Tweeddale

Overview
Pont Texts
River Crossings
Placenames

Overview
Two bridges are shown in Peebles, one over the Tweed and one over the Eddleston Burn which connected the old and new towns. The crossing at the Manor Water gave access to the Manor valley and that at Lyme led down to Stobo where there was another crossing and then through Drummelzier to Moffat and across to Broughton and Biggar and Clydesdale. The crossing at Darnhall was very likely to have been linked to the road to Edinburgh. That at Caddon Water and the placename Gatehoopknow are probably connected to a route on the north side of the Tweed as well as north to Edinburgh in the case of Caddon water..

Of the placenames, Craikkesfoorde and Rippeth may have been connected to monastic holdings in the area. Langatt was on a later route that crossed the Lammermuirs - it is not clear where it was heading though Dalkeith and Haddington are possibilities.
Karlinbrigg and Brigend at Dolphinton were on the early road from Edinburgh to Biggar and beyond, in places following the Roman road.
Neidpath near Peebles was on the direct route to Lyme Bridge but it is not clear if the name refers to the precursor of the present road or a path running through the gorge in this area.
Noufird (not shown on Tweedale map) was used by a later route over to Moffat and Foulbrig Moss was on an early route though the Manor valley.
Brigend and Brigheuch are connected with bridges known to have existed in the middle ages. Brigend would have given access to Lauder and Brigheuch to Peebles via the Minchmoor route.
Spittell (not shown on Tweedale map) and Spittelhauch are included as spittels sometimes catered for travellers but as they did not always do this they are not always indicative of routes.
The location of Gaitupp is approximate and any associated route is uncertain.
Texts written by or derived from Pont indicate a number of routes existed and these are listed below.

Large 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 gives 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. He also shows river crossings that 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:
Diverse distances
Peblis -Edinburgh 16m This is an element of uncertainty about the course although there is enough evidence to show that there was a route. Although Edgar and the Military Survey show the very direct route through Eddleston, Howgate and Auchendinny the 1630 map of the Lothians by Hondius (based on Pont) does not show a Peebles road. The road it does show through Auchendinny does not go straight to Edinburgh as the Military Survey does but joins the Edinburgh to Biggar road. Moll in 1718 shows a route through Dalhousie (3 miles SW of Dalkeith) but the distances on his map add up to 22 miles.
Karlinhops Edinburgh 10 myl This was on the Edinburgh to Biggar road.
Selkirk Edinburgh 22 m The early route seems to have used the bridge at Caddon Foot and then went up by Clovenford
Selkirk Seatonn 22 m This seems an odd inclusion in the list, perhaps to do with exports. A reasonably direct route would be the Edinburgh route as far as Pathhead on the present A68 road and then a cross country route to Port Seaton.
Peeblis Lanrik 16 m This crossed the Lyme and ran to Drummelier and Broughton from where Biggar was reached.
Peeblis Lithgow 18 myl The most likely route would have been up to West Linton and then over the Cauldstane Slap. The text accompanying the Blaeu map mentions bridges over the Lyme at Newlands (just south of Romanno Bridge NT 1646) and at West Linton.
Biggar Drummailler 4 myl This was on the Clydesdale to Peebles route.
Annand town in Annandail and Edinburgh 56, the way is up the hail river annand to the springs stil north then down Tweed fra the springs whill you fal in Lothian. the draucht of Tweed falling that lenth almost nordeast. This description and an entry for Annand to Muffet suggest the route was by Moffat then over into the upper reaches of the Tweed where the route ran down to Broughton and Blyth Bridge. It is not clear if it then went up through Linton to join the Edinburgh to Biggar road shown on Hondius. Edgar marks this as the Edinburgh to Moffat road but shows another road that is the present A701 route through Howgate. Note the wording "the way is up the hail river..."

Sent out the south to me in Febr. 1646
Anand and Peebils 36 This would have branched off the Moffat route at Drummelzier and made its way through Stobo and Lyme Bridge to Peebles.
Lainrick and Peebils 16 As above
Hamiltoun and Peebils 24 As for Lanark. The Hamilton to Lanark road ran past Larkhall to Crossford and then along a ridge past Nemphlar to cross the Mouse by a bridge dating from the 1600's into Lanark.
Peeblis and Biggar 10 The route went through Broughton, Drummelzier, Stobo and the Lyme bridge.
Dumfreis Peebils 36 The most direct route would have been through Moffat and along the Tweed to Drummelzier.
Jedburg Selkirk 8 This would have used the crossing near Bonjedburgh. 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.

Brig of Lym
Identification
Over River Lyne in vicinity of present day Lynesmill Bridge at NT 209 401.
Associated route
The Military Survey and other early maps show this on the route from Peebles to Drummelzier from where Moffat and Broughton, Biggar etc. could be reached. Texts written by or derived from Pont give distances between places that make it plain that this route existed in his day.

Peebles
Identification
Peebles over River Tweed. NT 250 403. The bridge (NMRS record) dates from at least late mediaeval times and replaced an earlier wooden bridge.
Associated route
Early maps suggest this was used for the route to Selkirk. The town common was on the south side of the river.

Peebles
Identification

Cuddy Bridge in distance seen from Tree Bridge. The old town was on the right of the picture.

Earlier bridges at the location of either Cuddy Bridge or Tree Bridge. Both existed in late mediaeval times and spanned Eddleston Water. Tree Bridge was at the foot of Bridgegate. It is hard to say which of these is represented on the Blaeu map although they are only a couple of hundred metres apart.
Cuddy Bridge (NMRS record) NT 250 404; Tree Bridge (NMRS record) NT 252 405
Associated route
Their main function would have been to link separate parts of the town although they would have been used by those travelling through Peebles.

Manor Water, near to Tweed

The bridge in the picture dates from 1702.

Identification
Manor Water near to Manor Sware and Edston, NT 230 394
Associated route
May have given access to Kirk of Mennyrs (Manor) sited in Kirkton and would give access to the Manor Valley. NMRS record.

Darnhall, near Eddleston
Identification
Over Eddleston Water near present day village of Eddleston.
Associated route
On the map the bridge appears to cross over to Barony Castle (Darnhall, NT 241 471). It is however more likely that it is linked to the route to Edinburgh which early maps show crossed the Eddleston Water here to run on the west side of the river as far as Waterhead. The old road can be seen on modern maps.

Stobo
Identification
Easton Burn, Stobo. NT 184 376
Associated route
Early maps show a road through here in the mid 1700’s and there is evidence from the texts written by or derived from Pont that the route from Peebles went along the Tweed valley to Drumelzier from where Biggar and Clydesdale could be reached.

Brigend near Dalfindou
Identification
Bridge-end, Dolphinton NT 108 471
Associated route
This was on the Biggar to Edinburgh road. It coincided with the Roman road at this point.

Near Cadanly, just above River Tweed
Identification
Near Caddonfoot on Caddon Water just north of River Tweed, NT 449 352
Associated route
The Military Survey shows two roads running from Selkirk here. One keeps to the east of the Caddon Water and is named as the "new road" from Selkirk to Edinburgh. The other road (the old road) crosses the river and runs on the west side up to Clovenfords where it continues (as the old road) to Edinburgh. It crosses an east west road named as the road from Peebles to Lauder which kept to the north of the Tweed from Peebles. This suggests the primary purpose of the bridge was to serve the Edinburgh road although in Pont's day it could easily have tied in to a route to Peebles. The placename Gatehoopknow and the record of cannon being transported from Peebles to Selkirk via Darnick (near Melrose) in 1547 rather than the Minchmoor suggests such a route did exist (The Roads that led to Edinburgh etc, Harry R G Inglis, PSAS, Vol. 50, (1915-16), p. 43).
* 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 (NT 4933) as suggested by the Military Survey map. The town of Galashiels did not exist at the time.
* also shown on Teviotdale and Lauderdale maps

Placenames

Auchincork
Identification
Auchincorth Farm, 4˝ miles NE of West Linton. NT 197 575
Associated route
Watson (Gaelic Placenames of Scotland) gives the meaning of Auchencorth as “field of the standing stone” so it may not have any connotations of a crossing.

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 (op.cit., 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 Lauderdale maps

Brigheuch
Identification
Near Bridgelands, 1˝ 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, Harry R G Inglis, 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 Lauderdale 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 Lauderdale maps

Foulbrigg Moss, near Manorhead
Identification
Area at head of Manor Valley. NT 20 26.
Associated route
The first early map to show a route through Foulbrigg is Armstrong in 1775. The name may indicate a rough and ready causeway or bridge across marshy ground.

Gatehoopknow
Identification
It appears on the Military Survey and other early maps 3 miles E of Innerleithen. NT 385 377.
Associated route
See Cadanly above

Gaitupp, 3 miles east of Troquair
Identification
The mapping is very confusing. Perhaps a mile or so north of Glentress on road leading north from Innerleithen but its position in relation to county boundaries could also suggest somewhere near Redscar Law, 3 miles east of Glentress.
Associated route
Uncertain.

Karlinbrigg (in Lothian)
Identification
Carlops on the A702 Edinburgh to Biggar road. Over North Esk. NT 561 161
Associated route
This is on the mediaeval road to Biggar which itself followed the Roman road on this stretch.

Neidpetth

Neidpath Castle	The Tweed runs through a gorge near Neidpath	The path shows signs of significant wear

Identification
Neidpath Castle, one mile W of Peebles. NT 23 40
Associated route
A castle has existed here from the 1200’s and its position strongly suggests that it guarded a natural pass on an east west route even in early mediaeval times. It is difficult to say what path the name refers to although it probably means the "nether" path (see guide Neidpath Castle for this suggestion). This "nether" path could be the path that runs beside the river or it could be the precursor of the present road which is shown on early maps. Given the known route from Drummelzier through Stobo and across the Lyme bridge as well as the evidence of early maps it is more likely that in Pont's day the road ran on the same line as the present day road.

Another road runs westwards above the present day road. This has been identified as Roman and runs from Newstead to Lyme. It is thought that it took this route to avoid the steep sides of the valley (Roman communications in the Tweed Valley, Graham, A & Richmond, I A., PSAS, Vol.87, (1952-53), 63-71).

G.C.Pringle in the Cambridge County Geography for Peebles and Selkirk (copy on Electric Scotland site) suggests the difficulties of this stretch and the lack of bridges over the Lyne led to the route from Clydesdale coming by Broughton and Drummelzier.

Rippeth
Identification
Redpath, 2 ˝ 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 Lauderdale maps

Spittelhauch, near West Linton
Identification
Spittelhaugh about 2 miles SSW of West Linton. NT 161 493
Associated route
There is a tradition of a mediaeval chapel here and possibly a spittal but there is insufficient information to link the site to any route.
NMRS record.