Everything about Jedburgh totally explained
Jedburgh (Referred to locally Jeddart or Jethart) is a town and former
royal burgh in the
Scottish Borders.
Location
Jedburgh lies on the
Jed Water, a tributary of the
River Teviot, it's only ten miles from the border with
England, and is dominated by the substantial ruins of
Jedburgh Abbey. Other notable buildings in the town include
Mary, Queen of Scots' House and
Jedburgh Castle Jail, now a
museum.
History
A
church had been at Jedburgh since the 9th century, founded by Bishop
Ecgred of Lindisfarne, and king
David I of Scotland made it a
priory between 1118 and 1138, housing
Augustinian monks from
Beauvais in
France. The
abbey itself was founded in 1147. Border wars with England in the 16th century left the abbey a magnificent ruin, still worth a visit today.
The deeply religious Scottish king
Malcolm IV died at Jedburgh in 1165, aged 24. His death was thought to be brought on by excessive fasting.
David I'd also erected a
castle at Jedburgh, and in 1174, it was one of five fortresses ceded to England. It was an occasional royal residence for the Scots but captured by the English so often that it was eventually demolished in 1409, when it was the last English stronghold in
Scotland.
In 1258 Jedburgh had also been the focus of royal attention, with negotiations between Scotland's
Alexander III and England's
Henry III over the heir to the Scottish
throne, leaving the
Comyn faction dominant. Alexander III was also to marry at the abbey in 1285.
Its proximity to England made it historically subject to raids and skirmishes by both Scottish and English forces.
Mary, Queen of Scots stayed at a house in the town in 1566 which is now a museum.
Lord of Jedburgh Forest was a barony that was granted to
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus on the occasion of his marriage to the Princess Mary, daughter of
Robert III in 1397. It is subsidiary title of the present
Earl of Angus,
Angus Douglas-Hamilton, 15th Duke of Hamilton. The
Duke of Douglas was raised to the position of Viscount Jedburgh Forest, but he died without heir in 1761.
In 1745, the
Jacobite army led by Prince
Charles Edward Stuart passed through the town on its way to England, and the Prince also stayed here. The Castle
Prison opened in 1823.
In 1787 the early geologist
James Hutton noted what is now known as the Hutton
Unconformity Layers of
sedimentary rock which are tilted almost vertically are covered by newer horizontal layers of
red sandstone. This was one of the findings that led him to develop his concept of an immensely long
geologic time scale with "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."
The expression
"Jeddart justice" or "Jethart Justice", where a man was hanged first, and tried afterward (compare
Lynch law), seems to have arisen from one case of
summary execution of a gang of villains.
Notable people
Several notable people were born in the town, including
Mary Somerville (1780-1869) the eminent scientist and writer, after whom Somerville College at Oxford is named.
Others include the actor
Peter McCue, in 1921, and
Tory MP Michael Ancramin 1945.
James Thomson (1700–1748) who wrote "
Rule Britannia", was born nearby, and educated here.
David Brewster, inventor of the
kaleidoscope was also born in Jedburgh. The authoress and broadcaster
Lavinia Derwent was born in a farmhouse a few miles outside Jedburgh.
The town's most famous
rugby sons are the,
Roy Laidlaw and
Gary Armstrong.
The town today
The town's population in 2001 was 4,090, down from around 4,500 at the end of the 19th century.
The ruined abbey was the site of a major
archaeological dig in 1986. It is maintained by
Historic Scotland and open to the public (entrance charge). Many of the more important finds from the excavation are displayed on site in the modern visitor centre attached to the Abbey ruins. The Abbey, though much damaged over the years, especially by invasions from
England, is still one of the finest late Norman buildings remaining in
Scotland. Now roofless, part of the church was used as the parish church into the
19th century. Jedburgh Castle Jail, built in the early 19th century on the site of the medieval castle, is also open to the public. Borders traditions like the annual
Callants Rideout and bands of
pipes and
drums add local colour, and delicacies include
Jethart Snails and
Jethart Pears. Another annual event is the
Jethart Hand Ba' game. The
Canongate Brig dates from the 16th century, and there are some fine riverside walks. The
Capon Oak Tree is reputed to be 2000 years old, and
Newgate Prison and the town
spire are among the town's older buildings. The town's industries included
textiles,
tanning and glove-making,
grain mills, and
electrical engineering. Central to the festival and customs associated with the town of Jedburgh are the
Jedforest Instrumental band who support many civic, religious and social events throughout the year, a service provided consistently since 1854.
Jedburgh has two
primary schools, Howdenburn situated on Howdenburn Drive although its actual address is Lothian Road, and Parkside on Priors Road. There were two rural schools nearby, Oxnam Primary and Glendouglas Primary but these were shut in 2005 as cost cutting measures were brought in by
Scottish Borders Council. Pupils from these schools now attend Howdenburn Primary. Secondary education is served by Jedburgh Grammar School at the bottom of High Street. The pupils come from the two town primaries as well as Ancrum Primary School and Denholm Primary School. The Grammar School has the distinction of being one of only a handful of schools in
Britain that has a public road (Pleasance or Anna Road) running through the middle of it. The school has also been under major re-development work starting in 1995 and finishing in 2006.
Surrounding area
Other towns of interest include
Kelso,
Hawick,
Galashiels,
Selkirk, and
Melrose. There are abbeys at Melrose,
Kelso and
Dryburgh, and Kelso boasts a fine cobbled square.
All the border towns are famous for their
rugby, and Galashiels has associations with
William Wallace and
Robert the Bruce.
Selkirk is where William Wallace was declared
Guardian of Scotland and has many links to the
Earls of Douglas, where some of his descendents live to this day and Melrose was the scene of a battle in 1526 over the stewardship of
James V.
Transport
Although Jedburgh has no rail access it's well located on the road network. The
A68 provides direct access to
Edinburgh (48 miles) and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne (58 miles).
Carlisle is 57 miles away and
Hawick,
Kelso,
Selkirk and
Galashiels are all within 20 miles.
Jedburgh is well known to motorists in both
Edinburgh and
Newcastle-upon-Tyne as Jedburgh is a
control town to direct road traffic on the A68.
Sport
The town is home to one of the most famous and oldest Rugby Clubs in Scotland,
Jed-Forest. Under-18 "Semi Junior" rugby is played by Jed Thistle at Lothian Park. Also
football is represented by Jed Legion FC which currently plays in Division B of the Border Amateur League winning cups most seasons. They play their home matches at Woodend. Ancrum FC play in the village of
Ancrum just to the north and include many players from Jedburgh. A Bowling Club play at Allars Mill. Cricket was once also played at Woodend but the club disbanded in the late 80s. Many sports activities are offered in Jedburgh to children including rugby, football, swimming and badminton amongst others.
Jedburgh has the distinction of being the only Border town to have a
dry ski slope. Built at Anna Road Sports Complex which also has two
tennis courts, a small outdoor football pitch, a 100m sprint track and a sand pit for
long jump and
triple jump.
Canoes are also available for the towns Secondary school pupils at Jedburgh Grammar School which adjoins the complex and a "rock" for climbing and
abseiling, although not very high it gives a taster.
Jethart Snails
A local speciality, a brown mint-flavoured boiled sweet. The recipe is believed to have been brought to the town by
French prisoners of the
Napoleonic WarFurther Information
Get more info on 'Jedburgh'.
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