Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders The Mairches ( MPs |
| |
---|---|---|
• MSPs | ||
Area | ||
• Total | 1,827 sq mi (4,732 km2) | |
• Rank | Ranked 18th | |
• Density | 64/sq mi (25/km2) | |
ONS code | S12000026 | |
ISO 3166 code | GB-SCB |
The Scottish Borders (
The more general term, the Borders, is used to designate the areas of southern Scotland and northern England that bound the Anglo-Scottish border, namely Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Northumberland, and Cumbria. The council area occupies approximately the same area as the historic shires of Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire.
Geography
The Scottish Borders are in the eastern part of the Southern Uplands.[2]
The region is hilly and largely rural, with the River Tweed flowing west to east through it. The highest hill in the region is Broad Law in the Manor Hills. In the east of the region, the area that borders the River Tweed is flat and is known as 'The Merse'.[3] The Tweed and its tributaries drain the entire region with the river flowing into the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, and forming the border with England for the last twenty miles or so of its length.
The term Central Borders refers to the area in which the majority of the main towns and villages of Galashiels, Selkirk, Hawick, Jedburgh, Earlston, Kelso, Newtown St Boswells, St Boswells, Peebles, Melrose and Tweedbank are located.
Two of Scotland's 40 national scenic areas (defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure their protection from inappropriate development)[4] lie within the region:[5]
- The Eildon and Leaderfoot National Scenic Area covers the scenery surrounding Eildon Hill, usually called the Eildons because of the three 'peaks', and extends to include the town of Melrose and Leaderfoot Viaduct.[6]
- The Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area covers the scenery surrounding the upper part of the River Tweed between Broughton and Peebles.[7]
History
The term
From early on, the two sovereigns agreed on the duty to regulate the borders. The Scottish Marches system was set up, under the control of three wardens from each side, who generally kept the peace through several centuries until being replaced by the Middle Shires under James VI/I.[9]
Administrative history
Prior to 1975 the area that is now Scottish Borders was administered as the four separate
Further local government reform in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 saw the area's four districts and the regional council abolished, with a new unitary authority created covering the same area as the former Borders Region.[11] The 1994 Act called the new council area "The Borders", but the shadow council elected in 1995 to oversee the transition changed the name to "Scottish Borders" prior to the changes coming into effect in 1996.[12]
Governance
Scottish Borders Council | ||
---|---|---|
Chief Executive | David Robertson since January 2023[14] | |
Structure | ||
Seats | 34 councillors | |
Political groups |
| |
Elections | ||
Single transferable vote | ||
Last election | 5 May 2022 | |
Next election | 6 May 2027 | |
Meeting place | ||
Council Headquarters, Bowden Road, Newtown St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0SA | ||
Website | ||
www |
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since 1999. Since the 2022 election the council has been run by an administration of the Conservatives and three of the independent councillors.[15]
The first election to the Borders Regional Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new system came into force on 16 May 1975. A shadow authority was again elected in 1995 ahead of the reforms which came into force on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1975 has been as follows:[16]
Borders Regional Council
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Independent | 1975–1978 | |
No overall control | 1978–1982 | |
Independent | 1982–1994 | |
No overall control | 1994–1996 |
Scottish Borders Council
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Independent | 1996–1999 | |
No overall control | 1999–present |
Leadership
The first
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Drew Tulley[17] | Independent | 1996 | 6 Mar 2002 | |
John Ross Scott | Liberal Democrats | 6 Mar 2002 | 3 May 2003 | |
David Parker | Independent | 12 Mar 2003 | 18 May 2017 | |
Shona Haslam | Conservative | 18 May 2017 | 25 Nov 2021 | |
Mark Rowley | Conservative | 25 Nov 2021 | 19 May 2022 | |
Euan Jardine | Conservative | 19 May 2022 |
Premises
Scottish Borders Council is based at the Council Headquarters in Newtown St Boswells. The building had been the headquarters of Roxburghshire County Council prior to 1975,[19] and subsequently served as the served as the main office of the Borders Regional Council between 1975 and 1996.[20]
Elections
Since 2007 elections have been held every five years under the single transferable vote system, introduced by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004. Election results since 1995 have been as follows:[16]
Year | Seats | Conservative | SNP | Liberal Democrats | Green | Labour | Independent / Other | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 58 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 30 | |
1999 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 14 | New ward boundaries[21] |
2003 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
2007 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | New ward boundaries[22] |
2012 | 34 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | SNP / Lib Dem / Independent coalition |
2017 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | Conservative / Independent coalition[23] |
2022 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Conservative / Independent coalition[24] |
Constituencies
There are two British Parliamentary constituencies in the Scottish Borders; Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk covers most of the region and is represented by John Lamont of the Conservatives. The western Tweeddale area is included in the Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale constituency and is represented by David Mundell of the Conservatives.
At Scottish Parliament level, there are also two seats. The eastern constituency is Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, which is currently represented by Conservative Rachael Hamilton. The western constituency is Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale and is represented by SNP Christine Grahame.
Wards
The council area is divided into 11 wards that elect 34 councilors:
Ward Number | Ward Name | Location | Seats |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Tweeddale West | 3 | |
2 | Tweeddale East | 3 | |
3 | Galashiels and District | 4 | |
4 | Selkirkshire | 3 | |
5 | Leaderdale and Melrose | 3 | |
6 | Mid Berwickshire | 3 | |
7 | East Berwickshire | 3 | |
8 | Kelso and District | 3 | |
9 | Jedburgh and District | 3 | |
10 | Hawick and Denholm | 3 | |
11 | Hawick and Hermitage | 3 |
Population
At the census held on 27 March 2011, the population of the region was 114,000 (provisional total), an increase of 6.78% from the 106,764 enumerated at the previous (2001) census.
Language and literature
Although there is evidence of some
.Border ballads occupied a distinctive place in literature. Many of them were rescued from oblivion by Walter Scott, who gathered materials for his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, which appeared in 1802 and 1803. Border traditions and folklore, and the picturesque incidents of which the country was so often the scene, appealed strongly to James Hogg ("the Ettrick Shepherd"), John Wilson, writing as "Christopher North", and John Mackay Wilson, whose Tales of the Borders, published in 1835, enjoyed popular favour throughout the 1800s.[9]
Transport
Until September 2015, the region had no working railway stations. Although the area was well connected to the
The area is served by buses which connect the main population centres. Express bus services link the main towns with rail stations at Edinburgh and Carlisle.
The region also has no commercial airports; the nearest are Edinburgh and Newcastle, both of which are international airports.
The main roads to and from the region are:
- The A1, which runs along the east coast from London to Edinburgh; passing near Eyemouth.
- The .
- The A68 running from Darlington to Edinburgh; passing through Jedburgh, St Boswells, Earlston and Lauder.
- The
Media
In terms of television, the area is cover by
Radio stations are provided by
The area is served by the main local newspapers: Southern Reporter[28] and The Border Telegraph. [29]
Settlements
Largest settlements by population:
Settlement | Population | |
---|---|---|
2011[30] | (mid-2020 est.)[31] | |
Galashiels | 14,994 |
15,490[a] |
Hawick | 14,294 |
13,620[b] |
Peebles | 8,376 |
9,000 |
Kelso | 5,639 |
6,870 |
Selkirk | 5,784 |
4,540 |
Jedburgh | 4,030 |
3,860 |
Eyemouth | 3,546 |
3,580 |
Innerleithen | 3,031 |
3,180 |
Duns | 2,753 |
2,820 |
Melrose | 2,307 |
2,500 |
Places of interest
- Abbotsford House
- Berwickshire Coastal Path
- Bowhill House
- Cheviot Hills
- Cessford Burn
- Coldingham Bay
- Dawyck Botanic Garden
- Dryburgh Abbey – Historic Scotland
- Duns Castle
- Edin's Hall Broch
- Ettrick Forest
- Eyemouth
- Floors Castle
- Forest Enterprise
- Greenknowe Tower
- Harmony Garden – National Trust for Scotland
- Hawkshaw – ancestral home of the Porteous family
- Hermitage Castle – Historic Scotland
- Jedburgh Abbey – Historic Scotland
- Kailzie Gardens
- Kelso Abbey
- Kirna House (The Kirna, previously Grangehill)
- Lammermuir Hills
- Lauderdale
- Manderston
- Megget Reservoir
- Mellerstain House
- Melrose Abbey – Historic Scotland
- Mire Loch
- Monteviot
- Morebattle
- Neidpath Castle
- Nisbet, Berwickshire
- Nisbet, Roxburghshire
- Paxton House
- Pennine Way – National Trails
- Priorwood Garden – National Trust for Scotland
- Robert Smail's Printing Works – National Trust for Scotland
- Scots' dike
- Smailholm Tower – Historic Scotland
- Southern Upland Way – National Trails
- St. Abbs Head
- St. Mary's Loch
- St. Ronans Wells
- Teviotdale
- Thirlestane Castle
- Traquair House
- Trimontium and the Eildons
- Union Bridge
- Waterloo Monument
- Wedderburn Castle
See also
- Borders College
- Scottish Marches
- Anglo-Scottish border
- Debatable lands
- List of places in the Scottish Borders
- Scottish Lowlands
- Alexander Jeffrey, historian of Scottish Borders
Notes and references
- ^ "Local councils in Scotland". Directgov. Internet Memory Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 February 2008 – via UK Government Web Archive – The National Archives.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Accommodation – Dumfries and Galloway – Ayrshire and Arran – Scottish Borders – Southern South West Scotland – Hotels – Bed and Breakfasts – Self Catering Holiday Cottages". Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ^ p. 47 ofBanks, F. R. (Francis Richard) (1951), Scottish Border Country, Batsford, retrieved 20 October 2016
- ^ "National Scenic Areas". Scottish Natural Heritage. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ "National Scenic Areas – Maps". SNH. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ "Eildon and Leaderfoot National Scenic Area Map" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
- Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 245.
- ^ a b c Chisholm 1911, p. 246.
- ^ "Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 65, retrieved 22 November 2022
- ^ "Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1978 c. 39, retrieved 22 November 2022
- ^ "No. 23789". The Edinburgh Gazette. 26 May 1995. p. 1333.
- ^ "Council minutes, 19 May 2022". Scottish Borders Council. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ "New chief executive appointed at Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Paul (19 May 2022). "New leader and convener of Scottish Borders Council appointed". Border Telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
- ^ a b Janiak, Kevin (30 November 2020). "Drew gave 'total commitment'". Southern Reporter. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Council minutes". Scottish Borders Council. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Roxburgh County Offices, Newtown St Boswells". Canmore. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ Scottish Borders Council, Location, accessed 30 May 2023
- ^ "The Scottish Borders (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1998/3103, retrieved 15 December 2022
- ^ Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Borders (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2006 as made, from legislation.gov.uk.
- ^ "Conservatives and independents to run Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Scottish election results 2022: First Green for Scottish Borders Council". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
- ^ Rinaldi, Giancarlo (18 March 2016). "Borders Railway future goals drawn up". BBC News.
- ^ "Selkirk (The Scottish Borders, Scotland) Full Freeview transmitter". 1 May 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Contact numbers for BBC Scotland". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
- ^ "Southern Reporter". British Papers. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Border Telegraph". British Papers. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Population of Scottish Borders towns (last count 2011)". ourscottishborders.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019.
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Borders, The". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 245–246. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
Scottish Borders.
- Scottish Borders at Curlie
- Borders' Dialect Archived 4 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- Scots Language Centre page on Borders' Dialect
- Scottish Borders Council
- Region Website