New-York tribune., 1901-06-16
BER WICk-UPON-TWEED.
CURIOUS HISTORY OF THE BORDER
TOWN AND IT'S INDEPENDENCE.
From The Pail Mail Gazette.


The name of Iserwick-up0n- Tweed. sandWiched
between the United Kingdom and the rest of the
British Empire i'm the Kings Proclamation. pre-
seats n,t the least curious If those quaint
ViNalS Uf thu past which reappear with the entry
of new reign. The archaic ceremonial and an
tique phTaseoloSy, which strike 50 anomalous "A
note i'm this matter of fact twentieth century.
are easier 4" comprehend than the fact of
small border town heing mentioned all by itself.
when the names Of the great colonies are con-
Splcuous by their atSenc Probably not one
IrrTSon in a thousand knows anything Of Ier-
wick -uEp--TGh- 1t beyond lis name-f that
mech. Yet il il one of the few walled towns
rema ming la Us: the curf.w sounds nightly in
lts streets and II is eonspic u"us IN history for
the extraordinary maieyolenCe with which out
rageous fortune has Iursued II. II has sIrvived
more disasters. more tragedies. more NiclsSitudes
Than perhaps any other town uf the Three King
Goms. Up To- lsi2 IL tained sufficient of its
former glory to Justify the encnmum cf N. Ior-
win: by walking over Berwick discovered il
4" hr one al the greatest and most beautiful
towns in England" And "A few years a-o il
c' Cld stil he described "a compact and pict-
ut"squ" little town. hut II IL not :" attractive
upon a close Inspection nowadays one would
wish &" believe IT, II Slopes uP from IA" month
bank Of the Tweed, which l. connected with the
south hank hy stone bridge If fifteen spans.
This bridge. which was completed in lt,.i took
over twcnty-four years To hLild Al rs north
ern end until lN3I stood tn English "ate with
ats guardhaus-. commanding al az preach from
the south The foundations If an old r bridge.
destroyed 10y flood ia l.e'. said q" he visible
al l"w tide "A h;tle higher up the river. and
quarter "f mile on is Stephs nsons Royal Bor-
der Bridge. hut that is AN erection ~ to-day.
and Berwick is essentially Of thr past the long
past. A. th. ives; end of IN. town is the
ruined castle. ihe present railway station
cupying part ~ it, siie. Al thu east end Is the
tmodernl pier and lieEihousr.
That issr" Mic Ohe grain Yortb WAS in ~
iStrnce before the Conquest II certain. hut its
early history is shr"uded ia mist. There
only vague accounts "f pillaginEs and luruTsi"ns
10y Picts. Scuts and Danes Duncan of Scotland
il said 10 have htted nut eleven ships ia Ii-r
Wiok Hartor for his expedition against Macbeth.
az fh
of the Northern Kingdom. although Edgar of
scotland conferred IN" town and all its churches
uiau thu q Durham. Williams Norman
port and in lI9l il Was burned and th.. in
hahitants hutcher-d hy Earl duncan Eerwick
Castle %as delivered ~ IL Henry III IN pledge
10y William thc Lion. and SUITS -qu-ntly restored
10 the Scots 10y C'rur H. Lion In 1914 the town
was destroyed 10y King John with CircumS stances
of IN. savaseSt cruelty. Having apparently IN
tered peaccahly. John himself started Tn. con
iagrtion 10y firing the house n herr. h.. had been
entertained and lodged the previous night In
two years time. however. Berwick was rebuilt
on larger scale and prosT@red CRAFTY that
in l2>. it's customs amounted to mur. than
i2ssH th"se OF all England only yielding about
As.'sn,. IL Mas now city so l,opulous and of
such trade says IN" chr"nicler that il might
justly hH called aE"thrT Alexandria. wh huS~ riches
WeTe thu and the water its walls" There
we're no fewer than ten religious houses of
which TN. names of the Red Black GRAY and
81 Nicholas 81 Lawrence and ~. Mary. la the
great hall of th. castle l.4r, John IiaIini VAS
had witnessed his election the first 10 suffer
IA. penalty 81 ms subsequent revolt against
England. I'd ard l attacked EerWick in full
force: Thousands of the toWnsfnIk were mas
sacred the merchants houses sacked and the
churches plunder.d. \ party Of FIemines
pershsd in the flames 0f the Red Hall - Com
merce." The ruined city was repe0pled by Eng
sh trade sinen. VINO were put Ia flight later on
10y the approach of tn. Wallace wight" For
four Years thu Countess uf Buchan. who had
crowned Bruce at Scone. WAS exposed in a lat
fiCr- work in "A tuTrct Of the castle. During
ff. tffn and
one unbroken record al fire and sword capture
and cruelty. i'm this luciliess town. the contend
ing hosts Of England and Scotland being con-
tinually occupied IN taking and retaking. at
tacking and defending IL. The first cannon shot
ever fired in britain shattered of the castle
towers i'm lisi. ana frightened the defenders into
surrender, they were retainerS Of the Percy
holding Eer~iCk against Henry ~ There was
no breathing time for the inhabitants until iS2
when Berwick having changed hands thirteen
times in three hundred years Was finally taken
hoy the humThacke.i Richard of Gloucester.
afterward Richard Ill. and fen finally into
the possession of England. About eighty years
later the present fOrtifiCations built.
so situated between the devil and the deep
sea, 81 ground between the upper and neither
milestone. 80 handled about from mailed fist
to another. small wonder that Berwick bore
little love To either northern or southern mon
aFchy; and in l-,5l. 10y treaty between Edward
vi and Mary Queen of Scots. il declared a
town and county of itself. independent of both
Kingdoms in order that neither should gain any
advantage 10y its possession. Being still. how
ever. unfortunately chained tO its position a.
the key of Scotland and the great seaport of
IN" BORDER IL continued 10 suffer. of old.
from raiders and marauders of both nations
and was surprised and seized-let US hope. for