Scotland’s Forgotten Frontier Littoral: The Solway Firth

Abstract

The Solway Firth has been somewhat ignored by historians despite its role as part of the frontier between Scotland and England. Its warriors have long had a fierce reputation, such as during the Wars of Independence. Galloway pioneered the first Scottish colonial enterprise. Galwegians fought and died for their faith during the Covenanting Revolution of the seventeenth century, but the Solway was to serve as a maritime highway to the Americas and the rest of the world, notably for large numbers of emigrants. For a time, smuggling was rife. The complexities of the ‘Salmon Wars’ of the nineteenth century might be deemed a metaphor for the relationships between the coastal inhabitants throughout the Solway region who often proved to be allies as often as they did enemies.