Kelsae

Kelsae Scots Gaelic: Cealsaidh Inglis: Kelso
Kelsae seen frae the Cobby Tweedside meadow
Kelsae Location within the Mairches
Population	5,639 (2011)
OS grid reference	NT7268233961
• Edinburgh	44 mi (71 km)
• Lunnon	350 mi (560 km)
Cooncil area	The Mairches
Lieutenancy area	Roxburgh, Ettrick an Lauderdale
Kintra	Scotland
Sovereign state	Unitit Kinrick
Post toun	KELSO
Postcode destrict	TD5
Diallin code	01573
Police	Scots
Fire	Scots
Ambulance	Scots
EU Pairlament	Scotland
UK Pairlament	Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Scots Pairlament	Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire

Kelsae (Scots Gaelic: Cealsaidh, Inglis: Kelso) is a mercat toun in the Mairches area o Scotland, locatit whaur the rivers Tweed an Teviot hae their confluence. The toun haes a population o juist ower 6,000; it is regardit as ane o the maist charmin an quaint touns in the area wi its cobbled streets, elegant Georgian biggins an French style cobbled mercat square. Kelso's ither main tourist attractions are the ruined Kelso Abbey an Floors Castle, a William Adam designed hoose completit in 1726. The brig at Kelsae wis designed bi John Rennie wha later biggit London Bridge.

History

The toun o Kelso came intae being as a direct result o the creation o Kelso Abbey in 1128. The toun's name stems frae the fact that the earliest settlement stuid on a chalky ootcrop, an the toun wis kent as Calkou (or aiblins Calchfynydd) in those early days.

Staundin on the opposite bank o the river Tweed frae the nou-vanished ryal burgh o Roxburgh, Kelsae an its sister hamlet o Wester Kelsae wur linked tae the burgh bi a ferry at Wester Kelso. A smaw hamlet existit afore the completion o the Abbey in 1128 but the settlement stairtit tae flourish wi the arrival o the monks. Mony wur skilled craftsmen, an they helped the local population as the veelage expandit. The Abbey controlled muckle o life in Kelso-area burgh o barony, cried Holydean, till the Reformation in the 16t century. Efter that, the pouer an walth o the Abbey declined. The Kerr family o Cessford teuk ower the barony an mony o the Abbey's properties aroond the toun. Bi the 17t century, they virtually awned Kelsae.

In Roxburgh Street, ootside the Haldanes supermercat, is the ootline o a horseshae petrosomatoglyph whaur the horse o Charles Edward Stuart cast a shae as he wis ridin it through the toun on his way tae Carlisle in 1745. He is an aa said tae hae plantit a white rosebush in his host's gairden, descendants o whilk are still said tae flourish in the neeburheid.

Notable residents

Kelso Square

Sir Walter Scott attendit Kelso Grammar School in 1783 an he said o the toun, "it is the most beautiful if not the most romantic village in Scotland". Anither attraction is the Cobby Riverside Walk that gangs frae the toun centre tae Floors Castle alang the banks o the Tweed passin the point whaur it is joined bi the River Teviot. Kelsae haes twa brigs that span the River Tweed, "Rennie's Bridge" wis completit in 1803 tae replace an earlier ane washed away in the floods o 1797, it wis built bi John Rennie o Haddington, who later went on tae build Waterloo Bridge in Lunnon, his brig in Kelso is a smawer an earlier version o Waterloo Bridge. The brig wis the cause o local riotin in 1854 when the Kelso population objectit tae payin tolls even when the cost o construction haed been covered, the Riot Act wis read, three years later tolls wur abolisht. Hunter's Bridge, a kilometre dounstream, is a modren construction built tae take muckle o the hivy traffic that haes damaged Rennie's brig bi divertin vehicles aroond the toun.

Famous fowk frae Kelsae hae includit ceevil ingineer Sir James Brunlees (1816–1892) who constructit mony railways in the Unitit Kinrick as well as designin the docks at Avonmouth an Whitehaven. Sir William Fairbairn (1789–1874) wis anither ingineer who built the first iron hulled steamship the Lord Dundas an constructit ower 1000 brigs uisin the tubular steel method that he pioneered. Thomas Pringle the writer, poet an abolitionist, wis born at nearbi Blakelaw, a 500-acre (2.0 km2) fermstead fower mile (6 km) tae the sooth o the toun whaur his faither wis the tenant.

Modren amenities an events

The toun haes muckle sport an recreation, the River Tweed at Kelso is renouned for its salmon fishin, there are twa aichteen hole gowf courses as well as a National Hunt (jumpin) horse racin track, Kelsae Racecoorse. the course is kent as "Breetain's Friendliest Racecourse", racin first teuk place in Kelso in 1822.

In 2005 the toun hostit the 'World Meeting of 2CV Friends' in the grunds o nearbi Floors Castle. Ower 7,000 fowk teuk ower the toun an are said tae hae brocht in mair nor £2 million pund tae the local economy.

Accordin tae a letter datit 17 October 17, 1788, 'The wirkmen nou employed in diggin the foondations o some releegious hooses that stuid upon St. James' Green, whaur the great annual fair o that name is nou held in the neeburheid o this toun, hae dug up twa sone [sic] coffins o whilk the bones wur entire, several pieces o pentit glass, a siller coin o Robert II, an ither antique relics'.

The toun's rugby union team (Kelso RFC) are heichlie respectit, an their annual rugby seivens tournament takes place in early August. Famous umwhile players include John Jeffrey, Roger Baird, Andrew Ker an Adam Roxburgh, aw o whom featured in 7's teams that dominatit the Borders circuit in the 1980s, includin several wins in the blue riband event at Melrose.Kelso RFC an aa hauld an annual rugby fixture, this fixture is the auldest unbreuken fixture atween a Scots an Welsh side, the oposition is famous for being the birthplace o the film actor Richard Burton an vocalist Ivor Emannuel is is sma veelage nesttled in the bonnie Sooth Wales Valleys cried Pontrhydyfen. The fixture wis foondit some 47 years ago bi Ian Henderson a local Kelso businessman an Tom Owen fixture secretary o Pontrhydyfen RFC. The twa teams currently play for the DT Owen Cup, the twa clubs alternate the fixture, ane year they play in Kelsae (the first fixture vennue) an the follaein year in Pontrhydyfen. This fixture haes nurtured generations o friendships an the 50t Anniversay o this fixture will be held in 2013, this is unique, some claim tae hae the langest fixture atween a Scots an Welsh side, housomeivver this is the langest unbreuken fixture an hopefully will remain so for years tae come.

Floors Castle

Main airticle: Floors Castle

Floors castle is a muckle statley hame juist ootside Kelso. It is a popular visitor attraction in the Mairches. Adjacent tae the hoose there is a fabulous wawed garden wi a cafe, a sma gairden centre an the Star Plantation.

Twins

Kelso is twinned wi twa ceeties abroad:

• - Kelso, Washington, Unitit States
• - Orchies, Fraunce.

Freemit airtins

• Kelsae, Scotland ~ Toun Wabsteid
• Kelso Scots Borders Archived 2012-11-26 at the Wayback Machine
• Kelsae Sangs Archived 2018-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
• Photos o Kelsae Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
• Coin Hoard Airticle Archived 2018-01-02 at the Wayback Machine