I ve lived in Scotland almost sixty years,
but what I ve come to see in the Scottish Borders today is something I ve
never experienced before...
So come and experience it with me.
If you re interested in the people, places and events in Scottish history
then click the subscribe button at the bottom right of the screen
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In the meantime, let me tell you a story.
People from all over the
world watch these videos...
and folks outside Scotland might see us as a
homogeneous group of hard drinking, tartan clad,
bagpipe playing Groundskeeper Willie lookalikes.
You couldn t be further from the truth.
I m from Perthshire,
I ve been to many a Highland Games and lowland Burns suppers.
I ve been to ceilidhs and danced the Dashing White Seargent... I ve
been to Up Helly A in Shetland...
but I ve never been to a Border
common riding. Have you?
Is it even something you re aware of?
Let me know in the comments where you re from, and if you ve been to,
or even heard of common ridings.
The history of common ridings
goes way back to the days when Borderers had to guard their boundaries.
In the days of Reivers or English invasion you had to ride your own local borders
to keep them safe from incursions.
This has developed into annual
commemorations that are the high point of the year for so many border towns.
Each town has a different name for their iconic gent and lady who leads the ride out......
Cornet, Standard Bearer, Ensign, Callant...
and in Gala it s the Braw Lad and the Braw Lass.
Now before we go any further,
I know that there are folks in Hawick, Selkirk,
Kelso and Jedburgh are exploding with rage right now.
Gala?
Ours is older! Ours is better! Ours is
Look if you d like me to cover other Border ridings then let me know.
...but there are a couple of reasons why I was interested to come to
Gala s Braw Lad s gathering.
Firstly, BECAUSE it s only been
established for around a hundred years...
a Johnny come lately...
I think it gives us a unique insight; and secondly,
I m doing my live Scottish history stand up show Stories of Scotland here
in Mac Arts in Gala on 9th September,
so I thought I should get to
understand the town a little...
and I thought you d like it too.
Unless you re from Hawick, Selkirk, Jedburgh or fill the gaps...
So if you re in the Borders then why not click the link top right and buy tickets for the show or,
as always there will be a link to my website in the description below for details and tickets
of all tour dates throughout the country...
and in Newcastle.
That s right, we re going south of the border.
Here in Mac Arts is where it all
happens on 9th September....
but if you want to see
where it all happens today
The day all starts here at the Burgh Chamber,
where the Braw Lad, Braw Lass, President and uncle Tom Cobbley are in attendance
The standard is ceremonially handed over to the Braw Lad at an ungodly hour in the morning,
to be left in his care as he, the Braw Lass and their attendants
ride the boundaries.
It all started in 1930,
when Gala, looked at neighbouring Border towns with common riding
ceremonies going back for hundreds of years,
and they thought: We want one of those.
I think what s intriguing about this being so recent
is that we know from newspaper reports how the first Braw Lad and Braw Lass were elected...
and that, on the day of announcement,
5000 people gathered in the streets
just to hear who had been chosen.
We can understand the context for choosing the
historical events that would be commemorated
as the representatives rode the boundaries
It was post Great War 1930.
From here the party rode
out to the Raid Stane....
The first record of Galashiels is in 1124,
but in 1137,
when some English troops were heading back from
a failed attempt besieging Edinburgh Castle
during the Second War of Independence....
Coming closer to the border they started to relax
and, with it being autumn and them being hungry they started searching
the area for plums from the local trees.
Some local lads saw them, rushed them and
hacked them down with sword and axe,
killing the English to a man and the stream
ran red with blood for three days and nights.
I m guessing they exaggerated
the end of that story,
but congratulating themselves that the plumbs had been a sourer fruit than
the invaders expected...
sour plumbs, or soor plooms
were added to the burgh crest.
A song was written, and at the Raid Stane each
year the town crier makes a proclamation,
the Braw Lads place the
standard in the Raid Stane,
then are presented with cuttings
of the Sour Ploom tree,
from which they present a sprig on bended knee
to their Braw Lass.
Then they remount and head off to Abbotsford....
the home of the man who invented the historical fiction novel.
They tell me that Gala was originally a village
to house pilgrims visiting Melrose Abbey,
So maybe Abbotsford was where
the monks forded the river.
Today it s forded by the Braw Lad,
Braw Lass and their attendants as they bear the flag over the Tweed
to the Abbotsford of Walter Scott.
There s no doubt that this is a stage
of the day much loved by the locals
Crowds find every vantage
point to cheer the riders on.
Parents wean their children
on the culture of the town.
There are more safety precautions these days
than there would have been in days of yore,
... but this is possibly the most
dramatic part of the boundary riding
as the supporting riders follow
the flag bearers in a wonderful equine ribbon flowing across the river
It s not just on the watching riverbanks that young ones are weaned, but on horseback as well.
Horses and riders of all shapes and sizes make the spectacle for the whole
town and surrounding area.
For me this was a special experience
seeing them cfross over to Abbotsford
At the first common riding the
company was welcomed by Scott s descendant Major General Maxwell,
who welcomed them into his home.
Today there will be a representative,
who ll take them to sign the visitors book and present some roses...
more of the roses later.
Before that there s a gallop round the Gala
Hill to ensure the safety of the metropolis,
Then up the main street and
back to The Town Cross for the next ceremonial. Now this bit is interesting.
This Mercat cross replaced an older one in 1887.
At its base are bronze plaques that
celebrate the marriage of James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor of England
with Emblems of both Countries.
It seems things had moved on from
the blood thirsty plumb incident.
So, at the first gathering in 1930, when
The Union wasn t a hot political issue,
they commemorated the marital union in 1503 that
ultimately led to the political union of 1707.
I ve made a video about this marriage
of the thistle and the rose,
and you can see it if you come
back and click the tab top right.
I m told part of the Ettrick Forest was
given to Margaret Tudor to secure her dowry
and this part of the day commemorates that,
with the Braw lass mixing white roses of York
and red Roses of Lancaster
together to make the Tudor rose.
Then she puts them on the Cross
in a wreath of thistles.
Next, she accepts a sod of earth and a stone that
have been brought from the Torwoodlee tower as part of the ceremonies earlier in the week.
It all represents the transfer of land.
Then, at the Old Town Cross,
The Laird of Galashiels presents the Provost with a parchment
with the Citation creating
Galashiels into a Burgh of Barony.
Now for all the ancient history represented in the
various common ridings throughout the Borders
here s the thing that strikes me about
the one in Gala being so recent.
You see because it was instituted in 1930
it was only just after the Great War.
Bear in mind that Galashiels
isn t a huge town...,
it lost 600 men in that war.
Six hundred husbands, brothers, sons, friends.
People who would still be remembered
ten short years after that gruesome conflict ended.
Little wonder that remembering them became the culminating
event of the day s grand ceremonials...
as the braw lad dips the standard and the
gathered crowd observe respectful silence.
Now this is just the main day in what
will be weeks, even months of activity.
Folks will go on to celebrate this evening.
There ll be music and dancing
in various venues...
including Mac Arts that will host
me on 9th September remember.
I said one of the things I found interesting
in coming to THIS Common riding
was when it was instituted.
The sensibilities of the time
produced a day that honours a
writer we still read today.
It celebrates both battles against our southern
neighbours AND the root of the Union with them,
as well as commemorating a time where men
both sides of the border gave their lives for...
I m not entirely sure what for.
These events wouldn t even have happened,
let alone been commemorated at
the first Hawick common riding.
Of course, over the years, the nature of
the ceremonials have developed and evolved within the main structure.
It made me wonder...,
in the current political environment
of independence versus union...,
would the town include the same events
and ceremonials if starting today.
Then again... I m a Scotsman
who s come down from Perth.
Kev, my mucker who s helping with filming
and drone work is an ex-army Englishman...
or more accurately a Scouser,
who now lives in Selkirk
In different ways we re both outsiders
This event is something that s much more local than either of us.
It s Border culture.
Kev and I are just observers.
This is Gala s Day
but I do feel privileged to have
brought you here to sample part of it.
What history would be included in your town
s Common Riding if it was invented today?
There s another Border story
coming up on screen now.
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