Selkirk Colonial Society was established in Canada in 1910 by exiles from the town of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders, Scotland.
Their prime objective was to provide a flag – a “Golden Banner” – and send it back to their home town. This flag would become both a powerful symbol and rallying point for Selkirk’s exiles who return each year in June, from all parts of the world, to attend the Selkirk Common Riding.
The Society and it’s traditions are woven into the fabric of Selkirk Common Riding. Every year we welcome both exiles and overseas visitors to the Common Riding, incorporating them into a group, or extended family, so that they may become participants in our Common Riding.
Each year a Colonial Standard Bearer is appointed to carry the “Golden Banner” and is charged to “cast” his flag in Selkirk’s ancient Market Place on Common Riding morning along with Selkirk’s six other appointed Standard Bearers, the most senior of which is the Royal Burgh Standard Bearer.
The Society has a raft of archive material going back many years. We have archived many documents with the SBC Archive Centre in Hawick.
These can be viewed by personal visit to the Centre or you can obtain a digital record from the Society by contacting the secretary, alternatively much of our history is included in the Society Book – Tales of the Exiles, available from local outlets or direct from the Society.
If you have documents, photos, etc that you would like to share with us please contact the Society Secretary, using the contact link included in the web.
Below, we have added some of the Society archives over the years into a pdf downloads:
First Colonial Society Standard Bearer
The first medallion from Edinburgh Souters 1912
Toll banking
The first 50 years
The original members of the Society 1911
The first 100 years
Colonials win bowling league 2015
Colonial Society and the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry
Preserving Our Bussin’ Ribbons 2015
Society History Medal
New Casting Flag 2016
The launch of the new CD 2016
The launch of the book ”Tales of the Exiles” in 2018
Good Cause awards from Society 2019
Download the main activities of the Society during the run-up to Selkirk Common Riding’s.
