By about 3000 BC Tweed valley man started to take more control of his environment. He started to breed animals as well as hunt wild ones; he began to grow crops rather than finding them. In fields around Selkirk and in the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys flint tools have provided evidence of men living and hunting in these early times.

The Bronze Age The Bronze Age in Selkirkshire was from around 1700 BC to 300 BC. Very few relics have been found but this period has provided the first evidence of structures in the county. These are all burials comprising four short cists and eleven round cairns. There would be others but they have been destroyed during agricultural improvements. The Iron Age In the period from 300 to 100 BC Selkirkshire was technically the Iron Age but is felt that the way of life did not change much from the Neolithic/Bronze Age traditions.

About 100 BC there was a change in the patterns of life. Inhabitants from the south of Great Britain were forced north into Scotland by European invaders and also by the expansion of the Roman Empire. The inhabitants of the Scottish Borders were considered barbarians by the Romans but were, in fact, a well ordered society. They possessed a high standard of artistic achievement, especially in metalworking and were fearless, though undisciplined warriors. The main way of life was that of hunting and herding with some cultivation.

The Romans In 80 AD the Roman army advanced through the Scottish Lowlands with little resistance from the Lowland tribes. They reached the Forth/Clyde rivers and had consolidated their position in the Borders by 85 AD. The only Roman presence in Selkirkshire was a small camp at Oakwood, which held 500 men to watch over the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys. At nearby Newstead, Melrose, the Romans held a sizeable reservoir of men on easy call. The Romans withdrew to Hadrians Wall twice over the next 100 years and finally left the area in183 AD.

Scotland is divided into three main regions; the Highlands, the Midland Valley and the Southern Uplands. The cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee together with numerous towns, most of the population and the majority of Scotland's industry is located within the Midland Valley. This broad valley averages 50 miles across and runs WSW to ENE across the centre of the country. It is geologically distinct from the surrounding regions, being composed of Devonian Old Red Sandstone, peppered with ancient volcanoes, as against the older sedimentary rocks forming the Southern Uplands or the ancient metamorphic melange, comprising the Highlands to the north. Scotland includes 787 islands, of which most belong to groups known as the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. Only 62 exceed three square miles in area.

Of 26 rivers flowing directly into the sea, the most significant are listed here. The Rivers Clyde, Forth and Tay open into significant estuaries and support three of the major cities of Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee respectively). Scotland is well known for its mountainous and beautiful scenery. Much of the upland within the UK is contained within the borders of Scotland, along with the highest peaks. The highest mountains in Scotland are: Ben Nevis (1343m or 4406 feet high) - Ben Macdhui (1309m or 4296 feet) - Braeriach (1296m or 4252 feet) - Cairntoul (1293m or 4241 feet) - Cairngorm (1245m or 4084 feet) - Ben Lawers (1214m or 3984 feet).

Government in Scotland is in four tiers. A new Scottish Parliament was elected in 1999, following devolution of powers from the United Kingdom Parliament in London. This is the first time Scotland has had its own parliament in 300 years. The Scottish Parliament, which sits in Edinburgh, is responsible for most aspects of Scottish life. The national parliament in Westminster (London) retains responsibility for areas such as defence, foreign affairs and taxation. The European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium) exercises certain powers vested in the European Union.