Hawick & Eskdale Area: Notes

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Based on Hawick & Eskdale 1" map, Sheet 85, Popular Edition, published 1945. With thanks to Ordnance Survey

Moffat to Selkirk, Melrose and Kelso

This is named as the road from Moffat to Selkirk, Melrose and Kelso. It closely follows the line of the existing Moffat - Selkirk road except at St Mary's Loch where it ran up the east side of the loch from Tibbie Shiels Inn onward.

Moffat - Ettrickbridge - Selkirk
The more northerly track where it leaves the main road

Two branches leave the Moffat Selkirk road near Roundstonefoot (NT 140085) to run for about 2 ½ miles to Potsburn on a no longer existing track. From Potsburn it runs along the Ettrick Water Valley on the existing track for about 6 miles to join the B709 Selkirk - Langholm road at Ramsaycleugh (NT 274145).

From this point it runs north-east more or less on the line of the main road (B709 and B7009) to Ettrickbridge and Selkirk. Two miles beyond Ettrickbridge End it leaves the B7009 to make its way by a minor road and a track to rejoin the main road at Howden just outside of Selkirk. It may be significant that Roy’s route passes the site of a Roman fort and camp on this stretch.

Moffat - Hawick
The road leaves the above road where the B711 turns off the B709 just south of Crosslee (just beoyond top of map). From there it follows the approximate line of the B711 to Hawick. There is a significant deviation from the B711 near Craig Hill (NT3216) where it cuts directly over to Delorainesheil. Boyond Bellindean Rig (NT3715) it deviates significantly from the B711 line.

Craik Cross - Hawick
This is shown as running from Craik Moor (NT3105) up through Craik and Roberton to Hawick. A Roman road is now known to have run from the fort at Raeburnfoot (NY2599) up through Craik Cross to the north-east. Wilson (Roman Penetration in E Dumfriesshire and Beyond, Allan Wilson, TDGNHAS, III, 73, 17) discusses the probable course of the road routing it up the Borthwick Water to head north of Roberton and across to Dere Street.

The track shown by Roy is identical to or very close to the Roman road as far as Burnfoot near Roberton. Throughout its course it keeps to the north of the Borthwick Water unlike stretches of the modern minor road. The area can be accessed by the public road to Craik where there are Forestry Commission parking facilities.

Langholm - Hawick
The road leaves Langholm on a slightly different course from the A7 but takes up the A7 line about two miles north of Langholm near Terrona. Its course is close to the A7 line but as can be seen from the map is not always identical to it.

Although not shown on Roy it is worth noting that Commonside Moor (NT4108) was used as an assembly point by drovers and that they crossed the Teviot at North house (NT437080) from where they made their way over to the River Liddel.

Hawick - Jedburgh

This road ran from Cauldmill (NT 520152) two miles east of Hawick, up by minor roads and a track to Denholm. From there it had the line of modern roads to near Ruecastle (NT6120) from where it ran across country to Jedburgh. There is a noticeable gap between Cauldmill and Hawick.

It is rather odd that Stobie’s Roxburghshire map of 1770 should have the modern line between Ruecastle and Jedburgh and also the A698 through Denholm although he does have the Cauldmill stretch which he terminates at Cavers. However, this was the period when parish roads and turnpikes were being built (the Act for the turnpike route followed by the A698 was obtained in 1768) so it may be the case that there was no through route between Jedburgh and Hawick in the 1750’s. See John James Mackay, Border Highways, 1998 for further details, p.127. There is also the possibility that the unfinished look of the Military Survey maps of this area could indicate that some roads, including the continuation to Hawick were missed out.

From Newcastleton
On Stobie’s map this road runs between Newcastleton and Jedburgh. On the Military Survey, the road is very isolated shown as starting at Kershopefoot, 3 miles south of Newcastleton and heading up the Liddel Valley to terminate near Caldroun Rig (NY5799) on the B6357 (3 miles beyond eastern edge of above map).

Again, it is puzzling that the Military Survey does not show the full extent of this road as Mackay (Border Highways, p.126) notes that Thomas Gardner’s road map of 1719 mentions the road as between Carlisle, Jedburgh and Berwick. The route was used by Bonnie Prince Charlie and his army in 1745. It is highly likely that it was no more than a track as the OSA (go to non-subscribers - browse scanned pages) in 1791 states that no roads had been formed in the parish until recently.

Eskdalemuir -towards Langholm
This is shown running by mostly no longer existing paths down towards Langholm but terminating several miles short of the town. It is hard to imagine why this should be so, as also with the Waterhead road that terminates nearby on the south side of the River Esk. The natural assumption must be that the Military Survey omitted these roads. Wilson (Roman Penetration in E Dumfriesshire and Beyond, Allan Wilson, TDGNHAS, III, 73, 17) discusses the possible course of Roman roads in this area, one of which from Langholm through Bentpath to the fort at Raeburnfoot could link in places to this route.

Waterhead - towards Langholm
Apart from ths road terminating, like the one above, several miles short of Langholm it is slightly puzzling why this farm should have linked to Langholm at least 12 miles away when Lockerbie was only 7 or 8 miles away.

Crossdykes - towards Langholm
This is a two mile long spur from the above road down to a farm called Crossdykes, and was presumably no more than an access track.

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