Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Scotland tries to buy back disputed border town

Harvey McGavin
Monday 15 April 2002 00:00 BST
Comments

A Scottish tourism board has launched an audacious bid to buy back the border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed by repaying a king's ransom owed to the English for 800 years.

In an effort to have the town restored to its rightful place – which, they say, is, and always has been, in Scotland – the Scottish Borders Tourism Board has given Berwick council the symbolic sum of 10,000 merks, an ancient silver coin.

Riddell Graham, chief executive of SBTB, said: "Berwick has never actually legally belonged to the English. The Scots were forced to hand Berwick over to the English as part of a ransom in 1174 to buy the freedom of King William the Lion, whom they were holding to ransom for 10,000 merks."

The town was taken by the English in lieu of payment, Mr Graham claims, but when the ransom was paid in 1189, they refused to hand it back. Richard I then sold Berwick to the Scots to raise money for the Crusades, only to recapture it on his return.

Berwick has suffered from a split personality ever since. It stands on the northern bank of the river Tweed – which is officially a Scottish river – and its football and rugby teams play in Scottish leagues. But it is English under law and has a mayor rather than a provost.

The Tweedside accent sounds Scottish to English ears but has a discernibly Northumbrian twang to Scots. In its long history, Berwick has changed hands 14 times but has been under English jurisdiction for the past 520 years.

Not for much longer, if Mr Graham gets his way. "Scotland was blackmailed into handing over Berwick. Blackmail is illegal and therefore Berwick should be handed back."

He described the payment, equivalent to £6,900 today, as "a generous offer" for a town that was "ours in the first place". A giant saltire flag has been hoisted next to the town's fortified walls – built to keep Scots out – to advertise his claim. "We hope this ends the border dispute once and for all."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in