome
almaist wes become naturall to mony of the inhabitantis
thairof... (Translated: Forasmuch as the kings majesty is
resolved to purge the middle shires of this isle, heretofore
called the borders of Scotland and England, of that barbarous cruelty, wickedness and incivility which by inveterate custom almost was become natural to many of the
inhabitants thereof...)
[6] Petition of Sir Richard Graham regarding the middle
shires: I am desired by Sir Richard Graham to move your
majesty and this house of parliament that some present
course may be taken for regulating the disorders that are
now in the middle shires, this being the best time whilst the
English commissioners are here that order may be given
to the commissioners of both kingdoms to call the border
landlords now in town to inform themselves what course
has been formerly held for the suppressing of disorder and
apprehending of felons and fugitives.
[7] Star of Caledonia: Scotland-England landmark plan approved. BBC News. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 1
October 2014.
[8] Kerr, Rachel (8 October 2004). A tale of one town.
BBC News. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
[9] Swapping sides: the English town that wants to be Scottish. The Independent. 13 February 2008. Archived
from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 31 December
2009. It was Berwick which became the focal point for the
direct action of one of the rst modern Scottish nationalists, Wendy Wood in the 1950s. Controversially...she
was regularly arrested for moving the border signs over
the Tweed.
[10] Neighbourhood Statistics Home Page. Oce for National Statistics. Retrieved 19 May 2012.

References
Hughes, Alex (5 September 2014), Hadrians Wall
Extension Plan, alexhughescartoons.co.uk, retrieved
December 2014
Ijeh, Ike (27 August 2014), What did Scotland do
for architecture?", Building Design online, retrieved
December 2014
Sandbrook, Dominic (2012), Chapter 6: Could it
happen here?", Seasons in the Sun: The Battle for
Britain, 1974-1979 (illustrated ed.), UK: Penguin,
p. about 214, ISBN 9781846140327

9 Further reading
Aird, W.M. (1997) Northern England or southern Scotland? The Anglo-Scottish border in the
eleventh and twelfth centuries and the problem of
perspective In: Appleby, J.C. and Dalton, P. (Eds)
Government, religion and society in Northern England 1000-1700, Stroud : Sutton, ISBN 0-75091057-7, p. 2739

10 External links
The Border Clans and their Emigration to America
at Hodgson Clan

11

11
11.1

TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Anglo-Scottish border Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Scottish_border?oldid=663454580 Contributors: Chrism, PBS,

Dumbo1, Kingal86, Dave souza, Closeapple, Ukeu, Grutness, Guy Harris, Orudge, ProhibitOnions, Nightstallion, Tim!, Koavf, Vclaw,
MacRusgail, Valentinian, Noclador, RussBot, Pigman, CambridgeBayWeather, Joshurtree, Barryob, Whamilton42, Red Jay, JLaTondre,
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Lunker, Sigurd Dragon Slayer, MetsBot, Spellmaster, Acalamari, Moglex~enwiki, IceDragon64, Hugo999, The Duke of Waltham, Je
G., WOSlinker, Asarla, Bleaney, Thunderwing, Triwbe, Mr Taz, Lightmouse, Jza84, Tegrenath, Sfan00 IMG, YESYESandmanygoals,
Mild Bill Hiccup, Rockfang, Someguyudontknow, Howard Alexander, Fishiehelper2, Dn9ahx, Audaciter, Eastcote, Samsoot, Mhockey,
Editor2020, DumZiBoT, Nigelrice, Traquir, Good Olfactory, Addbot, Dumbo12, Lightbot, Czar Brodie, Delta 51, Yobot, AnomieBOT,
Endrick Shellycoat, BritishWatcher, Sabrebd, Rotideypoc41352, HRoestBot, Full-date unlinking bot, Cnwilliams, Dinamik-bot, RjwilmsiBot, Ghhumes, Dewritech, XinaNicole, Ego White Tray, Orange Suede Sofa, ClueBot NG, Curb Chain, CSJJ104, Mrt3366, ChrisGualtieri,
Claomh Solais, Rtjohn84, Tammbeck, DivermanAU and Anonymous: 42

11.2

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11.3

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