Berwick-upon-Tweed#Berwick dialect

Berwick's name is of the same origin as the word berewick,{{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}} denoting a portion of farmland which was detached from a manor and reserved for a lord's own use.{{Cite Merriam-Webster|berewick |access-date=28 May 2021}} This comes from the Old English berewíc, meaning "corn farm" (more specifically, bere refers to barley).{{cite OED|berewick}} Its earliest recorded spelling, as Berewich, dates from 1167.{{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}} There are several places in Britain with the same name; one such is North Berwick in Scotland, and Berwick-upon-Tweed has also been called "South Berwick" in Scottish sources.{{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}} The medieval seal of the town showed a bear and a wych tree as a pun on the name.{{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 }}

File:Samuel and Nathaniel Buck - The South View of Berwick Upon Tweed - B1987.19 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg

In the post-Roman period, the area was inhabited by the Brythons of Bryneich. Later, the region became part of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia. Bernicia later united with the kingdom of Deira to form Northumbria, which in the mid-10th century entered the Kingdom of England under Eadred.{{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}}{{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}}

Berwick remained part of the 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.

Between the late 10th and early 11th centuries, the land between the rivers Forth and Tweed came under Scottish control, either through conquest by Scotland or through cession by England.{{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}} Berwick was made a royal burgh by David I (reigned 1124–1153).{{cite book |last=Davies |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Davies |year=2000 |title=The Isles: A History |location=London |publisher=Papermac |isbn=978-0-333-69283-7}}{{page needed|date=August 2015}} David also established many of the 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.{{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}} A mint was present in the town by 1153.{{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}} In 1276, William de Baddeby was Constable of Berwick.Historic Manuscripts Commission, MSS of Col. David Milne Home of Wedderburn Castle, N.B., HMSO, London, 1902, pg. 225.

While under Scottish control, Berwick was referred to as "South Berwick" to differentiate it from the town of North Berwick, East Lothian, near Edinburgh.{{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 }}

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}}

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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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 crusade.{{cite book |last=Geldard |first=Ed |year=2009 |title=Northumberland Strongholds |publisher=Frances Lincoln |isbn=978-0-7112-2985-3 |page=58}}

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".{{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 }}

In 1291–92, Berwick was the site of Edward I of England's arbitration in the contest for the Scottish crown between John Balliol and Robert Bruce, 5th Lord of Annandale.{{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]}} The decision in favour of Balliol was pronounced in the Great Hall of Berwick Castle on 17 November 1292.

File:Berwick heyheydecay.net.jpg]]

In 1296, England went to war with France, with which Scotland was in alliance. Balliol invaded England in response, sacking Cumberland.{{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}} Edward, in turn, invaded Scotland and captured Berwick, destroying much of the town and massacring the burgesses, merchants and artisans of the town.{{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}}

Edward I went again to Berwick in August 1296 to receive formal homage from some 2,000 Scottish nobles, after defeating the Scots at the Battle of Dunbar in April and forcing John Balliol to abdicate at 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 privateers, besieged and blockaded the town, finally capturing it in April 1318.{{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}}

England retook Berwick the day after the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.{{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}} The Scots briefly took control of the town of Berwick (but not its castle) after a 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 Scottish estates undertook to pay 100,000 marks as a ransom for David II of Scotland,{{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}} 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, in return for help against the Yorkists during the Wars of the Roses.{{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]}}

Robert Lauder of Edrington was put in charge of the castle. He was succeeded in 1474 by 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, had possession.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

In 1482, Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III) recaptured the town.{{cite book |last=Dobson |first=RB |year=1996 |title=Church and Society in the Medieval North of England |location=London |publisher=Continuum |isbn=978-1-85285-120-0 |page=132}} 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. over a little more than 400 years, Berwick had changed hands more than a dozen times.{{sfn|Pevsner|Richmond|Grundy|McCombie|1992|p=173}}

File:Berwick on Tweed Fortress Detail.JPG

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.{{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 }} 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.{{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}}

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, vast sums – one source reports "£128,648, the most expensive undertaking of the Elizabethan period"{{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 }} – were spent on its fortifications, in a new Italian style (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". Sir Richard Lee designed some of the Elizabethan works,{{cite book |year=1865 |title=Calendar State Papers Foreign Elizabeth 1559–1560 |location=London |publisher=Longman |at=no. 1064, "setting forth the device"}} and the Italian military engineer Giovanni Portinari was also involved in the project.{{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 }}

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 I of England. He was met at Lamberton by the Lord Governor of Berwick with a mounted party from the garrison and was conducted into the town.Maureen Meikle, A British frontier? Lairds and Gentlemen in the Eastern Borders (Tuckwell, 2004), p. 272. 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.{{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 }}

In 1639, the army of 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 Pacification of Berwick.{{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]}}

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.{{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 }} Holy Trinity Church was built in 1648–52.{{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}} It is the most northerly parish church in England and was built under special licence from Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth period.{{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 }}

File:The Barracks - geograph.org.uk - 1254528.jpg

In 1707, the 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 south of the Tweed.{{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}} 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.{{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}}{{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}} The population of the borough in 1841 was 12,578, and that of the parish was 8,484.The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol III, London, Charles Knight, 1847, p.256

In the 1840s, Samuel Lewis included similar entries for Berwick-upon-Tweed in both his England and Scotland Topographical Dictionary.{{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 }}{{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 }} 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.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1888|year=1888|chapter=41|section=48|accessdate=9 January 2023}}

File:Berwick 1972.jpg

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",{{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 }} which thus includes Berwick. In the 1972 act's reorganisation of English local government from 1 April 1974, the 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".

In 2009 the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished as part of 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.

File:Berwick Town Hall 2.jpg, built 1754–1760]]

File:Berwick-upon-Tweed civil parish in Northumberland.svg

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.{{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}}

File:Coat of Arms of Berwick-Upon-Tweed Borough Council 1958-1974.svg

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.[http://courtofthelordlyon.scot/IsolationHeraldryWeek8D.pdf Practical Heraldry for the Self-isolator; Week 8D - Royal Burghs]: Court of the Lord Lyon

On 1 April 1974, the borough was merged with Belford Rural District, Glendale Rural District and Norham and Islandshires Rural District to form Berwick Borough Council.{{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 }}

Northumberland County Council became the unitary authority for the area when the Borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed was abolished on 1 April 2009.{{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 }}

A new Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Council was created on 1 April 2008 covering Berwick-upon-Tweed, Tweedmouth, and Spittal.{{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 }} It has taken over the former Borough's mayoralty and regalia. The mayor for 2022–2023 is Mike Greener.{{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}}

Berwick-upon-Tweed is in the parliamentary constituency of North Northumberland.{{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}}

File:Berwick Town In Winter.jpg

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, sawmilling, 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.{{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 }}

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,{{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 }} but in 2008 gave Tesco planning permission for its new store in the town,{{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 }} 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.

File:Berwick Lighthouse geograph - 3317786.jpg

The old 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.{{cite rowlett |engne |access-date=11 November 2015}} Seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea has a chaplain to support the needs of mariners arriving at the port.{{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 }}

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.

Berwick is famous for its hesitation over whether it is part of Scotland or England.{{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 }} Some people are adamant they are English and their loyalty lies with Northumberland, while others feel an affinity with Scotland.{{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 }} 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,{{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 }} many people in Berwick also have mixed Anglo-Scottish families which contributes to a sense of separate identity.[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. Historian Derek Sharman said "The people of Berwick feel really independent. You are a Berwicker first, Scottish or English second." Former mayor Mike Elliot said "25% of the town consider themselves English, 25% Scottish and 50% Berwickers."{{cite news |last=Kerr |first=Rachel |date=8 October 2004 |title=A tale of one town |work=BBC News |url=http://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 }} 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."{{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 }}

In 2008, SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Christine Grahame made calls in the Scottish Parliament for Berwick to become part of Scotland again.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/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 }} 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, and they could see that there were better public services in Scotland."'{{cite news |newspaper=The Sunday Post |date=10 February 2008 |title=Scots plan to capture 20 miles of England}} However, Alan Beith, the former MP for Berwick, said the move would require a massive legal upheaval and is not realistic.{{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}} 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."{{cite news |last=Dawson |first=Katie |date=1 May 2010 |title=Berwick-upon-Tweed: English or Scottish? |work= |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/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 }}

The local speech of Berwick-upon-Tweed shares many characteristics with both other rural Northumberland dialects and East Central Scots.{{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}}{{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}} In 1892, 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.{{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}} Likewise, Charles Jones (1997) classes the dialect as "predominantly North-Northumbrian" with "a few features shared with Scots".{{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}}

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 non-rhoticity: older speakers tend to be slightly rhotic, while younger speakers are universally non-rhotic.{{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.}}{{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 }}

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".{{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]}}

Berwick Rangers Football Club were formed in the town in 1881.{{cite book |last=Cox |first=Richard |year=2002 |title=Encyclopedia of British Football |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7146-5249-8 |page=342}} 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 League, the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. 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.{{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}}{{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 }}{{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 }}

A newer team in the town Tweedmouth Rangers Football Club has played in the East of Scotland Football League since 2016. Before this, they were members of the North Northumberland League. Their home ground is Old Shielfield Park, which the club uses under an agreement with Berwick Rangers Football Club.

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 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 TV transmitter,{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Chatton | title=Chatton (Northumberland, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 | accessdate = 27 August 2023}} and with its close proximity to the Scottish Borders, BBC Scotland and ITV Border can also be received from the Selkirk TV transmitter.{{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 }}

The town's local radio stations are BBC Radio Newcastle on 96.0 FM and Greatest Hits Radio on 102.3 FM.

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

There is an apocryphal story that Berwick is (or recently has been) officially at war with Russia.{{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}} 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 Mayor Knox; Knox's remark to the Pravda correspondent was preserved in this version.{{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 }}

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 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 extended by the lack of a peace treaty for over a century. 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.

As with the rest of Northumberland, schools in Berwick use the three-tier system. 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

Independent schools

• Longridge Towers School (co-ed, all ages)

Special schools

• The Grove School

Berwick-upon-Tweed is twinned with:

• Berwick, Pennsylvania, United States
• Berwick, Victoria, Australia
• Haan, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
• Sarpsborg, Østfold, Norway
• Trzcianka, Wielkopolskie, Poland

File:Bridges in Berwick-upon-Tweed.jpg seen through the span of the Royal Tweed Bridge in Berwick]]

File:60163 Tornado 7 March 2009 Berwick.jpg 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 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 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 from London to Edinburgh was built by order of James VI and I.File:Berwick church.jpg]]
• 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, and originally the town's prison was on the top floor. The tower above the council chamber has a 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.{{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 }}
• Dewars Lane Granary, built in 1769, now restored as a hotel and art gallery.{{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 }}
• Marshall Meadows House, built in 1780 as a 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.{{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}}
• The Kings Arms Hotel on Hide Hill was built in 1782 and rebuilt in 1845. Charles Dickens stayed there in 1861.{{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}}
• 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
• The Corn Exchange in Sandgate, completed in 1858, and converted into apartments in the late 1990s.{{NHLE|desc=Former Corn Exchange|num=1380349|access-date=14 July 2023}}
• 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 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 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.{{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}}
• 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.Scaife, Chris: The Caves of Northumberland, Sigma Leisure, 2019

File:Guardian angel clarence.jpg (left) appearing in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart (right)|242x242px]]

File:Lucy Bronze 2018 OL (cropped).jpg, playing for Olympique Lyonnais (2018)]]

• Torben Betts, award-winning playwright, lives in Berwick
• William Bowyer (died 1628), Captain and Mayor of Berwick
• Lucy Bronze, footballer for Chelsea F.C. and England, born in Berwick-upon-Tweed
• Jessie Greengrass, author, lives in Berwick-upon-Tweed
• 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
• Thomas Herriot (1887–1949), cricketer
• George Johnston (1797–1855), naturalist.
• Alexander Knox, the Hollywood actor, made Berwick his adopted home and died there.
• Rev Prof Robert Lee (1804–1868), raised in Tweedmouth
• John Leonard (born 1857), architect, born in Berwick-upon-Tweed
• Eric Lomax, the author of The Railway Man, lived in Berwick-upon-Tweed
• 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
• Ian Sarfas, English darts player, played in the 1994 BDO World Darts Championships
• Thomas Smith, soldier and writer
• Trevor Steven, England and Everton footballer, 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

Berwick-upon-Tweed has a 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 (1981–2010) high of {{cvt|17.9|C|F}}, more resembling a Scottish climate. January, in turn, has a high of {{cvt|6.8|C|F}} with a low of {{cvt|1.7|C|F}} with occasional frosts averaging 38.1 times per annum. Rainfall is relatively low by British standards, with {{cvt|589.2|mm|in|frac=16}} on average; nonetheless, sunshine is limited to an average of 1508.5 hours per annum. All data are sourced from the Berwick-upon-Tweed station operated by the Met Office.{{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 }}

{{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 =

| Feb record high C =

| Mar record high C =

| Apr record high C =

| May record high C =

| Jun record high C =

| Jul record high C =

| Aug record high C =

| Sep record high C =

| Oct record high C =

| Nov record high C =

| Dec record high C =

| 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 =

| Feb record low C =

| Mar record low C =

| Apr record low C =

| May record low C =

| Jun record low C =

| Jul record low C =

| Aug record low C =

| Sep record low C =

| Oct record low C =

| Nov record low C =

| Dec record low C =

| precipitation colour =

| 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 =

| 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 =

| Jan uv = 2

| Feb uv = 2

| Mar uv = 3

| Apr uv = 3

| May uv = 4

| Jun uv = 4

| Jul uv = 4

| Aug uv = 4

| Sep uv = 4

| Oct uv = 3

| Nov uv = 2

| Dec uv = 2

| source 1 = Met Office{{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 }}

| source 2 = WeatherAtlas{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/united-kingdom/berwick-upon-tweed-climate#uv_index |title=Monthly weather forecast and Climate – Reading, United Kingdom |access-date=19 November 2021 |publisher=Weather Atlas |archive-date=19 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119011546/https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/united-kingdom/berwick-upon-tweed-climate#uv_index |url-status=live }}

}}

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

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book |editor-last=Burnett |editor-first=George |editor-link=George Burnett (officer of arms) |year=1886 |title=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=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=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}}

{{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 = Holy Island

}}

{{Northumberland}}

{{Hanseatic League}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT: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