St Boswells - History

History

Almost two thousand years ago the Romans came to this area in an attempt to extend the northern limits of their empire. At that time the Tweed valley was a land of open moor, bogs and forest inhabited by red deer and wild boar. The marshes were home to wildfowl and salmon were plentiful in the rivers. There were small settlements of Cumbric speaking pagans who hunted, fished and engaged in rudimentary cultivation of crops. The invading armies built their roads and military bases, fought their battles and then withdrew into history, leaving Trimontium and Dere Street as evidence of their occupation. The years following the departure of the Romans saw gradual changes. Tribal warfare, intermarriage and trade each brought new influences until eventually the area came under the sway of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria.

In the 7th century Northumbria was ruled by the pagan leader Oswald who, upon converting to Christianity, established, with the help of St Aidan, a monastery at Lindisfarne, the Holy Island. A group of young monks studied under Aidan and under his leadership they journeyed up the Tweed to build another monastery at Old Mailros. From this new religious centre monks were sent out to establish themselves as missionaries within the community. One of these monks who set up in this area and became especially known for his powers of healing was Boisil, and he it was who gave his name to the village and parish of Saint Boswells.

Boisil set up his cell by the river and administered to the inhabitants of the settlement which grew up around him. It is suggested that some of the dwellings were on the flat haugh below Benrig - a good site but prone to flooding, which may explain why they eventually moved to the higher ground at Lessudden (the place of Aidan) and the present site of St Boswells.

St Boswells gave its name to a settlement in southwest Saskatchewan, Canada. The settlement was founded in the early 20th century, and flourished up to the mid-1930s. With depopulation after World War Two it failed in the 1960s and is no longer in existence.