On the Fruid road near Menzion are three standing stones, dating from about 2000BC, the largest of which is named the Giant’s Stone. They are often referred to as a Druid Circle, or remains of a Druid Temple, but they predate the Druids. Tweedsmuir Parish records of 1845 state that there were other stones, but […]

Bertha lived in a shepherd’s house at Badlieu, and was known for her beauty. She was an only child and lived with her father, her mother having died in childbirth. King Kenneth III – Kenneth the Grim – was a wise, good looking and charming man who ruled Scotland between 996 and 1004. He was […]

There was formal schooling in Tweedsmuir for just over 200 years. The Kirk Sessions in Tweedsmuir appointed a schoolmaster in 1768, and decreed that a school should be built. This was achieved sometime between 1791 and 1799, although it is reported that there were very few students. Up till then, schooling would have been provided […]

At the mouth of the Tweed, sat right bonny Berwick A Northumbrian beauty was she. With castle and bastle, keeping Reivers barbaric At bay, from the Bear and Wych tree.   An envious eye, noted her form and fare When Kings Malcolm and Owen, took a liking there. With military might, against Utred they battled […]

In the 1200s, the Tweedies of Drumelzier went off to fight in the Crusades. When one of the Tweedy men came back, he discovered his wife had mysteriously fallen pregnant while he was away. She told him, ‘The devil came out of the Tweed’! The Spirit of the Tweed. A great story! Different versions of […]

The old highway to Edinburgh crossed the Tweed near Tweedbank. It was known as ‘Garthgate’, the King’s Road. Between Melrose and Galashiels there was a very old crossing of the Tweed called Pringles Bridge, which has now been completely lost. It was associated with the cannons being taken over the river for the battle at […]