Berwickshire Postcodes — Scotland (SCT)

Berwickshire

The county of Berwickshire is located in southeastern Scotland, close to the border with England. The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, from which the county gets its name, was originally in Scotland but was annexed by England in 1482 after being passed back and forth between the two countries for centuries.

Greenlaw served as the county town from 1596 to 1890.

That was before the Local Government (Scotland) Act of 1889, the law that created the county councils in Scotland and altered the name to Duns.

The lowlands of Berwickshire, between the Tweed and the Lammermuirs, are collectively referred to as "the Merse," an old Scots word for a floodplain.

The locals are referred to as "Merse-men".

Midlothian lies to the west, East Lothian to the north, the North Sea to the east, and Roxburghshire and the English county of Northumberland to the south of Berwickshire.

Geography of Berwickshire

Berwickshire is characterized by a landscape of low hills and farmland, punctuated by a smattering of quaint little villages. Meikle Says Law, at 535 m (1,755 ft), is located in the Lammermuir Hills, which run along the county's boundary with East Lothian. Major rivers include the Eye Water, Whiteadder Water, Dye Water, Watch Water, Eden Water, and Blackadder Water; the River Tweed defines the southern boundary with England save for a tiny stretch around Berwick-upon-Tweed (originally the river formed the full border down to the North Sea).

Coat of arms

Berwickshire's county council was established in 1890 with the passage of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, and it requested its coat of arms in the same year. The 10th of October saw the grant made by Lord Lyon, King of Arms.

In a play on the name of the county seat, the coat of arms features a bear imprisoned by a wych tree.

When Berwickshire County Council was dissolved, the arms were reacquired by Berwickshire District Council.

Once the district council was no longer in existence, the arms were given back to the Crown.

Transport

Although the East Coast Main Line railroad runs through the county, it does not make any stops in this area. The Berwickshire Railway used to serve the county, but it was forced to shut down in 1948 after being severely damaged by a storm. Dunbar and Berwick-upon-Tweed are the closest cities with operational stations.

The A1 highway gives access to both northern Edinburgh and southern Berwick upon Tweed, before continuing on to Newcastle. The towns of western Berwickshire are accessible through the A68 and A697.