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Wardens Meeting Place At Wark Castle

Wardens Meeting Place At Wark Castle

Wardens Meeting Place and Ford over the River Tweed below Wark Castle in Northumberland

The remains of Wark Castle overlook the River Tweed and one of the main fording place of the river from a gigantic mound. Days of Truce were held near Wark Castle when the Warden of the English East March, invariably a Hume, met his Scottish counterpart to negotiate and dispense Border justice.

There were games and amusements, traders and all manner of diversions apart from the more serious business of the day at these meetings, especially during the summer months. There was no fixed meeting place but a spacious venue was needed when such crowds were expected.

There is a large flat island in the Tweed below Wark Castle which seems to be the most likely venue for the Wardens Meetings here. The island was probably a stepping-stone in the ford at Wark and its neutral position in the river, half way between the two countries, points to it as an obvious choice of place to hold a Day of Truce.

Location: Northumberland, Tweeddale, Wark.
OS sheet 74 GR 820390

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