Tuesday 26th October 1819
Tuesday Oct 26th We breakfasted at Melrose 12 miles here is a most beautiful & magnificent ruin of an abbey founded by David 1st thence to Kelso 13 miles over a most beautiful country the river Tweed winds by the road on whose banks are seen so romantically situated Fleurs the magnificent seat of the Roxburghs ?***** Park Part of a fine abbey built by David xxx the views of the ruined famous castle of Roxburgh where James the 2nd lost his life by the bursting of a cannon over the rivers Tweed & Teviot which latter joins the Tweed entering Kelso are thrown two magnificent bridges at Kelso there are the ruins of a fine cathedral founded 1128 we then advanced to Cornhill 11 miles crossing a bridge near the Inn we bid adieu to Scotland & its numerous beauties which have afforded us so much amusement & delight & welcomed ourselves to old England. The Inn at Cornhill is very good.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Melrose is a small town that grew up around the Cistercian monastery now known as Melrose Abbey that was founded in 1136. Its name was represented by a mell (a mason's hammer) and a rose (for the Virgin Mary, to whom all Cistercian abbeys were dedicated).
Mel and Rose: This photo is a copy from the Abbey guidebook and features the Mel and Rose from which the town gets its name. The illustration is specifically needed to support the origin of the town's name. To the uploader: Please add a detailed fair use rationale for each article the image is used in, which must also declare compliance with the other parts of the non-free content criteria, as well as the source of the work and copyright information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Photo_of_stonework_at_Melrose_Abbey.jpg
Town & Abbey of Melrose. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16878
2007: Melrose Town Centre from Quarry Hill, by Walter Baxter. This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Walter Baxter and is licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melrose_Town_Centre_from_Quarry_Hill_-_geograph.org.uk_-_609004.jpg
A casket was found, believed to contain the heart of King Robert the Bruce, and was been re-buried in the Abbey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melrose,_Scottish_Borders
Abbey: Melrose was the first Cistercian abbey in Scotland. In the 12th century, around Melrose, the Cistercians implemented new farming techniques and marketed Melrose wool throughout the great trading ports across northern Europe. During a time of famine four thousand starving people were fed by the monastery for three months. The monastery had 100 monks, exclusive of the abbot and dignitaries. One of the earliest accounts of the settlement reached at Runnymede is found in the Chronicle of Melrose Abbey.
1801: Melrose Abbey . Aquatint. Artist: John Claude Nattes, Engraver: J Merigot Publisher: W.Miller, Old Bond St http://www.rareoldprints.com/p/718
Melrose was located on one of the main roads running from Edinburgh to the south making it particularly vulnerable to attack. In 1544, as English armies raged across Scotland in an effort to force the Scots to allow the infant Mary, Queen of Scots to marry the son of Henry VIII, the abbey was again badly damaged and was never fully repaired. This led to its decline as a working monastery. The last abbot was James Stuart (the illegitimate son of James V), who died in 1559. In 1590, Melrose's last monk died. The abbey withstood one final assault—some of its walls still show the marks of cannon fire after having been bombarded by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. In 1610, a portion of the abbey's church was converted into a parish church for the surrounding town.
1814: South Front of Melrose Abbey Church. Engraving by J. Greig from a painting by A. Nasmyth for the Border Antiquities of England and Scotland. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEMelroseAbbChSF.JPG
A plain vault was inserted into the crossing, obscuring the original ribbed vaulting. It was used until 1810 when a new church was erected in the town. In 1812, a stone coffin was found buried in an aisle in the abbey's south chancel. Some speculated the remains were those of Michael Scot, the philosopher and "wizard." At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Sir Walter Scott was appointed Sheriff-Depute of Roxburghshire. In 1822, with the financial assistance of the Duke of Buccleuch, Sir Walter supervised the extensive repair work that was to preserve the ruins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melrose_Abbey
1780: The Transept of Melrose Abbey. To Her Grace Elizabeth Duchess of Buccleugh this view of the inside of The Transept of Melrose Abbey is inscribed by Her Grace's Most obedient Servants Thomas Hearne & Willm Byrne, Etched by S.Middiman and finished by W.Byrne. Plate XXXVII Hearne & Byrne's Antiquities . http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/4161
Melrose Abbey , Artist B Foster, Engraver A Willmore, Publisher Cassell, Petter & Galpin http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/10833
Melrose Abbey . This ruined abbey in the centre of Melrose is a spectacular ruin. © Copyright Malcolm Neal and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5337944
Kelso: Kelso’s main tourist draws are the ruined Kelso Abbey and Floors Castle, a William Adam designed house completed in 1726.
Kelso From Mellendean, Artist J Mickie, Engraver J Bowes, Publisher Rutherfurd Market Place. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16857
The Kelso Bridge was designed by John Rennie who later built London Bridge. Sir Walter Scott attended Kelso Grammar School in 1783 and he said of the town, "it is the most beautiful if not the most romantic village in Scotland".
Floors Castle Park, view to River Tweed and Kelso . Cattle and trees in the park, church spire in the town. © Copyright David Hawgood and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5790645
For some period of time the Kelso parish was able to levy a tax of 2 pence (2d) on every Scottish pint of ale, beer or porter sold within the town. The power to do this was extended for 21 years in 1802 under the Kelso Two Pennies Scots Act when the money was being used to replace a bridge across the River Tweed that had been destroyed by floods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelso,_Scottish_Borders
River Tweed flows primarily through the scenic Borders region of Scotland, and eastwards from the settlements on opposing banks of Birgham and Carham and forms the historic boundary between Scotland and England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Tweed
Kelso, seen across River Tweed, 1991. © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4336847
Floors Castle: Although the present Castle lacks all defensive capabilities, and was built in a period when private fortresses were redundant in lowland Scotland, there was possibly a tower house on the site. Tower houses, or pele towers, were typical of the Scottish Borders. Until the early seventeenth century, the Anglo-Scottish border lands, or "Marches", were a lawless place where reprisal attacks were common, and which often took the form of cattle rustling or murders, carried on by gangs of Reivers.
1870: Floors Castle, near Kelso. A chromolithograph published by the Rev. Francis Orpen Morris in Morris's Seats. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/22212
Junction Pool and Floors Castle , Seen from Kelso Bridge. Junction Pool is at the confluence of the Rivers Teviot (to the left) and Tweed. The imposing edifice of Floors Castle stands in the background. © Copyright Oliver Dixon and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4075220
Floors also stands opposite the site of Roxburgh Castle, an important medieval fortress where King James II was killed during a siege in 1460. The 1st Duke of Roxburghe commissioned the Scottish architect William Adam (1689–1748), father of Robert Adam, to design a new mansion incorporating the earlier tower house.
2006: Panorama of Floors Castle, Scotland by Mihael Grmek, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Floors_Castle1.jpg
It was built between 1721 and 1726, and comprised a plain block, with towers at each corner. Pavilions on either side housed stables and kitchens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floors_Castle
The Roxburghe family has its seat at Floors Castle near Kelso. The grounds contain the ruins of Roxburgh Castle on a promontory between the rivers Tweed and Teviot. The traditional burial place of the Dukes of Roxburghe is the Roxburghe Memorial Cloister (also known as "Roxburghe Aisle"), a 20th century addition to the ruins of Kelso Abbey. James Innes-Ker, 5th Duke of Roxburghe (1736–1823), would have been in residence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_of_Roxburghe
James Innes-Ker, 5th Duke of Roxburghe, was the eldest surviving son of Sir Henry Innes, 5th Baronet (c. 1711–1762), and Anne Drummonda Grant (1711–1771). His grandfathers were Sir Harry Innes, 4th Baronet, who represented the Parliament of Scotland constituency of Elginshire from 1704 to 1707, and Sir James Grant, 6th Baronet, a Member of Parliament for Inverness-shire and Elgin Burghs. Upon his father's death in 1762, he succeeded to the Innes Baronetcy. James Innes-Ker’s claim to Dukedom of Roxburghe was heavily contested. Through the Innes family, he was a descendant of Robert Ker, 1st Earl of Roxburghe, and in 1812 established his claim to the vacant Dukedom of Roxburghe. The fight for the succession of the title encompassed seven years of constant litigation; according to one biography, "seldom have the lawyers met with a richer harvest. The courts of Edinburgh and London have revelled in conflicting claims, and the House of Lords has been disturbed by never-ending appeals." On the demise of the 3rd Duke, who had never married, his principal titles, and large and productive estates, devolved on William Bellenden-Ker, 4th Duke of Roxburghe, who died shortly thereafter, without heirs. The succession was contested by Major-General Walter Ker and the Right Honorable William Drummond; and only at vast cost decided, on 11 May 1812, in favour of Sir James, as descended from Lady Innes, the third daughter of Hary, Lord Ker, son of the first Earl of Roxburghe. The issue turned on the construction of an entail, which gave the right to the female line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Innes-Ker,_5th_Duke_of_Roxburghe
Kelso Abbey was founded at Roxburgh in 1128 by a community of monks of the Tironesian order, from France dedicated to The Blessed Virgin and Saint John. In 1460, James II was killed within sight of the abbey as the result of a fatal accident during the campaign which secured repossession of Roxburgh castle that same year. Kelso Abbey was the venue for the hasty coronation of the infant king, James III, which quickly followed. Kelso Abbey effectively ceased to function due to a combination of events in the mid-sixteenth century. First, in the 1540s, the building sustained major damage in attacks perpetrated under the orders of the English king, Henry VIII and, around ten years later, in 1560, by monastic disestablishment under the Scottish Reformation, from which time the Tironesian community at Kelso was no longer officially recognised. A small remaining contingent of monks may have continued at the site for a number of years following the 1560 dissolution, but after further attacks and damage the abbey was declared officially derelict in 1587.
1834: Kelso Abbey, Roxburgshire. Engraving by Le Petit from an original drawing by D. Roberts. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEKelsoAbbLePetit.JPG
2004: Kelso Abbey by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelso_Abbey1.jpg
In 1647 and 1771, part of the abbey ruins were occupied by a parish kirk, with other parts of the structure being dismantled and used as a source of stone by locals for buildings in the town of Kelso. The post-reformation kirk appears to have been a compact vaulted structure intruded within the west transepts in about 1748. This adapted structure included a vaulted gaol. In 1805, huge parts of the ruins were cleared away, including the parish church and the gaol, leaving only the abbey's west tower and transept remaining to this day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelso_Abbey
2004: Kelso Abbey by Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the (CC BY-SA 3.0) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelso_Abbey_2.jpg
Roxburgh Castle: Tradition states that King David I founded the castle; it is first recorded in c.1128 during his reign. In 1174 it was surrendered to England after the capture of William I at Alnwick, and was often in English hands thereafter. On 19 February 1314 it was retaken by Sir James Douglas (the "Black Douglas"), who supposedly disguised his men as cows, but was later lost again. After capturing it in 1460 the Scots set about demolishing it, and in the words of the Lanercost Chronicle "all that beautiful castle the Scots pulled down to the ground, like the other castles that they had succeeded in capturing, lest the English should ever again rule the land by holding the castles."
1790: Roxburgh Castle. Engraving by J.N. published by S. Hooper. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SERoxburghCastle.jpg
Remains of Roxburgh Castle, Strategically located between the River Tweed and the River Teviot, above Kelso. © Copyright Russel Wills and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5751049
Today the ruins stand in the grounds of Floors Castle, the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe, across the river from Kelso. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxburgh_Castle
Death of James II: In 1460, James II was killed within sight of the abbey as the result of a fatal accident during the campaign which secured repossession of Roxburgh castle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelso_Abbey
River Teviot, or Teviot Water, is a river of the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and a tributary of the River Tweed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Teviot
2004: The River Teviot in the Scottish Borders, by Robmods, the copyright holder of this work, and published under the (CC-BY-SA-2.5 ) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:River_Teviot.JPG
Kelso’s first bridge at the site was opened in 1754, funded by public subscription, with six arches, and it replaced a ferry which was dangerous during times of bad weather and limited the volume of traffic that could pass through the town. An arch collapsed in 1756, killing 6 people and although the bridge was repaired, a storm on 25 October 1797 caused damage to the foundations of the centre arches, and the weakened structure collapsed into the river the following day. The first bridge is depicted, below.
circa 1800: Kelso Bridge, in Roxburgshire, engraving by Eastgate, published by Alex. Hogg. https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/44502
John Rennie engineered the replacement bridge (below), which was built between 1800 and 1803 and it was his first major road bridge, and he gave exacting instructions for its construction.
1810: Kelso from Maxwell Heugh. Engraving by R. Scott after H. W. Williams. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/SEKelso18.jpg
It was was funded by a government loan which was repaid by collecting tolls, which were meant to be collected only until the cost of construction had been repaid, but in 1825 the right to collect tolls was let at GB£900 per year, making the bridge extremely profitable and the collection of tolls continued until 1854, when there were riots. Soldiers were called from Edinburgh to restore order, but no ringleaders were caught and the collection of tolls was abandoned later that year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelso_Bridge
Cathedral?: There was no Cathedral and because Lucy records its foundation in 1128 she must be referring to the Abbey.
Cornhill-on-Tweed is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland, England about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of Coldstream.
2008: Cornhill Castle Mound From the south bank of the River Tweed by Norman MacKillop . This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. The copyright on this image is owned by Norman MacKillop and is licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornhill_Castle_Mound_-_geograph.org.uk_-_779449.jpg
A mile north-west of the village, on a spur above the River Tweed are the earthwork remains of Cornhill Castle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhill-on-Tweed . More information on the history of the mound can be found at https://www.northofthetyne.co.uk/Motte%26Baileytraces.html
Coldstream Bridge, linking Coldstream, Scottish Borders with Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, is an 18th-century bridge across the River Tweed. The architect for the bridge was John Smeaton (responsible for the third Eddystone Lighthouse), working for the Tweed Bridges Trust. Construction lasted from 1763 to 1767, when it opened.
Coldstream from the South. http://www.rareoldprints.com/z/16888
The cost of the bridge was £6,000, with government grants available for the project and the shortfall covered by a mixture of local subscription and loans from Edinburgh's banks, which were to be paid back by the tolling system. There was controversy when the project's resident engineer, Robert Reid of Haddington, used some of the funds to build accommodation for himself, but the trustees were assuaged when Smeaton argued that the house would actually help support the bridge. It seems that Smeaton was sympathetic to Reid, believing him to be underpaid for his work.
River Tweed at Coldstream . The bridge is the at the Border of Scotland and England. The river Tweed is famous for salmon fishing. © Copyright Adam D Hope and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1363903
The bridge underwent subsequent work, including the 1784 construction of a downstream weir as an anti-erosion measure. A plaque on the bridge commemorates the 1787 visit of the poet Robert Burns to the Coldstream. Of historical note is the toll house on the Scottish side of the bridge, which became infamous for the runaway marriages that took place there, as at Gretna Green, hence its name, the 'Wedding House' or 'Marriage House'.
Coldstream Bridge Toll House. This was one of the locations for the performing of irregular Border marriages. © Copyright Phil Thirkell and licensed for reuse under the (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons Licence. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/93195
It ceased to be a toll bridge in 1826. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldstream_Bridge
The Collingwood Arms takes its name from the local merchant family which owned it up until 1955. There are strong ties with Northumberland’s 19th Century naval hero, Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, who served under Nelson around the time the hotel was built.
From the website of the Collingwood Arms https://collingwoodarms.com/heritage/history-of-the-collingwood/
The 15 bedrooms take their names from the 15 ships in Collingwood’s division at the Battle of Trafalgar: HMS Royal Sovereign (Flagship), Bellisle, Mars, Tonnant, Bellerophon, Colossus, Achilles, Polyphemus, Revenge, Swiftsure, Defiance, Thunderer, Prince of Wales, Dreadnought and Defence. https://collingwoodarms.com/heritage/history-of-the-collingwood/
M. J. Armstrong - Cornhill, Coldstream, Greenla, Plate 38 from "An Actual Survey of the Great Post-Roads between London and Edinburgh" by Mostyn John Armstrong, published in 1776. Each map shows a section of the road from London to Edinburgh drawn on the scale of half an inch to the mile. These maps are not strip road maps, but take the form of a conventional map covering an area of approximately 12 miles from south to north and 7 miles east to west. https://antique-prints-maps.com/acatalog/ref1.php?imagefile=../largeimages/MapMJA38a.jpg
Can you help us?
Transcription problems: As untrained transcribers we sometimes experience problems interpreting some of Lucy’s writing. We have a problem deciphering one section today:
the magnificent seat of the Roxburghs ?***** Park Part of a fine -Problems reading the one or two words between Roxburghs and Park - help please
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?