please read "Kellow Origins and Kellow Origins 2", first:
The visitation to the small hamlet of "Kelloe", in the Scottish Borders (formerly Berwickshire), lead me on a search for anything referencing the name "Kelloe".What popped up, on the internet, came as a bit of a surprise.It seems that, at the same time we were living in "Kelloe, Berwickshire" circa 1238 to 1278, we were also living 90 miles to the South, near Durham, Northumberland, England.Here, there is another small hamlet and ancient Church (Church of St. Helen) which also dates back - at least - as far as that same period of the 13th Century.In fact, one reference indicates that the church is some 900 years old.There is also evidence that there was a Bronze Age settlement here, as well.
This revelation about a second hamlet named "Kelloe", which existed at the same time, or earlier, was slowly dashing my notion about being "Border-Scots", all to bits.I now resolved myself to learn as much as I could about the "history" of this part of the British Isles.
Thus far, here is what I have found:Prior to 1018, the area between the "Humber River" (Southeastern Coast of England) and the Firth of Forth (Home to Edinburgh, Scotland)was a Kingdom (later an Earldom)which was totally separate from England and Scotland.The kingdom was called "Northumbria". Initially, there were two petty kingdoms: "Bernicia", from the River Tees, to the North - and "Deira", from the Humber River to the Tees. Bernicia and Deira were Anglian areas which were united into the combined kingdom of Northumbria, and continued as an independent kingdom for several hundred years.
After the Romans had withdrawn from Britain, in the middle of the Fifth Century, the Angles and the Saxons - from the Northwestern part of Germany - began to colonize "middle England", and to serve as mercenaries. The Angles and the Saxons, initially, set about creating their own separate petty kingdoms within various parts of the whole of Eastern Britain.Over time, there were battles...and consolidation of kingdoms...and further invasions by Jutes, Frisians, Northmen, and Vikings.By 1018, the Northern boundary of Northumbria had been moved South - to the River Tweed.Scotland was in control of everything North of the Tweed - and England still controlled the area to the South of the Humber River.In 1066, the Norman Invasions of William the Conquerer, brought about the gradual demise of Northumbria.What followed, was the "back-and-forth" battles along the border between England and Scotland.In 1237, The Treaty of York established the earldom of Northumbria as being, offically, part of England.
Notice that date: "1237".That is roughly the same date that "we" appeared in records for both the Durham area, and in Berwickshire.
If you trace the origins of the "Angles", you will find that prior to migrating to Britain, they lived in the area around the Southern end of the Danish Peninsula.This area is now the German States of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Within these two states there are many placenames which end with, either, "loe" or "low".There are also many placenmaes which include the word "moor".The word "moor" was used in the Borders area of Scotland to describe vast areas of land that were either "marshy", in nature, or contained poor soil and patches of "peat".In German, the word "moor" means "wasteland".It appears that the word "moor" was brought over by the Angles, and incorporated into the local vernacular.
In summary, I have concluded that: "We are neither English, nor Scottish - other than by virtue of our location at time of birth."We were subject to the frequent "political changes of allegiance" that took place, around us.We descended from Northern Germanic tribes of Angles, who migrated to Britain, as early as the mid-Fifth Century.We seemed to remain "static", within this area between Durham and Beriwckshire, for roughly 900 to 1000 years.By the mid 1400's, we were on the move again.If you look at the old Parish Records from some of the other "shires" of England and Scotland, you will notice a migratory "pattern" that has us moving from the area around the River Tweed and Durham - North and west, throught Scotland and even to Ireland.You will see us "popping" up in Parish Records from Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, to Heretfordshire, and finally into Cornwall.We began showing up in these various records in the early-to-mid 1500's.By the begining of the 19th century, our greatest strength in numbers could be found in Cornwall.It was as if we had become "Lemmings", and had engaged in a relentless march to the sea.From Britain and Scotland we began to use the power of the wind and sail, to find our way - like drifting dried leaves - to all corners of the globe.Even in the United States and Canada some of our families have continued to venture to the West.We are only, temporarily, halted by our encounter with the sea.It is as if we are trying to return to our original, ancestral homeland.I would dearly love to know just exactly where our original homeland is located. Ha!