This is not to say that the place has not moved on. Modern industry and bright shops prove that the town has its feet firmly in the 21st century, but the townspeople are still very proud of their turbulent past.
There are many fine buildings, but perhaps the most magnificent is
the Abbey. Founded as an Augustinian priory in 1138, by David I of Scotland, it
was eventually upgraded to abbey status. It took over 100 years to complete and
was one of four abbeys built in the Borders by this pious king.During the first 300 years, the building was assaulted eight times by English armies and rebuilt after each incident. However in 1545, it was abandoned after continual raids by the English.
One of the more joyous events held there was the marriage of Alexander III to Yolande de Dreux, which took place in 1285. Sadly, legend has it that at the height of the celebrations, a ghostly figure appeared and walked among the guests. To many this seemed to be an apparition of death and it was seen as a bad omen for the newly-weds. As it turns out, their fears were realized. For some months later, Alexander was found dead beneath the cliffs at Kinghorn, in Fife, after falling from his horse.
Today the abbey stands almost intact except for the roof and was in fact, used as a church until 1875, when the Marquis of Lothian donated a new parish church to
the people of the town.In the very centre of the town once lay the Market Place. It is now a busy cross-roads, leading to the high street in one direction, and in the other, Castlegate and Jedburgh Castle. A plaque in the road marks the spot where the Market Cross once stood. A little to one side, there is a memorial to Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.
A short walk up Castlegate brings you to Abbey Close, a
narrow road overshadowed by the beautiful West Door of the Abbey. Here William
Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy, stayed here in 1803. A plaque on the wall
identifies the house they visited.While there, Sir Walter Scott paid a call. (He was attending the Circuit Courts in his role as Advocate.) On his visit he read to them his unpublished play, ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’.
Back in Castlegate, on the other side of the road, is Blackhill’s Close, where Bonnie Prince Charlie is said to have lodged for two nights in 1745, while trying to enlist men to fight his cause in England. Unfortunately, the men stayed away, although many of the townswomen came out to kiss the hand of the handsome young Prince.
From here the road rises steeply to the sturdy building at the top. Built in 1843 as a gaol, it occupies the same spot as the original castle, which was held so many times by the English. When the Scots recaptured the castle in 1409, after many years of English occupation, they completely destroyed it. The former gaol that stands on the site is now a museum of local history.
Several fortified “Bastle” Houses were built as strongholds
against the enemy. One of these housed Mary, Queen of Scots, when she stayed in
the town for a month in 1566. She was there to hold a Circuit Court, but during
her stay, she heard that James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the
dashing young man she loved and was later to marry, lay seriously wounded at
Hermitage Castle some 25 miles away.Distraught, she rode across the countryside in atrocious weather to be with him. After spending a couple of hours at his bedside, she rode back to Jedburgh. The round trip of nearly 50 miles was so arduous that she took a fever from which she very nearly died. She was 23 years old. Later, after she had spent some years imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I, Mary was heard to say, “Would that I had died at Jedburgh”.
Nowadays the house where stayed is called Mary, Queen of Scots House and is very much as it was then. Open to the public, it serves as a museum and contains many of the queen’s possessions. These include a watch, said to have been flung out of a hole burrowing underground at the nearby town of Hawick.
Another curious fact surrounding Jedburgh was the town’s simple method of treating criminals. In medieval times, according to “Jethart Justice”, it was customary to hang the accused men and hold the trial afterwards!
Much of the local pride is invested in the annual “Jethart Callants” or festival week, held at the beginning of July. During the week, the Jethart Callant leads a large group on a series of rides covering aspects of Jedburgh’s history.
One such ride follows part of the route taken by Mary, Queen of Scots, when she went to Hermitage Castle to visit the wounded Lord Bothwell.
Another takes them across to Ferniehurst Castle, once the home of the powerful Kerr family, ancestors of the Marquis of Lothian. This route takes the riders past the ancient Capon Tree, the last survivor of the once vast Jed Forest. Now standing with the aid of props, the tree has a circumference of 32 feet and is thought to be nearly 1000 years old.
Perhaps the most important day of the festival week is when the riders take to the Fells near Carter Bar. It was here on 7th July 1575, that the last Border skirmish took place.
It was the custom at that time for grievances between the Scottish and the English wardens to be settled through a discussion. On this particular day, neither side would give an inch, and a skirmish broke out. The Scots were outnumbered and would have lost the battle, had it not been for the timely arrival of a band of men from Jedburgh.
The celebratory week continues with a pageant, the Callants Ball and finally, the Jedburgh Border Games.
There are many other noteworthy places to visit in the area. For instance, a short distance away lies Ancrum, with its 12th century Market Cross. The cross has lost its top, but it is well worth a look.
Two or three miles further on is Lilliards Edge. The name is said to have come from that of a brave young maiden, Lilliard, who, after seeing her lover killed in battle in 1545, joined the fighting and bravely fought to the end.
Tales of pride and courage abound is evident in this fine Border region.
