Everyone knows the history of Scotland: the romance of the highlands with Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Northern Isles with their Pictish and Viking heritage, Dundee with Jute and Jam, Glasgow and its shipyards and Edinburgh and the New Town Enlightenment. But what of the Borders? A published historian and archivist, Mary, and her friend, Doug, explore the less well-trodden paths of Scottish history and folklore as they shine a light on some of the best kept secrets of times past and present in the Scottish Borders. Join them as they chat and natter about the chequered history of the Borders region and reveal that, despite the best efforts of Hollywood, not all of the dramatic, historical intrigue and derring-do took place in the Scottish Highlands.
Many have their view of Scottish history informed and shaped by popular feature films such as Braveheart, Rob Roy and Highlander. Yet the lands around the Anglo-Scottish border are steeped in a rich, mythical and magical history of their own. Join Mary and Doug on the Borders Bletherings podcast as they chat about the rhymers, reivers, rideouts and realities of this oft-forgotten past.
Mary and Doug blether about the case of Lady Manderston of Duns - a witch? or a wicked wife?
22nd October 2025In this taster episode, get introduced to your hosts and what's to come.
Doug and Mary discuss the Common Riding festivals of the Scottish Borders and their origins.
About - Return To The Ridings, Lauder Common Riding, Hawick Common Riding – Scotland in the Scottish Borders
Tales of witches & witchcraft in the Scottish Borders.
Survey of Scottish Witchcraft (ed.ac.uk),
All about Halloween and 'Samhain' in Scotland, with special guest Rhiannon.
31st October 2021
1848 saw the coming of the railway in the Scottish Borders. This opened up the region and helped the mills to flourish. The railway company shareholders made fortunes while the Irish Navvies faced prejudice with every mile of track they laid. This is their story.
Samhain - Wikipedia
From sheep on the hills to looms in the Mills; how the Borders clothed the world.
28th November 2021
Walter Scott, lawyer, poet, novelist and the inventor of Scottish History?
Abbotsford - The Home of Sir Walter Scott
As the light fades outside, gather round for some tales of Midwinter Magic.
26th December 2021
The rich story of Scotland's Gypsy Kings and Queens.
(The word 'Gypsy' is used here in its historical sense and no disrespect is intended in its use)
Doug and Mary continue the story of Scotland's Gypsy Kings and Queens in part 2.
23rd January 2022
The braw lads o' Galla Water - Robert Burns great visit to the Borders
6th February 2022
How Scottish is the Scottish Borders Region? In this podcast, Mary and Doug debate this question and explore what it really means to be Scottish.
20th February 2022
The Great Pestilence in the Borders, how Bubonic Plague shaped social and economic life in the 14th century.
6th March 2022
The stories of Thomas the Rhymer and Tam Lin, come with Mary and Doug in this instalment as they explore the shadowy and definitely magical world of the Scottish Borders.
20th March 2022
Pilgrimage in the Borders - listen as Mary and Doug wander the medieval pilgrim routes and discover the realities of pilgrimage.
St Mary's Well
Christian knights, infidels, battles, Constantinople and an elephant - the story of the Crusades.
17th April 2022
The Darien Venture: how the Scots set out to create an overland route to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
1st May 2022
The Darien Venture: how the Scots set out to create an overland route to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
15th May 2022
The Goddodin - a dive into the deep history of the Borders and their ancient people.
29th May 2022
Mungo Park - Influential African explorer?
12th June 2022
A bite-sized blether before the holidays.
26th June 2022
A bite-sized blether after the holidays.
30th October 2022
The Lowland Clearances: the so-called agricultural improvement that changed the traditional system of farming in the Borders and forced thousands from the land.
7th November 2022
The trials of accused witch Robert (Hob) Grieve in the 17th century. Special thanks to Lauder Amateur Dramatics.
20th November 2022
Sir Hugo de Gyffard and the goblins of Goblin Ha'
4th December 2022
Frederick Douglass - send back the money! The great campaigner in the Scottish Borders.
22nd December 2022
Murder in Stow, episode one - 1871
8th January 2023
Murder in Stow, episode two - The unanswered questions
22nd January 2023
Murder in Stow, episode three - Victoriana
5th February 2023
Murder in Stow, episode four - A different story
19th February 2023
Murder in Stow, episode five - The denouement
5th March 2023
Maharajah - the elephant who walked to Manchester
19th March 2023
Abbeys part 1 - The Border abbeys: how and why they were built
2nd April 2023
Abbeys part 2 - The monastic life in an abbey and how that changed over the years
16th April 2023
Stones and stone circles part 1 - more questions than answers
Join Doug and Mary as they discuss the standing stones and stones circle in the Borders. When were they built, why were they built and what were they for?
30th April 2023
Stones and stone circles part 2 - the myths and legends
Join Mary as she tells Doug the folk tales that have entranced generations. Hares, faeries and boiling cauldrons!
14th May 2023
History part 1 - What is history? What is it for?
28th May 2023
History part 2 - What is history? What is the role of politics in history?
11th June 2023
Why do Doug and Mary blether about Myths and Legends when they say Borders Bletherings is a history podcast?
25th June 2023
Join Doug and Mary as they try to answer listeners questions about Borders Bletherings.
9th July 2023
Mary and Doug discuss the closure of the railway line and the protests that arose.
23rd July 2023
Mary and Doug blether about holidays, past and present.
20th August 2023
Doug and Mary discuss the Arthurian legend. Who were Arthur and Merlin and what were their Scottish Borders connections?
3rd September 2023
Doug and Mary Merlin and Lailoken- were they one and the same?
17th September 2023
Doug tells Mary all about Florence Dixie the great pioneer of women's football.
1st October 2023
Mary and Doug discuss the tragedy of the Eyemouth fishing disaster of 1881.
15th October 2023
Join Mary and Doug as they tell some Border tales.
29th October 2023
Mary and Doug blether about Guy Touzeau and his travels, with his donkey Rosie, through the Scottish Borders.
12th November 2023
Join Mary, Doug and Tom as they discuss the Borders Ballad 'the Dowie Dens 'o Yarrow'
26th November 2023
Doug and Mary revisit the case of the Murder in Stow with new evidence of the aftermath.
17th December 2023
Join Mary and Doug as they look for Santa whoever and wherever he may be.
DERSİM'DE KHAL GAĞAN
Doug and Mary discuss the artisan croppers who fought for their way of life.
14st January 2024
How the Great War affected the Scottish Borders.
4th February 2024
What were the consequences of the aftermath of the Great War in the Scottish Borders?
18th February 2024
Mary and Doug discuss the reality of the rough wooing and how the Borders bore the brunt of a marriage proposal gone wrong.
3rd March 2024
John Buchan - Novelist, historian, journalist, intelligence officer, politician and Borderer.
17th March 2024
Join Mary and Doug as they discuss a gypsy battle, murder most foul and even a missing body in the late 17th century.
31st March 2024
Join Mary and Doug as they talk about all things macabre, graverobbing and the surgeons of Edinburgh University.
14th April 2024
Listen in as Mary and Doug discuss Burgundy wine, Borders wool and the Order of the Golden Fleece.
28th April 2024
Join Mary and Doug as they discuss the battle of Philiphaugh, its causes and its aftermath.
12th May 2024
The Bondagers - Mary and Doug explore the world of the bondagers: female rural workers in the Borders.
26th May 2024
James Hogg - the Ettrick Shepherd. Join Doug and Mary as they explore the life of the autodidact James Hogg: genius, poet, ballad gatherer, song creator and writer of articles and novels.
9th June 2024
Mary and Doug discuss the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th century, the Naval press-gangs and how they impacted the Scottish Borders.
25th June 2024
A bite sized podcast where Mary and Doug discuss packing their buckets and spades and heading off on their holidays.
7th July 2024
Join Mary and Doug as they start to explore the Borders during the Second World War.
18th August 2024
Join Mary and Doug as they explore the Borders during the Second World War - Dad's Army, illegal pigs and what did Land Jill's have to do?
1st September 2024
Mary and Doug are still blethering about the second world war. How did war-time propaganda go down in the Borders?
15th September 2024
What if? Mary and Doug discuss what would have happened if history had changed slightly and how would that have affected the Borders.
29th September 2024
Join Mary and Doug as they continue to wonder what if?
13th October 2024
Mary and Doug investigate the Stewart Dynasty - were they fit to rule?
27th October 2024
Mary and Doug blether with author Andy Nairn about his Border based murder mystery set just after the battle of Flodden. Murder, politics, intrigue and lots of historical goodies a real slice of the shadowy Border history.
The Trail of Blood 10th November 2024
James I and IV, too stupid to rule or just unlucky?
Mary and Doug delve into the Stewart Dynasty with a discussion about the lives of James I and James IV.
1st December 2024
Mary and Doug blether about the weather and what it meant for the people of the Borders in 1947.
15th December 2024
A borders Bletherings bitesized Beware the redcaps, shellycoats and shellybacks. Mary and Doug blether about some mythical creatures of the Borders.
5th January 2025
Mary and Doug take another look at the Stewarts blethering about Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James.
19th January 2025
Mary and Doug blether about the Great Storm of 1953 and its devastating effects on the Borders.
2nd February 2025
Mary and Doug finish their Stewart odyssey with Charles I and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
16th February 2025
Mary and Doug blether about the names of fields of the Scottish Borders.
2nd March 2025
Join Mary and Doug as they discover the life of the Celtic saint. of old Melrose.
28th March 2025
The men from the North - a blether about the Vikings and their effect on the Scottish Borders.
20th April 2025
Doug and Mary go on another journey following the Vikings as they travelled from Norway to the Black Sea.
11th May 2025
Ally bally bee - Mary and Doug blether about Coulter's candy assisted by folk singer Tom Bonnar.
1st June 2025
Join Mary and Doug along with Tom Bonnar the folk singer as they blether about the revival of the Scottish folk scene.
22nd June 2025
Join Mary and Doug as they discover what St Ronan was up to when he cleiked the Devil in Innerleithen.
20th July 2025
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of Scotland. Benevolent ruler or tyrannical despot.
10th August 2025
Johannes Duns - the subtle doctor. Join Mary and Doug as they discuss the genius of Johannes Duns Scotus the Fransiscan Friar from Berwickshire.
31st August 2025
Join Mary and Doug as they blether about some of the nicknames that Border towns have.
21st September 2025
Mary and Doug blether about Jim Clark the racing driver champion from Duns.
1st October 2025
Mary and Doug blether about the case of Lady Manderston of Duns - a witch? or a wicked wife?
22nd October 2025Music by Spectacular Sound Productions 
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Mary W Craig is a writer and historian living and working in Scotland. She is a former Carnegie scholar and a graduate of the University of Glasgow. It is said that there are three types of historians. Some historians are hedgehogs, happily snuffling about rooting out the minutest of historical details. Others are eagles, soaring on high they see the great vistas of historical events. Mary is a magpie: if something shiny and interesting catches her eye she will try to capture it where possible. Her main focus in writing is to explore the lives of extraordinary people who lived through extraordinary times and to bring to life the history of Europe in all its vivid colours.
During my many years working with adult English language learners, in countries as diverse as Germany, Belgium, Turkey and the U.S.A., I was intrigued often by questions asked of me and stories told to me when talking about knowledge and experience of Scotland's story. A common thread running through these was a particular focus on the history of the Scottish Highlands. Rather than accuse Hollywood of misrepresenting our story, Borders Bletherings seeks to entertain and inform by shining a light on the curious, shadowy and often magical history of the Scottish Borderlands. Please join Mary and me as we post each podcast episode and, if you are able, support us in continuing our work. Thank you.
Whilst our podcast is free to download, it is not entirely free to produce.
Please help us to continue our work by making a one-off, or regular donation. Thank you!
Get in touch with any comment or suggestions you might have for us!