Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/49

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natural son James Fitz-james Duke of Berwick; and in order to abolish all the feuds that still sub- sisted between the neighbouring counties of Eng- land and Scotland, he prohibited the term Borders to be used in future, commanded that the tract. hitherto so called should be thenceforward denomi- nated Middle Shires, and withdrew the garrisons from the bordering towns of Berwick and Carlisle. Ever since the English became possessed of Ber- wick, its inhabitants have been subject to our laws, with a few trifling exceptions; such as the method of passing a fine of lands within the borough and its limits. It claims also an exempt jurisdiction, not being within either of the adjoining counties of Durham and Northumberland; and therefore is always specifically named in every Act of Parliament and public record. The local jurisdiction is in the hands of a mayor and four bailiffs, who act as sheriff in the return and execution of writs from the Court of King's-Bench. Certain little civil litigations are discussed and settled in the borough- court; and criminal processes in the quarter-sessions. The number of burgesses are about one thousand, half of whom are resident; whose freedom is ob- tained either by being the offspring of burgesses, or service for seven years to them, and subsequent acceptance by the guild. Three or four hun-

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