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Berwick-upon-Tweed, (pronounced "Berrick") situated in the county of Northumberland, is the northernmost town in England. It is situated on the estuary of the river Tweed, on the east coast of England. Although in that region the Tweed forms the border between England and Scotland, and Berwick is located on the northern, Scottish, side, the modern boundary diverts itself around the city to keep it England. In 1991 the town had a population of 13,500. It is the administrative centre of the borough of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Berwick is a market town and seaport; its main economic activity is salmon fishing. Other industries in Berwick include: shipbuilding, engineering, sawmilling, fertilizer production, and the manufacture of tweed and hosiery.
It is unique in that its football team Berwick Rangers F.C. plays its matches in the Scottish Football League.
While Northumbrian and Scottish versions of the English language are fairly similar to outsiders, the English spoken in Berwick is recognisably of the Scottish accent.
Between 1147 and 1482 the town changed hands between England and Scotland more than thirteen times. In 1314 Edward II of England mustered 25,000 men at Berwick-upon-Tweed, who later fought in (and lost) the Battle of Bannockburn. In 1482 it was claimed for England by King Edward IV, although not officially merged into England.
The town proper lies on the north bank and to the north of the River Tweed, and was formerly the county town of Berwickshire. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, vast sums were spent on its fortifications, in the new style, designed both to withstand artillery and to facilitate its use from within the fortifications. Although Berwick Castle was demolished in the nineteenth century to make way for the railway, the military barracks remain, as do the town's rampart walls - one of the finest remaining examples of its type in the country.
After King James VI of Scotland also became James I of England in 1603, it was not returned to Scotland. In 1746 the Wales and Berwick act was passed, under the terms of which it was deemed that whenever legislation referred to England, this encompassed Berwick. Berwick remained a county in its own right however, and was not included in Northumberland for Parliamentary purposes until 1885.
Various proclamations promulgated before 1885 referred to "England, Scotland and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed". One such was the declaration of war against Russia in 1853, which Queen Victoria signed as "Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland, Berwick-upon-Tweed and all British Dominions". But when the Treaty of Paris (1856) was signed to conclude the war, "Berwick-upon-Tweed" was missed out. Was it still at war with Russia or not? In 1966 a Soviet official waited upon the Mayor of Berwick, Councillor Robert Knox, and a peace treaty was formally signed. Mr Knox is reputed to have said "Please tell the Russian people that they can sleep peacefully in their beds."