Historic county of Scotland
Roxburghshire
Siorrachd Rosbruig
Cheviot hills south, Teviot through the middle, Tweed country opening north-east.
Roxburghshire occupies the heart of the eastern Borders, with river valleys providing the principal routes through an overwhelmingly hilly landscape. The Teviot descends through Hawick before meeting the Tweed, while Jed Water creates another important valley around Jedburgh. Further north-east, the country becomes broader and more agricultural around the lower Tweed.
Southwards, the county rises into the Cheviots and the remote country of Liddesdale. This is classic Border geography: upland watersheds, pastoral dales, fortified routes and river towns packed into a county whose history has repeatedly been shaped by its position beside England.
- Borders land of Roxburgh
- Named after the Royal Burgh of Roxburgh
- Birthplace (1789) of Thomas Pringle, poet
- Area: 666 sq miles / 1,725 sq km
- Population: 50,800
- County Top: Cairn Hill (2,438ft / 743m)
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
Scotland Census 2022. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 76.3 people per sq mi (29.45 people per km²)
Teviotdale
The River Teviot is Roxburghshire’s principal internal spine. It gathers tributaries from the surrounding hills and creates the main settlement corridor through the middle of the county.
Hawick’s position reflects this geography, while the Teviot eventually joins the Tweed in the lower and more open country of the north-east.
Liddesdale and the Cheviots
Southern Roxburghshire is much rougher. Liddesdale runs south-west through remote hill country, while the Cheviots rise along the English border.
This was classic reiver country, where valleys provided routes through otherwise difficult terrain and towers and strongholds guarded vulnerable approaches.
A county named after a vanished burgh
Roxburghshire takes its name from the medieval royal burgh of Roxburgh, once one of Scotland’s important border centres. Repeated warfare destroyed the settlement and it never recovered.
The county name endured even when the town from which it came did not — a striking example of territorial identity outlasting an individual urban centre.
County questions
Questions about Roxburghshire
Is Melrose in Roxburghshire?
Yes. Melrose is geographically in Roxburghshire. Council-area terminology does not redefine the geographic county.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Roxburgh
- Local name
- Siorrachd Rosbruig
- Foundation
- c. 1120
Roxburghshire, County of Roxburgh and Siorrachd Rosbruig are forms associated with the county. Its Teviot, Tweed and Cheviot landscapes remain far more enduring than the administrative structures later laid across them.