105-545: The Kelso Line was a ten-and-a-half-mile (16.9 km) long North British Railway built double track branch railway line in the Borders , Scotland , that ran from a junction south of St. Boswells on the Waverley Line to Kelso (the line ended at a temporary terminus at Wallace Nick until 1851) via three intermediate stations, Maxton , Rutherford and Roxburgh Junction where a branch line to Jedburgh joined
210-625: A Berwicker first, Scottish or English second." Former mayor Mike Elliot said "25% of the town consider themselves English, 25% Scottish and 50% Berwickers." Professor Dominic Watt of the University of Aberdeen noted that: "Older people view themselves more as Scots than the younger people in Berwick, and this can be heard in their accents." In 2008, SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Christine Grahame made calls in
315-541: A constituent of the new London and North Eastern Railway . Early railways in Scotland had been mainly involved with conveyance of minerals, chiefly coal and limestone in the earliest times, a short distance to a river or coastal harbour for onward transport. The opening of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (E&GR) in 1842 showed that a longer distance general purpose railway could be commercially successful. During
420-649: A cramped site close to the North Bridge, and the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway extended their line from their terminus at Haymarket to meet the NBR. The new station was operated jointly, and was simply called "the Edinburgh station" or "the North Bridge station". It also came to be referred to as "the General station", and much later it was named " Waverley station ". The English railway entrepreneur George Hudson
525-600: A dividend of 2.5%. In April 1856, the independent Selkirk and Galashiels Railway opened its line, to be worked by the NBR; this was followed in July 1856 by the Jedburgh Railway , connecting with the NBR at Roxburgh and also worked by the NBR. The Selkirk line was absorbed by the NBR in 1859, and the Jedburgh Railway in 1860. Hodgson reiterated Learmonth's statement that extending from Hawick to Carlisle
630-594: A manor and reserved for a lord's own use. This comes from the Old English berewíc , meaning "corn farm" (more specifically, bere refers to barley ). Its earliest recorded spelling, as Berewich , dates from 1167. There are several places in Britain with the same name; one such is North Berwick in Scotland, and Berwick-upon-Tweed has also been called "South Berwick" in Scottish sources. The medieval seal of
735-485: A notice, stating the intention to make a 5.5% preference share issue in the amount of £1,875,625 (equivalent to £219,477,900 in 2023), covering all the financial liabilities of the company. On 22 December the Glasgow Herald carried an eight-line report that the interim chairman had stood down, and that John Stirling of Kippendavie had been appointed chairman. Amid the fireworks of railway management, in 1866
840-518: A proposal from Asda in 2006 to build a store near the site, but in 2008 gave Tesco planning permission for its new store in the town, which opened on 13 September 2010. Asda went on to take over the Co-op shop unit in Tweedmouth in early 2010. A Morrisons supermarket with a petrol station, alongside a branch of McDonald's , a Travelodge UK and an Aldi all exist on Loaning Meadows close to
945-400: A shareholders meeting in 1851 it was pointed out that when the company's network had been 89 miles in extent revenue had been £39,304. Now the network was 146 miles and revenue was £39,967 (equivalent to £5,527,460 in 2023). Huge sums were being written off in failed ventures, while equally huge sums were being sought for new ones. Some shareholders remembered George Hudson's offer of 8% for
1050-481: A succession of raids, sieges and takeovers. William I of Scotland invaded and attempted to capture northern England in 1173–74. After his defeat in 1174, Berwick was ceded to Henry II of England under the Treaty of Falaise , along with four other castles at Edinburgh , Jedburgh , Roxburgh , and Stirling , with the five castles to be garrisoned with English troops paid for at Scottish expense. The Treaty of Falaise
1155-594: A through rail service without change of train via Carstairs since March 1848. The fastest trains between Edinburgh and London on both routes then took a little over 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours; the East Coast journey included the two transshipments, at the Tweed and the Tyne. and the cheaper steamship service between Leith and London still took the bulk of the passenger traffic. Mineral traffic, in particular coal from
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#17327902517391260-464: A traditional market town and also has some notable architectural features, in particular its medieval town walls , its Georgian Town Hall , its Elizabethan ramparts , and Britain's earliest barracks buildings, which Nicholas Hawksmoor built (1717–1721) for the Board of Ordnance . Berwick's name is of the same origin as the word berewick , denoting a portion of farmland which was detached from
1365-470: A white light every five seconds from a window overlooking the sea. Seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea has a chaplain to support the needs of mariners arriving at the port. Bus services are mostly operated by Borders Buses (part of West Coast Motors) and Arriva providing both local and longer links. The town is also served by National Express coaches. Berwick is famous for its hesitation over whether it
1470-512: Is part of Scotland or England. Some people are adamant they are English and their loyalty lies with Northumberland, while others feel an affinity with Scotland. Whilst it has been argued that the town's geographic and historic place between the two has led to it developing a distinctive identity of its own, many people in Berwick also have mixed Anglo-Scottish families which contributes to a sense of separate identity. Historian Derek Sharman said "The people of Berwick feel really independent. You are
1575-610: The North British Railway Act 1844 ( 7 & 8 Vict. c. lxvi). The Newcastle and Berwick Railway was building its line, and in time they would form part of a through chain of railways between Edinburgh and London. This had been a race against competing railways: the main competitor was the Caledonian Railway , which planned to build from both Edinburgh and Glasgow to Carlisle, there linking with English railways that were building northwards. However
1680-643: The Anglo-Scottish border , and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recorded Berwick's population as 12,043. The town is at the mouth of the River Tweed on the east coast, 56 mi (90 km) south east of Edinburgh , 65 mi (105 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne , and 345 mi (555 km) north of London . Uniquely for England, the town is slightly further north than Denmark 's capital Copenhagen and
1785-672: The Battle of Neville's Cross on 17 October 1346. In 1461, Berwick was ceded back to Scotland by Margaret of Anjou on behalf of her husband, Henry VI , in return for help against the Yorkists during the Wars of the Roses . Robert Lauder of Edrington was put in charge of the castle. He was succeeded in 1474 by David, Earl of Crawford . On 3 February 1478, Robert Lauder of the Bass and Edrington
1890-778: The Border Union Railway ) and the act of Parliament permitting the acquisition of the Carlisle minor railways received royal assent. On the same day the Border Counties Railway was authorised; it had been supported by Hodgson, who saw access to Newcastle independently of the North Eastern Railway . It was absorbed by the NBR in 1860. The construction of the Border Union Railway was slow; goods operation from Carlisle to Scotch Dyke, not far from Longtown, started on 11 October 1861, and
1995-574: The City of Glasgow Union Railway were eased. (At one time there had been thoughts of the NBR using a considerably expanded terminus on the line in alliance with the Glasgow and South Western Railway , but the cost would have been huge and it was not now possible to proceed. The Shareholders' Meeting of 12 September 1867 was told that arrangements had been made to deal with the £1,875,625 (equivalent to £209,777,300 in 2023) of debt already identified; but
2100-576: The Earldom of Northumbria until control passed to the Scots following the Battle of Carham of 1018. The town itself was founded as an Anglo-Saxon settlement during the time of the Kingdom of Northumbria . Between the late 10th and early 11th centuries, the land between the rivers Forth and Tweed came under Scottish control, either through conquest by Scotland or through cession by England. Berwick
2205-418: The Kingdom of Great Britain . Since then, Berwick has remained within the laws and legal system of England and Wales . The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 (since repealed) deemed that whenever legislation referred to England, it applied to Berwick without the need for a specific reference to the town. Until the 1830s the borough boundaries of the town were identical to the parish of Berwick, which lay entirely on
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#17327902517392310-479: The Local Government Act 1888 , which were based on the parliamentary boundaries of counties, and so Berwick was brought under the jurisdiction of Northumberland County Council , with the town council thereafter being a lower-tier authority subordinate to the county council. England now is officially defined as "subject to any alteration of boundaries under Part IV of the Local Government Act 1972 ,
2415-716: The Lothian coalfield, was the largest source of revenue, although delivery to the West Coast harbours and the developing iron smelting industry in the Monklands was problematical. The Chairman of the North British Railway was John Learmonth. From the outset he had seen that expansion of the North British Railway was the way forward, and with allies on the Board he had invested heavily, both personally and through
2520-559: The Scottish Parliament for Berwick to become part of Scotland again. The Liberal Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis , who was born and brought up in Berwick, asked for the border to be moved twenty miles south, stating: "There’s a strong feeling that Berwick should be in Scotland. Until recently, I had a gran in Berwick and another in Kelso , and they could see that there were better public services in Scotland." However, Alan Beith ,
2625-595: The Settle and Carlisle line in 1875 (for goods: passenger traffic started in 1876), that the North British had a willing English partner at Carlisle. After two years of construction, the Berwickshire Railway opened part of its line from St Boswells to Dunse (later spelt Duns) in 1865. The line was worked by the NBR and formed a continuous route with the earlier Dunse branch. The Berwickshire Railway
2730-514: The "Old Bridge" dates to 1611. It linked Islandshire on the south bank of the River Tweed with the county burgh of Berwick on the north bank. Holy Trinity Church was built in 1648–52. It is the most northerly parish church in England and was built under special licence from Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth period . In 1707, the Act of Union united England and Scotland to create
2835-578: The 1845 session, the Caledonian Railway was authorised. The Caledonian was to prove a bitter rival. The Edinburgh and Perth Railway failed to get parliamentary authorisation. The line to Hawick was to use the route of the obsolescent Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway , a horse-operated line with a non-standard gauge of sleeper-block track, and a large sum had to be allocated to converting that line to main line standards. All these plans for expansion were committing huge sums of money even before
2940-487: The Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished as part of wider structural changes to local government in England . All functions previously exercised by Berwick Borough Council were transferred to Northumberland County Council , which is the unitary authority for the area. During periods of Scottish administration, Berwick was the county town of Berwickshire , to which the town gave its name. Thus at various points in
3045-501: The Caledonian was unable to secure enough subscriptions to present a bill to Parliament in 1844 and held over to the following year. The chairman of the North British Railway, John Learmonth, saw that capturing as much territory as possible for the North British was essential in the competitive struggle. He prepared plans to build a second main line from Edinburgh to Carlisle through Hawick , and also attempted to gain control of
3150-531: The Caledonian were doing what they could to make the Waverley Route the source of the difficulties. By late 1869 the revenue sharing agreement was a dead letter. Berwick-on-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed ( / ˈ b ɛr ɪ k / ), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick , is a town and civil parish in Northumberland , England, 2.5 mi (4 km) south of
3255-640: The Crown ordered the dissolution of the garrison of Berwick and the number of soldiers was reduced to 100 men and pensioners. In 1639, the army of Charles I faced that of General Alexander Leslie at Berwick in the Bishops' Wars , which were concerned with bringing the Presbyterian Church of Scotland under Charles's control. The two sides did not fight, but negotiated a settlement, the "Pacification of Berwick" . Berwick Bridge , also known as
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3360-649: The Dalkeith line connections around Edinburgh were made, including feeding the Leith line and the Musselburgh line directly from the main line at Portobello and Wanton Walls respectively. From July 1861, the Peebles Railway line was leased. In 1862, a greater prize was acquired: the Edinburgh and Northern Railway had expanded from its origins and now, as the Edinburgh, Perth And Dundee Railway, it connected
3465-590: The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway and the Monkland Railways, and the following day the merged company was absorbed by the North British. Although some commentators had expected that the E&;GR might have absorbed the NBR, the reality was that the new board consisted of 13 former NBR directors and two E&G men. The NBR habitually ran trains on Sundays and started doing so on the E&GR main line, which had not. This ignited fresh protests from Sabbatarians but
3570-461: The Edinburgh and Perth Railway company, which was itself preparing plans for its line. In the 1845 session of Parliament Learmonth secured authorising acts of Parliament for numerous branch lines, mostly to forestall incursion by competitors. In addition, the first part of the line to Carlisle, the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway, was authorised: it was nominally independent, but in fact the shares were all owned by Learmonth and other NBR directors. Also in
3675-634: The January of the next year. The North Eastern Railway Kelso Branch line coming into Kelso from the west had reached Sprouston on 27 July 1849 leaving a two-mile gap between the two railheads. This gap was closed on 1 June 1851 when the North Eastern Railway line reached its destination. The joined line provided part of an alternative route when the East Coast Main Line was blocked north of Tweedmouth most notably in August 1948 when
3780-593: The Middle Ages and from 1482 (when Berwick became administered by England), Berwickshire had the unique distinction of being the only county in the British Isles to be named after a town in another country. In 1958, the borough's council applied for a coat of arms , but applied to the Lord Lyon King of Arms , the Scottish heraldic authority, for the grant "as suitable to a Burgh of Scotland", which
3885-645: The NBR stuck to its position on the matter. As well as the railways mentioned, the merger gave the North British a share of the City of Glasgow Union Railway which was then under construction. When complete, that line would give the North British access shipping berths on the Clyde at General Terminus over the General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railway . The NBR grew to have, by the summer of 1865, about 450 mi (720 km) of route, almost equally divided between double- and single-track. In addition it
3990-429: The North British Railway shareholders on the advice of their chairman. Parliament had declined to authorised the NBR line throughout to Carlisle, and for the time being Hawick was to be the southern terminus, although the plan to construct to Carlisle later was made manifest. As the Edinburgh end was to use the old Edinburgh and Dalkeith alignment, some connections between the NBR and that line had to be made, as well as
4095-596: The Smith-Barlow Commission, deliberated for some time and presented an ambiguous report, and public opinion had moved on: numerous schemes for railways were proposed, not all of them practicable. During this frenzy, a group of businesspeople formed the North British Railway Company to build a line from Edinburgh to Berwick (later named Berwick-on-Tweed with a branch to Haddington . They got their authorising act of Parliament,
4200-418: The accommodation of particular districts, so that it will in a great measure rest with the local interests, whether or not such works shall be immediately proceeded with. Building on the improved relations with the Caledonian, Kippendavie reached a revenue sharing arrangement with that company on 16 January 1868; the agreement included refrain from opposing time extension on NBR projects that had been delayed by
4305-445: The accounts from year to year so as to show to the shareholders and divide among them a revenue which was not in existence and was known not to have been earned; but it was a careful and most ingenious fabrication of imaginary accounts, begun and carried on from time to time for the purpose of supporting the falsified half yearly statements of revenue and the general misrepresentation of affairs The board resigned, only four remaining for
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4410-712: The area consisting of the counties established by section 1 of that Act, Greater London and the Isles of Scilly", which thus includes Berwick. In the 1972 act's reorganisation of English local government from 1 April 1974, the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was created by the merger of the previous borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed with Belford Rural District, Glendale Rural District and Norham and Islandshires Rural District . The Interpretation Act 1978 provides that in legislation passed between 1967 and 1974, "a reference to England includes Berwick upon Tweed and Monmouthshire ". In 2009
4515-508: The area was central to historic border wars between the Kingdoms of England and Scotland , and several times possession of Berwick changed hands between the two kingdoms. The last time it changed hands was when Richard of Gloucester retook it for England in 1482 . To this day, many Berwickers feel a close affinity to Scotland. Both Berwick Rangers Football Club and Berwick Rugby Football Club play in Scottish leagues. Berwick remains
4620-518: The board, and operating expenses were down to 44%. At a special shareholders' meeting on 15 July 1856 he announced that the company's money bill, the North British Railway (Finance and Bridge) Act 1856 ( 19 & 20 Vict. c. lxiii), had been passed, enabling the company to issue shares and to pay down debt with the money raised: he announced, somewhat prematurely, that the company was free from debt. The Ordinary Shareholders would get
4725-538: The borough in 1841 was 12,578, and that of the parish was 8,484. In the 1840s, Samuel Lewis included similar entries for Berwick-upon-Tweed in both his England and Scotland Topographical Dictionary . Berwick remained a county in its own right, and remained a separate parliamentary constituency until 1885 when it was merged to become a division of Northumberland under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 . In 1889 elected county councils were established under
4830-641: The company are under obligations to construct new lines, involving a further amount of £2,600,000. It s essential to limit this liability... but [the Directors] do not consider an indiscriminate abandonment of works to be desirable. Accordingly provision is made in the Finance Act for constituting certain of the unexpected works into separate undertakings... It is to local parties that the Directors look for subscriptions to construct branch lines, required for
4935-531: The company in 1847, which had been refused. It was noted that the Caledonian Railway was equally determined to enlarge its system, but was doing so by leasing smaller companies, avoiding a large payment at the beginning. In early 1852, a new preference share issue failed, and at the Shareholders' meeting in March two directors resigned, and Learmonth was forced to declare that he too would go in due course. This
5040-420: The company, in subscriptions to other railways. In some cases this was to extend the system profitably, but in many it was simply to keep rival lines, especially the Caledonian Railway, out. For some time shareholder opinion was with him, but over time disquiet took hold when the scale of the commitments was disclosed. In 1851, North British Railway £25 shares were trading at £6 (equivalent to £830 in 2023). At
5145-633: The company. Nonetheless, the company successfully reached Carlisle, where it later made a partnership with the Midland Railway . It also linked from Edinburgh to Perth and Dundee, but for many years the journey involved a ferry crossing of the Forth and the Tay. Eventually the North British built the Tay Bridge , but the structure collapsed as a train was crossing in high wind. The company survived
5250-423: The construction of the E&GR, the money market had eased somewhat and a rapid development of long-distance railways took place in England. Scottish promoters began to consider how central Scotland could be connected to the growing English network, and a government commission was established to determine the approved route. It was assumed for some time that only a single route was commercially viable. The commission,
5355-462: The county of Northumberland into four dialect zones and placed the Berwick dialect in the "north-Northumbrian" region, an area extending from Berwick down to the River Coquet . Likewise, Charles Jones (1997) classes the dialect as "predominantly North-Northumbrian" with "a few features shared with Scots ". Features of this dialect include the " Northumbrian burr ", a distinct pronunciation of
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#17327902517395460-589: The day after the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333. The Scots briefly took control of the town of Berwick (but not its castle) after a siege in November 1355 , but were in turn besieged by the English, who retook the town in January 1356. In October 1357, a treaty was signed at Berwick by which the Scottish estates undertook to pay 100,000 marks as a ransom for David II of Scotland , who had been taken prisoner at
5565-400: The entire line was opened for goods trains on 23 June 1862 and for passengers on 1 July 1862. The Border Counties Railway opened throughout on the same dates. The Border Counties joined the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway (N&CR) at Hexham. The North Eastern Railway wished to absorb the N&CR, and the NBR agreed to withdraw its opposition in an exchange of running powers. The NBR acquired
5670-454: The finance committee to the true state of the NBR's finances. A new preference share issue had flopped, and it proved impossible to pay debenture interest and preference share guaranteed dividends. Evidently it was intended to pay the dividend out of new capital; North British ordinary shares fell overnight by 8% after this revelation. Widespread financial impropriety and falsification of accounts were disclosed, all laid at Hodgson's door, and this
5775-422: The financial turmoil. By 1869, the Caledonian and the NBR were once again at loggerheads; the main issue now was the Waverley Route, and the proportion of traffic attributable to it. It emerged that the Caledonian had secretly concluded a pact with the London and North Western Railway in 1867; the arrangement excluded the North British from nearly all goods traffic, and its revelation damaged good feeling: indeed
5880-519: The former Borough's mayoralty and regalia. The mayor for 2022–2023 is Mike Greener. Berwick-upon-Tweed is in the parliamentary constituency of North Northumberland . Slightly more than 60% of the population is employed in the service sector, including shops, hotels and catering, financial services and most government activity, including health care. Some current and recent Berwick economic activities include salmon fishing, shipbuilding, engineering, sawmilling , fertilizer production, malting and
5985-466: The former MP for Berwick, said the move would require a massive legal upheaval and is not realistic. Beith's successor as MP, Anne-Marie Trevelyan , said: "Voters in Berwick-upon-Tweed do not believe it is whether they are in England or Scotland that is important." The local speech of Berwick-upon-Tweed shares many characteristics with both other rural Northumberland dialects and East Central Scots . In 1892, linguist Richard Oliver Heslop divided
6090-418: The full opening of the Border Union Railway, passenger trains had terminated at the Canal station of the Port Carlisle Railway. By 1864 the line was double track throughout and from 1 July 1864 the passenger trains were diverted over the Caledonian Railway connecting line, to terminate in Citadel station. The financial position was somewhat better and a 2% dividend on ordinary shares was announced in August. There
6195-638: The letter R historically common to many dialects of North East England ; and predominant non-rhoticity : older speakers tend to be slightly rhotic, while younger speakers are universally non-rhotic. A sociological study of the Anglo-Scottish border region conducted in 2000 found that locals of Alnwick , 30 mi (50 km) south of Berwick, associated the Berwick accent with Scottish influence. Conversely, those from Eyemouth , Scotland, 9 mi (14 km) north of Berwick, firmly classed Berwick speech as English, identifying it as "Northumbrian or Geordie ". Berwick Rangers Football Club were formed in
6300-444: The line. Little of the existing railway line remains, with most of the former track now occupied by the A6968 Kelso Bypass. Kelso railway station building - where the Kelso Line turned into the Kelso Branch , continuing on to Sprouston , and terminating at Berwick Upon Tweed - is no longer standing. The line opened as far as a temporary terminus at Wallace Neuk to the west of Kelso on 17 January 1850, and to Kelso itself in
6405-439: The main line was closed for three months. The line served the same purpose in 1954. Singling in the 1930s of the double track section between Kelso and the Waverley Route and an overall speed restriction made diversion working difficult. Passenger services ceased on 15 June 1964 with freight services ending on 1 April 1968. The Kelso and Jedburgh railway branch lines North British Railway The North British Railway
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#17327902517396510-495: The main line was ready. At last on 22 June 1846 the line to Berwick and Haddington was open to the public. There were five trains daily, with an additional ten short journeys between Edinburgh and Musselburgh . A Sunday service was operated, in the face of considerable opposition from those of a religious point of view. At first the Newcastle and Berwick Railway was not ready, and passengers and goods to London had to be conveyed by road from Berwick to Newcastle. From 1 July 1847 it
6615-413: The main line. Hodgson's faith in the Carlisle connection was equally ill-founded; facilities for through bookings and working south of Carlisle were refused. The capital commitment again swamped the financial resources of the company and the dividend sank to 1%. The Border Union Line, which soon became known as the Waverley Route opened in stages from 1861, opening throughout on 1 August 1862. There
6720-487: The manufacture of tweed and hosiery. Berwick town centre comprises the Mary Gate and High Street where many local shops and some retail chains exist. New office development has been built in the Walker Gate beside the library, which combined space with the Northumberland Adult Learning Centre and Tourism centre. There is a retail park in Tweedmouth consisting of a Homebase, Farm Foods, Marks and Spencer, Argos, Next, Carpetright and Poundland. Berwick Borough Council refused
6825-434: The merging of several of the old "coal railways" operating around Airdrie and Coatbridge . Their main business was still mineral traffic, and although their operating costs were high, they made a comfortable profit. On 4 July 1865, an act of Parliament, the Edinburgh and Glasgow and Monkland Railways Amalgamation Act 1865 ( 28 & 29 Vict. c. ccxvii) was passed authorising the merger and it took place on 31 July between
6930-422: The moribund Port Carlisle Dock and Railway Company and the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway and Dock Company . These lines had a Carlisle station, a connecting line to the Caledonian Railway at Carlisle Citadel station, and a west coast port, at Silloth. On 21 July 1859 the act of Parliament, the Border Union (North British) Railways Act 1859 ( 22 & 23 Vict. c. xxiv), for the Carlisle Extension (now labelled
7035-435: The most expensive undertaking of the Elizabethan period" – were spent on its fortifications, in a new Italian style ( trace italienne ), designed both to withstand artillery and to facilitate its use from within the fortifications. These fortifications have been described as "the only surviving walls of their kind". Sir Richard Lee designed some of the Elizabethan works, and the Italian military engineer Giovanni Portinari
7140-399: The new line from Monktonhall to Dalkeith via Smeaton opened, as did the Blane Valley Railway . Passenger services on the latter did not start until 1867, in common with the opening of the Esk Valle Railway . The company now sought to grow revenues on the existing network. A rapprochement was reached with the Caledonian Railway—Kippendavie came from that railway's Board—and commitments to
7245-416: The north side of the River Tweed, covering the main part of the built-up area and the rural areas immediately north-west of it. By that time, Tweedmouth on the south side of the river had grown to a sizeable population, effectively as a suburb of the town but outside the borough boundaries. Under the Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 the parliamentary borough (constituency) of Berwick was enlarged to include
7350-422: The outskirts of the town near the current A1. The Aldi outlet moved its operations to a new location in the newly constructed Loaning Meadows Retail Park which also hosts KFC and Costa Coffee drive-throughs, A Food Warehouse wholesale store, Greggs and a Home Bargains supermarket. The retail park is located adjacent to the Morrisons store. The old A1 road passes through Berwick. The modern A1 goes around
7455-418: The permanent bridges were inaugurated, by Queen Victoria , although some working over temporary structures had already taken place. The station at Edinburgh was located in a depression between the Old and New Towns; this had early been a disreputable and insanitary swamp called the Nor' Loch, although steps had been taken to provide ornamental gardens on part of the area. The North British Railway obtained
7560-694: The places in its title, albeit with a ferry crossing of the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay . The EP&DR also had a branch from Stirling to Dunfermline, through highly productive coalfields, and it had already absorbed the Fife and Kinross Railway and the Kinross-shire Railway . In the same year the North British absorbed the West of Fife Railway and Harbour Company , giving further access to mineral-bearing areas and to Charlestown Harbour. Since
7665-508: The powers over the BCR line into Newcastle. This seemed a hugely important goal, although the route over the two Borders lines was long and arduous. The exchange was that the NER got running powers from Berwick to Edinburgh. If Hodgson believed that this was an equitable exchange, he was soon rid of the belief, for the NER was now able to run through line goods and passenger trains right in to Edinburgh on
7770-475: The said hospital, as freely as is granted to any other hospital in the Kingdom of Scotland; the king also commands all those concerned to pay to the grantee all things necessary for the support of the hospital. Dated at Edinburgh June 8, in the 20th year of his reign." Berwick's strategic position on the Anglo-Scottish border during centuries of war between the two nations and its relatively great wealth led to
7875-462: The sake of continuity, and the previous statement of accounts and the declared dividend were reversed. No dividend was paid and warrants bearing 4% interest "until paid" were issued in their place, The meeting was naturally lengthy and at times stormy; a verbatim report occupied two and a half pages of the Glasgow Herald the next day. On 12 December 1866, the interim Chairman of the Company published
7980-603: The sea and the water its walls". In 1291–92, Berwick was the site of Edward I of England 's arbitration in the contest for the Scottish crown between John Balliol and Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale . The decision in favour of Balliol was pronounced in the Great Hall of Berwick Castle on 17 November 1292. In 1296, England went to war with France , with which Scotland was in alliance. Balliol invaded England in response, sacking Cumberland . Edward, in turn, invaded Scotland and captured Berwick , destroying much of
8085-559: The setback and opened a second Tay Bridge, followed soon by the Forth Bridge , which together transformed the railway network north of Edinburgh. Early on, mineral traffic became dominant and brought in much more revenue than the passenger services. At the grouping of the railways in 1923, the North British Railway was the largest railway company in Scotland, and the fifth largest in the United Kingdom. In that year it became
8190-473: The southern tip of Sweden further east of the North Sea , which Berwick borders. Berwick was founded as an Anglo-Saxon settlement in the Kingdom of Northumbria , which was annexed by England in the 10th century. A civil parish and town council were formed in 2008 comprising the communities of Berwick, Spittal and Tweedmouth . It is the northernmost civil parish in England. For more than 400 years
8295-582: The town and massacring the burgesses, merchants and artisans of the town. Edward I went again to Berwick in August 1296 to receive formal homage from some 2,000 Scottish nobles, after defeating the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar in April and forcing John Balliol to abdicate at Kincardine Castle the following July. At this time, work began on building the town walls (and rebuilding the earlier Castle); these fortifications were complete by 1318 and subsequently improved under Scottish rule. An arm of William Wallace
8400-629: The town of North Berwick , East Lothian , near Edinburgh. Berwick had a mediaeval hospital for the sick and poor, which the Church administered. A charter under the Great Seal of Scotland , confirmed by King James I of Scotland , grants the king's chaplain " Thomas Lauder of the House of God or Hospital lying in the burgh of Berwick-upon-Tweed, to be held to him for the whole time of his life with all lands, teinds, rents and profits, etc., belonging to
8505-509: The town showed a bear and a wych tree as a pun on the name. In the post-Roman period, the area was inhabited by the Brythons of Bryneich . Later, the region became part of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia . Bernicia later united with the kingdom of Deira to form Northumbria , which in the mid-10th century entered the Kingdom of England under Eadred . Berwick remained part of
8610-416: The town to the west. The town is on the East Coast Main Line railway and is served by Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station . A small seaport at Tweedmouth facilitates the import and export of goods but provides no passenger services. The port is protected by a long breakwater built in the 19th century, at the end of which is a red and white lighthouse . Completed in 1826, the 13 m (43 ft) tower emits
8715-512: The town. over a little more than 400 years, Berwick had changed hands more than a dozen times. Much of southern Scotland was again invaded by England during the " Rough Wooing " (also known as the Eight Years' War) of 1543–1551. The war ended with the Treaty of Norham in 1551, which saw England withdraw back to the border as had existed before the war began, and so retaining Berwick. Under
8820-541: The townships of Tweedmouth and Spittal south of the Tweed. A couple of years later, the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 standardised how boroughs were governed across England and Wales, and Berwick's municipal boundaries were enlarged to match the parliamentary borough, bringing Tweedmouth and Spittal under the jurisdiction of Berwick's town council. The same act also formalised Berwick's status as an independent county corporate . The population of
8925-404: The treaty, Berwick was declared to be a free town, independent of either kingdom. In practice it was controlled by England and sent members of parliament to the English parliament, but as an independent borough, outside the authority of the sheriffs of any English county, similar to a county corporate . During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England , vast sums – one source reports "£128,648,
9030-492: The upgrading of the E&DR line, doubling the single line section beyond Dalkeith , and construction of a new viaduct over the River South Esk and Dalhousie. After the NBR had formally purchased the Edinburgh and Hawick Railway, first openings took place in 1847 but it was not until 1 November 1849 that the line was open throughout to Hawick. For the time being Learmonth's objective of a line reaching Carlisle, which
9135-445: Was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh , Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followed a policy of expanding its geographical area, and competing with the Caledonian Railway in particular. In doing so it committed huge sums of money, and incurred shareholder disapproval that resulted in two chairmen leaving
9240-416: Was a competing Caledonian Railway Bill. Hodgson used the mutual rebuff to try to form an alliance with the Caledonian, building and operating the line jointly. His objective was obviously to achieve access through Carlisle southwards, but the Caledonian saw through that and turned him down. The NBR presented a fresh bill for the Carlisle line in the 1859 session. Hodgson had agreed a takeover arrangement with
9345-459: Was a priority. The water was muddied by the Caledonian Railway's stated intention to build its own branch from Carlisle to Hawick, and then by the independent Border Counties Railway . This was a speculative line from Hexham, on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway , striking north into presumed mineral-rich areas. It was authorised in 1854, and opened as far as Chollerford in 1858; its significance
9450-490: Was again appointed Keeper of the castle, a position that he held until the final year of Scottish control, when Patrick Hepburn , 1st Lord Hailes, had possession. In 1482, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III ) recaptured the town . Thomas Gower ( fl. 1543–1577 ) was the English marshal of Berwick 1543-1552. The Scots did not accept this conquest evidenced by innumerable charters for at least two centuries after this date, but never regained control of
9555-573: Was also involved in the project. Berwick's role as a border fortress town ended with England and Scotland's Union of the Crowns . On 6 April 1603, James VI of Scotland crossed the Border on his journey southwards to be crowned James I of England. He was met at Lamberton by the Lord Governor of Berwick with a mounted party from the garrison and was conducted into the town. In December 1603,
9660-404: Was annulled in 1189 when William paid Richard I of England 10,000 marks sterling to contribute towards the latter's crusade . Berwick had become a prosperous town by the middle of the 13th century. According to William Edington , a bishop and chancellor of England, Berwick was "so populous and of such commercial importance that it might rightly be called another Alexandria , whose riches were
9765-416: Was displayed at Berwick after his execution and quartering on 23 August 1305. In 1314, Edward II of England mustered 25,000 men at Berwick, who later fought in the crushing defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn . Between 1315 and 1318, Scottish armies, sometimes with the help of Flemish and German privateers , besieged and blockaded the town, finally capturing it in April 1318. England retook Berwick
9870-486: Was duly granted. On 1 April 1974, the borough was merged with Belford Rural District, Glendale Rural District and Norham and Islandshires Rural District to form Berwick Borough Council . Northumberland County Council became the unitary authority for the area when the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished on 1 April 2009. A new Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council was created on 1 April 2008 covering Berwick-upon-Tweed, Tweedmouth , and Spittal. It has taken over
9975-457: Was expanding his portfolio of railways and in 1847 his York and Newcastle Railway and the Newcastle and Berwick Railway were close to completing the English portion of a route from London to Edinburgh. Hudson made an offer to purchase the North British Railway (through the medium of his own companies) for 8% on the NBR capital. Hudson's offer placed a high value on the NBR, but it was rejected by
10080-412: Was hardly a tenable position and on 13 May 1852 he resigned. James Balfour took over, but Balfour was not well suited to the role and he had little influence on the course of the North British. He too left the company, and in 1855 Richard Hodgson took over. His task was formidable; no dividend was paid to ordinary shareholders for some time. By September 1856, Hodgson had routed an opposing faction on
10185-558: Was heavily supported by the NBR, probably as a strategic measure to keep the Caledonian Railway out of the district. The NBR absorbed it in 1876. Due to Hodgson's improved management in the period to 1862, the financial position was greatly improved. Dividends on ordinary shares up to 3% became regular. Geographical expansion was limited to funding the Parliamentary deposits of prospective friendly branch line companies, with provisional agreements to work their lines. Some changes to
10290-583: Was later to become the Waverley Route , was on hold. The NBR obtained Parliamentary authority in 1846 to build numerous branches off its main line and off the Hawick line. Not all of these were built, but in addition to the Haddington branch, which had opened contemporaneously with the main line, several were opened in the period to 1855. These were: The Caledonian Railway had been able to offer
10395-412: Was limited intermediate population, and the Caledonian Railway frustrated attempts to arrange through workings, or even through bookings, for passengers, and goods traffic was diverted away from the NBR. The NBR made use of its fortuitous connection to Silloth to ship goods onwards, but for the time being the line was of doubtful value considering its expense. It was not until the Midland Railway completed
10500-447: Was made a royal burgh by David I (reigned 1124–1153). David also established many of the shires of Scotland, with Berwick becoming the county town of Berwickshire , which covered the town and a largely rural area to the north-west of it. A mint was present in the town by 1153. In 1276, William de Baddeby was Constable of Berwick. While under Scottish control, Berwick was referred to as "South Berwick" to differentiate it from
10605-669: Was more excitement to come: the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway had for years seemed to be on the point of joining in with the Caledonian Railway, but now it seemed that it, together with the Monkland Railways , would join the NBR. The Edinburgh and Glasgow had a considerable system, including the Stirling to Dunfermline line and the Bathgate and Morningside line; moreover it was working the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway . The Monkland Railways had been formed in 1848 by
10710-469: Was open between Tweedmouth (opposite Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed ) and Newcastle upon Tyne. The North British Railway was able to advertise a train service from Edinburgh to London, although passengers and goods needed to be conveyed by road across the Tweed at Berwick, and across the River Tyne at Newcastle: the two river bridges were still under construction. It was not until 1850 that
10815-403: Was reported to a Special General Meeting on 14 November 1866. Hodgson did not attend; instead he sent a letter of resignation, and blamed bad headaches for preventing him from being present. John Balfour, the former chairman, took the chair for the meeting. The Committee of enquiry submitted a lengthy report, which included the statement that there had been not merely deliberate falsification of
10920-407: Was the potential to enter the area between Carlisle and Hawick: in 1857 it presented a bill to Parliament to join the Hawick line. That was not successful, but Hodgson caused the NBR shareholders to vote £450,000 (equivalent to £54,224,300 in 2023) for the Carlisle extension from Hawick; such was his power of persuasion. However the bill presented to Parliament in the 1858 session was rejected, as
11025-469: Was working another 40 mi (64 km) of single track for independent companies. In 1866, comparison with the Caledonian Railway showed that company to be in better shape: In the spring of 1866, Hodgson declared a 3% dividend on ordinary shares, but the share price continued to decline. In the Autumn of 1866 Hodgson was again proposing a dividend of 3% but a new company secretary, John Walker, alerted
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