Selkirk, The Scottish Borders, Scotland, United Kingdom

History | Traditions | Landmarks | Sport

๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Selkirk is a town and historic royal burgh in the Scottish Borders Council district of south-eastern Scotland. It lies on the Ettrick Water, a tributary of the River Tweed.

The people of the town are known as Souters, which means cobblers (shoe makers and menders). Selkirk grew because of its woollen industry, although now that industry has ceased, leaving little in its wake. The town is best known for bannocks, a dry fruit cake. It has a museum and an art gallery.

History Selkirk was formerly the county town of Selkirkshire. Selkirk is one of the oldest Royal Burghs in Scotland and is the site of the earliest settlements in what is now the Scottish Borders. The town's name means "church by the hall" from the Old English sele ("hall" or "manor") and cirice ("church").

Selkirk was the site of the first Borders abbey, a community of Tironensian monks who moved to Kelso Abbey during the reign of King David I. In 1113, King David I granted Selkirk large amounts of land. William Wallace was declared guardian of Scotland in the town at the Kirk o' the Forest in 1297.

Selkirk sent a contingent of 80 men to fight at the Battle of Flodden in 1513; however, only one man, "Fletcher", returned from the battle, bearing a blood-stained English flag belonging to the Macclesfield regiment.

During the series of conflicts that would become known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Selkirk played host the Royalist army of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, with his cavalry installed in the burgh, whilst the Royalist infantry were camped at the plain of Philiphaugh, below the town. On the morning of 13 September 1645, a covenanting army led by Sir David Leslie attacked the royalist forces camped at Philiphaugh, and a rout ensued. Montrose arrived to find his army in disarray and had to the flee the field. The surrendered Royalist troops were subsequently executed.

The novelist, Sir Walter Scott, presided, as the sheriff-depute, in the courtroom at Selkirk Town House in the early-19th century.

Selkirk grew in the mid-19th century because of its woollen industry, although it largely closed in the 1970s. The town is also known for bannocks, a dry fruit cake, which was first sold in the market place by a local baker, Robbie Douglas, in 1859.

Traditions The Selkirk Common Riding is a celebration of the history and traditions of the Royal and Ancient Burgh. It is held on the second Friday after the first Monday in June.

Landmarks The remains of the "forest kirk", referred to in ancient times as the church of St Mary of the Forest, still stand in the old churchyard. It is also the final resting place of several maternal ancestors of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the US.

Just to the south of the town is The Haining, the late 18th-century residence of the Pringle family. In 2009 the last owner died, and left the house and grounds "for the benefit of the community of Selkirkshire and the wider public". A charitable trust is now planning to restore the building as an art gallery.

Sport Rugby union plays its role in Selkirk culture and society. Selkirk RFC play in their home games at Philiphaugh, competing in the Scottish Premiership and the Border League.

The town cricket club was formed in 1851 and still plays in the Border League. The cricket ground at Philiphaugh is the site of the Battle of Philiphaugh.

The town also has a footballing tradition, having produced some players of note in the Scottish game including Bobby Johnstone of Hibernian.

Selkirk, The Scottish Borders, Scotland, United Kingdom 
<b>Selkirk, The Scottish Borders, Scotland, United Kingdom</b>
Image: Rosser1954

Selkirk has a population of over 5,784 people. Selkirk also forms part of the wider Scottish Borders district which has a population of over 115,270 people. Selkirk is situated near Newtown St Boswells.

Twin Towns, Sister Cities Selkirk has links with:

๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Plattling, Germany
Text Atribution: Wikipedia Text under CC-BY-SA license

  • David MacGibbon |

    ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Architect David MacGibbon is associated with Selkirk. In 1880 he was elected President of the Edinburgh Architectural Association.

Antipodal to Selkirk is: 177.16,-55.55

Antipodal to: Selkirk 177.16,-55.55

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Dunedin 170.474,-45.884 d: 18843  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Invercargill 168.373,-46.413 d: 18829.4  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Christchurch 172.617,-43.517 d: 18638.2  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Canterbury 171.58,-43.543 d: 18621.7  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Queenstown 168.658,-45.033 d: 18701.1  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Wellington 174.767,-41.283 d: 18419.1  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Hutt 174.917,-41.217 d: 18412.9  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Lower Hutt 174.917,-41.217 d: 18412.9  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Upper Hutt 175.05,-41.133 d: 18404.6  

๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Porirua 174.84,-41.131 d: 18402.9  

Bing Map

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