Everything about Berwickshire totally explained
Berwickshire or the
County of Berwick is a
registration county, a
committee area of the
Scottish Borders Council, and a
lieutenancy area of
Scotland, on the
border with
England.
Former status
County
Berwickshire was formerly one of the ancient
counties of Scotland, but was abolished in 1975 during local government reorganisation. Its
county town, after which it's named, had been
Berwick-upon-Tweed, but the
royal burgh changed hands in 1482, subsequently becoming part of the county of
Northumberland, in England. Thereafter the county's administration was conducted at
Duns or
Lauder until
Greenlaw became the county town in 1596. When a county council was established in 1890 the county town once more became Duns, where the former county's Sheriff Court still sits, and where the Scottish Borders Council still maintains a principal set of offices.
At the time of the county's abolition it contained four
burghs and three districts:
District
The
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that abolished the county incorporated its area into the
Borders Region. The region existed from 1975 until 1996, and was divided into four
districts, one of which was named Berwickshire. The District of Berwickshire wasn't identical with the former county however: the burgh of Lauder and most of the county's West District were included in
Ettrick and Lauderdale, while the parish of
Nenthorn was made part of Roxburgh District. Berwickshire District Council's headquarters remained in Duns.
Coat of arms
The County Council of Berwick was formed in
1890 by the
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, and applied for a grant of arms the same year. The grant, by
Lord Lyon King of Arms was made on
October 10. The arms showed a bear chained to a wych-elm tree, which formed part of the insignia of the borough of
Berwick upon Tweed, and was an heraldic pun on the town and county's name.
On
November 12,
1975, the arms were regranted to Berwickshire District Council. On the abolition of the district council in 1996, the arms reverted to the Crown.
Legacy
The Berwickshire News is still published weekly, and numerous organisations and groups have retained Berwickshire in their titles (i.e: the Berwickshire Housing Association, Berwickshire Sports Council). The Berwickshire Civic Society is currently (2007) campaigning for road signs at the entrances to the old county to have notices added saying 'You are now entering the ancient county of Berwickshire', and they hold an annual
Keep Berwickshire Tidy Campaign, judged each April.
Places in Berwickshire include
Coldingham,
Coldstream,
Duns,
Eyemouth,
Earlston,
Foulden,
Greenlaw,
Lauder (former seat of the county Commissariot),
Mordington,
St. Abbs, and
Swinton.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Berwickshire'.
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