Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 1

BERWICKSHIRE
productive regions in the world, as shown by the com-
parative tables of our Introduction.
The improvement in the breeds of cattle and sheep,
begun about the end of last century, went forward till it
displaced the old breeds and substituted for them more
productive breeds, better adapted to the soil and climate,
more kindly feeders, and sooner fattened for the butcher.
A mixed husbandry, in connection with green crop cul-
ture, prevails over much of the Merse ; and the pasturage
of sheep, of the Cheviot and black-faced breeds, is
mainly carried on in the uplands. Farms range from
300 to 400 acres, and are generally held on lease of 19
years. In 1881, according to Mr Jas. Hope's Royal
Commission Report, of 194,298 acres under crops, 96,056
acres let at an average rental of £1, 19s., and 73,804
acres of £13, 3s. No county, he adds, has suffered more
from the agricultural depression of the last eight years,
losses having largely predominated over profits.
The manufactures of Berwickshire are aggregately un-
important. Paper-making alone makes any considerable
figure. The manufacture of woollens is confined chiefly
to coarse goods for ordinary use ; and that of linens, to
household fabrics for farmers' and labourers' families.
The manufacture of blankets, plaidings, flannels,
merinoes, shawls, muslins, shirtings, furniture-stripes,
and very stout ginghams, is carried on, to a fair extent,
at Earlston, on the river Leader, but practically belongs
to Roxburghshire more than to Berwickshire. The sea
fisheries possess high value, and will be noticed under
Eyemot/th. The North British railway passes along
the coast, and has stations at Cockburnspath, Grant's
House, Reston, Ayton, and Burnmouth. A branch of
the North British railway deflects from the main line
at Reston, goes south-westward to Dunse, and has stations
at Chirnside and Edrom. The former Berwickshire
Railway commences at Dunse ; goes south-westward to
Earlston ; has stations at Marchmont, Greenlaw, and
Gordon ; and is prolonged, southward, into junction with
the Hawick line of the North British at St Boswell's in
Roxburghshire. The Kelso branch of the North British,
deflecting from the Hawick line at St Boswell's, does not
touch Berwickshire, yet passes so near its boundary as to
be of material service to its parishes of Mertoun and
Nenthorn. The Kelso and Berwick branch of the Eng-
lish North-Eastern railway also does not touch Berwick-
shire, yet keeps constantly so near it on the English
side of the Tweed as to be of much value to various
parts of its Border districts, particularly around Cold-
stream, Ladykirk, and Paxton.
The only royal burgh is Lauder ; the only police burghs
are Dunse, Eyemouth, and Coldstream ; the only towns
with upwards of 2000 inhabitants are Dunse and Eye-
mouth ; the only towns with from 1000 to 2000 inhabi-
tants are Lauder, Coldstream, and Earlston ; the only
harbours are Eyemouth and Burnmouth ; the only
small town or large village of political note is Greenlaw ;
and the other small towns and principal villages are
Ayton, Chirnside, Coldingham, Gordon, Leitholm, Pax-
ton, Swinton, Gavinton, Auchincraw, Reston, Birgham,
Allanton, and Cockburnspath. The chief seats are The
Hirsel, Thirlstane Castle, Langton House, Hutton
Hall, Nisbet House, Mertoun House, Dryburgh Abbey,
Lennel House, Marchmont House, Newton-Don, Ren-
ton House, Blaekadder House, Paxton House, Kelloe,
Ayton Castle, Ladykirk House, Dunse Castle, Milne
Graden, Stoneridge House, Broadmeadows, Manderston,
Abbey St Bathans House, Stitchel House, Peelwalls
House, The Lees, Hope Park, Carolside, Cowdenknowes,
Allanbank House, Rowchester, Cumledge, Wedderburn
Castle, Broomhouse, Edrom House, Kimmerghame,
Cranshaws Castle, Netherbyres, Gunsgreen House, Cal-
dra House, Charterhall, Swinton House, Bemersyde,
Gladswood, Nenthorn House, Ninewells, Blanerne
House, Bassendean House, Spottiswoode, Edrington
Castle, Edrington House, Mordington House, Anton's
Hill, Belchester House, Bughtrig House, Eccles House,
Karnes, Mersington House, Purveshall, Longformacus
House, Coldingham Law House, and Fairlaw House.
According to Miscellaneous Statistics of the United
151
BERWICKSHIRE
Kingdom (1879), 292,139 acres, with a total gross
estimated rental of £377,211, were divided among 1744
landowners ; two together holding 44,861 acres (rental,
£34,073), three 43,807 (£30,097), ten 68,648 (£92,813),
twenty-two 67,760 (£60,356), fourteen 20,246 (£32,158),
forty-one 28,219 (£47,779), fifty-seven 14,398 (£42,162),
twenty-three 1661 (£3064), eighty-five 1617 (£4714),
one hundred and ninety-seven 619 (£7902), and twelve
hundred and ninety 303 (£22,093).
The county is governed by a lord-lieutenant, a vice-
lieutenant, 28 deputy lieutenants, a sheriff, a sheriff-
substitute, and a large number of magistrates. The
sheriff and commissary courts are held at Greenlaw
on the last Thursday of every month, and at Dunse on
every Friday during session. Sheriff small debt courts
are held at Greenlaw seven times, at Dunse eight times,
at Coldstream and Ayton four times, and at Lauder
thrice a year. Justice of peace small debt courts are
held monthly at Dunse, Coldstream, and Ayton ; and
quarter sessions are held at Greenlaw. The police force,
in 1880, comprised 26 men ; and the salary of the chief
constable was £245. The number of persons tried at
the instance of the police, in 1879, was 498 ; the num-
ber of these convicted, 478 ; the number committed for
trial, 22 ; the number not dealt with, 163. The com-
mittals for crime, in the yearly average of 1836-60,
were 52 ; of 1861-65, 4S ; of 1864-68, 45 ; of 1870-74, 31 ;
of 1S75-79, 27. The county prison at Greenlaw was
discontinued in February 1880, that of Jedburgh
taking its place. The annual value of real property,
assessed at £245,379 in 1815, was £252,945 in 1843,
£391,169 in 1875, and £355,123 in 1881, including
£18,752 for railways. The county, exclusive of Lauder,
returns one member to parliament (always a Liberal
since 1859, except during 1874-80) ; and, in 1881, had a
constituency of 1869. Pop. (1801)30,206, (1811)30,893,
(1821) 33,385, (1831) 34,048, (1841) 34,438, (1851)
36,297, (1861) 36,613, (1871) 36,486, (1881) 35,383, of
whom 1S,446 were females. Houses (1881) 6795 in-
habited, 523 vacant, 39 building.
The registration county gives off part of Oldhamstocks
parish to Haddingtonshire ; comprises 32 entire parishes ;
and had, in 1881, a population of 35,264. Thirty-one
parishes are assessed for the poor ; and respectively eight
and one are included in the Kelso and the East Lothian
poor-house combinations. The number of registered
poor, during the year ending 14 May 18S0, was 842 ;
of dependants on these, 374 ; of casual poor, 841 ; of
dependants on these, 589. The receipts for the poor
in the same year were £10,624, 16s. ; and the expendi-
ture was £10,200, 9s. The number of pauper lunatics
was 102 ; and the expenditure on their account was
£213S, 6s. The percentage of illegitimate births was
9-3 in 1877, 10 -9 in 1S78, and 9 in 1879.
The civil county is divided politically into 31 quoad
civilia parishes and parts of two others, ecclesiastically
into 32 quoad sacra parishes and parts of two others ;
Cockburnspath being in the presbytery of Dunbar and
synod of Lothian and Tweeddale, the rest in the pres-
byteries of Dunse, Chirnside, Earlston, and Kelso, in
the synod of Merse and Teviotdale. The 32 Established
churches had 8434 communicants in 1878 ; 17 Free
churches,inthe presbyteries of Haddington, Dunse, Kelso,
and Selkirk, had 3142 members in 1880; and 17 U.P.
churches, in Berwick, Kelso, and Melrose presbyteries,
had 4584 members in 1S79. In Sept. 18S0 the county
had 53 schools (47 of them public), which, with accom-
modation for 7839 children, had 5782 on the registers,
and 4550 in average attendance, whilst there were 70
certificated, 8 articled, and 43 pupil teachers.
The territory now constituting Berwickshire was
anciently inhabited by the Caledonian Otalini or Otadeni j
became part of the Saxon Bernicia, one of the two ori-
ginal sections of the Saxon Northumbria ; and till 1020
continued to be included in Northumbria. Cospatrick,
Earl of Northumberland, and afterwards Earl of Dunbar,
acquired it in 1020 from Malcolm II., and settled in
Scotland to govern it and other possessions. Edgar,
the son of Malcolm, resumed it in 1097, and bequeathed