Scotland occupies the Northern third of the United Kingdom and is bordered by England in the South and the North Sea in the East with the Atlantic ocean to the North West and the Northern channel and Irish Sea to the South West.
In addition to the mainland Scotland is made up of 790 islands, which of course made me realise that you cannot do Scotland as part of an overall UK tour. This is a country rightly on its own and I would love to come back and explore only Scotland for at least three weeks. I think Dru is so tired of driving and doing the tourist thing, he is sending me to the UK next time on my own :)
The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. Having entered into a personal union with the kingdoms of England and Ireland following James VI, King of Scots succeeding to the English and Irish thrones in 1603, the Kingdom of Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. This union resulted from the Treaty of Union agreed in 1706 and enacted by the twin Acts of Union passed by the Parliaments of both countries, despite popular opposition and anti-union riots in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and elsewhere. The Kingdom of Great Britain itself subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of Ireland on 1 January 1801 to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Our first stop in Scotland was the historic town of Jedburgh.
A Celtic Beginning
In the year AD854 Ecred, bishop of Lindisfarne, Established two separate settlements on Jed Water, calling them both Gedwearde. The existence of two settlements of the same name is confirmed in a charter of David 1, dated about 1150, in a list of settlements in the parish.
The town which was later to become the burgh, is distinguished from its neighbour by the phrase UBI CASTELLUM EST - Literally where the castle is. The settlement without the castle disappeared through time, but is understood to have been situated 4½ miles to the south, where before there was both church and graveyard.
The town name...
There are probably more alternative spellings of the Jedburgh town name than any other town in Scotland, as shown by the list below, with over 83 versions recorded throughout the centuries.
The most unusual version of the town name is probably Ludanbyrig - a name appearing in the 10th century Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. The number and variety of spellings may reflect the antiquity of the town, for Jedburgh appears in documents as early as AD854 and there are claims too, that it may be the first established parish in Scotland
| Chedewurthe Geddart Geddewod Geddeworde Geddeworth Geddeworthe Geddewrd Geddewrde Geddewrth Geddewurd Geddewurth Geddewurthe Geddkirch Gedeuuht Gedeworth Gedewrd Gedewrde Gedewrge Gedewrth. | Gedewrze Gedewurth Gedewurthe Gedwearde Gedwearde Gedwirth Gedword Gedworth Gedworthe Gedwoth Goddewrthe Iedeuurth Iedewrth Jedbruch Jedbrugh Jedburch Jedburcht Jedburghe Jedburt | Jeddeburch Jeddeburgh Jeddeswrth Jeddeuurd Jeddewod Jeddeword Jeddewort Jeddeworth Jeddeworthe Jeddewrd Jeddewrde Jeddewrdh Jeddewrte Jeddewrth Jeddewurd Jeddewurth Jeddewurthe Jedduit Jeddwrde | Jeddwrth Jedeword Jedeworth Jedewrd Jedewrde Jedewrdh Jedewrth Jedewurth Jedward Jedwart Jedwert Jedwod Jedworde Jedworth Jedworthe Jedwrte Jedwrth Jethart Jodewrth |
The Derivation of the Name
This is open to conjecture, one authority suggesting a link with the Gadeni, a British tribe which in early times occupied the area lying between the Teviot and present-day Northumberland. The same authority suggests that the river Jed was originally called the Gad.
Samuel Johnston, in 'Place Names of Scotland', suggests that Jed comes from the Welsh gwd - a turn or twist; and that the second syllable word or worth means an open space. In terms of pronunciation visitors to the town may be unaware that locals still refer to the town as Jeddart, which is much nearer the earlier version than the more formal name shown on maps and road signs.
Town Crest
The first of these represented the coronation of the Blessed Virgin (in whose honour Jedburgh Abbey is dedicated), and showed her on Jesus' right hand side. The second showed a Madonna holding the Holy Child, again symbolising the town's religious associations.
The third design, adopted in 1650, bore the figure of a unicorn. This being a part of the King's Arms, the town was officially advised thirty years later that it could not be allowed to continue its use. Accordingly, the Town Council applied to the Lord Lyon from whom they received the design which is described in heraldic language as:
- Gules, on a horse salient Argent, furnished Azure, a chevalier armed at all points, grasping in his right hand a kind of lance (called the Jedburgh Staff).
- The motto in an Escrol is Strenue et Prospere (Coronet added in Extract of Matriculation dated 15 March 1956).
In more everyday language...
Upon a red shield is a silver horse shown in the act of springing forward. The horse's harness is coloured blue and upon its back is a fully armed rider carrying an unusual lance.
The rider and lance are portrayed in their natural colours. The coronet above the shield is represented as being made of masonry, as befits a Royal Burgh, and the motto which means 'earnestly and successfully', is shown as being on a strip of parchment.
The Jedburgh coat of arms is said to be the only one containing the figure of a horse - which may be considered surprising in view of the extent to which horses were bred and used throughout the Borders in the past.
Since reorganisation of Local Government, all Burgh Arms reverted to the Crown, but following an application by the Community Council to the office of the Lord Lyon, the town has been granted the right to continue the use of their historic coat of arms.
The abbey is just beautiful, there is a little house that has this exact view (picture above). If this little house comes on the market I am fighting tooth and nail for it....
Information c/o www.jedburgh.co.uk and Wikipedia
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