The Arts In Berwick -- Natural History
Reverent W.S.Gilly

The most significant vicar of Norham was the Rev.William Stephen Gilly (1789-1855). Originally from Suffolk he came to international notice in 1826 when he highlighted the plight of the Vaudois people of northern Italy.

In 1831 he came to Norham and interested himself in improving the lot of the agricultural labourers. His pamphlet "The Peasantry of the Border: An Appeal on their Behalf", published in Berwick in 1842 alerted the public to the often ruinous condition of farm workers' cottages.

He was briefly President of the Berwickshire Naturalists Club and gave a retiring address tracing the study of natural history back to Adam and the patriarchs of the Old Testament. He was seriously convinced their observations must have been more accurate than modern researchers as, according to the Bible, they had lived for hundreds of years.

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