The River Sark or Sark Water is a river forming part of the western border between

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and England. Most of its length is entirely in Scotland. It flows into the estuary of the River Esk just south of Gretna.

History

The Scots defeated the English at the

Battle of Sark The Battle of Sark, or the Battle of Lochmaben Stone,, pp. 18-19, 27 was fought between Scotland and England on 23 October 1448 or 1449. It was a decisive Scottish victory, the first since the Battle of Otterburn in 1388, and the last pitched ba ...

in October 1448. It was a significant victory for the Scots, who had not defeated England since the

Battle of Otterburn The Battle of Otterburn, also known as the Battle of Chevy Chase, took place according to Scottish sources on 5 August 1388, or 19 August according to English sources, as part of the continuing border skirmishes between the Scots and Eng ...

in 1388. The first verse of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

' poem '' Such a Parcel of Rogues in a Nation'' says:

:Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame, :Fareweel our ancient glory; :Fareweel ev'n to the Scottish name, :Sae fam'd in martial story. :Now Sark rins over Solway sands, :An'
Tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...
rins to the ocean, :To mark where England's
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
stands- :Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!"

The poem's subject was the alleged sale of Scotland in the Anglo-Scottish Treaty of Union. The town of

Gretna Green Gretna Green is a parish in the southern Subdivisions of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, close to the town of Gretna, Scotland, Gretna, on the Scottish side of the English-Scottish border. It is accessed from the A74( ...

on the Sark is known for its wedding industry. The area around the Sark was marshy and sandy, as much of the coast of the north west

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

is. The small section between the lower end of the Sark and the River Esk is known as the "

debatable lands The Debatable Lands, also known as debatable ground, batable ground or threip lands,. lay between Scotland and England. It was formerly in question as to which it belonged to when they were distinct kingdoms. For most of its existence, the area ...

", and was formerly a haven for criminals and outlaws who wished to exploit the weakness of the two countries' border defences. The boundary between the Sark and the Esk is called the Scots' Dike.

References

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Sark Sark (Sercquiais: or , ) is an island in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, and part of the archipelago of the Channel Islands. It is a self-governing British Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency, with its own set o ...

Anglo-Scottish border

1Sark