Jedburgh
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 "Strenue et Prospere", Earnestly and Successfully | |
  Jedburgh Location within theScottish Borders | |
| Area | 1.74 km2 (0.67 sq mi) [1] |
| Population | 3,860 (2020)[2] |
| • Density | 2,218/km2 (5,740/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | NT649205 |
| • Edinburgh | 41 mi (66 km) NW |
| Civil parish |
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| Community council |
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| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | JEDBURGH |
| Postcode district | TD8 |
| Dialling code | 01835 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| Website | www.jedburgh.org.uk |
| 55°28′37″N2°32′46″W / 55.477°N 2.546°W /55.477; -2.546 | |
Jedburgh (/ˈdʒɛdbərə/JED-bər-ə;Scottish Gaelic:Deadard;Scots:Jeddart orJethart)[3] is a town and formerroyal burgh in theScottish Borders and the traditional county town of thehistoric county ofRoxburghshire.[4]
Jedburgh began asJedworð, the "worth" or enclosed settlement on the Jed. Later the more familiar word "burgh" was substituted for this, though the original name survives as Jeddart/Jethart.[5]
BishopEcgred of Lindisfarne founded a church at Jedburgh in the 9th century, and KingDavid I of Scotland made it apriory between 1118 and 1138, housingAugustinianmonks fromBeauvais inFrance. Theabbey was founded in 1147, but border wars with England in the 16th century left it a ruin.[6]
The deeply religious Scottish kingMalcolm IV died at Jedburgh in 1165, aged 24. His death is thought to have been caused byPaget's disease of bone.[7]
David I built acastle at Jedburgh, and in 1174 it was one of five fortresses ceded to England. It was an occasional royal residence for the Scots. It was demolished in 1409.[8]
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In 1258, Jedburgh was a focus of royal attention, with negotiations between Scotland'sAlexander III and England'sHenry III over the succession to the Scottish throne, leaving theComyn faction dominant.Alexander III was married toYolande in the abbey in 1285.[9]
In 1307, James Douglas, fighting for King Robert Bruce, took Jedburgh from the English with little effort.[10]
Its proximity to England made it subject to raids and skirmishes by both Scottish and English forces but its strategic position also brought the town valuable trade. At various times and at various locations the town supported a horse market, a cattle market, a corn market and a butcher market. Farm workers and servants also attended hiring fairs seeking employment.[11]
Jedburgh was burnt in September 1523 by an English force commanded byWilliam Bulmer andThomas Tempest. TheEarl of Surrey reported the town had more houses thanBerwick-upon-Tweed and six good towers. The horses stampeded from the English camp, some into the burning town.[12] Such was the panic,Lord Dacre's men said that the Devil was seen amongst them.[13] During the war with England now known as the "Rough Wooing", the Scots and their French allies made plans to fortify Jedburgh in 1549, with the advice of Camillo Marini, an Italian military engineer.[14]
Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at a certain house in the town in 1566 and that house is now a museum –Mary Queen of Scots House.[15] Mary fell ill, and on 25 October 1566, thePrivy council issued a "Proclamation to keep good rule at Jedburgh" during the time of her recuperation. No one should pursue their private quarrel and arm themselves, on pain of death for treason.[16]
The title "Lord of Jedburgh Forest" was granted toGeorge Douglas, 1st Earl of Angus on his marriage to the Princess Mary, daughter ofRobert III in 1397.[17] The titles ofArchibald Douglas, 1st Duke of Douglas included "Viscount Jedburgh Forest", but he died without an heir in 1761.[18]
On 6 November 1745, theJacobite army led by PrinceCharles Edward Stuart passed through the town on its way to England.[19] The Castle Prison opened in 1823.[8]
In 1787, the geologistJames Hutton noted what is now known as the HuttonUnconformity[20] at Inchbonny, near Jedburgh.[21][22] Layers ofsedimentary rock which are tilted almost vertically are covered by newer horizontal layers of redsandstone.[23] This was one of the findings that led him to develop his concept of an immensely longgeologic time scale with "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."[20]
The Scots name for the town is part of the expression "Jeddart justice" or "Jethart Justice", in which a man was hanged first, and tried afterwards.[24]
Jedburgh became the county town ofRoxburghshire after the original county town ofRoxburgh was abandoned following the destruction ofRoxburgh Castle in 1460 during theAnglo-Scottish Wars. In 1812,County Buildings was built at the junction of Market Place and Castlegate in Jedburgh, serving as both asheriff court and meeting place for theCommissioners of Supply.[25] Roxburghshire County Council was created in 1890 and continued to meet at the County Buildings until 1930 when it moved its meetings toCounty Offices atNewtown St Boswells.[26]
The town's name was used forOperation Jedburgh, a clandestine operation by allied soldiers in occupied Europe during theSecond World War.[27]
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Jedburgh lies on theJed Water, a tributary of theRiver Teviot. It is 10 miles (16 km) from the border withEngland, and is dominated by the substantial ruins ofJedburgh Abbey. Other notable buildings in the town includeQueen Mary's House,Jedburgh Castle Jail, now amuseum, and theJedburgh Library.
Other places nearby areAncrum,Bairnkine,Bonjedward,Camptown,Crailing,Edgerston,Ferniehirst Castle,Nisbet andOxnam.
Several notable people were born in the town, includingRev Dr Thomas Somerville's niece,Mary Somerville, in 1780[28] (the eminent scientist and writer, after whomSomerville College, Oxford is named, and who appeared on theRoyal Bank of Scotland £10 note from 2017).
James Thomson (1700–1748) who wrote "Rule Britannia", was born in Ednam, a village only twelve miles away, but he was educated in Jedburgh.[29]David Brewster, physicist, mathematician, scientist, writer and inventor of thekaleidoscope, was born in Jedburgh in 1781.[30] The popular preacher Rev.Robert Aitken (1800–1873) was born in Crailing near Jedburgh.[31] GeneralSir Bindon Blood was born nearby in 1842.[32]Alexander Jeffrey (F.S.A. Scot.) was a solicitor in the town and was also the county historian: he lived in Jedburgh until his death in 1874.[33] The author and broadcasterLavinia Derwent was born in a farmhouse a few miles outside Jedburgh in 1909.[34] The Tinline brothers emigrated from Jedburgh in the late 1830s.George Tinline made a career in banking in Australia.[35]John Tinline went to New Zealand and made his wealth in farming. John returned to Jedburgh later in life and gifted Allerley Well Park to his hometown.[36]
The town's well knownrugby players are thescrum-halves,Roy Laidlaw,[37] his nephew, Scotland rugby team captainGreig Laidlaw[38] andGary Armstrong.[39]Douglas Young fought atHeavyweight at the1984 Summer Olympics.[40]
Emmy Award-winning journalistNick Watt is from Jedburgh and hosted a short film about the town for theTravel Channel.[41]
The abbey is maintained byHistoric Environment Scotland (HES) and open to the public (there is an entry fee). Finds from excavations are displayed on site in the visitor centre attached to the Abbey ruins. The shell of the abbey, though much damaged over the years, is still largely complete.[42]
Traditional festivals and performers include the annual Callant's Festival, and Jedburgh Pipe Band and Jedforest Instrumental Band.[43] Local delicacies include Jethart Snails (boiled sweets in the shape of a snail, said to originate from a recipe given to a local baker by a French prisoner, during theNapoleonic Wars)[44][45] and Jethart pears. The fertile soil of Jedburgh makes it good for growing pear trees, and the pear trade was a thriving industry in Jedburgh for centuries.[46]
An annual event is the 'Ba' Game' in Jedburgh.
The Canongate Brig dates from the 16th century. The nearbyCapon Oak Tree is recognised to be of national interest[47] and the 19th-centuryJedburgh Castle Jail[48] and Newgate, with itsspire, are among the town's notable buildings.[49]
Schooling currently takes place at Jedburgh Intergenerational Community Campus, which opened in early 2020.[50]
Although Jedburgh no longer has any rail access, it is well located on the road network. TheA68 provides direct access toEdinburgh (48 miles (77 km)) andNewcastle-upon-Tyne (58 miles (93 km)).Carlisle is 57 miles (92 km) away andHawick,Kelso,Selkirk andGalashiels are all within 20 miles (30 km).
Jedburgh is known to motorists from theEdinburgh andNewcastle-upon-Tyne areas as Jedburgh is signposted as aprimary destination on theA68.
Bus services to Jedburgh are provided byBorders Buses.[51] Until July 2013, they were mostly run by local operatorMunro's of Jedburgh.[52]
The town is home to a Rugby Club,Jed-Forest which was founded in 1885.[53] Under-18 "Semi Junior" rugby is played by Jed Thistle at Lothian Park.[54]
Football is represented by Jed Legion FC which currently plays in 'A' League of the Border Amateur League.[55] Ancrum AFC play in the village ofAncrum just to the north at Bridgend Park and are in the Border Amateur 'B' League.[56] A 1930s club, punningly namedJed Arts, won theEast of Scotland League[57] and theBorder Cup[58] in 1936–37.
Jedburgh has a golf club dating from 1892; the course has 18 holes.[59]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Jedburgh".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 299–300, see page 299....David, prince of Cumbria, here founded a priory for Augustinian monks..... and in 1147, [he] erected it into an abbey...Repeatedly damaged in Border warfare, it was ruined in 1544–45...
Whilst visiting Allar's Mill on the Jed Water, Hutton was delighted to see horizontal bands of red sandstone lying 'unconformably' on top of near vertical and folded bands of rock.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Jedburgh".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 307–308.
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