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River Tweed

Coordinates: 55°45′55″N 1°59′27″W / 55.7652°N 1.9909°W / 55.7652; -1.9909
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other rivers with this name, see Tweed River (disambiguation).

River Tweed
The River Tweed at Abbotsford
River Tweed watershed (Interactive map)
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
PartScotland, England
Physical characteristics
SourceTweed's Well
 • locationTweedsmuir, Scottish Borders, Scotland
 • coordinates55°26′42″N 3°29′46″W / 55.445°N 3.496°W / 55.445; -3.496
MouthNorth Sea
 • location
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England
 • coordinates
55°45′55″N 1°59′27″W / 55.7652°N 1.9909°W / 55.7652; -1.9909
Length156 km (97 mi)
Map

The River Tweed, or Tweed Water, Scots: Watter o Tweid, Welsh: Tuedd), is a river 97 miles (156 km)[1] long that flows east across the Border region in Scotland and northern England. Tweed cloth derives its name from its association with the River Tweed.[2] The Tweed is one of the great salmon rivers of Britain and the only river in England where an Environment Agency rod licence is not required for angling. The river generates a large income for the local borders region, attracting anglers from all around the world.[3]

Etymology

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Tweed may represent an Old Brittonic name meaning "border".[4] A doubtful proposal is that the name is derived from a non-Celtic form of the Indo-European root *teuha- meaning "swell, grow powerful".[5]

Course

[edit]
The catchment area of the Tweed

The River Tweed flows primarily through the scenic Borders region of Scotland. Eastwards from the settlements on opposing banks of Birgham and Carham it forms the historic boundary between Scotland and England.

It rises in the Lowther Hills at Tweed's Well near to where the Clyde, draining northwest (10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Tweed's Well), and the Annan draining south (1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the Tweed's Well) also rise. "Annan, Tweed and Clyde rise oot the ae hillside" is a saying from the Border region.[6] East of Kelso, it becomes a section of the eastern part of the border. Entering England, its lower reaches are in Northumberland, where it enters the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Catchment

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The river east of St Boswells runs through a drumlin field. It is the relic of a paleo-ice stream that flowed through the area during the last glaciation. Major towns through which the Tweed flows include Innerleithen, Peebles, Galashiels, Melrose, Kelso, Coldstream and Berwick-upon-Tweed, where it flows into the North Sea. Tweed tributaries include:

The upper parts of the catchment of the Tweed in Scotland form the area known as Tweeddale, part of which is protected as the Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development.[7]

Management

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Tweed Fisheries Act 1771
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long titleAn Act for regulating and improving the Fisheries in the River Tweed, and the Rivers and Streams running into the same; and also within the Mouth or Entrance of the said River.
Citation11 Geo. 3. c. 27
Dates
Royal assent12 April 1771
Other legislation
Repealed byRiver Tweed Fisheries Act 1830
Status: Repealed
Tweed Fisheries Act 1775
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long titleAn Act for amending and rendering more effectual an Act, passed in the Eleventh Year of His present Majesty's Reign, intituled, "An Act for regulating and improving the Fisheries in the River Tweed, and the Rivers and Streams running into the same, and also within the Mouth or Entrance of the said River."
Citation15 Geo. 3. c. 46
Dates
Royal assent22 May 1775
Status: Repealed
Tweed Fisheries Act 1797
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long titleAn act for altering, amending, and rendering more effectual two acts, made in the eleventh and fifteenth years of the reign of his present Majesty, for the regulation and improvement of the fisheries in the river Tweed, and the rivers and streams running into the same, and also within the mouth or entrance of the said river.
Citation37 Geo. 3. c. 48
Dates
Royal assent3 May 1797
Other legislation
Repealed byRiver Tweed Fisheries Act 1830
Status: Repealed
River Tweed Fisheries Act 1807
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation47 Geo. 3 Sess. 1. c. xxix
Dates
Royal assent25 April 1807
Other legislation
Repealed byRiver Tweed Fisheries Act 1830
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
River Tweed Fisheries Act 1830
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation11 Geo. 4 & 1 Will. 4. c. liv
Dates
Royal assent29 May 1830
Other legislation
Repealed byTweed Fisheries Act 1857
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
River Tweed Fisheries Act 1836
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to alter, amend, and enlarge the Powers of an Act paged in the Eleventh Year of the Reign of His late Majesty, intituled "An Act for the more effectual Preservation and Increase of the Breed of Salmon, and for better regulating the Fisheries in the River Tweed, and the Rivers and Streams running into the same, and abo within the Mouth or Entrance of the said River."
Citation6 & 7 Will. 4. c. lxv
Dates
Royal assent21 June 1836
Other legislation
AmendsRiver Tweed Fisheries Act 1830
Repealed byTweed Fisheries Act 1857
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Tweed Fisheries Act 1857
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation20 & 21 Vict. c. cxlviii
Other legislation
Repealed by
  • Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006 (SI 2006/2913)
Status: Repealed
Tweed Fisheries Amendment Act 1859
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to amend "The Tweed Fisheries Act 1857,"[b] and to alter the Annual Close Times in the River Tweed.
Citation22 & 23 Vict. c. lxx
Dates
Royal assent1 August 1859
Other legislation
Repealed by
  • Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006 (SI 2006/2913)
Status: Repealed
Tweed Fisheries Act 1969
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to amend the Tweed Fisheries Act 1857] and the Tweed Fisheries Amendment Act 1859; to apply certain provisions of those Acts to freshwater fish; and for other purposes.
Citation1969 c. xxiv
Dates
Royal assent25 June 1969
Other legislation
Repealed by
  • Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006 (SI 2006/2913)
Status: Repealed
Scotland Act 1998 (River Tweed) Order 2006
Statutory Instrument
Parliament of the United Kingdom
CitationSI 2006/2913
Dates
Made14 November 2006
Commencement15 November 2006
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes
Made underScotland Act 1998
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted

Despite that the catchment straddles the border between Scotland and England, management of it – in terms of water quality, bio-security, and ultimately protection of the salmon of the River Tweed – is overseen by a single body, the River Tweed Commission.[8]

River Tweed Trail

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As of 2024, work is in progress on the development of a 113-mile (182 km) walking and cycling route following the length of the river from Moffat to Berwick-on-Tweed. The work includes new sections of path, upgrades to existing paths, bridge replacement and repairs, pedestrian road crossings, lighting and signage. The path is expected to be completed during 2028.[9]

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  • The River Tweed at Abbotsford, near Melrose
    The River Tweed at Abbotsford, near Melrose
  • The River Tweed from Mertoun House, near St Boswells
    The River Tweed from Mertoun House, near St Boswells
  • The Anglo-Scottish border, with the Tweed on the east. Its estuary and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed were a late annexation by England.
    The Anglo-Scottish border, with the Tweed on the east. Its estuary and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed were a late annexation by England.
  • The Union Chain Bridge spanning the Tweed between Horncliffe, England and Fishwick, Scotland
    The Union Chain Bridge spanning the Tweed between Horncliffe, England and Fishwick, Scotland

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Clayton, Phil (2012). Headwaters: Walking to British River Sources (First ed.). London: Frances Lincoln Limited. p. 193. ISBN 9780711233638.
  2. ^ "Article on Tweed Cloth". Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Wild fishing tax 'raid' concern". BBC News. 10 August 2015.
  4. ^ "University of Wales Dictionary". University of Wales Dictionary. University of Wales. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  5. ^ James, Alan. "The Brittonic Language in the Old North - A Guide to the Place-Name Evidence" (PDF). Scottish Place Name Society.
  6. ^ The Tweed: Take a trip on a river flowing with history Archived 2019-07-31 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent, 21 April 2007
  7. ^ "National Scenic Areas". Scottish Natural Heritage. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  8. ^ "History of the RTC". www.rivertweed.org.uk/. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  9. ^ McDougall, Mark (28 October 2024). "'Ambitious' Destination Tweed project granted £10 million of new funding". The Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
[edit]
Wikisource has the text of a 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article about River Tweed.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=River_Tweed&oldid=1254068028"