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Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county
Registration county

A registration county was, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a statistical unit used for the output of census information. Registration counties were formed by grouping together the registration districts wholly or partly within a county....
, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland

The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial Lord Lieutenant, the British monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government of Scotland council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former Regions and districts of Scotland, the former counties...
 of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, on the border
Border

Borders define geography boundaries of political geography or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or Subnational entity. They may foster the setting up of buffer zones....
 with England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed , situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed....
—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482. The county was on occasion referred to as Duns-shire or Dunsshire during the Victorian period and after, reflecting the fact that Duns
Duns

Duns was created a Burgh of Barony in 1490 by James IV of Scotland, and is a former county town of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders....
 had become the county town.

ickshire was formerly one of the ancient counties of Scotland
Counties of Scotland

The counties of Scotland were the principal subdivisions of Scotland of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and registration counties are largely based on them....
, but was abolished in 1975 during local government reorganisation.






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Berwickshire or the County of Berwick is a registration county
Registration county

A registration county was, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a statistical unit used for the output of census information. Registration counties were formed by grouping together the registration districts wholly or partly within a county....
, a committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, and a lieutenancy area
Lieutenancy areas of Scotland

The Lieutenancy areas of Scotland are the areas used for the ceremonial Lord Lieutenant, the British monarch's representatives, in Scotland. They are different from the local government of Scotland council areas, the committee areas, the sheriffdoms, the registration counties, the former Regions and districts of Scotland, the former counties...
 of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, on the border
Border

Borders define geography boundaries of political geography or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, states or Subnational entity. They may foster the setting up of buffer zones....
 with England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
. The town after which it is named—Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed , situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed....
—was lost by Scotland to England in 1482. The county was on occasion referred to as Duns-shire or Dunsshire during the Victorian period and after, reflecting the fact that Duns
Duns

Duns was created a Burgh of Barony in 1490 by James IV of Scotland, and is a former county town of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders....
 had become the county town.

Former status


County

Berwickshire was formerly one of the ancient counties of Scotland
Counties of Scotland

The counties of Scotland were the principal subdivisions of Scotland of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current Lieutenancy areas of Scotland and registration counties are largely based on them....
, but was abolished in 1975 during local government reorganisation. Its county town
County town

A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....
, after which it is named, had been Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed , situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed....
, but the royal burgh
Royal burgh

A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
 changed hands in 1482, subsequently becoming part of the county of Northumberland
Northumberland

Northumberland is a Counties of England in the North East England of England. The non-metropolitan counties of England of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of Nort...
, in England. Thereafter the county's administration was conducted at Duns
Duns

Duns was created a Burgh of Barony in 1490 by James IV of Scotland, and is a former county town of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders....
 or Lauder
Lauder

The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scotland Scottish Borders Subdivisions of Scotland. It was a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire until 1975 when both were abolished....
 until Greenlaw
Greenlaw

Greenlaw is a small town in the Scottish Borders of Scotland. It was for a time the county town of Berwickshire. It is situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water....
 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 burgh
Burgh

A Burgh is an Wiktionary:Autonomy corporate entity in Scotland, usually a town. This type of administrative division has existed since the 12th century, when David I of Scotland created the first Royal burghs....
s and four districts:
  • The royal burgh
    Royal burgh

    A royal burgh was a type of Scottish burgh which had been founded by, or subsequently granted, a royal charter. Although abolished in 1975, the term is still used in many of the former burghs....
     of Lauder
    Lauder

    The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scotland Scottish Borders Subdivisions of Scotland. It was a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire until 1975 when both were abolished....
  • The burghs of Coldstream
    Coldstream

    Coldstream is a burgh in the Scottish Borders. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank....
    , Duns
    Duns

    Duns was created a Burgh of Barony in 1490 by James IV of Scotland, and is a former county town of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders....
     and Eyemouth
    Eyemouth

    Eyemouth is a small town and parish in Berwickshire, in the Scotland Scottish Borders. It is two miles east of the main north-south A1 road and just 8 miles north of Berwick-upon-Tweed....
  • The county of Berwick East, Middle and West districts
  • The Cogan household (Home of National Hero Josh Cogan.)


District

The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

The Local Government Act 1973 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that reformed local government of Scotland in Scotland, on May 16, 1975....
 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 was not identical with the former county however: the burgh of Lauder and most of the county's West District were included in Ettrick and Lauderdale
Ettrick and Lauderdale

Ettrick and Lauderdale was one of four local government districts in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996.The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1973 from:...
, 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
Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889

The Local Government Act 1889 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which was passed on 26 August 1889. The main effect of the act was to establish elected county councils in Scotland....
, and applied for a grant of arms the same year. The grant, by Lord Lyon King of Arms
Lord Lyon King of Arms

The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officer of State in Scotland and is the Scotland official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest heraldic court in the world that is still in d...
 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
Coldingham

Coldingham is an historic village in Berwickshire, on southeast Scotland's coastline, north of Eyemouth.As early as 660AD, Coldingham was the site of a religious establishment of high order, when it is recorded that Etheldreda, the Queen of Ecgfrith of Northumbria, became a nun at the Abbey of Coldingham, then under the management of Aebbe...
, Coldstream
Coldstream

Coldstream is a burgh in the Scottish Borders. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank....
, Duns
Duns

Duns was created a Burgh of Barony in 1490 by James IV of Scotland, and is a former county town of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders....
, Earlston
Earlston

Earlston is a parish and market town in Berwickshire, Scotland. It is situated on the River Leader in Leaderdale....
, Eyemouth
Eyemouth

Eyemouth is a small town and parish in Berwickshire, in the Scotland Scottish Borders. It is two miles east of the main north-south A1 road and just 8 miles north of Berwick-upon-Tweed....
, Foulden, Greenlaw
Greenlaw

Greenlaw is a small town in the Scottish Borders of Scotland. It was for a time the county town of Berwickshire. It is situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water....
, Lauder
Lauder

The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scotland Scottish Borders Subdivisions of Scotland. It was a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire until 1975 when both were abolished....
  (former seat of the county Commissariot), Mordington
Mordington

Mordington is an agricultural parish in the extreme south-east of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders region. It is five miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed and borders Northumberland to the east, and south , Foulden, Berwickshire to the west, and Lamberton, Berwickshire to the north....
, St. Abbs
St. Abbs

St. Abbs is a small fishing village located on the southeast coast of Scotland, in the committee area of Berwickshire, Scottish Borders region....
, and Swinton And also Cogan's House.

See also

  • Subdivisions of Scotland
    Subdivisions of Scotland

    For Local government in Scotland purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" which are all governed by unitary authority designated as "councils"....