6. The Wells of Tweedsmuir.
On mid nineteenth century ordnance survey maps of Tweedsmuir parish there are several draw wells shown, rather surprisingly adjacent to water ways. Including one at the source of the river Tweed – in fact the source is still known as Tweedswell. There is also Marchwell in the Fruid valley and a well at Forkfoots. The reason for the wells must indicate that there was a severe drought at some time. The records are not great on drought but they are on spates when bridges etc were carried away.
John Buchan in his early novel titled John Burnet of Barns mentions a drought in 1678 when Manor Water dried up and the river Tweed at Manor was just a trickle. If the Tweed at Manor was a trickle it would have been dried up in Tweedsmuir. Using a fictional novel to justify history is not good practice but John Buchan did a prodigious amount of research for his historical stories and of course he could call on his brother James Walter Buchan the author of the 3 volume History of Peeblesshire for assistance.
Assuming that there was a drought resulting in the river Tweed drying up it does suggest that Global Warming is not something new!