A sizeable village with shops, hotels and places to eat, St Boswells sits directly on the route of St Cuthbert's Way. The Romans came to this area almost two thousand years ago, leaving Dere Street and the nearby fort of Trimontium as evidence of their occupation. Following the departure of the Romans, the area came under the sway of the Anglian kingdom of Northumbria. In the 7th century Northumbria was ruled by the pagan leader Oswald who, upon converting to Christianity, established, with the help of St Aidan, a monastery at Lindisfarne. Under his leadership a monastery was built at Old Melrose. One of the monks from this new religious centre was Boisil, and it was he who gave his name to the village.