Common Ridings Day

Common Ridings Day

Various dates in June and JulyMany Scottish border towns hold a ceremony known as Common Ridings or Riding the Marches in June or July. The marches are border districts between England and Scotland and England and Wales. The custom dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was often necessary to reconfirm boundaries destroyed by fire in order to retain royal charters. Originally this was done only as the need arose, but eventually it became a yearly event.
The two main observations of Common Ridings occur in Selkirk and Haywick in June. In Selkirk, the event is combined with a commemoration of the 1513 Battle of Flodden, in which King James IV of Scotland and 10,000 others were killed. The Royal Burgh Standard Bearer leads a cavalcade of 200 riders around the borders of the town common.
CONTACTS:
Selkirk Community Council
Newtown St.
Boswells, Scotland TD6 0SA United Kingdom
44-18-3582-6626; fax: 44-18-3582-5059
www.selkirk.bordernet.co.uk