Otterburn, Northumberland Otterburn, Northumberland Otterburn is a small village in Northumberland, England, northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne on the banks of the River Rede, near the confluence of the Otter Burn, from which the village derives its name. It lies within the Cheviot Hills about from the Scottish border. The parish of Otterburn is at the heart of Redesdale, a Northumbrian upland valley. The name simply means otter stream, a stream frequented by otters (Old English "otor" + "brunna"). Otterburn was the site of a major battle in 1388 between English and Scottish armies. The engagement, in which the Scots took Sir
Scottish Borders Thus, across the region are to be seen the ruins of many castles, abbeys and even towns. The council area was created in 1975, by merging the historic counties of Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire, and Selkirkshire and part of Midlothian, as a two-tier region with the districts of Berwickshire, Ettrick and Lauderdale, Roxburgh, and Tweeddale within it. In 1996 the region became a unitary authority area and the districts were wound up. The region was created with the name "Borders". Following the election of a shadow area council in 1995 the name was changed to "Scottish Borders" with effect from 1996.