On August 24th 1482 Berwick on Tweed was finally ceded to England.
At less than three miles from the border between Scotland and England it is said that Berwick changed hands an incredible 12 times over the centuries. Few towns suffered as much with the barbarities of war as the border town.
Each crisis brought repairs and improvements to the fortifications, culminating in the great artillery ramparts begun in 1558. These survive largely intact and make Berwick one of the most important fortified towns of Europe, the original castle here was built by David I of Scotland about 1127.
The prosperous royal burgh of Berwick had been part of Scotland for more than three centuries when, in 1292, Edward I of England declared John de Balliol King of Scotland in Berwick Castle.
Edward’s feudal claims over Balliol soon led to Scottish discontent and to Scotland’s alliance with France. English policy was to make war. Berwick was captured in 1296 but retaken by Robert Bruce in 1318. The town changed sides several times before finally being recaptured by the English in 1482.
Although ceded in 1482 it wasn't until 1502 that Scotland formally acknowledged Berwick as an English town in the Treaty of Perpetual Peace.
