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Jedburgh’s Blue Plaque Trail

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Jedburgh Blue Plaque Trail takes the visitor on a trip back in time, unfolding the town’s fascinating history, highlighting significant events and its famous sons and daughters.

It’s a gentle two-mile walk (3.2km), starting in Abbey Place, that links 32 blue plaques, placed at points in interest around the town. The roll call includes …

The Ramparts – French troops reinforced the Scots to defend Jedburgh against the English in 1548 and their commander, General D’Esse constructed gun platforms that give this raised area its name.

James Thompson (1700-1748) – Famous for the words to “Rule Britiannia,” James Thompson was the son of a local minister. On moving to London he became a well known poet.

James Veitch (1771-1838) – Developed skills as an engineer, mathematician and astronomy becoming famous for his telescopes and other scientific instruments.

Mary Somerville (1780-1872) – Known as the ‘Rose of Jedwood’ Mary became famous for her writings on mathematics, astronomy and the sciences. Somerville College, Oxford was named in her honour and she became the first woman, other than a royal, to appear on an RBS banknote,

A special booklet with a map of the trail and detailed information abut each plaque is available from the Visit Scotland tourist information centre and selected outlets in the town.

A key feature of the design is the inclusion of a QR (Quick Response) code on each plaque that links to the town website and more information.

Heralded as the historic gateway to Scotland, Jedburgh is an essential stop for visitors from all over the world and the Blue Plaque Trail helps to bring its illustrious past to life.

You can pick up the Jedburgh Blue Plaque Trail booklet from Visit Scotland’s information centre next to the Town Hall.

Wallace stands tall in the Scottish Borders

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There may be as much Hollywood as there is historical fact in Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart’ but it does nothing to diminish the stature of Scotland’s national hero, Sir William Wallace.

To the English he was an outlaw and murderer while in Scotland he is credited with laying the foundations for an independent Scotland under Robert the Bruce.

The son of a Scottish knight and minor landowner he came from a family whose motto was ‘Pro Libertate’ of For Freedom, and during an eight year period from 1297 until his capture in 1305 he waged his campaign against the English.

From his base in Ettrick Forest, he employed highly successful hit and run tactics against a more powerful foe – deeds that inspired others such as Andrew Murray in the north and fanned the flames of revolt throughout Scotland.

With much of Scotland marching down the path to liberation Wallace and Murray faced their sternest test in 1297 when they met an English army in open battle at Stirling Bridge.

They achieved a stunning victory leaving the English with 5,000 dead on the battlefield, including the despised treasurer Hugh Chessingham.

Wallace was appointed Guardian of Scotland in 1298, a ceremony that Selkirk claims to have taken place at its Kirk ‘o the Forest. In the years that followed Wallace laid waste to towns in northern England but was betrayed and eventually captured.

Taken to London for trial, the outcome a foregone conclusion, Wallace was found guilty and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. His head was impaled on a spike and displayed at London Bridge, his right arm on the bridge at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, his left arm at Berwick, his right leg at Perth, and the left leg at Aberdeen.

Edward I may have believed that with Wallace’s capture and execution, he had at last broken the spirit of the Scots. He was wrong. By executing Wallace so barbarically, Edward had martyred a popular Scots military leader and fired the Scottish people’s determination to be free.

The first memorial in Scotland to be built in Wallace’s memory was at Bermersyde, Dryburgh. It was paid for by David Steuart Erskine, the 11th Earl of Buchan and unveiled in 1814.

It remains an impressive piece of public art: 21ft of red sandstone, on a 10ft plinth, placed on a commanding position overlooking Dryburgh Abbey and the Tweed Valley towards the Eildon Hills.

It is easily reached, travelling through St Boswells to a left turn about a mile down the road following the Wallace Statue signs. There is a small car park and then a short walk through woodlands to the statue.

A short drive away is Scott’s View, a magnificent vista of the Borders countryside and said to be the favourite view of Sir Walter Scott.

Friends of Monteath Mausoleum turn back time

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As imposing structures go, the Monteath Mausoleum ranks among the Scottish Borders best.

Its presence, just off the A68 past Lilliardsedge Holiday Park, deservedly puts it on nodding terms with the Eildon Hills to the north and its near neighbour to the east, the Peniel Heugh Waterloo Monument.

But size is no guarantor of fame and the Monteath Mausoleum is more likely to prompt the question “what’s that” from those in passing cars than it is a knowledgeable answer.

For the record this magnificent mausoleum was constructed for General Sir Thomas Monteath Douglas (1788 – 1868) an army officer in the Bengal Infantry. Born in Jamaica to a Scottish father and English mother, he rose progressively through the ranks, becoming increasingly senior as he distinguished himself in campaigns in India. In 1865 he was awarded the KCB for long service to the Empire.

In 1864, Thomas Monteath Douglas commissioned his mausoleum to be built on land overlooking the site of the battle of Ancrum Moor (1545) during Henry VIII’s ‘rough wooing’ campaigns. He died in 1868, and his resting place secured a solitary and commanding position over the surrounding landscape: one that future generations still look upon with awe.

The entrance is guarded by two life-sized stone lions, one awake and one, curiously, asleep. Inside the crypt two huge sculpted angels stand guard by the tomb. Above them, a star-studded, domed roof filters pale green light into the chamber.

After falling into serious decline and disrepair a group of local people, now officially the Friends of Monteath Mausoleum, decided to turn the clock back. They secured funding for a restoration programme in 2018 and work began in October of that year. By the Spring of 2019 the building had been fully restored with new glazed stars in the roof, new oak doors and the whole building made fully watertight. Volunteers then took over to tidy the site, restore the lawns and install new pathways to improve public access.

During the long lockdown, Friends of the Monteath Mausoleum have produced an Audio Guide for visitors to the monument which can be streamed live or downloaded onto mobile phones.

The spectacular Victorian mausoleum on Lilliards Edge near Ancrum has remained accessible for walkers and cyclists during lockdown, although the crypt is currently unavailable.

Photographs with thanks to Phil Wilkinson and Border Aerial Photography.