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Historic County of Scotland
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Historic Selkirkshire
- Administrative centre Selkirk
- Chapman County Code - SEL
- Gaelic Name Siorrachd Shalcraig
- Famous for:
- Landmarks and Places of Interest
- Newark Castle (ruin)
- The remains of the 'forest kirk' (the Kirk (church) of the Forest), referred to in ancient times as the church of St Mary of the Forest, still stand in the old churchyard. William Wallace became Guardian of Scotland here, and it is also the final resting place to several relatives of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States of America. Roosevelt, whose ancestors came from the area, named his famous dog Fala, after Fala and the nearby village of Falahill.
- Area 691 sq. km (267 sq. miles)
- Population
- Succeeded by - now part of Borders. Selkirkshire has become part of the lieutenancy area of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale.
- County Flower -
Selkirkshire (Anglicised) County of Selkirk is a registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Berwickshire to the north-east, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. Its name originates from the county town, the Royal burgh of Selkirk. Pre 1975 it was an one of the thirty three administrative counties of Scotland.
Historic Selkirkshire Parishes
Map adapted from Borders Family History Society
- Caddonfoot
- Ettrick
- Galashiels
- Kirkhope
- Roberton
- Selkirk
- Yarrow and also mentioned on GENUKI
- Ashkirk (part of)
- Innerleithen (part of)
- Peebles (part of)
- Stow (part of)
Selkirkshire: Ancient Parishes
Over the centuries parishes in Selkirkshire have changed and evolved: some parishes have changed name and others have been absorbed into one or more other parishes.
The list of parishes on the main Selkirkshire county page lists the well-known Church of Scotland parishes in existence by 1855. Some of these parishes were themselves very ancient, but others were of more recent origin. This page lists the ancient parishes which had "vanished" by 1855, either through a simple change of name, or the parish being absorbed into one or more other parishes. This list may not be complete, and comments or additions would be gratefully received.
Each entry in the list gives the name of an ancient parish and the name of the parish(es) which replaced it. Further information on the ancient parish's history may be available on its successor parish page(s) under Church History.
- Boldside/Boleside/Bowside - see Galashiels
- Buccleuch - see Ettrick
- Duchoire - see Yarrow
- Kirkhope - see Yarrow
- St Mary's - see Yarrow
- Wedale - see Stow
The following is extracted from "A History of the Border Counties (Roxburgh, Selkirk, Peebles) by Sir. Georgen Douglas - 1899.
Before 1892, when the Boundary Commission for Scotland was appointed, several detached portions of the county of Peebleshire lay within Selkirkshire. The parish of Lyne in Peebleshire had previously been joined with that of Megget in Selkirkshire to form one parish, although separated by the whole length of Manor Vale and parish.
The Commisisoner ordered that Megget should form part of the parish of Yarrow in the county of Selkirk. Similarly the portion of the parishes of Peeble and Innerleithen, which used to be in the county of Selkirk, are now in the county of Peeble. A detached portion of Yarrow parish, surrounded by the parishes of Peebles, Innerleithen and Traquair, was united to Traquair parish (which the Yarrow portion had divided into two) in the county of Peebles. The parish of Culter no longer exists. From 1801 to 1851 it was returned as wholly in Lanark; from 1851 to 1891 part of it was returned in Peeblesshire. In 1891 this portion was transferred to the parish of Broughton, Glenholm and Kilbucho.
The Commission also dealt with parishes that were partly in Selkirk and partly in Roxburgh and Midlothian. Roberton parish in the east, which used to be partly included in Selkirk, is now entirely within the county of Roxburgh. Portions of the parishes of Ashkirk, Selkirk and Galashiels, partly in Selkirk and partly in Roxburgh, were transferred to the county of Selkirk.
The large and growing town of Galashiels close to the border of Roxburgh and Selkirk had to extend its boundaries eastwards; the Commissioners decreed that the portion of Melrose parish in the county of Selkirk should become part of the parish of Galashiels and of the county of Selkirk.
Later, in 1908, another portion of Melrose parish was annexed to the burgh of Galashiels for drainage purposes, and in 1911 annexed to the parish of Galashiels.
The parish of Stow is situated partly in the county of Edinburgh and partly in the county of Selkirk. The Selkirkshire portion, known as Caddonfoot, is of large area with a population almost wholly agricultural; and as there were reasons against bringing Edinburgh down to the Tweed, as well as against making Caddonfoot part of Galashiels, this portion of Selkirkshire was kept within the parish of Stow. In 1898, however, by order of the Secretary for Scotland, it was formed into the parish of Caddonfoot in the county of Selkirk together with portions of the parishes of Selkirk, Galashiels and Yarrow. The exchanges do not affect the ecclesiastical parishes.
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