View source for Berwick-upon-Tweed

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Northumberland, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use British English |date=February 2012}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Berwick-upon-Tweed
| type          = Town
| static_image_name = {{multiple images|border=infobox|perrow=1 2|total_width=270px|align=center
| image1 = Berwick-upon-Tweed - geograph.org.uk - 6643184.jpg
|caption1= Town Centre 
| image2 = Berwick Advertiser, Marygate - geograph.org.uk - 7667963.jpg
| caption2 = Marygate 
| image3 = Berwick Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 3671541.jpg
| caption3 = Berwick Lighthouse
}}
| static_image_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|55|46|09|N|02|00|09|W|display=inline,title}}
| population = 12,043
| population_ref = ([[United Kingdom census, 2011|2011 Census]])
| london_distance = {{cvt|304|mi}}
| os_grid_reference = NT995525
| civil_parish = Berwick-upon-Tweed
| unitary_england = [[Northumberland County Council|Northumberland]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Northumberland]]
| region = North East England
| country = England
| post_town = BERWICK-UPON-TWEED
| postcode_district = TD15
| postcode_area = TD
| dial_code = 01289
| constituency_westminster = [[North Northumberland (UK Parliament constituency)|North Northumberland]]
| website = [http://www.berwick-tc.gov.uk/ Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council]
}}

'''Berwick-upon-Tweed''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-uk-BerwickUponTweed.ogg|ˈ|b|ɛr|ᵻ|k}} {{respell|BEH|rik}}), sometimes known as '''Berwick-on-Tweed''' or simply '''Berwick''', is a town and [[civil parish]] in [[Northumberland]], England, {{cvt|2.5|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} south of the [[Anglo-Scottish border]], and the northernmost town in England.{{efn|The smaller hamlet of [[Marshall Meadows Bay|Marshall Meadows]] is the actual northernmost settlement of any kind in England.}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/world/europe/scottish-independence-referendum-berwick-upon-tweed.html |last=Erlanger |first=Steven |author-link=Steven Erlanger |title=Bracing for Change on Scotland's Border, Whatever the Referendum Result |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=13 September 2014 |access-date=1 March 2017 |archive-date=16 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716220235/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/14/world/europe/scottish-independence-referendum-berwick-upon-tweed.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[2011 United Kingdom census]] recorded Berwick's population as 12,043.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11120634&c=Berwick&d=16&e=62&g=6452859&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1421836670614&enc=1 |title=Area: Berwick-upon-Tweed (Parish): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics |work=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] |access-date=20 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045236/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11120634&c=Berwick&d=16&e=62&g=6452859&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1421836670614&enc=1 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The town is at the mouth of the [[River Tweed]] on the east coast, {{cvt|56|mi}} south east of [[Edinburgh]], {{cvt|65|mi}} north of [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], and {{cvt|345|mi}} north of [[London]]. Uniquely for England, the town is slightly further north than [[Denmark]]'s capital [[Copenhagen]] and the southern tip of [[Sweden]], further east of the [[North Sea]], which Berwick borders.

Berwick was founded as an [[Anglo-Saxon]] settlement in the [[Kingdom of Northumbria]], which was annexed by England in the 10th century.<ref name="Lepage 2011 272">{{cite book |last=Lepage |first=Jean-Denis |year=2011 |title=British Fortifications Through the Reign of Richard III |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-0-7864-5918-6 |page=272}}</ref> A [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] and town council were formed in 2008 comprising the communities of Berwick, [[Spittal, Northumberland|Spittal]] and [[Tweedmouth]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk/legalanddemocratics/draft-recommendation1.htm?zoom_highlight=parishing |title=Parishing the Communities of Berwick, Spittal and Tweedmouth |work=Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927120223/http://www.berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk/legalanddemocratics/draft-recommendation1.htm?zoom_highlight=parishing |archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> It is the northernmost civil parish in England.

For more than 400 years, the area was central to historic border wars between the Kingdoms of [[Kingdom of England|England]] and [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], and several times possession of Berwick changed hands between the two kingdoms. The last time it changed hands was when Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later [[Richard III of England|King Richard III]]) retook it for England in [[Capture of Berwick (1482)|1482]].<ref>Macdougall, Norman, ''James III'', (1982), p. 169: Devon, Frederick, ed., ''Issues of the Exchequer'', (1837), p. 501</ref> To this day, many Berwickers feel a close affinity to Scotland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2012/jan/27/scotland-independence-berwick-upon-tweed-jim-smith-alec-salmond |title=Would an independent Scotland be good for Northern England? |first=Ed |last=Jacobs |date=27 January 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=29 November 2018 |archive-date=29 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129225238/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/the-northerner/2012/jan/27/scotland-independence-berwick-upon-tweed-jim-smith-alec-salmond |url-status=live }}</ref> Both [[Berwick Rangers F.C.|Berwick Rangers Football Club]] and [[Berwick RFC|Berwick Rugby Football Club]] play in Scottish leagues.

Berwick remains a traditional [[market town]] and also has some notable architectural features, in particular its medieval [[Berwick town walls|town walls]], its Georgian [[Berwick Town Hall|Town Hall]], its Elizabethan [[Defensive wall|ramparts]], and Britain's earliest [[Berwick Barracks|barracks]] buildings, which [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]] built (1717–1721) for the [[Board of Ordnance]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pevsner|Richmond|Grundy|McCombie|1992|p=}}{{page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref>

== Name ==

Berwick's name is of the same origin as the word ''[[wikt:berewick|berewick]]'',<ref name=ekwall>{{cite book |last=Ekwall |first=Eilert |title=The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names |date=1947 |location=Oxford |publisher=The Clarendon Press |page=37 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.184064/page/n82}}</ref> denoting a portion of farmland which was detached from a manor and reserved for a lord's own use.<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|berewick |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> This comes from the [[Old English]] ''berewíc'', meaning "corn farm"  (more specifically, ''bere'' refers to [[barley]]).<ref>{{cite OED|berewick}}</ref> Its earliest recorded spelling, as ''Berewich'', dates from 1167.<ref>{{cite book |last=Beckensall |first=Stan |author-link=Stan Beckensall |date=1975 |title=Northumberland Place-Names |location=Newcastle upon Tyne |publisher=Frank Graham |isbn=0859830675 |page=23}}</ref> There are several places in Britain with the same name;<ref name=ekwall/> one such is [[North Berwick]] in Scotland, and Berwick-upon-Tweed has also been called "South Berwick" in Scottish sources.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scott |first=John |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed: The History of the Town and Guild |date=1888 |location=London |publisher=Elliot Stock |page=237 |url=https://archive.org/details/berwickupontwee00scotgoog/page/n283}}</ref> The medieval seal of the town showed a bear and a [[wych elm|wych]] tree as a [[Canting arms|pun]] on the name.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guild and Governors: The Governance of Berwick |page=1 |url=http://berwickcivicsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Guild-and-Governors.pdf |publisher=Berwick Civic Society |access-date=28 May 2021 |archive-date=4 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004125827/http://berwickcivicsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Guild-and-Governors.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Samuel and Nathaniel Buck - The South View of Berwick Upon Tweed - B1987.19 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg|thumb|400px|Berwick in 1745]]

=== Early history ===

In the post-Roman period, the area was inhabited by the [[Brython]]s of [[Bryneich]]. Later, the region became part of the [[Angles (tribe)|Anglian]] kingdom of [[Bernicia]]. Bernicia later united with the kingdom of [[Deira]] to form [[Kingdom of Northumbria|Northumbria]], which in the mid-10th century entered the [[Kingdom of England]] under [[Eadred]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kendrick |first=T. D. |author-link=T. D. Kendrick |year=2004 |title=A History of The Vikings |volume=I |location=Mineola |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=978-0-486-43396-7 |page=256}}</ref><ref name=Cannon474>{{cite book |last=Cannon |first=John |author-link=John Cannon (historian) |year=2009 |title=A Dictionary of British History |location=London |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-955037-1 |page=474}}</ref>

Berwick remained part of the [[Earl of Northumbria|Earldom of Northumbria]] until control passed to the Scots following the [[Battle of Carham]] of 1018. The town itself was founded as an [[Anglo-Saxon]] settlement during the time of the [[Kingdom of Northumbria]].<ref name="Lepage 2011 272"/>

=== Scottish burgh ===

Between the late 10th and early 11th centuries, the land between the rivers [[River Forth|Forth]] and Tweed came under Scottish control, either through conquest by Scotland or through [[cession]] by England.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barrow |first=G. S. W. |year=2003 |title=The Kingdom of the Scots: Government, Church and Society from the Eleventh to the Fourteenth Century |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-1803-3 |page=121}}</ref> Berwick was made a [[royal burgh]] by [[David I of Scotland|David I]] (reigned 1124–1153).<ref>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Davies |year=2000 |title=The Isles: A History |location=London |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Papermac]] |isbn=978-0-333-69283-7}}{{page needed|date=August 2015}}</ref> David also established many of the [[Shires of Scotland|shires]] of Scotland, with Berwick becoming the [[county town]] of [[Berwickshire]], which covered the town and a largely rural area to the north-west of it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chalmers |first1=George |title=Caledonia |date=1810 |publisher=Cadell and Davies |location=London |page=213 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j8Q_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA213 |access-date=19 December 2022}}</ref> A [[Mint (coin)|mint]] was present in the town by 1153.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lynch |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Lynch (historian) |year=1992 |title=Scotland: a New History |publisher=Pimlico |isbn=978-0-7126-9893-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/scotlandnewhisto0000lync/page/62 62] |url=https://archive.org/details/scotlandnewhisto0000lync/page/62}}</ref> In 1276, William de Baddeby was Constable of Berwick.<ref name="Historic Manuscripts Commission 1902, p.225">Historic Manuscripts Commission, ''MSS of Col. David Milne Home of Wedderburn Castle, N.B.'', [[HMSO]], London, 1902, pg. 225.</ref>

While under Scottish control, Berwick was referred to as "South Berwick" to differentiate it from the town of [[North Berwick]], [[East Lothian]], near Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northberwick.org.uk/story.html#The_Early_Settlers |last=Seaton |first=Douglas C. |work=Royal Burgh of North Berwick |title=The Early Settlers |access-date=15 January 2015 |archive-date=16 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116044456/http://www.northberwick.org.uk/story.html#The_Early_Settlers |url-status=live }}</ref>

Berwick had a medieval hospital for the sick and poor, which the Church administered. A charter under the [[Great Seal of Scotland]], confirmed by King [[James I of Scotland]], grants the king's chaplain "[[Thomas Lauder]] of the House of God or Hospital lying in the burgh of Berwick-upon-Tweed, to be held to him for the whole time of his life with all lands, teinds, rents and profits, etc., belonging to the said hospital, as freely as is granted to any other hospital in the Kingdom of Scotland; the king also commands all those concerned to pay to the grantee all things necessary for the support of the hospital. Dated at Edinburgh June 8, in the 20th year of his reign."{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

=== Disputed territory ===

Berwick's strategic position on the [[Anglo-Scottish border]] during centuries of war between the two nations and its relatively great wealth led to a succession of raids, sieges and takeovers. [[William I of Scotland]] invaded and attempted to capture northern England in 1173–74.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wormald |first=Jenny |author-link=Jenny Wormald |year=2005 |title=Scotland: A History |location=London |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-820615-6 |page=[https://archive.org/details/scotland00jenn/page/46 46] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scotland00jenn/page/46}}</ref> After his defeat in 1174, Berwick was ceded to [[Henry II of England]] under the [[Treaty of Falaise]], along with four other castles at [[Edinburgh]], [[Jedburgh]], [[Roxburgh]], and [[Stirling]], with the five castles to be garrisoned with English troops paid for at Scottish expense.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hallam |first=Elizabeth |year=1996 |title=The Plantagenet Encyclopedia: An Alphabetical Guide to 400 Years of English History |publisher=Crescent Books |isbn=978-0-517-14081-9 |page=29}}</ref> The Treaty of Falaise was annulled in 1189 when William paid [[Richard I of England]] 10,000 marks sterling to contribute towards the latter's [[Crusades|crusade]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Geldard |first=Ed |year=2009 |title=Northumberland Strongholds |publisher=Frances Lincoln |isbn=978-0-7112-2985-3 |page=58}}</ref>

Berwick had become a prosperous town by the middle of the 13th century. According to [[William Edington]], a bishop and chancellor of England, Berwick was "so populous and of such commercial importance that it might rightly be called another [[Alexandria]], whose riches were the sea and the water its walls".<ref>{{cite book |last=Robson |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Robson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AEOaUkge9DMC&q=the+border+line |title=The Border Line |location=London |publisher=[[Frances Lincoln Publishers]] |isbn=978-0711227163 |page=234 |date=March 2007 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1291–92, Berwick was the site of [[Edward I of England]]'s arbitration in the [[Competitors for the Crown of Scotland|contest for the Scottish crown]] between [[John Balliol]] and [[Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale]].<ref name=dunbar116>{{cite book |last=Dunbar |first=Sir Archibald H., Bt. |author-link=Dunbar baronets#Dunbar of Northfield (10 April 1700) |year=1899 |title=Scottish Kings – A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005–1625 |url=https://archive.org/details/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft |location=Edinburgh |page=[https://archive.org/details/scottishkingsre00dunbuoft/page/116 116]}}</ref> The decision in favour of Balliol was pronounced in the Great Hall of [[Berwick Castle]] on 17 November 1292.<ref name=dunbar116/>
[[File:Berwick heyheydecay.net.jpg|thumb|Part of the [[Berwick town walls|town walls]]]]
In 1296, England went to war with [[France]], with which Scotland was in alliance. Balliol invaded England in response, sacking [[Cumberland]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Charles-Arnold |year=2001 |title=The Companion to British History |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-18583-7 |page=91}}</ref> Edward, in turn, invaded Scotland and [[Capture of Berwick (1296)|captured Berwick]], destroying much of the town and massacring the burgesses, merchants and artisans of the town.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barrow |first=G. W. S. |year=2005 |title=Robert Bruce and the community of the realm of Scotland |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-74-862022-7 |page=92}}</ref>

Edward I went again to Berwick in August 1296 to [[Ragman Rolls|receive formal homage]] from some 2,000 Scottish nobles, after defeating the Scots at the [[Battle of Dunbar (1296)|Battle of Dunbar]] in April and forcing John Balliol to abdicate at [[Kincardine Castle, Mearns|Kincardine Castle]] the following July. At this time, work began on building the town walls (and rebuilding the earlier Castle); these fortifications were complete by 1318 and subsequently improved under Scottish rule. An arm of [[William Wallace]] was displayed at Berwick after his execution and quartering on 23 August 1305.

In 1314, [[Edward II of England]] mustered 25,000 men at Berwick, who later fought in the crushing defeat at the [[Battle of Bannockburn]]. Between 1315 and 1318, Scottish armies, sometimes with the help of Flemish and German [[privateer]]s, besieged and [[blockaded]] the town, finally [[Capture of Berwick (1318)|capturing]] it in April 1318.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Clifford J |year=2010 |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology |location=London |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533403-6 |page=144}}</ref>

England [[Capture of Berwick (1333)|retook Berwick]] the day after the [[Battle of Halidon Hill]] in 1333.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Clifford J. |year=2010 |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology |location=London |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-533403-6 |page=145}}</ref> The Scots briefly took control of the town of Berwick (but not its castle) after a [[Sieges of Berwick (1355 and 1356)|siege in November 1355]], but were in turn besieged by the English, who retook the town in January 1356. In October 1357, a treaty was signed at Berwick by which the [[Parliament of Scotland|Scottish estates]] undertook to pay 100,000 marks as a ransom for [[David II of Scotland]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Watt |first=Donald ER |author-link=D. E. R. Watt |year=2000 |title=Medieval Church Councils in Scotland |location=London |publisher=[[T&T Clark]] |isbn=978-0-567-08731-7 |page=120}}</ref> who had been taken prisoner at the [[Battle of Neville's Cross]] on 17 October 1346. In 1461, Berwick was ceded back to Scotland by [[Margaret of Anjou]] on behalf of her husband, [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]], in return for help against the [[Yorkists]] during the [[Wars of the Roses]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Wagner |first=John |year=2001 |title=Encyclopedia of the War of the Roses |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediawars00wagn |url-access=limited |location=Santa Barbara |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=978-1-85109-358-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediawars00wagn/page/n67 28]}}</ref>

Robert Lauder of [[Edrington]] was put in charge of the castle. He was succeeded in 1474 by [[David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose|David, Earl of Crawford]]. On 3 February 1478, [[Robert Lauder of the Bass]] and Edrington was again appointed Keeper of the castle, a position that he held until the final year of Scottish control, when [[Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord Hailes|Patrick Hepburn]], 1st Lord Hailes, had possession.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

In 1482, Richard, [[Duke of Gloucester]] (later [[Richard III of England|Richard III]]) [[Capture of Berwick (1482)|recaptured the town]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Dobson |first=RB |year=1996 |title=Church and Society in the Medieval North of England |location=London |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] |isbn=978-1-85285-120-0 |page=132}}</ref> [[Thomas Gower (marshal of Berwick)|Thomas Gower]] ({{floruit|1543–1577}}) was the English [[marshal]] of Berwick 1543–1552. The Scots did not accept this conquest evidenced by innumerable charters for at least two centuries after this date, but never regained control of the town.<ref name="Historic Manuscripts Commission 1902, p.225"/> over a little more than 400 years, Berwick had changed hands more than a dozen times.{{sfn|Pevsner|Richmond|Grundy|McCombie|1992|p=173}}

=== English town ===

[[File:Berwick on Tweed Fortress Detail.JPG|thumb|Berwick-upon-Tweed fortress detail]]
Much of southern Scotland was again invaded by England during the "[[Rough Wooing]]" (also known as the Eight Years' War) of 1543–1551. The war ended with the Treaty of [[Norham]] in 1551, which saw England withdraw back to the border as had existed before the war began, and so retaining Berwick. Under the treaty, Berwick was declared to be a free town, independent of either kingdom.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rapin |first1=Paul |title=Acta Regia: Volume 3 |date=1727 |publisher=Le Clerc |location=London |page=373 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5u6NwgFy1YsC&pg=PA373 |access-date=8 January 2023|author1-link=Paul de Rapin }}</ref> In practice it was controlled by England and sent members of parliament to the English parliament, but as an independent borough, outside the authority of the sheriffs of any English county, similar to a [[county corporate]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burrow |first1=James |title=Reports of Cases adjudged in the Court of King's Bench, Volume 2 |date=1776 |publisher=Worrall and Tovey |location=London |page=834 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gmVKAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA834 |access-date=8 January 2023 |chapter=R. v Cowle, 1759}}</ref>

During the reign of Queen [[Elizabeth I of England]], vast sums – one source reports "£128,648, the most expensive undertaking of the Elizabethan period"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berwick.org.uk/berwick/berwick.htm |title=Historical Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-date=4 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904040459/http://www.berwick.org.uk/berwick/berwick.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> – were spent on its fortifications, in a new Italian style (''[[Star fort|trace italienne]]''), designed both to withstand artillery and to facilitate its use from within the fortifications. These fortifications have been described as "the only surviving walls of their kind".<ref name=Cannon474/> [[Richard Lee (engineer)|Sir Richard Lee]] designed some of the Elizabethan works,<ref>{{cite book |year=1865 |title=Calendar State Papers Foreign Elizabeth 1559–1560 |location=London |publisher=Longman |at=no. 1064, "setting forth the device"}}</ref> and the Italian military engineer [[Giovanni Portinari]] was also involved in the project.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/NorthumberlandCountyCouncil/media/Planning-and-Building/Conservation/Archaeology/Berwick.pdf |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed: Northumberland Extensive Urban Survey |date=2009 |pages=34–5 |website=Northumberland County Council |access-date=4 February 2021 |archive-date=25 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925111532/https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/NorthumberlandCountyCouncil/media/Planning-and-Building/Conservation/Archaeology/Berwick.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Berwick's role as a border fortress town ended with England and Scotland's [[Union of the Crowns]]. On 6 April 1603, [[James VI of Scotland]] crossed the Border on his journey southwards to be crowned [[James VI and I|James I]] of England. He was met at [[Lamberton, Scottish Borders|Lamberton]] by the Lord Governor of Berwick with a mounted party from the garrison and was conducted into the town.<ref>[[Maureen Meikle]], ''A British frontier? Lairds and Gentlemen in the Eastern Borders'' (Tuckwell, 2004), p. 272.</ref> In December 1603, the Crown ordered the dissolution of the garrison of Berwick and the number of soldiers was reduced to 100 men and pensioners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.explore-northumberland.co.uk/Session%209%20Garrison%201.pdf |title=Explore-northumberland.co.uk. ''Union of the Crowns''. |access-date=29 November 2018 |archive-date=20 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920173637/http://www.explore-northumberland.co.uk/Session%209%20Garrison%201.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1639, the army of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] faced that of General [[Alexander Leslie]] at Berwick in the [[Bishops' Wars]], which were concerned with bringing the [[Presbyterian]] [[Church of Scotland]] under Charles's control. The two sides did not fight, but negotiated the [[Treaty of Berwick (1639)|Pacification of Berwick]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Seel |first=Graham E |year=1999 |title=The English Wars and Republic, 1637–1660 |url=https://archive.org/details/englishwarsrepub00seel |url-access=limited |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-19902-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/englishwarsrepub00seel/page/n10 2]}}</ref>

[[Berwick Bridge]], also known as the "Old Bridge" dates to 1611. It linked [[Islandshire]] on the south bank of the [[River Tweed]] with the county [[burgh]] of Berwick on the north bank.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/BerwickuponTweed.html |title=Bishop Auckland |website=englandsnortheast.co.uk |access-date=4 January 2021 |archive-date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027151413/https://englandsnortheast.co.uk/BerwickuponTweed.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Church of the Holy Trinity, Berwick-on-Tweed|Holy Trinity Church]] was built in 1648–52.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mowl |first1=Timothy |author1-link=Timothy Mowl |last2=Earnshaw |first2=Brian |author2-link=Brian Earnshaw |year=1995 |title=Architecture without Kings: Rise of Puritan Classicism Under Cromwell |location=Manchester |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-4679-7 |page=15}}</ref> It is the most northerly parish church in England and was built under special licence from [[Oliver Cromwell]] during the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth period]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/16345/ |title=Holy Trinity |website=www.achurchnearyou.com |access-date=4 January 2021 |archive-date=23 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023083837/https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/16345/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== British town ===

[[File:The Barracks - geograph.org.uk - 1254528.jpg|thumbnail|The Barracks (1717–1721)]]

In 1707, the [[Acts of Union 1707|Act of Union]] united England and Scotland to create the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]]. Since then, Berwick has remained within the laws and legal system of [[England and Wales]]. The [[Wales and Berwick Act 1746]] (since repealed) deemed that whenever legislation referred to England, it applied to Berwick without the need for a specific reference to the town.

Until the 1830s the borough boundaries of the town were identical to the parish of Berwick, which lay entirely on the north side of the River Tweed, covering the main part of the built-up area and the rural areas immediately north-west of it. By that time, [[Tweedmouth]] on the south side of the river had grown to a sizeable population, effectively as a suburb of the town but outside the borough boundaries. Under the [[Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832]] the parliamentary borough (constituency) of Berwick was enlarged to include the townships of Tweedmouth and [[Spittal, Northumberland|Spittal]] south of the Tweed.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |date=1832 |publisher=His Majesty's Printers |page=353 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uq0uAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA353 |access-date=8 January 2023 |chapter=2 & 3 Will 4, c. 64}}</ref> A couple of years later, the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]] standardised how boroughs were governed across England and Wales, and Berwick's municipal boundaries were enlarged to match the parliamentary borough, bringing Tweedmouth and Spittal under the jurisdiction of Berwick's town council. The same act also formalised Berwick's status as an independent [[county corporate]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Municipal Corporations (England and Wales): Appendix to the first report of the Commissioners Part III - Northern and North Midland Circuits |date=1835 |publisher=House of Commons |location=London |page=1447 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N3FTAAAAcAAJ&dq=report+of+the+commissioners+tweedmouth+berwick+1835&pg=PA1447 |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sewell |first1=Richard Clarke |title=Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4, c. 76) |date=1835 |publisher=Butterworth |location=London |page=181 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TEZfAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA181 |access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref> The population of the borough in 1841 was 12,578, and that of the parish was 8,484.<ref>''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge'', Vol III, London, Charles Knight, 1847, p.256</ref>

In the 1840s, [[Samuel Lewis (publisher)|Samuel Lewis]] included similar entries for Berwick-upon-Tweed in both his England and Scotland ''Topographical Dictionary''.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Berwick-upon-Tweed |title=A Topographical Dictionary of England |editor-first=Samuel |editor-last=Lewis |location=London |year=1848 |page=223 |via=British History Online |chapter-url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp214-223#h3-0029 |access-date=5 July 2019 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806130654/https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp214-223#h3-0029 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |chapter=Berwick-upon-Tweed |title=A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland |editor-first=Samuel |editor-last=Lewis |location=London |year=1846 |page=124 |via=British History Online |chapter-url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland/pp124-151#h2-0001 |access-date=5 July 2019 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927233452/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43423#h2-0001 |url-status=live }}</ref> Berwick remained a county in its own right, and remained a separate parliamentary constituency until 1885 when it was merged to become a division of [[Northumberland]] under the [[Redistribution of Seats Act 1885]]. In 1889 elected county councils were established under the [[Local Government Act 1888]], which were based on the parliamentary boundaries of counties, and so Berwick was brought under the jurisdiction of [[Northumberland County Council]], with the town council thereafter being a lower-tier authority subordinate to the county council.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1888|year=1888|chapter=41|section=48|accessdate=9 January 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Berwick 1972.jpg|thumb|Berwick in 1972]]
England now is officially defined as "subject to any alteration of boundaries under Part IV of the [[Local Government Act 1972]], the area consisting of the counties established by section 1 of that Act, Greater London and the Isles of Scilly",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/schedule/1 |title=Schedule 1 of The Interpretation Act 1978 |work=Legislation.gov.uk |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-date=11 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311182014/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/30/schedule/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> which thus includes Berwick. In the 1972 act's reorganisation of English local government from 1 April 1974, the [[Berwick-upon-Tweed (borough)|Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed]] was created by the merger of the previous borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed with Belford Rural District, Glendale Rural District and [[Norham and Islandshires Rural District]].

The [[Interpretation Act 1978]] provides that in legislation passed between 1967 and 1974, "a reference to England includes Berwick upon Tweed and [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]]".

In 2009 the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished as part of [[2009 structural changes to local government in England|wider structural changes to local government in England]]. All functions previously exercised by Berwick Borough Council were transferred to [[Northumberland County Council]], which is the [[unitary authority]] for the area.

== Governance ==

[[File:Berwick Town Hall 2.jpg|thumbnail|[[Berwick Town Hall]], built 1754–1760]]
[[File:Berwick-upon-Tweed civil parish in Northumberland.svg|thumbnail|Location of Berwick-upon-Tweed civil parish in Northumberland, governed by the Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council.]]
During periods of Scottish administration, Berwick was the [[county town]] of [[Berwickshire]], to which the town gave its name. Thus at various points in the Middle Ages and from 1482 (when Berwick became administered by England), Berwickshire had the unique distinction of being the only county in the British Isles to be named after a town in another country.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kay |first1=John |author1-link=John Kay (economist) |last2=Keay |first2=Julia |year=2000 |title=Collins Encyclopedia of Scotland |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-00-710353-9 |page=78}}</ref>
[[File:Coat of Arms of Berwick-Upon-Tweed Borough Council 1958-1974.svg|thumb|Coat of arms of the Berwick-Upon-Tweed Borough Council from 1958 until 1974.]]
In 1958, the borough's council applied for a [[coat of arms]], but applied to the [[Lord Lyon King of Arms]], the Scottish heraldic authority, for the grant "as suitable to a Burgh of Scotland", which was duly granted.<ref>[http://courtofthelordlyon.scot/IsolationHeraldryWeek8D.pdf Practical Heraldry for the Self-isolator; Week 8D - Royal Burghs]: Court of the Lord Lyon</ref>

On 1 April 1974, the borough was merged with Belford Rural District, Glendale Rural District and [[Norham and Islandshires Rural District]] to form [[Berwick-upon-Tweed (borough)|Berwick Borough Council]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/2020/07/03/a-short-history-of-berwick-upon-tweed-record-office/ |title=A Short History of Berwick-upon-Tweed Record Office |publisher=Northumberland Archives |date=3 July 2020 |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=20 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120091441/https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/2020/07/03/a-short-history-of-berwick-upon-tweed-record-office/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Northumberland County Council]] became the unitary authority for the area when the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished on 1 April 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/494/contents/made |title=The Northumberland (Structural Change) Order 2008 |work=Legislation.gov.uk |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-date=22 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022150016/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/494/contents/made |url-status=live }}</ref>

A new Berwick-upon-Tweed [[Parish councils in England|Town Council]] was created on 1 April 2008 covering Berwick-upon-Tweed, [[Tweedmouth]], and Spittal.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Berwick-upon-Tweed (Parishes) Order 2008 |url=https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/12185/berwick-upon-tweed-parishes-order-2008.pdf |website=Database of Local Government Orders |publisher=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |access-date=23 January 2023 |archive-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123223153/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/12185/berwick-upon-tweed-parishes-order-2008.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> It has taken over the former Borough's mayoralty and regalia. The mayor for 2022–2023 is Mike Greener.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The civic party {{!}} Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council |url=https://www.berwick-tc.gov.uk/the-civic-party |access-date=2022-06-09 |website=www.berwick-tc.gov.uk}}</ref>

Berwick-upon-Tweed is in the [[British House of Commons|parliamentary]] constituency of [[North Northumberland]].<ref>{{cite news |title=North Northumberland results |work=BBC News – Election 2024 – Results & Constituency – North Northumberland |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2024/uk/constituencies/E14001397 |access-date=16 July 2024}}</ref>

== Economy ==

[[File:Berwick Town In Winter.jpg|thumb|High Street]]
Slightly more than 60% of the population is employed in the service sector, including shops, hotels and catering, financial services and most government activity, including health care. Some current and recent Berwick economic activities include [[salmon]] fishing, shipbuilding, engineering, [[sawmill]]ing, [[fertilizer]] production, [[malting]] and the manufacture of tweed and hosiery.

Berwick town centre comprises the Mary Gate and High Street where many local shops and some retail chains exist. New office development has been built in the Walker Gate beside the library, which combined space with the Northumberland Adult Learning Centre and Tourism centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/business/local-business/berwick-workspace-reaping-the-benefits-of-european-funding-1-2744029 |title=Berwick WorkSpace reaping the benefits of European funding |newspaper=Berwick Advertiser |publisher=[[Johnston Press]] |date=6 March 2013 |access-date=6 March 2013 |archive-date=27 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127130705/http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/business/local-business/berwick-workspace-reaping-the-benefits-of-european-funding-1-2744029 |url-status=live }}</ref>

There is a retail park in [[Tweedmouth]] consisting of a Homebase, Farm Foods, Marks and Spencer, Argos, Next, and Lidl. Berwick Borough Council refused a proposal from [[Asda]] in 2006 to build a store near the site,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berwickshire-news.co.uk/news/Asda-withdraws-supermarket-appeal.1464664.jp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801091729/http://www.berwickshire-news.co.uk/news/Asda-withdraws-supermarket-appeal.1464664.jp |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 August 2012 |title=Asda withdraws supermarket appeal |newspaper=The Berwickshire News |publisher=Johnston Press |date=26 April 2006 |access-date=5 October 2012 }}</ref> but in 2008 gave [[Tesco]] planning permission for its new store in the town,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berwickshire-news.co.uk/news/Tesco-gets-green-light-for.3678445.jp |title=Tesco gets green light for Berwick food store |newspaper=Berwick Advertiser |publisher=Johnston Press |date=16 January 2008 |access-date=5 October 2012 |archive-date=22 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122073000/http://www.berwickshire-news.co.uk/news/Tesco-gets-green-light-for.3678445.jp |url-status=live }}</ref> which opened on 13 September 2010. Asda went on to take over the Co-op shop unit in Tweedmouth in early 2010.

A [[Morrisons]] supermarket with a petrol station, alongside a branch of [[McDonald's]], a [[Travelodge UK]] and an [[Aldi]] all exist on Loaning Meadows close to the outskirts of the town near the current A1. The Aldi outlet moved its operations to a new location in the newly constructed Loaning Meadows Retail Park which also hosts [[KFC]] and [[Costa Coffee]] drive-throughs, A Food Warehouse wholesale store, [[Greggs]] and a [[Home Bargains]] supermarket. The retail park is located adjacent to the [[Morrisons]] store.

== Transport ==

[[File:Berwick Lighthouse geograph - 3317786.jpg|thumb|Berwick breakwater lighthouse]]
The old [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1 road]] passes through Berwick. The modern A1 goes around the town to the west. The town is on the [[East Coast Main Line]] railway and is served by [[Berwick-upon-Tweed railway station]]. A small seaport at Tweedmouth facilitates the import and export of goods but provides no passenger services. The port is protected by a long breakwater built in the 19th century, at the end of which is a red and white [[lighthouse]]. Completed in 1826, the {{cvt|13|m|ft|adj=on}} tower emits a white light every five seconds from a window overlooking the sea.<ref name=rowlett>{{cite rowlett |engne |access-date=11 November 2015}}</ref> Seafarers' charity [[Apostleship of the Sea]] has a chaplain to support the needs of mariners arriving at the port.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stellamaris.org.uk/ |title=Home |website=Stella Maris |access-date=4 January 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221205500/https://www.stellamaris.org.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Bus services are mostly operated by Borders Buses (part of West Coast Motors) and Arriva providing both local and longer links. The town is also served by National Express coaches.

== Culture ==

=== Berwick's identity ===

Berwick is famous for its hesitation over whether it is part of Scotland or England.<ref>{{cite web |last=Woolley |first=Alexander |date=11 September 2014 |title=The Scottish referendum means Berwick-upon-Tweed faces an uncertain future |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/2014/09/scottish-referendum-means-berwick-upon-tweed-faces-uncertain-future |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122033448/https://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/2014/09/scottish-referendum-means-berwick-upon-tweed-faces-uncertain-future |archive-date=22 January 2021 |access-date=20 January 2021 |website=www.newstatesman.com }}</ref> Some people are adamant they are English and their loyalty lies with Northumberland, while others feel an affinity with Scotland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/jan/13/scotland-independence-berwick-upon-tweed |work=The Guardian |date=13 January 2012 |title=Border town where Scottish independence is another dividing line |access-date=2 December 2018 |archive-date=2 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202202704/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/jan/13/scotland-independence-berwick-upon-tweed |url-status=live }}</ref> Whilst it has been argued that the town's geographic and historic place between the two has led to it developing a distinctive identity of its own,<ref name=":1">{{cite web |last=MacEacheran |first=Mike |date=28 September 2020 |title=The British town with a third 'nationality' |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200927-the-british-town-with-a-third-nationality |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121172640/http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200927-the-british-town-with-a-third-nationality |archive-date=21 November 2020 |access-date=20 January 2021 |website=www.bbc.com }}</ref> many people in Berwick also have mixed Anglo-Scottish families which contributes to a sense of separate identity.<ref>[http://www.visitberwick.com/what-are-we Visitberwick.com. ''What we are.''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055624/http://www.visitberwick.com/what-are-we |date=3 December 2018 }} Retrieved 2 December 2018.</ref> Historian Derek Sharman said "The people of Berwick feel really independent. You are a Berwicker first, Scottish or English second."<ref name=":0" /> Former mayor Mike Elliot said "25% of the town consider themselves English, 25% Scottish and 50% Berwickers."<ref>{{cite news |last=Kerr |first=Rachel |date=8 October 2004 |title=A tale of one town |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/3727046.stm |url-status=live |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309184809/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/tyne/3727046.stm }}</ref> Professor Dominic Watt of the [[University of Aberdeen]] noted that: "Older people view themselves more as Scots than the younger people in Berwick, and this can be heard in their accents."<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=26 August 2004 |title=Devolution is silencing Berwick's Scots voices |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/devolution-silencing-berwicks-scots-voices-2509649 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202175202/https://www.scotsman.com/news/devolution-silencing-berwicks-scots-voices-2509649 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |access-date=20 January 2021 |website=www.scotsman.com }}</ref>

In 2008, [[Scottish National Party|SNP]] [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) [[Christine Grahame]] made calls in the [[Scottish Parliament]] for Berwick to become part of Scotland again.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7237802.stm |title='Return to fold' call for Berwick |access-date=17 July 2008 |work=BBC News |date=10 February 2008 |archive-date=13 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213182608/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7237802.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Liberal Democrat MSP [[Jeremy Purvis]], who was born and brought up in Berwick, asked for the border to be moved twenty miles south, stating: "There's a strong feeling that Berwick should be in Scotland. Until recently, I had a gran in Berwick and another in [[Kelso, Scottish Borders|Kelso]], and they could see that there were better public services in Scotland."<ref>'{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Sunday Post]] |date=10 February 2008 |title=Scots plan to capture 20 miles of England}}</ref> However, [[Alan Beith]], the former MP for Berwick, said the move would require a massive legal upheaval and is not realistic.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Alan |date=13 February 2008 |title=Berwick thinks it's time to change sides... again |newspaper=[[The Times]] |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3359670.ece |access-date=14 February 2008}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Beith's successor as MP, [[Anne-Marie Trevelyan]], said: "Voters in Berwick-upon-Tweed do not believe it is whether they are in England or Scotland that is important."<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Dawson |first=Katie |date=1 May 2010 |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed: English or Scottish? |work= |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8640148.stm |url-status=live |access-date=20 January 2021 |archive-date=27 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227141730/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/england/8640148.stm }}</ref>

=== Berwick dialect ===

The local speech of Berwick-upon-Tweed shares many characteristics with both other rural [[Northumberland]] dialects and East [[Central Scots]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/INTRO/intro2.php?num=16 |title=Phonetic Description of Scottish Language and Dialects |work=Dictionary of the Scots Language |page=16 |access-date=9 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612121445/http://www.dsl.ac.uk/INTRO/intro2.php?num=16 |archive-date=12 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/INTRO/map.php?num=2 |title=Sound Map 2 |work=Dictionary of the Scots Language |access-date=9 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416181355/http://www.dsl.ac.uk/INTRO/map.php?num=2 |archive-date=16 April 2014}}</ref> In 1892, [[Linguistics|linguist]] [[Richard Oliver Heslop]] divided the county of Northumberland into four dialect zones and placed the Berwick dialect in the "north-Northumbrian" region, an area extending from Berwick down to the [[River Coquet]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Simmelbauer |first=Andrea |year=2000 |title=The Dialect of Northumberland: A Lexical Investigation |publisher=Carl Winter |isbn=978-3-8253-0934-3 |page=17}}</ref> Likewise, Charles Jones (1997) classes the dialect as "predominantly North-Northumbrian" with "a few features shared with [[Scots language|Scots]]".<ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Charles |year=1997 |title=The Edinburgh History of the Scots Language |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-0754-9 |page=512}}</ref>

Features of this dialect include the "[[Northumbrian burr]]", a distinct pronunciation of the letter [[R]] historically common to many dialects of [[North East England]]; and predominant [[Rhotic and non-rhotic accents|non-rhoticity]]: older speakers tend to be slightly rhotic, while younger speakers are universally non-rhotic.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Stockwell |editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Mullany |editor2-first=Louise |editor3-last=Llamas |editor3-first=Carmen |year=2006 |title=The Routledge Companion to Sociolinguistics |url=https://archive.org/details/routledgecompani00llam_704 |url-access=limited |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415338509 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/routledgecompani00llam_704/page/n27 7]–8 |quote=Non-rhoticity appears to be (near-)categorical for all speakers. Even the eldest speaker uses non-rhotic pronunciations almost 90 per cent of the time. These data suggest, then, that Berwick English is now effectively established as a non-rhotic variety and has thereby converged on mainstream [[English English]].}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/ss17/contributions/abstract.php?paperID=560 |last1=Llamas |first1=Carmen |last2=Watt |first2=Dominic |title=Rhoticity in four Scottish/English border localities |date=3 April 2008 |access-date=23 October 2008 |quote="[it] could be argued based on the data in Watt (2006) that Berwick English is increasingly convergent with other non-rhotic English varieties in northern England, and increasingly divergent from Scottish varieties with which it has traditionally shared numerous properties. |archive-date=26 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126140705/http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/ss17/contributions/abstract.php?paperID=560 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A sociological study of the [[Anglo-Scottish border]] region conducted in 2000 found that locals of [[Alnwick]], {{cvt|30|mi|km|-1|abbr=off}} south of Berwick, associated the Berwick accent with Scottish influence. Conversely, those from [[Eyemouth]], Scotland, {{cvt|9|mi|km}} north of Berwick, firmly classed Berwick speech as English, identifying it as "Northumbrian or [[Geordie]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Llamas |first1=Carmen |last2=Watt |first2=Dominic |year=2010 |title=Language and Identities |url=https://archive.org/details/languageidentiti00llam |url-access=limited |location=Edinburgh |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-0-7486-3577-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/languageidentiti00llam/page/n244 230]}}</ref>

=== Sport ===

[[Berwick Rangers F.C.|Berwick Rangers Football Club]] were formed in the town in 1881.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cox |first=Richard |year=2002 |title=Encyclopedia of British Football |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7146-5249-8 |page=342}}</ref> The club plays in the [[Scottish football league system]]. The home stadium of Berwick Rangers is [[Shielfield Park]], and the club currently plays in the [[Lowland Football League|Lowland League]], the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system.<ref name=":1" /> The town also has a [[rugby union]] side, [[Berwick RFC]], who play in [[Scottish Rugby Union]]'s East Regional League Division 1. Before 2016, the two teams were unique in being English teams that play in Scottish leagues.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Duke |first1=Vic |title=Football, Nationality, and the State |last2=Crolley |first2=Liz |date=January 1996 |publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-582-29306-9 |location=London |page=63}}</ref><ref name="New Club in East of Scotland">{{cite web |title=New Club in East of Scotland |url=http://www.eosfl.com/news.asp |access-date=29 May 2016 |publisher=eosfl.com |archive-date=22 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222184900/http://eosfl.com/news.asp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Club joins East of Scotland League">{{cite web |title=Club joins East of Scotland League |url=https://nonleaguescotland.org.uk/tweedmouth.html |access-date=29 May 2016 |publisher=nonleaguescotland.org.uk |archive-date=12 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812082237/http://nonleaguescotland.org.uk/tweedmouth.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

A newer team in the town [[Tweedmouth Rangers F.C.|Tweedmouth Rangers Football Club]] has played in the [[East of Scotland Football League]] since 2016. Before this, they were members of the [[North Northumberland Football League|North Northumberland League]].<ref name="New Club in East of Scotland"/><ref name="Club joins East of Scotland League"/> Their home ground is Old Shielfield Park, which the club uses under an agreement with Berwick Rangers Football Club.

[[Motorcycle speedway|Speedway]] has taken place in Berwick in two separate eras. The sport was introduced to Shielfield Park in May 1968. A dispute between the speedway club and the stadium owners ended the first spell. The sport returned to Shielfield Park in the mid-1990s. The lack of a venue in the town saw the team move to a rural location called Berrington Lough. The team, known as the [[Berwick Bandits|Bandits]], have raced at all levels from First Division to Conference League (first to third levels).

=== Media === 
Local news and television programmes is provided by [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] and [[ITV Tyne Tees]]. Television signals are received from the [[Chatton transmitting station|Chatton]] TV transmitter,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Chatton | title=Chatton (Northumberland, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 | accessdate = 27 August 2023}}</ref> and with its close proximity to the [[Scottish Borders]], [[BBC Scotland]] and [[ITV Border]] can also be received from the [[Selkirk transmitting station|Selkirk]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Selkirk | title=Selkirk (The Scottish Borders, Scotland) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 | accessdate = 27 August 2023 }}</ref>

The town's local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Newcastle]] on 96.0&nbsp;FM and [[Radio Borders|Greatest Hits Radio]] on 102.3&nbsp;FM.

Berwick-upon-Tweed's local newspaper is the ''Berwick Advertiser''.

=== Relations with Russia ===

There is an apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently has been) officially at war with [[Russia]].<ref name="QI">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhtiGIuR1M4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211107/YhtiGIuR1M4 |archive-date=2021-11-07 |url-status=live |title=Who was the only survivor of the Crimean War? |author=QI: Quite Interesting |work=YouTube |date=9 December 2016 |access-date=28 May 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> According to a story by George Hawthorne in ''[[The Guardian]]'' of 28 December 1966, the London correspondent of ''[[Pravda]]'' visited the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and the two made a mutual declaration of peace. Knox said, "Please tell the Russian people through your newspaper that they can sleep peacefully in their beds." The same story, cited to the [[Associated Press]], appeared in ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' of 17 December 1966; ''[[The Washington Post]]'' of 18 December 1966; and ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' of 22 December 1966. At some point, the real events seem to have been turned into a story of a "Soviet official" having signed a "peace treaty" with Knox; his remark to the ''Pravda'' correspondent was preserved in this version.<ref name="QI"/><ref name=Culture>{{cite web |last=Spicer |first=Graham |title=Myth Or Reality? Berwick Revisits Its 'War With Russia' |work=Culture 24 |date=24 July 2006 |url=http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%2526+heritage/time/georgian+and+victorian/art38768 |access-date=1 December 2009 |archive-date=22 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022030506/http://www.culture24.org.uk/history+%26+heritage/time/georgian+and+victorian/art38768 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The basis for such status was the claim that Berwick had changed hands several times, was traditionally regarded as a special, separate entity, and some proclamations referred to "England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed". One such was the declaration of the [[Crimean War]] against Russia in 1853, which [[Queen Victoria]] supposedly signed as "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions". When the [[Treaty of Paris (1856)|Treaty of Paris]] was signed to conclude the war, "Berwick-upon-Tweed" was left out. This meant that, supposedly, one of Britain's smallest towns was officially at war with one of the world's largest powers – and the conflict [[List of wars extended by diplomatic irregularity|extended by the lack of a peace treaty]] for over a century.<ref name=Culture/> In reality, Berwick-upon-Tweed was not mentioned in either the declaration of war or the final peace treaty and was legally part of the United Kingdom for both.

== Education ==

As with the rest of [[Northumberland]], schools in Berwick have historically used the [[Three-tier education|three-tier system]], however the Berwick Partnership of schools is set to transition into a two-tier system as of September 2025, with [[Northumberland County Council]] investing £50 million into the project which will include an entirely new building for Berwick Academy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Council |first=Northumberland County |title=Northumberland County Council - First phase of £50m Berwick schools masterplan takes shape |url=https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/News/2025/Jul/First-phase-of-50m-Berwick-schools-masterplan-take.aspx |access-date=2025-08-08 |website=www.northumberland.gov.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref> Pupils may also commute across the Scottish border to [[Eyemouth]] or [[Berwickshire]] to attend secondary school.

'''First schools'''

* Berwick St Mary C of E
* Holy Island C of E
* Holy Trinity C of E
* Hugh Joicey C of E
* Lowick
* Norham St Celwulfs C of E
* Scremerston
* Spittal Community School
* St Cuthbert's RC
* Tweedmouth Prior Park
* Tweedmouth West

'''Middle schools'''

* Berwick Middle School
* Tweedmouth Community

'''High schools'''

* [[Berwick Academy, Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick Academy]]

'''Independent schools'''

* [[Longridge Towers School]] (co-ed, all ages)

'''Special schools'''

* The Grove School

== Twin towns ==
Berwick-upon-Tweed is [[sister city|twinned]] with:
* [[Berwick, Pennsylvania]], United States
* [[Berwick, Victoria]], Australia
* [[Haan]], [[Nordrhein-Westfalen]], Germany
* [[Sarpsborg]], [[Østfold]], Norway
* [[Trzcianka]], [[Wielkopolskie]], Poland

== Landmarks ==

[[File:Bridges in Berwick-upon-Tweed.jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Border Bridge]] seen through the span of the [[Royal Tweed Bridge]] in Berwick]]
[[File:60163 Tornado 7 March 2009 Berwick.jpg|thumb|[[60163 Tornado|60163 ''Tornado'']] passes over the [[Royal Border Bridge]] on the [[East Coast Main Line]]]]

* [[Berwick Castle]] was built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 1290s. It was in disrepair by the 17th century, and much of it was demolished in the 19th century to make way for the [[East Coast Main Line|railway]]. However, substantial ruins remain just outside the town's rampart walls to the west by the river.
* [[Berwick town walls]] and Tudor ramparts are some of the country's finest remaining examples of their type.
* The [[Berwick Bridge|Old Bridge]], 15-span [[sandstone]] arch bridge {{cvt|1164|ft|m|order=flip}} long, built in 1610–1624 for £15,000. The bridge continues to carry road traffic, but in one direction only. The bridge, part of the [[Great North Road (Great Britain)|Great North Road]] from [[London]] to [[Edinburgh]] was built by order of [[James VI and I]].[[File:Berwick church.jpg|thumb|[[Church of the Holy Trinity, Berwick-on-Tweed|Holy Trinity Parish Church]]]]
* [[Church of the Holy Trinity, Berwick-on-Tweed|Holy Trinity Parish Church]], unusual for having been built during the [[Commonwealth of England]]. It was built in 1648–1652 with stone from the 13th-century castle. It was originally a plain "preaching box", with no steeple, stained glass or other decorations. Contents include a pulpit thought to have been built for [[John Knox]] during his stay in the town. The church was much altered in 1855 with many new windows and the addition of a [[chancel]].
* [[Berwick Barracks]], built 1717–1721, the design attributed to [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]].
* [[Berwick Town Hall]], designed by S&J Worrell and built in 1754–1760. The building is [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassical]], and originally the town's prison was on the top floor. The tower above the council chamber has a [[Change ringing|ring of eight bells]] and a [[curfew bell]]. Lester and Pack of the [[Whitechapel Bell Foundry]] cast the tenor, third, fourth and treble bells in 1754 and the fifth and sixth bells in 1759. Charles Carr of [[Smethwick]] cast the second and curfew bells in 1894. Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the seventh bell in 1901.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Berwick&Submit=+Go+&DoveID=BERWICKUTW |title=Berwick upon Tweed Town Hall |last=Smith |first=Martin |date=1 February 2007 |work=[[Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers]] |publisher=[[Central Council for Church Bell Ringers]] |access-date=21 January 2015 |archive-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904092352/http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Berwick&Submit=+Go+&DoveID=BERWICKUTW |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Dewars Lane Granary, built in 1769, now restored as a hotel and art gallery.<ref>{{cite news |title=Before and after: historic buildings restored and transformed |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/interiors/renovating/9943413/Before-and-after-historic-buildings-restored-and-transformed.html?frame=2515067 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=4 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704212948/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/interiors/renovating/9943413/Before-and-after-historic-buildings-restored-and-transformed.html?frame=2515067 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Marshall Meadows House]], built in 1780 as a [[English country house|country house]], is north of the town. It is the most northern hotel in England, just 275 metres from the Scottish border at [[Marshall Meadows Bay]].
* [[Union Chain Bridge]], {{cvt|5|mi|km|0}} upstream, from Berwick, was built in 1821 and is the world's oldest surviving suspension bridge.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Phil |date=25 July 2020 |title=Union Chain Bridge gets international badge of honour to mark bicentenary |url=https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/union-chain-bridge-gets-international-badge-honour-mark-bicentenary-2923973 |work=The Scotsman |access-date=20 August 2022}}</ref>
* The Kings Arms Hotel on Hide Hill was built in 1782 and rebuilt in 1845. [[Charles Dickens]] stayed there in 1861.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thekingsarms-berwick.co.uk/about/ |title=About |work=Kings Arms Hotel Berwick |date=21 January 2015 |access-date=21 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121144736/http://www.thekingsarms-berwick.co.uk/about/ |archive-date=21 January 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The [[Royal Border Bridge]], designed by [[Robert Stephenson]] and built in 1847–1850 at a cost of £253,000, is a 720-yard-long railway [[viaduct]] with 28 arches, carrying the [[East Coast Main Line]] 126 feet above the River Tweed. It was opened by [[Queen Victoria]].[[File:St Andrews Wallace Green - geograph.org.uk - 1120391.jpg|thumb|St Andrew's Church, Wallace Green]]
* The [[Corn Exchange, Berwick-upon-Tweed|Corn Exchange]] in Sandgate, completed in 1858, and converted into apartments in the late 1990s.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Former Corn Exchange|num=1380349|access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref>
* St Andrew's Church, Wallace Green was built in 1859 and is one of only eight [[Church of Scotland]] congregations in England.
* The Masonic Hall was built in 1872 for the town's St David's [[Freemasonry|Masonic Lodge]] for £1,800. The lodge still owns the hall and is also used by other Masonic lodges and orders. It is one of few purpose-built Masonic halls in the country and is a scarce example of Victorian Masonic architecture. It has a large pipe organ built in 1895. The Hall contains many artefacts and documents concerning Freemasonry in the town, which can be traced back to 1643.
* The [[Royal Tweed Bridge]], built in 1925 to carry the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1 road]] across the Tweed. Its span is {{cvt|361|ft|m|order=flip}}, which at the time was the longest concrete span. The A1 now bypasses the town to the west. In the early 2000s, the bridge was renovated, the road and pavement layout revised, and new street lighting added.
* [[Dewars Lane]] runs down Back Street just off Bridge Street. Like other Berwick locations, it was painted by [[L. S. Lowry]], who visited Berwick.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/5484/dewars-lane-berwick-upon-tweed|title=Dewar's Lane, Berwick-Upon-Tweed|first=L. S.|last= Lowry|publisher=Art Fund|access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref>
* There are numerous [[sea caves]] on the coastline to the north of Berwick, with lengths up to 67 metres. The caves are found in the cliffs from Green's Haven to the Scottish border at [[Marshall Meadows Bay]].<ref>Scaife, Chris: ''The Caves of Northumberland'', Sigma Leisure, 2019</ref>

== Notable people ==

[[File:Guardian angel clarence.jpg|thumb|Berwick actor [[Henry Travers]] (left) appearing in ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946) with [[James Stewart]] (right)|242x242px]]
[[File:Lucy Bronze 2018 OL (cropped).jpg|thumb|310x310px|Berwick athlete [[Lucy Bronze]], playing for [[Olympique Lyonnais]] (2018)]]

* [[Torben Betts]], award-winning playwright, lives in Berwick
* [[William Bowyer (died 1628)]], Captain and Mayor of Berwick
* [[Jessie Greengrass]], author, lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed
* [[James Cockburn (politician, born 1819)|James Cockburn]], first speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, born in Berwick
* [[George Frederick Cooke]] (1756–1811), widely called the first Romantic actor in England
* [[Anne Hepple Dickinson]] (1877–1959), writer
* [[George Johnston (naturalist)|George Johnston]] (1797–1855), naturalist.
* [[Alexander Knox]], the Hollywood actor, made Berwick his adopted home and died there.
* [[John Knox]], the Scottish preacher, was resident protestant minister in Berwick in 1549-1550
* [[Robert Lee (minister)|Rev Prof Robert Lee]] (1804–1868), raised in Tweedmouth
* [[John Leonard (architect)|John Leonard]] (born 1857), architect, born in Berwick
* [[Eric Lomax]], the author of ''The Railway Man'', lived in Berwick-upon-Tweed
* [[Alan Martin (writer)|Alan Martin]], co-creator of the comic and movie character [[Tank Girl]], lives in Berwick
* [[W. H. Paxton]] (1844–1887), prominent Australian businessman
* [[Jeremy Purvis]], Liberal Democrat MSP, and youngest person in [[Scottish Parliament]] at time of election. Since 2013 Purvis has been a life peer in the House of Lords, sitting on the Liberal Democrat benches.
* [[James Redpath]] American anti-slavery activist and journalist, born in Berwick
* [[Thomas Smith (English soldier)|Thomas Smith]], soldier and writer
* [[Laura Steven]], author, born in Berwick
* [[Joseph Stevenson]], prominent English Catholic archivist and Jesuit priest, born in Berwick
* [[Tweedy John Todd]], born in Berwick in 1789, doctor and naturalist
* [[Patrick Tonyn]], born in Berwick in 1725, a military general and Governor of British [[East Florida]]
* [[Henry Travers]], grew up in Berwick (although actually born in Prudhoe), was a character actor, most famously as [[Clarence Odbody]] in ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''

===Sports===
* [[Lucy Bronze]], footballer for [[Chelsea F.C. Women|Chelsea F.C.]] and [[England women's national football team|England]], born in Berwick-upon-Tweed
* [[Thomas Herriot]] (1887–1949), cricketer
* [[Ian Sarfas]], English darts player, played in the 1994 BDO World Darts Championships
* [[Trevor Steven]], England and Everton footballer, born in Berwick

== Climate ==

Berwick-upon-Tweed has a [[oceanic climate|maritime climate]] with narrow temperature differences between seasons. Because of its far northern position in England coupled with considerable [[North Sea]] influence, the area has very cool summers for an English location, with a subdued July (1991–2020) high of {{cvt|18.1|C|F}}, more resembling a Scottish climate. January, in turn, has a high of {{cvt|7.0|C|F}} with a low of {{cvt|2.1|C|F}}. Rainfall is relatively low by British standards, with {{cvt|605.9|mm|in|frac=16}} on average; nonetheless, sunshine is limited to an average of 1535.4 hours per annum. All data are sourced from the Berwick-upon-Tweed station operated by the [[Met Office]].<ref name="metoffice">{{cite web |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcyt62suu |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed climate information |work=[[Met Office]] |access-date=9 July 2020 |archive-date=9 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709145338/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcyt62suu |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Weather box|location = Berwick-upon-Tweed, elevation: {{cvt|22|m|ft|0}}, 1991–2020 normals
| collapsed    =
| metric first = y
| single line  = y
| Jan record high C = 13.9
| Feb record high C = 16.1
| Mar record high C = 18.3
| Apr record high C = 20.0
| May record high C = 22.2
| Jun record high C = 26.1
| Jul record high C = 25.6
| Aug record high C = 25.0
| Sep record high C = 23.9
| Oct record high C = 21.1
| Nov record high C = 16.1
| Dec record high C = 13.9
| year record high C = 26.1
| Jan high C = 7.0
| Feb high C = 7.6
| Mar high C = 9.1
| Apr high C = 10.9
| May high C = 13.8
| Jun high C = 15.8
| Jul high C = 18.1
| Aug high C = 17.7
| Sep high C = 16.2
| Oct high C = 13.1
| Nov high C = 9.5
| Dec high C = 7.2
| year high C = 12.2
| Jan mean C = 4.6
| Feb mean C = 4.9
| Mar mean C = 6.2
| Apr mean C = 7.8
| May mean C = 10.3
| Jun mean C = 12.8
| Jul mean C = 14.8
| Aug mean C = 14.6
| Sep mean C = 12.9
| Oct mean C = 10.0
| Nov mean C = 6.9
| Dec mean C = 4.7
| year mean C = 9.2
| Jan low C = 2.1
| Feb low C = 2.1
| Mar low C = 3.2
| Apr low C = 4.7
| May low C = 6.9
| Jun low C = 9.7
| Jul low C = 11.5
| Aug low C = 11.4
| Sep low C = 9.6
| Oct low C = 6.9
| Nov low C = 4.2
| Dec low C = 2.1
| year low C = 6.2
| Jan record low C = -11.7
| Feb record low C = -10.8
| Mar record low C = -11.7
| Apr record low C = -3.9
| May record low C = -0.6
| Jun record low C = 1.7
| Jul record low C = 4.4
| Aug record low C = 2.8
| Sep record low C = 1.7
| Oct record low C = -2.2
| Nov record low C = -7.2
| Dec record low C = -10.0
| year record low C = -11.7
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 46.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 39.2
| Mar precipitation mm = 39.4
| Apr precipitation mm = 36.5
| May precipitation mm = 47.9
| Jun precipitation mm = 46.8
| Jul precipitation mm = 67.4
| Aug precipitation mm = 62.2
| Sep precipitation mm = 50.4
| Oct precipitation mm = 65.1
| Nov precipitation mm = 56.8
| Dec precipitation mm = 48.2
| year precipitation mm = 605.9
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 11.1
|Feb precipitation days = 8.8
|Mar precipitation days = 10.0
|Apr precipitation days = 9.8
|May precipitation days = 8.8
|Jun precipitation days = 8.6
|Jul precipitation days = 9.7
|Aug precipitation days = 10.6
|Sep precipitation days = 9.2
|Oct precipitation days = 13.4
|Nov precipitation days = 12.5
|Dec precipitation days = 11.1
|year precipitation days = 
| Jan sun = 61.5
| Feb sun = 94.1
| Mar sun = 120.0
| Apr sun = 167.9
| May sun = 201.5
| Jun sun = 171.3
| Jul sun = 182.4
| Aug sun = 165.8
| Sep sun = 139.3
| Oct sun = 103.5
| Nov sun = 73.9
| Dec sun = 54.2
| year sun = 1535.4
| source 1 = [[Met Office]] (precipitation days 1981-2010) <ref name="Met Averages">{{cite web |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcyt62suu |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed 1991–2020 averages |accessdate=11 January 2022 |publisher=Met Office |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202175211/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcyt62suu |url-status=live }}</ref>
|source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.roostweather.com/ukobs/temp_station_extreme_map.php|title=Monthly Temperature Extremes}}</ref>
|date=November 2025}}

== See also ==

* {{anl|Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival}}
* {{anl|List of ships named for Berwick-upon-Tweed}}
* {{anl|Minister of South Berwick}}
* {{anl|Scots' Dike}}
* {{anl|Scottish Marches}}
* {{anl|Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War}}

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==

=== Footnotes ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin}}

* {{cite book |editor-last=Burnett |editor-first=George |editor-link=George Burnett (officer of arms) |year=1886 |title=[[Exchequer Rolls of Scotland|The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland]] |location=Edinburgh |volume=IX: 1480–1487 |pages=63–64, 81, 145, 157}} Record that payments were made to Robert Lauder of The Bass as Captain and Keeper of the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed in 1480 and 1481.
* {{cite book |last=Eddington |first=Alexander |year=1926 |edition=1st |title=Castles and Historic Homes of the Border – Their Traditions and Romance |location=Edinburgh & London |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |pages=58–59}}
* {{cite book |last=Hewlings |editor1-last=Bold |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Cheney |editor2-first=Edward |date=1993 |contribution=Hawksmoor’s Brave Designs for the Police |title=English Architecture Public and Private: Essays for Kerry Downes |pages=214{{ndash}}229 |location=London |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Hambledon Press]] |isbn=978-1852850951 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Pevsner |first1=Nikolaus |author1-link=Nikolaus Pevsner |last2=Richmond |first2=Ian A |author2-link=Ian Richmond |last3=Grundy |first3=John |author3-link=John Grundy (television presenter) |last4=McCombie |first4=Grace |last5=Ryder |first5=Peter |last6=Welfare |first6=Peter |year=1992 |orig-year=1957 |title=Northumberland |series=[[Pevsner Architectural Guides#Buildings of England|The Buildings of England]] |location=Yale |publisher=[[Yale University Press]]}}
* {{cite book |last=Scott |first=John |year=1888 |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed, The History of the Town and Guild |url=https://archive.org/details/berwickupontwee00scotgoog |location=London}}

{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Berwick-upon-Tweed}}
{{wikivoyage|Berwick-upon-Tweed}}

* [http://www.berwick-tc.gov.uk/ Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council]
* [http://www.berwickshipyard.com Berwick Shipyard] – images and history of Berwick's shipbuilding
* [https://www.visitnorthumberland.com/berwick-upon-tweed Things to do in Berwick-upon-Tweed] Official Visitor Information
* [http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200927-the-british-town-with-a-third-nationality The British town with a third 'nationality'] – BBC Travel

{{Coastal settlements
| place = Northumberland
| settlement = Berwick-on-Tweed
| anticlockwise =
| clockwise = [[Lindisfarne|Holy Island]]
}}
{{Northumberland}}
{{Hanseatic League}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berwick-Upon-Tweed}}
[[Category:Berwick-upon-Tweed| ]]
[[Category:Berwickshire]]
[[Category:History of the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Populated places on the River Tweed]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Northumberland]]
[[Category:Royal burghs]]
[[Category:Towns in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Former county towns in England]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Northumberland]]