Variant Spelling--A Ribbing of Mr. Copeland

Walking is quintessentially a U.K. thing. This post will be about "mining" travel information for a possible hike excursion in an already crowded itinerary, as will be the case when we return to the U.K. once COVID-19 has lost its grip on the news cycle. 

On occasion, while searching the internet for potential places to visit or walk, I come across rather distinctive stuff, to the point of filing it in the "Neat--Possible Visit" folder. Less often, I find things that could also immediately be "weaponized" (filed under the "Snide" folder) in the ongoing good nature game of one up-manship--or trading "ribbings" as it might be called by those stalwart souls who may consider themselves fortunate to warrant the term: "friends of mine". 

Turning the pun at the absolute most precise opportunity is, well, something of an art form. And when "Neat" conjuncts with "Snide" that's in the zone of astrological alignments. This brings me to my friend Mr. Copeland of Texas, the same being confused as to which side of "The Borders" he was derived.  That said, he remains unapologetic in his favor of the English. For his benefit then, I discovered just such an alignment in a news item relating to the rediscovered ancient Medieval bridge over River Teviot, the oldest bridge in Scotland by the way. A fascinating history indeed. 

Before poking poor Mr. Copeland, I should first acknowledge the volunteer group (Heritage Paths) who work to conserve and promote historical paths throughout the U.K.—whether market paths or old Roman roads, and all ancient routes of travel in between. These guys do phenomenal preservation service. Would that more in Idaho did the same. 

Ruins of the actual Medieval timber bridge over River Teviot were rediscovered near Ancrum, just below Jedfoot (which I take to be the ford on River Teviot). The Heritage Paths group helped field surveys and document research. This bridge was part of the most important road (the King’s Highway) between Scotland and England. It remained vitally important well beyond the Medieval age. Mary Queen of Scots is said to have used this bridge traveling southward to seek sanctuary from her “suth’n” cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. (Although in hindsight, Mary probably greatly regretted having crossed that bridge to visit.) 

Oak timbers from the Medieval bridge are now being conserved. They’ve been dated by C-14 and are being used for dendroclimatology—to add to climate data from the Medieval times. As I understand it, the medieval Bridge was set just upstream of the ford in order to maintain “all-season” travel between the two nations during seasonal floods. River Teviot otherwise is a barrier. Below is a 1913 map with the Heritage Path superimposed.

Anyhow, this Roman road heritage path passes just east, near “Copland,” a variant spelling of Copeland. And here is where I find my dirk, so to speak. 

The Roman Road shown in the 1913 map is a lengthy northern extension to what is known as Watling Street (on the 1913 map). Romans probably used the Teviot ford (rather than build a bridge). Whether they also armored the ford with a stone bed is unknown. Watling Street spanned Roman Britain. It began with several freight spokes radiating into a hub near Dover. The road then moved inland to London, and ended at Viroconium Cornoviorum, a Legion stronghold now called Wroxeter. Wroxeter grew near the junction of territories held by the Ordovices and Cornovii Celtic tribes. (Cornovii being part of its Latin name.) In its day, Wroxeter was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain.

The road extension built by Romans headed northward, roughly to Jedburgh and Ancrum on the River Teviot (where the Medieval bridge was rediscovered). The northern extension was a long distance military road to “The Borders”…in other words, sort of like the Eisenhower Interstate program. It was designed to move men and materiel quickly to the Borders when under threat.

While historically, as the 1913 map indicates, this road too has been called Watling, today it is more typically called Dere Street to distinguish it.

As for Mr. Copeland, I should note that the Battle of Ancrum in 1545 (during the last years of Henry VIII) occurred in the heights above this Medieval bridge over River Teviot. The Scots won, putting a temporary halt to his English pirates who (as usual) pillaged northward into Scotland. The English hired German and Spanish mercenaries to do their dirty work, and appended these foreign mercenaries to groups of Borderers; the word treasonous comes to mind. In any case, this mercenary force could pretend to be Scots fighting Scots...plausible deniability that might be called. The raiders burned down houses in the region, with women and children still inside. 

At Ancrum on Castle Hill, however, Scottish Pikes prevailed. True to form, once the tide of the fight was obvious, the treasonous Scottish Borderers tore off their red crosses (insignia indicating their allegiance to the wife abuser and serial murderer Henry VIII of England). They then pretended themselves to be loyal Scots…as if. Shortly thereafter, Henry VIII died; which was none too soon.  Speaking to the savagery of the battle, a monument at Ancrum is said to exist above the ancient bridge to commemorate Lilliard, a Scottish lass who fought at Ancrum to avenge the killing of her laddie. She had her legs cut off, and still fought on, on stumps until she died. 

Roughly, Ancrum was "first" recorded in 1136 A.D. when Kind David I of Scotland established a monastic settlement there. The larger nearby settlement of Jedburgh is older, with its church founded in the 800s A.D. by Ecgred, Bishop of Lindisfarne.  However, much earlier, Romans under Emperor Agricola (40 to 93 A.D.) built a “fortlet” at Chappuck just east of Jedburgh where Dere Street (the Roman road) crossed Oxnam Water. This fortlet was built easily within a living memory of Christ. 

Indeed, well before that, a pre-Roman site has been briefly defined, with the Romans building on top of it. A paucity of archeological work exists on the pre-Roman culture in the area. Taken together, this immediate area at the ford (bridge) over River Teviot has long been recognized as having strategic and economic importance. Although Ancrum today only has ~400 population; Jedburgh has ~4,000. 

We are considering a future trip to Scotland's Lowlands, and perhaps again to North England. If so, we may take part of the Heritage Path to the River Teviot.  With its newly rediscovered Medieval bridge, the battle site at Ancrum and the kirk ruins, that makes for an interesting hike. Besides, while walking it, we can always look for where the Copelands may have hidden their red cross insignias when, in panic, they tore them from their shirts.  I suppose they may wish for them to be returned? 

Here's the link: https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/article/and-finally-lost-medieval-bridge-discovered-beneath-river-teviot