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Kelso ( sco, Kelsae gd, Cealsaidh) is a market town in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. Within the boundaries of the historic county of
Roxburghshire Roxburghshire or the County of Roxburgh ( gd, Siorrachd Rosbroig) is a historic county and registration county in the Southern Uplands of Scotland. It borders Dumfriesshire to the west, Selkirkshire and Midlothian to the north-west, and Berw ...
, it lies where the rivers Tweed and Teviot have their confluence. The town has a population of 5,639 according to the 2011 census and based on the 2010 definition of the locality. Kelso's main tourist draws are the ruined
Kelso Abbey Kelso Abbey is a ruined Scottish abbey in Kelso, Scotland. It was founded in the 12th century by a community of Tironensian monks first brought to Scotland in the reign of Alexander I. It occupies ground overlooking the confluence of the Twe ...
and
Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorpora ...
. The latter is a house designed by William Adam which was completed in 1726. The Kelso Bridge was designed by John Rennie who later built London Bridge. Kelso held the UK record for the lowest January temperature at , from 1881 until 1982.


History

The town of Kelso came into being as a direct result of the creation of Kelso Abbey in 1128. The town's name stems from the earliest settlement having stood on a chalky outcrop, and the town was known as Calkou (or perhaps
Calchfynydd Calchfynydd ( Welsh ''calch'' "lime" + ''mynydd'' "mountain") was an obscure Britonnic kingdom or sub-kingdom of sub-Roman Britain. Its exact location is unknown and virtually nothing certain is known about it. The name survives in the epithet of ...
) in those early days, something that is remembered in the modern street name, "Chalkheugh Terrace". Standing on the opposite bank of the River Tweed from the now-vanished royal burgh of
Roxburgh Roxburgh () is a civil parish and formerly a royal burgh, in the historic county of Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was an important trading burgh in High Medieval to early modern Scotland. In the Middle Ages it had at leas ...
, Kelso and its sister hamlet of Wester Kelso were linked to the burgh by a ferry at Wester Kelso. A small hamlet existed before the completion of the abbey in 1128 but the settlement started to flourish with the arrival of the monks. Many were skilled craftsmen, and they helped the local population as the village expanded. Archaeological excavations in the 1980s discovered that the original medieval burgh of Wester Kelso was much farther west than previously believed and that it was abandoned in the 14th or 15th centuries, at the same time that the royal burgh of Roxburgh was deserted, likely the result of the English occupation of
Roxburgh Castle Roxburgh Castle is a ruined royal castle that overlooks the junction of the rivers Tweed and Teviot, in the Borders region of Scotland. The town and castle developed into the royal burgh of Roxburgh, which the Scots destroyed along with the c ...
. The other settlement of Easter Kelso, near the abbey, survived and expanded from the market area around the abbey northwards towards the Floors estate by the early 18th century. Thus ‘Easter’ Kelso, became Kelso. The abbey controlled much of life in Kelso-area burgh of barony, called Holydean, until the Reformation in the 16th century. After that, the power and wealth of the abbey declined. The Kerr family of Cessford took over the barony and many of the abbey's properties around the town. By the 17th century, they virtually owned Kelso. In Roxburgh Street is the outline of a horseshoe petrosomatoglyph where the horse of
Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
cast a shoe as he was riding it through the town on his way to
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
in 1745. He is also said to have planted a white rosebush in his host's garden, descendants of which are still said to flourish in the area.Westwood, Jennifer (1985), ''Albion. A guide to Legendary Britain.'' Pub. Grafton Books. London. . P. 378. 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.
Kelso Town Hall Kelso Town Hall is a municipal building in The Square, Kelso, Scotland. The building, which was the headquarters of Kelso Burgh Council, is a Category B listed building. History The first municipal building in Kelso was a tolbooth which dated ...
was completed in 1816 and remodelled in 1908. The war memorial was erected in 1921 to a design by Sir
Robert Lorimer Sir Robert Stodart Lorimer, KBE (4 November 1864 – 13 September 1929) was a prolific Scottish architect and furniture designer noted for his sensitive restorations of historic houses and castles, for new work in Scots Baronial and Goth ...
.


Community

Kelso High School provides secondary education to the town, and primary education is provided by Edenside Primary and Broomlands Primary. The River Tweed at Kelso is renowned for its salmon fishing. There are two eighteen-hole golf courses as well as a National Hunt (jumping) horse racing track.
Kelso Racecourse Kelso Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Kelso, Scotland. The official website describes the course as "Britain's Friendliest Racecourse". It was voted the Best Small Course in Scotland and the North of England in 2007, ...
is known as "Britain's Friendliest Racecourse." Racing first took place in Kelso in 1822. In 2005, the town hosted the 'World Meeting of
Citroën 2CV The Citroën 2CV (french: link=no, deux chevaux(-vapeur), , lit. "two steam horse(power)s", meaning "two ''taxable'' horsepower") is an air-cooled front-engine, front-wheel-drive, economy family car, introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l' ...
Friends' in the grounds of nearby
Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorpora ...
. The town's rugby union club is
Kelso RFC Kelso Rugby Football Club are a Scottish rugby union team founded in 1876. They play their home games at Poynder Park, Kelso in the Scottish Borders. The men's team currently play in and the Border League (the oldest established rugby union l ...
. The club holds an annual rugby sevens tournament takes place in early May. Former players include
Ross Ford Ross William Ford (born 23 April 1984) is a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Scottish Rugby Academy. He was previously a Scotland international rugby union player who played as a hooker. He made 110 test appearances for Scotland, mak ...
, the current record holder for men's senior caps with the Scotland men's rugby union team. Other former players include John Jeffrey,
Roger Baird Roger Baird (born 12 April 1960 in Kelso, Scotland) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. Rugby Union career Amateur career Baird attended St. Mary's School, Melrose and Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. Both schools ...
, Andrew Ker and Adam Roxburgh, who all featured in 7s teams that dominated the Borders circuit in the 1980s - including several wins in the blue ribbon event at
Melrose Melrose may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Melrose, Scottish Borders, a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland ** Melrose Abbey, ruined monastery ** Melrose RFC, rugby club Australia * Melrose, Queensland, a locality in the South Burnett R ...
. Kelso RFC also hold an annual rugby fixture; this fixture is the oldest unbroken fixture between a Scottish and Welsh side. Every year in July, the town celebrates the border tradition of Common Riding, known as Kelso Civic Week. The festival lasts a full week and is headed by the Kelsae Laddie with his Right and Left Hand Men. The Laddie and his followers visit neighbouring villages on horseback with the climax being the Yetholm Ride on the Saturday. Kelso hosts its annual fair on the first weekend of September. The festivities include dancing, street entertainers, live music, stalls and a free concert. The fair attracts about 10,000 people to the town.


People

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". Another attraction is the Cobby Riverside Walk which goes from the town centre to
Floors Castle Floors Castle, in Roxburghshire, south-east Scotland, is the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe. Despite its name it is an estate house rather than a fortress. It was built in the 1720s by the architect William Adam for Duke John, possibly incorpora ...
along the banks of the Tweed passing the point where it is joined by the River Teviot. Kelso has three bridges that span the River Tweed, " Rennie's Bridge" was completed in 1803 to replace an earlier one washed away in the floods of 1797, it was built by John Rennie of Haddington, who later went on to build Waterloo Bridge in London, his bridge in Kelso is a smaller and earlier version of Waterloo Bridge. The bridge was the cause of local rioting in 1854 when the Kelso population objected to paying tolls even when the cost of construction had been covered, the Riot Act was read, three years later tolls were abolished. Hunter's Bridge, a kilometre downstream, is a modern construction built to divert vehicles around the town and so take much of the heavy traffic that has damaged Rennie's bridge. Famous people from Kelso have included the suffragette
Georgiana Solomon Georgiana Margaret Solomon (née Thomson; born 18 August 1844 – 24 June 1933) was a British educator and campaigner, involved with a wide range of causes in Britain and South Africa. She and her only surviving daughter, Daisy Solomon, were su ...
who was born here in 1844, the civil engineer Sir
James Brunlees Sir James Brunlees FRSE MICE (1816 – 1892) was a Scottish civil engineer. He was President of the Institution of Civil Engineers for 1882-3. He was born in Kelso in the Scottish Borders in 1816. Early life Brunlees was the son of John Brun ...
(1816–1892) who constructed many railways in the United Kingdom as well as designing the docks at
Avonmouth Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, facing two rivers: the reinforced north bank of the final stage of the Avon which rises at sources in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuar ...
and Whitehaven.
Sir William Fairbairn Sir William Fairbairn, 1st Baronet of Ardwick (19 February 1789 – 18 August 1874) was a Scottish civil engineer, structural engineer and shipbuilder. In 1854 he succeeded George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson to become the third presiden ...
(1789–1874) was another engineer who built the first iron hulled steamship the ''Lord Dundas'' and constructed over 1,000 bridges using the tubular steel method which he pioneered.
Thomas Pringle Thomas Pringle (5 January 1789 – 5 December 1834) was a Scottish writer, poet and abolitionist. Known as the father of South African poetry, he was the first successful English language poet and author to describe South Africa's scenery, nati ...
the writer, poet and abolitionist, was born at nearby Blakelaw, a farmstead four miles (6 km) to the south of the town where his father was the tenant. Donald Farmer, a Victoria Cross recipient was born in Kelso, as was
Ross Ford Ross William Ford (born 23 April 1984) is a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Scottish Rugby Academy. He was previously a Scotland international rugby union player who played as a hooker. He made 110 test appearances for Scotland, mak ...
, who holds the record for the most senior caps (110) with the men's
Scotland national rugby union team The Scotland national rugby union team represents Scotland in men's international rugby union and is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship and participates in the Rugby World Cup, ...
.
Robert Allan Smith Dr Robert Allan Smith CBE FRS PRSE (14 May 1909 – 16 May 1980) was a British mathematician and physicist.S.D. Smith, Robert Allan Smith, Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, vol.28, 479-504, 1982. Biography Smith (known to ...
(1909-1980) physicist, was born and brought up in Kelso.


Notable current and former residents

*
Roger Baird Roger Baird (born 12 April 1960 in Kelso, Scotland) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. Rugby Union career Amateur career Baird attended St. Mary's School, Melrose and Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh. Both schools ...
, rugby * James Ballantyne, printer *
Horatius Bonar Horatius Bonar (19 December 180831 July 1889), a contemporary and acquaintance of Robert Murray M'cheyne was a Scottish churchman and poet. He is principally remembered as a prodigious hymnodist. Friends knew him as Horace Bonar. Lice ...
, poet and hymn writer *
Jane Lundie Bonar Jane C. Bonar (, Lundie; 1 December 1821 – 3 December 1884) was a Scottish hymnwriter. Her hymn, "Pass away, earthly joy!", first appeared in 1843 in ''Songs for the Wilderness''. Two years after, it reappeared in ''The Bible Hymn Book'', compi ...
(1821–1884), hymnwriter * Sir James Brunlees, engineer * Peter Crawford, land surveyor *
Sir William Fairbairn Sir William Fairbairn, 1st Baronet of Ardwick (19 February 1789 – 18 August 1874) was a Scottish civil engineer, structural engineer and shipbuilder. In 1854 he succeeded George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson to become the third presiden ...
, engineer * Donald Farmer, Victoria Cross recipient * Ryan Flannigan, cricket *
Ross Ford Ross William Ford (born 23 April 1984) is a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Scottish Rugby Academy. He was previously a Scotland international rugby union player who played as a hooker. He made 110 test appearances for Scotland, mak ...
, Rugby Union * John Jeffrey, Rugby Union * Ryan Hogarth, Darts Player * Andrew Ker, rugby & cricket *
Alistair Moffat Alistair Murray Moffat (born 16 June 1950, Kelso, Scotland) is a Scottish writer and journalist, former director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and former Rector of the University of St Andrews. Education Moffat graduated from the Universit ...
, journalist * Tom Nevin, boxer * Scott Newlands, Rugby Union * Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963), poet * Sir Matthew Pinsent, rower *
Thomas Pringle Thomas Pringle (5 January 1789 – 5 December 1834) was a Scottish writer, poet and abolitionist. Known as the father of South African poetry, he was the first successful English language poet and author to describe South Africa's scenery, nati ...
, poet * Sir William Purves, banker * Adam Roxburgh, rugby * Sir Walter Scott, writer * Robert Smith CBE, physicist * Jane T. Stoddart, writer and editor *
Alan Tait Alan Victor Tait (born 2 November 1964) is a former Scottish dual-code rugby footballer, and now coach. He is a Defence Coach at the Super 6 side Southern Knights. He was previously head coach at Newcastle Falcons and a former rugby union ...
, Rugby Union/Rugby League *
Jennie Kidd Trout Jennie Kidd Trout (born Gowanlock; April 21, 1841 – November 10, 1921) was the first woman in Canada to become a licensed medical doctor, on March 11, 1875. Trout was the only woman in Canada licensed to practice medicine until July 1880, when ...
, Canadian Physician, the first woman in Canada to practice medicine, born in Kelso. * James Thomson, poet and composer


Film, music and literature

Much of the 1984 film '' Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes'' was filmed on location at Floors Castle in Kelso, which featured as the fictional Greystoke Manor. Kelso features in the traditional folk music ballad 'The Shepherd Lad of Kelso', as well as 'The Old Woman of Kelso', a variation of the ballad
Eggs and Marrowbone "Eggs and Marrowbone" (Laws Q2, Roud 183), also known as "There Was An Old Woman", is a traditional folk song of a wife's attempted murder of her husband. Of unknown origins, there are multiple variations. The most well known variations are "The O ...
.


Floors Castle

Floors Castle is a large stately home just outside Kelso. It is a visitor attraction. Adjacent to the house there is a large walled garden with a cafe, a small garden centre and the Star Plantation.


Twin towns

Kelso is twinned with two cities abroad: * - Kelso,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, United States * - Orchies, France


Panorama


See also

* Kelso High School * Kelso Hospital


References


Further reading

*


External links


Kelso Scottish Borders



Photos of Kelso

Coin Hoard Article
{{Authority control Towns in the Scottish Borders Parishes in Roxburghshire Populated places on the River Tweed 1128 establishments in Scotland