View source for Tweeddale

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox historic subdivision|
|Name=              Tweeddale
|HQ=                [[Peebles]]
|subdivision_type=  [[Districts of Scotland|District]] (1975–1996)<br>[[Lieutenancy areas of Scotland|Lieutenancy Area]] (1975–)
|Start=             16 May 1975
|End=               31 March 1996
|Replace=           [[Scottish Borders]]
|image=             [[File:Municipal Buildings (geograph 5324111).jpg|250px]]<br>[[County Buildings, Peebles|Council Offices]], Rosetta Road, Peebles
|Map=               File:Scotland locator map of Tweeddale district 1975-1996.svg
|image_map_caption=Tweeddale district 1975–1996<br/>Tweeddale lieutenancy area 1975–
|membership_title1= Region
|membership1=       [[Scottish Borders|Borders]]
}}
'''Tweeddale''' ([[Scottish Gaelic]]: ''Srath Thuaidh/Tuaidhdail'') is a [[committee area]] and [[Lieutenancy areas of Scotland|lieutenancy area]] in the [[Scottish Borders]] [[council areas of Scotland|council area]] in south-eastern [[Scotland]]. It had also been a [[provinces of Scotland|province]] in the [[Middle Ages]]. From 1975 to 1996 it was a [[districts of Scotland|local government district]]. Its boundaries correspond to the historic county of [[Peeblesshire]].

==Geography==
The area had an estimated population of 20,848 in 2015. It is one of the five committee areas in the Scottish Borders. Major settlements in the area include [[Peebles]], [[Innerleithen]] and [[West Linton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/info/20015/your_council/472/area_partnerships/6|title=Tweeddale|website=Scottish Borders Council|access-date=25 January 2019}}</ref>

It is the traditional name for the [[dale (landform)|dale]] (the area drained) by the upper reaches of the [[River Tweed]]. This area was considered to end before the [[Yarrow Water]] flowed into the Tweed, so the area was bounded to the south and east by the Yarrow/Tweed [[water divide|watershed]], and to the north and east by the [[Gala Water]]/Tweed watershed.

12,770&nbsp;[[hectares|ha]] of upper Tweeddale between [[Broughton, Scottish Borders|Broughton]] and [[Peebles]] is designated as the [[Upper Tweeddale National Scenic Area]],<ref name=nsa-area>{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Environment/Countryside/Heritage/Areas/maps|title=National Scenic Areas - Maps|publisher=SNH|date=2010-12-20|access-date=2018-03-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/9157| title=Upper Tweeddale NSA| publisher=[[NatureScot]]| access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> one of 40 [[national scenic area (Scotland)|such areas]] in Scotland which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/national-scenic-areas|title=National Scenic Areas|publisher=NatureScot|access-date=29 October 2020}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:A new map of Scotland with the roads (8643653080).jpg|thumb|1689 map of Scotland showing "Twedale" as covering the combined area of Peeblesshire and Selkirkshire]]
Tweeddale was a historic district or [[Provinces of Scotland|province]] in the [[Middle Ages]], bordering [[Teviotdale]] and [[Scottish Marches|the Marches]] to the east, [[Liddesdale]] and [[Annandale, Dumfries and Galloway|Annandale]] to the south, [[Lanarkshire|Clydesdale]] to the west and [[Lothian]] to the north. From the twelfth century the area was divided into [[sheriffdoms]]. The southern part of Tweeddale became the sheriffdom of [[Selkirkshire]], also known as Ettrick Forest, whilst the northern part of Tweeddale was initially divided into two sheriffdoms, based at [[Peebles]] and [[Traquair]], before those two were united as the single shire of Peebles, or [[Peeblesshire]], around 1304.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chalmers |first1=William |title=A History of Peeblesshire |date=1864 |publisher=William and Robert Chalmers |location=Edinburgh |page=49 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9VUAAAAcAAJ&q=History+of+Peebles-shire |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref> From then on the shires gradually became the more important areas for administration; the old provinces were not abolished as such, but their importance diminished.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scottish Counties and Parishes: their history and boundaries on maps |url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/boundaries/history.html#histcounty |website=National Library of Scotland |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref>

==Tweeddale District==
Local government reorganisation in 1975 under the [[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973]] introduced a two-tier structure of local government across Scotland comprising upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. Peeblesshire County Council was abolished and the area became part of the [[Scottish Borders|Borders]] region. The region was divided into four districts, one of which was called Tweeddale, covering the same area as pre-1975 Peeblesshire. The new Tweeddale district took over the functions of the six former [[List of local government areas in Scotland (1930–1975)|districts]] of Peeblesshire, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973|year=1973|chapter=65|accessdate=22 November 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Boundaries viewer |url=https://maps.nls.uk/geo/boundaries/#zoom=7&lat=57.0000&lon=-4.4000&dates=1880&point=0,0 |website=National Library of Scotland |access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
*[[Broughton, Scottish Borders|Broughton]] District
*[[Innerleithen]] [[Burgh]]
*Innerleithen District
*[[West Linton|Linton]] District
*[[Peebles]] [[Royal Burgh]]
*Peebles District

For [[lieutenancy areas of Scotland|lieutenancy]] purposes, the last [[lord-lieutenant]] of the county of Peeblesshire was made the first [[Lord Lieutenant of Tweeddale]] when the reforms came into effect in 1975.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Lord-Lieutenants Order 1975|year=1975|number=428|accessdate=27 November 2022}}</ref>

The Borders region and its four districts, including Tweeddale, were abolished in 1996, merging to form the present [[Scottish Borders]] council area.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994|year=1994|chapter=39|accessdate=16 December 2022}}</ref> The area of the pre-1996 Tweeddale district continues to be used as a lieutenancy area.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Lord-Lieutenants (Scotland) Order 1996|year=1996|number=731|accessdate=16 December 2022}}</ref>

===Political control===
The first election to Tweeddale District Council was held in 1974, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 16 May 1975. Throughout the council's existence a majority of the seats were held by [[independent politician|independents]]:<ref>{{cite web |title=Compositions calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=3825 |website=The Elections Centre |access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Party in control!!Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent politician}} || 1975–1996
|}

===Premises===
The council was based at the [[County Buildings, Peebles|Council Offices]] on Rosetta Road in Peebles. The building had originally been built in 1856 as a workhouse, but had been extensively rebuilt and extended in 1935 to become the headquarters of Peeblesshire County Council.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB39256|cat=B|desc=Rosetta Road, Tweeddale District Council Offices, with gatepiers, boundary walls and lamp standards|access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=21016|page=1580|date=20 November 1981}}</ref> After the 1996 reforms the building became an area office for Scottish Borders Council and a police station.<ref>{{cite web |title=Social work offices |url=https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/31880/tweeddale_adult_services |website=Scottish Borders Council |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[History of local government in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Marquess of Tweeddale]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Tweeddale}}
*[http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/early/record.cfm?id=249 Historic map showing "Tweddale, alias, The Shire of Peebles"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060527154552/http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/early/record.cfm?id=158 Historic map showing Tweeddale in Scotland]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060527155406/http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/early/scotland.cfm?id=162 Historic map showing Tweeddale in Scotland]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060527155353/http://www.nls.uk/digitallibrary/map/early/record.cfm?id=252 Historic map showing Tweeddale in Scotland]
*[http://www.tweeddalewhisky.com Tweeddale whisky]

{{Scottish provinces|major}}
{{NSAs in Scotland}}
{{Former local government regions of Scotland}}
{{Scottish Borders elections}}

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{{authority control}}

[[Category:Tweeddale| ]]
[[Category:Lieutenancy areas of Scotland]]
[[Category:Peeblesshire|*]]
[[Category:River Tweed]]
[[Category:Clan Fraser]]
[[Category:Politics of the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Districts of Scotland]]