Ettrick
The Ettrick Valley, formerly in the county of Selkirk, now forms part of the Ettrick and Lauderdale District Council in the Borders Region, established in 1975 under a local government act. Ettrick Forrest covers a large area and was a favourite hunting ground for the Royal House of Stewart. Sheep-raising, encouraged particularly by James V, led to virtually the complete destruction of the old forest of birch and oak, and the area today is mainly pastoral although in recent years many young plantations have been established. It is a sparsely populated area of uplands with 'laws', 'rigs' and 'knowes' rising to 2000 feet and above. The precise circumstances relating to the design of the Ettrick tartan are not known, but it was included in book 4 of Wilsons of Bannockburn, Pattern Collections, dated c.1900
