Coldstream

Coldstream is a town and civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed the nearest village. A former burgh, Coldstream is the home of the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army, and is the location where Edward I of England invaded Scotland in 1296. At the 2001 census, the town had a population of 1,813, which was estimated to have risen to 2,050 by 2006. The parish, in 2001, had a population of 2,186.In February 1316 during the Wars of Scottish Independence, Sir James Douglas defeated a numerically superior force of Gascon soldiery led by Edmond de Caillou at the Skaithmuir to the north of the town.In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coldstream was a popular centre for runaway marriages, much like Gretna Green, as it lay on a major road (now the A697). Notable buildings in the town include the toll house where marriages were conducted, and The Hirsel, which is the family seat of the Earls of Home.