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Hold cursor over road
Reproduced
from Jedburgh, Sheet 17, published 1905.
With thanks to Ordnance Survey
There is a major difficulty with this map in that it
appears that several stretches of road have been omitted
where other sources tell us that roads existed at that
time or are likely to have done so. One glaring omission
is the road south to Jedburgh - others are mentioned
in the notes. There is in fact a slightly unfinished
look to the Military Survey maps covering this area
so it could be the work was rushed and the roads omitted.
Moffat-Ettrickbridge-Selkirk
This road starts out as the road from Moffat to
Selkirk, Melrose and Kelso. It leaves this road at 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 as far as
Crosslee (NT3018) where it follows the approximate line
of the B7009 to Ettrickbridge and Selkirk. It enters
the map near Kirkhope (NT3823), goes through Ettrickbridge
End with its bridge and then 2 miles further on 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.
Selkirk - Hawick
On leaving Selkirk this road takes a shorter line than
the A7 by routing through Big Wood (NT4725) where it
enters the map. It rejoins the main road at Haremoss,
closely following it for about 3 miles and then heads
directly for Hawick by still existing tracks.
Moffat - Hawick
The route is the same as the first road above as far
as where the B711 turns off the B709 just south of Crosslee.
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. It then enters the area of our
map at Bellindean Rig (NT3715) where it can be seen
to deviate significantly from the B711 line.
Craik Cross - Hawick
This is shown as running from Craik Moor (NT3105) up
through Craik and Roberton to Hawick. It enters the
map near Meadowshaw at NT3709. 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. It closely follows this
line for about 7 miles up to near Bught Knowe where
it enters this map. Its course is then close to the
A7 line but 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 Northhouse (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
Jedburgh - Kelso
This ran by still existing tracks to Crailing and then
onward to Kelso by a road that was later turnpiked.
Jedburgh - Chew
Green - Gamel's Path
As will be seen from the map this ran across to Tow
Ford (NT7613) where it joined Dere Street. Beyond the
border this became known as Gamel’s Path.
Hobkirk - Carter
Bar
This is a puzzling route as there is no link between
Hobkirk and Hawick. The road ran over towards Carter
Bar taking a more direct line to the border south of
Huntford. Stobie’s map
of 1770 shows the road here to have run between Jedburgh
and Newcastle but does not show the stretch between
Lustruther and Huntford, north of Carter Bar. It is
tempting to assume that the Military Survey omitted
the Hobkirk to Hawick stretch as Hobkirk would hardly
have generated enough traffic on its own. However, Stobie
in 1770 has the link between these places but on a line
about one mile south of the Roy road which may indicate
that there was no road in the 1750’s.
Hobkirk - Kielder
Although the remarks above also apply to this route
it has at least a possible use for obtaining coal from
the Kerryburn Colliery shown on Stobie’s map
(NT6502).
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. 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.
Wheel Causeway
This is shown as puzzlingly incomplete, appearing first
near Needs Law (NT6102) and running south. In fact it
was a well known road of mediaeval date with references
to it in 1296 when it was used by Edward I and also
in the early 1500’s. For many years it was thought to
be Roman but this view is no longer held (see Mackay,
Border Highways, p.31 for further details). Inglis in
an interesting article (Harry
R G Inglis, Ancient Border Highways; The Minchmoor
(Catrail) Road, the Wheel Causeway, the Annandale Forest
Road, the Well Path, and the Enterkin. (PSAS, Vol.58,
pps 203-23)) argues that the OS map of the time was
misleading by having the road head southward from Wheel
through Deadwater to Tynedale (as on Roy). Rather he
suggests that it went to Newcastleton and ultimately
Carlisle. To the north he thought that it went by the
course on modern maps to Cleuchhead (NT5910), then to
Abbotsrule and Jedburgh and onwards to Berwick.
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