Roxburgh Castle
On a grassy knoll called the Marchmound, between the rivers Tweed and Teviot, not far from Kelso,
are the meagre remains of Roxburgh Castle.
Near the ancient castle thre was once an important town which, with Edinburgh, Stirling and Berwick,
was one of the four Royal Burghs of the 13th century.
Roxburgh Castle was long a royal residence and Alexander III was born there in 1241.
The castle changed hands many times during the wars for Scottish independence.
In 1314, with the assailants disguised as black oxen,
Sir James Douglas captured Roxburgh for Robert I.
Twenty years later the castle was again under English control
and it remained that way for well over a century.
In August of 1460 when Henry VI’s attention was distracted by the attempt of the House of York
to take the throne from him,
James II attacked the English holding Roxburgh Castle.
During the bombardment and siege a cannon similar to “Mons Meg” at Edinburgh Castle exploded
and the king was killed.
A holly tree within the grounds of Floors Castle, the home of the Dukes of Roxburghe,
marks the traditional spot where James died.
The tune “Roxburgh Castle, a Hornpipe” was written by Alexander Givan.
From “Scotland Dances”, by Eugenia (Jeannie) Callander Sharp
(Used by permission.)