More Scenery
Ok !! I drifted off
course a little here and ended up at Hadrian's Wall in England.
Since this site is mainly about Borderlines I felt I had to
include something about the Roman Empire and the Wall. Well when
the Romans built the Wall from the east coast to the west coast
of England it was to mark out the frontier of thier Empire.
Contrary to popular belief it was not built to keep the Scots out
of England but just as a reminder to where the Empire ended. The
Romans did make head way into Scotland however building roads and
signal forts etc, even building yet another wall in the central
region of Scotland naming it the Antonine Wall. But it is
Hadrian's 
Wall that most people will recognize the most.
These shots show part of
the wall at Brunton Tower North West from Hexham
Hexham Priory
By total contrast to Scottish monastic
buildings Hexham Priory is very much intact. Consideing the fact
that at one time the whole of the Tynedale area belonged to
Scotland perhaps this is why it was never destroyed by the Scots
raiding parties. Hexham at one time was a rich town and often the
Border Rievers would venture into Hexham and loot the area taking
with them not just cattle and sheep but the jewels, gold and
silverwares from the priory and other monastic sites.
Hume Castle
Now we are back into
Scotland. Looking at this photo you would think that it was a
partially destroyed castle with only the curtain walls remaining.
On closer examination you will find that this building is a mere
folly of the Earl of Marchmount from sereral centuries ago.
Within these walls are fragments of the once mighty castle that
stood on this site.
Kelso Abbey
The good King David I of
Scotland had several abbey's built in the Borders. Kelso was not
the first choice for an abbey but this one was originally built
in Selkirk some 20 miles from Kelso and then relocated to Kelso.
As is typical of the Border abbey's Kelso suffered at the hands
of the invaders and religious changes. During the period known as
the " Rough Wooing" King Henry VIII of England set out
to woo the infant Mary Queen of Scots. His violent nature was to
explode in the Borders and Kelso was to see the result of a
King's wrath.
Melrose Abbey
Melrose Abbey lays quietly at the foot of the
Eildon Hills. During recent excavations at the Abbey the heart of
the legendary warrior King Robert the Bruce was unearthed. His
heart was buried there after his last wishes had been fullfiled.
Robert wanted his heart removed upon his death and that heart to
be taken on a crusade. 
That wish was undertaken by his good friend
Sir James(the black)Douglas. James a warrior in his own right
took the heart with him into Spain to fight the Infidels. Holding
the heart aloft and crying the Bruce battle cry James was to die
on that crusade. The heart found its way back to Scotland and the
Bruce's last wishes for his heart to be buried in Melrose Abbey
were met.
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