Things you didn't know about... Roxburghshire

Robert the Bruce is buried here (or at least, part of him is)
After the Bruce died in Spain, his heart was brought back to Melrose Abbey in Roxburghshire, where it was buried in a lead casket.

Roxburghshire was the first county in Scotland to get a coat-of-arms
Roxburghshire's coat-of-arms, granted in 1798, was first used by local army volunteer and militia units. The shield features a unicorn (the symbol of Scotland), a hunting horn, and two helmets. The county's motto is: "Yield not to evil but rather go on boldly".

Roxburghshire is an ex-county; it has ceased to be
Roxburghshire stopped being a county back in 1973 when it became part of the Borders region. Borders was divided into four districts, one of which was named Roxburgh. Roxburghshire is still a registration county, which means it's still in census-taking. The county council used to be based in Newton St Boswells.

Life's a ditch in Roxburghshire
Picts' Work Dyke consists of earth ramparts and a 6ft wide ditch running 48 miles through most of Roxburghshire, although it's now covered up in places. Archaeologists speculate that it was built as a defensive line to repel invaders.

Roxburghshire unleashed Dubya on the world
Robert Livingston the Elder was born in Ancrum, Roxburghshire in 1658. When he was made Secretary for Indian affairs of the New York Province, he left Roxburghshire to make his fortune in the New World. His descendants include George W Bush and Michael Douglas.

Roxburgh town disappeared centuries ago
Its castle was once a royal residence; by the middle of the 13th century the town was the fourth largest in Scotland. But in 1490 King James II was killed by an exploding cannon while retaking Roxburgh castle from the English.

The Scots reduced it to rubble to ensure that it never again became a place of strife between the nations. Nothing now remains of either the castle or the town that gave Roxburghshire its name.