Topographical, statistical, and historical gazetteer of Scotland > Volume 2

622
ROXBURGHSHIRE.
ing, of raising cabbages and potatoes in the fields,
and of growing flax, hemp, rape, and grass-seeds,
were generally introduced. In 1747 the turnip hus-
bandry was adopted and exemplified by Dr. John
Rutherford ; and, in 1 753, it was brought to com-
parative maturity, and exhibited in connexion with
a regular system of cropping, by Mr. Dawson. In
1755 the use of marl and of lime as manures was in-
troduced by Mr. Dawson and Sir Gilbert Elliot ; and,
in 1737, Mr. Rogers, an ingenious native of Cavers,
constructed fanners for winnowing corn, and thence
drove an increasing trade, profitable to himself and
highly useful to agriculture, in vending the machine.
Mr. Wight, who made two agricultural surveys of the
county, respectively in 1773 and 1780, declared, on
occasion of the latter of them, that " he was amazed
at the advances all had made since his former survey,
as every field had assumed a better aspect from an
improving hand." During the twenty years which
terminated in 1794, the lands of the county, in con-
sequence chiefly or solely of melioration, became
doubled in their value. Since that period Roxburgh-
shire has distanced some counties, and rivalled most,
and probably been outrun by none, in the energetic
race of improvement, as to both the management of
soil and the rearing of stock, which has so generally
and highly distinguished Scotland. About one-third of
the entire area is now subject to the plough. Most of
the arable farms range between 400 and 600 acres ;
most of a very numerous class, which are partly
arable and partly pastoral, range between 600 and
1,400; and most of entirely, or almost entirely, pas-
toral farms, range between 1,000 and 3,000.
Roxburghshire has long been famous for the num-
ber and excellence of its sheep. Those with black
faces and legs, short bodies and coarse wool, which
for ages walked the pastures, were wholly discarded
before the close of last century, or were retained in
thin numbers only for the table, and on account of
the delicacy of their mutton. The white-faced and
long-bodied breed, so decidedly superior in their
wool, obtained everywhere a preference; and they
have been subjected to very numerous and successful
experiments of crossing and general treatment, with
a view to remove some defects, and to improve their
carcases without injuring the quality of their fleeces.
If ever a breed of black cattle existed peculiar to
Roxburghshire, it cannot now be distinguished.
Most of the present stock of the county is altogether
motley, and consists, not so much of the offspring of
Northumberland, Lancashire, Galloway, Ayrshire,
Highland, Guernsey, and Dutch breeds, as of such
an intercrossing of the whole as has effaced nearly
all trace of distinct origin. The milk-cows are, in
general, short-horned, deep-ribbed, and of a red and
white colour ; but are also found polled, and of every
variety of horn, shape, and colour. Horses of many
different kinds, though none of them peculiar to the
county, are in use. A cross between the Clydes-
dale and the Northumberland breeds, and crosses
between both and the Irish horse, are much esteemed
for draught. Ponies from the north of Scotland are
very common in most families for children, and make
useful drudges.
The manufactures of Roxburghshire have, with
very trivial exceptions, their seats in Hawickj Jed-
burgh, Galashiels, and their dependencies, and are
noticed in the articles on these towns. The com-
merce, in the sense in which an inland county has
any, consists principally in the importation of foreign
wool, coal, some common necessaries, and a few
luxuries, and in the exportation of grain, cattle,
sheep, lambs, domestic wool, and the produce of
woollen factories. iMost of the exported grain is
delivered at Berwick, and much of it is sent by land
conveyance to Dalkeith, and there sold in bulk and
paid in cash, — affording occasion to load the carts on
their return with the superior coal and lime of Edin-
burghshire ; and a considerable proportion is sent
through the Kelso market to the hilly regions both
of the county itself and of the north-west of North-
umberland. Weekly markets for the sale of grain
are held on Tuesday at Jedburgh, on Wednesday at
Yetholm, on Thursday at Hawick, on Friday at
Kelso, and at Melrose on Saturday. That of Kelso
is by far the most important and most numerously
frequented. Large fairs, especially for black cattle,
horses, and sheep, are more numerous than in most
other counties. The greatest is that of St. Bos-
well's, on the 18th of July ; and this, jointly with
fairs at Yetholm and at Rink in Upper Jedburgh,
usually fixes the price of wool with staplers from
Yorkshire and other parts of England. St. James'
fair, on the site of the ancient Roxburgh, on the 5th
of August, is the scene of much miscellaneous traffic,
— a minglement of portions of nearly all the trade
and commerce of the county. The other fairs are
held at Jedburgh, Kelso, Hawick, Melrose, and Yet-
holm Previous to 1764 the county was in a miser-
able condition as to roads and bridges: it had few
places where wheeled carriages could pass, without
skilful drivers and close attention ; and it had only
two useful bridges, respectively at Kelso and at Mel-
rose, over the Tweed ; and only two, respectively at
Hawick and near Ancrum, over the Teviot, — all the
others being awkwardly situated or incommodiously
constructed. But between 1764 and 1797 no less
than 153 miles of excellent road was laid down, two
former bridges were rebuilt, twenty-five new stone-
bridges, including the Drygrange one over Tweed
and the one over Teviot near Kelso, were erected
over the more considerable streams, and an incalcu-
lated number of minor bridges and mounds were
thrown across rivulets and hollows. Improvement,
proceeding since that period with unabated energy,
has constructed the splendid new Tweed bridge of
Kelso, and the elegant new Teviot bridge at Hawick,
and flung several pedestrian suspension-bridges over
both the Teviot and the Tweed, and ramified all the
more populous parts of the country with roads in-
ferior to none in the kingdom, and intersected even
the most upland and sequestered districts with
thoroughfares superior to those which were formerly
enjoyed by the most crowded seats of population.
From the epoch of the bishopric of Lindisfarn, a
major part of Roxburghshire, which was included in
the kingdom of Northumbria, formed a considerable
section of that ancient diocese ; from the reign of
David I. till the Reformation, all of it south of the
Tweed belonged to the diocese of Glasgow, and
from 1238 this large section formed the archdeaconry
of Teviotdale, and was ruled by its own archdeacon,
under the superintendence of the bishop. Parishes
arose amidst the obscurities of dimly recorded ages ;
and, after the ferment of the Reformation had sub-
sided, stood in number at 33, — twenty-nine of them
belonging wholly to the county, and four being shared
between it and Selkirkshire. Of these Castletown,
owing to the remoteness of its situation, was placed
under the synod of Dumfries, and all the others were
placed under the synod of Merse and Teviotdale, — -
fourteen of them composing the presbytery of Jed-
burgh, and eighteen being distributed among other
presbyteries in the quotas of nine to Kelso, eight to
Selkirk, and one to Lauder. The same arrangement
continues, with the addition of one quuud sacra parish
to Kelso and one quuuU sacra parish and two chapel-
ries to Jedburgh. In 1834 there were forty -lour
parochial schools, conducted by fifty teachers, and
attended by a maximum of 3,225 scholars, and a mini-