Selkirk, Scottish Borders facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Selkirk
Town and former royal burgh
Selkirk town centre, showing the town house and the statue of Sir Walter Scott
Selkirk
Population	4,540 (2020)
OS grid reference	NT471288
• Edinburgh	31 mi (50 km)
• London	301 mi (484 km)
Council area	Scottish Borders
Lieutenancy area	Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SELKIRK
Postcode district	TD7
Dialling code	01750
Police	Lothian and Borders
Fire	Lothian and Borders
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Scottish Parliament	Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire
List of places UK Scotland 55°33′00″N 2°50′24″W / 55.550°N 2.84002°W / 55.550; -2.84002

Selkirk is a town in the Scottish Borders area of southeastern Scotland. It's a very old and historic place, once known as a royal burgh (a special kind of town). Selkirk is located by the Ettrick Water, which is a smaller river that flows into the River Tweed. People from Selkirk are called Souters, which is an old word for cobblers, meaning people who make or fix shoes. In 2011, about 5,784 people lived in Selkirk.

History of Selkirk

How Selkirk Started

Selkirk used to be the main town of a region called Selkirkshire. It's one of the oldest royal burghs in Scotland. This means it was one of the first places where people settled in what we now call the Scottish Borders. The name "Selkirk" comes from old English words meaning "church by the hall."

The first abbey (a home for monks) in the Borders was in Selkirk. These monks later moved to Kelso Abbey. In 1113, King David I gave Selkirk a lot of land. A famous Scottish hero, William Wallace, was declared the guardian of Scotland in Selkirk in 1297. This happened at a church called the Kirk o' the Forest.

Battles and Famous Faces

Selkirk has a brave history, especially during wars. In 1513, 80 men from Selkirk went to fight in the Battle of Flodden against the English. Sadly, only one man, known as "Fletcher," returned. He brought back a blood-stained English flag as a symbol of their courage.

Later, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the 1600s, Selkirk saw more fighting. A Royalist army, led by James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, stayed in the town. Their soldiers were camped nearby. On September 13, 1645, an army led by Sir David Leslie attacked them. Montrose's army was defeated, and he had to escape. The captured Royalist soldiers were later executed.

Years later, in the early 1800s, the famous writer Sir Walter Scott worked in Selkirk. He was the sheriff-depute, which meant he was like a judge in the courtroom at Selkirk Town House.

Modern Times in Selkirk

In the mid-1800s, Selkirk grew because of its woollen industry, where wool was made into cloth. However, most of these factories closed in the 1970s. The town is also famous for its "bannocks," which are a type of dry fruit cake. These cakes were first sold in the market by a local baker named Robbie Douglas in 1859.

Culture and Traditions

Selkirk Town House in Selkirk Market Place

Town Traditions

The Selkirk Common Riding is a special yearly event that celebrates the town's history. It takes place on the second Friday after the first Monday in June. During this event, people ride horses around the town's old boundaries, remembering its past.

Important Places

You can still see the remains of the "forest kirk" in the old churchyard. This was the church mentioned in old stories as St Mary of the Forest. It's also where some of the ancestors of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was the 32nd President of the US, are buried.

Just south of Selkirk is The Haining. This is a large house from the late 1700s that belonged to the Pringle family. In 2009, the last owner left the house and its grounds to the community of Selkirkshire. Now, a special group is planning to fix up the building and turn it into an art gallery for everyone to enjoy.

The Selkirk Grace

The "Selkirk Grace" is a well-known prayer, but it actually has no real connection to the town of Selkirk itself! It started in a different part of Scotland. Even though many people think the poet Robert Burns wrote it, the grace was known even before his time. It was called the "Galloway Grace" or the "Covenanters' Grace." It got the name "Selkirk Grace" because Robert Burns was said to have recited it at a dinner hosted by the Earl of Selkirk.

Here's the grace in two languages:

In Scots

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

Sae let the Lord be thankit.

In English

Some have meat and cannot eat,

And some would eat that want it,

But we have meat and we can eat,

So let God be thanked.

Sports in Selkirk

Rugby union is a very popular sport in Selkirk. The local team, Selkirk RFC, plays its home games at Philiphaugh. They compete in the Scottish Premiership and the Border League.

The town also has a cricket club, which started in 1851. They still play in the Border League. The cricket ground at Philiphaugh is actually the same place where the Battle of Philiphaugh happened!

Selkirk also has a strong football history. Some famous Scottish football players, like Bobby Johnstone from Hibernian, came from the town.

Media and News

For local news and TV shows, people in Selkirk can watch BBC Scotland and ITV Border. These signals come from the nearby Selkirk TV transmitter.

You can listen to local radio stations like BBC Radio Scotland on 93.5 FM and Greatest Hits Radio Scottish Borders and North Northumberland on 96.8 FM.

The town's local newspapers are The Border Telegraph and the Southern Reporter.

Famous People from Selkirk

High Street, Selkirk, and the Mungo Park Monument (2018).

Many interesting people have come from Selkirk:

• James Blair (1825–1901), a Canadian farmer.
• Peter Blake (1951–2018), an actor in movies and TV.
• James Brown (J.B. Selkirk) (1832–1904), a poet and writer.
• James Marr Brydone (1779–1866), a surgeon who spotted the French fleet, starting the famous Battle of Trafalgar.
• Rae Hendrie (b. 1977), a TV actress.
• Scott Hutchison (1981–2018), Grant Hutchison (b. 1984) and Billy Kennedy (b. 1984), members of the indie rock band Frightened Rabbit.
• Bobby Johnstone (1921–2001), a Scotland international football player. He was part of the famous "Famous Five" forward line for Hibernian.
• Andrew Lang (1844–1912), a poet, novelist, and critic who also studied cultures.
• Mungo Park (1771–1806), a famous explorer of Africa.
• John Rutherford (b. 1955), a Scotland international rugby player who played for Selkirk R.F.C.

Climate in Selkirk

Like the rest of the British Isles, Selkirk has a maritime climate. This means it has cool summers and mild winters. However, the area can have some very big changes in temperature. For example, the lowest temperature ever recorded in the UK outside of the Highlands was near Selkirk, at -26.6°C (-15.9°F). On the other hand, Scotland's highest temperature, 32.9°C (91.2°F), was recorded not far away.

Town Twinning

Selkirk has a special friendship with a town in Germany:

• Plattling, Bavaria.