Place:


Melrose  Selkirkshire

 

In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Melrose like this:

Melrose, market town and par. with ry. sta., NW. Roxburghshire - par., 25,794 ac., pop. 11,131; town, 3½ miles SE. of Galashiels and 37 miles SE. of Edinburgh by rail, pop. 1550; P.O., T.O., 2 Banks. Market-day, Monday. The par. contains part of the town of Galashiels. In the market-place is a stone cross, bearing date 1642. ...


In W. vicinity of town is a large hydropathic establishment. Melrose, a very ancient place, originally called Fordel, is the "Kennaquhair" of Scott's Abbot and Monastery, It is picturesquely situated in the Vale of Melrose, a hollow between the Eildon Hills and the river Tweed, and is visited by great numbers of tourists, attracted chiefly by Melrose Abbey, the present remains of which are between 400 and 500 years old, and constitute one of the most interesting relics of late Gothic architecture in Scotland. In Melrose Abbey are the remains of Alexander II., of Michael Scot, of many of the Douglas family, and the heart of the Bruce. The ruins were repaired by the Duke of Buccleuch in 1822.

Melrose through time

Melrose is now part of Scottish Borders district. Click here for graphs and data of how Scottish Borders has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Melrose itself, go to Units and Statistics.

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Melrose, in Scottish Borders and Selkirkshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/16501

Date accessed: 28th March 2024


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