Lauderdale

Overview
Of the river crossings the bridge at Bonjedburgh would have facilitated access to Jedburgh from north of the Teviot. The purpose of the crossing at what is now Galashiels is not so clear, perhaps on routes to Lauder and Peebles. Placenames related to bridges are clearer. Thus there was an old wooden bridge at Bridgend near Melrose that was probably on a route from Lauder, Dalkeith and Edinburgh down to Selkirk. Brighauch was associated with the Minchmoor route that gave access to Peebles and Clydesdale, and the bridge at Kelso would have allowed access to Berwick from Hawick and Jedburgh.

Of the remaining names Hexpetth (not shown on Lauderdale map) is suggestive of a long distance route, perhaps branching off the main Edinburgh to Kelso road at Lauder. Langatt also may indicate a route from Lauder up to the Lothians though its ultimate destination is unclear. The function of the ford and road indicated by Craikkesfoorde and Rippeth is not clear but the abbeys did have lands in the Leader valley. Rutherford and Eckford (not shown on Lauderdale map) probably relate to local routes.

A number of spittal names are included as they sometimes catered for pilgrims and travellers but unless there is evidence that this was their function they should be used with caution as they could be for example an almshouse, a leper hospital or straighforward hospital with no relevance to routes.

Texts written by or derived from Pont indicate routes from Berwick to Kelso, Kelso to Jedburgh, Jedburgh to Hawick, Jedburgh to Selkirk and Selkirk to Edinburgh.

Click for larger map
Note: Hexpath, Sisterpath, Smailholm and Ednam Spittels and Eckford are not shown on the Lauderdale map.

Map Based on quarter-inch OS maps, published 1935 & 1945.
With thanks to Ordnance Survey.

Pont Texts

A number of texts written by or derived from Pont give distances between towns. It is very likely that these relate to routes because the distances must have been measured and there would be little point in knowing the mileage unless people were travelling between these places. In some cases he refers directly to "the way to" or gives a list of intermediate places as if they were on a route. The river crossings he shows must have been used for journeys. There is in any case evidence from other sources that there were routes at this time. The texts can be viewed on the NLS Pont Website and are also in MacFarlane's Geographical Collections.

So far as this map goes, the following entries indicate routes through this area:
   - Berwik Kelso 20 Later maps show this running though Coldstream;
   - Haick Jedburg 8 From later maps this probably went directly over to Denholm from Jedburgh and then directly to Hawick;
   - Jedburg Selkirk 8 This would have used the crossing near Bonjedburgh - see immediately below;
   - Jedburg Kelso 7 Later maps suggest the route went by a still existing track over to Crailing and then followed the line of the      present day road through Eckford to Kelso;
   - Selkirk Edinburgh 22 m (see NLS) The early route seems to have used the bridge at Caddon Foot and then went up by      Clovenfords.

River Crossings

At Bonjedburgh
Identification
Bridge over Teviot at present day Bridgend, 1 mile SE of Ancrum, NT639 237
Associated route
MacFarlane (Geographical Collections, Vol.2; also see immediately above) shows distances between Jedburgh and Selkirk and Jedburgh and Kelso which imply routes existed in 1646 when this list of distances was made up. Melrose is not mentioned. MacKenzie in Lilliesleaf and Its Old Roads (Transactions of the Hawick Archaelogical Society, 1947) gives an interesting account of the two mediaeval Selkirk to Jedburgh routes, both of which would have used this crossing. The bridge is mentioned in 1547.
* also shown on Teviotdale map

At Galasheels, on river south of Gala Water
Identification
Crossing stream in Galashiels, NT 490 360
Associated route
The orientation of this stream favours a route on a NW-SE line but it is difficult to say what any through route might have been, perhaps Selkirk to Dalkeith if the Tweed was crossed at Boldside as suggested by the Military Survey map. The town of Galashiels did not exist at the time.
*also shown on Teviotdale and Tweeddale maps

Placenames

Bridgend, Kelso
Identification
At south end of present day bridge over the Tweed. NT 727 337. No bridge is shown on the map but this may be because the bridge was broken down by the local people as a defensive measure during Hertford’s campaign of 1547. The bridge was of stone and erected in 1330. (Image of ferry in the 1680's from Slezer's Theatrum Scotiae - NLS site)
Associated route
Although the bridge would have facilitated movement between Roxburgh and Kelso, its function was probably more related to a route to Edinburgh by Smailholm and Legerwood (The Roads that led to Edinburgh etc, Harry R G Inglis, PSAS, Vol. 50, (1915-16), p. 40) and would also have given access to Coldstream, Berwick, Jeburgh and Hawick.
* also shown on Teviotdale map

Brigheuch
Identification
Near Bridgelands, 1½ miles NNE of Selkirk, NT 481 304. Kelso Abbey had land on both sides of the River Ettrick, with pasture rights on part of Minchmoor, granted them by Alexander II. A condition of the grant was that they maintain the bridge existing at the Ettrick.
Associated route
There is undoubtedly a connection with the Minchmoor route both because of the pasture rights and the references to Minchmoor in Kelso charters relating to Lesmahagow. That said, it is not completely clear where the route was. Inglis (Ancient Border Highways: The Minchmoor (Catrail) Road, the Wheel Causeway, the Annandale Forest Road, the Well Path, and the Enterkin, PSAS, Vol. 58 (1923-24), pps 203-23) gives an interesting account of the Minchmoor, noting that there was an original path from the river crossing which later became turnpiked on its western stretch between Troquhair and Brown Knowe, where it ran south to the Yarrow valley. This suggests that the original Minchmoor road ran from the bridge over Lingley Hill and Peat Law to the Three Brethren, Broomy Law and Brown Knowe and then took up the line of the Minchmoor turnpike to Troquhair. It is not clear, however, given the absence of the bridge in Pont’s day what the later status of this route was.
* also shown on Teviotdale and Tweeddale maps

Craikkesfoorde
Identification
Craigsford, on riverside just west of Earlston. NT 570 382
Associated route
Stobie’s map (1770) suggests this was used to access Earlston both from Melrose and St Boswells. It would also have served local needs.
* also shown on Teviotdale and Tweeddale maps

N Spittell, near Bonjedbrugh
Identification
Spittal near to Ancrum, NT 647 247
Associated route
Although little is known about this spittal (NMRS 62SW6), it does lie very near to Dere Street which may indicate use by travellers.
* also shown on Teviotdale.

Briggend, near Melrose
Identification
Bridgend, 2 miles west of Melrose, NT 520 354. Although not shown here, there was a known bridge (NMRS record) at this location at the time. Inglis (The Roads that Led to Edinburgh p.43) suggests it may have been destroyed in 1544 at the same time as Melrose Abbey.
Associated route
Traditionally it is thought to have been associated with the Girthgate that ran up to Soutra but Inglis thinks it would have been used between Lauder and Selkirk, Hawick and Jedburgh.
*also shown on Teviotdale and Tweeddale maps

Maisondieu
Identification
Maisondieu, 1½ miles SSE of Kelso, about 400 metres north of farmhouse. NT 714 327. NMRS record.
Associated route
It cannot be said with certainty if its function included catering for travellers. In any case it is so near Roxburgh to which roads ran that it would not offer much additional evidence in support of these.
*also shown on Teviotdale map

Rippeth
Identification
Redpath, 2 ½ miles SSE of Earlston, NT 585 385
Associated route
Given the presumed age of this place name it is tempting to think that a road would have ran north through here from Dryburgh Abbey but there does not seem to be any record of such a road. Another possibility is that it was on a road between Melrose and Earlston but early maps do not support this.
* also shown on Teviotdale, Merse and Tweeddale maps

Rutherford
Identification
Rutherford Mill, 3 miles E of Maxton, on River Tweed, NT 662 312. The 1863 6” OS map (sheet IX) shows a ford at Rutherford Mill although there was a ferry one mile to the west at NT 650 319. J S M Macdonald (Placenames of Roxburghshire, Hawick Archaeological Society 1991) suggests the name means “cattle ford” from the Old English hryther and ford.
Associated route
The Military Survey and Stobie show a road running past Rutherford Mill on the south side of the river and on the north side, one about ¼ mile from the ferry but more than a mile from the ford; this suggests that there was no through route. The name itself is more suggestive of a local route.
* also shown on Teviotdale and Merse maps

Spittelbank, near Eckford
Identification
Although not appearing on later maps the location would have been on the north side of the Kale Water near Eckford, NT 71 27 approx.
Associated route
This location would place it on the Jedburgh to Kelso route but there is no supporting evidence for a spittal here or that it would have catered for travellers.
* also shown on Teviotdale map

Langatt
Identification

Near Langatt

This appears as Langgate on the Military Survey on a road running from Carfraemill (4 miles N of Lauder) directly north by the Kelphope Burn. NT 512 552 approx.
Associated route
It is not clear what the purpose of this route was. Early maps show quite a few routes hereabouts, sometimes incorporating segments of earlier routes. On the north side of the Lammermuirs the Military Survey show it joining the network of roads there but with no clear destination. Ainslie’s map of 1821 shows it running to just south of East Salton though it is not clear why it would do this.
*also shown on Merse map

Spittell & N Spittell, south of Lauder
Identification
There is no trace of these locations on later maps although there was an almshouse at St Leonards, just south of Lauder. From the Blaeu map they must have been located very near to St Leonards and may well have been associated with this. NT 55 45.
Associated route
Given the lack of records it cannot be said with any certainty that travellers were catered for at these places although they were close to an existing route.