Scotsdike
| Scotsdike | |
| Cumberland, Dumfriesshire | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NY387731 |
| Location: | 55°2’58"N, 2°57’38"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | CA6 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Dumfries & Galloway / Eden |
Scotsdike is a village on the boundary between Cumberland and Dumfriesshire, three miles north of Longtown, Cumberland and two miles south of Cannbie in Dumfriesshire, on the western bank of the River Esk.
The village takes its name from the Scots Dike, a long earthwork thrown up in the days of King Edward VI and Queen Mary to mark the border of their two kingdoms in the Debateable Lands (and consequently the boundary of Cumberland with Dumfriesshire). The Dike itself ends just above the village and a minor ditch runs down to the river marking the county boundary in the middle of the village. No building currently stands on the boundary itself.
Scotsdike has a hotel, but no shops. An old tollhouse stands by the road, long since converted into a home.
Thomas Moule's map of Cumberland shows a "Dyketown" north of Longtown, but apparently in a location south of today's Scotsdike.
Scotch Dike railway station
A railway station named Scotch Dyke was opened on 25 October 1861 by the Border Union Railway as 'Scotsdyke' and later renamed 'Scotch Dyke'. It was on the Cumberland side of the boundary, and closed on 2 May 1949. It was a two-platform station with a level crossing to its north. Today the former station retains its building and platforms and the canopy of the building has a script reading "Speed and comfort by rail" with its 'British Railways' logo.[1]