In 1882-4, Frances Groome's Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Old Cambus like this:
Aldcambus (Gael. allt-camus, ' stream of the bay '), an ancient parish on the coast of Berwickshire, now united to Cockburnspath. It was one of the places granted by King Edgar to the monks of Durham, along with his priory of Coldingham, in 1098: its ruined Norman church of St Helen dates from a not much later period. ...
Crowning a cliff 200 feet high, 2 miles to the E of Cockburnspath village, this picturesque fragment consisted till recently of nave and chancel: but the latter, barely 16 feet in length, has been pulled down for the repair of dykes and barns. In a wood at Aldcambus, Bruce was preparing engines for the siege of Berwick (1317), when a monk brought him the papal truce, addressed to ' Robert, Governor of Scotland.' 'I listen to no bulls till I am treated as king, and have made myself master of Berwick, ' was the haughty reply: but the monk, on his way back was robbed of the unopened missive, which found its way doubtless into Bruce's hands.
Old Cambus through time
Old Cambus 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 Old Cambus itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Old Cambus, in Scottish Borders and Berwickshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/22242
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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