St Boswells

For the hamlet in Canada, see St. Boswells, Saskatchewan.
For the boat, see Saint Boswells.

St Boswells
Village centre
St Boswells is located in Scottish Borders
St Boswells
St Boswells
Location within the Scottish Borders
Area0.65 km2 (0.25 sq mi) [1]
Population1,440 (2022)[2]
• Density2,215/km2 (5,740/sq mi)
OS grid referenceNT592309
• Edinburgh34 mi (55 km) NW
Civil parish
  • St Boswells
Community council
  • St Boswells Parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMELROSE
Postcode districtTD6
Dialling code01835
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
55°34′15″N 2°38′45″W / 55.570833°N 2.645833°W / 55.570833; -2.645833

St Boswells (Scots: Bosels / Bosells;[3][4] Scottish Gaelic: Cille Bhoisil[5] [ˈçiʎəˈvɔʃɪl]) is a village on the south side of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders, about 1 mile (2 kilometres) southeast of Newtown St Boswells on the A68 road. It lies within the boundaries of the historic county of Roxburghshire.

It has a hotel, post office, award-winning butcher, garage, fish and chip shop, bookshop and café and several convenience stores. There is also a golf course next to the River Tweed, a cricket club, football club, rugby club and tennis club.

The village is mostly known for being on the route of St Cuthbert's Way, a long distance footpath linking Melrose Abbey (5 miles or 8 kilometres northwest) to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the Northumberland coast in north east England. The name commemorates Saint Boisil, an Abbot of Melrose.

The village has an annual gypsy fair, originally a focus for the trade of horses. This fair once attracted Gypsies from most parts of Scotland, northern England and Ireland. However, today it is little more than a two-day get-together on the village green. Fair day is on 18 July each year. It remains a popular opportunity for many locals to have their fortunes predicted.

  1. ^ "Mid-2012 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Bosels". Dictionary of the Scots Language. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  4. ^ Scots Language Centre: Scottish Place Names in Scots
  5. ^ An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais [1], retrieved 03.02.2010