Rubers Law


(Ruberslaw)

A historical perspective, drawn from the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland: A Survey of Scottish Topography, Statistical, Biographical and Historical, edited by Francis H. Groome and originally published in parts by Thomas C. Jack, Grange Publishing Works, Edinburgh between 1882 and 1885.

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Ruberslaw, an elongated, rugged, peaked hill on the mutual border of Hobkirk and Cavers parishes, Roxburghshire, 2 miles SSE of Denholm and 5 E by N of Hawick. Rising 1392 feet above sea-level and projecting boldly from the northern frontier masses of the Cheviots, it steeply flanks the left side of the vale of Rule Water, and broadly overhangs the reach of the valley of the Teviot opposite Minto Hills. It looks along a great extent of the Teviot's valley, and forms a conspicuous feature in one-half or more of all the picturesque landscapes of Teviotdale; presents a bleak stern aspect with more traces of volcanic action than probably any other hill in the eastern Border counties; contrasts strongly in peaked summit, ragged sky-line, sharp saliencies of contour, and rockiness or heathiness of surface with the green, smooth, neighbouring Cheviots; attracts electricity and heavy rain-clouds with such force as often to occasion a deep drenching or flooding of the tract adjacent to it while the neighbouring country remains dry; and is noted for having afforded, among the rocky recesses of its skirts, facilities for hill-meetings of the persecuted Covenanters, and for containing there a place where Peden preached to a large congregation. The dwellers in Teviotdale within view of its summit are well accustomed

'To see, with strange delight, the snow-clouds form,
When Ruberslaw conceives the mountain storm-
Dark Ruberslaw, that lifts his head sublime,
Rugged and hoary with the wrecks of time;
On his broad misty front the giant wears
The horrid furrows of ten thousand years.'

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available, or use the map tab to the right of this page.

Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer

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