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Home , Jedburgh, Jedburgh Abbey, Jed Water, Mercat cross

je db rail . town trail . tow ur h town t n trail . gh jedburg jedburgh tow rail . town n own t trail trai urgh t . jedb l . jed . jedb urgh n trail tow tow town trail . jedburgh town n trail urgh . jedburgh town trail . jedb

jedburgh je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town tr h t jedbur ail . jed ow trail . introductionburgh n tr town town ail . burgh trail jedb il . jed This edition of the Jedburgh Town Trail has be found within this leaflet.. jed As some of the rgh urgh tra been revised by Council sites along the Trail are houses,bu rwe ask you to u town tra rgh town gh tow . jedb il . jedbu working with the Jedburgh Alliance. The aim respect the owners’ privacy. n trail . je n trail is to provide the visitor to the of dburgh tow Jedburgh with an added dimension to local We hope you will enjoy walking Ma rk et history and to give a flavour of the town’s around the Town Trail P la development. and trust that you ce have a pleasant 1 The Trail is approximately 2.5km (1 /2 miles) stay in Jedburgh long. This should take about two hours to complete but further time should be added if you visit the and the Castle Jail. Those with less time to spare may wish to reduce this by referring to the Trail map which is found in the centre pages. The walk starts and finishes at the Tourist Information Centre in Abbey Place.

In order to guide the visitor, plaques are sited along the route at specific points of interest and information relating to them can

jedburgh town trail 1 je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town tr h t jedbur ail . jed ow historical backgroundtrail . burgh n tr town town ail . burgh trail jedb The history of the Royal Burgh of Jedbl ur. jghed Jedburgh on numerous occasions. The . je gh urg rai town and Abbey were burned three times dbu ur h towndates back many centurtoies.w nAroundt AD rgh to jedb 830,tr aBishopil . je dEcgredburg ofh formed in the 15th century by the English, providing wn tra rail . two settlements on the , calling evidence of the strategic value of the town. il . jedburgh town t them both by the same name. The oldest The 16th century was no less troublesome written form of this name is Gedwearde and several attempts were made to restore - meaning “the enclosed order to the area. The English attacked and settlement by the River captured the town in 1544 as part of the Jed” - which dates from “Rough Wooing” and a year later, the Earl of around 1050. By the Hertford invaded on the orders of mid 16th century, Henry VIII of and laid waste to vast the name ‘Jedworth’ tracts of southern Scotland. was being used, even today locally The Union of the Crowns in 1603 ended - the town is referred Border warfare and brought about an increase to as ‘Jeddart’. in trade. In 1707, the Union of the Parliaments Je d b had further ramifications for trade between u rg the two countries. The ‘Treaty of Union’ was h Situated close to A bb supposed to be to the equal benefit of both ey the National Border between Scotland and Kingdoms but punitive taxes on traditional England, the town saw more Scottish goods saw a decline in industries such than its fair share of turmoil. as tanning and malting, particularly in Jedburgh. During the Wars of Independence in the Thus many people left the Border towns to 13th and 14th centuries, the English captured find work elsewhere. 2 jedburgh town trail je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h bur By 1741, the town was in a state ofr poaivler. ty to il . jed jedbuStarr t the Jedburgh Town Trail at the Tourist wn n tra and financial assistance had to be sought. Infgorhmationto Centre. The large sandstone tr tow Jedburgh, unlike some Border towns, was building tow ynour right is the Public Hall. ail urgh trai . jedb . jedb not subject to expansion as a result of the l . je gh ur rail industrial revolution and early attempts to Public Hall dbu ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb n trail . jedburgh to introduce woollen manufacture in the 18th The Public Hall was designed in 1900 obwy then tr ail . j century were unsuccessful. By the early 19th architect J. P. Alison and completed in 1901 ail . jedburgh town tr century however, the recovery from the in a style described in a contemporary Union began at last. journal as “an adaptation of the later Renaissance period”. The Public Hall was Today, the town retains largely the same plan designed to replace the town’s P as it had centuries ago, comprising the High Corn Exchange, which had ub lic Street and Castlegate with closes and tofts burned down in 1898. The H a running at right angles to these main streets, Hall can accommodate ll similar to the in . around 800 people. Below ground level, Jedburgh lies on the A68 from Edinburgh. two rooms from an The quiet nature and great beauty of the old malt barn remain. town and its Abbey make it an essential stop The malt barn at one time served as the for tourists from all over the world. The town armoury. The Hall sight of the Abbey as you approach from the itself is quite grand with south gives a real sense of the history of the a barrel vaulted ceiling town you are entering. supported by pilasters1 and ornamental scrolled brackets, called consoles. There is a gallery supported on cast iron columns, providing further seating for the public. jedburgh town trail 3 1 Pilaster - a rectangular feature in the shape of a pillar. je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h Beside the Hall is Murray’s Green car park, Once a year during the summerbur , this is the rail . to il . jed jedbur wn which was upgraded by Scottish Borders centre of nfestivittraies when crowds gather gh to tr Council in 1999. During the excavation duringt othew Jethart Callant’s Festival, to see wn ail urgh trai . jedb work, some bones were found which. jed b the town’s principal - the Callant - receive l . je gh ur probably related to a burial in the rAbaibeyl as the Jethart flag. He then carries the flagwith dbu ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb nthistr areaail .w jouldedb hauvreg beenh t opart of the Abbey him on horseback during Festival Day. At the own tr ail . j Precinct. end of Festival Day, respect is paid at the War ail . jedburgh town tr Memorial to all those who lost their lives in Ramparts armed conflict. Cross Abbey Place and either mount the stairs or follow Looking towards the Jed Water, the large the pavement to stroll grassed area was once the site of the North along the raised walk, British Rayon Mills. called ‘The Ramparts’, towards the War Memorial. There has been a religious foundation associated with Jedburgh for many centuries. When French troops Ecgred, of Lindisfarne in AD 830, reinforced the Scots granted land to the church of Lindisfarne who were defending and a place of worship was built in this area. Jedburgh in 1548, from There is no known building on this site until W a the English army, their the 11th or 12th century. A priory was r M em commander General D’Esse founded by King David I (1124-53) in 1138 orial constructed gun platforms on the when he invited Augustinian canons from eastern side of the Abbey to afford it some Beauvais in to settle in Jedburgh. By protection. It is from these gun platforms 1154, the status of the priory had been raised that this raised area takes its name. to that of an Abbey. This indicated clearly to

4 jedburgh town trail je he Abbey db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh T urg h tow town t h burg the English, the power rail . to il . jed jedbur English forces occupied the town once wn n tra of the King and the gh to more in 1548 but the following year, tr tow i n d e p e n d e n c e wnthe Scots were reinforced by a ail . urgh trai jedb . jedb of the Scottish strongl c.ojnetingent of the French gh ur rail church. army and thdeb Eunglish withdrew. ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb n trail . jedburgh to The Abbey which by thoisw timne tr ail . j The first attack was ruinous was suppressed in ail . jedburgh town tr on the Abbey 1559 as part of the religious was in 1305, in in Scotland. Je the early phases db This meant that the ur gh of the Wars of A monks could no b b e Independence, when longer recruit y it was wrecked and new members plundered by the English to the order. under Sir Richard Hastings. The Abbey was thrice ravaged in the 15th The Abbey was century, in 1410, 1416 and again in 1464. then used as the In 1523, English troops under the Earl of parish church until Surrey, put the Abbey to the torch once 1875 when the new more. Repair work was undertaken only to parish church was have the buildings burned again by Sir Ralph built on the opposite Ewer in 1544 and the Earl of Hertford in side of the river to the 1545. Hertford was carrying out the orders abbey. The Abbey then of Henry VIII who wanted Queen Mary to ceased to be a place of worship. marry his son - Prince Edward - but his After this, the architect Sir Robert ‘Rough Wooing’ proved unsuccessful. Rowand Anderson, under the guidance of the Marquis of Lothian, started restoration

jedburgh town trail 5 2 Quoin - (pronounced ‘coin’) corner stone. 3 Bellcast - a slight flattening in the slates at the eaves. Newgate jed dburgh town tr bu n trail . je ail . jedburgh t rg rgh tow own trai h t work on the Abbey. In 1913, Ne. wgjedatebu l . jedb ow the Abbey was taken in railThis is a harled building urg n t own t h tow rail to guardianship by H.M. rgh t with an archway and a n tra . jed Office of Works and is jedbu tall spire. The building il . j h bu now a Historic Scotland il . replaced the edb rg rgh to n tra urgh dbu wnmtornuamile n. tj. edburgh tow The gatehouse was town t il . je started in 1756 rail . jedburgh town tra TheVisitors’ Centre has and the spire was a small and a added later on, works video display explaining beginning in 1761 and more about the Abbey. finishing in 1791. The If you make a visit to the 36 metre (118 feet) high Abbey, you should expect your spire houses three bells. One visit to last at least one hour and an of these dates from before the entrance fee is charged. religious Reformation of Scotland (1525- 1560) and reputedly came from the Abbey. On leaving the Abbey, return up Abbey Place, either along the ramparts or by way of the Before you walk through the arch, look up pavement. In the 18th century, Abbey Place and you will see a carved stone panel bearing is where the Jedburgh cattle market was held. the Burgh Arms with the date 1720. Notice Notice on your right the Carters’ Rest which also the town’s motto “Strenue et Prospere” was at one time the Jedburgh Grammar meaning ‘With vigour and success’. This School until the new building on High Street plaque was taken from a wellhead of the was built in 1882. One of the more famous town’s first public water supply and proves ex-pupils being Sir who that you cannot always tell the date of a went on to become Principal of Edinburgh building from a dated stone. It was built into University. At the head of Abbey Place before the spire during the early 19th century. you enter Market Place is Newgate.

6 jedburgh town trail jed . jedburgh town trail bu own trail . jedburgh tow rgh urgh t n trail to il . jedb Once under the arch - which was at one ti.mjee dbuMarket Place wn tra closed off by a pair of folding gates - the doors Trhgish wtas the centre of the Burgh’s social and t own economoicw life. Here traders would come from rail rgh t seen either side of you lead to cells. These are n tra . jed jedbu quite small and windowless. Just imagine the all over Scotland andil e.vejn the continent to sell h bu il . conditions for the prisoners during the cold, goods. A Mercat Crosse odnbce stood here, its rg rgh to n tra urgh dbu wn trail . jedburgh tow dark winter days. On the level above was the position marked by a plaque set in thte omwiddnlet il . je cell for condemned prisoners and they would of the road. In a law passed by King William I rail . jedburgh town tra have had a bit more to think about than the (1165-1214) it was a requirement M a condition of their surroundings. That having that all goods for sale in rk et been said, crime was low in Jedburgh in the P be presented at the “mercat la c latter part of the 18th century when only and ”. Mercat e five people were condemned to death “but signified the not one of them for murder”. If you look up trading status of a town when you are under the arch, you will see that or village and served timber joists form the ceiling and not vaulting additional functions as as you might expect. sites of proclamations andpunishment.Weekly Once through the arch, you get another view markets were held on of the Abbey. Through the railings you can Mondays and Fridays, see the old cemetery with many gravestones although this was changed dating from the 17th century. The ground and in 1639 to Tuesday and Friday the nave of the Abbey itself would have been to stop people having to travel on used for burials from the time of its foundation. a Sunday. The Cross was removed in In 1993, during the laying of a gas pipe in the 19th century as part of the ‘improvements’ Abbey Place “several skulls” were discovered, carried out to the town. The former location thereby extending the known graveyard limit of the cross is marked by a circular panel set in towards the north side of the road. the street, which is still used as the start point Walk the short distance into Market Place. for the Jedburgh Handba’ game.

jedburgh town trail 7 je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town tr h Also set in the ground of Market Place is Canongate dbur ail . j tow ail . je edbur n a plaque marking the position of a tower This waws thne tprimary entrance to the town, gh tow tra which once stood here, the Kirkwynd Tower, legahditngo as it did from Bridge. n t il urAt the end of the bridge would have been rai . jedb which guarded the approach to the Abl .beyjed b l . jed gh urgh from Market Place. The first officialtrai record the Canongate Port, a fortified entranceway. bur ur tow n Number 2 Canongate is built on the gh t db noft rtheai lto . wjeerd bis uinr g1551h to wbut it may have own tr ail . je pre-dated this. By 1787, the tower was in foundations of an earlier building and these ail . jedburgh town tr a dangerous condition and roofless, finally are still visible in the basement. There are being demolished in 1791. many fine 18th century buildings including the white building on the left. Notice the two small circular windows on the first and second Notice the Jubilee Fountain floors. Next door is number 10, the site of of 1899, built to celebrate the former Black Bull Inn. Prior to 1759, the the Diamond Jubilee of centre of Canongate had a group of buildings Queen Victoria. This is running down its length. This was called the an ornamental gothic ‘Tongue o’ the Canongate’. The town’sTolbooth column, which is stood at the Market Place end before it was topped by a replaced by Newgate. - the Heraldic supporter of the Here also is the Royal Hotel - which was Royal Scottish Arms previously the Harrow Inn. It was perhaps - holding the Burgh renamed after the visit of royalty to the shield. There are town although this is not certain. Past the cast iron lamp fittings Royal Hotel, on your left was the site of a R o b grouped around the top house in which Robert Burns stayed on his er t B of the column. Turn right visit to Jedburgh in 1797 when he was made urns into Canongate. a Freeman of the Royal Burgh. There is a plaque - a profile of Burns originally with a

8 jedburgh town trail Sheriff Court jed . jedburgh town trail bu own trail . jedburgh tow rgh urgh t n trai t . jedb light blue background l . jedb On your left, after the police ow rail and the head picked urg n t own t h tow station is a red sandstone ra gh t out in gold leaf - n tbuilding, which is the town’s il . ur marking the spot rai jed . jedb smalll . je Masonic Lodge gh bur ail of the house. db r gh tow n tr designed byu rJ.Pg. hAlisont in dbu n trail . jedburgh tow 1903. Notice the opanelswn l . je Return to the trail . je n trai Market Place and above the doors. That on dburgh tow from there turn the left reads “IN THE LORD left to head uphill on IS ALL MY TRUST” and the one Castlegate. over the right door reads “ANNO DOMINI 1903”, Sheriff Court Po li although this is ce On the left just as you leave S now badly eroded. ta t Castlegate is Jedburgh Sheriff Court, originally io On this site was n the site of the Council House. Built in 1812 by French prisoners of war2, a courtroom was thetown’sflesh added in 1861 to the designs of the Edinburgh market where architect David Rhind. Sir Walter Scott, who meat was sold. made his first appearance as a defence lawyer On the road here in 1793, often visited the previous court was the lawn building. There is a plaque (on the Market market where Place side of the building) dating from 1932 to goods such as commemorate the centenary of Scott’s death. linen were traded. The building is still used as a court and justice is regularly dispensed from here. Take the first left as you go uphill into Abbey Close. As you continue up Castlegate, next door to the Sheriff Court is the town’s Police station.

jedburgh town trail 9 2 They may have been responsible for the local delicacy Jethart Snails. j ed Abbey Close . jedburgh town trail bu own trail . jedburgh tow rgh urgh t n trai t Abbey Close . jeThedb house, which l . jedb ow This now quiet cul-de-sac provided rail occupied the site urg n t own t h tow rail access to the ceremonial West urgh t at that time, was n tra . jed Door of the Abbey and west jedb called Wrain’s il . j h b 3 il . ed rg urgh claustral range. David’s Tower tra Nest. Later burg bu tow wn in the 17th h t ed n(ortr aD’Abil . bie’jeds bTouwrergh ast oit is own tr ail . j sometimes called) was the century, the ail . jedburgh town tr site of the residence of Bishop house passed David Panter in 1552. This to the Laird of once guarded the who approach to the may have been Abbey and was responsible for the located at the building that you see junction of Abbey today. In 1821, Jedburgh Academy took possession of Close and Castlegate. the building and schoolrooms were built Demolition of the in 1843, only to be burnt down in 1911. If tower took place you look at the gable heads, you will see some time in the the initials GF and MM, standing for George mid to late 17th (the headmaster of the Academy) and century. Marion Millar, whom he married in 1862. The Academy merged with the Grammar School Within Abbey Close at the beginning of the 20th century and the M a itself, you will see on your building has since been converted into two so ni right a building called ‘Wrens c H dwellings. all Nest’ which was built in the early 18th century. King James VI granted On the wall between Numbers 6 and 7 is a the site in 1610 to Alexander, Earl of Home. stone plaque commemorating the fact that

10 jedburgh town trail 3 Claustral - relating to cloisters. j ed m Wordsworth P il . jedburgh town trail . je illia laqu bu n tra dburgh t W e rg rgh tow own trai h t . jedbu the author William l . jedb typically narrow strips of gardens or ow rail W o r d s w o r t h urg tofts to the rear. When Number n t own t h tow rai rgh t and his sister 60n tCastlr egate was reconstructed l . j dbu Dorothy stayed in thea earil ly 20th century, it was edbu il . je . jedb rgh rgh to n tra for a while in a found that muchu ofr gtheh paving in dbu wn trail . jedburgh tow house on this the garden consisted town l . je tra St rai site during il . j on n t of tombstones edbeurgh tow their visit to from the ca rv in Scotland in A b b e y . g o f 1803. Whilst Cle ar ly, b u l there, they were t h e l visited by Sir ruins of Walter Scott who the Abbey doubtless told them were used as many tales of the Borders. a source of stone This was also the site of ’s for the people of house. She was a famous scientist and Jedburgh. If you look mathematician, after whom Somerville up at the buildings on College for ladies at the University of Oxford your right, you will see a was named. stone carving of a bull. This came from the former coaching Return to Castlegate and continue uphill inn, the Black Bull, which is now Number into the Townhead area. The building that 10 Canongate. projects out on the left hand side is Number 48 Castlegate, dating from the 17th century. From here upwards, the houses mostly date from the 19th century but all have

jedburgh town trail 11 je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h Jail town to be visited by theb Kuinrg but to have rail . to il . jed jedbur wn This was built on the site of a Royal Castle, a royal wenddtinrg aas well would have been a gh to tr which had been constructed to defend causet fowr widespread celebration. Imagine the wn ail urgh trai . jedb the town from southern attacks. .Thejed b buzz that there would have been as visitors l . je gh ur Royal Castle would have overlookraedil the and officials gathered from Scotland and dbu ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb nentiretra itol .wn je dandbu ar goodgh t oimpression of the France. The ceremony, according to legend, own tr ail . j commanding prospect can be gained from was marred by the appearance of a ghostly ail . jedburgh town tr the brow of the hill. Although it is not certain apparition, foretelling of Alexander’s death exactly when the castle was within a year. Sure enough, the King was killed built, it was in existence when his horse fell from a cliff in Fife, plunging in the 12th century Scotland into turmoil and eventually leading to as it was here that the Wars of Independence with England. King Malcolm IV died in 1165. Whoever controlled the Castle controlled the town and much of southern Scotland, The grandest so Jedburgh was vital to the English in their Royal event that attempts to subjugate Scotland. During the took place in late 13th and early 14th centuries when the the town was the Wars of Independence were at their height,

Je d second marriage there were several occasions when the Castle b u rg of King Alexander passed back and forth between Scottish and h C III (1241-1286) to English control. King as tle Yolande (daughter of [“The Hammer of the Scots”] visited Jedburgh Jail the Duke of Dreux from at least once during his reign and he doubtless France) in October 1285, during which looked from the castle to the town below. By time the Royal party would have stayed at the 15th century, the Scots had had enough the Castle. It was a great honour for any of the frequent changes in control and

12 jedburgh town trail jed burgh town t bu n trail . jed rail . jedburgh rg gh tow town t 91 Castlegate h bur demolished the Castle in rail . to il . jed jedbur the left of the building, is an wn n tra 1409 on the orders of gh to elegant feature. Number 89 tr tow Regent Albany. wn is thought to occupy the site ail . urgh trai jedb . jedb ofl the. je Townhead Port, the gh ur rail By 1819, all that formerd southerbu n entrance ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb n trail . jedburgh to was left on the to the town. own tr ail . j hill was the town’s ail . jedburgh town tr gallows. The As you head back down following year, the hill, the buildings are work started on of mixed age, ranging from the construction of mid 18th century to late a prison, based on 19th century. Halfway down, the design principles of set a short distance back from the penal reformer John the road, is the Glenbank Hotel Howard. No longer a prison, dating from the early 19th century, the buildings are now used as a local history which is plain but well proportioned. As you museum including displays on prison life, and get nearer to Market Place, you will see that here you can see videos on local events such most of the buildings have been modernised as Handba’ and the Jethart Callant’s Festival. but the layout of wynds and closes to the The Museum is open from late March until rear remains almost unchanged. Continue the end of October and an entrance fee is downhill to the Public Library. charged. Jedburgh Public Library Return down Castlegate. Number 91 (at This building replaced the 1884 public library the head of Castlegate) is a good example on High Street. It was completed in 1900 to of 1930’s baronial style public housing. The the designs of semicircular tower with its bellcast roof to who also designed public libraries in Kelso

jedburgh town trail 13 Castle Jail J je edburgh db rail . jedburgh town trail . jedb ur town t urgh town gh dburgh trail . je tow rail . je dburg n t town map own t h tow r t Castlegate n ail urgh trai . jedb l . jedb l . je gh urgh trai dburg bur town trail . jedburgh town h town . jed trail . jedburgh town trail A

bbey H

A igh Street bbey Place bbey C anongate

A68 Newcastle,

Tourist Information Centre Queen Street Visitor Centre M ary Queen of Scots’

Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Jed Water 14 jedburgh town trail Scottish Borders Council, LA100023423, 2009. A68 Edinburgh Castle Jail J je edburgh db rail . jedburgh town trail . jedb ur town t urgh town gh dburgh trail . je tow rail . je dburg n t own t h tow rai rgh t Castlegate n tr l . je jedbu ail . h dbur rail . jedbu urg gh tow wn t rgh t edb n trail . jedburgh to l l l l l l l l l l l l l Main trail own tr ail . j Extensions ail . jedburgh town tr A

bbey H

A igh Street bbey Place Place bbey C anongate

A68 Newcastle, Carter Bar

Tourist Information Centre Queen Street Visitor Centre M ary Queen of Scots’

Jed Water

A68 Edinburgh jedburgh town trail 15 ince Charl je nnie Pr ie Plaq db Bo ue n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h and Edinburgh. Andrew Carnegie bprourvided with a rail . to il . jed jedbur wn and his wife returned to Jedburgh n tra flat above the gh to tr in May 1900 to open it. tow library but this wn ail urgh trai . jedb . jedb was converted l . je gh ur The building is reminiscent of rail some years dbu ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb ngrtandra il16th . je dcenturburgyh Scottishto ago to provide own tr ail . j architecture and is not at all offices for the ail . jedburgh town tr out of place here. Above the Registrar. The doorway there is a carved panel next building which says on your left as “LET THERE you go downhill BE LIGHT”. is known as Prince The ground Charlie’s House. floor is built on a raised Prince Charlie’s House b a s e m e n t During the 1745 attempt to restore the and is Stuart Monarchy, Prince Charles Edward reached by Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie - is said a set of six to have stayed in this house on 6 and 7 steps. The November whilst making towards England library has with his army of supporters. A stone

P a wonderful plaque on the first floor records this event. u b arched window There was a complicated sundial at second lic L ib which occupies a floor level, which bore the Latin inscription ra ry large proportion of the “FUMIT CUNCTUS NOVANTHUS”, although front wall, allowing light to flood the sundial and the arms have now become into the building. The librarian was originally badly eroded. An unusual feature of the

16 jedburgh town trail je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h bur sundial was its bowl and slab faces. rMaoilst. of Exchange Street to il . jed jedbur wn n tra the building has been restored or rebuilt and Thisgh streetto is one of the four original streets tr tow little of the original fabric remains. of the Burwghn which lead directly to Market ail urgh trai . jedb . jedb Place. Here you lwill. j efind Numbers 3-5, gh ur rail Enter Blackhills Close and walk through (under) formerly a bank. Designeddb u ur gh town own t rgh t edb trail . jedburgh t the buildings, and you will see some interesting in 1868 by David Rhind own tr rail . j features where you emerge, including an as a branch of the ail . jedburgh town t ornate doorway. Return to Castlegate and C o m m e r c i a l E x head through Cornelius Close (but mind your Bank, the upper c h a head!) to emerge once more to the rear of the floors were n g properties. Here you will see a drum staircase e designed as S

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on your left, which was added in 1978 to the e

a flat for the e rear of Numbers 3-5 Castlegate (which date m a n a g e r . t from the late 17th century) and replaced a Notice how range which extended back from the building. the central Although this is a later addition, it returns the window at first building to something like its original plan. floor level is a These Closes give a sense of what the medieval smaller version of backland layout may have been like. Retrace the entrance. your steps back to Castlegate and continue downhill. Numbers 1 and 2 Castlegate are set Further along, Number 11,West Port House, back from the rest of the buildings. Built in the was designed in 1899 by the renowned 18th century they were altered in the 19th and Borders architect J. P. Alison, of , as again in the 20th century. commercial premises for the Co-operative Society. The design displays early use of At the foot of Castlegate, turn left into ‘curtain walling’, in other words, the majority Exchange Street.

jedburgh town trail 17 je db rail . jedburgh town trail . jedb u Carved Shield n t urgh t rg rgh tow own trai h t of the wall is glass and in this, it occasion the. je localdbu men attacked a l . jedb ow is quite exceptional. Notice grouprail of English raiders who urg n t own t h tow rai also the carved shields rgh t had been causing a great n tr l . j on each of the piers at dbu deal of suffering in the ail edbu ail . je . jedb rgh rgh tow first floor level. n tr area. urgh dbu n trail . jedburgh tow town tr ail . je There would have The severed head ail . jedburgh town tr been a port - an of the leader of the entrance - to the English troops is said to town here, not far have been thrown in the from the junction air, which discouraged his of Exchange Street, soldiers, causing them to Friarsgate and next to flee. the Skiprunning Burn, which still flows underground at this Whatever the true origins of the point. game, the event is now part of the town’s heritage and is eagerly awaited by all Head out of Exchange Street into Market in the town. Place and turn left into High Street.

High Street Spread Eagle Hotel High Street is where traditional game of On the left hand side of High Street as you Handba’ is played in February/March each head down, you will find the Spread Eagle year, between the “uppies” and “doonies”. Hotel. Notice the gilt double-headed eagle One explanation of the origins of the game over the entrance. The present building is that it is a spring ritual where the ball dates from the early 18th century. Queen represents the sun. It is also said that on one Mary reputedly visited the inn that used

18 jedburgh town trail Eagle j Spread Hot ed . jedburgh town trail el bu own trail . jedburgh tow rgh urgh t n trail t . jedb to occupy the site . jedb Library was opened in May ow rail when she stayed in urg n t own t h tow 1900 on Castlegate. rai rgh t the town in 1566. n tr l . j dbu Near this spot ail edbu il . je Loupin. jedb’–on Stane rgh rgh t n tra stood Moscrope In front uofr gyou is the bu own ow Tower, one of the h to ed trail . jedburgh t Bank of Scotland andw nin tra rail . j six towers of the the grounds you find the il . jedburgh town t town, although its ‘Loupin’- on stane’, used as exact site is not a step-up to allow riders known. to mount their horses. L At one time, ou pi n’ Opposite the Spread this was the -o n S Eagle is Number 19, a fine house of one t a n Victorian building, designed by of Sir Walter e J. P. Alison. An inscribed panel bearing Scott’s friends, Sheriff the date of construction, 1897, is visible at Shortreed. second floor level. It is worth pausing and admiring the fine detail around the windows Jedburgh Friary and just below roof level. Even though nothing remains standing above As you continue down High Street on the ground, what remains is opposite side of the street next to the still the most extensive former Post Officeis the original Library. The Franciscan Friary to be born philanthropist Andrew seen in Scotland. In the Carnegie opened this in October 1884 and 15th century, Sir Andrew Ker there is a stone plaque on the building to of Ferniehirst provided this site so that the commemorate the event. A new Public religious order of St Francis might establish

jedburgh town trail 19 jed dburgh town tr bu n trail . je ail . jedburgh t rg rgh tow own trai h t a community in Jedburgh. To distinguish illustrate where there. je dareb uremains under l . jedb ow them from the ‘black friars’ of the Dominican rail urg n t ground,o wbronwnt gravel between sandstone h tow rai order, the Franciscans were known as ‘grey redginggh t represents original walls, drains are n tr l . j friars’ from the colour of their habit or gown.d bu ail edbu ail . je shown with grey cobbles and graves are . jedb rgh rgh to Unlike other orders, the ‘grey frniarts’r had close marked by white gravel. Remnants of walls urgh dbu wnlinkst with the communityt oandw they provided tow je rail . jedburgh under the car park are marked by red setts n trail trail . services such as healing the sick and teaching and drains by grey. . jedburgh town the locals. The present garden is based on historical Much of the former Friary research and has been laid out to reflect was used as a market medieval interest in horticulture and the garden and in 1982 science of healing. The friars would have d e v e l o p m e n t been self-sufficient in most things as they p r o p o s a l s grew flowers, vegetables, medicinal herbs and led to an plants that were used for other purposes, archaeological such as floor covering and dyes for clothing. investigation. The site was Return to the High Street and turn left to i n v e s t i g a t e d continue downhill. G over two years re y with the Co- fr ia On the opposite side of the road from the rs operative Society G a Bank of Scotland is Royal British Legion rd providing funds for en further work in 1991- Hall. A church was erected on this site in 92. The following year, Borders 1757. However, it proved to be too small Regional Council consolidated the site. To and too poorly built to accommodate the

20 jedburgh town trail je yal British Legion d burgh town t Ro Hal b n trail . jed rail . jedburgh l urg gh tow town tr h bur congregation and it ail . j This area of the town is where tow il . jed edbur n n tra was replaced by the gh to horse-trading used to take place tr tow present building wn ail . burgh andtra wasil called Horsemarket. jedb l . jed in 1818. The The hor. jseed market was later gh urg rai church, known as moved to Abbubey Close, only ur h town own t rgh to jedb trail . jedburgh t Jedburgh Boston to return after protests wfromn tra rail . Church was sold Townfoot residents. At this il . jedburgh town t in 1932 and has point you have the option of not been used as following the main trail along a place of worship Queen Street, since that time. which is Fo rm a c r o s s e r T r High Street in it Former Trinity Church y or taking an C h On the left as you reach the foot of High a l t e r n a t i v e u r c Street, is the formerTrinity Church. Originally r i v e r s i d e h the Blackfriars Church was in this area, route, which perhaps even on this site. A new church was is described built here in 1746, followed by a second in at the end of 1801 on the same site. The present building the main trail was constructed in 1818 in the low classical text. A short style, but set back from the location of its distance along predecessors. The building is no longer in Queen Street is use as a church. Mary Queen of Scots’ Visitor Centre.

jedburgh town trail 21 je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h destroyed Jedburgh in 1523,bitu isr likely that this rail . to Mary Queen of Scots’ Visitor il . jed jedbur wn Centre building wasn tbruilta in the years immediately gh to tr This building dates from the last quarter of aftert theow attack. wn ail . burgh trail jedb the 16th century and is according to traditionil . jed . jed rgh urgh where Queen Mary rented accommodationtra The building was thatched until at least the burg bu tow wn 1890s when red tiles replaced the thatch. In h t ed nfromtra iLadyl . j eFerdbniehirurgsth t(ao Scott by birth) own tr ail . j during her temporary residence in the town 1980, the roof was re-covered with slates. In ail . jedburgh town tr in 1566. Both the Scott and Ferniehirst the grounds, there are several pear trees, a families were supporters of fruit for which the town was once famous., the Queen. In 1693, and were even said to have been sold in the Ferniehirst family markets in . The main pear orchard were known to for the town was on Lady’s Green - the site own theTower of of the former North British Rayon Mills - and at one time, there were over 40 types of Jedburgh which pears growing in the town. You can also find was “situated an Early Medieval cross base, upon which near the cross”, are carved fantastic beasts. This cross base at the head was found in the Bongate area of the town of Canongate. V and may indicate the presence of an early is it o A further clue r Christian community in the town. Inside C e to the building’s n there is a small museum with many artefacts t re history comes from relating to Queen Mary. The Museum is the arms on the west open from March to November side of the building. These are of the Wigmer family and would Leave theVisitor Centre and turn left to walk have formerly been placed there in the 17th further along Queen Street. At the junction century, although they were re-carved at a with Canongate, turn left and head downhill later date. Given that the Earl of Surrey had towards the Jed Water.

22 jedburgh town trail je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h bur At the foot of Canongate is a modernr housingail . The town’s last official piper, Robin Hastie, is to il . jed jedbur wn n tra development dating from 1985, which has saidgh tot hao ve occupied a portion of the house. t ow wn 4 rail urgh t a traditional Scottish appearance. Further On the last crotrwa step to the south east, . j db down the road is a plaque commemorating there is a carved figureil . of a piper. According edbur ail . je jedb rgh gh tow n tr the birth of the scientist and inventor of the to Sir Walter Scott,the Hastie ufamilrghy hadt been dbu n trai rgh tow kaleidoscope, Sir David Brewster. With the Burgh Pipers for three hundred years. oWhenw . je l . jedbu n trail . jed wn trail re-alignment of roads and the construction Hastie died in the early 19th Car burgh to ved f of new bridges, Canongate lost its status century, Scott wrote that gu re o as a major thoroughfare but it is still a busy “old age had rendered f a shopping street. Robin a wretched p ip e performer but r Continue down Canongate, through the he knew several subway to the riverside where you will come old songs and to Piper’s House and the Canongate Bridge. tunes, which have probably died with Piper’s House him”. The building Piper’s House dates from 1604 although it has corbels5 on the was remodelled in 1896. If you look at the south elevation that lintel over the central window on the first may have been used to floor, you can see the initials of Adam Ainslie, support a lean-to building. who built the house, his wife Janet and the date 1604. The window replaced the original entrance door that was at the head of a flight Walk to Canongate Bridge. of stone stairs.

jedburgh town trail 23 4 Crow Step - stones on the gables giving a stepped appearance. 5 Corbel - a projecting stone which supports another feature. je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h Canongate Bridge On the upstream side of thebu brridge is a ford rail . to il . jed jedbur wn Now used only as a footbridge, this was at across the Jedn t Wraater. This ford is still used by gh to tr one time the principal route into the town. horset oriderw s instead of the bridge and each wn ail urgh trai . jedb It is interesting to note that for defensiv. jeed b year during the Callant’s Festival when the l . je gh ur reasons, the approaches to the brridgeail are Callant is followed across the ford by massed dbu ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb nmoretra oril .less je datb 90u rdegrees.gh to Built in the 16th ranks of riders. own tr ail . j century, this is an attractive three- ail . jedburgh town tr arched bridge. Under each arch Across the bridge you will see a large 1930s are chamfered ribs. Originally building on the left, which occupies the site each span had four ribs but of Well House, a reminder that Jedburgh’s the easternmost arch now water supply was not always piped. The has only two. Notice steps on the right hand side of the building the way the cutwaters lead down to the well which is no longer in - which relieve the use. pressure of the flowing water on the bridge - The road beside this building was the original carry right up to parapet approach to the town from the north and level. When you get onto this would have been the route that Bonnie the bridge itself, you see the Prince Charlie took on his way into England. C a no reason for this, in that they The grassy hill you see behind and to the ng at form refuges where pedestrians left of Well House is Stone Hill, where there e B ridge could get out of the way safely of used to be a stone tower, the walls of which traffic, predominantly horses, including the were 2 metres (7 feet) thick. This was only stagecoach from Edinburgh to Newcastle. one of a number of towers located in and The eastern refuges contain chamfered around the town. In 1523, the Earl of Surrey stones, possibly from the Jedburgh Friary. reported that Jedburgh had “six good towers therin, which towne and toweris be clenely

24 jedburgh town trail je db n trail . jedburgh town trail . jedburgh urg gh tow town t h bur destroyed, brent and throwne downe”.ra ilThe. to il . jed jedbuther ground on Arran, at Siccar Point on the wn n tra foundations of the tower were removed in Berwickshiregh to coast and at Inchbonny. Whilst tr tow 1852 and sadly nothing remains of it today. visiting Allar’wns Mill on the Jed Water, Hutton ail . urgh trai jedb . jedb was delighted to seel hor. jeizontal bands of red gh ur rail From Canongate Bridge return to the sandstone lying ‘unconfordmabbuly’ on top of ur gh tow wn t rgh t edb n trail . jedburgh to Tourist Information Centre via Canongate near vertical and folded bands of rock.ow Hen tr ail . j and the tarmac path between the Electricity published his ‘Theory of the Earth’ in 1788 and ail . jedburgh town tr substation and the Royal Hotel to the end of has since become known as the ‘founding the Jedburgh Town Trail. As this has been a father’ of modern geology. short walk,not every aspect has been covered but we hope that you have gained an insight M Scotland and England were once on into the town’s history and architecture and separate landmasses divided um en t trust that you will return soon. by a deep ocean. Over to H 450 million years ago, u t t o Extensions they collided causing n ’s vertical bands, then U n

c 1. Continue out of town from the Abbey, sediment was laid o n

f

o

cross the Jed Water and enter the large car down during the r

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i

park on your right. At the rear of the car next few million t y park, by the Jed Water is a monument to years forming bands ‘Hutton’s Unconformity’. This is one of the of sandstone. Hutton most important geological sites in the world. was not able to date the geological events , a farmer and doctor from as we can today and he Duns in Berwickshire, conceived a theory thought the sandstone had about the formation of the Earth based upon been deposited in the sea. It must be what he saw in the geological formation of remembered that he lived in a time where

jedburgh town trail 25 jed dbu rgh town tr bu n trail . je ail . jedburgh t rg rgh tow own trai h t the age of the world was estimated to be Continue through the. je underdbupass and you l . jedb ow between 6,000 and 40,000 years old. Based will emerge onr theai lriverside path beside the urg n t own t h tow rail on what he learned at Inchbonny, Hutton urJedgh Wtater (still signed as the Borders Abbeys n tra . jed challenged the established philosophical andjed b Way). Follow this path to the Canongate il . j h bu theological order when he “lookeda throughil . Bridge (see main text). From here you may edb rg rgh tow n tr urgh dbu nthetr abaiyssl . jofe d timebu andrgh foundtow no vestige of a return via Canongate to the start of the Trail, town t ail . je beginning and no prospect of an end” and or continue along the riverside. rail . jedburgh town tr realised that the formations he found here required the Earth to be very old indeed. If you wish you may continue along the riverside path which follows the approximate Return to main trail line of a mill lade that powered both the Abbey Mill (below the Abbey) and a snuff mill 2. From Trinity Church follow High Street which was about half way along the path. The towards the junction with the A68 (you will grassy mounds within the park on your right be following a section of the Borders Abbeys are formed from the rubble left over when Way). Before reaching the A68 take the the North British Rayon Mill, which used to tarmac path off to the left to pass under the occupy the site, was demolished in the early road. Before going through the underpass 1970s. As you once more approach the you will see Townfoot Bridge. road, you will see, over the river, the Laidlaw Memorial Pool and Fitness Centre, now part Until construction of the bypass in 1974, the of the Waterside Fitness Centre, where if Townfoot Bridge routed the A68 through you have time, you can enjoy a relaxing swim. the town. The council records from the The path goes through another underpass 1680s refer to a bridge at this point but it before emerging in front of the Abbey. From has long since been removed. The Townfoot Bridge is made of concrete and was designed there it is a short walk uphill back to the in the 1920s by J.A. Leslie & Reid Engineers Tourist Information Centre and the end of and spans 20.5 metres (68 feet) with a single the Trail. arch6 . 26 jedburgh town trail 6 This is one of a group of fve identical bridges over the JedWater. The others are Station Bridge, Inchbonny, Hundalle and Ferniehurst. jed . jedburgh town trail bu own trail . jedburgh tow rgh urgh t n trail to il . jedb . jedbu wn n tra rgh to tr tow Notes wn ail urgh trai . jedb l . jedb l . je gh urgh trai dburg bur town trail . jedburgh town h town . jed trail . jedburgh town trail

jedburgh town trail 27 Notes

28 jedburgh town trail je db rail . town trail . jedburgh tow ur h town t n trail . gh jedburg jedburgh tow rail . town n own t trail trai urgh t . jedb l . jed . jedb urgh n burg trail If you require this publication in an alternative format tow tow h tow town and/ or language, please contact: n t gh n trail . jedburgh rail . jed jedbur Business services burgh town trail . Planning and Economic Development Council Headquarters, Scottish Borders Council Newtown , Melrose TD6 0SA Tel: 01835 825060 Fax: 01835 825158 Email: [email protected] to discuss your needs. It is also available on our website: www.scotborders.gov.uk

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