Kershope Burn

Kershope Burn is a small river; a tributary of both the Liddel Water and the River Esk; its final destination is the Solway Firth. The early stages begin in the Border Forest, from where it flows in a south westerly direction, followed in its entirety by the border between England and Scotland.

Kershope Burn
The burn near Scotch Kershope
Kershope Burn is located in Cumbria
Kershope Burn
Location within Cumbria
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
PartEngland, Scotland
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • location
Liddel Water
 • coordinates
55.138069°N 2.823846°W / 55.138069; -2.823846

Natural England maps

Maps for Kershope Burn and the surrounding area, showing Administrative Geographies, Designations and other criteria from Natural England: [lower-alpha 1]

Name

The toponym for Kershope Burn might be:

The name element Kers is from Old English êacerse (êa..cerse) "water−cress". [lower-alpha 9] [lower-alpha 11]

The name element hope is from Old English hōp or Middle English hope ( " valley " ). [lower-alpha 12]

Place names with the name element hope are common in the North Pennines, especially in the lead mining areas of Weardale. [lower-alpha 13]

Name legacy

The following place names are related:

  • Kershopehead (bothy).[5]
  • Scottish Kershope – English Kershope
  • Kershope Bridge
  • Kershopefoot
  • Kershope Forest

Course of burn
Kershopehead (Bothy)

Overview of course of burn:[lower-alpha 14]

The river rises, as Clark's Sike, in a marshy area in Kielder Forest Northumberland known as Hobb's Flow, before becoming Kershope Burn after running by Kershopehead, a farmstead in Cumbria.

The river runs into Liddel Water at Kershopefoot, after which Liddel Water marks the boundary between England and Scotland. The final few metres (yards) of the river flow past the hamlet at Kershopefoot and underneath the railway bridge of the former Waverley Line. Between 1862 and 1969 a passenger station variously known as Kershope or Kershope Foot was located here.[9]

Source of burn

Clarks Sike

Clark's Sike[lower-alpha 15] is the primary feeder for the Kershope Burn and also defines the Anglo-Scottish border for a short distance.[2]

Hobbs Flow

The area of blanket bog to the east of Clark's Sike is known as Hobb's Flow, and is part of the Kielder Mires SSSI.

James Logan Mack[lower-alpha 16] issued this warning:[10]

In a wet season its passage should not be attempted
and even in a dry one the traveller is not free of the risk 
of being engulfed in this morass. . .

The name element Hobb may be derived from folklore that was introduced into the area by migrant workers.[lower-alpha 17]

The name element Flow is a word used (especially in Scotland) to describe a " morass or marsh ". [lower-alpha 18] [lower-alpha 19]

Ecology of burn

There is evidence to suggest that the burn may have some characteristics that are typical of a chalk stream, for example a high alkaline mineral content:

  • The citation for the Kielder Mires SSSI mentions lime-rich influence.[lower-alpha 21]
  • The name of the tributary Limy Sike suggests that the water contains limestone.[4]

Kielder Mires SSSI

The mires are situated within and around the huge forestry plantations of Kielder Forest and Wark Forest.[11]

The Kielder Mires SSSI is designated:[14]

Bloody Bush road

Toll pillar

A Grade II* listed 19th century toll pillar marks a significant point on the Anglo-Scottish border where the Bloody Bush road crosses from England into Scotland.[lower-alpha 25]

The Bloody Bush road was an important trade route between England and Scotland, in particular for the transport of coal from the Lewisburn Colliery in England to the Scottish border towns[lower-alpha 26]that were becoming increasingly industrialised. [lower-alpha 27] [lower-alpha 28]

Local tradition and folklore

The name Bloody Bush refers to a local story that narrate's how a band of Border reivers from Tynedale were massacred by Scots after they had been caught stealing cattle from Liddesdale. [lower-alpha 29]

The road was an important trade route between Lewisburn Colliery and the Scottish border towns. It is possible that migrant workers[lower-alpha 30] introduced the folklore from whence the name Hobbs Flow was derived.

See also

References

Notes
  1. Use Table of Contents for Colour Mapping
  2. See (Contents) > Bloody Bush road
  3. WiKtionary : English < sike > " A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer."
  4. Clark's Sike[lower-alpha 3] is the primary feeder for the Kershope Burn and also defines the Anglo-Scottish border. The area of blanket bog to the east is known as Hobb's Flow, and is part of the Kielder Mires SSSI.
  5. See (Contents) > Kielder Mires SSSI
  6. The confluence of Limy Sike and Kershope Burn marks a significant point on the Anglo-Scottish border, the meeting point of:
  7. The name Limy Sike suggests that the water contains limestone.
  8. Mapping criteria : See Table of Contents:
    • Countryside Stewardship > Biodiversity > Habitats > Woodland > National Forest Inventory.
    Use Table of Contents for Colour Mapping
  9. Old English êacerse (êa..cerse) " water−cress ". . .[7]
  10. WiKtionary : English < haugh > " A low-lying meadow by the side of a river. "
  11. Flora Britannica ( Richard Mabey ).[8]. . .Water-cress was traditionally picked wild from the edges of fast-flowing streams . . .It was important enough for settlements to be named after it. . .Examples: . . .[8]
  12. WiKtionary : English < hope > Etymology 3. " From Middle English hope (“a valley”), from Old English hōp (found only in placenames)."
  13. Examples of hope place names in County Durham:
  14. From north east to south west.
  15. WiKtionary : English < sike > " A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer."
  16. See Rosebank Cemetery > Notable interments
  17. See (Contents) > Bloody Bush road
  18. WiKtionary : English < flow > Etymology_3 : (Scotland) " A morass or marsh ".
  19. WiKtionary : English < morass >
    • "A tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a fen".
    • "Anything that entraps or makes progress difficult".
  20. See Watercress > British Isles > . . .Clear fast-flowing chalk streams are the primary habitat for wild watercress. . .
  21. Kielder Mires SSSI (Natural England). . .On lower slopes, some flushes show lime-rich influence from the underlying glacial drift. . .[11]
  22. Walking the Border ( Ian Crofton ).[13]. . .The map marked a disused kiln. . .quarrying limestone. . .I was to camp beside a burn called Limy Sike. . .[13]
  23. See Unitary authorities of England
  24. See Toll road
  25. BLOODYBUSH PILLAR (Historic England).[16] Details from Historic England:
    • Inscribed pillar. 1828. Dressed stone
    • PRIVATE ROAD[lower-alpha 24] upon which a Toll Gate is erected near Oakenshaw Bridge
    • DISTANCE from this place BLOODYBUSH To Lewisburn Colliery 5 miles
    • Hawick 21 miles
    • Jedburgh 25 miles
  26. See Scottish Borders > Largest towns
  27. Walking the Border ( Ian Crofton ).[17]. . .The Bloody Bush road. . .was once an important trade route . . .Before the railway was built in 1862, coal was taken this way. . .destined for the Border textile mills . . .[17]
  28. See Hawick > . . .By the late 17th century, the town began to grow significantly, especially during the Industrial Revolution . . .as a centre for the production of textiles, with a focus on knitting and weaving. . .
  29. Walking the Border ( Ian Crofton ).[18]. . .A band of reivers from Tynedale. . .In the night a posse of vengeful Scots fell upon them. . .[18]
  30. In particular from North Yorkshire.

Citations
  1. "MAGiC MaP : Anglo-Scottish border – Bloody Bush Road". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
  2. "MAGiC MaP : Source – Clarks Sike – Hobbs Flow". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
  3. "MAGiC MaP : Hobb's Flow – Kielder Mires SSSI". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
  4. "MAGiC MaP : Anglo-Scottish border – Limy Sike". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
  5. "MAGiC MaP : Kershopehead - Bothy". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
  6. "MAGiC MaP : Kershopefoot – Liddel Water". Natural England – Magic in the Cloud.
  7. Clark Hall 1916, p. 182.
  8. Mabey 1996, p. 147.
  9. Disused Stations website entry retrieved 31 August 2014 http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/k/kershope_foot/ .
  10. Crofton 2014, p. 87.
  13. Crofton 2014, pp. 72–73.
  16. Historic England. "BLOODYBUSH PILLAR (1044859)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  17. Crofton 2014, p. 89.
  18. Crofton 2014, p. 90.

Sources
  • Crofton, Ian (2014). Walking the Border, A journey between Scotland and England. Birlinn. ISBN 978 1 78027 207 8.
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