www.antonhodge.co.uk

The Border

BACK TO HISTORY PAGES INDEX

What is it and what does it mean?

The Border which divides Scotland and England runs from the North Sea to the Solway Firth; in the east from just north of Berwick to the outskirts of Gretna in the west.

A massive geological coincidence suggest that the countries of Scotland and England were once parts of different prehistoric continents - they gradually moved towards each other and crashed together at a place pretty much where the Borders area is now.

The Romans were the first to set up a territorial frontier in the area with Hadrian's Wall being built from the Tyne to the Solway, but over the years, as the two countries of Scotland and England began to emerge, the Border changed its position. At one point it can be said that it ran diagonally from Edinburgh down to Stainmore which is in the middle of modern-day Cumbria. However by around the 13th century, the Border was roughly where it is now, although there continued to be disputes over Carlisle in the west and Berwick in the east. Both changed hands a number of times before finally being accepted as English - although Berwick continued to enjoy a peculiar status for many years to come - being somehow both part of and not part of England - almost like an outpost in a foreign land.

The Borders suffered centuries of devastation, with armies from both sides frequently attacking towns in the region, and of course the exploits of the Border Reivers did not help.

Calm began to arrive in the Borders after the Union of the Crowns in 1603 when James VI & I abolished the administrative system of Border Marches and banished many of the trouble makers. The 1707 Act of Union brought Scotland and England together, but as we know the idea of two distinct countries and cultures continues today. However apart from troubles during the Jacobite uprisings in the first half of the 18th century, warfare in the Borders ceased.

To certain Border families throughout its history, the frontier was often ignored and to a fair few, was pretty meaningless. Yet for hundreds of years, thousands of men and women died as leaders on both sides attempted to move the line that bit further north or south. After the Act of Union it could be argued that its significance decreased. However that would be to ignore the fact that Scotland and England are quite different countries, a situation which has intensified to a certain extent since Scotland got back its parliament in 1999. Legal systems, education methods, even the cost or otherwise of care for the elderly all change as immediately as people’s accents do on crossing the Border. It is certainly true that you have never needed a passport to cross this Border, but this is now a common practice in continental Europe. This does not mean that the Border doesn’t matter, but in general, throughout history and even today I suspect it means more to mapmakers, politicians, government officials and historians than to those who live on it and cross it every day. I also somehow suspect that it might mean a bit more to the Scottish officials than to the English, having seen more Scottish flags marking the frontier during our walk. In places, the English flags have got mixed up with the Union Flag, although this can be a rather common occurrence in England. As with the cyclists that we met at Penton Bridge, disappointed when they finally crossed over into Scotland, it is possible that it means more to those who live nowhere near it. On the other hand, judging by the amount of people who still believe Hadrian’s Wall to be the Border, it could be that those who live far from it just don’t understand it.

For some people however at least the Border and where it lies exactly, will always retain its importance. It is to these people, arguing about the merits of Scottish independence and devolution, or others ensuring that their children are educated in the “right” country, that the Border means as much as it did in the past to the raiders seeking sanctuary in the other country or to the lovers eloping to Coldstream and Gretna.