53-480: Chirnside is a hillside village in Berwickshire , Scotland, 9 miles (14 km) west of Berwick-upon-Tweed , and 7 miles (11 km) east of Duns . The parish church at Chirnside dates from the 12th century. It was substantially rebuilt in 1878 and extensively restored, and altered in 1907. The rebuildings now incorporate all of the original church(es), however the original chevron-patterned Norman doorway at
106-540: A bear chained to a wych tree, forming a pun on the name of the original county town of Berwick. Upon the abolition of Berwickshire County Council, the arms were regranted to Berwickshire District Council. When the district council was abolished the arms reverted to the Crown. The East Coast Main Line railway line passes through the county, running roughly parallel with the coast. From the railway's opening in 1846 there were
159-481: A branch line terminus from Reston until that too was closed to passengers in 1951. The North British Railway obtained an act of Parliament, the North British Railway Act 1844 ( 7 & 8 Vict. c. lxvi), giving authorisation for its main line from Edinburgh to Berwick (later called Berwick upon Tweed) in 1844, and pressed ahead with constructing it. Equally urgently addressed by the directors,
212-534: A goods train service between St Boswells and Greenlaw resumed after a period; the final freight ran on 16 July 1965. The sidings at Chirnside Paper Mill were at a low level adjacent to the Whiteadder Water ; the sidings were also flooded and unusable as a result of the storm, and wagons in the sidings were retrieved by craning them up to the main line, using the Tweedmouth breakdown crane standing on
265-479: A moat. There are also the remains of lime kilns . Chirnside Primary School, 1937, by architects Messrs Reid & Forbes, is set into a hillside, and being white, can be seen for miles around. The Chirnside Bridge Paper Mill, now a large manufacturer, is a survivor from an earlier era. Originally constructed in 1842 and 1857 by David Cousin (also responsible for Dean Cemetery ), with additions in 1897, and reductions in 1971–1973. The Italianate administrative block
318-500: A number of small stations within Berwickshire, but they were all closed by 1964. A rebuilt Reston railway station opened on this stretch of line in 2022, being the only railway station within the historic county (apart from Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station which lies within the area ceded from Berwickshire to England in 1482). The Berwickshire Railway formerly serviced the county, however this closed following damage caused by
371-545: A rugby team under the name of Berwickshire schools. The Berwickshire Coastal Path runs from Cockburnspath to Berwick-upon-Tweed (28 miles; 45 km). Berwickshire Railway The Duns Branch and the Berwickshire Railway together formed a through railway route from Reston , near Berwick-upon-Tweed , to St Boswells in the Scottish Borders . The line was promoted in two stages. The first
424-499: A violent storm in 1948. The nearest open stations are in Dunbar and Berwick-upon-Tweed . The A1 road runs roughly parallel to the railway and provides access to Edinburgh in the north and to the south Berwick-upon-Tweed, continuing on to Newcastle . The A68 and A697 serve the towns of western Berwickshire. The Berwickshire News is published weekly, and numerous organisations and groups have Berwickshire in their titles (i.e.:
477-503: A week in August 1948 exceptionally heavy rainfall was experienced in Berwickshire, and this culminated in a violent rainstorm on the night of 12 August 1948. Many watercourses overtopped their banks and the ground was already saturated; this resulted in multiple washouts of railway embankments and undermining of bridge abutments and piers. The railway between Duns and Earlston was closed immediately. The passenger service never re-opened, but
530-463: Is a historic county , registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed , its original county town , which was part of Scotland at the time of the county's formation in the twelfth century, but became part of England in 1482 after several centuries of swapping back and forth between the two kingdoms. After
583-459: Is the remains of Billie Castle . A castle of the Rentons, it was attacked several times in the 16th century. It was destroyed, along with Bonkle and Blanerne Castle during Hereford's Raid of 1544, part of The Rough Wooing of Scotland. It was restored prior to being abandoned in the 18th century. It was a ruin by 1834. It appears to have consisted of an oblong tower house, with walls, and
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#1732797780553636-591: The Berwickshire Courts Act 1853 ( 16 & 17 Vict. c. 27) was passed allowing the courts and commissioners' meetings to be held at Duns as well as at Greenlaw. Another courthouse, known as County Buildings , was subsequently built at 8 Newtown Street in Duns in 1856. Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , taking over most of
689-703: The Border Counties Railway , and co-operation at Kelso was lacking. The Berwickshire Railway obtained its authorising act of Parliament, the Berwickshire Railway Act 1862 ( 25 & 26 Vict. c. cxlii), on 17 July 1862, and the North British Railway subscribed £50,000 towards its construction capital of £100,000. Huge sums were being committed by the NBR board at this time to support friendly independent railways, to
742-534: The East Coast Main Line to the Waverley Line . A five span rounded arch railway bridge was built over the Whiteadder Water in 1863 to carry the railway. Chirnside Railway Station was closed to passenger traffic 10 September 1951. Freight continued until 19 July 1965. The station building still stands, currently used for storing agricultural supplies. The distinctive traditional dialect of
795-813: The Scots language that is spoken in Chirnside was the subject of a study by Swiss dialectologist Paul Wettstein , published in 1942. In the dialect Chirnside is pronounced "Churn-side". The local football team, Chirnside F.C. , plays in the Border Amateur league, and appeared nine times in the Scottish Cup between 1935 and 1966. David Hume , the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher , lived in Ninewells House , just south of
848-634: The Scottish Borders council area . The low-lying part of Berwickshire between the Tweed and the Lammermuirs is known as " the Merse ", from an old Scots word for a floodplain, and this name is sometimes extended to the county as a whole. Inhabitants are called "Merse-men". Berwickshire borders Midlothian to the west, East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, and Roxburghshire and
901-598: The border with England to the south, with the exception of a small section in the vicinity of Berwick-upon-Tweed (formerly the river formed the entirety of the border out to the North Sea); other major rivers include the Eye Water , Whiteadder Water , Dye Water , Watch Water , Eden Water and Blackadder Water . Between the late tenth and early eleventh centuries, the land between the rivers Forth and Tweed came under Scottish control. The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed
954-556: The Berwickshire Housing Association, Berwickshire Sports Council). The Berwickshire Civic Society is campaigned for road signs at the entrances to the 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. The high school west of Duns is named Berwickshire High School , and has been open since 1896. Together with Eyemouth High School they run
1007-407: The English county of Northumberland to the south. The terrain of Berwickshire is characterised by a series of low hills and agricultural land, with a number of small towns scattered throughout the county. The Lammermuir Hills traverse the border with East Lothian; it is here that Meikle Says Law , the highest point in the county at 535 m (1,755 ft), can be found. The River Tweed forms
1060-606: The NBR on 13 October 1865, and ratified retrospectively by the Berwickshire Railway Act 1866 ( 29 & 30 Vict. c. cclxxvii). With the viaduct built, the line was completed on 2 October 1865. The line was worked by the North British Railway and as part of a tidying up exercise, the NBR approached the Berwickshire Railway Company in 1875 (and also other independents in the corresponding situation) with regard to amalgamation; this
1113-424: The birthplace, of the historian, and philosopher, David Hume (1711–76), and his occasional residence after his fame was won. It was the seat, too, of his nephew, and namesake, Baron Hume (1756–1838), the eminent writer on criminal jurisprudence. The present proprietor, James Alexander Ross-Hume, Esq. (b. 1851; suc. 1864), holds 1,024 acres (4.14 km) in the shire, valued at £2162 per annum' During World War Two it
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#17327977805531166-400: The county town (principally holding the sheriff court ) were initially shared between Duns and Lauder , until 1596 when Greenlaw was declared the county town by James VI . In 1661 the county town was moved to Duns, but in 1696 it was moved back to Greenlaw. Commissioners of Supply were established for each Scottish shire in 1667. County Hall was built at Greenlaw in 1829 to serve as
1219-406: The courthouse and meeting place for the commissioners, replacing an earlier building on an adjoining site. The building was paid for by William Purves-Hume-Campbell of Purves Hall, near Greenlaw, who was keen for Greenlaw to retain its position as county town. However, Greenlaw remained a very small town, and Duns was clearly the larger town by the nineteenth century. In 1853 an act of Parliament ,
1272-594: The disquiet of some NBR shareholders. When potential independent shareholders queried the potential of the line in view of the proximity of the Kelso route, the Chairman of a meeting at Earlston in support of the project declared that it was "a well ascertained fact that any line of railway would pay, having ten miles on both sides of it not interfered with by any other company, and a fair population in need of coal, lime etc." In fact local proprietors had been anxious to have
1325-569: The estimated capital required was £170,000. The NBR got the act of Parliament which authorised the branch in the 1846 session. Construction of the line was not difficult and in 1849 it was ready for opening: free travel was permitted on a ceremonial opening day on 13 August 1849 and two long trains were fully loaded to make a return trip to the junction at Reston, although the trippers were not permitted to alight there. The line opened for normal business on 15 August 1849; Dunse station had an over-all roof, and an engine shed and turntable. However
1378-613: The functions of the commissioners. Berwickshire County Council held its first meeting on 22 May 1890 at County Hall in Greenlaw, when it decided by 18 votes to 12 that all subsequent meetings should be held at Duns. The county council therefore based itself at the County Buildings in Duns, sharing the premises with its continuing use as a sheriff court. The county council subsequently established additional offices in various converted houses along Newtown Street. A modern extension
1431-409: The hands of developers, and from 2007 the manor had been derelict, and seriously at risk. The partial demolition of the back quarters of the house left Whitehall completely open, and dangerous to the public. The Georgian manor was demolished in 2015. Ninewells, named for the springs that flow from the hillside into the Whiteadder Water . It was home to several generations of Homes (later Humes) and
1484-508: The loss of Berwick, Duns and Greenlaw both served as county town at different periods. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of the Borders region, with most of the historic county becoming part of the lower-tier Berwickshire district . Berwickshire district was abolished in 1996, when all the districts in the Borders region merged to become
1537-487: The main line at the end of the viaduct. The Duns branch (as it had become since the rainstorm) was closed to passengers on 10 September 1951. It was closed to all traffic on 7 November 1966. Station list Leaderfoot Viaduct is a structure of 19 arches, each of 43 feet (13 m) span; the track was carried 116 feet (35 m) above the level of the River Tweed below. Restoration work was carried out in 1991, and
1590-425: The opening of the final section of the line being delayed until 1865. The North British Railway had conceived the line as a strategic trunk route across southern Scotland, but this development was never realised, and the line was never heavily used. During the violent rainstorm in the area in August 1948 the line was breached west of Earlston, and the passenger train service ceased permanently. Duns reverted to being
1643-413: The outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Throughout the council's existence a majority of the seats on the council were held by Conservatives : The county council of Berwickshire 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 10 October. The coat of arms shows
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1696-583: The parishes of Channelkirk , Earlston , Lauder , Legerwood , and Mertoun , which went to Ettrick and Lauderdale district. The Berwickshire lieutenancy area was adjusted from being the historic county to being the new district at the same time. Berwickshire District Council was based at the former County Buildings at 8 Newtown Street in Duns, which became known as the Council Offices. The Borders region and its four district councils, including Berwickshire, were abolished in 1996, merging to form
1749-404: The present Scottish Borders council area. The Berwickshire lieutenancy area continues to be defined as the area of the pre-1996 district rather than the pre-1975 county. The former council offices in Duns continue to be used for some departments of Scottish Borders Council. The first election to Berwickshire District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside
1802-524: The railway; two of the biggest landowners pressed the company to take £5,000 worth of land for nothing, and they took shares as well. During construction, the North British Railway insisted on land being taken for a double line, even though the Duns branch from Reston had been singled by this time. This was consistent with the strategic vision of the line forming a trunk route across the country. The Berwickshire Railway opened from Dunse to Earlston on 16 November 1863. The onward section to Ravenswood Junction
1855-517: The station was inconveniently located, at the gas works outside the town, ensuring a clear route for any later extension westward. The branch was built as a double track, although the trade previously had been small. The over-provision became apparent, and in 1856 the North British Company found itself in financial difficulty and economies were sought: the line was reduced to single track on 17 January 1857. The train service in 1850
1908-471: The structure is category A listed. Gradients: from the main line junction at Reston the line climbed at 1 in 78 for three-quarters of a mile, then falling at 1 in 100 and 1 in 200 to Chirnside (a distance of three miles). Climbing then resumed at 1 in 100 continuously for over four miles to Duns. The line left Duns (near the 21 milepost from Ravenswood Junction) with a falling gradient at 1 in 60 before climbing again at 1 in 200 to Marchmont and then 1 in 65 to
1961-473: The village (see below). His nephew, the noted Scottish jurist David, later Baron Hume , was baptised at Chirnside in 1757. Chirnside is also the final resting place of Jim Clark , former world champion Formula One racing-car driver, who set up the Border Reivers (racing team) . Close to the churchyard in which Clark is buried, there is a memorial plaque and clock at the side of the main road through
2014-1061: The village. The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum can be found in Duns . Joelle Murray , Scottish internationalist, and Hibs footballer, is from the village. Liam Craig , the former footballer, is from the village. Near the kirk once stood a tower house (demolished in the 18th century), built by the Earl of Dunbar , once the superior here. 1 The Buildings of Scotland - Borders , by Kitty Cruft, John Dunbar and Richard Fawcett , Yale University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-300-10702-1 2 Lost Houses of Scotland , by M.Binney, J.Harris, and E.Winnington, for SAVE Britain's Heritage , London, July 1980, ISBN 0-905978-05-6 3 Refer: Borders and Berwick by Charles A Strang, Rutland Press, 1994, ISBN 1-873190-10-7 4 F.H. Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-4) Berwickshire Berwickshire ( / ˈ b ɛ r ɪ k ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / ; Scottish Gaelic : Siorrachd Bhearaig )
2067-492: The west end remains. The Ninewells Doocot , in a garden adjacent to the church, is a 16th-century circular beehive type doocot (dovecot). Not far from the manor, stands the Whitehall Doocot , rectangular-planned, and two-chamber, with stone skews defining its mono-pitched roof . Below Chirnside stands the estate of Whitehall, formerly with a Georgian manor house containing Palladian windows, which
2120-635: Was a Listed Building . It contained a first floor music room richly decorated in Italian plasterwork. Once owned by the Hall of Dunglass family, William Hall of Whitehall (died circa 1749) was one of the Principal Clerks of the Court of Session . It passed early in the 19th century to Mitchell-Innes of Ayton Castle family who held it until the 1980s. Since then the house, and its park passed through
2173-515: Was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which reorganised local government across Scotland into upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Berwickshire was incorporated into the Borders Region . Borders was divided into four districts, one of which was named Berwickshire, with borders which broadly resembled those of the historic county, but excluded the parish of Nenthorn , which went to Roxburgh district, and
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2226-476: Was added to County Buildings in 1967. Greenlaw was still considered the official county town after 1890, despite the county council meeting in Duns and courts being held at both towns. An Act of Parliament in 1903 finally revoked Greenlaw's status as county town and declared Duns to be the county town for all purposes. At the time of the county council's abolition in 1975, Berwickshire contained four burghs and three districts : Berwickshire County Council
2279-433: Was agreed and an enabling act of Parliament was passed on 13 July 1876. On 1 August 1876 the absorption became effective; Berwickshire Railway shareholders got £83 10s of North British Ordinary shares per £100 Berwickshire. In 1895 the passenger service consisted of three trains every weekday running throughout between Reston and St Boswells, and two short workings from Duns to each end of the line respectively. For over
2332-429: Was built as a house for the owner of the mill. There was an earlier mill and house on the site, and the porter's lodge, now a store, is a Gothic octagonal single–storey–and–basement building which probably dates from this period. Chirnside had a railway station on the North British Railway's Berwickshire Railway (opened 1863), in the hamlet of Chirnsidebridge . The railway line ran from Reston to Earlston , joining
2385-544: Was delayed because of the complexity of building the Leaderfoot Viaduct, a massive structure of nineteen arches. Two piers immediately north of the public road gave trouble shortly after opening of the line, and strengthening work had to be carried out. In fact the NBR subscribed a further £30,000 to the Berwickshire Railway to get the line completed; this was declared to a shareholders' meeting of
2438-512: Was designated as a hostel for Polish, and Eastern European displaced persons. Some Polish army personnel were billeted there, and some also lodged with Chirnside families. Around 1942–1943 it was designated as prisoner of war camp (236). The Ninewells Walled Garden stands on the A6437 south of the village (early 19th century). Sited 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Chirnside on the Billie Burn,
2491-603: Was formed by the Kelso branch of the North Eastern Railway and the Kelso branch of the North British Railway . The two branches met end to end, and earlier had been thought to have the potential to provide the strategic link across the country. However antagonism had been created between the NER and the NBR over running power agreements between Berwick and Edinburgh and from Hexham to Newcastle upon Tyne in connection with
2544-561: Was from Reston on the Edinburgh to Berwick main line to Duns (then spelt Dunse , and the county town of Berwickshire ); it opened by the North British Railway in 1849. The second section was promoted independently by the Berwickshire Railway Company, but with considerable assistance from the North British Railway. It opened most of its line in 1863, but delay in constructing a large viaduct, Leaderfoot Viaduct , led to
2597-404: Was made a royal burgh by David I (reigned 1124–1153), and it would appear that the shire of Berwick, or Berwickshire, was also created during David's reign. The shire covered the town of Berwick plus a largely rural area to the north-west of it, and corresponded to the medieval province of Merse. After the town of Berwick had finally been ceded to English control in 1482, the functions of
2650-497: Was taking shape, with the declared intention of continuing a trunk route to Carlisle, it became possible to consider a cross-country line linking to it from Dunse. This idea took shape as the Berwickshire Railway, planned to run from Dunse to Ravenswood Junction, a short distance north of St Boswells station (then commonly referred to as Newtown ) on the Hawick line. A cross-country line already existed linking Berwick and St Boswells: it
2703-479: Was the capturing of territory and the exclusion of competing railways. As part of that strategy, the NBR proposed numerous branch lines, and on 9 February 1846 a special shareholders' meeting approved the presentation of parliamentary bills for several branches, including one to Dunse (later known as Duns) from Reston, on the main line, a short distance north of Berwick. The bill was to include branches to North Berwick , Tranent and Cockenzie , as well as to Dunse, and
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#17327977805532756-413: Was the childhood home, and later the summer home, of David Hume (1711–1776) philosopher, economist, and writer. The original Ninewells house was entirely rebuilt by William Burn in 1839–1841 for Elizabeth Hume in a Tudor style, but was demolished in 1954. In the 19th century it was described as 'a handsome Tudor edifice of 1840–41, successor to an older mansion, which was the boyish home, though not
2809-456: Was three trains each way weekdays, with an additional early train each way on Wednesdays (the outward train was at "6½ a.m." from Dunse). All except the early trains are shown in Bradshaw as giving connections to Edinburgh and Berwick (though there is no reference to Reston or other intermediate stations, nor to the necessity to change). When the Hawick branch line of the North British Railway
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