Selkirk, Scottish Borders

Selkirk, Scottish Borders

Coordinates: 55°33′00″N 2°50′24″W / 55.550°N 2.84002°W / 55.550; -2.84002

The Royal Burgh of Selkirk (Scottish Gaelic: Salcraig) is a town in the Borders of Scotland. It lies on the Ettrick Water, a tributary of the River Tweed. At the time of the 2001 census, Selkirk's population was 5,839. The people of the town are known as Souters, which means cobblers (shoe makers and menders).

Selkirk was formerly the county town of Selkirkshire. Selkirk is one of the oldest Royal Burghs in Scotland and is the site of the earliest settlements in what is now the Scottish Borders.

Selkirk is the site of the first Border Abbey, however the community of Tironensian monks moved to Kelso during the reign of King David I. William Wallace, was declared guardian of Scotland in the town.

Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Marquess of Montrose and the Outlaw Murray all had connections with the town

The town's name originates from the Anglian Seleschirche, which means 'Kirk in the Forest'. In 1113, King David I granted Selkirk large amounts of land.

Selkirk's population grew up because of its woollen industry, although now that that industry has ceased leaving little in its wake, the town is best known for bannocks, a dry fruit cake. It has a museum and art gallery, and associations with Mungo Park (explorer), James Hogg "The Ettrick Shepherd" a local poet and writer and Sir Walter Scott, a writer of Romances, both of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. It is also home to Scotland's oldest horse racing track, the Gala Rig, on the outskirts of the town.