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Berwick, 'Capital of the Borders'
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Trading took place between England
and Scotland for centuries before the records begin. Border
farmers reared sheep and cattle, while border
 stole such stock and sold
it for profit. The main outlet for this commerce, and related
wool and leather products, was Berwick, which attracted enormous
trade because it had a lower customs duty than other northern
ports. Sea trading was also established on the west coast, where
English ports such as Carlisle and Workington dealt in a variety
of goods including linen, wool, herring, hops, sea coal and
copper. |
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| During the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries, Berwick was claimed by both countries
and often changed hands. It was finally recovered for England
in 1482, during a campaign under Richard, Duke of Gloucester
(later Richard III). Today it remains in England, but is also
the county town of the Scottish county of Berwickshire, despite
five centuries in English hands. |
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| By the 1590s the massive defences of Berwick and
other border forts were in disrepair, leaving the region vulnerable
to Scottish raiders. Berwick relied for food on Scottish suppliers,
and by the mid-sixteenth century border officials were becoming
increasingly alarmed at this dependence. In 1592 the mayor of
Berwick complained that Scottish merchants were undercutting
the English in the town and removing English coin into Scotland.
The following year all Scottish servants were barred from the
town, and English soldiers with Scottish wives were dismissed.
However, hundreds of Scottish people were still living in Berwick
in 1597. |
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