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| Proceeding

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”

IFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY

“Antiquarian. Suit

THE TRANSACTIONS

Journal of Proceedings

OF THE

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY
Natural History and Antiquarian Society

FOUNDED NOVEMBER, 1862.

Ss SLONW 1905-1906.

PRINTED AT THE STANDARD OFFICE, DUMFRIES.
1907.

Ge IN 8 ae ee Se

OQ 0o—_—

SESSION 1905-6.

—- vo 3@Gu-0—

Annual Meeting ..

Presidential haan ances in Seine Origin ee Vegetation in

Nithsdale—Professor Scott-Elliot
Forestry—Sir Herbert Maxwell, Bart. :
Natural History Notes—Robert Service, M. B. 0. ia
Hoddom Bridge--George Irving
Double Polyanthuses and Primroses from Seis. Was
Seedling Potatoes—W. R. Farish ...
Fauna of Glencairn. III. Fishes. Dr J. W. Maiti
Old Dumfries Gleanings—-Z. J. Chinnock, LL.D.
Old Public Libraries in Dumfries—G. W. Shirley ... 7
Excavations at Moffat Sewage Works—J, 7’. Johnstone ...
Plants on St. Mary’s Isle, Kirkcudbright—Mrs Jeffrey
The Castle of Dumfries—James Barbour, F.S.A. Scot.
Southern Nigeria, Notes on—James Watt, M.A.
Chrysanthemum Sport—S. Arnott, F.R.H.S. 3 ee
Meteorological Observations for 1905—Rev. W. Andson ...
Excavations at Holywood—Dr J. W. Martin
Records of the Burgh of Lochmaben, Extracts fom B. Rae
The Vendace—Robert Service, M.B.0.U. ... Ss
Trongray, the Kirk Session Records of, 1691-1700—Rev. S. Dio
Bees and Flowers, Discussion on : ane
Note on the Taste of Bees in Colour —Profeso Scott- Elliot
Rooks’ Nests—Mrs Thompson .. : : See
The Java Bean—Professor Scott- “Elliot
The Vendace—Robert Service, M.B.0.U. ae
Fishes in the Solway Area, Seasonal Movements of—R. Ser vice..
The ‘‘ Kerr” of Moffat—John T. Johnstone .
Lockerbie in its Origin—Thomas R. eee
Bonshaw Tower-—Colonel J. B. Irving ;
Gold Mining on the Gold Coast—John Messier
Gypsies—Andrew M‘Cormick ...
The Scoto-Norse Period in Dumfr Eeuathe noe W. un Stephen, M. A.
The Salmon Disease

The House of the Maxwells of Nithsdale ae Dennivies= ahi Barbour,

F.S.A. Scot.

4

iv. CONTENTS.

PAGE:

The Honey Bee—Henry Marrs ; 5 a Pe Ke 2 IRS}
Bird Life and Bird Photography—H. Stewart Gladstone, F.Z.S., &e. ... 197
An Equatorial Star-Finder for Beginners—J. Rutherford =. 207
The Birthplace of Auna Laurie—W. Dickie BUS,
Phthisis and Sanatoria—Dr J. Maxwell Ross eee Le
Field Meeting—Borgue and Knockbrex ie DLS.
Moffat District Moaly

Bonshaw Tower : son pon

Springkell and Heseteehan: ... 226

Abstract of Treasurer’s Accounts . 234
Exhibits : . 236
Donations and seas 240
Notices « 241
Rules of the Banat i. 243
Members of the Society . 246:

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Map, showing position of the Castle of Dumfries, facing page ... 48
Site of Castle of Dumfries, facing page 50
Ditch of ,, Ag vs A ; De.
Stones found on Site of House of Maxwells al Nithsdale: 190

ERRATA.

Page 50—Ninth line, read ‘‘demesne” for ‘‘royal.” = *

51—Delete third line.
53—Second line should read ‘‘ for work ” instead of ‘‘ forward.”
76—Transpose two last paragraphs.

81—Fourth line, second paragraph, delete ninth word, viz.,
“* quarters.”

89—Second line in fifth paragraph the word ‘‘ minion ” instead
of ‘‘ minor.”

93—Delete second word (Dumfries) in tenth line.

93—Second last line read ‘‘ farm ” instead of ‘‘ form.”

143—For Lezuminose, read Leguminosae.
197—For 1°59 in., read 1-50th in.

PROCEEDINGS AND TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY

NATURAL HISTORY & ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY.

SHSSION 1905-6.

Friday, 6th October, 1905.
ANNUAL MEETING.
Chairman—Professor Scott-ELLiorv.

New MempBers.—Miss Smith, Llangarth, Maxwelltown ;
Miss Landale, Fernbank, Maxwelltown; Miss Watt, Crawford
Villa, Dumfries; and Mr Francis Armstrong, Burgh Surveyor,
Dumfries.

The reports of the Treasurer and Secretary were read, and
approved, that of the latter showing a nett gain of nineteen
members.

The following Office-bearers were appointed :—President,
Professor G. F. Scott-Elliot of Newton; Vice-Presidents, Mr
James Barbour, Mr Robert Murray, Mr Robert Service, and Dr
James Maxwell Ross; Librarians and Curators of Museum, Rev.
W. Andson and Mr James Lennox ; Curators of Herbarium, Miss
Hannay and Professor Scott-Elliot; Secretary, Mr S. Arnott;
Treasurer, Mr M. H. M‘Kerrow; other Members of Council,
Mr J. T. Johnstone, Rev. John Cairns, Dr Martin, Mr James
Davidson, Dr Semple, Mr W. Dickie, Mr W. M‘Cutcheon, Rev.
H. A. Whitelaw, and Mrs Atkinson; Auditors, Mr John Symons
and Mr Bertram M‘Gowan.

bo

ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE.

It was remitted to the Council to appoint a committee to
compile a Catalogue of the Antiquities of the District, with one to
make a collection of photographs of the local antiquities, and
to issue reply post-cards to ascertain the feeling of the members
regarding the best evening for the meetings.

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. By the President, Professor
Scott-ELLioT.

ADVANCES IN SCIENCE: ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE.

This last year has been eventful and epoch-making ; at no
time since the year of Waterloo has the world been so disturbed,
but at the same time 1905 has seen an extraordinary advance in
science. It is curious how events seem to crowd at the begin-
nings and middles of centuries. In 1605 Bacon published “ Ad-
vancement of Learning,’’ and “ Don Quixote ’’ also appeared.
In that year France had just finished for a time, and Holland was
still engaged in, the Wars of the Reformation. In 1656-58 there
was war between France and Spain; Dunkirk taken by Crom-
well; Cardinal Mazarin and Turenne were in their prime. Yet
this was the flowering period of Descartes, Galileo, Copernicus,
not to speak of Milton, Moliere, etc. In 1705 Blenheim and
Ramillies were fought, and Halley had so far mastered astronomy
as to predict the return of his comet, which appeared, up to time,
in 1758. In 1756-7 Rossbach Leuthen was fought, England
abandoned Hanover, whilst Linnaeus, Buffon, and Voltaire were
in full work. 1805 was the year of Trafalgar and Austerlitz, and
the same year saw Laplace’s Celestial Astronomy and Monge’s
Algebraic Geometry. In 1857-8 the Indian Mutiny and Crimean
War did not interfere with the publication of the Origin of Species.
During this year of 1905 the Russo-Japanese War has, for a time
at least, ended, but revolution in Russia, threatenings of civil
war in Austria and Norway, have not ceased, and anxiety exists all
through Europe and Asia. Yet this year has seen the first plain
statement of a theory which, by its simplicity and by its bold-
ness, far surpasses any previous conception of the human brain.
That is the new theory of matter, lucidly explained by George
Darwin at Cape Town and Johannesburg. That the supposed
indivisible atom is really a world of itself, composed of hundreds
of electrons. That these electrons cannot be called material

ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE. 3

particles, and consist of, or are charged with, negative electricity.
That they are kept in their multitudinous and agitated orbits
within the boundaries of the atom by some tie which is certainly
not material. So far this is a gigantic conception, and, amongst
other things, abolishes materialism as a serious scientific
hypothesis, but that is not all. George Darwin goes on to con-
trast the world of electrons in the atom, the world of atoms in the
molecule, and the world of planets and satellites in a solar system.
If an atom were magnified to the size of our earth an electron might
be larger than a marble and smaller than a cricket ball. Yet
I think I am right in saying that if a molecule of some common
salt were as large as a church, an atom would be the size of a
full stop in print. The molecules themselves are so small as to
be quite invisible. The most interesting part of this address to
me is the manner in which all sorts of systems of stability and
instability are compared. ‘The cells which make up the bodies
of vegetables and animals may be compared to a world of chemi-
cal substances. The body itself is a world of cells. And we
may indeed go farther than this. The bees in a hive are not
held together by any material chain, yet each, in obedience to
Maeterlinck’s “ Spirit of the Hive,’’ does not hesitate to sacrifice
itself against an enemy, which would be to the bee’s eye about
as big as 350 feet in height is to ourselves. The cells in any
plant are like the bees, all, without exception, working for the
good of the plant as a whole. We cannot say the same of human
societies, such as cities or nations, but though we are all intensely
conscious of our freedom we are generally obliged by some
cogent reason, as a rule want of money, to do something which
the good of the community requires.

Now I should never have said this to you a year ago: it may
be too fanciful and imaginative, but the tie which unites and
governs the electrons in the atom or the bees in a hive is not a
material one. Perhaps you will, however, excuse me on account
of the imaginative stimulus of this great idea. The birth of this
theory is interesting, it has risen from the investigation of radium,
that extraordinary substance of which one ounce is said to possess
sufficient energy to lift 10,000 tons a mile above the earth.
Moreover, amongst the many British, French, and _ Italian
scientists who have been working in a scientific extenze cordiale, it
is, I think, to Mr J. J. Thomson that the credit is mainly due.

4 ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE.

So that we are, in physical science, well in the forefront of
discovery.

I wish I could honestly say as much for botany and the
natural sciences. Almost all the interesting botanical discoveries
of to-day have to be dredged and dug from the slime and
tenacious clay of German botanical literature. The digger is
generaliy so exhausted in the process that he cannot clean up
and tidy his treasure so that the world may observe it. Even our
own English botany is mostly inaccessible to the general reader,
and there is a most distressing want of sympathy between the
botanist and the practical man, such as the gardener, farmer,
or forester. This is especially dangerous for the future of
botanical science.

All this makes our work as members of this society very
difficult. But I will try to show you some of the many things
which we can discover in this district. There is first the way in
which societies of plants gradually occupied Nithsdale. These
plant societies or associations may be compared to the hive of
bees or to the body of the plant itself, for each plant in one of
them has its own special work to do for the good of the whole.

First, then, at the close of the Great Ice Age, some 200,000
years ago, the climate was of the most terrible kind. Intense
cold, almost daily gales and hurricanes with snow, sleet, and rain,
drenching fogs, and occasionally hot blazing sunshine. There
was no “soil,’’ in the gardener’s sense of that term, nothing but
subsoil of rock, boulder clay, gravel, or sand. Moreover, this
was permanently frozen hard and only thawed on the surface.
The first immigrants would be pioneers which would be scattered,
fixing themselves at distant intervals, wherever they could find
a root hold. It would be what botanists call an open flora, the
ground being visible between the plants. These first Arctic
immigrants would consist of such plants as Scurvy Grass,
Plantago maritima, Suaeda, Oraches, Chenopodium album,
Glaux, Caltha palustris, Armeria, Matricaria inodora, etc. All
these still occur along the seashores as they did then. Besides
these there would be (2) water plants, such as Phragmites, various
Reeds, Grasses, and Sedges; and (3) Mountain Saxifrages, Poly-
gonum viviparum, Ferns, such as Woodsia and Cystopteris,
Sedum Rodiola, Silene acaulis, Oxyria, Draba, Cerastium
alpinum, Pyrolas, all of which are mountain plants. These, ex-

ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE. 5

cept the water plants, would form a scattered open flora rooted
in rock crevices or growing singly in sand and gravel.

The next stage of colonisation would begin by the develop-
ment of lichens on bare rock surface or on gravel and clay.
These would be mostly crust lichens, such as those here exhibited.
Soon, however, mosses would form tufts on the rock or ground
mixed with reindeer moss and other lichens. This process is of
great importance, because such moss tufts produce true soil in
which worms and other insects can be found. Then various
Arctic plants would proceed to colonise these moss carpets. The
most important of these Arctics are Blaeberry and other Vac-
ciniums, Sheep’s Fescue, Nardus, Deschampsia, Poa annua and
alpina, Common Heather, Cotton Grass, certain Bushes and Deer’s
Hair, Cloudberry, Lycopodiums. These plants would at first be
singly planted in the moss carpet, but if things were at all favour-
able they would very soon occupy the ground almost to the
destruction of the moss, forming a continuous carpet or “ Blae-
berry-Grass-Heath ’’ Association. I have not time to show how
wonderfully these Blaeberries and Heather are adapted to do this.
But with the appearance of this association true soil began to
appear. The underlying rock or clay was penetrated and broken
up by the roots, and the upper surface of the soil received regular
supplies of leaf-mould.

Now, as the climate became more genial, this Blaeberry-
Grass Association would gradually creep up the valleys and hill-
sides away from the sea until it reached the projecting points of
Queensberry, Whitecombe, and the other storm-vexed and deso-
late summits of the Dumfriesshire mountains. It has not yet
completely occupied them, for the original Mountain Saxifrages,
Oxyria, etc., still occur in ravines and rocks which are not yet
covered by moss.

I have found this Blaeberry-Grass-Heath on Mistylaw and
Robber’s Craigs in Renfrewshire, and something almost identical
is the summit flora so well described by Smith, Lewis, and others
in Eden, Wear, Tees, and Tyne, and Yorkshire. The plants
are for the most part identical, and all seem to be Arctic.

If you ascend one of these hills you see no sign of man;
nothing is visible but desolate whaup-haunted mosses and moor-
lands stretching for miles. Indeed the cultivated and inhabited
valleys of Dumfriesshire are exceedingly narrow, and form a very

6 ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE.

small proportion of its area. This old Silurian tableland
plastered with boulder clay in places is almost everywhere capped
by peat 10-17 feet thick.

Now, the point which I wish to make is that these moorlands
are a tableland and flat so that natural drainage is difficult.
Thus on these flatter summits the Blaeberry-Grass-Heath would be
subject to the attacks, especially of Cotton Grass, Deer’s Hair, and
Sphagnum moss, which would eventually kill out the Blaeberry
and Grasses, and in many places the Heather, though this last
might remain on dry rounded “humps.’’ Thus peat might be
produced and go on forming as it has done until to-day. But
was there never anything else in Dumfriesshire? Remains of
Scotch fir exist in the Highlands up to 1800 feet, where the great
Silva Caledonica of Pinus Silvertris existed in Roman times.
Lewis found Scotch fir remains on Crossfell in Yorkshire at 2500
feet, which are probably the great trunks recorded by Winch in
1825. Birch does occur in the mosses, but I have no record of
remains of Pine even at 1400 feet. But I think that these remains
will be found. At Kirkconnel this summer I was shown hundreds
of little Scotch fir seedlings thriving on a dry peat moss of the
most typical character, and some had become quite respectable
trees. When the Blaeberry-Grass-Heather Association was
attacked pretty soon by the Pine forest with its attendant Rowans,
Birches, Bracken, Bluebells, and others, the result would be to
form an enormously greater amount of good fertile soil. The
next crowd of immigrants, the Oak, Beech, and their attendants,
ferns and flowering plants, would then invade and dispossess the
Pine forest, so covering lowland Scotland with the historic Oak
forest.

I do not wish to say that the process here sketched was
invariably the same. On steep slopes one may see, even now,
that the Blaeberry-Grass-Heather Association has been altered to
permanent pasture by the Nardus, Airas, and Fescues suppressing
the other members.

So also in Lochar Moss, and in most of the fertile alluvial
holms, the Arctic water plants, such as the Reeds and Grass
Seeds, probably began to act very soon after the glaciers retreated,
as they may be seen at work to-day. With the aid of Willows,
Alders, and marsh plants, they are retaining the silt and floating

stuff, changing shingle, mud, and sand into valuable pasture and
arable.

ORIGIN OF VEGETATION IN NITHSDALE. 7

For the recent history of the vegetation we are scandalously
ignorant. Neolithic people were contemporaneous with the Pine
forest of the Danish peat mosses and people with bronze weapons
in the Oak forest period in the same mosses. What happened in

-Scotland? Were these Pine forests, if they existed, destroyed
by being cut down by stone and bronze axes? Were they burnt
off, or were they grazed by goats, sheep, and Galloway cattle ?

The importance of this question to us in Dumfries can
scarcely be overrated. At present on these moorlands 1000 acres
supports about one shepherd and half a gamekeeper. If they
can be planted the same area would support 10 foresters and at
least one whole gamekeeper. There are very many thousand
acres of this country.

Now from what I have said you will see how much remains
to be done. We are behind other countries in the study of plant
associations. We ought to study them, examine and catalogue
the plants, and we ought also to take photographs of them.

I know that Mr Barbour, Mr Lennox, and others have already
done an enormous amount of work in this direction, but to get a
complete picture of the distribution of the remains of each suc-
cessive period is necessary for us to understand the life of early
man in Dumfriesshire and his influence in Dumfries.

We also propose this session to inaugurate a photographic
section in accordance with a suggestion made to us some time ago
by Mr Johnson-Ferguson. We shall hope to have photographs
exhibited at every meeting, and I would call upon all members
present who possess cameras to remember this. If the suggested
club in Dumfries is started we shall hope to work in sympathy
with it. I think in this next session we ought to have plenty of
interest.

14th October, 1905.
OPEN MEETING.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

New Memsers.—Mrs George Thomson, George Street ; Mrs
A. C. Penman, Airlie; Mr and Mrs J. P. Milligan, Aldouran ; and
Mr Alex. Turner, Chemist.

8 FORESTRY.
Forestry. By Sir HERBERT MAXWELL, Bart., M.P.

I come before you to-night rather in the spirit of a converted
criminal than in the hope of telling you anything you don’t know
already. I hope that my presence here may be taken as evidence
of the awakening conscience of landowners to the opportunities
we have missed, to the valuable source of income which we have
squandered, and to the urgency for a reform in our system of
forestry. I was brought up with an intense and sedulous love
of trees. Some of my earliest recollections are connected with
the instruction given me by my father in what were, at that time,
the approved principles of wood management, and I continued to
act on those principles after I succeeded to the estate 27 years
ago. The result has been that, although I possess a considerable
extent of ground under trees, there is hardly any of it more than
15 years old which I should not be ashamed to show to one who
understood the three principles of forestry as distinct from arbori-
culture.

I have said thus much as preliminary, in order that too much
may not be expected from me in the way of instruction. When
Lord Mahon asked the Duke of Wellington whether his experi-
ence in his first campaign—that disastrous one in the Netherlands
under the Duke of York—had been of any service to him, he
replied—* Why, I learnt what I ought Not to do, and that is
always something.’’ Wellington, happily for his country, learnt
his lesson while the best part of his life still lay before him.
I have learnt mine at a period when Horace’s lines have a
peculiarly mournful significance:

With all the trees that thou hast tended
Thy brief concern is almost ended,

Except the cypress—THAT may wave
Its tribute o’er thy narrow grave.

WHAT THE STATE Micut Do.

Well, now, I have tackled a subject rather unwieldy to be dealt
with in an hour’s discourse, and I will try and confine myself to
a few of the most salient points. I will divide it into two
branches—first, what I conceive the State might do with prudence
and profit to develop the national resources ; second, what private
owners might do to develop the resources of their estates.

Since I entered Parliament 25 years ago two enquiries have

FORESTRY. 9

been directed into this subject—the first a Select Committee of
the House of Commons which sat 1885-6-7, the second a Depart-
mental Committee which reported in 1902. No action was taken
on the report of the first; of the result of the second we have
more hopes, because we have now, what we had not in 1885-7,
a Government Department—the Board of Agriculture and
Fisheries-—to which has been committed the duty of promoting
instruction in forestry. Among the many points upon which both
these committees were in thorough agreement were these facts :—
Ist, that “the world is rapidly approaching a shortage, if not an
actual dearth, in its supply of coniferous timber, which consti-
tutes between 80 and 90 per cent. of the total British timber
imports ; 2nd, that there is a vast area, estimated in millions of
acres, capable of growing timber of the finest quality ; 3rd, that
the climate of the British Isles is favourable to economic forestry
conducted on a proper scale (not in grudging patches, clumps,
and strips); and 4th, that it requires only the exercise of timely
forethought and a moderate annual expenditure to anticipate the
time when scarcity of foreign timber shall have greatly enhanced
the price, and to replace with British-grown timber much of those
enormous imports upon which we depend at present.

A SCHEME OF STATE FORESTRY.

These four points having been emphatically affirmed by the
two committees, I need say nothing more upon them to-night ; but
there is a fifth point on which I venture to go a little further than
the Departmental Committee. “We do not feel justified,’’ says
the report, “in urging the Government to embark forthwith upon
any general scheme of State forests under present circumstances.’
Well, I have the temerity which the committee lacked to urge
strongly the wisdom of embarking upon a scheme of State
forestry, and if I am blamed for that temerity, I make the same
excuse for my scheme as served a certain young person who had
_ added an unforeseen unit to the population—“ Please, sire, it’s
only a very little one!’’ TI only ask for the investment—the
investment, mind, not the gift—of £10,000 a year for the
purchase and planting of suitable land.

No branch of agriculture, not even wheat growing, has
suffered such a slump in the last twenty-five years as hill sheep
farming. There are hundred of thousands of acres in Scotland,

10 FORESTRY.

once valuable sheep pasture, now rented at from sixpence to not
more than two shillings an acre. From some of it a good
additional return—say, a shilling an acre—is obtained for the
grouse on it, but a great deal of it is unsuitable for grouse, but
very suitable for growing timber. | Such land is constantly being
offered for sale. | Twenty-five years’ purchase would secure
1000 such acres for £2500. If the ground is level, planting
three feet by three will take 4,840,000 trees; the cost at £6 an
acre-—£6000 for the 1000 acre. On sloping or steep ground
fewer trees will be required, and the cost proportionately less.
I make no provision for houses or fences, assuming that the farm
is bought all standing, but £500 must be allowed for repairs and
preliminary draining, making a total initial outlay of £9000 on
the 1000 acres. The interest on the balance of £1000 ought
to pay the annual tool bill.

WILL. IT Pay?

Now, the great question is—Will this investment pay?
Well, I am bound to say that it is not one that I could advise any
private individual to make and expect good interest upon his
capital; the lock-up would be more than the circumstances of
most landowners would permit. I shall return to that point
presently. But I do consider it an investment which the State,
which pays no death duties, not only might make with prudence,
but is bound to make as a matter of public policy.

It is a difficult thing to find any woodland in Great Britain,
either Crown property or in private hands, which have been
systematically managed on a working plan over a sufficiently
long period to estimate the results commercially. Nevertheless,
I have had the advantage of examining the balance sheets for
five years of 3700 acres of wood on the estate of Novar, in
Ross-shire. Extensive planting was done there from the
beginning of last century continuously, except during thirty-two
years from 1850 to 1881. This was an unfortunate break, for
it vitiated the regular rotation of the working plan ; nevertheless
the results are not unsatisfactory. The average nett profit upon
these woodlands for the five years 1892-6 was slightly over 1ls
an acre.

Next I took the official returns of the German State forests
covering five years, and found that the average nett return was

FORESTRY. 11

exactly the same as from the Novar woodlands—Il1s an acre.
Here, then, we have this result, that land which, for agricultural
purposes, is not worth at the highest estimate more than 2s an
acre annually, has been made to return an annual nett profit
of Ils an acre. I say, then, that money so invested cannot
be regarded as unprofitable. Moreover, these results were
obtained upon the prices of timber current at the close of last
century, whereas all indications point to a considerable rise in
that price. The German official returns show that during the
last forty years the nett profit per acre has been steadily
increasing, owing to rise of prices and the establishment of
pulping mills and chemical works.

BRINGING THE PEOPLE BACK TO THE LAND.

All I ask, then, is that the State should invest £10,000 a
year in the purchase and planting of land. At the end of fifty
years it would have made a progressive investment of half a
million sterling—the cost of four days’ campaign against the
Boers. The property which it had acquired on the rent basis
of 2s an acre would be yielding 11s an acre, a rise in value of
590 per cent., and this assuming, against all appearances, that
the price of timber will continue stationary for half a century.
But that is not all the advantage to be gained. The minds of
politicians and sociologists are grievously exercised just now,
and justly so, about the physical deterioration of our population
owing to the concentration of the working classes in our large
towns. No greater boon can be devised than healthy and
remunerative work in the open-air of the country. Suppose my
fifty thousand acres to have been planted by the State. Instead
of a rural population of one shepherd to 1000 acres of pasture
—950 shepherds on the whole extent—you will have established
one woodman to every 100 acres, or 500 woodmen on the whole
ground. Then there are the forest industries which will spring
up; each requiring a number of hands. In the whole United
Kingdom there is not a single pulping mill; we import
£3,000,000 worth of wood pulp and wood paper annually.
The first pulping mill was established in Saxony in the year
1854, fifty years ago. There are now 600 pulping mills at work
in the German Empire alone.

12 ForESTRY.

ALLEGED DISADVANTAGES.

There appeared lately in one of the evening papers a letter
from a noble earl in reference to Mr Keir Hardie’s proposal
for State forestry. His lordship declared that it was futile to .
think of profitable forestry in the United Kingdom, for two
reasons—first, because of the furious storms which sweep these
islands at irregular intervals; second, because the timber
produced in our woods is far inferior in quality to that grown
on the continent. As to the first objection, I deny emphatically
that we are more exposed to storm than, say, Norway or
Sweden, whence we draw such large supplies of coniferous
timber. It is true that we suffer far more from wind damage
than is the case in continental forests, but that is the result
partly of our custom of planting in narrow belts and isolated
small masses, and partly of the mischievous system of over-
thinning which came into vogue in the nineteenth century.
Trees that have been encouraged to grow heads out of all
due proportion to their height will succumb to a storm that may
be lifted harmlessly over a solid block of well-grown forest. A
thousand contiguous acres of woodland will suffer far less from
gales than 1000 acres scattered over an estate of 10,000 acres.

Next as to the alleged inferiority of British timber to conti-
nental. Surely that is a strange allegation against a country that
used to supply timber for the noblest fleets that ever put to sea.
I may say in passing that it was the demand for ship timber which
initiated our vicious system of over-thinning. Shipwrights did not
want straight boles ; they wanted bent timber, and you will actu-
ally find in old treatises on forestry instructions about tying the
limbs of oaks to produce the desired contortion. The result has
been that we have conceived and aim at a false ideal. Our
notion of what an oak ought to be is framed upon such a magnifi-
cent deformity as the “ Major ’’ oak in Sherwood Forest. That
we can grow fine straight oak if we choose may be seen in this
example from the New Forest—a domain which, unhappily, the
State is not permitted to treat on right principles. Here, again,
is a wood of self-sown oak at Thornbury, in Gloucestershire, 30
to 40 years old, which promises to develop into splendid clean
timber. But to obtain examples of the highest development of
oak timber we must go to France. Here are a series of photo-

ForRESTRY. 116!

graphs showing a forest of sessile-flowered oaks in France through
all its stages.

A QUESTION OF FOREST MANAGEMENT.

Now that we want straight, clean timber, there is no country
in the world better able to produce it than our own. “ Ah, but,”’
says the timber merchant, “ your firs are grown too fast. British
deal cannot compare with Scandinavian, which is grown much
slower.’? ‘True, but here again the evil comes from over-thin-
ning. Grow your trees in close forest, and no matter what height
they attain, or how soon they attain it, the annual rings will be
close together, and the timber will be slow grown. It is a mere
question of forest management. ‘Trees in open order will pro-
duce branches and coarse timber, with wide annual rings; trees
grown in close forest will yield clean planks, with close annual
rings. Here are some examples from a wood of Mr Elwes’ at
Colesborne, in Gloucestershire. Most of these trees measure
125 feet in height, and compare favourably in cleanness of bole
with the following examples from Savoy. Silver fir with a few
spruce, and silver fir with a larch or two.

It is idle to say that timber cannot be grown at a handsome
profit in Great Britain, but it is equally idle to attempt to grow it

at a profit unless sound principles of commercial forestry are
adopted.

WHAT PRIVATE OwNnERS Micut Do.

I now come to the other branch of my subject-—the condition
of woodland or private estates in this country. In dealing with
that, I must be understood to generalise. I could name certain
properties on which the principles of sound forestry are in full
practice, and of which the proceeds of the woods contribute a
considerable part of the revenue. But taking one estate with
another, I shall not be accused of exaggeration if I describe the
woods as run upon amateur lines, more or less modified by local
custom. It is not the custom to expect a land agent to have had
any training in economic forestry ; still less likely is it that the
owner himself shall have had such training. It would be natural,
then, that neither the agent nor his employer should attempt to

interfere with the management of the woods. But what land-

owner is there so poor in spirit that he does not aspire to direct
in person the operations in his woods. He has a forester or

14 ForESTRY.

woodman, no doubt, with an efficient staff under him, but that
forester is very seldom remunerated on a scale calculated ta
‘secure sound technical knowledge. On some estates he combines
the duties of forester with that of head gardener; on others he
receives a salary equal to that of a head gamekeeper. He is at
best but a foreman woodman, and even if he pursues sound
routine operations, these are constantly liable to be interrupted ot
diverted at the caprice of his employer. It would be strange,
indeed, if the result of such a want of system proved anything
but disastrous. Imagine any man investing liberal capital in a
large farm without any technical knowledge of farming or the
rotation of crops, and yet dictating to his farm bailiff how and
where those crops were to be grown. ‘The result would be
apparent in a very few seasons, and, so far as that farm was con-
cerned, the balance sheet would spell bankruptcy. Even in that
case, the amateur farmer would have the example of sound agri-
culture as practised by his neighbours, and he would have the
sense to pick up some knowledge as he went along. But where is
the amateur forester to turn for guidance in this country?
Perhaps there is not within his country a single example of close
canopy and clean timber. To go to the State forests of England
is to learn the shortest road to ruin; for what is the latest balance
sheet of H.M. Office of Woods and Forests :—

Royal Forests and Woodlands—1903-4.

Receipts as ve a oy 202,481 18 8
Expenditure... — AS wt 08,402. 16 of
Balance loss ... eae ODO OMe

There is one aspect in which a vicious system of forestry is

far more disastrous than bad farming. |The farmer may see

‘where he has gone wrong after the experience of two or three
seasons, whereas mistakes in forestry do not become fully
apparent until the third and fourth generation.

Tue RESULT OF THINNING.

I stood not long ago beside the owner of one of the noblest
parks in England. He had brought me to see an oak wood,
originally pure forest, about 50 acres in extent, which was causing
him much concern. They were splendid trees, about 180 or 200

ForEstTry, 15

years old, averaging 100 feet in height, with 40, 50, 60 feet of
glorious clean boles. I don’t know the like of this wood, as it
must have been, if it be not the forest of Cour Chevernay, on the
Loire (opposite Blois). Twenty years ago, there cannot have
been less than 9000 or 10,000 cubic feet per acre, which, taken
at only Is a foot, represents a value on the 50 acres of some
£25,000, or £500 an acre. Who could have blamed the owner
had he treated this woodland as a crop? Well, all his neighbours
would have blamed him bitterly, so deeply rooted has become
our habit of looking upon woodland merely as an extra—a luxury
—a playground. And yet I maintain that it was folly not to turn
this timber to account. For look you what has happened. My
friend had all the amateur love of trees which is characteristic of
English country gentlemen. About twenty years ago, thinking to
improve the landscape, he had glades cut in this noble grove, and
thinned out the whole of it severely. His grandfather, if he
knew his business, may have warned him what must happen if
pure oak high wood is suddenly converted into trees in open order.
If he did so, his advice was disregarded : the owner knew what he
wanted, but the result has been far different. Nearly every tree
has become stag-headed, and thrown out an eruption of growth
all along the stems and branches. The grove has been ruined.
My friend did me the honour to ask my opinion. If I had
given it, he would have called me a beggarly Scot, so I held my
peace—even from good. But I had no doubt what a good
forester’s advice would be. Fell all the remaining trees and
tre-plant. As near as I could judge, there seemed to be an
average of thirty oaks left on every acre. ‘These cannot be worth
less than £7 10s a-piece standing, or an aggregate of £11,300 on
the fifty acres. I have purposely put this calculation very low,
for I was shown where one of these oaks had been felled recently,
and the timber sold for £20. But I know what will happen.
My friend loves his trees ; he will never harden his heart to part
with them ; they will go from bad to worse, and the greater part of
this money will be sacrificed. The future of these noble trees
will be like that of the mournful ruins of Cadzow Forest, Lanark-
shire.

LANDOWNERS’ OBjEcts.

Now, one must take things as one finds them, even if one
may entertain a hope that better understanding may prevail some

16 FORESTRY.

day. The British landowner has a perfect right to manage his
woods in the way best calculated to secure the objects he has in
view. These objects, I think, are generally as follows:—Ist,
landscape effect, especially park scenery ; 2nd, game cover ; 3rd,
shelter; 4th, timber for estate purposes. To insist upon the
uniform application of strict continental system to all classes of
land in this country is very far from what I advocate. In the
first place, I don’t think close canopy is as essential on a great
part of our area as it is on dry soils and climate. The climate
and soil of our islands, part of them, at least, is far more pro-
pitious to tree growth than those of a great deal of the forest area
of Europe. But what I do advocate is the application of strict
system, modified to suit our peculiar circumstances.

Now let us take these four objects which I have mentioned
as uppermost in the average landowner’s purpose, and see how
far they are to be reconciled with a sound system of forestry.

LANDSCAPE EFFECT.

1. Landscape effect, especially park scenery—He must be
callous indeed, be he landowner or simple wayfarer, who is in-
different to the charm of English park scenery, which consists of
prairie with groves and scattered trees. But it is an effect which
can only be obtained as the result of age. The finest park
scenery is a gradual evolution from close forest, and never can be
attained by planting single trees apart upon a plain. By that
means you attain nothing but huge cabbages with an ugly hori-
zontal browzing line, or picturesque monstrosities such as the
great beech at Kilkerran, Ayrshire, which girths 19 ft. 6 in. at
5 ft. high, or malformed specimens like this ash. Now compare
with such results some park effects that have been evolved out of
high forest. Trees are social creatures; for the development of
their true character they require the discipline of close company
to rear stately stems and preserve symmetrical heads. I must
not linger over long upon this fascinating subject, but if anyone
doubts my contention that good forestry is not only reconcileable
with the finest park scenery but is actually essential to its pro-
duction, let him visit Ashridge Park, in Hertfordshire, and reflect
upon the process which reared the famous beeches there. It is
out of a well-grown woodland only that you can carve a beautiful
park. For the last sixty or seventy years most of us have been

FORESTRY. 17

doing our best to render growing woods incapable of producing
fine park scenery. We have been taught to thin mercilessly—to
allow no tree to interfere with another, thereby preventing the
development of clean stems, and encouraging instead a wild pro-
fusion of branches, as if the object had been to produce an
orchard. Well, but it is argued, a regular forest, grown on conti-
nental principles, is painfully monotonous. You will lose all the
variety and life of an English park if you insist upon close canopy.
My answer is that of all rural industries forestry, in its ordinary
operations, is productive of the most picturesque scenes.

THE AFFLUENCE OF LANDOWNERS.

There is another and more pressing aspect of park manage-
ment. British landowners are far less affluent than they were
thirty, fifty, one hundred years ago; it is a question with many of
them whether they can maintain their parks at all. Is it not sheer
blindness to refuse to develop what may be rendered not only a
source of regular income, but a reserve to be drawn upon in times
of special pressure, such as the payment of death duties? Why,
so far from destroying English park scenery, the application of.
science and system to wood management may be the very means
of saving many a park from the hammer or the speculative
builder.

Before it can be hoped that landowners will take that course,
they must apply themselves vigorously to acquire the principles of
the craft, unlearn a great deal that they have been taught, and
harden their hearts to deal with their woods in general as a crop.

GAME COVER.

2nd. Game Cover—This is perhaps the point at which British
landowners and foresters are most directly at issue, and I admit
that it is not easy to reconcile the idea of an English game cover
with economic forestry, seeing that underwood has ceased to have
any commercial value. At the same time, it is a fact that our
present system of battue came from Germany, where forests are
managed on the strictest principles of commerce. Close high
wood is disliked by game, chiefly because of the scarcity of food
there ; but cover shooting is such an artificial affair now that
pheasants may be made to haunt whatever ground is best adapted
for their artistic destruction. It is merely a question of where

18 FORESTRY.

their food is provided. As for cover, there is no cover better than
young wood up to 15 or 20 years, and in a woodland managed on
economic principles there will always be a due proportion of young
wood, into which birds may be driven for the rise.

But there is one form of game absolutely incompatible not
only with profitable but with decent forestry. Will any landowner
honestly and boldly calculate what ground game—especially
rabbits—cost him per acre of plantation? Every yard of ground
that is planted must be wire netted, and this cannot be done at
less than 6d a yard. Where the woodland is worked in proper
annual rotation, ten acres, say, felled every year, and ten acres
replanted, the cost of wire netting is at a minimum, for a square of
ten acres may be fenced for between £20 and £30—say an addi-
tional cost of 50s an acre. A pretty heavy inroad upon capital
expenditure ; but you must multiply this indefinitely if you wish
to deal with blocks of less than 10 acres—if you wish, for intsance,
to plant up blanks in woodland from half an acre to two or three
acresjin extent. And even this is not all. Where the detestable
rabbit abounds, ground cleared of timber cannot be restored by
natural regeneration. In such a case there must be placed to the
debit of the rabbit account, not only 50s an acre (the cost of
wire-netting), but £6 an acre (the cost of replanting), which would
be unnecessary on ground suitable for natural regeneration. In
other words, the presence of rabbits means an initial tax upon
young forest of £8 10s an acre—which may be equal to half the
fee of the land. If British forestry is ever to regain the place to
which our soil, climate, and requirements entitle it, it must be
relieved from the intolerable scourge of rabbits. The place for
the rabbit—and the only place—is the warren. In those scenes
I showed on the screen from Ashridge Park you may have noticed
how bare was the ground, not only under, but around the beech
trees. To show what that ground is capable of doing in the way
of natural regeneration, look at this part of it, which has been
protected from rabbits and deer for the last 15 or 20 years.

SHELTER.

3rd. Shelter—Shelter from sea blasts or from the prevailing
wind is a most legitimate object in forming a plantation. I have
only a few words to say about it. Do not grudge a few acres in
laying out belts. Even a narrow strip affords warmth and shelter

FORESTRY. 19

so long as it is young, but there are few things more cheerless than
the same strip when the trees are approaching maturity, and the
wind blows draughtily through it. The most successful sea
shelter which I have seen is on Lord Leicester’s estate of
Holkham, where miles of sand dunes have been planted with four
different species of conifer, Scotch pine, pinaster, Austrian, and
Corsican, and the Corsican has beaten all the others in a very
remarkable manner. It even reproduces itself, although there is
much ground game about.

TIMBER FOR ESTATE PURPOSES.

4th. Timber for Estate Purposes—A most important object
this, and one that is usually accomplished—but at what a cost!
I do not hesitate to say that, on many estates, if the rent of the
ground, annual rates, cost of planting, and wage bill be reckoned,
much money would be saved if not a foot of home wood were
used and foreign supplies bought from the timber merchant. And
yet you say that timber ought to be grown for the market at a
profit! Certainly it ought; but not on the present system—not
unless timber is treated as a crop, with a regular fall, and grown
of good quality. It is the cut-and-come-again method that is
ruinous both in cost and in quality. The annual fall ought to
supply both estate purposes and the timber market. Yet I have
heard within the last few months landowners complaining that
they cannot get an offer even for fine timber. No; because they
have not secured a proper business connection. To do that, two
things are necessary, as any greengrocer will tell you—regularity
of supply and uniformity of quality. It is estimated that there
are 3,000,000 acres of woodland of sorts in Great Britain and
Ireland. In Belgium there are only 1,750,000 acres, yielding a
return of £4,000,000 a year. At that rate British woodlands
ought to yield £7,000,000 a year. At what figure would the most
liberal estimate fix the return? Yet British timber, properly
grown, would be no whit inferior to Belgian.

The fact is, there is no regular trade in home timber.
Merchants cannot rely upon a steady home supply, so they have
recourse to countries where they can be sure of getting exactly the
quantity and quality they require. Mr Nisbet has put the case
concisely :—“ Available markets cannot be utilised to the best
advantage if the quantity of wood offered one year is large, the

20 Forestry.

next small, a third year wanting altogether, and so on irregularly.
‘ First a hunger, then a burst ’ is bad in this as in all other cases.”’
Add to this that woodland subject to inordinate thinning—to
arboriculture instead of forestry—produce timber of such inferior
quality as to lead architects to stipulate for foreign timber in all
their work.

Now I think I have said enough to explain the general
character of what is on my mind in this matter. To go closer
into details would outrun reasonable limits of time. I am con-
vinced that by adopting sounder principles and continuity of treat-
ment, both the State and private owners of land might indefinitely
enrich future generations, and indemnify themselves meanwhile,
wholly or in part, for the outlay and lock-up of capital, but clear-
ing the ground of a great deal of ill-grown wood which occupies
it just now.

One circumstance is highly favourable to reform. There is
plenty of sound instruction in silviculture to be had. Five and
twenty years ago British landowners could only turn to guch
vicious and misleading instructors as Brown and Michie. Now
there is abundance of good literature, and such writers as Schlich,
Nisbet, and Forbes are at hand to pilot inquirers into the true
course.

3rd November, 1905.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

New Memsers.—Mr R. Chrystie, Irving Street, Dumfries ;
Mr Dewar, manufacturer, Maxwelltown; and Mr Andrew
M‘Cormick, solicitor, Newton-Stewart.

NaturaL History Notes. By Rosert Service, M.B.O.U.

In the course of a very interesting contribution, Mr Service
drew the attention of members to the first occurrence in this area
of a species of fish not hitherto found on our shores. On 11th
July last, he said, he received a telegram in the course of the
morning from his friend, Mr M‘Queen, the lessee of the fishings
at Port Ling, to say that late on the previous evening at the ebb
of the tide he had found a very big fish, which no one could

NaturaL History Notes. Dil

recognise. He got down in the evening, when he found the fish
lying at the foot of the cliffs. It was a large specimen, 5 feet long
and 32 inches in girth behind the first dorsal. It displayed
brilliantly iridescent colours, silvery white beneath and _ultra-
marine blue as to the fore part of the shoulders. Behind the
dorsal fins there was a reddish colouration, and the whole aspect
of the monster was foreign to our fishes. He found it to be the
Maigre, a well-known Mediterranean fish that is also found in
Atlantic waters on the North African and Portuguese coasts.
Only some two instances of the occurrence of the Maigre on the
coasts of Scotland had been hitherto recorded, and this was the
first in our own area, and indeed over the whole of the western
coast, till Cape Wrath is rounded. He could not preserve at the
time such a large fish, but he took a few of the scales, and these
were quite sufficient to enable an expert to identify the monster
by. Another item to which he invited the notice of the society
was one of the rarest birds which he had come upon in this area—
a specimen of the Ruff, shot on Tuesday, by Mr Quinn, the head
keeper at Lord Herries’s Caerlaverock estate, near the shore.
He had never previously seen this bird in the area, but he under-
stood that some three or four had been got at various times,
though a considerable period since. In the summer the bird has
a rich plumaged ruff or tippet, no two, however, being alike.
Some were barred with brown, some were almost black, and some
were white. Shortly after the breeding season was over the dress
of the summer disappeared, and the bird became a rather in-
elegant creature. Mr Service next exhibited two larvae of the
Death’s Head Moth, which had been found a week or two ago on
the farm of Townhead in Closeburn when potatoes were being
dug. At one time the Death’s Head Moth was an excessively rare
insect, and he had no doubt whatever that*at the present moment
it was becoming a comparatively common species. Year after
year they were being noted, whereas formerly five or six years
passed without one being heard of. He remembered the late Mr
Lennon, who was a most enthusiastic entomologist, saying to him
that it was quite an event in his life-time to find one of these
moths. In 1897 the president (Professor Scott-Elliot) brought
him a larva, which turned out to be the first specimen that was
ever got in Scotland. A second turned up that same season from
Kirkmahoe, but Professor Elliot’s was the first. In 1899 no

22 NATURAL History NOTES.

fewer than 26 larvee were found in different parts along the Gallo-
way coast. None were found in Dumfriesshire, but an odd
straggler or so were got about Kirkgunzeon and Corsock. Most
of them, however, were got about Colvend and Kirkbean. He
thought it likely that the larve might have originated from eggs
on the Ti tree—a tree which grows very luxuriously at Colvend,
and is known to be a favourite food of the larve. Not a single
one had reached the imago stage. The eggs and larve were not
in a natural environment here at all, and the tendency was for
these colonists to die out. Two years later—in 1901—some
larvee were got, but from that time till now none had been seen.
One moth was recorded from Thornhill last June, and it was just
likely that there might have been a small party of immigrants, one
of which had deposited eggs there. In 1898, one afternoon in
going home, when it was still bright daylight, he had the good
fortune to see one of these immense insects crawling up the wall of
one of the houses in Laurieknowe. He climbed after it up a
drop pipe, getting on to one of the windows at the risk of
being taken for a burglar, and secured it. A show had
passed by shortly before, and a boy’s comment on his proceeding
was that he was “after yin o’ the wild beasts’’ that had
escaped. He next exhibited an insect belonging to the same
division as the Death’s Head Moth, namely, the Convolvulus
Hawk Moth. This insect never seemed to become quite estab-
lished, although in recent years it had been much more in evidence
than it used to be when he first became acquainted with it.
These Hawk Moths, as they were called, had very strong powers
of flight, and there was no reason whatever why they should not
emulate the birds in their powers of getting across the country by
the overhead route, because they could fly as well as any bird,
and no doubt in the higher reaches they could get along as easily.
A number of years ago he got one of these moths from Sir George
Walker of Crawfordton, who took it from the sails of a yacht on
which he was travelling between Malta and Sicily. Another one
he had was got off the west coast of Ireland in an almost similar
way, having been taken from the sails of a fishing boat. Another
was taken from the sails of a boat sailing between the Isle of Man
and Whitehaven. These facts showed that the Hawk Moth was
accustomed to taking long flights at sea. He added that our area
had the honour of producing the only known instance in Scotland

NATURAL History NOTEs. 23

of the larve of the Sphinx Convolvuli, which were found in
Corsock.

The President said that the occurrence of the Maigre on the
Solway was especially interesting. Apparently it must have been
swept out of its native waters into the West Atlantic, and then
brought up the west coast, finally landing on our shores. The
fact was particularly interesting from the point of view of
botanical distribution, because he had never been able to find
out how it was that a special group of Portuguese plants—and the
Maigre was to be found chiefly in the Mediterranean and off the
North African and Portuguese coasts—colonised Cornwall and
the western coast of Ireland, and were to be found nowhere else.
In regard to the Death’s Head Moth, he should like to know
whether it was likely that it might become established here or
not. He remembered seeing off the Madagascar coast enormous
clouds of butterflies which had been swept off the land by a
breeze, and they could see the wretched things with their white
wings twinkling in the sun drifting away across the sea, where,
of course, they would be drowned. Was there any hope of our
ever having these moths prevalent here ?

Mr Service, in replying, said the President had raised an
interesting point, and that was as to the occurrence of some of
those southern forms in our latitudes. _It was pretty well known
that a number of fish that really belonged to the Mediterranean
fauna came up towards British shores each summer. ‘There was
a very well marked migration of the Mediterranean forms each
July, continuing as far on as to the middle of September. He
referred more especially to such fish as the Bonito, Germon
Bonito, Pelamid, Swordfish, and now the Maigre. What caused
these migration movements they could hardly ascertain. They
did not come north to breed as many other fish did. It might
be that they were after food, as the mackerel and some of their
congeners came in advance in larger shoals. As to whether
the Death’s Head and other moths were ever likely to form
permanent settlers here he was not sure from the information at
present in their possession. Perhaps five years ago we saw the
initiation of one of those warm periods—periods which were
hardly recognisable in the midst of those curious masses of figures
we got from meteorologists, but which were well enough defined.
Well, the prevailing feature of such weather was that from the

24 NATURAL History NOTEs.

end of Aoril till perhaps the middle of June we have a long
occurrence of pretty strong southerly and south-easterly winds.
These were known to bring migratory birds to Great Britain in
augmented numbers, and it would appear also that they brought
these strong winged species of lepidoptera. That migratory
process had again become very pronounced of late years. The
last warm period occurring in the early spring months came to
an end somewhere about 1865, but for thirty or thirty-three years —
before that it had continued. Since then there had been a
marked absence of these seasons till within a few years ago,
when these moths had become very noticeable.

Hoppom Bripce. By the late GrorcE IRVING.

The following correspondence, which relates to the building
of a bridge over the River Annan at Hoddom, followed upon
an agitation for its erection as a substitute for the old ferry boat,
led by the Duke of Queensberry on the west and Sir James
Johnstone of Westerhall, Sir William Maxwell, and other county
gentlemen on the east. Nothing could be done so long as Mr
George Sharp was laird of Hoddom, but pressure was again
brought to bear upon his brother Matthew on his succession to
the estate.

“Dear Sir,—Upon Tuesday’s night the water waxed un-
expectedly, and as I suppose the Boat had opened by the strength
of the water betwixt the Keel and the Boards, and being very
crasey, the reason for me thinking so is; That I found the pouls
and other Pieces of Timber that were louse within her floatins
in the Boat Pool, on Wednesday, which undoubtedly had gon:
out when she had sunk; I went next morning down to the foot
of the River; and to the Seafield, and Battlehill, and along the
coasts of Newby, in search of Her, but could Find nothing. On
Thursday morning I found her mostly all gone in Pieces in Scale’s
Pool, opposite to Turnshawhead, and thought to have got her out
but could not make it with all the hands I could get. Next day
I went to her again in order to see if I could get her out; and
took the Trows along with me, and went into the Pool and fixed
Ropes to the chain in order to draw her out, and the Stern, and
some of the Beams came from her along with the chain, and
Ropes, and the water being Pretty Big we lost sight of the

Hoppom BRIDGE. 25

Remains of Her, and could never see more of her, nor can I
make any more search for her till the water turns little, and
clear, and then I shall make all the search possably I can for
the Remains of Her; She had carried the stone that she was
fixed to alongst with Her and when I found Her there was not
one Link of the Chain Broke.—I am,

“Dr. Sir, Your most obedt. and most humble servant,

“Patt. Norris.
“ Halyards, ye 16 Novr., 1761.”

Addressed to Matthew Sharp of Hoddom, Esqr., at his
lodgings in Dumfries.

Extracts from Letter from Hoddom to Lord Garlies, Ist March,
1762.

Annan Bridge Tolls.

“ My Lord,-—TI am told that all Black-Cattle pay two shillings
per Score. Sheep I don’t remember what. A chaise a shilling.
A cart with two horses 1 sh. A cart with one horse 6d, and
every person on horseback $d. I know that the Cattle which
come in droves from the North Country by Moffat, and so come
not within 4 miles of Annan Bridge or town of Annan in their
way to England have been stoped at Ecclefechan and at Burns-
wark by the Tacksman of the Toll till they paid the toll as
alleged due to Annan Bridge. I do believe the Annan people
never had any regular tables made up of these tolls, for I cannot
recollect upon reading their act of Council sometime agoe there
was any such. It is but of late years that they had either chaise
or cart in that part of the country ; and now all our chaises from
Dumfries pay a shilling, and the Carlisle one horse carts with
merchant goods sixpence each. I have been told that this
bridge toll is yearly sett by Roupe sometimes at £100, and some-
times at £120; but the magistrates and Town Council who are
possessed of the records can only answer this. I am told they
have remitted £200 to their agent as part of the public revenue
for the Town at the expence of the Country. . . . It appears
there was a fund left for Building this Bridge and no doubt Annan
has a copy of Doctor Johnstone’s will as well as Dumfries.

I would have sent you a copy of the will, but as Mr Johnstone
of Carnsalloch can direct you where to have an authentick
extract from the Register of the Prorogative Court of Canterbury,

26 Hoppom BRIDGE.

I thought it was needless. The Exrs. nominate in the will and
codicil did administrate 18th October and 4 Novr., 1639, and
Lord Johnstone with Sir David Cunningham of Robertland were
overseers to the Exrs. in seeing the Will duly executed. In the
Codicil there is £3000 left to Lord Johnstone to be applied to pious
uses in Scotland which I imagine went the same way with the
£500. . . . We have reason to complain that the town of
Annan did not get the family of Annandale to apply the money
left, but rather took, as they alledge, that very sum by way of
loan from that family, for that purpose, and we therefor obliged
to pay a toll at Annan Bridge, while all the other Bridges in the
County are free to them and every body. . . . The North
Country have reason to complain of paying this toll for the Cattle
that come by Moffat on their way to England which are never
within 4 miles of either the town or Bridge of Annan.

I am with the utmost regard,

My Lord,
Your Lordship’s most obedt. and most humble
servant,

“ Mattw. SHARPE.
“Dumfries, March 1, 1762.’

Hoddom Bridge.

In a letter without date, but evidently 1762, Matthew Sharp
of Hoddom writes about the proposal to build a bridge over the
Annan at Hoddom, now known as Hoddom Bridge :—

“Dear Sir,—I had a letter from Sir Robt. Laurie at Edinr.
by last post wherein he writes me that Lord Garlies wants an
explanation of the enclosed note for himself and the other
members which he desires me to send him. I have wrote him
all I know about it which I desired him to communicate and
could have been more particular had I been in ye country to
have had the information of my tennants. But I shall freely
write you my reasons for opposing the toll at the Bridge of Annan
which are in some measure particular as to my self.

Sir James Johnstone and the late Sir Willm. Maxwell and
the gentlemen from Esdale, had long insisted for a Bridge over
Annan (Water) near to Hoddom (Castle), which my Brother
would not consent to as he must have sunk five pound as the Rent
of his boat and made the road much more publick by his house

Hoppom Brice. 27

and through the most of his whole lands which are arable
ground. But this Sir Will Maxwell and other Gentlemen in
that part of ye Country and Esdale insisted with me what
advantage it would be to the Country in generall and them in
particular to have a Bridge as the Boat did not answer frequently.
To which I consented, knowing that the then toll at Annanbridge
will soon expire. If the toll is continued at Annan Bridge and
the Bridge at Hoddom to be built free, I shall have the whole
Galloway Droves to pass my Door and my planting destroyed and
the tenants’ ground abused. ‘There is another inconveniency
that has not been adverted to. There is a road thro’ Locharmoss
by which the Drovs will then come which was made at greater
expense and in which I had a grat hand, and is of great advantage
to the Country and myself, as it makes me four miles nearer the
town of Dumfries in place of going the round by Tinwald and
Lochar Bridge. If the Galloway Droves go that way for Two
years it will make that road so bad that it will not be in the
power of the Town of Dumfries to support the expense thereof
to which they are bound. It is at present in a bad state and
the Town grudges the repairs upon it already, and you may be
sure the Drovers will take the roads that are attended with the
least expense.

“T think it hard to raise a publick revenue to the Burgh of
Annan at the expense of the Country to Drink and Squander
away which is the use that is most generally made of it. But
if the D. Q. (Duke of Queensberry) shall think it will tend to the
public good of the Country you have my consent to it, however
I may think my own private interest may suffer.—I am, Dr. Sir,

“Your most affect. humble sert.,

“ MAaATTW. SHARP.”’
No address is upon the letter.

The bridge was built, and has been a great comfort and
convenience to the public ever since.

RaAtsInc DOUBLE POLYANTHUSES AND PRIMROSES FROM SEEDS.
By the SECRETARY.

As is well known to most, a number of double Primroses and
Polyanthuses have been cultivated in gardens for many
years. From time to time additions have been made to their

28 DousLE PoLYANTHUSES AND PRIMROSES FROM SEED.

number, but these have generally been the result of what may be
termed chance seedlings appearing in gardens or among plants
raised from the single forms and sown without any definite purpose
beyond that of raising single-flowered varieties. Some interesting
experiments which have come under my own observation may be
considered worthy of consideration, and these may perhaps induce
some of the members of our society to begin similar work upon
the same or other lines. The experiments were made by Mr P.
Murray Thomson, S.S.C., Edinburgh, the Secretary of the Royal
Caledonian Horticultural Society. Mr Murray Thomson applied
the pollen of a double Polyanthus called platypetala plena to-a
single white Primrose. From the seeds which resulted a number
of seedlings were produced. When these flowered all were single
and none were white. These were allowed to seed without any
attempt to cross-fertilise them artificially, and the result has
been a number of plants of various colours, some of them white,
like the original seed bearing progenitor, and a considerable pro-
portion of double flowers, almost entirely of the Polyanthus or
bunch-flowered types. | Out of a number of these seedlings sent
to me for trial I had one good double flowered one of a light
purple colour. Mr Murray Thomson has, however, some which
are more double than my one, and of considerable variety of
colouring. There are whites, pale yellows, pinks, roses,
magentas, and purples.

One of the most remarkable things about this experiment has
been the fact that the first cross gave no double flowers, and that
it was not until the next generation that the double flowers ap-
peared. This suggests several considerations in our treatment of
the interesting study of the heredity of plant characters.

17th November, 1906.

Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

New MemsBers.—Miss Thomson, Langlands Place, Dum-
fries; Mr W. R. Farish, Amisfield Tower; and Mr J. G. Drum-
mond, Sandon, Dumfries.

SEEDLING POTATOES. 29
ReEpPorRT REGARDING VOTING CARDS.

The Secretary submitted a report from the Council regarding
the result of the vote on the question of the night of meeting,
together with a recommendation that the Friday be adhered to.
This recommendation was adopted.

A report from the Council was submitted recommending the
appointment of a committee to revise the rules, and it was remitted
to the Council to revise them and to submit a report to the Society.

SEEDLING POTATOES.

A number of Seedling Potatoes raised by Mr W. R. Farish,
Amisfield Tower, Dumfries, were exhibited, and the following
record of their parentage, treatment, and yield, was submitted by
Mr Farish, and read by the Secretary.

The following are the varieties of seedling potatoes:

Parentage. No. of Tubers.

A. 1. Dobbie’s Central As sha Ic Late
B. 1. Do. ee jae De af
A. 3. Northern Star ... 58 RAY 14 5
A. 4. The Crofter ... ibe aus 12 5
B. 4 Do. ane ae cae 20 op
CA7e Do. ‘a aA BE 17 -
A 5. Fidler’s Record Ab fe 12 Early
A. 6. Duchess of Cornwall ... 500 25 Late
A. 7. Up-to-Date... te is 12 3
B. 7 Do. ose a a 20 2nd Early
CARTE Do. 936 AC “ae 17 +
A. 9. The Factor ... on ove 7 Late

All the same numbers are from the same plum.

TREATMENT.

March 28th, 1905—Sowed seed under glass. April 28th,
1905—Pricked into boxes. May, 18th, 1905—Planted outside,
30 inches apart in the rows and 12 inches between the plants,
and put a slate deep down between each variety to keep them from
mixing. The plot was manured with farmyard manure in autumn
and dug down. In spring it was sown with kanit, and later

30 Tue FAuNA oF GLENCAIRN. III. THE FIsHEs.

covered with leaf mould, which was dug down, after having lain
on the surface for a week or two. When planting out I gave each
plant some sand to give the tender rootlets a chance. When
ready I gradually earthed them up, giving them occasionally a
little kainit and superphosphates. | When I raised them on the
5th October, if I had a shaw showing any disease, I discarded the
lot, but I had only four shaws showing any.

THE FauNA OF GLENCAIRN. III. Tue FisHes. By Dr J. W.
Martin, Newbridge.

1.—TuHE PIKE oR Jack (LZsox luctus).

The curse of many of our fine trout lochs and streams. It is
more numerous than most rod fishers desire, but of late years it
has not been seen in any quantity in the river Cairn to my know-
ledge, although still numerous in Loch Urr in the confines of the
parish. It seems there to have almost exterminated the trout, and
takes toll of young mallard, black-headed gulls, and any other
chicks that come within reach of its terrible jaws. From a rod
fisher’s point of view it is almost worthless, giving little sport, as
it is necessary to use very strong tackle to resist the sharp teeth
and consequently is more easily brought to net. Their flesh is
also coarse and dry, and is only palatable when disguised by the
skill of some culinary artist. It is extremely retentive of life, and
instances have been recorded of its survival after hours out of the
water. Stories of its voracity are numerous. Some years ago
several were caught in this district weighing from 5 to 10 Ibs., all
by night lines. The Pike lives in a hole principally, and there
watches for its prey, which is very multifarious. Its colour is
olive brown on the back, lighter hue on the sides varied with green
and yellow, while the abdomen is silvery white.

2.—THE PeERcH (Ferca fluviatilis).

Unless it be in Loch Urr or private ponds, I do not think
there are any in the Cairn or its tributaries.

3.—Trovut (Salmo fario).

The Trout is still fairly plentiful in most of the burns and
streams of the parish and district, but not nearly so numerous or
well-grown as it seems to have been fifty years ago. Odd fish,

Tue Fauna or GLENCAIRN. III. THE FISHES. 31

however, still run to considerable weight, one killed near the
village of Moniaive two years ago turning the scale at 5} Ibs., while
two others weighed over 3 lbs. The silting up of many of the old
spawning beds, through the excessive draining on the hills, and
the consequent sudden spates, may have helped to diminish their
numbers ; but it is also accounted for by the extra number of rods
now on the water compared to former times. [Other agencies
may be affecting the ova, such as tame ducks, otters, birds, etc.]
The dastardly practices of the night poachers, with salmon roe,
net, and other illegal methods, contribute also to decrease the
number of trout. In the Cairn the trout vary very much in
colour. In the deeper parts one often gets them very dark,
whereas others are of a beautiful clear yellow colour, with the
flesh of a pinky shade. The spawning season extends from
November to February, and one rarely kills a well-mended
“Kelt ’? before May. They quickly improve about the season
of early spring. The burnie or moor trout might be called a
distinct variety or species, seeing that it spawns in its habitat. It
is dark in colour and of smaller size. The bulltrout, according to
some, is probably a full-sized river trout. It is classified as Salmo
eriox, and corresponds to the griseus or gray trout of the Welsh
rivers. It resembles the salmon, but is inferior to eat. It is often
mistaken for salmon or grilse, and is sometimes sold as such, but
may be easily detected from the body being more thickly spotted
with brown, and the paler colour of its flesh when cut. I have
not heard of them being taken in the Cairn, although they have
deen killed in the Annan. They are very common in the Tweed.
It ascends rivers to spawn, and visits the sea to recuperate, like
the salmon. It is possible they may have been taken in mistake
for salmon in this district. The great lake trout, Salmo ferox, is
not found to my knowledge in any of the lochs in the district.

4.—MInNow (Leuciscus phoscimus)
Is fairly numerous, and may be seen in considerable shoals in
the shallow back-water of the Cairn during the summer months.

5.—LoacuH (Namaechilus barbatula).

This somewhat sluggish fish is fairly plentiful in most of our
streams, though nowhere can it be said to be numerous ; although
its brownish colour, which matches so perfectly the stones among

32 Tue Fauna oF GLENCAIRN. III. THE FISHEs.

which it rests, and its habit of keeping for the most part to the
bed of the river, may help to conceal its numbers. It is locally
known as the “beardie,’’ and I remember well while attending
the parish school we used to consider it a great amusement to
go “nicking beardies.’’ It is of small size, rarely exceeding 5 or
6 inches in length, and is easily identified by the 6 barbels on the
upper jaw, which, no doubt, give to it its local name of “ beardie.””
It belongs to the carps. The Bullhead or Miller’s Thumb (Cazus
gobio) is another common fresh water fish very like the above in
habit and appearance, but I am not aware that it is found in this
locality (the Cairn).

6.—-Tur STICKLEBACK (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

The 3-Spined Stickleback is the only variety found in the
Cairn or neighbouring lochs, and one can call to mind the pleasure
with which you admired its brilliant colouring when just brought to
land in a small net, or even with the hands among the gravel,
together with a lot of minnows. This colouring we now know is
peculiar to the male at the spawning season. It does not appear
to be numerous, and is not a desirable acquisition to the river
from the fisher’s point of view: this because of its pugnacious
habits and voracious appetite for the fry of other fish.

7.—FLOUNDER, SCOTCH FLUKE, SWEDISH FLUNDRAS (Lleuronectis

Jiesus).

Is not found in the Cairn of the higher district, but is so in
some of its affluents into the Nith. It may here be remarked that
there are extensive falls over high rocks above Cluden Mills which
prevent fish of various kinds from ascending the Cairn.

Here in this connection may be mentioned the

8.—GRAYLING (Zhymallus vulgaris),

which is very plentiful below the falls and down to the Nith.
This fish is characterised by a larger dorsal fin, and the flavour

of the flesh when newly cooked is compared to wild thyme, hence
the generic name (title). It may grow to 4 or 5 lbs. weight, and

is in best condition from October to November.
9.—EEL (Anguilla vulgaris).

The Common Eel is very plentiful in this district, and often
proves a great nuisance to the juvenile bait fisher, from its sly

THE FAUNA OF GLENCAIRN. III. Tue FIsHEs. 33

mode of removing the bait without being hooked, and tangling
the tackle when landed by the twisting and turning of its slimy
body. They do not grow to any great size, although one was
taken in the Dardarroch portion of the Cairn within recollection
that weighed several pounds, and was fully two inches in diameter
and over three feet long. Their mode of propagation was a
much discussed subject among naturalists for many years, but it
is now generally believed that they migrate to the sea for the
purpose of spawning, the young alone returning, while the old
ones die. The Eel is not much prized as food, at least in this
district, though when denuded of its skin and well cooked it is
not at all unpalatable. Skinned eel tails make good bait for
catching pike. I have known of a tame eel fed by a person
daily in a burn on curds. It came regularly for its meal.

Often when drains are cleaned out in marshy land eels are
found in great abundance imbedded in the mud. They may be
hybernating or at least fasting.

10.—Lamprey (Petromyzon fluviatilis)

does not occur above the Falls of Cluden in this district.
I have already brought a specimen before the Society and shortly
described it-—-caught at Cluden Rocks, 18th October, 1901; 22
inches in length, and evidently a female.

11.—SaLmon (Sa/mo salar).

This king of British river fishes is not so plentiful in the
Cairn or its tributaries as it used to be, owing to the many
obstacles which it has to encounter on its annual journey from
the sea, for the purpose of spawning. Few, if any, find their
way to the higher reaches of the river before the month of July,
and these of moderate weight—the largest I ever heard of being
taken weighed about 15 Ibs. The general run is from 3 to 10 lbs.,
fish of the latter weight being scarce. It quickly loses its bril-
lant silver sheen in the clear waters of the Cairn, and although
it gives good sport in the autumn, the flesh of fish caught then is
generally soft and without flavour, as it is almost impossible to
secure a fish that has been less than a week out of the sea, owing
to some of the rocks it has to surmount being impassible, except
during a heavy flood. They may consequently have been in the
river for a month before reaching the higher portions of the

34 Tue FAUNA OF GLENCAIRN. III. THE FISHEs.

district. The Cairn has many splendid pools suitable for salmon,
and might be one of the best rivers in Scotland had the fish free
access from the sea.

12.—Sra Trour (Salmo trutta).

The Sea Trout, though found, is not at all plentiful in the
Cairn, a few being caught by rod each season. I saw one taken
that weighed 3 lbs., but the average for this district is from 1 to
2 lbs. It is considered a migratory variety of the common brock
Trout, but there is such a diversity of opinion regarding the
various salmondiz that it is difficult to decide regarding them.
There is no doubt, however, as to their resemblance to the
common trout during the spawning season, though they are
beautifully silvered and dotted with black spots when they first
quit the sea on their annual migration. In the South of Scotland
it is known in its grilse state by the name of Herling, and in other
parts of the country as Phinnock or Pinnock or Whinnock, also
Whitling.

GLEANINGS OF OLD Dumrrigs. By E. J. Cutnnocx, LL.D.

UPKEEP OF THE CASTLES.

1291, Nov. 25.—To Sir Alexander de Bayllol, chamberlain,
or to those holding his place within the aforesaid kingdom,
William de Boyville, knight warden of the Castle of Dounfries,
Kyrkcutbriht, and Wyggetone, wishes health, Know that I have
received from the baillies of the burgh of Dounfries £8 of the
Sterlings for the support of my house held in the aforesaid castle,
by the hand of Robert de Nam, burgess of the same burgh from
his farm the term of St. Martin last past, and therefore I beg you
to be so kind as to allocate to the same baillies the aforesaid
money of £8 within the sum of money which you owe to me for the
custody of the aforesaid castle assigned to me by the illustrious
prince the lord Edward king of England & superior lord of the
kingdom of Scotland. In evidence of which thing I have had
this my letter patent given to the same baillies. Given at Doun-
fries, on the day of St. Katerine in the year of Grace 1291.

1292, March 24.—W. & R., by divine permission bishops of
St. Andrews & Glasgow, John Cumyn, James the seneschal of
Scotland & Brian son of Brian, guardians of the kingdom of Scot-

GLEANINGS OF OLD DuMFRIES. 3)

land, appointed by the most serene prince lord Edward, by the
grace of God, the illustrious king of England, superior lord of
Scotland to Alexander de Balliol, chamberlain of Scotland, or to
those who hold their place or deligated, wish health. | We com-
mand you in the name of the same king of England and order
you to pay to Richard Siward, knight, 40 marks of the Sterlings
for the three castles in Galloway & Nithsdale of which he has the
custody, protection & entry from the Lord’s day (23 March) next
after the feast of St. Cuthbert the Confessor last passed, and do
not omit this. And we will make the said 40 marks to be allo-
cated to you more fully in your first accounts. In evidence of
which thing we have had this letter patent sealed with the seal
designed for the rule of the kingdom of Scotland. Given at Edin-
burgh 24th day of March in the year of Grace 1291.

THE SUPPORT OF THE HOLy FRIARS.

1297, Novr. 23.—Edward by the grace of God king of Eng-
land, lord of Ireland and duke of Aquitaine, to his treasurer of
Scotland health. We command you to examine the rolls of
Alexander, formerly king of Scotland, & of John, lately king of
Scotland, which you have in your keeping as it is said, of the’
accounts themselves rendered of the farms of the towns of Bere-
wyke, Rokesburghe, Hadintone, Dumfres, & Forfare, from which
farm of Berewyke the Minor Friars of Berewyke each week in
the year for their support 3 shillings and a pise of wax yearly
(120 pounds); and of which farm of Rokesburghe the Minor
Friars of Roxburghe each week in the year 3. shillings &
18 stones of wax for the support of the light in their
church, and one cask of wine per annum for celebrating divine
service there ; and from which farm of Hadintone the Minor Friars
of Hadintone 3 shillings each week in the year for their support,
and from which farm of Dumfres the Minor Friars of Dumfres
each week in the year for their support 3 shillings & 17 stone of
wax and one pipe of wine per annum; & of which farm of Forfar,
the Minor Friars of Dundee £10 of the Sterlings & 20 lbs. of wax
per annum by different charters formerly of the king of Scotland;
what the same friars have thence they have been accustomed to
receive as they assert, of that which happens to be found in the
aforesaid rolls of the receiving & allocation of all the things which
the aforesaid friars claim to have, inform without delay our be-

36 GLEANINGS OF OLD DuMFRIES.

loved and faithful John earl of Warenne, guardian of the kingdom
& land of Scotland, remitting to him this brief. Witness J. Earl
of Warenne, guardian of the kingdom & land of Scotland at
Jeddeworthe, 23rd day of November in the year of our reign 25th.
(On the back)—For the Minor Friars—In the time of King Alex-
ander, in the year of Grace 1281, Dunfres. Item, in support of
the Minor Friars of that year 117 shillings. Item, to the same
Minor Friars of Dunfres from the enquiry of the sheriff of Dunfres
it is found as follows:—Item, 17 stones of wax, 5 shillings.

COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE SHERIFF.

April, 1304.—Complaints against Sir Matheu de Redman,
sheriff of Dumfries. He imprisoned William Jargon, & notwith-
standing a fine of 40 shillings given for his goodwill, impressed all
the carts in the country & carried off William’s corn to the value
of 10 Marks. And though the king of his grace gave William and
other goodmen of Dumfries seisin of the land Sir Matthew by
duress extorted fines from them, some 1 mark & others more or
less, forgetting possession, and he and his sergeants seek occasion
to grieve & distress the poor people by tallages. When William,
who was in the king’s service guarding the town, saw Sir Mat-
thew’s outrages and was going to complain to the Guardian and
Treasurer, Sir Matthew seized his horse & keeps it to his damage
of 100 shillings & more. He also took all the beasts that came
one market day to the number of 100 oxen & cows, and afterwards
took fines before delivering them except 5 cows which he sent to
Stirling ; 2 of these being taken from a poor stranger Thomas of
Hardingstone by name, who had bought them for 16 sh. & keeps
them still, though his sergeant had 6 pence to deliver them up.
John de Heytone prays remedy from the king & council against the
said Sir Matheu, who has disseised him of the land he held of the -
Hospital of St. John both before & since the war ; & has done the
same lawlessly & by means of champerty with Malkun of Ter-
regles, made at the king’s last parliament of St. Andrews as
contained in the following transcript of said champerty :—

Transcript.—Letters patent by Matheu de Redeman declaring
that as Malcolm of Terregles is due to him 100 marks sterling by a
recognisance in the king’s chancery of St. Andrews payable by
equal portions at Easter and Michaelmas next, he binds himself
& his heirs, if Malcolm gives & enfeoffes him in one half of all his

GLEANINGS OF OLD DumMrRrIES. 37

lands, rents & debts which he acquires by plea or otherwise in the
county of Dumfries (provided he always goes by the granter’s
advice) to free him from the recognisances. | Appends his seal.
Done at St Andrews 28 March in the king’s 32nd year. He also
took from John’s plough worth 2 sh. against law ejected him from
12 tofts in Dumfries called “ our Lady’s tofts,’’ which John held
in mortgage & detains them to his damage of 100 sh. & more.
Also from the tofts & burgages formerly of Gilberd le fitz Bel., of
which John was possessed before & since the war, and has given
seisin of them by means of champerty to John the Grocer, who was
never in seisin before the war, nor his father nor mother brother
or sister, nor uncle or aunt, and has done this in the petitioner’s
absence to his damage of £10 & more, as if the lands had been in
the king’s hands, wherease John was always of the king’s party.
(Endorsed)—The Guardian of these parts, the Chamberlain of
Scotland, James de Dallileghe & Friar Ralph de Lindebee,
warden of the Hospital of St. John or 3 or 2 of them, are ap-
pointed to hear & determine the case. The Chamberlain of Scot-
land to issue the appointment under the Great Seal of Scotland.
(From Bain’s Calendar of State Papers.)

1302-4.—Account of James de Dalileye, clerk for escheats
south of the Frith in the 3lst & 32nd years of Edward I. The
County of Dumfries. He accounted for 9 sh. of the farms of the
king’s demesnes of Dumfries by the hands of John de Bix for
Pentecost last and for £15 of the farm of Metoun of Dumfries by
same hands, for Pentecost & Martinmas terms, and for 23 sh.
received from the farms of Gurdona, Aleynton, and Alisland by
same hands for same terms. Total £16 12s.

For 1304-5.—The same James de Dalileye states that the
issues for Dumfries are:—From Sir Matthew de Redman, sheriff,
from the issues of his baillary, 100 sh. From said sheriff from
the issues of same :—£30. ;

1305-6.—Account of Gervase Avenel & William Matkynson,
John Semerles & John the Lang, bailies of the burgh of Dumfres
from the said 15th day of October until the feast of St. Michael
next following. The-same render account of the farm of the town
of Dounfres from the term of St. Martin & Whitsuntide last past
of £9 17s 8d, & of 2 shillings coming from the burgage of William
Malkymson in the same burgh, being in the king’s hand by the
eviction of John, son of Laghlan & John Mounville for the time

38 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMERIES.

aforesaid of 16 pence of yearly rent coming from a certain tene-
ment of William Malkymson in the town afore said, remaining in
the king’s hand by eviction of William de Hay, and 8 pence rent
coming from the tenement of Gilbert the Smyth in the same town
remaining in the king’s hand by the eviction of the same Gilbert,
there is no reply, because the said two tenements lie waste at the
time of this account. Of one tenement in the same burgh remains
in the king’s hand by the eviction of Earl Patrick, there is no reply
because the said tenement was waste at the time of this account.
The sum of the whole received £10 1s, which they paid upon their
account and are quiet.

FORTIFICATION OF CAERLAVEROCK.

1305-6.—Account of Sir James de Dalilegh for Carlaverock
Castle of the Fortification of the Castle of Carlaverock. To Sir
James de Dalilegh, clerk, for wages of William de Percy, John de
Geodeston, & six of their comrades, men at arms & 20 foot archers,
one of whom is a serjeant, dwelling within the fortification of the
Castle of Carlaverock by order & arrangement of Sir Henry de
Percy, then the king’s Lieutenant in Scotland, from 29 May to 17
July, both days being reckoned for 1 day, to each man at arms 12
pence a day & to the sergeant 4 pence & each foot archer 2 pence
a day :—£28 15s.

FORTIFICATION OF TYBRES.

To the same for the wages of Robert Belle & his comrades
men at arms & 6 foot archers, dwelling within the fortification of
the castle of Tybres by the arrangement of the king from 22
February till 25th September, both days being reckoned, for 216
days, to each man at arms, serjeant, & foot soldier per day as
before £223 4s.

FORTIFICATION OF DURRISDEER.

To the same for the wages of Robert Belle & his three
comrades men at arms & 12 foot archers, dwelling within the
fortification of the Castle of Dorresdere by the arrangement of the
king himself from 1 May till 30 July, each day reckoned, for 91
days, each man at arms & foot soldier receives per day as before
£27 6s.

(From the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland.) 20th
James Ist, 1425, at Edinburgh, 24 January.—The king has

{

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES. 39

granted to Hugh Makgilhanche, burgess of Dumfress, to his heirs,
and assigns the tenement in the burgh of Dumfresse which was
formerly John Smerles’s, & has come into the king’s hand by
reason of escheat, lying on the west side of the great street of the
same between the land of the Provost of Linclouden on the one
side and the land of Thomas Gibson on the other side. The farm of
and the land of Thomas Gibson on the other side. The farm of
the burgh & other services owed & accustomed to be paid to the
king ; and to the heirs & assigns formerly of D. Duncan de’ Kyl-
patrick of Thorthorwald, knight, 5 shillings & 4 pence yearly.

Ist December, 1906.

Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

New Memper.—Mr A. Weatherstone, Bank of Scotland,
Dumfries.

Oxp Pusiic LIBRARIES IN DumFRIES. By G. W. SHIRLEY.

1717.—That is the first date I can find on which mention of a
library in Dumfries is made. It occurs in Dr Burnside’s MSS.
“History of Dumfries ’’ among his extracts from the Presbytery
records. The portion relating to the Presbytery library is as fol-
lows :—“ 4th September, 1717—The first regulations anent the
library. 11th March, 1730—The library purged. 2nd February,
1731—Ten pounds received for the books sold. 4th March,
1729—A house for the library to be built. The town to pay £60
and the Presbytery £30 upon their obtaining a legal transmission
of the piece of ground, and of such a share of the house as is con-
descended upon. For this sum the ministers gave their bill, Ist
April, 1730.”

I have here an old MSS. catalogue, unfortunately incomplete
and without date, of the books belonging to the Presbytery of
Dumfries. It is possibly the original MS. of the catalogue printed
in 1784 by Robert Jackson, Dumfries, which is preserved among
the books of the Antiquarian Society. This catalogue runs to 50
pages. It is well printed, and shows the press and shelf of each
book. The majority of the books are theological and ecclesiasti-

40 Otp PusLic LIBRARIES IN DUMFRIES.

cal, but there are many of general interest, including classics in
the original, and French and Spanish works. There are many
collections of Acts of Parliament, and many English classics of
great value, including Sir Thomas Browne, Sir Walter Raleigh,
Bacon, Butler, Baxter, Samuel Rutherford, etc. That many odd
books had crept into the collection is apparent from the following
entries :—“ Balmford’s Application of Habbakuk’s Prayer to the
Present Times,’’ “ Beddle Dispossessed, or his Catechism Re-
formed,’’ “ Byefield on Mineral Waters,’’ “ Bradshaw on Justifica-
tion,’’ “ Beer: Warm Preferable to Cold,’’ etc. There is also
quite a collection of books on fruit culture. Many of the entries
are of great interest to the bibliographer, including as they do a
great many first and curious editions.

There is an abiding tradition to the effect that the library con-
tained a prayer book which was used by Charles the First at his
execution. ‘Two Common Prayer Books, dated respectively 1637
and 1549, appear among the entries, though the former, being a
folio, is not likely to have been the book in question.

I have here also the record-book of issues—unfortunately also
incomplete. The first entry is “ July 12, 1732, given out to Mr
Robinson, The Feeholder (a book edited by Addison) and Watts
on Practical Religion,’”’ the entry being signed by Alex. Robisone.
Names occurring frequently in the book are Ed. Buncle, Geo.
Duncan, W. M‘Millan, Rob. Patoun, Will. Irvine, Luke Gibson,
Rob. Wight.

This issue-book also reveals the fact that in 1736 an arrange-
ment was come to by which citizens might use the library on the
payment of a fee. | The entry is as follows :—* March 8th, 1736.
—The names of those who entered cives and agreed to observe the
rules relating to the library on their part, which by their respective
subscriptions they oblige themselves to do—-John Gilchrist, Jo.
Hynes, Thos. Kirkpatrick, Jas. Dickson, Jas. Ewart, Alex. Cop-
land.’’ The next entries are for the second year, and the sub-
scription is five shillings. ‘These entries finish with the name of
Capt. Riddell of Caryeld (Carzield?), Feb. 22, 1771.

Nothing more have I been able to find about this Presbytery
library until 1885. The Presbytery-house at this time had got
into a semi-ruinous condition, and the books were in a very
neglected state. A committee was appointed, consisting of Dr
Wilson, Mr Underwood, and the Rev. Mr Weir, which attempted

Otp Pus Lic LIBRARIES IN DUMFRIES. 41

to make up a revised catalogue, but the work involved a good
deal of labour, and was never completed. Ultimately it was de-
cided to send the books to the General Assembly’s library in Edin-
burgh. This was done in 1885. They are now well preserved,
and it is probable that a catalogue of them will be forthcoming
shortly.

1750.—About this date must have been founded “ The
Society Library,’’ for it is advertised in Oliver and Boyd for 1845,
as having been “ Established a century ago.’’ It had in 1845
thirty proprietors, and the librarian was John Sinclair.

The only other record of this library that I have found is the
“Catalogue of The Society Library, Dumfries, taken 24th June,
1851,’’ at which time it contained some 2300 volumes. From the
rules it appears that the subscription was £1, and that members of
the Dumfries and Galloway Club were eligible to the use of the
library on the same terms as the original proprietors. The
librarian’s salary was £4 annually.

What became of the library I have failed entirely to discover.
The list of members in 1851 was as follows:—Robert Adamson,
John Babington, W. T. Carruthers, Col. Clark, rep. of the late
Thos. Clark, John Clark, James Connell, John H. Craik, rep. of
the late Thomas Crichton, Major Davis, John Laurie, Admiral
Lennox, John Lyon, J. M. Leny, A. H. Maxgwell, Wellwood
Maxwell, Francis Maxwell, William Maxwell, Sir J. S. Menteath,
Bart., J. Macmorrin, W. M‘Lellan, John Staig, R. Threshie.

It evidently existed as late as 1859, for among the final entries
is Darwin’s Origin of Species. The collection was a very fine
general one, rich in travel, biography, and history. As it appears
to have been the finest collection of then current literature
gathered in Dumfries, I should like very much to learn what
became of it.

1792.—The Dumfries Public Library was established in this
year “as a general benefit to the town and neighbourhood.”’
Burns’ connection with it has kept it in greater prominence than
any of the other libraries. An advertisement in the “ Courier ”’
dated Nov. 14, 1838, informs us that the committee propose re-
ducing the entrance fee from ten to three guineas to induce more
members to join. At that time they state that they have a library
of 3000 volumes of standard excellence. There were seventy-
two subscribers in 1841, From 1841 to 1851 at any rate, the

42 O.Lp PusBLic LIBRARIES IN DUMFRIES.

subscription was 10s, and the librarian was James M‘Robert. At
the latter date (1851) they had 1400 volumes in their possession,
a considerable reduction on the former estimate, you will notice.

1811.—In the “ Courier ’”’ for September 24, 1811, appeared
an advertisement inviting proposals of members for the Subscrip-
tion Reading Room.

1819.—This is the earliest date I can find upon a book be-
longing to the Dumfries Law Library. It occurs in an inscription
on a copy of Stair’s “ Institutes, 1681,’’ and states that the book
was presented by Christopher Smyth in 1819. The collection of
the “ Dictionary of Decisions ’’ dates from 1811, so it is possible
the library may have existed earlier than 1819. Many of the
books are dated 1852. In 1865 the Faculty of Procurators of
Dumfriesshire was constituted and the Library properly taken care
of. It is now a collection of 500 or 600 volumes, almost entirely
law books. About this date also must have existed the Dumfries
Medical Library, of which a few books are still in private hands in
the town. The date of its origin and dispersal I have failed to
find.

1825.—The Mechanics’ Institute—A preliminary meeting to
form this was held in the Trades’ Hall on Tuesday evening, March
15, 1825, with Provost Thomson in the chair. On April 1 a meet-
ing of subscribers was held, and office-bearers were appointed as
follow :—President, Provost Thomson ; vice-president, Mr Thom-
son, architect ; treasurer, Mr Barker, Bank of Scotland ; secretary,
Mr Carson, writer ; with fourteen ordinary members of committee
and four honorary members.

The project was taken up with great avidity. On May 3rd
John Staig (collector of customs) had presented them with £500,
and William Taylor with £330. By May 23rd there was a mem-
bership of 200. The books that had been presented were valued
at over £70, and the library was opened in a room in the Academy
set apart by the magistrates for that purpose. The original sub-
scription was 8s, and 4s for children of members and apprentices.
Lectures were regularly given and classes held on mechanics and
science in the Assembly Rooms.

Its fortunes were very varied. It appears to have possessed
some 600 volumes in 1838, and an exhibition was held in the old
Assembly Rooms in 1841 “to reduce,’’ says M‘Dowall, “the
debt on the erection of the hall,’’ though it does not appear what

Op Pusric LiprARIES IN DuMFRIES. 43

hall. It twice or thrice almost ceased to exist. I find that in 1855
Messrs Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, made a goodly present of
books to the Institute. Among these are two notable ones—“ The
Strayed Reveller, and other Poems,’’ by A., 1849. This is
marked “ From the Author’’ on the fly-leaf, and is the first
edition of Matthew Arnold’s poem. It is valued at about £2
now. The other is “ The Seraphim, and other Poems,”’’ by E. B.
Barrett, 1838. This would have been valuable had it not been
badly mutilated.

In 1861 the Mechanics’ Hall was erected, and in June, 1865,
an exhibition was held again to reduce debt. We have here
copies of the catalogues of both exhibitions. At what date the
Institute came into the possession of the books of the Dumfries
Public Library I have not been able to determine. It must have
been before 1877, for the catalogue (pp. 64) of that date is
divided throughout into two sections “ D.’’ and “ M.,’’ and many
of the books at present in our reference department correspond
with the “D.’’ section. The “D.’’ section at that date is clearly
the better one. Both sections contain fiction. I have also a
catalogue (pp. 61) dated 1895, which shows considerable change
in the Library—a decided decline on that of 1877. In 1897 a
large addition of nearly 1400 volumes was made by the legacy of
the Rev. W. N. Dodds. It was a very mixed addition indeed, but
contained many good books. The three collections together
amounted to 6995 volumes when handed over in 1903 to the
Ewart Public Library. 1200 were available for the lending de-
partment. Practically all the fiction had to be destroyed.

1863.—The first presentations made to your own library were
in 1863. One of them, “The King’s Quair, a Poem by James
the First, ed. by E. Thomson, Air, 1815,’’ I have here. In 1881
the collection was housed, by agreement, in the Observatory, and
consisted of 37 volumes, besides a great many pamphlets and
transactions. Subsequently it was removed to the restored
Presbytery-house, and finally to this building. The Robert
Dinwiddie Library was presented in 1891, and consisted of some
240 volumes. A complete catalogue of the collection was
published in 1898.

1840 (?).—There must now be mentioned the congregational
libraries in the town, which latterly became important. The
first of these was Loreburn Street U.P. Church. It was founded

44 Oxp Pustic LiprARIES IN DuMFRIES.

during the ministry of the Rev. James Clyde—that is, before
1851.—It has at present over 900 volumes.

1883.—Next in point of date is Irving Street Congregational
Church. It was started in 1883 with half-a-dozen volumes, the
Rev. W. H. Pulsford being the moving spirit. It now has 300
very well selected volumes.

1888.—The congregational library of Greyfriars’ was estab-
lished in 1888. There have been at least two catalogues com-
piled, 1891 and 1902, and now the Sunday School and congre-
gational libraries together number 3000 volumes.

1887.—Free St. George’s Library was established March 17,
1887, £50 having been received from a lady member of the
congregation. Two catalogues have been published, 1887 and
1896. Their stock now amounts to over 1000 volumes.

In the Statistical Account of Dumfries in 1841 we find the
following statement:—“ The Presbytery of this district has a
valuable library, besides which there are three others belonging
to societies. Of what are called circulating libraries there are
four kept by booksellers on speculation, and a select one, open
to the public. There also exists a Mechanics’ Institute, in the
list of whose members appear many respectable individuals
belonging to the town. ‘There are already four public reading-
rooms.”’

NOTES ON EXCAVATIONS AT MOFFAT SEWAGE Works. By JOHN
T. JOHNSTONE, Moffat.

The valley of the Annan at Moffat as we now see it may
be said to be a relic of the great Ice Age. An excavation made
nearly anywhere down into the till reveals the fact that nearly
all the stones are striated or otherwise marked by the grinding
and crushing forces of the moving masses of ice in its course
down the valley. The flat holms and meadows bordering on
the Annan, and known as the Hammerlands and Kerr, have been
filled up to a considerable depth from their former level by this
action, and partly to the silting up of the ever-shifting beds of
the Annan and Birnock waters, which in their course through
the ages have meandered at their will over the full width of the
valley at some time or other. At the excavation made for
the new sewage works constructed in 1901-2 this old land surface

Excavations AT Morrat SEWAGE Works. 45

was laid bare at a depth of seven feet, where it formed a layer
of peat moss. The thickness or depth of this peat was just
similar to that of the combined turf and soil on any ordinary
ground. From portions of this peat, on breaking it up into
small pieces and examining it carefully, I gathered a few hazel
nuts, pieces of bark, and small pieces of wood. The roots
and branches of a large tree were also taken from the excavation
at the same depth. A few years ago I spent part of a day
examining the peat mosses around Loch Skene. I did not do
any digging, but examined where the hags showed a good section.
Pieces of wood of varying thicknesses up to one inch and a half
in diameter were plentiful, and as far as I could make them out
myself, I had specimens of hazel, alder, birch, and oak. The
diameter of the one large piece I noticed would be six inches.
The specimens brought away were subsequently forwarded to
Professor Scott-Elliot at Glasgow. The peat formation at Loch
Skene covers a considerable area of ground, as it extends between
Whitecoomb and Winterhope Burn head the one way, and along
the Tail Burn the other. Loch Skene itself is the result of
glacier action, as its waters have been ponded back and formed
into a loch by the accumulation of glacial debris and moraine
matter which have been deposited in the valley there, the moraines
there being one of its interesting features. The Midlaw Burn,
which is only separated from Loch Skene by the Midcraig Hill,
has cut its way through this moraine matter, which at one time
had ponded it back so that the loch formed by it is drained
away, and its bed is now a flat meadow, and through time Loch
Skene will succeed in cutting for itself a course deep enough to
drain itself away similar to the Midlaw Burn. Loch Skene is
fully 1700 feet above sea level.

Following upon the reading of the paper there were exhibited
specimens of hazel nuts, bark, and other vegetable matter taken
from the peat in the trenches, and Permian breccia and striated
stones from the glacier drift of the Moffat valley.

46 Witp AND NATURALISED FLOWERS.

List oF WILD AND NATURALISED FLOWERS FOUND ON St. Mary’s
IsLE, KiRKCUDBRIGHT. By Mrs Jerrrey, St Mary’s Isle
Gardens.

Ranunculus acris, Ranunculus repens, Ranunculus bulbosus,
Ranunculus Ficaria, Thalictrum flavum, Thalictrum minus,
Caltha palustris, Anemone nemorosa, Chelidonium majus,
Meconopsis cambrica, Cardamine pratensis, Cardamine bulbifera,
Cochlearia officinalis, Capsella Bursa-pastoris, Alliaria officinalis,
Brassica Sinapis, Barbarea vulgaris, Helianthemum vulgare,
Viola odorata, Viola canina, Polygala vulgaris, Polygala amara,
Lychnis vespertina, Lychnis diurna, Lychnis Flos-cuculi, Silene
Cucubalus, Stellaria uliginosa, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria
Holostea, Cerastium vulgatum, Cerastium alpinum, Sagina pro-
cumbens, Sagina maritima, Sagina apetala, Hypericum per-
foratum, Arenaria peploides, Hypericum linariifolium, Linum
catharticum, Geranium robertianum, Geranium — sylvaticum,
Geranium columbinum, Geranium pyrenaicum, Geranium
pratense, Geranium sanguineum, Geranium rotundifolium.
Geranium dissectum, Geranium phaeum, Okxalis Aceto-
sella, Impatiens Noli-me-tangere, Erodium maritimum,
Erodium cicutarium, Vicia lathyroides, Vicia sativa, Vicia
tetrasperma, Vicia sepium, Vicia sylvatica, Anthyllis vulneraria,
Astragalus glycyphyllos, Lathyrus pratensis, Lathyrus sylvestris,
Trifolium pratense, Trifolium minus, Trifolium repens, Lotus
corniculatus, Ononis arvensis, Cytisus scoparius, Ulex europaeus,
Rosa pimpinellifolia, Fragaria vesca, Fragaria elatior, Geum
rivale, Geum urbanum, Geum intermedium, Potentilla tormentilla,
Potentilla fragariastrum, Potentilla anserina, Agrimonia Eupatoria,
Alchemilla vulgaris, Rubus fruticosus, Prunus spinosa, Epilobium
roseum, Epilobium augustifolium, Epilobium hirsutum, Circaea
lutetiana, Sedum acre, Sedum Rhodiola, Sedum anglicum, Saxi-
fraga umbrosa, Saxifraga granulata, Chrysosplenium oppositi-
folium, Sanicula europaea, Hippuris vulgaris, Oenanthe fistulosa,
Oenanthe pimpinelloides, Conopodium denudatum, Heracleum
sphondylium, Ligusticum scoticum, Daucus carota, Pastinaca
sativa, Aegopodium podograria, Adoxa moschatellina, Lonicera
periclymenum, Galium Aparine, Galium saxatile, Galium Mollugo,
Galium palustre, Valeriana officinalis, Valeriana pyrenaica,
Valeriana dioica, Arctium lappa, Bellis perennis, Anthemis
nobilis, Taraxacum dens-leonis, Tussilago farfara, Tussilago

WILD AND NATURALISED FLOWERS. 47

petasites, Sonchus oleraceus, Sonchus arvensis, Doronicum par-
dalianches, Doronicum plantagineum, Hieracium pilosella,
Hieracium sabaudum, Crepis hieracioides, Achillea millefolium,
Achillea ptarmica, Carduus heterophyllus, Solidago virga-aurea,
Senecio aquaticus, Senecio jacobcea, Centaurea nigra, Aster
tripolium, Artemisia maritima, Artemisia absinthium, Scabiosa
succisa, Filago germanica, Gnaphalium sylvaticum, Campanula
trachelium, Campanula latifolia, Campanula rotundifolia,
Vaccinium Myrtillus, Primula vulgaris, Primula veris, Lysimachia
vulgaris, Lysimachia nemorum, Lysimachia nummularia, Ana-
gallis arvensis, Glaux maritima, Samolus valerandi, Centunculus
minimus, Vinca minor, Erythraea, centaurium, Convolvulus
sepium, Myosotis palustris, Myosotis arvensis, Lithospermum
officinale, Datura Stramonium, Solanum dulcamara, Atropa
belladonna, Veronica scutellata, Veronica serphyllifolia,
Veronica Hederaefolia, Veronica arvensis, Veronica chamaedrys,
Veronica Beccabunga, Veronica agrestis, Veronica Buxbaumil,
Veronica montana, Bartsia odontites, Digitalis purpurea, Linaria
vulgaris, Verbascum thapsus, Rhinanthus cristagalli, Nepeta
glechoma, Lamium album, Lamium purpureum, Lamium am-
plexicaule, Ajuga reptans, Teucrium chameedrys, Teucrium
scorodonia, Calamintha clinopodium, Mentha arvensis, Mentha
aquatica, Thymus serpyllum, Galeopsis tetrahit, Prunella vulgaris,
Armeria vulgaris, Statice limonium, Plantago coronopus, Plan-
tago major, Plantago media, Plantago lanceolata, Chenopodium
urbicum, Atriplex patula, Salicornia herbacea, Suaeda maritima,
Suaeda fruticosa, Polygonum bistorta, Polygonum aviculare, Poly-
gonum persicaria, Polygonum lapathifolium, Rumex acetosa,
Rumex acetosella, Hippophae rhamnoides, Thesium linophyllum,
Euphorbia lathyris, Euphorbia peplis, Mercurialis perennis, Arum
maculatum, Triglochin maritimum, Triglochin palustre, Orchis
maculata, Orchis mascula, Orchis pyramidalis, Orchis purpurea,
Listera ovata, Listera cordata, Epipactis latifolia, Iris pseuda-
corus, Galanthus nivalis, Crocus vernus, Narcissus pseudo-
narcissus, Scilla festalis, Ornithogalum umbellatum, Allium

ursinum, Allium ampeloprasum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Ruscus
aculeatus.

48 THE CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.
15th December, 19058.

Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

New Mempers.—Rev. J. M. Campbell, St. Michael’s
Manse; Rev. Wm. Edie, Greyfriars’ Manse; Rev. G. T.
Ferguson, St. Mary’s Place; Mr J. M. Bowie, architect; Mr
John Cowan, Glenview, Maxwelltown; Mr John Charlton,
Huntingdon Lodge, Dumfries.

THE CasTLE OF DumrrRiEs. By JAMES BarBour, F.S.A.Scot.
PRELIMINARY.

The pages of general history reveal little of the character
and circumstances of the Castle of Dumfries; nevertheless,
together with the Castle of Lochmaben, it takes its place as a
fortress of outstanding importance in relation to the control of
the south-west parts of Scotland during the Edwardian wars.
Our castle was held for lengthened periods by the English, and
it is associated with the advent of Bruce, being the first stronghold
captured by him from the English, and in which he and his
followers found refuge after the slaughter of Comyn in the
neighbouring church of the Greyfriars’ monastery. The writer
has gathered information relative to the subject, from such sources
as he could command, and has ventured to put together the
following pages, allowing the original papers to speak largely
for themselves, in the hope of reviving interest in a_ local
monument environed with the flavour of former times.

The authorities chiefly relied on are prints of original
documents preserved in the London archives—“ The Wardrobe
Account of the 28th Year of Edward I.,’’ printed by the Society
of Antiquaries of London, in 1787; “ Documents Illustrative of
the History of Scotland,’’ by the Rev. Joseph Stevenson ;
“Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland,’’ by Dr Joseph
Bain; etc. Dr E. J. Chinnock supplied extracts from several
original sources, and by his favour translations where required
have been made.

EarLy NOTICES OF THE CASTLE AND ITS SITE.

Dumfriesshire is studded with the remains of ancient
castles. Bruce possessed Lochmaben, Comyn owned Dalswinton,
Caerlaverock belonged to the Maxwells, and Baliol had Buittle, in

ee)
wae
i

)

te

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 49

Galloway. The Castle of Dumfries differed from these inasmuch
as no family name is associated with it ; it was the King’s Castle.

As the situation has lately come to be in doubt, it is desirable
to differentiate the spot where the castle stood ; events and locality
frequently lend colour one to the other. The earliest known
references to the castle are contained in charters of the time of
William the Lion (1165-1214). | One of these gives it the appella-
tion of “The Old Castle of Dumfries,’’ and the terms of another
are important as showing the direction in which it lay. The
document is a lease or feu-charter, by the Abbot and Convent of
Kelso in favour of Henry Wytwell, a burgess of Dumfries. The
following is the text as translated, taken from a “ Notice of some
Old Documents Relating to Dumfries,’’ by the Rev. John Cairns,
M.A.* :—-

“On the first Tuesday after the feast of the Beheading of
John the Baptist, this agreement was made between the religious
men, the Lord Abbot of Kelso and the Convent of the same
place, on the one side, and Henry Wytwele, burgess of Dumfries,
on the other, viz., that the said Lord Abbot and the Convent of
the same place conceded and demised to the said Henry and his
assignes the whole of those lands which Malcolm the son of Utred
of Terregles held from the decease of the formerly named inheri-
tance of William, son of Bele ; with tofts and crofts in the territory
and town of Dumfries, . . . as they lie, viz., Between the
land of St. John, which lies beside the cemetery of the Mother
Church of Dumfries, on the north side, and so by the road which
leads from the town of Dumfries towards the castle as far as the
road which leads towards the chapel of St. Lawrence of Keld-
wood on the south side, and so towards the east beside the Crown
lands as far as the Dumfries Burn which falls into the mill pond of
Dumtfries.”’

The chapel of St. Lawrence no longer exists, but Kellwood
remains, and the road described as leading towards the chapel is
that now known as Craigs Road (it crosses the Dumfries burn, or
mill-burn, as it is now called), and St. Michael Street, which
leads from the town southwards past the cemetery and Craigs
Road, corresponds with the road of the charter, which leads from

*Transactions of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Antiquarian
Society, 1892-93,

50 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

the town of Dumfries towards the castle. Following St. Michael
Street southwards past Craigs Road we shortly arrive at the place
bearing the suggestive name of “ Castledykes,’’ which apparently
represents the ancient Castle of Dumfries of the Kelso Charters ;
and confirmatory evidence is forthcoming.

Sir Eustace de Maxwell of Carlaverock held the office of
Sheriff of Dumfries for Edward III. of England in 1335, and an
item of his account of the revenues reads :—‘ Of the mote of the
castle and certain royal lands called Kingsholm at Dumfries, which
were won’t to be worth 60 shillings, there is no reply ’’ (being
waste). The Castle and Kingholm are here conjoined, as Castle-
dykes and Kingholm lie adjacent to-day. As usual a chapel was
connected with the castle. The Chapel of the Castle of Dumfries
was in part a subject in dispute between Ralph, dean of Dum-
fries, and the Convent of Kelso in the beginning of the thirteenth
century, and mention is made of it in several documents. Dr
George Neilson, in a communication made to the Dumfries and
Galloway Antiquarian Society in February, 1905, exhibited a
document concerning the “ crukitakyr’’ on the road from the
Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin at Castledykes, dated 26th
March, 1532. Its interest lay, Dr Neilson said, in the mention
of the Castle Chapel of St. Mary in Castledykes.

But the most conclusive document connecting Castledykes
with the ancient castle of Dumfries is a manuscript report made
by a military officer of the English Government about the period
1563 to 1566, regarding the defensive condition of Dumfries.
The distinctive name, “ The Old Castle of Dumfries,’’ is repeated,
showing its identity with the castle of the early charters. “The
Aulde Castell of Dumfreis,’’ the report proceeds, “ fyve myles and
a half within the mowth of the Nytht, standing upon the side of
the same, very good for a fort. The platt and ground thereof in
manner lyke to Roxburght Castell ; it may late the town and the
brige of Dumfreis and receive boates of ten tounes as said ys furtht
of Englonde. Distant from Holm lordship over the revare of
Sulvaye xvi. myles. . . . This towne of Dumfreis standeth
vi. myles within the mowth of the Nytht the head towne of the
Schyre. The lord Maxwell hatht a fair house battled within the
towne, but not tentable nor strong agains any battery or
gownes.’’*

fo |

* Armstrong’s ‘‘ Leddesdale,”’

caajumng Jo w\
yup shu
24g :

‘ Cc
aboqqog sayhpayysng

a)

a
cly
2)

DOXA
iin
VL

Meet

waanho1y, fo ywopy bi

Tue CASTLE OF DuMFRIES. 51

The report proves that the Castle stood on the side of the river
five and a half miles within the mouth of the Nith, and the town was
and a half miles within the month of the Nith, and the town was
six miles within the mouth of the Nith, that is to say, half a mile
further up the river than the castle. Castledykes similarly stands
on the side of the river, and is just half a mile, as measured on the
Ordnance Map, below the site of the South Port of the town at
the corner of St. Michael’s Cemetery ; and so its claim to repre-
sent the ancient castle of Dumfries is fully confirmed.

The report shows also that another castle situated within the
town, which has generally been mistaken for the Castle of Dum-
fries, was a house of the Maxwells. The house occupied the site
covered by the present Greyfriars’ Church at the head of High
Street. Its history will be noticed later.

Finally intrinsic evidence presents Castledykes as a natural
strength adapted to the purpose of a fortress; and well preserved
vestiges of ancient fortifications are yet exhibited within the
grounds.

CASTLEDYKES.

As it stands to-day Castledykes, or The Castledykes, as it is
written in Dr Burnside’s MS. History of Dumfries, notwithstand-
ing many changes consequent on the building of a small mansion
and adapting the grounds for ornamental and garden purposes,
retains something of the character of the ancient Norman Castle
of mote and bailey type. The mote, an elevated oblong mound,
lies on the east part of the ground furthest from the river, and the
bailey or lower court extends westwards to the Kingholm Road,
and doubtless it covered what is now the roadway, terminating
at the river with a high and precipitous rock-faced bank.
The extent of artificial formation cannot now be determined,
but at least the vestiges of the great ditch, or dyke, which sur-
rounded the mote, and from which the name of the place is
derived, constitute a typical specimen of ancient fortification.
The ditch remains open at the south end of the mote, and along
one-half the east side, up to the present entrance gate. North-
wards the east ditch and the north ditch are marked by a large
built and covered drain, sufficiently wide and high to allow a man
to walk through it, upright. The ditch can thus be followed on
three sides of the mote, partly open and partly closed. On the
fourth side, except the north corner, no trace remains.

52 Tue CasTLE oF DuMFRIES.

The open part of the east ditch is excellently preserved and
very formidable in apprearance. It measures 60 feet in
width at the top and 20 feet and upwards in depth, and its
preservation is probably due to the requirements of a small stream
of water flowing through it.

First ENGLISH OCCUPATION.

Prior to the death of Alexander III., Scotland was pros-
perous and peaceful, and during this period history does not
record any particular acts of warfare, either defensive or as
issuing from the castle gate. Of its civil use there is a glimpse.
About the year 1259 inquisition was held in the Castle, Richard,
son of Robert, son of Elsa, being arraigned for the murder of
Adam, the miller. The two had met in St. Michael’s Cemetery
on a Sunday, when Adam defamed Richard, calling him
“ galuvet ’’ (considered equivalent to thief). On the following
Thursday, in a scuffle on the street, Adam was mortally wounded,
Richard alleged by accident. He said at the time, “I have not
killed thee, thou thyself didst it.’’ The barons jurors concur
“in omnibus ’’ with the burgesses jurors. They all say that
Richard was faithful, but Adam was a thief and a defamer.

Not long after the King’s death war broke out as.appears by
the following extract from John Baliol’s Pleas for the Crown :—
“The seventh reason is that when the Bishops and great men of
Scotland had sworn to defend and preserve the kingdom of Scot-
land for their Lady, the daughter of the King of Norway, and
that they would do fealty to her as their liege Lady, and keep the
peace of her land. But the aforesaid Sir Robert de Brus and
the Earl of of Karrick, his son, dared to take by force of arms
with banners displayed the aforesaid Lady of Scotlands castle of
Dumfries, against her peace. And thence the aforesaid Sir
Robert advanced to the castle of Botil, and there he caused one
Patrick M‘Cuffok within the bailey of the same castle to proclaim
that all the should immediately depart from the land.
(The document is here illegible.) The Earl of Karrick with the
assent and power of his father took the aforesaid Lady’s Castle of
Wigton, in Galloway, and killed many of her men there.’’

In the year 1288 the watchman and gatekeeper were paid, as
a gratutity, £1 12s, on account of extra watching by reason of the
war raised after the death of the King. The castle had been

SUM “ESE ONIMOOT ‘HOLIG AHL

Tue CAstLeE oF DumrriEs. a3

repaired, or enlarged, a few years earlier. In 1265 one Master
Peter, a mason, was paid £20 forward at the Castle of Dumfries.
It may be noted also that the Friars’ Minors are mentioned in
the accounts of this same year.

But Alexander III. is dead, and Margaret, the child queen,
the golden age of peace is ended, and our castle stands revealed
in military guise in the custody, for the first time, of English
wardens.

‘‘Quhen Alysander oure King was dede
That Scotland led in love and le,
Away was sons of Ale and Brede,

Of wyne and wax, of gamyn and glee,
Oure gold was changed into lede.
Chryst, born into Virgynte,

Succor Scotland and remede,

That stad is in perplexeyte.”’

Edward I., desirous of effecting a union of England and
Scotland, betrothed his son Prince Edward, with the consent of
the Scottish Guardians, to the Princess Margaret, heir to the
Crown of Scotland, but the death of the young queen frustrated
this peace-promoting arrangement. The King, resolutely adhering
to his purpose, preferred a claim to the Crown of Scotland, when
he should chose to assume it, and meantime caused himself to be
recognised Lord Paramount of the Kingdom. Assuming to ad-
judicate between the several claimants of the vacant throne, the
English King demanded the surrender to him of all the Castles
of Scotland, pending his decision; and on the 11th June, 1291,
transfer was made accordingly. Next year, on the 19th Novem-
ber, Baliol having been adjudged the rightful heir, the Governors
of Castles, in obedience to orders, surrendered to the new King.

During this interval of nearly eighteen months, the Castle of
Dumfries, grouped with those of Kirkcudbright and Wigtown, was
in the custody of English Wardens.

Relative to this period of the affairs of the Castle, we have
certain writs and receipts dealing with the wages of the wardens.
The usual wage of the warden was a mark a day ; frequently pay-
ment was in arrear, and consequently the receipts do not follow
in the order of the periods of office of the several custodians.

Sir William de Boyville, first in the list of wardens, was an
Englishman. His name occurs in an Inquisition held at Car-

54 Tue Castte or DumFRIEs.

lisle in September, 1280, regarding the law of “ Handwarcelle ”’
on the Border. About two years later the Knights and good
men of the County of Cumberland, under the King’s mandate,
elected him sheriff, and Constable of Carlisle Castle, but the King
having adopted other views immediately revoked the election, and
committed the Sheriffdom and the custody of the Castle to
Robert de Brus, Earl of Carrick. Sir William was, on 12th July,
1291, jointly with William de St. Clair, commissioned to take
the fealty to Edward of the Bishop of Whithorn and of all Gallo-
way, and thereafter he had the custody of the Dumfries group of
Castles.

Sir William acknowledged on 15th August, 1291, having
received from the Chamberlain of Scotland 40 marks, wages of
40 days’ custody of the Castles, £20 on 5th November, in part
payment, and £60 in part payment on the 29th of the same month.
On the same 29th day of November he also acknowledged having
received the sum of £8 from the Burgh of Dumfries by the hands
of Robert de Nam, a burgess of the Burgh.

The following certificate by Brian Fitz Allan, one of the
Governors of Scotland, in favour of Henry de Boyville, makes it
appear that Sir William died at his post, and was succeeded by
Henry de Boyville, presumably a relative.

“March 2, 1292.—To all who will see or hear this letter,
Brian Fitz Alan, one of the Guardians of the Kingdom of Scot-
land, wishes health in the Lord. Know that by the tenor of the
present letter we give evidence that the Chamberlain of Scotland
and Robert de Forde associated with.the same by the Lord King
of England, had in command from all the Guardians of the King-
dom of Scotland to pay Henry de Boyville and his comrades as
much as is owed to them for the custody of the Castles of Dum-
fries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigton, of the rest of their wages after
the death of Sir William de Boyville. In evidence of which thing
we have placed our seals to the present letter. Given at Edin-
burgh on the Lord’s day next after the feast of St. Matthew the
apostle, in the year of Grace 1291.”’

Henry de Boyville’s first receipt for £28 sterling in part pay-
ment of his own wages and those of his comrades for the custody
of the Castles is dated 1st March, 1292, and the second and last
bears date the 12th of the same month.

“To all the faithful in Christ who will see or hear this letter,

THE CASTLE OF DumMERIES. 55

Henry de Boyville wishes health in the Lord. Know that I at
Dumfries on St. Gregory’s day in the year of Grace 1291 received
from Sir William Comyn of Kirkintilloch and Maurice de Stubhill
17 marks by the hand of Walter de Crumnistone, their baileff, for
the farm of Cyplaunde, in part payment of my wages and those of
my comrades for the custody of the castles of Dumfries, Wigton,
and Kirkcudbright, by order of Sir Alexander de Balliol, Cham-
berlain of the Kingdom of Scotland, and Master Robert Heron,
rector of the church of Forde, associated with the said Lord
Alexander by the most illustrous Prince, lord Edward King of
England, and superior lord of the kingdom of Scotland, and by
their letters patent directed to the said Sir William Comyn and
Maurice Stubhill, which letters patent, together with this letter
patent, I have handed to the aforesaid Walter. And because
my seal is unknown in these parts, I have procured that the seal
of William de Seyncler, under Sheriff of Dumfries, at my request
and that of my comrades, be affixed together with my own seal.
These being witnesses—Thomas, called the clerk of Dalswinton,
and John of the Stone House.”’

Endorsed, against Henry de Boyville, £11 6s 8d.

January 20th, 1292.—The King and superior lord of Scot-
land greets the Guardians of the same. We notify you by the
present that the commission which you lately made to our dear
and faithful servant, Walter de Curry, of the Castle of Dumfries,
Wigton, and Kirkcudbright, until our arrival in those parts is
ratified.”’

By the writ following of 28th February, the guardians of
Scotland directed the Chamberlain to pay the expenses of those
who had hitherto had the custody of the Castles, and to make
payment to Sir Walter of 40 marks from the day of his entry to
office.

“W and R by Divine permission bishops of St. Andrews and
Glasgow, John Cumyn, James Seneschal, and Brian Fitz Alan,
guardians of the Kingdom of Scotland, appointed by the most
serene prince, lord Edward by God’s Grace the illustrious King of
England, to Sir Alexander de Balliol, chamberlain of the same
Kingdom of Scotland wish health. Because according to the
command of our lord the king above said, we have already
caused the custody of the Castles of Wigton, Kirkcudbright, and
Dumfries to be delivered to Sir Walter de Curry, we command

56 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

and order you in the name of our said lord and king by the
present letter to pay their expenses who have hitherto had the
custody of the said castles from the day of their entrance until
the day when the said Sir Walter received the custody above said,
according to the arranagement of our lord the King before
named. But from the day when the said Sir Walter undertook
the aforesaid custody, pay to the same 40 marks sterling for the
payment of his expenses, according to the arrangement of the
same our Lord the King. Receiving from the same their letters
of receipt for the money paid to them, and we shall make it to be
fully allocated to you in your accounts. In evidence of which
thing (because the common seal was shut at the time of making
the present letter) we have each of us placed to the present our
own seals, one after the other. Given at Stirling on Thursday
next after the feast of St. Mathias the apostle, in the year of our
Lord 1291.”

Sir Walter’s tenure of office was short. On 28th February,
1292, Robert Heron acknowledged having received from the
chamberlain 24 shillings and 5 pence in repayment of an advance
he had made to Sir Walter for the custody of the Castles. On
28th of the same month Sir Walter acknowledged the receipt of
£10 sterling in part payment of his wages granted to him for the
custody of the Castles of Dumfries, Wigton, and Kirkcudbright,
beginning to reckon of the first quarter on the 4th day of March,
1292. On 14th May, 1292, Robert Heron, rector of the church
of Forde, received from Sir Alexander de Balliol, Chamberlain
of Scotland, 24 shillings and 7 pence in payment of another
advance to Sir Walter. And Sir Walter on the 28th June,
1292, acknowledged having received from the Chamberlain 5
marks sterling for the arrears of his wages granted to him by the
King for the custody of the said Castles.

The last of the Wardens at this period, whose name has come
down, is Sir Richard Siward, a mandate for the payment of whose
wages for the custody of the Castles of Galloway and Nithsdale
was given by the guardians of Scotland on the 24th March, 1292.

Sir Richard acknowledged the receipt on April 26th of 40
marks sterling from the chamberlain of Scotland for 40 days,
granted to him for the custody of the said Castles by the lord
King of England, beginning to reckon the said 40 days from the

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 57

Monday next after the feast of St. Cuthbert the Confessor (24
March) in the year of the Lord 1292.

Another acknowledgment for wages paid for the custody of
these castles at this period, dated 25th June, 1292, runs :—“ To
all who will see or hear this letter Richard Suard, Knight,
wishes health in the Lord. Let all know that I at Berwick on
Wednesday the morrow of the birth of St. John the Baptist in
the year of the Lord 1292, received from Sir Alexander de
Balliol chamberlain of the Kingdom of Scotland and Robert
Heron associated to him by the lord King of England, head
lord of Scotland, an account of my wages for the custody of
the Castles of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigton, of the rest
of my said wages until the feast of the Holy Trinity (1 June)
£18 13s 4d. In evidence of which thing I have given to the
same this my letter patent. Given at Berwick the day and year

- above said.’’

Sir Richard continued in office in Edward’s service until the
18th November. On that day the King by letter from Berwick
directed him to hand over the Castles to John de Balliol, to whom
the King had granted seizin of the Kingdom of Scotland. So
ended the first English occupation, extending over one year and
four or five months. Balliol was now King of Scotland, but
Edward, apparently without much regard to the change of
circumstances, gave instructions for the collection of certain
arrears of customs in that kingdom. In regard to Dumfries,
the English King wrote from Roxburgh, 10th December, 1292 :—
“The King and Superior lord of the Kingdom of Scotland to his
beloved John de Twynholm farmer of the Burgh of Duntfries,
health. Know that those 18 pounds in which you are indebted
to us, for arrears of your account from the farm of the aforesaid
burgh, we have granted to our beloved Ralph de Handen to be
received through your hands this year of the Lord 1292, on the
day which may be arranged between you and him, for the 18
pounds which he used to receive annually by the grant of
Alexander of good memory, the last King of Scotland, deceased,
in return for certain losses which he sustained on the March of
the Kingdom of England and Scotland, as he says. And there-
fore we command you to pay the aforesaid 18 pounds to the
aforesaid in the form aforesaid, and we wish you to allocate
them in the arrears. Moreover we order our beloved and

58 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

faithful John, the illustrious King of Scotland, to allow you to
raise and collect freely and without hindrance the arrears of the
aforesaid farm at the next term of St. Martin, wherein you were
bound in your aforesaid agreement.’? And a month later :—
Newcastle, 12 January, 1293. By letters patent, and closed,
the burgesses of Dumfries are ordered to pay the arrears owed to
the King, to Nicholas de Colle, Merchant of Luca, his assign,
for the farm of the Burgh of Dumfries, the sum of eleven shillings
and five pence.

Little is recorded of the affairs of the Castle during the
short reign of King John. The Scottish King in course of time
alleged against Edward, that he had possessed himself of his, the
Scottish Castles, by violence. Whether the Castle of Dumfries
passed in this way we do not know, but Balliol resigned the realm
and people of Scotland on 7th July, 1296, and went into captivity,
and in the following month of August, Robert de Joneby held
office as Sheriff of Dumfries for the English King.

In the beginning of June of the following year, the King ap-
pointed Sir Henry de Percy and Sir Robert de Clifford to arrest,
imprison, and “ justify ’’ all disturbers of the peace of Scotland
or their reseters, and commanded the Sheriff and others of Dum-
fries to render them effectual aid. At this time Scotland, deserted
by her natural leaders, bowed before the English power. But not
for long. The patriot Wallace on September 11th of the same
year (1297) overpowered the English at Stirling Bridge, and
cleared the country of the invaders. This great achievement was,
according to Henry the Minstrel, consummated at Dumfries, and
the accuracy with which the Minstrel threads the intricate route,
traversed by Wallace in pursuit of his foes, goes far to establish
the trustworthiness of the story. Henry relates how Wallace,
with a company of three hundred chosen men mounted on picked
horses lightly harnessed, rode in pursuit, through Durisdeer,
Morton, and Closeburn, to Dalswinton, where, in the woods,
deadly strokes were dealt, and continuing the chase, passed near
Lochar Moss and Lochmaben, to a place in the neighbourhood of
Cockpool, where was fierce fighting. Some of the English were
drowned, some slain upon the sand ; who escaped in England fled
away.

Wallace, after resting a night at Caerlaverock, blithely
journeyed next morning to Dumfries, where he received the people

Tue CastLeE oF DumrrRiEs. 59

to his peace, ordered reward to true Scots, and granted remission
to such as were in fault.

‘“¢The Sotheroun fled off Scotland on ilk sid
Be sey and land without langer abaid,
Off Castellys, towyns, than Wallace chyftanys maid
Rewlyt the land, and put it to the rest
With trew keparys; the quhilk be traistyt best.”

ENGLISH OCCUPATION RESUMED.

Again, in 1298, a great army, led by the King in person,
entered Scotland, and meeting the Scots, under Wallace. defeated
them, 22nd July, near Falkirk. A few months later occupation
of the Castle of Dumfries had been resumed by the English, and
Edward continued in possession for the next seven years, when
Bruce effected its capture.

On the re-occupation, Sir Robert de Clifford had charge, and
the Castle, no longer grouped with those of Galloway, was fre-
quently associated with the Castle of Lochmaben.

In the order of the war, the King usually entered into in-
dentures or written agreements by which his officers should provide
certain men-at-arms and others, and serve with them in a specified
capacity, in return for wages and stated quantities of provisions
for their support. In regard to the horses of the men-at-arms
the animals were valued by a jury of twelve experts, and in case
of being lost in the service of the King, the ascertained price was
allowed by him to the owner. In the rolls many hundreds of
horses are described in some such form as the following short
extract :—“ Sir Robert de Clifford has a white dappled charger,
value 45 marks ; Sir Symond de Clifford, his knight, a dun horse
with a star on the forehead, £20; Sir Roger de Kirkpatrick, his
knight, has a brown bay horse, value £10.’’ These were powerful
animals, which in action were covered with mail armour; they
contributed to the display so much prized in medizval warfare,
but proved less serviceable than usual on broken ground common
- in Scotland. On this account and the scarcity consequent on the
drain through the war, small light unarmoured horses were intro-
duced from Ireland; the horse was called a hobby, the rider a
hobbler. Some of the duties of the hobbler were scouting and
spying. Thus Sir Robert de Clifford, warden of Lochmaben
Castle and the valley of Annan, requests Master Richard de

60 Tue CASTLE OF DumMrRIES.

Abyndon “to pay either in money or victuals, the wages of
Richard de Bret, an Irish hobbler retained to spy the passings and
haunts of the enemy by night and by day, who has been on duty
for 6 weeks and 3 days; lest he take himself off for want of
sustenance.’’ Galloway also contributed light horses.

In an agreement or indenture of 20th November, 1298, the
King gave minute directions in respect to the garrison and muni-
tions of the Castle. “ Be it remembered,’’ he says, “ that the King
has appointed that in the Castle of Dumfries there should remain
twelve men with armed horses, who shall have among them all
twenty-four foot soldiers by the appointment of Sir Robert de
Clifford. Also the twenty crossbow-men who were at Berwick,
who were appointed to the said Sir Robert de Clifford at Durham,
and the six crossbow-men whom the said Sir Robert de Clifford
shall place there, whom he took from the Castle of Lochmaben,
and 4 foot-men of his own, whom he also shall provide. Also a
master engineer and 4 carpenters. Also one smith and his lad ;
one Engineer and 2 masons, whereof the amount shall be 76
persons.

“For whose support the provisions underwritten are ap-
pointed from 20th November next coming, at the beginning of the
27th year of the reign of our Lord the King aforesaid, until the
last day of the month of June (the first day and the last being
reckoned) for 223 days, that is to say for 32 weeks :—by the day
3 bushels of wheat, 120 Quarters of wheat, of wine 10 tuns, of
Malt or Barley to make malt for beer, 160 Quarters, of beans and
peas, 20 Quarters, of oats for provender for the horses, 100
Quarters, of oxen 50 carcases, of herrings 10,000, of dried fish
500, of salt 20 Quarters, of iron and steel as much as will be
necessary, of cords and hides for engines. . . . of money
10 marks, which shall be delivered to the Constable of the Castle
for small necessaries. And be it remembered that Mr Richard
de Abingdon (to whom the King by his letters has given directions
regarding these things) shall see that all these things above
written, shall arrive by land in the company of the said Sir
Robert, or by sea, at the said Castle as he more fully is directed in
the aforesaid letters of the King. Also the said Sir Robert shall
place in the Castle 2 engines, 2 springalds, 2 Crossbows with
winches, and 2 Crossbows of 2 feet. Also the Bishop of Carlisle,

ee EOE

Tue CasTLe or DumrRiés. 61

one Crossbow with a winch, 2 Crossbows of 2 feet and as many
quarrels as possible.’’

In the beginning of the year 1300 Sir Robert de Clifford was
transferred to the Company of Sir John de St. John, the Captain
and Lieutenant of the Marches, at Lochmaben, and Sir John de la
Doline, an expert in the manufacture of war engines, who in the
autumn of 1299 had been engaged at Carlisle in directing the
making of the engines Berfray, Maltone, and Cat, and others,
succeeded him in the Wardenship of the Castle of Dumfries.
These are the terms of his investment. “The King to all whom,
etc., health, know that we have granted to our beloved and faith-
ful John de la Doline, our Castle of Dumfries with its pertinances,
to guard so long as it pleases us. To whose, etc. Witness the
King at Westminster, the 24th day of March, 1300. By the King
himself, J. de Benstede announcing it.’’

THE AFFAIRS OF THE CASTLE IN THE YEAR 1300.

The 28th year is notable in the affairs of the Castle. It
became the base for forays by the English against the Scots of
Galloway, and for the siege of Carlaverock; and in the autumn
extensive structural works, designed to strengthen the fortress,
were initiated by the King, who manifested particular and per-
sonal interest in the operations, remaining ten days at Dumfries at
the end of October supervising and hastening their completion.

We have for this year also a special source of information,
the Wardrobe Account, already mentioned. It sets out in
minute detail the wages of the men-at-arms and others dwelling
in the fortification of the Castle, and within the fortification of the
Peel after its construction. From it we become acquainted with
the names of the chief officers, the description and computed value
of horses of the men-at-arms, and the description and price of
most of the articles provided for the support of the garrison; also
the wages of the workers employed in strengthening the Castle
and raising the Peel, and generally the entries are illustrative of
many of the conditions of warfare and of labour existing six
hundred years ago.

THE Kine’s MovEMENTS ABOUT DUMFRIES.

The accounts disclose many of the King’s movements at
Dumfries and the neighbourhood. The Minor Friars of Dum-

62 Tur CastLE oF DumFrIés.

fries were paid 6 shillings for the King’s support for three days
on his arrival there in the month of June, by the hands of Lord
Henry, the almoner. On 10th July the King made an oblation of
7 shillings at the great altar of the church of the Minor Friars of
Dumfries. On the 12th he made a similar offering in his own
chapel at Carlaverock, in honour of St. Thomas; on the 14th he
remained at Carlaverock. (These two dates, the 12th and 14th
July probably coincide with the siege of Carlaverock). On the
16th the King made another offering in the church of the Minor
Friars at Dumfries. On the 24th October the King made his
oblation of 7 shillings in his own chapel at Dumfries, for the good
report which he heard from the parts of Galloway. At the same
place on the 28th, being the feast of the apostles Simeon and
Jude, he made his oblation of 7 shillings in the church of the
Minor Friars. On lst November, the feast of all saints’ mass was
celebrated in the presence of the King and of Lord Edward the
King’s son, in the church of the Minor Friars of Dumfries, when
he made his usual offering of 6 shillings. On the same day the
Minor Friars were paid 5 shillings and 4 pence for the King’s
board for 4 days of his stay there in the month of October, by the
hands of William of Annan. And on 3rd November the King
made his usual offering in his own chapel at Caerlaverock. Other
places in the neighbourhood were honoured by the King’s
presence, as Applegarth, Tinwald, Lochrutton, (Lochroiton),
Kirkcudbright, Twynholm, and Girthon.

The Queen and the Court arrived at Dumfries on the 17th
October, and remained until the end of the month. They
journeyed in the company of a squadron of foot soldiers, leaving
Carlisle on Saturday, 15th October, on which day sight of
Dumfries was first seen, and arrived as before stated on the 17th.

Tur Company DWELLING IN THE CASTLE.

A treaty having been concluded between England and
France, without reference to the Scots, Edward resolved to prose-
cute his grand purpose, the conquest of the Kingdom of Scotland.
He entered Scotland at the head of a numerous and well ap-
pointed army, consisting of the flower of the English nobility,
and led by the most experienced generals of the age. | Conse-
quently, the dwellers in the Castle were numerous and illustrious.
Some of them had come prior to, and were present at, the seige

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 63

of Caerlaverock. Others arrived after the operations were com-
pleted—notables, many of them, whose stories adorn the meteri-
cal narrative of that celebrated siege.

Sir John de St. John, who at this time was Warden of the
Marches about Dumfries, and who as the oldest and most experi-
enced of Edward’s officers, was entrusted with the guidance and
care of the Prince of Wales, nominal commander of the fourth
squadron of the besieging army, elicits the commendation of the
poet.

“The brave John de St. John
Was everywhere with him (the Prince),
Who on all his white caparisons
Had upon a red chief two gold mulletts.

The St. John, the Latimer,

Were associated to him the first

Who were to array his squadron,

As those who best understood that ;

For it would not be wise to seek elsewhere
Two more valiant or two more excellent men.’’

And of Sir Robert de Clifford, who was much in evidence
about the Castle of Dumfries, the poet says :—

“Robert the lord of Clifford,
To whom reason gives consolation
To overcome his enemies,
Every time he calls to memory
The fame of his noble lineage.
He calls Scotland to bear witness,
That he begins well and nobly,
As one who is of the race
Of the noble Earl Marshal,
Who beyond Constantinople
Fought with the unicorn,
And struck him dead beneath him.
From him he is descended through his mother.
The good Roger, his father’s father,
Was considered equal to him;
But he had no merit which does not appear
To be revived in his grandson ;
Wherefore I well know that I have given him no
Praise of which he is not worthy.
For he exhibits as good proofs
Of wisdom and prudence as any I see.
The King his good lord knows

64 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

His much honoured banner,
Chequered with gold and azue,

With a vermilion fess.

If I were a young maiden,

I would give him my heart and person,
So great is his fame.’’ *

Sir Richard Siward, one of the most celebrated men of his
day, who more than once held the custody of the Castle of Dum-
fries, had a career characteristic of the age. A Scotsman, and
from an early age, a man of influence. For some reason he was
made prisoner by Henry III. of England in 1236, and suspicion
arose that the capture was procured by Siward himself, and fol-
lowed by an agreement between the King of England and him
inconsistent with the fealty due to his sovereign Alexander III.
King of Scots. Henry addressed Alexander intimating to him
that Siward did not do so, that the King only caused him to be
seized to secure the peace of the Kingdom; and neither before nor
after nor at any other time did Siward make any agreement with
the King against his fealty to Alexander. We have seen that Sir
Richard Siward held the Castle of Dumfries for the English King
in 1292, and had the honour of handing it over to King John, on
his accession to the throne of Scotland. In 1294-95 Sir Richard
was still in Edward’s service, but so far, it does not appear that
he had been active against his countrymen the Scots. Before the
end of 1295 Sir Richard had returned to Scotland, and seems
shortly afterwards to have taken service under the Government of
King John. He and his son Richard, being arrayed with the
Scots, were captured by the English at the battle of Dunbar, 16th
May, 1296. Sir Richard was imprisoned in the Tower of Lon-
don, and his son was put in fetters and lodged in Bristol Castle.
After enduring imprisonment for a year Siward was liberated, and
had his forfeited lands restored to him on condition of serving
Edward beyond the seas and elsewhere. Deprived of his lands
and means of livelihood, and in prison, it might be for life; his
son Richard fettered and in prison ; his son John also in prison, a
hostage ; and English friends, who had become sureties for him,
liable to claims on his account, there seemed no way
of escape from the entanglements cast around him
other than surrender. In such ways as this did the

*Wright’s Roll of Karlaverock,

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 65

astute Edward entrap into his service many loyal Scots. Passing
to the Continent, Sir Richard gained the King’s commendation,
who commanded the Constable of Bristol Castle to free Richard
Siward, junior, of his fetters, give him a chamber with a privy
chamber, and deal leniently with him on account of the good
services of Sir Richard, his father in Flanders. Sir Richard re-
turned to Scotland, was present at the battle of Falkirk, where he
had for his own riding a horse gifted to him by the English King.
He again became Edward’s Warden of Nithsdale, and owner of
Tibbers Castle, which he repaired or rebuilt, the King ordering
payment of £100 due to him so as the work should not be
hindered. Sir Richard held from time to time many high offices,
and since his imprisonment he remained during a long and
arduous life faithful to Edward and his son. He was Sheriff of
Dumfries and Warden of the Castle when it was wrested from the
_ English by Bruce. His name appears in the Roll of Carlaverock.
He had “a black banner painted with a white cross, flowered at
the ends.’’ Later we find Sir Richard’s son John adhering to the
Scots.

The names of officers, with a variety of detail more or less
interesting, are revealed in the wages account :—“ To Sir James
de Dalelegh (the king’s receiver) agreed for wages of horsemen
and footmen dwelling within the fortifications of the castles of
Dumfries and Lochmaben, to be paid for the wages of Sir Roger
Kirkpatrick, made constable of the Castle of Lochmaben by Sir
John de St. John, captain of the march of Cumberland, and of
the vale of Annan, . . . for the wages of Sirs Humphrey de
Bosco, Hugh Mauleverer, Thomas de Torthorwald, Humphrey de
Garding, and William de Heriz, Knights, their twelve esquires,
and 3 valets, with covered horses, dwelling within the same
fortifications from the 8th day of July until the 19th day of
November at the end of the present year. . . . For the
wages of banerets, knights, and esquires below written, sent by
the king for Caerlaverock in the company of the said Sir John, to
dwell in the aforesaid fortifications, both for the protection of the
same parts, and for an expedition to be made upon the Scots,
after the return of the King with his army from the parts of Gal-
loway, between the 30th day of August and the 19th day of
November, namely, for the wages of Sir Richard Siward, baneret,
of 2 knights and their 7 esquires, from the said 30th day of August

66 THE CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

until the 7th day of November. . . . And for the wages of
Sir Arnold William de Pugyes, and his 4 esquires, from the 2nd
day of September until the day on which he was at the King’s
table within the castle of Dumfries as constable of the said castle,
until the said 19th day of November. For the wages of John de
Cruce and his 4 comrades, esquires, with covered horses, dwelling
within the fortification of the Castle of Dumfries, from the 19th
day of October until the day on which they were at the king’s
table within the same fortification, until the 6th day of November.

For the wages of Godfrey de Massenby and 28 esquires,
his comrades, with covered horses, assigned to dwell within the
fortification of the Peel of Dumfries after the construction of the
same Peel, from the 2nd of November, on which day the King
retired from the same parts towards Carlisle, until the 5th day of
the same month. For the wages of one priest for conducting
worship, one ordinary priest, one gatekeeper, one watchman, 4
engineers, 5 workmen, one smith, and various foot soldiers, both
artillerymen and archers, dwelling within the fortifications of the
same Castle, between the 26th day of August and the 19th day of
November.”’

“To Sir William de Felton for his own wages, and those of 3
esquires, from the 17th day of September, until the 3rd day of
November, on which day the King retired to Carlisle from the
parts of Dumfries, after the proclamation of the truce entered into
with the Scots.”’

The garrisons were constantly undergoing change according
as Circumstances might require, and the King’s command.

By an indenture of 9th November between the King and
Council, and Sir John de St. John, the latter was appointed
captain, warden, and lieutenant of Galloway, the Castle and
county of Dumfries, the Castle of Lochmaben, of the valley of the
Annan, and the Marches towards Roxburgh, from this date until
Pentecost next, with 40 men-at-arms for his retinue, and drawing
for them and said ward 700 marks, and making no claim for re-
placement of horses during the truce with the Scots. Besides,
continues the agreement, “there shall be within the Castles and
Peels of Dumfries and Lochmaben, at the King’s wages, 40 men-
at-arms, 200 footmen, 50 of whom to be crossbow-men, and 150
archers. Each man-at-arms at the usual pay, each crossbow-
man 3 pence, and each archer 2 pence; also a bowyer and a

EEO

Tur CASTLE OF DuMFRIES. 67

groom at 5 pence, a carpenter at 4 pence, and a watchman at 3
pence.’’

The men-at-arms in the King’s pay, above spoken of, were
Sir Montesin de Noilan, with 6 barbed horses, Sir Arnold William
de Pugyes with 4 barbed horses, Sir Gallard de Brignak with 2
barbed horses, William de Sowe with 4 barbed horses, and Ber-
nard de Bignoles with 4 barbed horses. The king reserved to
himself to increase or lessen the number of men-at-arms and foot
at pleasure. Of the horsemen, knights had a wage of 2 shillings
a day, and esquires were paid one shilling a day.

DUMFRIES A RENDEZVOUS.

Dumfries was a rendezvous for soldiers journeying to serve
in Galloway, Cumnock, and as far as Ayr. When the Queen and
the Court joined the King at Dumfries on 17th October, they had
come escorted by a squadron of soldiers, mostly foot, about 1000
strong. Leaving Carlisle on the Saturday, 15th October, they
came in sight of Dumfries the same day, and arrived at their des-
tination on the 17th. Other squadrons followed, each covering
the journey in 2 days. The barons contributed their quota of
men. John de Derle, servant of Lord Ingleram de Gynes, led 40
footmen archers, of the men of the same lord, 9 foot soldiers of
Lord Thomas de Pykering, 8 foot soldiers of the men of the
Friars of Leyburn, 10 foot soldiers of the men of lord Michael de
Hertecla, and 8 foot soldiers of the men of lord Robert de
Askeby.

Thomas de Preston valet of Sir Gilbert de Corewenne led the
men of the same lord, of Sir Robert de Bruyn, and of Sir William
Dacore. There were men of the baron of Greystok, of Sir Hugh
de Molton, Sir Robert de Tyllol, men of Kendal, men of Sir
Robert de Clifford, of the Earl of Lancaster, of the Bishop of
Durham, men of Sir Thomas de Derwentwater, Sir Alexander de
Bastelthweyt, Sir Thomas de Lucy, Sir Thomas de Ireby, and
others.

The quota of the powerful and astute churchman, the Bishop
of Durham, numbered at least 120 men. His character as por-
trayed in the Roll of Karlaverock is too interesting to be omitted:

** Both in company and affection,

With them were joined the followers
Of the noble Bishop of Durham,

68 Tur CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

The most worthy clerk in the kingdom ;
And indeed of Christendom,

Tf I should tell you the truth of him.
Because if you will listen to me,

He was wise, and eloquent,

Temperate, just, and chaste.

Never did you approach a rich man

Who regulated his life better.

Pride, coveteousness, and envy,

He had entirely cast away ;

Nevertheless he had a lofty heart

To defend his rights,

So that he failed not to overcome

His enemies by patience.

For by a just conscience

So strongly was he influenced,

That everyone wondered.

In all the King’s wars

He had appeared in noble array,

With a great retinue, and at great cost.
In consequence of I know not what wrong,
For which a process was entered,

He was detained in England,

So that he did not then come to Scotland ;
Notwithstanding he so well kept in mind
The King’s expedition,

That he sent him of his people

One hundred and sixty men-at-arms.
Arthur never with all his spells,

Had so fine a present from Merlin.

And he sent there his ensign, which was gules
With a fer de moulin of ermine.”

VICTUALLING THE CASTLE.

The victualling of the Castle was frequently a matter of diffi-
culty, and want, if not famine, was a not uncommon experience.
The neighbouring country, by reason of the war, being waste, it
was necessary to obtain supplies from England, Ireland, and else-
where. Copious, and as usual, minutely detailed accounts, are
to hand of such munitions, showing of what they consist, where
got, how transported, and the prices paid, severally.

The fare seems to have been substantial and generous, but
without luxury. Cows and their produce, oxen, sheep, pork,
poultry, and fish are staple supplies. The fish is various, as
great fish, herrings, in great numbers, and hard fish called hakes.

ee

Tue Castle or Dumrrirs. 69

Of grain in various forms, oats, dried oats, wheat, wheat meal,
and wheat flour, barley, and malt, were in use; also beans and
peas ; salt was brought from the salt pits of Skimburness. The
drink bills would alarm the temperance men of the present day.
Wine and beer of various qualities were in demand.

Carlisle was the chief centre for the supply of the castles and
army of the district. The stores were in charge of the Receiver
and Distributor of the King’s victuals between whom and_ the
constables of the castles and others a system of accounting was in
operation. ‘That it was strict we at once discover. Sir John de
la Doline constable of Dumfries having omitted a few trifles in
his account required to make good their value, for which the
following receipt was granted to him by the Receiver :—

“Received from Sir John de la Doline, constable of the castle
of Dumfries, for a half quarter of one ox, one quarter of a sheep,
2 bushels of oats, 9 hides of oxen and cows, 14 skins of sheep,
and proceeds of same, which remained in arrears upon his account
of the present 28th year, 15s 1d. From the same for 2 carts and
6 horses delivered to him by Master Richard de Abingdon for
seeking victuals as far as the castle of Dumfries, of which he
makes no mention in his account of the present year, 40s. Total,
£2 15s 1d.”’

With reference to the above 2 carts and 6 horses, and others,
the receiver makes the following precise entry :—

“Master Richard de Abington receiver of the King’s victuals
at Carlisle, renders account of 9 carts and 31 horses remaining at
the end of his account for the year 27, as is evident upon the third
folio preceding. Total 9 carts and 31 horses, of which he com-
putes delivered to Sir John de la Doline, constable of the Castle
of Dumfries, for carrying victuals and other necessaries to the
same place, for the munition of the same Castle, 2 carts, 6 horses ;
and he computes delivered to Sir James de Dalilegh staying—to
receive the victuals in the same place after the departure of the
said Richard, 2 carts, 5 horses; and by deaths by old age and
hard labour 8 horses; and by the sale with which the keeper is
charged in the receipt of the present year 3 carts, 5 horses, total
9 carts and 31 horses, and so the account is balanced.’’

The supplies were carried both by water and by land.
Various vessels were engaged, and some, probably owing
to the river, did not reach further than Caerlaverock,

70 Tue CasTLeE or DuMFRIES.

as we learn from the following account:—‘ To Richard
de Geyton, master of the ship which is called the
Nicholas of Geyton, taking in his same ship 20 carcases of
oxen as far as Caerlaverock, for the supply of the men dwelling in
the fortification of the castle of Dumfries, for his own wages and
those of 5 sailors his comrades in the same ship, for 8 days, 14
shillings.’’ A sailor of the name of John le Skyrmysure with his
“ galie ’’ also was specially retained to carry victuals for the Castle
of Dumfries. In a case of carriage by land, of 2 carts and 6
horses, destined for Lochmaben Castle and a like number for the
Castle of Dumfries, those for Lochmaben were captured by the
Scots at the passage of the Solway, while the Dumfries portion
escaped and reached their destination.

The following extracts and others illustrate the victualling of
the Castle :—

“To Sir John de la Doline constable of the Castle of Dum-
fries for money paid by him for 9 oxen and cows, 14 sheep, 70
quarters of oats, 70 large flagons of wine, bread, beer, fish,
poultry, and various sorts of other small necessaries, bought by
the same, for his own expenses and those of certain men-at-arms
and others dwelling in his company in the fortifications of the
aforesaid Castle, from the 7th day of March in the present 28th
year, until the 30th day of July in the same year.”’

“To Master Richard de Abingdon, receiver, and distributor
of the King’s victuals, coming to Carlisle and Skimburness, from
divers parts of England and Wales, and from parts of Ireland,
etc., in connection with victuals for the Castles. . . . From
which account delivered to Robert de Felton, constable of the
Castle of Lochmaben, for the support of the munition of the same
Castle, 65 quarters of oats, 30 casks of flour, 6 quarters of dried
oats, 20 carcases of oxen, 4 quarters and a half bushel of salt in
one cask, and 3 bars of iron; and to Sir John de la Doline, con-
stable of the Castle of Dumfries, for the munition of the same
Castle, 2 casks of flour, 2 casks of wine, and to the same for
making engines for the castle of Caerlaverock, 29 bars, and 10
pieces of iron; and to Sir Robert de Cantilupe for the munition
of the said Castle of Lochmaben in the time in which he was
constable of the same, one quarter of oats and 5 casks of wine ;
and to Sir Arnold William de Podio, constable of the Castle of
Dumfries, for the munition of the same Castle, 7 casks of flour

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. a

and 8 casks of wine, 30 fat hogs, 6 quarters of dried oats, 9500
herrings, 18 quarters of oats, and 4 quarters and a half bushel of
salt.’

“To Sir James de Dalilegh, clerk, for divers outlays and ex-
penses incurred by the same about the victuals bought by himself
and also the victuals sent to the parts of Carlisle by the care of
divers persons, namely, for the carriage of divers victuals from
the salt pits of Skimburness to Carlisle, and the Abbey of Holm,
by water in vessels, and by land by horses and wagons, from the
same places to Lochmaben and Dumfries, for the munition of the
castles there, for the portage, loading, and discharge of the same
vicutals through divers places, for the cleaning and repairing of
the houses in which the same victuals were deposited, for the pay
of coopers binding casks of flour and wine, the wages of clerks
and others receiving the same victuals, guarding, delivering,
throwing, turning, and measuring them, under the same Sir James,
between the 5th day of June and the 19th day of November in the
present year ending, together with the wages of the same Sir
James, within the said time, and for hemp, tanned hides, ropes,
clamps, nails, and other binders, bought by the same for the
aforesaid castles, within the same time, £175 5s 24d.”’

A RE-SALE.

When a change of constables took place at the Castle there
was a stock-taking and accounting, between the out-going and in-
coming officers, and this principle was also carried into larger
transactions, as in the case of the stores at Carlisle. | Master
Richard de Abingdon having been succeeded there by Sir James
de Dalilegh as Receiver and Distributor of the King’s victuals, the
question seems to have arisen how best to arrange the transfer.
To take stock and make up a valuation would be laborious and
tedious, and as some of the stores had been long kept their value
could not be estimated with certainty. While not stated in so
many words, it is to be inferred from what took place that the
conclusion reached was to carry out a process similar to that now
known as a re-sale, by which to dispose of the entire stock, so as
the in-coming Receiver should be able to commence his accounts
on a clean slate. The sale took place, the castles and the army
in the vicinity were the chief purchasers, and the sum realised
amounted to £800 of the money of the day. 921 quarters 7

2 THE CasTLE OF DuMFRIES.

bushels wheat, flour, and wheatmeal, were sold to the horse and
foot soldiers in the fortifications of Lochmaben and Dumfries, and
to divers men of Carlisle ; 852 quarters 2 bushels of wheat flour
and meal went to Peter of Chichester, clerk of the king’s pantry
and buttery, by the hands of Walter Waldechef, the king’s baker.
The Bishop of Carlisle bought certain quantities for the supply
of the castle of Carlisle, for the earls, barons, knights, squires,
and divers others dwelling in the King’s army. Sales were made
to various persons for the fortifications of the castles in the same
parts, and to the knights, esquires, and others living in these
fortifications and in the king’s army. Flour was also supplied to
divers bakers of the city of Carlisle for baking against the arrival
of the King from the parts of Galloway, etc.

Prices ruled as follows:—-Wheat, 10s a quarter, 8s, 6s 8d,
and 5s, according to quality; poor wheat flour and meal, 4s a
quarter ; beans and peas, 4s 6d a quarter ; oats, 4s a quarter ; poor
oats, 1s 6d, and half oats 3s a quarter; dried oats, 5s, 4s, and
3s 4d a quarter. The charge for baking was at the rate of 6s 8d
for every quarter of flour used. Fat hogs brought 5s and 4s 6d
each. Untrained horses, part of a number coming from Gallo-
way, were in stock; and 900 horse shoes at 10s a hundred, and
2000 nails at 20d a 1000, were disposed of to Walter de Bello
Campo, seneschal of the King’s household. 24 casks
26 sects of wine at 4 marks a cask went to divers
magnets and others living in the King’s army; 20 casks of beer
were sold to various persons connected with the fortifications of
the district, at various prices, as 10s, 8s, 7s 6d, and one mark
a cask. Beer of a higher quality was sold to Sir Robert de
Clifford and Sir William de Rithre, at the price of 30s a cask.

ARTILLERY.

?

“The crakkis of war,’’ which Barbour speaks of as marvel-
lous, had not come into use, but of contrivances designed to assail
and defend fortified strongholds, there were many, most of them
bearing a family likeness to the military engines of the Romans ;
balhiste, springalds, great crossbows with wenches, those named
meltone, berfrey, and cat, and others. A berfrey was sent from
Lochmaben for-the siege of Caerlaverock ; so huge and cumbrous
was it that the labour of transport involved the employment of 5
carts for 7 days, and 2 carts for 4 days, a road having been pre-

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. ae

viously made on which the carts might travel. The berfrey is a
wooden tower, moving on wheels, which when run up to or near
the wall of the invested town or castle, enables the assailants to
overlook and command the interior of the place assailed. The
design is as old as the time of Augustus Cesar, when Vitruvius,
who had charge of the engines of war, formulated rules for its
construction, up to a height of eleven storeys and 200 feet.

That such equipment of the Castle of Dumfries was not over-
looked is made evident from the following and other accounts :—

“To lord Henry de Sandwich, chaplain of lord John de
Drokensford, for money disbursed by him for 41 engines, 800
quarrels, 3 bandries, 2 pounds of varnish, 4 pounds of feathers
with verdigris, 200 pounds of string, 6 pounds of glue, hemp for
making cords and baskets, and ropes for packing the same,
bought by the said lord John, and sent to Dumfries and Loch-
maben for the fortifications of the Castles of those places, in the
month of October, together with the pay of 3 carts carrying the
same to Dumfries, in the same month, and for the wages of
Robert de Ra, artilleryman, going with the same things for 8 days,
as is evident by the account of the said lord Henry, £6 6s 3d.”’

FRENCH AMBASSADORS AT ANNAN.

The accounts contain numerous miscellaneous charges con-
nected with the Castle of Dumfries, such as, for restoring horses
of the officers and men-at-arms, for messengers carrying messages,
verbal and written, from and to the King at Dumfries ; for travel-
ling to obtain money and bring it to the King at Dunfries.
Ambassadors from the King of France followed Edward into Scot-
land, and negotiated a truce between the King and the Scots, and
in the end of October Randolph de Manton, the cofferer of the
King’s Wardrobe, was sent by the King from Dumfries to Carlisle
to make a present to the Ambassadors of the King of France on
the part of the King himself. The cofferer’s expenses for 5 days,
together with the expenses of the Ambassadors at Annan,
amounted to £2 10s.

The lord treasurer of England, the bishop of Coventry, and
Lichfield, attended personally at Dumfries, Lochmaben, and
Caerlaverock, in the month of November for the purpose of
settling accounts for the fortifications of these castles,

74 THE CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

THE REINFORCEMENT OF THE CASTLE.

The King sent the following message to Berwick :—“ Henry
de Empsingham and John de Karleton, clerks, shall say to
Richard de Bramesgrave this message, which the same Richard
shall tell, as from the King, to Robert Hastings and his brother,
and the other men-at-arms who are in their company at Roxburgh
and Jedburgh. And shall also tell the same message to Sir
William Latimer and the rest of the garrison at Berwick, namely,
that our lord the king has gone to Duntffries to raise his peel and
reinforce the Castle. And his son has gone with him, and many
other good men-at-arms,’’ etc.

The work of raising the peel and reinforcing the Castle was
begun on 5th September, and carried on with diligence, so that
by the 2nd of November, when the King left Dumfries for
Carlisle, men-at-arms were, as we have seen, dwelling within the
fortification of the peel. Its final completion, however, was not
accomplished until the 23rd of the month. Of craftsmen em-
ployed, there were carpenters, sawyers, smiths, masons, and
quarrymen ; also ditchers in great numbers. Clerks were assigned
the duty of paying the wages of the workmen, and keeping the
accounts. Godfrey de Wyndsore had charge of the expenditure
for carpenters, and Henry de Brandeston paid the wages of the
ditchers. Friar Robert de Ulm was the master carpenter, re-
ceiving 9d per day, his lad Alan being paid 4d. Ade de
Glasham, the chief foreman, and the other foremen, had a wage
of 6d, and other carpenters and sawyers had 4d; carpenters’
labourers, pages they are called, received a wage of 2d a day.
The ditchers had over them Ade de St. Edmonds, master ditcher,
receiving 6d per day, and a number of foremen receiving 4d; the
other ditchers were paid 2d a day, and women helpers had a
wage of 14d per day. The workmen were brought chiefly from
Northumberland and Cumberland, but a number of the ditchers
came from parts of Lochmaben. How many hours consti-
tuted the working day is not stated, but probably it extended from
sunrise to sunset ; the toil went on all the seven days of the week.

The ditchers employed numbered sometimes as many as 250,
but the time occupied in accomplishing their task did not much
exceed a fortnight. The peel was constructed chiefly of timber,
and carpentry predominated over all the other sections of the
work. As many as 114 men of this craft were engaged on the

Tue CASTLE OF DuMFRIES. 75

work, at one time, and the average numbered about 80. The
timber was got at the forest of Inglewood in Cumberland, and the
peel which was to be placed around the Castle of Dumfries was
chiefly worked and made there. Trees were also cut in a wood
near Dumfries, for pales. An axe, which was borrowed for the
purpose, not being returned to the owner, he was compensated
with a payment of 10d. Other 4 axes used for cutting trees in
the same wood cost ls 1d each. A considerable amount of
smith’s work was performed at Inglewood, and it is evident that a
fabric was in course of construction in the forest. Thomas de
Turney was the chief smith, receiving a wage of 6d per day, and
he had 7 assistants, some receiving 5d and others 4d a day; and
4100 nails and 62 bolts were bought at Carlisle and elsewhere for
smith’s work. Master Edward de Appleby was the chief mason.
His comrades varied in number up to 15. The work of this craft
consisted, partly at least, in repairing stone buildings within the
“King’s Castle of Dumfries.’’

That Edward regarded this matter of great importance and
urgency is evident. On 17th September he supervised the opera-
tions, when he distributed among the workers a gratuity of £2 in
addition to their wages. On the 27th the Queen made a similar
distribution. Later the carpenters and ditchers had 4 casks of
beer for their encouragement. Master Edward de Appleby and
his lad had a gratuity of 5 shillings in October. On the 30th of
the same month £1 5s 7d was distributed among the ditchers.
And in the middle of November £1 3s 4d was by order of the
King distributed on two occasions at Dumfries to the carpenters.

We have the King’s own estimate of the value in which he
held such strongholds as the Castle of Dumfries. Writing to
the lord treasurer of England, he says:—“ And to our affairs of
Scotland be also attentive in such manner that our interests may
prosper there, and that the wages be well and promptly paid to
our people who remain in those parts; and that you cause the
Castles of Scotland to be well surveyed, and the fortresses and
the other places which concern us there, and that they may be
well stored, so that there be no want, and that the new castles
which we are causing to be made there, have all they shall require
for the completion of the works. For if they be well stored
everywhere, this will be a great security to the whole of our affairs
in those parts.”’

76 Tue Castle oF DumFrriEgs.

The accounts for the wages of the workers employed in
strengthening the castle are too lengthy to be here presented in
whole, but a few items, we think, may prove acceptable as
indications of their character. We will first take Godfrey de
Wyndsore’s accounts:—“ To Godfrey de Wyndsore, Clerk,
assigned for paying the wages of the carpenters, masons, smiths,
and other workmen retained to the king’s wages for the making
and working of the peel of Dumfries, for his own wages and those
of 3 foremen and 35 other carpenters and 4 pages, from the 5th
day of September until the 11th day of the same month, both
being reckoned, for 7 days, to the aforesaid Godfrey and the
foremen to each 6d a day, to each carpenter 4d a day, and to each
page 2d a day, £5 Os 4d. To the same for the wages of one
foreman carpenter and of 14 other carpenters, from the 6th day
of September until the 11th day of the same month, both being
reckoned, for 6 days, to each foreman and carpenter as before,
£111s0d. To the same for the wages of one foreman carpenter
and 18 other carpenters for 5 days, and two carpenters for 3
days, and 2 sawyers, to each 4d a day for 2 days, the said 11th
day of September being reckoned the last, £1 15s 10d. To the
same for his own wages, those of the foremen Ade de Glasham,
and the foremen his comrades and of 74 other carpenters, from
the 12th day of September until the 18th day of the same month,
both being reckoned, for 7 days, £9 13s 8d. To the same for
the wages of four pages waiting on the same carpenters for the
same time, 4s 8d. To the same for the wages of 5 carpenters
for 2 days, the 17th September being reckoned as the first, 3s 4d.
To the same for the wages of a lad of Friar Robert de Ulm,
carpenter, receiving 4d a day, for the aforesaid 7 days, 2s 4d.
Total, £18 lls 2d.”’

Passing to the smith’s work, the account proceeds:—“ To
the same for the wages of Thomas de Turney, smith, receiving
6d a day, and of 7 smiths his comrades 2 of whom received each
5d a day, and 5 each 4d a day, being retained to the king’s wages
for the making of the aforesaid peel, from the 18th day of
October until the 20th day of November, both being reckoned,
for 34 days, £5 2s Od.

“To the same Godfrey for 4100 nails of various forms, and
62 bolts, bought by the same both at Carlisle and la Rose, at
various prices, for the operations of the same smiths in turn,

Tue Cast te oF DuMrRIES. sf

together with baskets and cords for packing the same nails, from
the aforesaid place to Dumfries, £4 18s 8d.’’

The mason’s account runs:—“ To Master Edward de
Appleby, mason, for his own wages and those of 11 masons,
his comrades, retained to the king’s wages for repairing the houses
within the king’s castle of Dumfries, in the sojourn of the king at
that place about the peel of the same, in the months of October
and November, for 2 days, the 16th day of October being the
last, to the aforesaid Master Edward 6d a day, and to each of
the other masons 4d a day, 8s 4d. To the same for his own
wages and those of 14 masons his comrades, from the 17th day of
October until the 30th day of the same month, both being
reckoned, for 14 days, to each as before per day, £312s4d. To
the same for the wages of one page of the same for 16 days
between the 15th day of October and the said 30th day of the
same month, both being reckoned, 2d a day, 2s 8d. ‘To the
same for his own wages and those of 15 masons, his comrades,
for 3 days, the last day of October being reckoned as the first,
16s 6d. To the wages of one page for the same three days, 6d.”’

We nowcome to Henry de Brandeston’s account for the
wages of ditchers, but one to the sheriff of Northumberland may
first be presented. “To Sir Roger Maynot, Sheriff of Northum-
berland, for money paid by himself for iron and wood bought by
the king’s command under his private seal, for making of them
engines of war, for the vessels and boats, and sent to Carlisle for
the operations of the Peel of Dumfries, in the beginning of
the month of October, together with the wages of 200 ditchers
and 5 smiths, coming from the same country to Dumfries, for the
aforesaid operations in the same month, together with the expenses
of the bailiff’s collecting the said ditchers and hiring them in the
same month, as is evident from particulars supplied by the same
Sheriff to Sir John de Drokenford at Newcastle upon Tyne, on
the 13th day of October, £17 19s 11d; and for the expenses of 12
quarrymen sent to the same place in the same month, for the said
operations 10s 6d.—Total, £18 10s 5d.”’

“To Henry de Brandeston, clerk, assigned for paying the
wages of ditchers, smiths, and other workmen coming from the
County of Northumberland, for the making of the peel of Dum-
fries, for the wages of 200 ditchers from the aforesaid county, of
whom 10 were foremen, for 4 days, the 17th day of October being

78 Tue CAsTLE oF DuMmFRIES.

reckoned as the first, to each foreman 4d a day, and each other
ditcher 2d, £7 Os Od. To the same for the wages of one master
ditcher, receiving 6d a day, and 198 ditchers, 10 of whom were
foremen, from the 21st day of October until the 30th day of the
same month, both being reckoned, for 10 days, £17 11s 8d. To
the same for the wages of Master Ade de St. Edmond, ditcher,
receiving 6d a day, and 24 ditchers from the parts of Lochmaben,
without a foreman, for 2 days, the 20th day of October being
reckoned as the first, 9s. To the same for the wages of the said
Master Ade, and 40 ditchers, one of whom was a foreman, from
those parts, for 2 days, the 22 day of October being reckoned as
the first, 14/8. Total, £25 15s 4d.

On 24th October 7 women were employed cleaning the ditch.
9 women worked 3 days, ending 27th October ; 10 were employed
on the 28th October; 14 on the 29th, and 25 on the 30th, for
the same purpose. In regard to the transport of the timber
from Inglewood forest to the Castle of Dumfries the information
furnished by the accounts is meagre. That a considerable part
was rafted up the river appears from the following entries :—* To
Richard de Sabuts, sailor, of Dartmouth, for ropes bought by the
same for collecting, tying, and drawing timber to the peel of
Dumfries in the month of October, 3 shillings.’? “To Robert de
Belton for money paid by himself to divers porters carrying
timber from the water near Dumfries to the peel of the same
place, 4 shillings and 3 pence.”’

Other lots were carried by the foot soldiers who journeyed
as before narrated, from Carlisle to Dumfries in the month of
October. 53 soldiers were so employed, 20 being led by Con-
stable Adam de Ward, and 33 by Alan de Midhope, constable.
These men, in addition to the soldiers’ wage, were paid “ of the
king’s gift and courtesy 2d per day for the labour which they
sustained in carrying timber from Inglewood forest to the peel of
Dumtfries.”’

The parts carried by the foot soldiers of the peel, which had
been worked and made at Inglewood forest, ready to be put in

position, arrived at Dumfries on the 26th October. In an
account to Sir Robert de Clifford it is noted that Sir Robert re-

turned to the King at Carlisle on the 18th day of October, on
which day, it is said, the same King hurried his march to Dum-

THE CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 79

fries to place the peel in position around the castle there. Pro-
bably the part transported by water had arrived before the 18th.

The expense connected with the strengthening of the castle
and raising the peel of Dumfries, as contained in these accounts,
amounts to over £200 of the money of the time, representing a
present-day value of at least £4000, and the price of the timber
falls to be added for the total value of the structure.

Edward had assigned a garrison to occupy the peel on the
2nd November. The earthworks not being quite finished, 76
ditchers were brought from Northumberland, for one day’s work,
and with their assistance the ditch was completed by the end of
the day mentioned. The carpentry was brought to a close on
the 23rd of the same month.

CHIEF FEATURES OF THE CASTLE.

While endeavouring to realise the chief features of the rein-
forced castle it is well to keep in view the circumstance that the
use of timber in such structures as well as in house building, and
generally, prevailed at this period in Scotland. The accounts
are less helpful for the purpose than could be desired, for while
excellent as records of expenditure, the entries allude to the
nature of the works only in the most general terms.

One feature, and perhaps the most important in the case of
a medzeval castle before the introduction of firearms, the prin-
ciple of which was to oppose a series of obstacles to an attacking
force, is clearly enough indicated. The castle consisted of a
double fortress, each division being independently fortified so
that in case of attack if one were taken the siege had to be begun
again under renewed difficulties. | The divisions were also sepa-
rately garrisoned. It will have been noticed that in the accounts
mention is made of certain men-at-arms with covered horses
dwelling within the Castle of Dumfries, and of others dwelling
within the fortification of the peel of Dumfries after the construc-
tion of the same peel. The peel as a garrisoned area evidently
corresponds with the mote, the castle being the bailey or lower
court.

The outer fortifications consisted of a great ditch or dyke
and earthen rampart, vestiges of which are yet, as already stated,
exhibited in the grounds, and in the rear there was a stout
palisading, which served the purpose of a wall. A draw-bridge,

80 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

worked with great ropes, controlled the entrance, and within the
fortifications there were certain buildings, partly at least, con-
structed of masonry. A chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, was
ministered in by priests appointed for ministering to the garrisons,
and there were stables and stores, and probably buildings for
divers other purposes. So much we gather from the accounts.
The nature of the peel worked at Inglewood forest is more diffi-
cult to realise. The palisading, or some of it, was probably con-
structed of the pales cut in the wood near Dumfries. What came
from Inglewood was something more. It was worked and made
and much smith’s work was wrought for securing the parts. The
words used seem to imply that it consisted of a number of framed
structures, which might be placed, as stated, “around the
castle,’’? at intervals in the palisading, such, for instance, as
turrets. This is the sort of combination which would best satisfy
the terms used in reference to the peel of Dumfries.

LATER CONSTABLES AND GARRISON.

Having come to the end of the 28th year in which the cir-
cumstances of the castle have been illustrated in some detail, we
propose now to proceed on more general lines.

Sir Arnold William de Podio followed Sir John de la Doline
in the constableship, when a stock-taking and accounting as to
the munitions in the castle took place. There were in garrison
Sir Arnold, who had 4 barbed horses; James de Bruney and
Ferreres de Bruck, with 2 barbed horses; 4 carpenters, a smith
and his lad, a bowyer, a baker, a cook, a janitor, a chaplain, a
clerk, 2 watchmen, a washerwoman, 4 labourers, 12 grooms of
the men-at-arms, and 17 crossbowmen; total, 55.

For these 55 persons sustenance from 31 July till Martinmas
was provided, consisting of wheat and flour, ground malt, wine
and salt. For 104 nights of 6 barbed horses, 39 quarters of oats
are allowed; to make 3 casks of beer 17 quarters of malt; 30
hogs are mentioned, 2900 herrings, and 150 hard fish called
“ hakes,’’ also 20 carcases of oxen, 15 of beef, and 20 of mutton,
ete: :

The castle, however, does not seem to have been satisfac-
torily provisioned. The King, writing from Linlithgow, on 17th
November, 1301, says, that having ordered John de St. John to
have 120 men-at-arms constantly arrayed to make forays on the

THE CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 81

Scots of Galloway, till Easter next, and 10 men-at-arms and 100
foot to garrison Lochmaben, and a like number at Duntfries,
commands them to seek a clerk without delay to see to their
weekly pay, and also to the proper munition of these castles with
dead stock, corn, and wine, and other “ vivers,’’ as he hears they
are insufficiently provided ; and on 13th December a sharp man-
date is issued commanding money to be instantly sent to Sir John,
who is in great want of it for these garrisons.

PROVISIONING AN ARMY.

On 21st November large orders were given for provisions
from Ireland for the use of the Prince of Wales, and there were
sent to the Castles of Dumfries and Lochmaben 1300 quarters
wheat, 1300 quarters oats, 1300 quarters malt, 3000 quarters great
fish, and 15,000 herrings ; and on 5th December 200 casks of wine
and 20 casks of honey.

With these preparations the King mustered at Berwick an
army of 12,000 foot, and the Prince of Wales, now 16, had a
separate command, whose forces marched by Dumfries into Gal-
loway. This year’s campaign, however, led to nothing, and a
truce was arranged from January 26th, 1302, till St. Andrew’s
Day, that year.

Supplies were sometimes requisitioned and paid for according
to valuations made by a jury of twelve. Thus, on January 4,
1303, James de Dalelegh, the King’s receiver at Carlisle, bought
and received from Richard Bouere, of Dundalk, in the port of
Whitehaven, in the county of Cumberland, 64 casks of wine for
the castles of Lochmaben and Dumfries, valued by 12 free men
of the county in the merchant’s presence, at 36s 8d each ; total,
£177 6s 8d.

In December, 1303, the garrison consisted of 2 banerets, 9
knights, and 71 esquires, 3 hoblers, 26 crossbowmen, and 100
archers.

Later there were 50 men-at-arms, 6 of them knights, 26
crossbowmen, 80 archers, 2 smiths, 2 porters, 2 carpenters, and 2
watchmen. Sir John de St. John had 2 bachelors and 12
esquires, Sir Richard Siward had his bachelors and 8 esquires,
and Sir John de Botetourte, justiciar of Galloway, was warden.

On 13th April, 1304, £10 silver was spent for crossbows and
quarrels for the king’s use for the Castle of Dumfries, Sir

82 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

Mathew de Redeman, being sheriff, and in the following year a
warrant issued required that certain castles, including that of
Dumfries, be provisioned, and their houses and walls repaired.

Kine Epwarp’s Wars.

The truce of 1302 being ended, Edward prepared to renew
the war. An army of 20,000 men, mostly cavalry, under Sir John
de Segrave, advanced towards Edinburgh. The force suffered
disastrous defeat at the hands of the Scots, led by Comyn, on
24th February, 1303; but in the following year another great
army, led by the King in person, overran the country without
opposition, when the Scots, exhausted, made submission ; Wallace
alone stood out.

About the middle of September, 1305, the King, believing
that resistance was at an end, proceeded to the settlement of a
plan of government for the conquered country. He appointed
sheriffs to the several counties, and Sir Richard Siward, who was
well acquainted with the district, again became Sheriff of Dum-
fries and Constable of the Castle.

CAPTURE OF THE CASTLE BY BRUCE.

All this time from the year 1298 the Castle continued to be
held by the English, but a change was impending. The patriot
Wallace was ruthlessly put to death on 23rd August, 1305; but
within a few months thereafter Scotland was again in arms. On
February 10th, 1306, Bruce killed Comyn in the church of the
Friars Minors of Dumfries, and seizing, according to Heming-
burgh, his (Comyn’s) fine horse, he mounted, and his men
mounted, and they rode to the castle and took it.

Tue MINORITE FRIARY.

The Minorite Friary, which stood at the corner of Friars’
Vennel and Castle Street, is said to have been founded by
Devorgilla, King John’s mother. Mention of the Friars Minors
is made in the Exchequer accounts of the year 1265, and the
monastery may have been built a little earlier or later.

Not many years ago a massive gable wall, containing a great
fireplace, believed to belong to the kitchen, remained standing
within a house on the north side of the Vennel at a point about
25 yards westwards of the Castle Street end, and behind

Tue Castte or DumrRIEs. 83

the buildings there are still numbers of shallow burials, indicating
the position of the garth. A few stones also have recently been
recovered adjacent to the site, which have the characteristics of
ecclesiastical work of the period. Of these the most interesting,
perhaps, is a fragment of the sedilia which occupied the south wall
of the chancel opposite the great altar, where Comyn was slain.
The Friary, founded about the middle of the 18th century,
was yet comparatively new, and probably not more than 50 years
had elapsed from its erection till the occurrence within its walls of
the Comyn tragedy. It has been ascribed that the Friary was
deserted after Comyn’s slaughter, but that is incorrect, as the
Exchequer accounts prove that King Robert Bruce paid the
Friars annually in alms the large sum of £13 7s 8d, probably with
the view of wiping out the crime committed before the altar of
their church.
Bruce made no delay in the consummation of his high
purpose :—
And syne to Scone in hy raid he,
And wes maid King but langer let,

And in the Kingis stole was set;
As in that time was the maner.

Edward was much exasperated, as well he might be, at this
unexpected turn of events :— ;

And quhen to King Edweard wes tauld,

How at the Brwyss, that wes sa bauld,

Had brought the Cumyn till ending,

And how he syne had maid him King,

Owt off his wyt he went weill ner.

The news reached Edward before 24th February, on which
day, writing to Sir James de Dalelegh, he says, that having heard
that Sir John Comyn and his uncle, Sir Ribert Comyn, are
murdered by some people who are doing their utmost to trouble.
the peace and quiet of the realm of Scotland, he commands him
to see to the peace and quiet of his lieges in his district, to the
best of his power, and privately and advisedly warn them that
they avoid all converse with the enemy in case of surprise or dis-
graceful damage. On the same 24th day Sir James and three

* See also Paper by Mr James Lennox in the Dumfries and Galloway
Antiquarian Society. Proceedings.

84 Tue CastLE oF DumFRIEs.

esquires started for Scotland, as is evidenced by the following
account ;—

“To the same Sir James, for his own wages and those of his
three esquires, riding into Scotland immediately after the death of
Sir John Comyn, about the recapture of the Castles of Dumfries,
Caerlaverock, Tibbers, and Durisdeer, and elsewhere in Scotland,
by the order of our lord the king and of the lord bishop of
Coventry and Lichfield, the Treasurer, and for collecting and re-
ceiving farms and dues in the aforesaid parts and elsewhere in
Scotland, and for fortifying the aforesaid castles and for paying
the wages both of the men-at-arms and foot soldiers dwelling
within the aforesaid fortifications, and to others, from the 24th
day of February in the present 34th year, until the 19th day of
November, in the same year ending, for 269 days, each day being
reckoned, himself receiving for himself and his esquires 5s a day,
£67 5s.’’ The terms of this account make it appear that Bruce
had possessed himself of several other castles simultaneously, or
nearly so, with that of Dumfries, after the slaughter of Comyn, a
circumstance which seems to infer premeditation and preparation.

Bruce could hardly, without a large following, and some
pre-arrangement, hope to take by storm the Castle of Dumfries,
strengthened as it had been by Edward. It is said the justiciary
court was sitting. He may have got access as of right, and
without challenge, no breath of the deed done having reached the
place, which was distant a mile from the church. To
succeed in this way a race had to be run against rumour. Bruce
seized the fleetest horse, and won the race. An incident in the
capture was the taking of Edward’s constable, Sir Richard
Siward. He was imprisoned in his own castle of Tibbers, then
held for Bruce by Sir John de Seton.

Edward had his revenge. The Castle of Dumfries was
retaken by Gilbert M‘Dowall and men of Galloway on the 3rd day
of March, from the men of Robert de Bruce, who had held it for
a space of three weeks. Tibbers also fell to the English, and Sir
John de Seton was in turn made prisoner. He was indicted
by .Edward, “as taken in Richard Siward’s castle of Tibbers,
which he, John, was holding against the king, for Robert de Bruce
a traitor, and for aiding the said Robert in killing John Comyn in
the church of the Friars Minors of Dumfries, in contempt of God
and most Holy Church, and against the king’s peace, on Thurs-

¢ -f
Tue CAstLte oF DuMmrFRIES. 8)

day next before Carneprevyum this year; and likewise on same
day of the capture of the said Richard’s person, then the king’s
sheriff of the county of Dumfries and constable of the castle, and
at the capture of said castle, with said Robert.’”’ Sir John was
sentenced to be drawn and hanged. The memory of Sir
Christopher Seton, who met a similar fate at Edward’s hands, has
been kept alive at Dumfries by the vestiges of the “ Crystol
Chapel,’’ on the site on which St. Mary’s Church now stands.

These executions followed on orders by the King and Council
that all present at the death of John Comyn, or of council or
assent thereto, should be drawn and hanged.

Immediately on the recovery of the castle, the following
were in garrison there:—Gilbert, son of Sir Dovenald, John de
Gavelstone, Duugall de Gavelstone, Walter Duraunt, John
Duraunt, William de Percy, William de la Mare, Richard de
Colnehathe, John de Urre, John Arkarson, Patrick, son of Gilbert
M‘Loland, Ade de Eskdale, John de Harop, Ade de Kirkconnel,
and Ade de Lochyan, esquires, with covered horses, and 40
archers, infantry. Their wages were reckoned from the 3rd day
of March, on which day, as stated in the account, the said castle
was retaken from the men of Robert de Bruce after the death of
John Comyn. Sir Ade de Swyneburne, Knight, was appointed
constable on 9th March, and entered on his duties Ist April.
A little later, in May, Sir Thomas de Torthorwald, Sir Richard
de Mareschal, Sir Henry de Maundeville, Sir Matthew de Egleles,
Sir Matthew de Redeman, Knights, and Sir Henry de Percy, the
king’s lieutenant in Scotland, are mentioned, with their esquires,
also artillerymen, light horsemen, foot archers, and others.

Sir Matthew de Redeman succeeded Sir Ade de Swyneburne
in the constableship of the castle, on 2nd August.

The sum of £179 was, it appears by the accounts, paid as
compensation for horses killed in the king’s service at Dumfries
and Lochmaben, from the year 1303. Sir John de Botetourte is
stated to have received as compensation for 4 horses, priced for
himself and his esquires, the sum of £76 and 1 mark. The
executors of Sir John de St. John were paid as compensation for
one horse priced for Terrie le Alemaunt, servant of the same Sir
John, at Lochmaben, in the month of September in the 31st year,

and which died in the king’s service at Dumfries in the 32nd year,
8 marks.

86 Tue CastLe oF DuMrRIES.

On the recapture of the castle a stocktaking of the munitions
took place, as was usual when a change took place. Sir James
de Dalelegh had an account “ for the destruction of 9 casks of
wine and 2 casks of honey by the lord Robert de Bruce from the
stores in the Castle of Dumfries, at the time in which he took the
said castle when lord Comyn had been killed.’’ Another
account, which, however, is imperfect, mentions 221 quarters salt,
and 182 horse shoes, as part of the “ loss and destruction through
the lord Robert de Bruce in the time of the killing of lord John
Comyn, in the castles of Ayr and Dumfries.”

Much activity is now observable in bringing together great
quantities of victuals, and otherwise. 2698 quarters of wheat, 77
jars of flour, 2484 quarters of oats, 491 quarters of ground oats,
480 casks of wine, and 16 pipes; 136 carcases of oxen and 2
spaulds, and 33 bacons, were got from Skimburness and Salt-
coats, where the said victuals were received as far as Carlisle,
the castle of Dumfries, and the Wellhouse and abbey of Holm-
coltram ; 58 quarters 7 bushels of wheat, 79 quarters 2 bushels of
ground oats, and 28 casks of wine, and 7 barrels of wine hooped
with iron, were forwarded from Carlisle to the castle of Dumfries,
for the munition of the same castle, both by land and by water.
Payments were made for the wages of various messengers carrying
letters to our lord the king and other magnates of the council of
the king himself, containing the state of the land of Scotland, and
of the king’s enemies, etc. ; for money paid for one great rope
bought for drawing the bridge of the castle of Dumfries, for hemp
bought for cables, great ropes for the engines, and for making
ropes for the tounges ; for making of the same cables and ropes
from the aforesaid hemp, and for the carriage of the same from
Carlisle to Dumfries ; and for feathers and grease bought for the
quarrels and sent to the aforesaid castle of Dumfries, etc.

On 3 May, 1307, Sir James de Dalelegh or his clerks or
lieutenants at Skimburness is commanded on the king’s behalf, ©
with the utmost haste to send from the king’s stores, or buy corn
for the purpose, to the castle of Dumfries, 20 casks of wine, 100
quarters of malt, or barley, to make malt, and in the quickest
manner possible to have the whole ground at Dumfries, by day
and night, so that the flour and the malt also may be ready when
needed.

Dumfries had become a centre from which supplies were dis-

en

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 87

tributed to the surrounding country as far as Carrick and Ayr,
and victuals, and especially wine, were given out in considerable
quantities from the stores. On 12th April the king’s household
in company of Sir John de Botetoute had 7 toneaux and a hooped
barrel of wine, and about the same time a tonel was distributed
to others ; on 16th May the Knights, esquires, and sergeants, who
were going to the foray, had 2 tons to divide among them; on
the 17th 2 iron hooped barrels were distributed to Sir Henry de
Percy ; on the 18th Sir Ingram de Umfraville and Sir William de
Felton received a tonel; and on 24th July Sir Ingram de
Umfraville and Sir Alexander de Baliol were supplied at the
instance of Amyer de Valence, with a tonel of the king’s wine that
they may better do the king’s business on the enemy.”’

King Edward had on April 5th appointed Amyer de Valence,
Earl of Pembroke and Henry de Percy his lieutenants and
captains to put down the rebellion of Robert de Bruce, and Sir
Robert de Clifford to assist the latter at Dumfries and elsewhere.
On 24th May the king, writing to Amyer de Valence, says he is
pleased to hear that the Earl was on the point of making an
expedition against the enemy, and as to his request for money, he
has ordered the Treasurer to advise with the chamberlain of
Scotland and provide, “God Willing,’’ what is necessary. He
(the King) is sending Edward his son to Scotland with a strong
force, and will himself follow as soon as possible. On 22nd May
the Prince of Wales and numerous noble youths were knighted
when a magnificent feast followed, at which two swans covered
with nets of gold being set on the table by the minstrels, the king
rose and made a solemn vow to God and the swans, that he would
avenge the death of Comyn and punish the perfidy of the Scottish
rebels. ‘The Prince set out with a strong force for Scotland, and
Edward himself followed, but being advanced in years and infirm
he required to travel in a litter by slow journeys. He was
detained at Lanercost by serious illness, but, disregarding his
unfitness, proceeded to Carlisle, and after a slow and most painful
journey ultimately reached the village of Burgh-upon-Sands
within sight of Scotland resolute in purpose, but on the following
morning, 7th July, he died in his 69th year and 35th of his reign.

Edward II., a weak and indolent Prince, found it incumbent
that he should at least make some show of advancing the great
scheme of conquest which his late father had so much at heart.

88 Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

Accordingly, about a month after his accession to the throne, the
King set out with an army for Ayrshire. He passed through
Dumfries, and journeyed as far as Cumnock, but at this point
turning round he made his way back to England without having
accomplished anything.

The Castle of Dumfries continued in the hands of the
English. Robert de Clifford was keeper in 1309, thereafter Henry
de Beaumont, and Dougal M‘Dowall, of Galloway, followed in
1311. M‘Dowall, it appears, was unpopular with the com-
munity about him, and in consequence of this state of matters he
desired that the King should provide a residence for his family
somewhere else. The King ordered accordingly. “ For,’’ the
order runs, “the laudable service of his liege Dougal M‘Dowall
of Scotland, to his late father, and since his death to himself,
whereby he has become hated by the enemy, and his wife and
children need provision, gives them the manor of Temple-Couton
in York, for their residence to the extent of £40.

M‘Dowall seems to have stood well with the King, for he had
a present of £212 9s 6d from the wardrobe in the year 1311, and
later, in 1316, the King, for his loyal services, granted him an
annuity of £20. It is no way surprising considering the vacilla-
tions of the time to find his son some time later adhering to the
Scots.

MUNITIONING THE CASTLE IN M‘DoWALL’s TIME.

22nd April, 1312.—The king commands Gilbert de Colvenue
and Thomas de Lowther to pay the receiver at Carlisle 20 marks
to victual the castle of Dumfries ; and on the 29th May the bailiffs
of Sourby and Werk in Tynedale are ordered to pay to the
receiver £100 to fortify the castles of Carlisle and Dumfries at
the seight of John de Weston and Dougal M‘Dowall, their
constables.

The accounts of the receiver at Carlisle for the year from
8th July, 1311, till 7th July, 1312, proceeds: “Sir Dougal
M‘Dowall Sheriff of Dumfries and constable of the castle for the
munition of the same by the hands of Fergus M‘Dowall his
brother, receiver at Holm, and John de Monrethe, his clerk,
receiver at Dumfries (during the year), 194 quarters 6 bushels
oatmeal, 219 quarters 6 bushels oats, 1 cask 54 quarters, 1 bushel

Tue CASTLE OF DUMFRIES. 89

salt, 108 stock fish, 80 casks wine, 5 bands of iron, 18 gadds, 64
bacons.”’

On 23rd July, 1312, M‘Dowall attested receipt by the hands
of John Monrethe, his clerk, from the keeper of the king’s stores
at Carlisle, for the munition of his castle between 9th and 20th
days of July current, of 70 quarters wheat and 7 casks wine;
and similar receipts by the constable for provisions were granted
on 24th September and 19th November.

The Constable being dissatisfied with the munitioning of his
castle complained to the king, who on 8th August commands the
keeper of the stores at Carlisle to supply victuals to the garrison
of Dumfries, as Sir Dougal has complained of his negligence in
aiding them, whereby many of his men have deserted.

At this stage someone, writing to the king from Duntfries,
says :—“ That Sir Robert de Bruce intended to send Sir Edward
his brother with the greater part of his forces into England, while
he himself attacks the castles of Dumfries, Buittle, and Car-
laverock, remaining there, and sending his light troops to plunder
the north, for their sypport.”’

BRUCE AGAIN IN POSSESSION.

Whether M‘Dowall was unable to hold the castle through
want of munitions and consequent desertions of his men, we do
not know, but as noted on the account book of the receiver at
Carlisle, the Castle of Dumfries was surrendered on 7th February
of this 6th year (1313) to Sir Robert de Bruce by Sir Dougal
M‘Dowall.

In the year 1334, 12th June, Edward Balliol, the English
King’s minor, conveyed by charter to Edward III. the Town,
Castle, and County of Dumfries, to be incorporated in the king-
dom of England: and on the 15th of the same month Peter de
Tilliol was appointed Sheriff of the County and Keeper of the
Castle.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AFTER BRUCE.

Shortly after the death of Bruce anarchy prevailed over Scot-
land, while the English were again under a strong and forceful
King, Edward III. Dumfries in the year 1335 is still under
English rule. Sir Eustace de Maxwell, who styles himself
holder of the barony of Caerlaverock, is sheriff, and

90 THE CASTLE OF DUMFRIES.

his accounts make it appear that the castle was waste. To the
Sheriff, the King writes :—‘ The King to his beloved and faithful
Eustace de Maxwell, our sheriff of Dumfries, in Scotland, Greet-
ing ; Since we have intrusted you with the keeping of our aforesaid
county and the pertinents thereof, so that you may answer con-
cerning the revenues accruing to us at our Exchequer of Berwick,
as in our letters patent made thereupon is more fully contained,
and have learned that the accounts which we hold you to be bound
to render to us of your receipts of the said revenues from the
time when you had the said charge, as yet remain to be rendered,
at which we are much surprised; We therefore command you,
firmly enjoining that, whenever you are forewarned by our beloved
Thomas de Burgh, our chamberlain at Berwick, to render your
said account at the aforesaid Exchequer, you, without making any
excuse whatever, go and there render that account, as is
customary, and according to the tenor of your commission above
said; For we have commanded the foresaid chamberlain to hear
that account and do further what the nature of the account re-
quires in this part.

“The King being Witness; at the town of St. Johnstone,
13th day of August (1336); By the King himself.’’

Sir Eustace’s accounts for the rents and dues of his sheriff-
dom discover how greatly the district had suffered through the
war.

From many of the holdings both in town and country there
was no return, because of their being waste, or for the reason that
their holders had been ejected. The revenue suffered from this
cause and also through the king granting lands to the sheriff and
others on conditions terminating the dues to the crown. A few
extracts will serve the present purpose.

This is the heading :—“ Accounts of Eustace de Maxwell,
sheriff of Dumfries, of the dues of the same county from the 15th
day of October in the ninth year of king Edward the Third after
the Conquest, up to the feast of St. Michael next following.”’

“The same renders account of £6 received from the term of
St. Michael in the 9th year, from the Ward of the Castle of Dum-
fries, and not more, because the same sheriff will be able to raise
nothing thence from the barony of Staplegorton, which was wont
to render 20 shillings a year for the same ward, nor from
the barony of Mallayknok, which was wont to render

Tue Castle oF DumrFRIES. 91

20 shillings a year to the said ward, etc. Of the dues
from the Burgh of Kirkcudbright in Galloway, from the said 15th
day of October in the 9th year, up to the 8th day of November
next following, on which day the king granted to John Mareschal
to be had and to be held by himself and his heirs until the same
king shall have provided for him elsewhere within the kingdom of
Scotland 20 marks of land, to be had by him and his heirs by
brief, there is no reply, because the said burgh was waste at the
time of this account. Of the Mote of the Castle, and certain
demesne lands called Kingsholm, at Dumfries, which were wont to
be worth 60 shillings a year, there is no reply, from the foresaid
cause, etc.”’

“From the barony of Kirkmichael, which belonged to Philip
de Moubray, deceased, who held it in capite of the King of Scot-
land on paying to the Ward of the Castle of Dumfries 10 shillings
a year, and was wont to be worth 100 marks a year, from the Ist
day of October in the 10th year, on which day the barony was
taken into the king’s hand, until the rights of the same barony
issettled. . . . upto the feast of St. Michael next following,
there is no reply, because it is waste. From the barony of
Tinwald, which belonged to Peter de Middleton, deceased, who
held of the king in capite for the service of paying 10 shillings to
the ward of the king’s castle of Dumfries, and which was wont
_ to be worth £20 a year, from the 20th day of October until the
feast of St. Michael next following, and remaining in the king’s
hands through the minority of the heir of the same Peter, there is
no reply, for the reason foresaid, etc. The sum of the whole re-
ceived, £17 18s 4d, and in wages of one man guarding payments
in the same place receiving 1d a day during the time of this
account, for 350 days, 29 shillings, 2 pence, and so he owes
£16 9s 2d, which he has paid, and is satisfied.’’

The following relates to the Burgh :-—

“ Account of Gervase Avenel and William Malkynson, John
Smerles and John de Lang, bailiffs of the burgh of Dumfries,
from the said 15th day of October until the feast of St. Michael
next following.’’

“The same renders account from the farm of the burgh of
Dumfries from the terms of St. Martin and Whitsuntide last past,
of £9 16s 8d, and 2 shillings due from the burgage of William
Malkynson in the said burgh, being in the king’s hand, through

92 Tue CAsTLE OF Dumrriés.

the ejection of John, son of Laghlan, and John Mounville through
the time aforesaid. Of 16 pence of annual rent due from a
certain holding of William Malkynson in the aforesaid burgh,
remaining in the king’s hand through the ejection of Gilbert de la
Haye, and 8 pence of rent due from the holding of Gilbert le
Smith in the same burgh, remaining in the King’s hand through
the ejection of the same Gilbert, there are no replies, because
the two holdings lay waste at the time of this account. From
one holding in the same burgh remaining in the king’s hand
through the ejection of Earl Patrick (who was also ejected from
the lands of Glencairn) there is no reply, because the said holding
was waste during the time of this account. The sum of the
whole received £10 1s Od, which they paid up on their account,
and are satisfied.’’

The same bailiffs, William Malkynson and John Smerles,
collectors, of the new customs, of Dumfries, accounted for 7
shillings and 11 pence received, which they paid at Berwick on
the 12th day of September in the 10th year without acquittance,
and are satisfied.

Famine was rife in the country. The English garrisons of
Berwick and Jedburgh, driven from want of food to become bands
of robbers, plundered friends and foes alike, and the men-at-
arms, the foot soldiers, said seized the dead horses, leaving
nothing for their sustenance. William de Dacre, writing to John
bishop of Winchester, the Chancellor, “Tells the news of the
march where he is, viz., that the vale of Annan is so utterly wasted
and burned that from Lochmaben to Carlisle, on the Scottish
side, there is neither man nor beast left.’’

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

We have endeavoured to recover something of the form and
character of the Castle of Dumfries, and its relation to the
distressful war so long carried on between the realms of England
and Scotland.

The natural advantages of the situation, the formidable
nature of the fortifications which we have seen, were cast about
it by King Edward, and the vestiges which remain attest it to
have been, according to the requirements of the time, a strong-
hold of no mean order ; and it with Lochmaben and Caerlaverock
commanded one of the gates of Scotland, and it served as a centre

Tue CastLte oF DumrriEs. 93

for military operations over a wide area of country around. One
of the greatest of England’s monarchs, Edward the First, reared
its defences under his personal supervision ; it was taken and re-
taken by a Scottish King, no less famous, Robert de Bruce ; and
with associations so interesting we submit that the vestiges of the
ancient Edwardian Dyke at Dumfries is not less worthy of pre-
servation than is the fragment of the wall of Berwick, which is
now to be cared for and saved from further waste.

We may add that locally the castle was an important institu-
tion. Dumfries being the royal castle of the county constituted
Dumfries a royal burgh, and the castle the headquarters of the
sheriff as the royal authority over the shire. The baronies of
the shire in a number of cases, as has been seen, were held by
tenure of ward of the castle, which was also the head place or
caput of the county within the old bounds, including Galloway on
this side of Cree. Thus, as Dr George Neilson has shown,
Archibald the Grim by charter provision of 1367, for his lordship
of Galloway, was to pay a white rose of blench form yearly at our
Castle of Dumfries.

Sth January, 1906.

Chairman—Mr Rosert Murray, V.P.

New Memsers.—Mrs Arnott, Sunnymead, Maxwelltown ;
Miss Chrystie, Irving Street ; and Rev. J. Murphy, Park Road.

NOTES ON SOUTHERN NIGERIA. By James Wart, M.A.

(Summarised by the Author.)

The Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was formed in 1900
by the amalgamation of the Niger Coast Protectorate with that
‘part of the Royal Niger Company’s Territory which lay to the
south of Idah, on the River Niger. The High Commissioner of
Southern Nigeria was made Governor and Commander-in-Chief
of Lagos in 1904. The remaining portions of the Royal Niger
Company’s territories form the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.

The estimated area of Southern Nigeria is 65,000 square

94 Notes ON SOUTHERN NIGERIA.

miles; the native population is estimated at about three and a
half millions.

The imports for 1904 were valued at £1,792,000; the
exports at £1,718,000.

Forcados, the principal port, is about eighteen days’ voyage
from Liverpool. Steamers call at the Canary Islands, Sierra
Leone, Monrovia, the Gold Coast, and Lagos.

The River Niger flows north and south through the Pro-
tectorate, and issues through many mouths connected by a
network of creeks into the Gulf of Guinea. The Cross river
forms a similar estuary in the east.

The region intersected by the creeks and outlets of these
estuaries is swampy, and has few native settlements.

Beyond this lies the most fertile region of the Protectorate,
rich in palm trees and well cultivated. It has low, rolling hills.

This extends as far as Ungwana, on the Cross River, and
Onitsha, on the River Niger, where the true African continent
may be said to begin. Beyond these points we have rock
scenery.

In the Eastern part of the Protectorate is an interesting
region of igneous rock formation, with granite, gneiss, and similar
rocks. Here there are mountains forming part of the Kamerun
system. Generally speaking, the rock formation of the remainder
of the Protectorate is of sedimentary origin.

The principal exports are palm oil and palm kernels.
Timber is a great and increasingly important article of trade.
The cultivation of cotton is experimentally undertaken.

The oil palm grows in profusion in all parts of the Pro-
tectorate. Palm nuts grow in clusters of two or three feet in
height. Oil is expressed from the fleshy, outer covering of the
nuts. This leaves the hard nut, which, when cracked, yields
the palm kernel.

Formerly the palm oil trade was largely in the hands of
native middlemen, who collected the oil in the up-country
markets and brought it to the European traders. Now the
up-country traders are learning to bring their own produce direct
to the European trading stations.

Trading firms at the present day have large establishments
upon land. Formerly hulks were used. | When trade was first
established ships went round the various trading towns and gave

NoTEsS ON SOUTHERN NIGERIA. 95
credit to native traders. After completing their circuit, they went
round again to collect the produce gathered by them.

The oil trade was the staple trade, which took the place of
the slave trade, which did so much injury to the native races of
West Africa and to the reputation of the European races which
took part in it.

The Government has undertaken the charge of the forests,
and prevents the deforestation of the country and the destruction
of the rubber trees. Nurseries and plantations of rubber are
established in the principal villages.

The British Cotton Growing Association has established two
experimental plantations, and the natives are being encouraged
in the cultivation of cotton.

Southern Nigeria is inhabited by a great variety of native
races. The only great native State was Benin, whose people
are superior in intelligencé to the other races of the Protectorate.

Much good work is done by the various missions: that of the
United Free Church at Calabar and those of the Church Mis-
sionary Society and the Roman Catholic Church upon the River
Niger.

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM SPORT EXHIBITED AT LAST MEETING.
By the SECRETARY.

On the table at last meeting there was a specimen taken from
a Chrysanthemum grown in the garden of Mr J. Bryce Duncan of
Newlands, Kirkmahoe. Those who observed it will, perhaps,
recollect that some of the flowers were of a canary yellow, others
of an orange red shade, and another had one-half of the flower
of either colour. The variety whence this was obtained is named
Lizzie Adcock, which is itself a sport from one called Source d’Or.
This sport at Newlands is remarkable as one which is derived
from a variety hitherto giving the only recorded instance of a sport
in which the flower head is composed of two equal divisions of
colour, one not yet recorded in the family of Chrystanthemums
save in the case of the variety Source d’Or and its sports. The
typical Chrysanthemum called Source d’Or has bright orange-red
flowers shaded with gold, but a sport of it is recorded which has
given not only two colours but two different forms of florets on
the one flower-head. This sport had half of the flower-head

96 THE CHRYSANTHEMUM SPORT.

composed of spreading, flat, canary-yellow ray-florets, and the
other half was composed of recurved dark golden bronze florets
with revolute edges. The variety Lizzie Adcock, from which the
Newlands flower originated, is a bright golden yellow flower.
The Newlands sport showed a reversion in some of the flowers to
almost the typical Source d’Or, but more bronzy than that variety,
but others were more of a canary yellow than the parent, Lizzie
Adcock. The other flower, which had half of its flower-head
bronze and the other half canary yellow, had also the bronze
coloured florets larger, broader, and possessing more substance
than the others. The cause of these sports is difficult to account
for, but I dealt incidentally with the subject in a paper I read to
this society some time ago, and which is to be found in the
Society’s “ Transactions,’’ Vol. XVII.

Since writing that paper I have discovered an article dealing
with the whole question of Chrysanthemum sports in the Journal
of the Royal Horticultural Society, and contributed by Professor
Henslow. It is too lengthy to be given here, but after an ex-
haustive analysis of the various sports, Professor Henslow dis-
cusses the question of the cause which produced these. In my
own paper the general conclusion was that anything which tended
to alter the conditions of growth increased the sporting tendency
of the plant. Practically, Professor Henslow’s conclusions are
the same, climatic influences being apparently the most highly
favoured by that able botanist. He also, however, speaks of
nutrition as likely to have its effects, and recently some investiga-
tions made by Sir Sydney H. Vines, and referred to at some length
in his presidential address to the Linnean Society of London, lead
one to think that probably it is to the powers of nutrition that
many variations are due. Popularly described, the investiga-
tions of Sir Sydney Vines and others show that plants possess much
the same digestive secretions as ourselves and other animals, and
that these are used to convert the stores of proteid they have built
up, and which would otherwise be insoluble, into the materials
they require by means of digestion into mobile matter. Probably
we shall eventually discover how to influence these juices (to use
a common expression) so as to modify the forms and colours of
plants in a way hitherto impossible.

Tue WEATHER oF 1905. 97
26th January, 1906.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.
New MempBers.—Mr and Mrs T. A. Halliday, Dumfries.
THE WEATHER OF 1905. By Rev. WiLL1AM ANDSON.

The past year has been in some respects remarkable in point
of weather. On the whole it has been a favourable year as far as
temperature and sunshine are concerned, but marked by a
deficiency of rainfall, which entitles it to be described as the driest
of the last twenty years or more.

To begin with the barometrical pressure, on the variations of
which the state of the weather so much depends, I find that the
highest reading of the year.occurred on the 12th December, when
it rose to 30.890 in., and the lowest on the 15th March, when it
fell to 28.365 in., thus giving an annual range of no less than
2.545 in. It is worthy of note that not only in December, but also
in January, there was an exceedingly high reading, viz., of 30.856
in. on the 28th of that month. These are both abnormally high
readings, occurring but rarely in many years. And taking the
year as a whole, there were no fewer than six months in which the
mean pressure (reduced to 32 degs. and sea-level) exceeded 30
inches. These months were January, February, May, June, July,
and December ; and they were all very favourable months in point
of weather ; while those which had the lowest mean pressure, viz.,
March, with a mean of 29.570 in., and November, with a mean
of 29.601 in., were the most unfavourable. The mean pressure
for the whole year was 29.933 in., which is a little above average.
Low readings falling below 29 in. occurred in January, February,
March, and November, which for the most part were accompanied
by strong winds and heavy rains. But these cyclonic disturbances
were on the whole less numerous than usual. One of the worst
was about the middle of March, when a good deal of damage was
done both by sea and land; and others occurred in the end of
November and first part of December.

Temperature in the shade, 4 feet above the grass. The
highest readings of the year were recorded on the 23rd June and
the 9th July, when the s.r. thermometer registered 84.5 deg.
The lowest reading was on the 19th November, when a minimum

Tue WEATHER oF 1905.

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Tue WEATHER oF. 1905. 99

of 19 deg. was recorded. The annual range was thus 63.5 deg.,
and the mean temperature of the year was 48.2 deg. The annual
means since I began to take observations in 1887 have varied
from 46 deg. in 1892 to 49.5 deg. in 1898; the mean of nineteen
years being 47.6 deg., so that the mean temperature of the past
year was fully half-a-degree above the average. The warmest
month of the year was July, with a mean of 62 deg., being two
and a half degrees above the average ; and the next warmest June,
with a mean of 58.9 deg., which was also more than one degree
above the average of 57.7 deg. And these were both extremely
favourable months, with an amount of sunshine considerably in
excess of the mean, and a larger proportion of really warm days
than what is usual. June, for example, had five days with
maxima exceeding 80 deg. and eight days with maxima
of over 70 deg.; while July had sixteen days with maxima
of 70 deg. to 80 deg., and two of them above 80 deg. The
coldest month was January, with a mean of 39.7 deg., and the
next coldest November, with a mean of 40.3 deg. The average
mean temperature of November is 43 deg. ; and the considerable
deficiency which marked the November of 1905 was due to a cold
snap which occurred between the 17th and the 21st in connection
with a northerly type of weather, during which the lowest reading
of the year was recorded, and it may also be noted that October
had a similar experience of northerly, north-easterly, and north-
westerly winds for about a week after the middle of the month,
with night frosts of considerable severity, which lowered the mean
temperature of the month from 47.6 deg., which is the average, to
44 deg., and for the particular week referred to after the 16th to
39.6 deg. ‘The other winter months were characterised by ex-
tremely moderate weather, December, for example, showing a
mean temperature of 43 deg., not less than 5 deg. above average,
and January and February means of 2 deg. above average. It is
a remarkable fact, which should not be passed over without
notice, that there was a week in the _ beginning of
December which had a temperature little more than one
degree below that of the corresponding week in June,
the one being 50.5 deg., and the other no more than 51.7 deg.
This mildness of the winter months continued into March, which,
though boisterous and unsettled, as it usually is, had a mean
temperature three degrees above average, and was remarkably

100 Tue WEATHER OF 1905.

free from the northerly and easterly winds which commonly pre-
vail at that season. But April brought a change, with a tempera-
ture scarcely higher than that of March, a snowstorm in the end
of the first week, and an amount of frost in first half of the month
which made it much liker a winter than a spring month. The
aggregate degrees of frost were 16.4 deg., occurring in six nights,
and exceeding that experienced in December. But this was more
than compensated by the more auspicious weather of May and
the summer months which followed, which were hailed as a happy
return to the sunshine and warmth which are not infrequently
conspicuous by their absence. ‘The result was that, although the
unfavourable weather of April, which was both cold and wet,
awakened fears of a late harvest like that of 1903, it turned out
to be earlier than usual, except in the far north, which was sub-
jected to rainier conditions, and proved to be both abundant in
quantity and excellent in quality.

I now pass on to the rainfall, in the deficiency of which we
find the special characteristic of the weather of 1905, which dis-
tinguishes it from that of many previous years. The whole
amount for the year was 30.57 in., with 194 days on which it fell.
I have not noticed in this account the days in which snow fell and
the amount separately from rain. But I find on looking over
the record that there were only four days on which this occurred,
two in January, one in February, and one in April, and that the
amount when melted and measured was only 0.49 in. The
average annual amount over nineteen years is 37.31 in., so that
the deficiency for the past year was nearly seven inches, which is
equivalent to almost seven hundred tons of water per acre. This
deficiency was spread over the greatest part of the year. There
were nine months in which the amount was less than the average,
viz., January, February, May, June, July, August, September,
October, and December; and only three in which it was above,
viz., March, April, and November. The wettest month was
March, with a record of 4.06 in., which is an inch and a half more
than the mean, and the driest was January, which is nearly the

same amount less than the mean. One peculiarity of the past year
was the dryness of the winter months, January, February, and

December ; but it was likewise characteristic of the late spring
and summer months, May, June, and July, during which the com-
parative absence of cloudy skies and frequent showers resulted in

Tue WEATHER OF 1905. 101

a proportionate increase of the sunshine and warmth which are so
important at that season of the year; while August also, although
marked by greater rainfall than the preceding months, was also
comparatively dry and warm; and September, so important as
a harvest month, was dry and cool. The following note will
bring out the dryness of these months:—In May there was a
period of 16 days, from the 7th to the 23rd, during which only
0.01 in. of rain fell. In June there were 11 days from the 6th
to the 16th, which were rainless, and again from the 21st to the
30th, and this was continued into July for ten days, so that from
the 21st June to the 10th July there was a rainless period of no
less than 20 days. Once more in September there was no rain
from the 15th to the 27th, a period of 12 days. In respect of
rainfall, 1905 was the antithesis of 1903, for, while the latter was
the wettest of all the years over which my observations have
extended, with a record of 50.45 in., 1905 was absolutely the
driest. The only approach to its record of 30.57 in. was in 1902
and 1887, which registered 30.90 and 30.99 in. The result of
this unusual dryness was that in many parts of the country there
was a scarcity in the water supply for domestic and industrial
purposes, which caused no small amount of inconvenience. But
this was more felt in the eastern side of the country, where the
normal rainfall is considerably less than in our own south-western
district. And perhaps it will not be considered out of place that
I should take notice of its effect upon the river Nith and upon
the salmon fishing carried on during the netting season. So low
was the river during the greater part of that season, and so rarely
was it flooded, that the conditions were very unfavourable for the
ascent of the fish to the upper reaches; and the fishing was in
consequence exceedingly unproductive, so unproductive, as Mr
Turner informed me, as to be insufficient to pay the expense of
working it. Both these facts tend to show that while a dry season
may have its pleasures and advantages it has also its drawbacks
and disadvantages. To this account of the state of the river
during the past year I may add that there was one occasion on
which the tide rose to so great a height as to overtop the caul
or weir, and to cause the most extensive flooding of the Sands.
This was not due in any degree to the river, for there had been
but little rainfall immediately before, but solely to an extra-
ordinarily high tide on the second day after the full moon in

102 THe WEATHER oF 1905.

March, and during the prevalence of strong southerly and south-
westerly winds. I believe this is not an altogether unprecedented
phenomenon, but it is at least exceedingly rare, so rare that I do
not myself remember of having observed it during the nearly
twenty years to which my observations extend.

With regard to the hygrometrical observations, I have only
to add that the mean reading of the dry bulb thermometer for the
year was 48.1 deg., almost exactly the same as the annual mean
temperature, which is 48.2 deg. And the mean reading of the wet
bulb was 45.2 deg.—from which the temperature of the dew-point
was calculated as 41.7 deg., and the relative humidity at 80
(saturation being equal to 100). This is lower than the average by
3, the annual mean over a series of years being fully 83, and
corresponds with the comparative dryness of the year. With
regard to wind direction, the most prevalent, as usual, was S.W..,
which blew on 863 days ; the next, W., with 594 days, and N.W.,
with 534. South blew on 20 days, S.E. on 46; N.E. on 363;
E. on 29; N. on 164; and calm or variable was 183. The sum
of those with a southerly and westerly direction was 206, and of
those with a northerly and easterly was 135.

The Chairman asked how Mr Andson accounted for the
extraordinary rainfall of 150 inches on the Cumberland hills, and
also what was the general track of storms visiting the country.

Mr Andson said that the great rainfall mentioned by the
president was recorded at a station in the Cumberland hills
situated four or five hundred feet above sea level, and it was the
situation in the midst of the Cumberland mountains that
accounted for the rainfall, as also did the elevation of some parts
‘in the midst of the Galloway hills, where the fall was 50 or 60
inches. At the approach of a depression the wind usually backed
to the south-east, and then veered to the south, south-west, and
west.

Dr Maxwell Ross moved a cordial vote of thanks to Mr
Andson for his valuable contribution. It was specially interesting
in relation to the state of water supplies and to the river Nith.
He was much interested to observe that, although in the case of
the Dumfries observation station the rainfall for 1905 had been
the lowest that Mr Andson had recorded, yet it was not the lowest
at some of the other stations. For example, in the case of the

Tue WEATHER OF 1905. 103

stations at Lochmaben and Ericstane, the rainfall for the year was
slightly in excess of that of 1902; and Dr Hugh Robert Mill, in
his preliminary communication to the “Times’’ the other day,
indicated that, while last year was certainly a dry year, we had to
go back to 1889 to get a year in which there was less rainfall.
With reference to the reputation for heavy rainfalls in the west
of Scotland, it was noticeable that the increase in the rainfall last
year was recorded not in the west, but in the east of Scotland—
Aberdeenshire and at stations south of the Moray Firth. There
the rainfall was somewhat in excess of the normal. Taking the
British Isles altogether, the average loss for the year would be
about five and one-tenth inches. That represented a consider-
able reduction in the rainfall, and it explained why it had
happened that so many towns had experienced a deficiency in
their water supply. There had been numerous complaints of
such deficiencies in this district, all largely due to the low rainfall.
Dr Ross mentioned that from reports sent to him from such
stations as Castle Milk, Lochmaben, Ericstane, and Ewes, he
gathered that the average rainfall for Dumfriesshire was about 39
inches for the year. At Cargen it was lower than it had been
for a number of years, being 34 inches. The rainfall there was
always greater than it was at Dumfries, because of the situation
of the place.

EXCAVATIONS AT HoLtywoop. By Dr J. W. Martin.

Dr Martin related the results of certain excavations in con-
nection with the extension of the churchyard at Holywood.
These, he said, revealed the presence of a very solid and lasting
building, which there could be no doubt was nothing less than
the ancient walls of the old abbey of Holywood. A great stone
wall of masonry had been encountered beneath the surface,
running east and west, and extending from the roadway about 45
feet. The wall was made up of large freestone blocks in front,
large whinstone blocks behind, with a solid packing of lime and
masonry. The breadth of the whole was about six feet, and
at one part as much as 7 feet 3 inches ; while the height was about
5 feet 6 inches. A number of curious moulded stones had also
been found. Dr Martin supplemented his description of the
ruins by the production of a number of human bones found on

104 EXCAVATIONS AT HOLYWOoD.

the scene, and he also showed coins (one of them of the period
of Henry II.) found in graves in the churchyard.

Mr Barbour observed that the ruins that had been excavated
were certainly part of the ancient abbey buildings, but whether
they were part of the ancient abbey itself or not was another
question. Personally, he would not go the length of saying so,
though there were certain evidences to support the theory. He
had not seen any positive evidence of ecclesiastical buildings at
the churchyard, however, and he did not think they should go
beyond what they could actually prove. A great many interesting
mouldings had been found, and it was to be learned from these
that the period was generally early English. He produced a
slate that had been unearthed, and which he supposed must at
one time have been taken from a quarry at Routin’ Bridge, where
such slate was to be found. He also produced a very curious
carved stone, the character of which showed that the original
sculptors must have possessed a good deal of humour.* Mr
Barbour added that he was informed the heritors of Holywood
had agreed to the preservation of the excavated wall.

2nd February, 1906.
Chairman—Mr JAMEs BarRzovur, V.P.

EXTRACTS FROM THE RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.
By E. B. Raz, Town Clerk.

Lochmaben may justly claim to be considered one of the
oldest burghs in Scotland, having been the capital of the Western
Marches and ancient shire or Stewartry of Annandale. Various
conjectures, more ingenious than correct, have been made as to
the origin of the name of the burgh. The Gaelic loch-maol-ben
signifies the Lake of the Bald or Smooth eminences, hence Loch-
maben. ‘The father of the present laird of Rammerscales, who
was an authority on the subject, considered that Malben or Maben
was simply a contraction for Magdalen, the patron saint of the
burgh, hence Loch Malben or Maben. It was also supposed

* A plan of the wall is preserved in the Society’s Portfolio,

RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN. 105

to be called Loch-ma-ban, meaning “The Lake in the White
Plain,’’ in allusion, it is presumed, to the white mists that pre-
vailed at certain seasons of the year. The most probable
conjecture is that Mabon, meaning a warrior, gave the name to
the burgh, which in ancient times was no doubt the birthplace of
heroes and warriors. In this connection it is curious to note
that the name Mabon is conferred upon a well-known Welsh
member of Parliament.

The existing Charter of the Burgh was granted by King
James VI., and is dated 16th July, 1612. The narrative clause
is as follows: “ Be it known, Because, understanding that our
most noble Progenitors of most worthy memory, and beyond the
memory of man, erected and called the town of Lochmaben, lying
in the Western Marches of our Kingdom of Scotland, within our
Stewartry of Annandale, into a free Royal Burgh, with all and
sundry the privileges and immunities of a free burgh; and also
gave and granted to the free Burgesses and Inhabitants of the
same, and their successors, divers and various lands, fishings,
farms, profits, and possessions of the same; And that the said
Burgesses and free Inhabitants of the said Burgh of Lochmaben
and their predecessors, beyond the memory of men, were in
possession of the said lands with the pertinents lying within the
bounds above mentioned, as their own proper lands without any
impediment and obstacles; and on account of the by-past great
tumults, disturbances and wars, and incursions of foreign
enemies, which were at that time in Scotland, the said Burgh of
Lochmaben was often and at divers times burnt and spoiled,
with all the ancient Charters, Infeftments, Evidents, and Erections
of the said Burgh given and granted by our most noble pro-
genitors, all which being within the said Burgh at the time were
lost, burned, and destroyed.’’ It will be seen from the terms of
the narrative clause that this is not the original charter of the
burgh, Tradition says that Lochmaben was created a royal
burgh by King Robert the Bruce ; and the Reddendo clause of the
charter shows that it was a royal burgh in the year 1447, for the
burgh maill of 40s is declared to be “the ancient duty formerly
paid by the Provost and Bailies of the said burgh according to an
account rendered by them in our Exchequer in the year 1447.”
As the burgh had its Provost and Bailies in the year 1447, and
paid burgh maill like other burghs, it is very probable that it had

106 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

existed as a royal burgh for at least a century before, and owed
its origin to King Robert the Bruce.

The original burgh charter, believed to have been granted by
Robert the Bruce, is said to have been destroyed in 1463, when
the town of Lochmaben was burnt in a raid made by the Earl of
Warwick. The early records of the burgh have disappeared in
some mysterious way, and no trace of them can be found. The
minute books of the burgh are also defective, and do not go
further back than 1718. ‘The first minute is dated 29th Septem-
ber, 1718, when the annual election of the Provost, Magistrates,
and Councillors was held, William, Marquis of Annandale, being
elected provost. As shewing the free and easy customs indulged
in by the inhabitants, it is recorded that complaints having been
made to the Town Council that the streets were obstructed by
some of the inhabitants of the burgh being in the habit of building
peat stacks and laying down middens in the streets, a committee
was appointed to deal with the matter, and a penalty of 10 pounds
Scots imposed upon any inhabitant continuing the practice there-
after. On 24th September, 1720, the Town Council, “taking
under their consideration the great loss which the community is
at through the want of a tolbooth, they unanimously resolved that
whatever money shall be found in the treasurer’s hands or due to
the town shall be applied towards the building of a Tolbooth,
and seeing that the town will not of themselves be able to promote
and accomplish so good and useful a work they request John
Shand to make application at the next annual convention for help
that way, also to apply to the Marquis of Annandale, late Provost
and Steward of the Stewartry, for assistance towards the building
thereof.’’ In the following year the subject was again considered
by the Town Council, and, as it was reported to them that many
’ well-wishers to the burgh were willing to contribute
towards the building of a Tolbooth provided _ their
generosity was not misconstrued, the Council resolved, ‘ to accept
of what any person pleases to contribute or give that way upon this
express provision, that the person that is the giver declares by a
writ under his hand that it is not in view of the elections of the
burgh, but given as a free gratuity, and the person or persons
giving are to be recorded in the town’s books with the sums given
by them, and the Magistrates and Council hereby promise and
declare faithfully that they shall not on account of anything that

RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LOCHMABEN. 107

may be given that way promise votes to any person or persons in
the future elections.’’’ The Marquis of Annandale contributed
750 merks Scots towards the building, in addition to 400 merks
Scots previously subscribed by him. On 29th September, 1722,
the first reference to the town clerk is made, where it is stated
that Captain John Henderson of Broadholm, who had been
appointed in 1702 town clerk for life, “ for giving out extracts of
the Acts of Council to those that had not agreement or interest,
but only designed to subvert the constitution of the Burgh, and
to disturb the peace of the burgh by pretended reductions of the
late elections to the injury of the public good thereof, the said
Mr Henderson being an abettor and promotor of these disturb-
ances,’’ the Town Council annulled and made void the Acts of
Council under which he had been appointed, and dismissed him
from office, and appointed Captain John Hounslow as town clerk
in his place. In the minute of 27th August, 1723, it is noted
that the Bailies and other members of the Town Council appeared
before two ministers appointed by the Presbytery of Lochmaben,
and declared a call in favour of the Rev. Edward Banockle as
minister of Lochmaben. The following entry, on 8th November,
1728, speaks for itself:—“ The which day the Magistrates and
Council of the Burgh being assembled in common council, and
having under their consideration the several and repeated com-
plaints made to them on account of several of the heritors within
the burgh setting houses to persons who could not give any
account of themselves, and wanting certificates of their last abode,
and also considering a petition given into them this day by the
minister and elders, complaining that the persons therein men-
tioned and others now living within the burgh without certificates
of their former abodes, and recommended to the Magistrates to
exercise their power against such persons, who cannot give an
account of themselves, and likewise having under their considera-
tion that several persons come to reside within the burgh and
exercise their employments such as merchant traders, sellers of
all kinds, keepers of public-houses, and others exercising their
trade as mechanics without so much as acknowledging the
Magistrates or recognising their freedom to exercise their said
employments according to the custom and laws of Royal Burghs ;
therefore the Magistrates and Council, in order to prevent such
practices, doth enact and hereby enacts that for hereafter no

108 RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LOCHMABEN.

heritor within the Burgh shall set any house to any persons what-
somever without first they advise the magistrates that they may
know the character of the persons, and that under the penalty of
four pounds Scots for each failure, and that each heritor shall
enact themselves that any such houses shall in no manner of way
be hurtful or burdensome to the burgh, and it is likewise hereby
enacted that no persons whatsomever that shall happen to come
and reside within the Burgh shall exercise any employment or
trade within the same without first applying to the Magistrates for
their freedom under the pains contained in the Act of Burghs, and
practised by the burghs, and the Burgh Officer is hereby ordered
to make out a list betwixt now and the next meeting of the Council
of those persons in the Burgh that have exercised their employ-
ments or trade within these three years past and have not applied
to the Magistrates, that justice may be done.’’

The Common Good of the Burgh in 1730 was so smal] in
amount that Provost Sir James Johnstone intimated to the Council
at their annual election meeting that he would pay his own
expenses in attending the Convention of Royal Burghs as the
Council’s representative, and at the same time would discharge
the burgh for all past expenses incurred by his late father in repre-
senting the burgh.

In the Charter of the Burgh power is given to hold a market
weekly on Sunday, along with two free fairs in the year, viz., on
St. Magdalene’s and St. Michael’s Days, and continuing the same
for the space of eight days. By minute of meeting of 14th June,
1731, the Magistrates appointed Bailie Henderson “to get
printed advertisements for the Saint Magdalene Fair of Loch-

-maben, to be holden on the last Thursday of July, customs free
for all horses, sheep, lambs, kye, and merchant ware, and for the
encouragement of those that bring lambs and get them not sold
to get liberty for them to be grassed till the Thursday after, being
Lockerbie market.’? Some of the subscribers to the building of
the Tolbooth not having paid their subscriptions, the Council, by
minute on 13th October, 1732, ordained the clerk to make out a
list from the Town Book of such gentlemen as subscribed, and
were deficient, and ordained that the deficients be spoke with to
pay up to the extent of their obligations, and if they declined
they were to be sued for payment in the jurisdiction wherein they
lived. On the same date the Council appointed the Burgh

RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LOCHMABEN. 109

Marches to be ridden upon the 30th day of October next. This
entry is interesting as being the first intimation in the existing
burgh records of this ancient ceremony being carried out. It
does not appear to have been made an annual event in Loch-
maben, as is the case in a few other burghs, but was revived at
intervals of a few years. In the minute of 18th August, 1733,
Lord Hope’s resignation as a Councillor is inserted as follows :—
“T, Lord John Hope, one of the Town Council of the Burgh of
Lochmaben, considering that I cannot attend the consultations
about the affairs of the said burgh or the elections thereof, there-
fore I hereby resign and renounce my place and office as one of
the Council of the town of Lochmaben with all the privileges
thereto belonging, and that in the hands of the Magistrates and
Town Council of the said Burgh of Lochmaben, with power to
them to elect and choose another Councillor in my place with
the same privileges that belonged to me.”’

At a meeting held on 17th May following, in reply to a
protest made by Sir James Johnstone of Westerhall as to certain
illegalities at the meeting which accepted of Lord Hope’s resigna-
tion, it is mentioned that the Council “shall be extremely glad
that all culpable and underhand dealing be brought to light before
a competent judge that it may appear who were the authors and
promoters of them.’’

In explanation of the following minute it may be stated that
under the Scottish Parliament the burgh returned one member
elected by the Council. From the Union to 1832 the Town
Councils of each burgh chose a delegate, with whom the election
rested. The election of a delegate often gave rise to scenes of
riot and disorder, as we shall afterwards see, as the Lochmaben
representative was understood to have the casting vote and con-
siderable responsibility was attached to the appointment.

“25th April, 1735.—The which day the Provost, Magis-
trates, and Council of the Burgh being met in common council
assembled there, Mr William Kirkpatrick of Ellisland, advocate,
one of the present Council, proposed to the Council that he was
willing to serve the Burgh with the other Burghs of this district
as their Burgess in the present current Parliament of Great Britain
if they should think fit to judge him a fit person for that purpose,
and then he withdrew: which proposition being considered by the
Magistrates and Council, they do unanimously accept of the pro-

110 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

position made by the said Mr William Kirkpatrick, and intreat
the Provost in name of the Council to give Mr Kirkpatrick their
thanks for his kind offer, and do hereby unanimously declare that
it is their opinion that the said Mr William Kirkpatrick is a very
fit person to represent them and the other burghs of this class or
district of burghs to serve as their burgess in this present current
Parliament of Great Britain, and in testimony of our sincerity we
have hereunto set our hands and subscriptions, and Mr Kirk-
patrick being called up this was read to him, who thereafter made
his compliments to the Council testifying his acceptance, and by
the unanimous appointment of the Council this declaration was
recorded as above, and ordered a just copy, signed as aforesaid
by the Magistrates and Council, to be delivered into the hands of
the said Mr William Kirkpatrick.’’

The Town Council were frequently called upon to interfere
in matters which at the present day would be determined by the
civil law, as the following minute, dated 20th August, 1735,
shows :—‘“ The Magistrates and Council having had several com-
plaints made to them of the damage sustained by many of the
inhabitants through some persons allowing their beasts loose on
the crofts and entering their neighbour’s young stubble and grass,
to prevent which for the future, and that in justice every person
may enjoy his own right, the Magistrates and Council do hereby
forbid and discharge all persons within the burgh or territories
thereof from feeding their beasts upon any stubble or grass save
what belongs to themselves allenarly, and no ways to incroach
upon their neighbours from and after this day until Hallowday
next under the penalty of half a merk Scots for each transgression,
and any person poinding the transgressor’s beasts from off his
‘ground shall entitle him to the above penalties, and this to be a
standing order in all time coming, and appoints the town officer to
proclaim this by beat of drum that none pretend ignorance.”’

An offer from the Marquis of Annandale in 1741 of the sum
of £150 towards the building of a Town House and Steeple,
“which his lordship from a regard to the burgh had made them a
present of,’’ was gratefully accepted by the Council.

The following address, presented by the Town Council on
10th March, 1742, to Lord John Johnstone, M.P. for the Dum-
fries Burghs, must have been very gratifying to him. The “ critical
juncture ’’ mentioned in the address no doubt referred to the war

RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LOCHMABEN. 1A

with Spain, which Walpole, very unwillingly, was driven into in
1739 by the clamours of the nation. The war was carried on by
him in a half-hearted way, and disaster succeeded disaster. He
was bitterly attacked in Parliament, and early in 1742 he was
defeated in the House of Commons and forced to resign. George
II. was King at this period. The address is as follows:—“ To
the honourable Lord John Johnstone, Member of Parliament for
the District of Burghs of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Annan, Loch-
maben, and Sanquhar.—This court as one of the five burghs of
the districts you represent in Parliament, take this public occasion
to acknowledge a grateful sense of and return you our hearty
thanks for your wise and prudent conduct so agreeable to the
inclinations of your constituents at this critical juncture ; and as
we are firmly persuaded that the honour and dignity of His
Majesty and Royal Family and the true interest and welfare of
the nation are what you always have in view, we with great
cheerfulness and unanimity take this occasion to recommend to
you at this juncture that you will contribute as much as in your
power to a strict inquiry into the sources of all the complications
that for some time past the nation has laboured under, and that
you will thoroughly promote all Bills for such salutary laws that
shall be proposed in the House of Commons in order to these
ends, and the restoring and preserving the constitutions and
happiness of the nations from all attempts of open or secret
corruption of any kind whatsoever.’

It is disappointing to find that there is no record of the affairs
of the burgh from June, 1743, to March, 1750, the leaves of the
Minute Book embracing that period having been presumably torn
out. This loss is to be regretted the more because the period
in question included the Jacobite rebellion and the stirring events
which ensued upon the crossing of the Border by the Jacobite
army. It is very probable that reference would be made to such
an important incident in the records of the burgh.

23rd August, 1761.—The Magistrates and Town Council,
considering the low state of the burgh and the small trade carried
on in it, and also considering the spirit of improving of common
grounds now universal in the country, resolved to feu out a
portion of the burgh’s community in accordance with a plan
_ ordered to be prepared, and appointed the town clerk to advertise
the public roup of same in the “Edinburgh Courant ’’ and the

1 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

burgh officers to advertise the same in the burgh by tuck of drum
and placard it in the Cross and Church dours.

At the annual meeting for the election of Magistrates and
Councillors, held on 29th September, 1762, Francis Carruthers
of Dormont was proposed as a councillor, but he was objected to
by ex-Provost Dickson on the ground that he was not a heritor in
the burgh or a resident burgess, and the rather strong statement
was made that his being proposed as a councillor had been
brought about by undue influence, deceit, and perjury. In
answer to the above objection, “no regard ought to be had to
it, as it has been the continual practice of this burgh to admit
councillors who were not heritors within the burgh, and as to the
ill-natured objection thrown out that he was brought in by undue
influence, deceit, and perjury, the same is denied, and leaves
the proposer to make good his objection.’’ In the result Mr
Carruthers was elected a councillor ; but the dispute, unfortunately
for the Town Clerk, did not end with his election. Six months
afterwards, on 19th February, at a meeting held on that date, it is
minuted that “the Magistrates and Council, taking into their
consideration the conduct of John Dickson, their clerk, at the
last annual election of Magistrates and Councillors in his having
most injuriously and impudently insinuated privately, and in
having expressed publicly, that the bringing in Mr Carruthers
of Dormont into the Council proceeded from fraud, deceit, and
perjury, and by ingrossing these words into the minutes of election
in a clandestine way, with a manifest intention to throw a base
imputation upon the conduct and character of the Magistrates
and Council, and the Council being conscious that their conduct
in the whole measures that were pursued at the last election
followed from a conviction in their own minds that they were
acting upon just and honourable principles and for the public
good of the burgh, and considering that such ill-natured and
scurillous assertions must have proceeded from wicked motives in
the said John Dickson, who is their servant, and ought to be
severely censured, therefore the Magistrates and Council do
hereby not only unanimously declare their consciousness of the
‘injustice of the imputation made by the said John Dickson, but
also ordain him to be summoned to the Council to answer to
his conduct at that time ; they therefore appoint one of the officers

RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN. 113

to summons him to appear upon Monday, the 21st curt, at 6
o’clock at night.

Mr Dickson ten days afterwards appeared before the Council
and tendered an apology for his conduct, having been, he stated,
in a passion when he uttered the expressions complained of.

An entry in the minutes of 10th June, 1784, is of interest to
Freemasons, the Magistrates on that date having agreed to feu to
the Freemasons of St. Magdalen a piece of ground for the erection
of an “ornamental ’’ lodge at the south end of the High Street,
where the Parish Church now stands, the feu duty to be one penny
yearly if asked only, Dr Robert Clapperton, the R.W.M. of the
Lodge, to hold the feu in name of the grantees. It may be
noted in passing that the Dr Clapperton here referred to was the
father of the famous African traveller, Captain Hugh Clapperton.

The year 1790 proved to be an eventful year in the history
of the burgh. Party feeling ran very high, and for a time mob
law held sway. <A meeting of the Magistrates and Town Council
was convened for 8th July, 1790, for the purpose of electing a
Commissioner or Delegate to represent the Burgh of Lochmaben
at the ensuing election for choosing a Burgess to serve in Parlia-
'ment. The minute of meeting bears that eight members of the
Council met on the above date in the dwelling-house of Bailie
Dickson prior to attending a meeting of the whole Council in the
Town House, when a riotous, tumultuous, and outrageous mob
assembled within the burgh, and having not only assaulted and
attacked the Magistrates and Councillors who were assembled in
the dwelling-house, but forcibly and violently broke into the
house and carried off Bailie John Bryden by open force and
violence, and the mob having also again returned to Bailie
Dickson’s house with the declared intention of seizing and
carrying off from the election another of the councillors, the other
Magistrates and Councillors present were not only so much
intimidated by the threats and outrages of the mob, that they
were under the necessity of flying from the burgh for the safety
of their lives. The other Councillors who were not present,
but intended to be at the meeting, were prevented by the threats
and outrages of the mob from entering the town, although they
attempted to do so. They ultimately all met at Townfoot of
Mouswald, “ finding that to be the first and only place of safety
where they had hitherto been able to meet for freely and

114 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

indifferently electing a Delegate.’’ In the absence of the Town
Clerk, Mr Lindsay (who will be heard of again), the meeting
appointed: Thomas Dickson, late writer in Lochmaben, and
residing in Mouswald, and Francis Shortt, writer in Dumfries,
conjunct and common clerks of the burgh. The seal of the
burgh, being in the hands of the late clerk, could not be appended
to the commission in favour of the delegate appointed, and the
difficulty was got over by adopting as the seal of the burgh the
private seal of Mr Francis Shortt until the common seal could
be recovered. The election of a Delegate thereafter duly took
place, in terms of the precept addressed to them by the Sheriff.
On 29th September, in the same year, another violent disturb-
ance took place in the burgh on the occasion of the annual
election of the Magistrates and Town Council. Eight members
of the Council having met in Bailie Dickson’s house prior to the
meeting, they proceeded at the ringing of the town bell to leave
for the Council House. When near the foot of the stair leading
thereto they were obstructed and interrupted by a numerous and
outrageous mob, who seized Bailie John Bryden and violently
thrust him into a post chaise, in defiance of every resistance that
could be made at the time, and carried him off to Annan. The
Magistrates and Councillors were compelled by the violence of
the mob to return to Bailie Dickson’s house, where they waited
until Bailie Bryden joined them after regaining his liberty, and
thereafter proceeded to the election of Magistrates and Coun-
cillors in due form, Bailie Dickson being appointed Provost.
Whilst this election was taking place an opposition meeting under
the protection of the mob was being held in the Council House,
also for the purpose of electing a new Town Council, and the
result was that two sets of Magistrates and Councillors were
elected. | To complete this remarkable state of matters, Mr
Francis Shortt was elected Town Clerk at the meeting held in
the Provost’s house and Mr John Lindsay was elected Clerk at
the meeting held in the Council House. Both sides presented
petitions and complaints to the Court of Session, and at a meeting
of Council, held on 12th August, 1791, Provost Dickson reported
that the Court of Session had decided that the election which
took place in his house on 29th September, 1790, was the only
legal and valid election of the Magistrates and Councillors of
the Burgh of Lochmaben, and that those elected had the only

RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN. 115

good and undoubted right to take the government and administra-
tion of the burgh till Michaelmas next ; the Court had, therefore,
dismissed the complaint in name of Robert Maxwell (who had
been elected Provost) and others, and found them jointly and
severally liable to Provost Dickson and the other complainers in
expenses, which they modified to the sum of three hundred pounds
sterling, besides the fees of extract, which amounted to £82 11s Od.

Closely associated with the lawless proceedings before
narrated, a notable trial took place in the High Court of
Justiciary at Edinburgh in January, 1797, when eight men were
charged with the masterful seizing, carrying off by violence, and
detaining William Walls, a councillor of the Burgh of Loch-
maben, with a view to influence the election of the member of
Parliament there. The names of the accused persons were as
follows: John Lindsay, writer and messenger at arms in Loch-
maben; Duncan Henderson, residenter in Dumfries; John
Henderson, his son; William Steedman, lately returned from
America, and then residing at Lochmaben; John Dobie, son of
John Dobie, late of Tundergarth ; John Lockerbie, residenter in
Lochmaben ; Peter Forrester, joiner in Lochmaben; and James
Thorburn, mason in Blackrig, near Lochmaben. Councillor
Walls at the trial deponed that, being entitled to vote for a
delegate from that burgh, he had, previous to the election,
announced his intention of supporting Mr Millar’s interest, in
opposition to that of Sir James Johnstone ; that Mr Lindsay, one
of the accused, and who acted as agent for Sir James, had
offered him £200 if he would take a walk with him on the day
of election, which he rejected in the strongest terms, declaring
that £2000 should not tempt him. It was then a common
rumour in the burgh that Sir James’s friends had hinted if every
other source failed them they were determined to carry off one of
the voters of the other party. Knowing this, Walls took every
precaution to prevent the contemplated outrage, and for greater
security slept at the house of his son-in-law, William Neilson.
On a Sunday afternoon following he was asked by his son-in-law
to accompany him to a field near the town where they had some
cattle. They accordingly went to the field, accompanied by
William Graham, another councillor and voter in Lochmaben.
When there a chaise made its appearance, and the driver came
into the field and called to William Walls that a gentleman in

116 RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LocHMABEN.

the chaise wished to speak with him. Becoming alarmed, Walls
and those who were with him ran off, with a view to escaping,
but were pursued by a party of men armed with pistols, swords,
bludgeons, etc., who seized Walls and carried him by force to the
chaise, and Steedman, Dobie, and Thorburn having also got in, it
immediately drove off. At some distance on the road a coat
was put into the chaise for Walls, who had thrown off his own
in endeavouring to escape. They proceeded to Ecclefechan,
where an additional pair of horses were procured; from thence
they went to Gretnahall; and so on to Carlisle, where Thorburn
left them, and Walls went on to London with Steedman and
Dobie. | He was detained in London for some days, and after-
wards conveyed to Leatherhead, in Surrey, where he was
ultimately released upon the arrival of Mr George Williamson,
and immediately proceeded to Scotland, his captors for the time
being making good their escape. The defence was that Walls
was carried off with his own consent, and a large number of
witnesses were examined on behalf of the accused. One of these
witnesses, described as a waiter at the inn at Lochmaben, having
stated that he had left Walls at a late hour in his own house on
the night before his capture, was committed to prison for perjury,
as it was clearly proved that Walls had slept in the house of
his son-in-law. The reporter of the case, with righteous indig-
nation, remarks: “ The whole of the evidence presented a picture
of burgh politics degrading to human nature, and we are afraid
not peculiar to the Burgh of Lochmaben.’’ The Lord Justice
Clerk, in summing up, said that the case was one of the most
important trials that had come before the Court in his time.
Having gone over the principal evidence, he concluded with an
eulogium on the flourishing state of the country, which he
attributed in great measure to our right of electing our repre-
sentatives, the exercise of which should be kept as pure and
undefiled as possible. The jury returned a verdict of guilty
against Lindsay, Lockerbie, Forrest, and Thorburn. The Court
in passing sentence observed that the crime of which they were
convicted was of an enormous nature, and deserved exemplary
punishment. Lord Eskgrove, however, was inclined to mitigate
that punishment in the present case, as it was one of those crimes
which the common people did not think would be attended with
such fatal consequences. The Lord Justice Clerk said that the

RECORDS OF THE BuRGH OF LOCHMABEN. 117

offence was rebellion against the Constitution, and if it was a
vulgar error that the crime was of a trivial nature, the punishment
ought to be the greater, that that mistaken notion might be
corrected. The sentence of the Court was that Lockerbie,
Forrest, and Thorburn be whipt through the streets of Edinburgh
on Wednesday, 23rd January, to be then set at liberty, and to be
allowed three weeks to settle their affairs, thereafter to banish
themselves furth of Scotland for seven years ; Lindsay (the writer
and messenger-at-arms) to be fined £50 sterling, to be delivered
to the Clerk of Court, to be imprisoned three months in the
tolbooth of Canongate, and thereafter till payment of the above
sum, after his liberation to be allowed three months to settle
his affairs, and then to banish himself furth of Scotland for seven
years.

A great grand-daughter of Mr Lindsay, who resides in
Lochmaben, informs me that the sentence in his case was not
carried out, powerful influence having been brought to bear upon
the Government of the day to have the penalty remitted. He
married a sister of Miss Jeffray, the lady who is immortalised as
“the Blue-eyed Lassie ’’ in Burns’s song of that name, and who
was a daughter of the minister of Lochmaben.

At a meeting of Council, held on 14th August, 1797, the
Magistrates represented to the meeting that a number of com-
plaints had of late been made to them by different people who
had suffered great loss by swine being allowed to go at liberty
in the crofts and streets of the burgh, the meeting taking it into
their consideration, do hereby resolve and enact that if any person
within the burgh shall allow their swine to go at liberty betwixt
the Ist day of March and the Ist day of November in all time
coming, for the first offence they shall pay a fine of five shillings,
and the next offence doubled, the one-half of the fine to be given
to the poor of the parish and other half to be disposed of as
the Magistrates shall think proper.

On 10th March, 1799, the Magistrates and Council being
met and taking into their consideration that there are only two
burgh officers who have the usual salary of six shillings and eight-
pence sterling each per annum, and they being of opinion that it
would be necessary to appoint two more, we do hereby nominate
and appoint William Carruthers and Richard Beattie, both in
Lochmaben, burgh officers, without any salary annexed to it,

118 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

and they, being present, accepted of the same and gave their
oaths de fideli in common form, appointment to be during our
pleasure.

The salary of 6s 8d, above referred to, is still paid to the
burgh officer, who, however, is remunerated for other duties,
and that amount until recent years was also the fixed salary of
the Town Clerk.

The ancient ceremony of Riding the Marches, referred to in
minute of meeting of 13th October, 1732, was in 1799 again
revived, the Provost at a meeting held on 30th July in that year
having brought the subject before the Council. The minute
runs as follows: “The Provost represented that in former years
it was the practice of the burgh that the Magistrates, Council,
and community should ride the marches, as described in the
Charter of the Burgh, and that as this practice had been omitted
for some years it would be highly expedient to bring it again into
use, in order that the present Magistrates, Council, and com-
munity should know and be acquainted with the marches and
boundaries of the Royalty, the more especially as there are several
old persons now living who have seen the marches rode in former
years, and who are thereby well acquainted with the same. He
therefore moved that a day should be appointed, and public
notice given thereof, and the motion having been unanimously
-approved of, they appointed Friday, 9th August, 1799, for
perambulating and riding the marches and territories of the burgh
as described in the Charter, and the inhabitants and all persons
who have any interest therein were invited to attend after due
notice had been given by the Provost.

On the day appointed over 60 persons attended, and they
perambulated the ancient marches and boundaries of the territories
of the burgh, and a copy of the Charter granted by King James
the Sixth was read publicly by the Town Clerk at the different
places described therein as the boundaries of the burgh, and no
person having appeared to obstruct or dispute any part of the
boundaries so perambulated pointed out by the persons present
and described in the Charter, the Provost took instruments
thereupon in the hands of the Clerk.

On 16th March, 1802.—At a meeting, held on this date, it
was enacted that no person shall carry on any public trade or
merchandising or any business in the way of traffic until he or she

RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN. 119

shall first become a burgess by purchasing from the Magistrates
a burgess ticket, at the rates hereafter mentioned, that is to say,
every person who is the son of a Burgess or married to the
daughter of a Burgess shall pay the sum of ten shillings and
sixpence, and every other person shall pay the sum of £1 10s
sterling, besides sixpence for each ticket for the dues of regis-
tration, but always reserving liberty to advance the rate of tickets
as the Council may judge right.

On 22nd February, 1806.—The Town Council resolved to
revise the customs of the burgh for the following reasons: Con-
sidering that the Customs of Burgh have been for a long time
by-past collected upon the principle that was formerly laid down
by our predecessors in office, when the value of money at that time
was of a greater value than now, therefore the said Council,
being moved with sundry good intentions, and especially with a
view of advancing the revenue of the burgh and preserving the
ancient powers granted to it, do hereby resolve to advance the
rates of customs upon certain commodities, and to continue the
rates of customs in others.

1lth November, 1809.—An entry in similar terms to the
following occurs each year in the minutes recording the rouping
of the Burgh Customs: Same day the seat in the Church was also
exposed to roup, when George Burgess in Boglehole was preferred
at the rent of twelve shillings and sixpence sterling, from
Martinmas, 1809, till Martinmas, 1810 years

In explanation of this entry the Town Council in 1731
agreed to erect a seat or loft in the Parish Church for the accom-
modation of the Magistrates and Town Council, and the surplus
seats were let each year to the highest bidder, who by sub-letting
would no doubt recoup himself for the rent paid by him.

As evidence of the extent of the pork markets formerly held
in the burgh, it may be noted that in 1812 the dues arising from
the weighing of the swine for one year, being put gt to public
roup, were let for the sum of £2 2s.

2nd January, 1817.—The meeting, taking into consideration
the trouble and expense the Bailies have sustained in going to
Edinburgh by order of the Court of Session to answer for an error
they committed in delaying for twenty hours in taking the oath
of Captain James Brown, a pensioner in the Tolbooth, under a
process of cessio bonorum, the Court having found expenses due

120 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

to Captain Brown to the amount of £23 15s, which, with £6, the
expense of the said Bailies’ journey to Edinburgh, the meeting
agreed to instruct the Treasurer to pay the sum of £29 15s as
above stated.

Coming events cast their shadows before. On 16th Novem-
ber, 1821, the Magistrates, in accordance with previous
instructions, gave in a report to the Council showing the total
indebtedness of the burgh to be £2023. They stated that the
whole of the debts specified were borrowed upon the credit of the
revenues of the town, and faithfully applied for the town’s use
and behoof in the payment of the town’s former debts, with
interest and other charges to which the town was subjected.
They unanimously declared the whole of the sums reported to be
debts due by the burgh, and payable out of the properties and
revenues thereof.

At a meeting held on 11th January, 1822, the Provost
reported that he and other acceptors of a bill due by the burgh
to the Affectionate Society of Lochmaben had been served with
a Charge of Horning following upon a Durett, and also that a
summons had been served upon them at the instance of other
creditors. It was resolved in these circumstances to call
together the burgh’s creditors and lay a statement of affairs
before them.

16th April, 1822.—The Magistrates and Council, taking into
consideration that the burgh has been led into many embarrass-
ments from the Town Clerk not residing within the burgh, it was
agreed that he should be informed by the Depute Clerk that unless
he choose to reside within the burgh and afford his professional
aid to the Magistrates and Council on all occasions and emer-
gencies, he shall forthwith be superseded and some other efficient
professional person nominated to supply his place.

A meeting of creditors of the burgh was held on 2nd May,
1822, but owing to the absence of important books and documents,
said to be in the possession of former Provosts and Town Clerks,
nothing definite was resolved upon, the Council in the meantime
instructing legal proceedings to be taken for their recovery.

On 30th May, 1822, the minute runs that “the Magistrates
and Council took into consideration the embarrassed state of the
burgh’s affairs, and as their case is of a novel kind, they therefore
agreed that John Thomson, writer in Lockerbie, should be

PR ei i i

RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN. 121

authorised to lay a complete state of the burgh’s affairs before
eminent counsel in Edinburgh, leaving no stone unturned, and to
ascertain whether the Magistrates and Councillors, past or present,
in office or dominant burgesses, are liable for the burgh’s debts.

A meeting of the burgh’s creditors was held on 28rd January,
1824, when a proposal was made that a trust deed should be
granted by the Town Council, but the same was rejected by the
meeting. The Council authorised an application to be made to
the Court of Session for the appointment of a Judicial Factor,
several summonses having been served upon the Provost for the
debts of the burgh and arrestments used in the hands of the
feuars. The debts of the burgh amounted at this date to the
sum of £2300. Mr John Graham, tenant in Newbigging, was
appointed Judicial Factor by the Court.

At a meeting of the Council held on 3rd July, 1826, the
following gentlemen were presented with the freedom of the
burgh:—Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, Baronet; Jas.
M‘Alpine Leny, Esq. of Dalswinton; John D. Murray, Esq. of
Murraythwaite; Captain William Hope Johnstone, R.N.; and
John James Hope Johnstone, Esq. of Annandale.

On 16th December, 1834, the following loyal address was
presented to King William:—“ We, the Provost, Magistrates,
and Town Council of the Royal Burgh of Lochmaben, in Council
assembled, beg to approach your Majesty at the present crisis of
public affairs to express our loyalty and allegiance to your
Majesty’s person and our unshaken attachment to and veneration
for the civil and religious establishments of our country. We
humbly convey to your Majesty the expression of our thanks for
the firmness evinced by your Majesty in the exercise of your Royal
prerogative of choosing the Ministers of the Crown, and we
deprecate every attempt at interference therewith, declaring your
Majesty’s right to be one of the most effectual safeguards of our
privileges and a fundamental principle of the Constitution. We
humbly convey to your Majesty the assurance of our devoted
support in the free and uncontrolled exercise of your Majesty’s
prerogative, trusting that when the Ministerial arrangements are
completed such salutory measures will be adopted as shall best
promote the happiness and prosperity of all classes of your
Majesty’s subjects,”

122 RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN.

The Provost was requested to forward the address to the
Duke of Wellington for presentation to His Majesty.

These notes may now fittingly be brought toa close. Ruled,
as the burgh has been in the past, by men of wealth and position,
we would naturally have expected that they would have done
their utmost to have preserved intact its extensive possessions,
and handed them down to their successors undiminished, in extent
or value. The contrary, as we have seen, has been the case,
and from being a burgh possessed of a tract of territory of nearly
2000 acres in extent, it has been reduced to the necessity of
applying to the courts to be saved from its creditors. The
lessons of the past, however, have not been lost upon its existing
rulers, and though the present indebtedness of the burgh is
exactly double the amount of its liabilities in 1824, we have some-
thing to show for our expenditure, which in the not far distant
future will help to dispel the sadness which clouds the history of
a burgh claiming to be the birthplace of Scotland’s greatest hero.

In reply to a question, Mr Rae said he believed this was the
first time that these old records had been examined from the
earliest period up to the present time. He had not brought
the history down later than the bankruptcy of the burgh, but he
had stated that a judicial factor was appointed, and that was a
gentleman who took everything he could lay his hands on. He
wanted to take the right of fishing and other rights in the lochs
round about the castle and other lochs, and litigation followed.
The courts, however, decided that these rights could not be taken
away from the inhabitants of Lochmaben, having been conferred
upon them by charter. The only other thing the judicial factor
did not take-was the customs or fees paid at that time for carts
entering the burgh, but, of course, they had not these now.
Everything was appropriated. About £150 a year was got from
feu duties, and these were all sold. Their common good was of
a very small amount, and consisted of some feu duties which
they got back and amounting to £5 a year. The Town Council
was doing all it could for the burgh. They looked after what
property they had, and with the generosity of Provost Halliday
and two or three others, he had no doubt that Lochmaben would
hold its head up again.

A number of antiquities of the burgh were exhibited by per-
mission of the Town Council of Lochmaben. These included a

RECORDS OF THE BURGH OF LOCHMABEN. 123

minute book of the Town Council of date 1718, the halberd of the
burgh officer, supposed to be an old battle axe; four hundred
silver coins found last year during the excavations in connection
with the sewage operations, jougs used on those sentenced to
“durance vile’’ in the old days, and articles made from black
oak found in the Castle Loch. Some conversation took place
with regard to the finding of the black oak. The Chairman
stated that he believed there was a crannog, but the matter had
never been really gone into, though it was deserving of being
investigated. Bailie Lennox said he had taken soundings of the
loch, and had drawn stabs out of the part where there was
believed to have been a straight way at one time. Some of the
wood was only two feet below the surface of the water, at a point
half-way between the landing stage and the castle on the shore
side. Mr Service said there was no doubt that there was a path-
way such as had been referred to, and he believed that it was of
the same character as the other crannogs in the district.

THe VENDACE. By RosBertT Service, M.B.O.U.

The only member of our Vertebrate Fauna that we can claim
as our very own is the interesting fish that is the subject of this
short communication. The Natter Jack Toad is not quite so
familiar as one of our local institutions though we have it here
fairly commonly, but then we have to share it with some other,
few and far between, localities in Great Britain. For nearly a
whole century we had one absolutely unique local species that
had never been found anywhere else. This was the Coluber
Dumfriesiensis, or “The Dumfries Snake,’’ of which a specimen
was said to have been taken somewhere in our neighbourhood by
a Mr T. W. Simmons, and described by Sowerby as a new species.
So it remained, no other specimens turned up, and the identity of
the “Dumfries Snake ’’ was becoming more than questionable,
when Mr Boulenger, of the British Museum of Natural History,
discovered that after all there had been some curious blunder, or
transposition of specimens, and that the “ Dumfries Snake ”’ was
a Central American species.

This, however, is a digression. We have no Vertebrate that
is absolutely confined to our own faunal area. The Vendace
comes marvellously near to the desired “ parochialism,’’ how-

124 Tue VENDACE.

ever, for it is confined to the Lochmaben group of lochs and their
water system, with the exception that it is also native to Winder-
mere and _ Bassenthwaite. (See meeting at Lockerbie in
Febr. 24).

So far as I know the Vendace is first noted from the scientific
point of view by Sir Robt. Sibbald in his “ Scotia Illustrata,”’
published in 1688. It was called by him Vandesius and Geoan-
desius, these being Latinised expressions of the names then current
for it. Pennant, in that interesting old sketch of Caledonian
Zoology, which he wrote in 1773, and prefixed to Lightfoot’s
“Flora Scotica,’’? treated the Vendace as identical with the
Gwyniad of the Welsh lakes, and with the Powan of Loch
Lomond, an error which held the field for a very long period,
although Stewart in his “Elements of Natural History, pub-
lished in 1817, gives the “ Juvangis ’’ as distinct from the Gwyniad
and the Powan, treating the two latter as a single species, which
they really are. So far as a correct scientific diagnosis is con-
cerned we have to admit that Sir William Jardine was the first
to differentiate the Vendace as a species from all others, though
Stewart is also entitled, as I have already said, to some credit ;
but he identified the Vendace with the Sik of Lake Wener, in
Sweden. Jardine’s paper was published in the “ Edinburgh
Journal of Natural and Geographical Science ”’ for 1830. I
need not discuss in the present connection how this famous fish
has had its specific name altered from time to time from
“ Mareenula ’’ to “ Willughbii,’’ and then again to “ Vandesius,’’
which last was given to it by a great naturalist and explorer, Sir
John Richardson, son of a Provost of Dumfries.

The Vendace is one of the Coregonide, a genus comprising
nearly 50 species, which are found exclusively along the northern
parts of Europe, Asia, and America. The great majority are
lacustrine species, a few of them are subject to periodical migra-
tions to the sea, and one of the Continental species, C.
oxyrhyncus, is almost as much a marine as a fresh water species.
In many instances their distribution is as local as is our own
Vendace. In some cases three or more species are found in the
same loch. Their headquarters are undoubtedly along the
northern parts of North America, where they abound in every lake
and river.

In Great Britain we have three species of the genus Core-

THe VENDACE. 125

gonus, viz., (1) the Gwyniad (c. clupeoides), which occurs in
Lake Bala, in Wales, in Ullswater, and some other of the Cumber-
land and Westmoreland lakes, where it is known as the
“ Schelly,’’ and in Loch Lomond under the more familiar name
of “ Powan;’’ (2) the Pollan (C. pollan), which is found in some
of the loughs of Ireland, notably that of Lough Neagh. The
cry of “Fresh Pollan’’ is said to be quite a familiar sound in
the streets of Belfast at certain seasons. The third species is the
Vendace. Not one of our three British species has been found
elsewhere outside of our islands, nor is ever likely to be. I
present the distribution of this genus and its component species as
a puzzle in evolution. How did our three British species
originate and how may their present distribution be accounted for ?
Once that problem has been solved the exotic species may be
investigated. | Some of them live isolated in remote sheets of
water, and at depths so great that when chased to the surface by
other fish, or brought there by accident, they die at once owing
to the pressure of the expanded air in the blood vessels, or by the
reduction of atmospheric pressure so inflating the body as to burst
the abdominal walls. Let me now leave its congeners and
discuss for a little the Vendace itself.

This remarkable fish is found in several of the Lochmaben
lochs. Just what are its precise limits of distribution I have never
been able to gather definite information upon. The Castle Loch
is, of course, its main habitat. One of the many popular, but
totally inexact, beliefs in regard to the Vendace, is that it breeds
only in the Mill Loch, whence the young fry find their way to the
Castle and Broomhill Lochs. I have seen young of the species in
the Castle Loch, where it is impossible they could have come
from the Mill Loch, so the popular idea is, so far, incorrect.
Odd fish have been seen and taken in the Annan, but they do not
thrive there, and probably all that thus stray die, or become the
prey of other fish. Opinions seem to differ very materially as to
the relative numbers of the Vendace now as compared with
former times. I am inclined to give weight to the opinion that
it has decreased considerably these twenty years past. Eels are
larger and more numerous, and so the spawn of the Vendace will
suffer, while I am informed that pike have greatly increased.
Therefore the adults must have suffered diminution. But, after

126 Tue VENDACE.

all, the difficulty of arriving at an estimation, not to say a census,
of an under-water population, is rather baffling.

In general habits the Vendace resembles pretty much those
of the other members of the family to which it belongs. It is
a social species, keeping together in shoals. In summer they
remain in the lowest depths, during the warmer weather, but on
dull or cold days, or rather in the evenings of such days they will
rise higher in the water. The spawning period varies a little
with the temperature, but is generally at the end of November or
early December. Dr Knox, nearly a century ago, made the
observation that the females are larger and more numerous than
the males. I have often asked if modern observation confirms
this, but no one seems to have studied the point. The food of
the Vendace has been very well ascertained, and I have been able
from time to time to confirm older observations of their feeding
preferences by examining their stomachs, although they very
seldom contain anything at all. Such as there is has been found
to comprise the Micro Crustacea and Entomostraca almost ex-
clusively. The largest specimens do not seem ever to exceed a
foot in length.

One very curious specimen was submitted to me for examina-
tion some years ago, which was a union from the shoulders down-
wards of two fish. There were two vertebral columns and a
couple of tails. When newly taken from the water, the Vendace
is a very beautiful fish in its clear, pearly iridescence. The upper
part is of palest olive, with a slight tint of pink on the pectoral fins
and some specks of the same above the lateral line. The most
remarkable aspect is the transparence of the skull, through which
the entire brain work can be easily seen. The whole appearance
of the fish is extremely delicate, and it may be added that the
delicacy which it presents to sight is equal to that which the palate
claims from the fish when served at table, where its flavour and
aroma fully entitle it the character of a luxury.

Most of us remember the Vendace Club, an association of
gentlemen who met annually at the lochs in July or August, when
the net was drawn, and the fish taken were prepared for dinner
in the evening. This club has long ceased to exist, and so also
has the St. Magdalene’s Vendace Club, an association formed
on much more democratic lines than the other. As many as 2000

a ee ee eee ee

vee

THE VENDACE. 127

people assembled at its annual fishing, and athletic sports were
engaged in after the fishing was over for the day.

This article would be incomplete were I to omit mention of
the curious legends that linger about Lochmaben in reference to
the early history of the Vendace. There are three main stories
presented in numerous forms:—(1) That the fish was introduced
from the continent by those belonging to some of the monastic or
religious establishments of the neighbourhood; (2) that Queen
Mary’s courtiers brought it with them from France ; (3) an intro-
duction by King Robert Bruce, or, as occasionally stated, by
one of the James’s. All of these stories may be dismissed. The
Vendace does not occur on the continent, and so could not have
been brought. The name Vendace is undoubtedly French, and
as our old Scottish Court was much Frenchified, especially in
(Queen Mary’s time, there may have been a demand for the fish
for table on great occasions.

16th February, 1906.
Chairman—Mr Ropert Murray, V.P.

THE KirK-Sess1on REcoRDs OF JRONGRAY, 1691-1700. By the
Rev. SAMUEL Duntop, B.D., Minister of the Parish.

I am sorry to say we have no records of the heroic age of
Trongray, when the redoubtable John Welsh was minister of the
parish (1661-1681). The times did not lend themselves to such
superfluities. It was with swords and pistols and the terrible
word of his mouth that John Welsh and his elders wrote parish
history, and made it glorious in the annals of the Covenant. _ If
the two curates who succeeded him kept records, they are lost.
Perhaps they perished in the rabbling which followed the revolu-
tion, or perhaps their successors did not consider such prelatical
documents worthy of preservation. From our records we learn
that in the neighbouring parish of Lochrutton they were not kept
in “the time of the prelacy,’’ as there was “no public record or
evidence ’’ of Janet Crokat having given satisfaction for her faults
and scandals,

128 KirkK-SESSION RECORDS OF IRONGRAY, 1691-1700.

Our records begin soon after the Revolution Settlement, when
Presbyterianism became the doctrine and discipline of the Church
of Scotland by law established. They run without a break nearly
through the whole of the last decade of the 17th century, from
June 11, 1691, till January 7, 1700. They deal with the whole
ministry of Mr John Sinclair (1691-1693) and the opening years of
the ministry of Mr James Guthrie.

From Scott’s “ Fasti’’ we learn that Sinclair was the son of
the minister of Ormiston, and afterwards of Delft, in Holland.
He was of a melancholy disposition, and given to mathematical
studies. From the minutes I can add another piece of infor-
mation—he wrote a most illegible hand. Perhaps Scott included
that too when he mentioned he was a mathematician. At first
sight his records look not unlike algebraical problems. During
his ministry, in addition to the ordinary cases of discipline, such
as uncleanness, swearing, Sabbath-breaking, etc., we have two
peculiar sorts of cases before the session—(1) accusations of
witchcraft, and (2) confessions of apostasy during the persecution.

WITCHCRAFT.

It is said sometimes that ministers and elders encouraged such
accusations, but the Irongray records rather point the other way.
Most of our cases are either non-proven or not guilty. They
only occur in Mr Sinclair’s time. Perhaps Mr Sinclair had a
taste for investigating psychical phenomena, and Mr Guthrie had
not. Perhaps the people found it was not a fly to which the
session of Irongray rose readily. Mr Sinclair was hardly a
month in the parish (July 16, 1691) before a namesake of his,
Janet Sinklar, was before the session on the charge of slandering
Drumpark’s wife with witchcraft.

“1691, September 24.—David Muirhead of Drumpark and
his wife, being called before the session and examined anent ane
strife betwixt them and Janet Sinklar, submitted themselves to
the will of the session. Janet Sinklar also submitted to the will
of the session for saying that she doubted Drumpark’s wife of
murder and witchcraft, and is appointed to receive a_ pul lick
rebuke before the congregation.”’

Simultaneously there was another and more _ successful
accusation before the session.

“1691, August 30.—William Anderson in Hall of Forest,

Kirk-SEssIoN ReEcorpDs oF IRONGRAY, 1691-1700. 129

being called before the session for bringing his child to a smith
to be charmed with ane forge hammer, confessed his sin, and
received a rebuke before the session.”’

At the next meeting William Anderson’s wife appeared on
the same charge, and stated that she had done so “ at the instiga-
tion of a travelling woman, whose name she knew not.’’. The
smith, too, “ being called, acknowledged that his threatening the
child with an hammer to be a charm, received a rebuke before the
session, and promised never to do the like again.’’

A smith has always been a suspicious character since the
days of Wayland Smith, but some folk-lorist might explain what
peculiar virtue lies in a hammer.

Next year, 1692, Janet Kirk appears as a suspect.

“November 13—John Charters in Barncleugh, being called
before the session as witness nominat by James Wright to prove
witchcraft against Janet Kirk, denied that he knew anything of
witchcraft in her. Margaret Smyth, wife of John Jonston,
being called before the session, declared in her hearing that
Janet Kirk, being brought in to Elizabeth Jonston, being
grievously tormented with sickness like to distraction, pronounced
these words, that ‘if God had taken the health from her let Him
given it again, and if the devil had taken it from her to give it her
again.’ On which she was rebuked.”’

At the next meeting (November 24) John Charters acknow-
ledged that he had heard Janet Kirk use the words quoted, but
gave no opinion as to the witchcraft in them.

An entry on April 16, 1693, promises an even deeper glimpse
into Satan’s invisible kingdom. “ Jean Stot (Ingleston) confessed
before the session that she blessed God if Jean Grier’s prayings
had any pith that they lighted on a kow and not on a person, and
did say that Jean Kirkpatrick did gather root grown briers on a
Saboth day, and nominat Agnes Patton for a witness.’’

Here promises to be a witches’ Sabbath! Jean Grier’s
unchancy prayers, Jean Kirkpatrick’s root-grown briers gathered
on the Sabbath. Surely we have at last a pair of Gallovidian
Canidiae. But the sequel proves that the people of Ingleston
had been having a neighbourly quarrel. Jean Grier had used
rather offensive language about Jean Stot’s father David’s
personal appearance. She had said “he had the face of a
devil.” The session found “wrath and malice among the

130 Krrx-Sesston REcorps oF IRoncRAyY, 1691-1700.

inhabitants of Ingleston,’’ and the minister was sent as peace-
maker. “Jean Stot obeyed the minister and forgave Jean Grier,
and also required forgiveness of her, which she refused till further
advisement.”’

- This ends our accusations of witchcraft, which are not, after
all, very ‘terrifying.

= Tue LapsiI, OR FALLEN.

Though the persecuting times were ended before these
records begin, some distant rumblings of the storm may be heard
in them. Since the Decian persecutions, the Church, after a
period of trouble, has had to deal with those who in the hour of
danger “worshipped in the house of Rimmon’’ or “ bowed the
knee to Baal.’’ In early church history these were known as
the lapsi or fallen. And there were some lapsi in Irongray.

“1693, February 16.—Thomas Fergusson of Hallhill,
younger, before his child was baptised, was rebuked before the
congregation for his taking the test (7.e., The Test Act, 1681).
March 19—William Smith in Killylour voluntarily compeared
before the session and gave evidence of his grief for his defec-
tions, acknowledging and confessing his baptising of his child
with the curate, and taking the oath of abjuration to be a sin.”’

The oath of abjuration abjured the apologetical declaration
of Rich. Cameron (commonly called the Declaration of
Sanquhar), by which Cameron deposed Charles Stuart from the
throne.

“ April 16—John Maxwell of Beoch came voluntarily before
the session and acknowledged his defections, and especially his
taking the test, and declared his grief for the same. And Janet
Maxwell, his wife, came voluntarily also, and confessed her
defections and miscarriages before the courts in the time of
persecution.”’

We shall hear later of some other miscarriages of Mrs
Maxwell in Beoch.

Five years after this (in Mr Guthrie’s time), August 17, 1698,
James M‘Morn confessed himself guilty of taking the test, for
which he was rebuked and exhorted to repentance.

It is surprising to find so few cases of this kind. Maxwell
and Fergusson were heritors or the sons of heritors, and had taken
the test to save their lands. The test was only administered to

Ol

Ts
a

ee

Kirx-SEssion Recorps or Ironcray, 1691-1700. 131

persons of position or property. But the oath of abjuration could
be administered to anyone by anyone holding a commission from
the Privy Council, and to refuse to take it was a capital offence.
Many of the people in Irongray must have sympathised with
Cameron: and Grierson of Lagg, was their near neighbour, and he
was delighted to come over and administer the oath and carry out
the penalty if required. It speaks well for the stout hearts of
the men of Irongray that so few took it.

On Friday, August 18, 1693, at three o’clock in the morning,
Mr John Sinclair, the minister, died—as the records tell us.
After his death the parish had no fixed minister till September
13, 1694—-more than a year. The minutes tell us, however, the
names of the ministers who officiated during the interregnum.

On September 13, 1694, James Guthrie was ordained minister
of Irongray. His ministry lasted for nearly 62 years. He died
June 8, 1756. There are in my custody some later minutes of the
Kirk-Session, which at some other time I may speak of, but
to-night I confine myself to his first six years in Irongray. The
minutes are evidently in his handwriting, a beautiful, scholarly
hand, very easy to read—a great contrast to that of his predeces-
sor’s and the session clerk’s during the vacancy, James Grierson.
Guthrie divided his parish into seven parts, and over each he
placed an elder, who was required to report to the session the
needs and the misdeeds of his province. It was with one of his
elders, however, that Mr Guthrie’s first trouble arose.

A TROUBLER FROM URR.

“November 4, 1694—This day the session, finding that
William Welsh of Scar is so frequently absent, notwithstanding
his being present at sermon, they appoint John Welsh of Cornlie
and William Anderson in Shalloch to speak to him upon the
head, and to make report next session.’’

“November 25—Cornlie makes report that he discoursed
Scar according to appointment, and that though he apprehends
he is a little tainted with Mr Hebron’s errors, yet if the minister
would discourse him upon the head and inform him about some
thing he might be got of from the way to attend the session as
formerly.”’

The minister did discourse him, but had to report failure on
December 27. “ He finds William Welsh of Scar averse to sit in

132 Kirx-Session Recorps oF Ironcray, 1691-1700.

session any more, and gives this reason, that he is most insufficient
for such an office, and withal desires liberty for a time to advise,
which the minister, in the session’s name, granted him.’’

As far as I can see, Welsh never returned to the session, but
he cannot have withdrawn himself altogether from the church,
for four years later his daughter Nicolas was baptised by Mr
Guthrie.

The interesting person in these extracts was not William
Welsh of Scar, but the gentleman of the Scriptural name, Mr
Hebron, with whose errors he was tainted. Mr Hebron was the
celebrated minister of Urr, John Hepburn, who troubled not only
his own and the neighbouring parishes, but the Presbytery of
Dumfries, the General Assembly, and the Privy Council of Scot-
land; and on one occasion made even the valiant burgh of Dum-
fries tremble within its walls. He was a native of Moray, and had
been ordained by an English Presbytery at London. In Episcopal
times he had given trouble in Ross-shire—-“ intruding into the
ministry, and thereby debauching weak men and silly women and
driving them into rebellion.’’ In 1680 he appeared in Urr, where
the curate, John Lyon, was so unpopular that the parishioners
broke into the manse and carried off his wife to the hills. In
1689, after the Revolution, he was regularly inducted at Urr, but
the wild Hepburn blood did not suit the peaceful times. You
remember in Sir Walter Scott’s “ Heart of Mid-Lothian’’ the
faction to which Davie Deans belonged, “ that lovely and scattered
remnant, brave and worthy champions of the Covenant, who
wadna sae muckle as hear a minister speak, be his gifts or graces
as they would, that hadna witnessed against the enormities of the
day.’’ Hepburn was such a minister, and there were many Davie
Deans in Irongray. Hepburn thundered against toleration in
Church and State. He intruded himself into other parishes.
He married and baptised in spite of the ministers. At last, in
1696, the Assembly suspended him, but restored him in 1699 on
his promising to confine his ministry to his own parish. His
promise was disregarded. He was in 1705 imprisoned in Stirling
Castle by the order of the Privy Council, and deposed by the
General Assembly on the ground of “ having neither dispensed the
Lord’s Supper to others nor partaken thereof himself for sixteen
years, and being found guilty of a continuous tract of erroneous,
seditious, and diversive doctrines and schismatical courses.’’? In

Kirk-Session Recorbs or lroncray, 1691-1700. 133

1707 he was restored to his ministry at the earnest petition of the
parish. He vehemently opposed the Union, and was deep in the
counsels of those discontented Cameronians who purposed join-
ing the Duke of Athol’s Highland host and overthrowing the
Union by force. Hill Burton says he betrayed his confederates
to the Government (His. of Scot., vol. viii., 162). In the Fifteen
he was a suspected character, for he raised a force of 300 men
in Urr and had them under arms. His hatred of Popery was
stronger than his objection to the English Government, and they
marched to defend Dumfries against Kenmure. The flag they
carried is still in Urr Manse, bearing the title “ For the Lord of
Hosts.”’
THE HEPBURNIANS.

The followers of John Hepburn figure so frequently in our
session records that this long account of their leader is necessary.

A lady called Janet Welsh is the next troubler of the peace.
She was the daughter of John Welsh in Rigghead, probably some
relative of William Welsh of Scar. On July 26, 1695, the
session was informed “that she not only continually dishaunts
ordinances, but hath gone and caused proclaim herself with Alex.
Clark in Terregles parish disorderly without so much as informing
either minister or elders in this parish or yet the elders in the
parish of Terregles.’’ On September 27 she was cited “ pro
secundo ’’ for “her irregular and clandestine proclamation and
other misbehaviours, having gone te Mr Hepburn (who preacheth
at Urr and Kirkgunzeon in opposition, not only to the Presbytery,
but to the laws of this Church and kingdom), and is married by
him without proclamation or testificat, and is now gone to live in
the parish of Terregles with Alex. Clark, to whom she is married.”
The minister gives also an account that he wrote to Mr Hepburn,
and first showed him that she was under a process before the
session for several irregularities, and, secondly, that she had never
been proclaimed, “ only a wicked fellow who had no commission
from any but herself or else Alex. Clark had called her name and
her present husband’s at the church door of Terregles, there being
no sermon there upon that day; as also that he had used many
arguments to dissuade him from marrying her, notwithstanding all
which he hath married her as is alleged. She being now out of
this parish, the session thought fit to refer the matter entirely to
the Presbytery.’’ What the Presbytery did I cannot tell.

134 Krrx-Sesston Recorps oF IrRonGRay, 1691-1700.

The next Hepburnian was a neighbour of this wilful Miss
Welsh, and he gave the session a good run for their money. He
was James Richardson of Knockshinnoch, whose grave is one of
the curiosities of Irongray Churchyard. His drama opens in a
high heroical style.

A DouBLE OFFENCE.

“1696, March 30—This day also the session being informed
of the sinful, scandalous language and gross misbehaviour of
James Richardson of Knockshinnoch, Wednesday last, viz., of
his being drunk and wishing that the devil might be in the kirk
and among the people of Irongray till he came to be a hearer, and
that would be at leisure, and some other such atheistical, wicked
expressions. The session appoints their officer to cite the foresaid
James to appear before them on Sabbath first.”’

Sabbath came, but brought no James before the session, but
after some delay he appeared and “acknowledged that he had
uttered some rash expressions for which he was sorry, and that too
much drink had occasioned the samine. Whereupon he was re-
moved and his confession considered, it was thought (fit) to refer
the matter to the Presbytery for advice. And he being recalled
was told that the session was not ripe anent his affair as yet,
therefore desired him in the meantime to consider his sin and his
offence, and to labour to lay it so to heart as that he might mourn
for it before God, that he might obtain pardon ; and that he should
be advised of the time when they would have him again to
attend.”’

“ April 26, 1696—The session received the Presbytery’s ad-
vice. ‘The Presbytery having heard of the affair of James
Richardson, and, considering the disaffection of himself and
family to the government of the Church as now established, they
advised that he should be sessionally rebuked for his misbe-
haviour, and if he could be got to enact himself in the session
book under such a penalty that he should walk more circumspectly
in all time coming that it would be convenient.’ ”’

“ May 3—He was rebuked for his scandalous behaviour and
sinful words, and subscribed the following articles under penalty
of 300 pounds (Scots) :—1. That in all time coming he shall walk
more holily, righteously, and soberly, guarding against all excess
in drinking and passions, taking heed to his words, lest he thereby

Kirk-SEssion REcorDs OF IRonGRAY, 1691-1700. 135

offend either God or man. 2. That he punctually and conscien-
tiously attend upon the ordinances of God, and that in an orderly
manner. 3. That to the utmost of his power he endeavour not
only his own reformation, but also the reformation of his whole
family, and the bringing of them to attend on Gospel ordinances
according to God His appointment, and particularly that he shall
endeavour the sober and orderly walk of his wife. 4. That he
shall neither bring in nor keep in any in his town or mealing
who are extravagant in their principles or disorderly in their
walk, neither shall he have any hand, secretly or openly, in bring-
ing in any within the congregation who either despise or misregard
God’s ordinances as here dispensed.”’

Perhaps the session managed to get his bond and subscription
to these articles so easily because in this year 1696 the Assembly
had suspended Hepburn from his ministry. | Next year, in spite
of promises, in spite of his good money, “ the session is informed
that James Richardson of Knockshinnoch hath suffered his wife
to take a child of his to Edinburgh to Mr Hepburn (who is lying
under suspension), to be baptised, as also that his wife, Nicolas
Gibson, profanes the Sabbath by idleness and despiseth the public
ordinances of God’s worship.’’ They were cited three times to
appear before the session, but proving contumaceous, the matter
was referred to the Presbytery. What was the upshot of it all I
cannot tell. The Presbytery minutes may afford some light, but
ours are silent. If he forfeited his bond, I am glad to be able to
say he could afford it, for his Latin epitaph says he was a man of
means.

On that same tomb there is a quaint piece of sculpture—a
man defending a woman from two dogs or wolves. A local legend
says that it commemorates the killing of the last wolves in Iron-
gray by an ancestor of Richardson’s. I am inclined to regard
it as symbolical of Richardson’s defence of his wife against
Kirk-session and Presbytery. Does not Dryden in “The Hind

and the Panther ’’ represent Presbyterianism under the similitude
of a wolf ?
DRINKING ON THE SABBATH.

Next year, 1698, another Hepburnian figures in our records.
“August 28—This day was delated William Wallat in Casehead
(who is an Hepburnian) for Sabbath-breaking, it being a ‘fama
clamosa ’ of his sitting in a change house drinking all the last

136 Ki1rK-SESSION RECORDS OF IRONGRAY, 1691-1700.

Lord’s Day save one, notwithstanding he had no necessary affair
that called him to be there.’’ After three citations—an Hep-
burnian always took the full limit of the law—he appeared and
“ acknowledged that he was in the change house that Lord’s Day
that the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administrat in this
place, he being desired by the change keeper to wait in her house
(she being at kirk), but denies drinking any; only three of his
acquaintances as they went from the church called for a pint of
ale, which he drank with them, and for anything he remembers
he sold no more that day. The session having considered his con-
fession, and finding that whatever was reported, there could be
nothing proven but that he sold ale on that day, thought fit to call
him in and rebuke him sessionally for his contumacy, as also his
absenting himself from the ordinances, and to take him engaged
to observe them in time coming.’’

He is the last Hepburnian in the minutes, though probably
not the last in Irongray.

A BRUTAL RUFFIAN.

A new member of Parliament, I believe, is troubled with the
question, “ What will happen if the Speaker names me?’’? A
reader of these records may put a similar question, what happens
if after a reference to Presbytery an accused person should still
prove contumacious? Fortunately, I am in a position to throw
some light on that matter, though the offender was not an Hep-
burnian. There was in Cluden a retired soldier called William
Walker, a brutal ruffian, who robbed a certain Helen Walker of
her honour ; and who, after his offence had been remitted back by
the Presbytery to the session to be dealt with, told them “ there
was no session in Scotland nor minister either should ever make
him appear publicly before a congregation, and he neither valued
our session nor Presbytery.’’ The session recommended the
minister to apply to the magistrate of the bounds to make him
obey the sentence. Whereupon the magistrate ordered that
William Walker should “be incarcorat untill he gave bond and
caution to answer and obey the session’s sentence ;’’ which he did,
and received “a public rebuke for his insolent carriage and
appearance next Lord’s Day in the public place of repentance.’’
William Walker appears again in the records, and it is satisfactory

Kirx-Session Recorps oF IroncRAyY, 1691-1700. 137

to know that a sentence of corporal punishment was passed upon
him.
SABBATH- BREAKING.

There are, of course, many cases of Sabbath-breaking and
working on a fast day in the records of Irongray, but there are two
which deserve some notice, one of Sabbath-breaking on principle,
the other Sabbath-breaking by proxy. In 1698 the session tried
to find out why Jean Douglas in Ingleston did not attend ordi-
nances. After much enquiry they discovered that “she had made
ane oath (when the Presbytery had her before them for abusing
Mr Sinclair) that she would never hear one of the Presbytery of
Dumfries again. Whereupon the session (though they were fully
persuaded of the insufficiency of her plea, the oath undoubtedly
being unlawful) delays consideration of the matter.’’

The other case concerns Mrs Maxwell of Beoch, whose “ de-
fections and miscarriages before the courts in the time of persecu-
tion ’’’ have already been noted. Her servant, Susanna Stewart,
was accused of having taken on the Sabbath day a horse to
Corswado in Lochrutton “ and all the furniture wherewith he had
harrowed on Saturday on him.’’ She pleaded that she had done
so at her mistress’s command. At next meeting of the session
Mrs Janet Maxwell denied this, till confronted with her servant,
who told the session that her mistress had importuned her to say

she had done so in ignorance. “ Whereupon Janat broke out in
many passionate, foolish, and impertinent speeches, and justified
the matter as she was able.’’ It was determined to rebuke her,

and “ put to the vote rebuke her publicly before the congregation
or before the session ; it was carried rebuke her before the session
in regard that she is a little crack-brained, and if she were made
to appear before the congregation probably it would make her
worse.”’

“(urs CUSTODIET ?”’

Drunkenness was another frequent offence in Irongray. The
session itself was not free from this sin. John Edgar, an elder,
had to be rebuked “for his unbecoming carriage, viz., his being
given a little in excess to drinking when he goes to Dumfries.”’
They thought fit to call him and lay it home to his conscience,
“which being done he acknowledged that through the weakness
of his head a little ale would discompose him, but that he never

138 KirkK-SESSION REcORDs OF IRONGRAY, 1691-1700.

designed to excess; but because some were offended at him he
was resolved in all time coming to be more watchful of himself.”’

The session was not only careful of the morals of its members,
but it defended the honour of its order. In May, 1699, Adam
Anderson and his daughter were rebuked for scolding and
abusing David Anderson, “ one of our number.’’

Tue Lorp’s SUPPER.

In our modern session records many entries are concerned
with the dispensation of the Lord’s Supper, but in these records
I can find no trace that it was dispensed at all during Mr Sinclair’s
ministry, and in Mr Guthrie’s six years only twice. In the summer
of 1697, new elders having been ordained, a search was ordered
“for the cup, tablecloths, and other utensils belonging to the
church, because of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper which
shortly is to be administrat.’? The elders reported that after
searching for them nothing can be heard of them, only that they
were carried away with Mr John Welsh, his plenishing. They
had probably been used by him in some of his hillside com-
munions, and perhaps lost in a hasty flight when Claverhouse and
his dragoons came upon them. The communion cups in Iron-
gray at present in use were a gift of Mr Guthrie. They are
beautiful beaten silver cups, round whose rim is this inscription :—
“Thir cups were gifted for the use of the Paroch of Irengray
by Mr James Guthrie, who was ordained September 13, 1694,
Minr. yr.”’

COLLECTIONS.

Before I close my paper a word must be said about what is
now-a-days called Christian liberality. Judged by our standard,
the church collections were very small, but we must remember
that money, always a scarce commodity, was very scarce in Scot-
land in those days. I believe I have read somewhere (I am
sorry I cannot verify my statement) that before the Union there
was not half-a-million sterling of money in circulation in Scotland.
The largest collection recorded in our book was taken on the
sacrament of August, 1697 ; it amounted to £48 3s Scots (£4 0s 3d
sterling), and the lowest was 3s Scots (3d sterling). The ordinary
Sabbath collection averaged about £1 10s Scots. The favourite
coins appear to have been Irish halfpennies and doits. A rix-
dollar was once paid as a fine to the poor. The primary use of

Kirx-Session Recorps or IroncraAy, 1691-1700. 139

the collection was for the poor of the parish. They usually
received at the distribution of funds £1 Scots a-piece. I can
discover no hard and fast rule regulating either the allowance
or its distribution.

Poor strangers received also from the funds of the church,
if fortified with a testimonial from their own parish. Testi-
monials, too, were required for servants who came into the parish.

“On April 26, 1695, the session, finding that several scan-
dalous and irregular persons use to come from other parishes
into this, without any testimonials of their behaviour under the
minister's hand from whose parishes they come, did and hereby
does appoint that no person shall be reset as a servant in this
parish without a testimonial, and intimation hereof be made the
next Lord’s Day by the minister from the pulpit.’’

This may seem to us rather inquisitorial, but let us not forget
that news travelled slowly in those days, and this was a protection
for honest and quiet people against rogues and vagabonds. Dr
King Hewison, of Rothesay, regards this as an anticipation of a
very useful modern Act of Parliament—the Aliens Act.

Many of the poor distressed strangers who applied for help
from the session were from Ireland. It was natural they should
come from a “ distressful country.’’ It is pleasing to note that
though in the 17th and 18th centuries England regarded itself
as a dumping ground for needy Scots, at least one Englishman
received alms from the people of Irongray.

The session, too, paid for the education of poor children.
“A poor scholar,’? an ambiguous phrase, occurs fre-
quently in our records. The Presbytery enacted that
18s were to be paid out of our poor’s money every quarter to
maintain two bursars at the college for the session. Another
entry tells us that the session spent 2s sterling for a Bible for a
poor man. Sometimes a special collection was ordered for a
parishioner.

“May 31, 1695—This day John Huntar, cotter in Meikle
Beoch, gave a petition wherein he showed that his wife having
brought forth twins and not being able to nurse them both, he
therefore craved help from the session.’’

The session granted him a day’s collection every quarter
while the children were a-nursing. It is pleasant to note the

140 Krrx-Session Recorvs or Ironcray, 1691-1700.

congregation were liberal, and gave him for two quarters at least
about £3 Scots.

The charity of Irongray went beyond its own poor and the
stranger within its gates. At the request of the Synod they
collected £2 16s Scots for one Anna Bailie, a distressed gentle-
woman in the Presbytery of Lochmaben. They gave £1 Scots
to “ane old minister’s daughter,’’ 13s Scots to “ Jo. Vandaboll,
a broken merchant.”’

One special collection, made in November, 1695, has a very
old-world association connected with it. “Collect for the poor
slaves in Turkie, £5 1s.’’ Probably for the victims of the
Barbary pirates, who in these times ravaged even the coasts of
Ireland. Another collection, taken in 1697, brings us in touch
with the greatest of modern philosophic thinkers. In 1697 a
petition was presented to the session from the Scots congregation
in Konigsberg, backed by the Council of Scotland, for funds to
build a church. Elders were appointed to go through the con-
gregation and receive the people’s offerings, which amounted to
£29 Scots. Twenty-seven years later Immanuel Kant was born
at Konigsberg. He is said to have been of Scottish descent, as
his name implies, and perhaps some of his forbears belonged to
that Scots congregation.

In these dry bones of our old parish annals there is not a little
humour, not a little pathos. Even the church accounts contribute
a help to the imagination to picture what sort of people lived in
Irongray more than two hundred years ago. It is pleasing, too,
to find that some parishioners to-day can trace their descent back
to some whose names appear in the records. Two of the 17th
century elders’ names still survive with us, Welsh and M‘Burnie.
Our session records are very human documents; they show there
was a great deal of human nature in men two hundred years ago,
that they were very like us both for good and for evil, that progress
has not made us so very much better or so very much wiser than
our fathers, though like Homer’s heroes we boast ourselves to be
better than they.

Norves ON THE TASTES OF BEEs IN CoLovUrR. 141
NOTES ON THE TASTES OF BEES IN COLOUR.

The Hon. Secretary read a communication which he had
received from Mr J. T. Rodda, Eastbourne, referring to the ques-
tion of the preference of bees for flowers of a particular colour,
and asking for the result of any observations on the subject.
The question was raised in an article in the “ London Magazine ”’
by Lord Avebury, whose observations pointed to the conclusion
that the insects preferred blue flowers. He had called on Mr
John Ross, Barkerland, a well-known bee expert, and he was very
emphatic in saying they had no preference for blue flowers, and
was of opinion that they were guided mainly by the odour. Mr
Ross had undertaken to come on some future evening and give
them the result of various observations on bees—not from the
honey-grower’s point of view, but on the natural habits of the
bees. On the other side of the question Mr Scott-Elliot had
kindly written out the results of his observations, which were
entirely against his own and very largely in favour of Lord Ave-
bury’s. Mr Scott-Elliot’s communication (which follows) was to
the effect that bees seemed to have a distinct preference for rich
red, purple, or blue flowers. Mr R. Service said his observation
was that they went indifferently to any flower whatever which con-
tained nectar. Mr Chrystie mentioned their fondness for goose-
berry and apple blooms.

By Professor Scott-EL.ior.

Judging from my own experience, I think that both hive bees
and Bombi have a distinct preference for deep purple (aconite
colour), rich, strong red (stachys and red clover), and blues
(bugle), but the question is a very difficult one to answer.

There are so many factors which confuse and disturb its solu-
tion:—(1) Thus in early spring and late autumn, when there are
but very few flowers out, the entire insect force available is con-
centrated on those few, whatever their colour.

(2) In a garden, so many flowers are crowded together and
such quantities of insects are abroad that it is by no means safe
to take any observations made in a garden as generally
applicable.

(3) To understand thoroughly the pollination of any one
species, it would be necessary to watch that species in at least ten

142 Notes ON THE TASTES OF BEES IN CoLouR.

different localities for every hour in every month in which it has
a flower open. It is needless to say that this has never been done.
Anyone who compares different observations of the same flower
will at once see how necessary this is. Muller’s observations of
the same flower in the Alps and in Germany revealed totally
different insect visitors.

Willis and Burkill’s observations, Muller’s, and my own all
showed many different visitors. I am quite sure that any observer
who attempted to carry out a perfect series of observations on one
flower would discover that many insects visit it whose attentions
were never suspected.

There is also the fact as I have tried to show by detailed
observations, that flies of a high order of intelligence and who
are specialised as insect visitors are very much better pollinators
than some of the smaller bees. Their colour sense resembles that
of the Hive and Humblebee. 61 per cent. of the 13 flowers visited
by Rhingia rostrata, e.g., are blue and red. On the other hand,
smaller bees do not show anything like-this proportion, for Andrena
albicans visited red flowers in the proportion of 13 per cent., and
Allantus nothi blue and red flowers in the proportion of 21 per
cent.

I think there are materials available to work out the insect
tastes statistically. This would be done by taking the colours of
flowers visited by all Bombus species and Apis, and arranging
them in percentage of flowers visited as I have done with a small
number of flowers in my paper on Flower-haunting Diptera.
Muller’s observations in the Alpen Blumen resting as they do on
such an enormous number of flowers, can scarcely be upset by
any chance observations and conclusions. He there gives for the
tastes of the higher bees 36.6 per cent. white and 63.3 per cent.
red and blue.

But if any member of the society would take the available
data, Muller’s and recent observers’, and work them out fully,
the result would be a very valuable addition to our knowledge of
the subject.

I think, however, a very strong personal opinion is always
formed if one takes the trouble to examine the visitors of wild
flowers patiently and systematically in their natural habitats. It is
very striking to notice the difference between the red Geum rivale
with its regular Humblebee visitors as compared with the yellow

vars Te

”

NOTES ON THE TASTES OF BEES IN COLOUR. 143

Geum urbanum, which has swarms of miscellaneous insects.
When a Ranunculaceous plant becomes highly specialised, like
Aconite and Larkspur, then its colour becomes purple or blue and
its visitors become select.

It is quite otherwise with orders like Lezuminosz, which are
from the beginning set aside for intelligent insect visitors. Very
few others would have sense enough to know that there is anything
worth getting in them. One must also remember that negative
evidence is of no value in this enquiry. The Mignonette, Willow
catkins, Hazel, and Lime are all splendid bee or bumble bee
flowers. That does not show that the bees are indifferent to the
colour.

Both Mignonette and Lime have abundant honey and very
strong scent, and the bee would be attracted to them in spite of
the inconspicuous colour. The Willow and Hazel, though not
red and blue, are conspicuous at a distance, and what else could a
thirsty bee find when they are in bloom?

But most botanists now believe that both flower-haunting
insects and flowers have specialised together. | As some original
open buttercup flower became gradually modified and turned
through yellow and red into a rich purple aconite, so its visitors,
from being scarcely specialised low grade Hymenoptera, gradu-
ally changed into the highly organised, intelligent, and industrious
Bumble bees and Hive bees.

I think there can be little doubt that in most natural orders,
these species, which are most decidedly and exclusively bee-
flowers are, if they differ from the rest, either rich red, purple, or
blue. This would confirm the general theory that these colours
are of a higher grade, that they have been selected and gradually
fixed by heredity. I think most authors admit that the original
flower colour was green, yellow, or white.

If one accepts Muller’s data as well as Willis and Burkill’s,
and my own, then the whole theory hangs together and is under-
standable.

The bees, as we think, prefer or find more conspicuous reds
and blues, and by their selecting agency, these colours have in a
few cases been fixed in the special Bee-flowers.

I have always felt that this question should be again taken
up and a new book written about it. I wish some one present
would do this,

144 Rooks’ NEsTs.
Rooks’ Nests. By Mrs THompson, “ Inveresk,’’ Castle Street.

[This paper was written in 1903 for a friend in Edinburgh, so it
refers to the date of nest building that year. This year,
1906, the birds have been building a nest since about the
26th January. |

Having recently come to reside near a rookery, I have been
much interested this spring in watching their building operations,
and, in consequence of being confined to my room with a cold,
had ample opportunity of so doing. The first nest was begun
about the 23rd of February, and I discovered that five birds were
occupied upon it. First, I noticed three birds in particular, one
much larger than the others ; he and one of the others always flew
away and returned together, and then this larger bird, which I
called the architect, perched near and watched the other two
building, flying down every now and then to lend a helping hand,
and returning to his perch, waited till one flew from the nest, when
he always went too. Being interested in all this, I frequently
looked to see how they were getting on. It was then I observed
two other birds were always sitting close by, one above the other.
They looked what I supposed to be young, they and the builders
being much smaller than the architect. I thought these two were
engaged in pulling down the nest, but, to my surprise, I saw the
upper .one break off a twig, pass it on to the lower bird, who
passed on to the next. This nest took nearly ten days to finish.
Latterly, one of the builders never seemed to leave it whilst I
watched. Its head popped up now and then, but I imagined it
was lining the nest. I must, however, premise that I only
watched them at intervals, and not with any idea that my observa-
tions would be of any use. Since I have been here a puzzle has
been solved also with regard to bird habits, which may be of
interest. Before coming here I lived at the Craigs, and the last
spring I was there, for the first time, I saw in a grass field at the
top of a steep bank below the wood numbers of little bundles of
twigs laid crossways on the grass in a straight line, a short distance
apart, and I wondered what game the village children could be
playing. This drew my attention to the fact that the path I was
on had also little bundles of twigs at intervals, and these went
on in another direction to another field. The children were not

eth tiled

Se eS ee

_ =

eS ee = eee es OTe See ee

Rooks’ NEsTs. 145

allowed in the wood, and I thought it beyond their patience almost
to do such work, so I simply knocked them all away with my
walking stick, and wondered if they were poachers’ signals.
Now, however, the mystery is partly solved, for a great many of
the rooks have been walking about my garden, and a few days ago
I saw a bunch of crossed sticks lying on a walk. No one had been
in the garden I knew for a fact, but the next morning they were
gone. I immediately thought of last spring, and connected them
with the rooks and their nests. We had no rookery in the country,
but the rooks came after poultry food, or other birds may do this.
I know not, but I should be glad to know more about it. This
rookery here may be about two miles from my old home, and
there is none nearer. I may mention that the twigs were not very
small—some, I am sure, two or three feet long in the wood, but
as I remember, those in the open field seemed short, but they were
all crossed diagonally.

Mr Service observed that the rooks set about repairing
and working about their nests in October; then the severe
weather stopped their operations, and they were not resumed
until off and on after the New-Year, according to the temperature.
Rev. Mr Dunlop, referring to the legend that they begin nest-
building on the first Sunday of March, said he was glad to think
that Mrs Thomson had cleared the character of such a clerical
bird as the rook from the charge of Sabbath-breaking. He knew
from observation of the Gribton rooks that they were building
their nests now. But he believed they robbed each other of the
sticks they had collected for their nests.

24th February, 1906.
SPECIAL District MEETING AT LOCKERBIE.

A Special District Meeting was held in the Town Hall,
Lockerbie, on the above date, and was largely attended.

Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

New Mempers.—Miss Wilson, Castledykes, Dumfries; Mr
D. M‘Jerrow, Solicitor, Lockerbie; Provost David Halliday,

146 THE JAvA BEAN.

Lockerbie ; Mr James Scott-Halliday, Lockerbie ; Mr Abel Wight-
man, Lockerbie; Mr E. B. Rae, Town Clerk, Lochmaben; Dr
T. Wyld Pairman, Hinemoa, Moffat ; Mr John Miller, Elmwood,
Moffat; and Mr and Mrs W. A. Mackinnel, The Sheiling,
Duntfries.

It was agreed to record in the minutes an expression of regret
at the death of Mr William Thomson, Kirkcudbright, an honorary
member of the society, who had done much good work in further-
ing its objects.

THE Java Bean. By G. F. Scott-Exziot, F.R.G.S., F.L.S.

The plant, “ Phaseolus lunatus,’’ is a native of South
America. It was probably first cultivated by the ancient
Peruvians, for in their graves seeds of it have been discovered. It
is cultivated in many parts of the world, and under cultivation has
changed very considerably. The important point to remember in
dealing with all cultivated plants is that they lose their specific
characters and become no longer true to type. Thus, e.g., the
bitter almond in cultivation loses its poisonous character and
becomes the ordinary sweet almond. That is also the case with
the Phaseolus lunatus. It is met with in three forms:—(1)
Cultivated and domesticated, with white seeds (Lima or Dapple
beans). This seems to be quite harmless ; it is not even said to be
dangerous. Well-known books of reference give no hint as to
any dangerous or poisonous character. 2. Semi-cultivated seeds,
light to dark brown, with violet hues or purple patches. This is
called in Mauritius “ Pois Amer.’’ It seems also to be the
Burmah bean or Rangoon bean or Paigya. These beans contain
small quantities of a glucoside phaseolunatin which furnishes
prussic acid when crushed and moistened with water. The
amount is, however, exceedingly small; not more than .004 per
cent. 3. Wild form known in Mauritius as Pois d’Achery, and
also Java and Madagascar beans. Seeds are violet, but there
appears to be much range in colour, as Mr Dunstan found dark
brown, purple, and light brown seeds in two samples from
Mauritius. The amount of prussic acid varies from .09 and .08
per cent. in purple and dark brown seeds to .04 in the light brown.
This, of course, 1-10 per cent., calculated on the dry beans, is
quite sufficient to condemn the use of these Java and Madagascar

i i i ak

THE Java BEAN. 147

beans altogether. In Mauritius, where this question is well
understood, though they do grow the wild and half-wild kinds as
a green crop to increase the nitrogenous contents of the soil, which
duty is performed by the Bacteriz, they simply plough it in and
do not allow their cattle to touch it. They well know its dangerous
character. The disappearance of the poison under cultivation is
explained by Mr Dunstan, director of the Imperial Institute, as
probably due to the stimulated nutrition due to an improved
environment. The glucoside alluded to is probably used up in
making starches or proteids, or, it may be, is never formed at all.
As regards the practical side of the question, the use of the wild
bean seems to me foolhardy in the extreme. With the knowledge
which we now possess of it, there is absolutely no excuse and no
extenuating circumstance to anybody who would now employ it.
Experience seems to show that the white varieties are harmless.
A difference of opinion is possible with regard to the half-wild
Burmah or Rangoon beans. I wrote to the Imperial Institute on
this matter, and got their reply :—

“ Dear Sir,—I am directed by Professor Dunstan to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 2nd February, referring to
Burmah beans, and asking (1) whether beans represented by the
sample recently sent here by you would be safe to use as
a feeding-stuff, and (2) whether there is any simple means by
which the dangerous properties of such beans or meal of doubtful
origin can be removed.

“Tn reply I am instructed to say that it is impossible to give
definite answers to either of these questions.

“A large number of samples of Burmah beans has_ been
analysed by the Imperial Institute during the last few years, and
the amounts of prussic acid obtained from various samples have
ranged from 0.003 to 0.018 per cent. Whilst the minimum
quantity here mentioned would probably be harmless,
it is possible that the maximum quantity would be
dangerous, but nothing definite can be said on_ the
subject, because no data derived from actual feeding trials are
available. It is only possible, therefore, to repeat the advice
already given in the articles in the Bulletin of the Imperial Insti-
tute, to which you have been referred, that it would be safer to
avoid the use of the coloured Burmah beans as a feeding stuff
altogether. An article dealing principally with the so-called

148 Tue Java BEAN.

‘Java beans,’ but also with Burmah beans, is being published in
the forthcoming number of the ‘ Bulletin,’ in which this is again
being pointed out.

“With regard to your second question, I am to say that ex-
porters of ‘Java beans’ appear to be aware of the dangerous
nature of the beans, and importers in this country have been told
by their Java correspondents that the beans can be rendered
innocuous by boiling. It is very doubtful whether this precaution
is of any real value. When the beans are boiled for a long time
the ferment is rendered inactive, but the glucoside appears to
remain intact.

“Such boiled ‘ Java beans’ do not, therefore, when ground
and moistened, spontaneously liberate prussic acid, but it is im-
possible to say that the glucoside would not be decomposed with
the liberation of prussic acid by the gastric juice in the stomachs
of the animals when the boiled beans are eaten. It is also pos-
sible that a ferment similar to that existing naturally in ‘ Java
beans’ may also exist in other fodders or feeding-stuffs which
might be given to the animals along with the boiled beans. If a
fodder containing such a ferment were used in conjunction with
boiled ‘ Java beans,’ then the latter would be just as dangerous as
before, since the added ferment would decompose the glucoside
in the boiled beans, liberating the prussic acid.—I am, yours
faithfully,

“Tuomas A. HENRY, Principal Assistant,
“ Scientific and Technical Department.’’

Information may be obtained in following papers, etc. :—
“ Bulletin of Imperial Institute,’’? vol. I., pp. 15 and 112, and
pp. 16 and 115; Proc. Royal Society, vol. 72, p. 285; Church
Foodgrains of India; Watt Economic Dictionary of Products of
India. The forthcoming number of the “ Bulletin of Imperial
Institute ’’ is to contain a further account of the Java beans.

Mr John Maxwell, travelling commissioner, Gold Coast
Colony, said he had experience of all the natives of Africa, and he
thought there were no persons that he had come across who knew
what was good or bad for feeding stuff better than the natives of
Java, Madagascar, and Mauritius. If they imported these beans
for feeding purposes into this country, they knew perfectly well
that they were not good, and it was the Government’s duty to stop
the importation.

THE Java Bran. 149

Mr Sanders of Rosebank said this was one of the most impor-
tant feeding stuffs in this country, and it would be well that
farmers should be made aware of the defects of the bean.

THE VENDACE. By R. Service, M.B.O.U.

At a recent meeting of this society he had the privilege of
reading a paper upon “ The Vendace,’’ in the course of which he
had occasion to allude to the fact that the Lochmaben folks had
not any monopoly of the vendace as was often supposed, because
it was also found in Bassenthwaite and Ullswater. A post or
two afterwards brought a copy of a paper, reprinted from the cur-
rent number of the “ Annals and Magazine of Natural History.’’
This was by his friend, Mr C. Tate Regan, one of the staff of the
British Museum of Natural History at South Kensington, who had
been investigating the vendaces from the Lochmaben lochs and
the waters of Lakeland. There were found sufficient structural
differences betwixt the vendaces of these separate localities to
justify the naming of the English fish as a distinct species, under
the specific title of “Coregonus gracilior.”’ On the present
occasion he did not propose to discuss the structural charac-
ters on which the new species was founded, but he wished
to congratulate Provost Halliday and the town clerk, Mr Rae,
whom he saw present, on the fact that for the first time they might
safely assure the good folks of Lochmaben that no one would now
dispute with them the sole possession of at least one species of
vendace.

SEASONAL MOVEMENTs OF FISHES IN THE SOLWAY AREA. By
R. Service, M.B.O.U.

These were in many respects comparable to the migrations of
birds, and probably had much in common, although the subject
was a very obscure one, upon which little was accurately known.
Like the birds, the fishes when migrating moved for the most part
in large bodies, and while birds went up to high altitudes to per-
form their journeys, fish in like manner came from the greater
depths to the surface. The reason for this was plain—both the birds
and the fishes met with a lessened resistance in the element they
respectively moved in. Fishes naturally fell into some four large

150 SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF FISHES.

classes, so far as those at least of Great Britain were concerned.
(1) Those that were exclusively marine and never left the sea ; (2)
those strictly confined to fresh water ; (3) those that bred in fresh
water, but spent a large portion of their lives in salt water, other-
wise anadromous fishes; and (4) those that bred in the sea, but
spent practically their whole lives in fresh water, or catadromous
forms. Of the marine fishes many, perhaps all, and certainly all
our British species, performed certain movements of more or less
extent. These might only be from deep to shallow water, or vice-
versa, or backwards and forwards from where food was plentiful
or the reverse. The mackerel was a well-known species that had
a rather complicated series of movements, which were only par-
tially understood. ‘Their principal move shorewards took place
in early summer, and it was most interesting to watch the shoals
of this beautiful and agile fish out on the sunlit sea of early June,
leaping and swimming along just under the dancing wavelets. A
couple of species of fish of considerable interest to local faunists
were the garfish and the saury, both of which were of some scarcity
in our waters late in summer. They came in for a week or two
and disappeared, and although one could guess, no one could say
from actual knowledge whither they came or whither they went.
The case of the anchovy was a very peculiar one, of more than
usual interest. A good many years ago they were suddenly found
in the Solway, off Annan, never having ever been known here
before. Within a few days the whole Solway and the adjacent
waters were found to be filled with them. Then by-and-bye
young anchovies were found in abundance, and since then,

anchovies have been of annual occurrence. It is difficult to
account for the local history of this fish. Herring were rather
capricious and uncertain in their movements. It used to be

accepted as an article of faith that these most important fish came
in vast shoals from the Arctic seas and encirled our shores, but so
far as their Arctic origin is concerned we know better now. They
breed within our own waters in suitable depths, and when large
enough come nearer the surface in the great shoals with which
we are all familiar. Most seasons they enter the Solway from the
shoal which lies betwixt the Mull and the Isle of Man. Only
within these last few weeks some most unusually large shoals
entered Loch Ryan, and kept the fishermen engaged in making
big hauls. Cod and haddock had left the Solway to a consider-

—_— ee eee Tee

a os

SEASONAL MOVEMENTS OF FISHES. 151

able extent, and were not now seen in the quantities they once
exhibited, although these visits were still made late in summer.
There was one particular group of fishes that were of much interest
to the student of Solway fishes, inasmuch as some of them had
occurred on our western British coast, there and nowhere else.
This group was composed of species from Mediterranean waters
and the Western Morocco coast. ‘They evidently came along with
the warm weather and warm water, and were not found until
summer was well advanced. The tunny was one of them, and
had been taken in the Newbie nets and elsewhere. Both the com-
mon bonito and the belted bonito had been secured. The maigre
had been added to the list only last summer, and by himself, from
a specimen taken at Port Ling. One of the same group was the
“John Dory,’’ although much more commonly found than any of
the others. And lastly, the swordfish, though a great rarity, was
from the same region as the others named.

Of typical fresh water fishes the pike and the perch were
familiar examples. These came from the deeper depths of the
lochs they frequented to the shallows for spawning purposes at
certain seasons. And so also did the vendace, and more especi-
ally the charrs of the deep Galloway lochs, which could only be
secured in sufficient quantity for potting purposes when they came
to the margins of gravel in the autumn months. Of anadromous
fishes everyone knew the salmon and the sea trout, and how these
fishes ran up the rivers to spawn, and how the young fish had just
as irresistible an impulse to seek the sea when they had reached
a certain stage of life. But how and where they passed their time
in the sea no one had any certain knowledge. Less known forms
among the anadromous fishes were the smelt, that little fish with
the strange scent of cucumbers or rushes which was so distinctive
when they came in the Cree and the Nith and other rivers in
autumn. ~The shad or rock herring was also another of the fish
that came into fresh water to spawn. So also was the sturgeon,
huge examples of which were annually caught when running river-
wards in early summer.

Of the catadromous species the flounder was a familiar
species, but the most typical of this group was the common eel,
the mystery of whose life-history had now been solved. Once
thought to be destitute of sexual organs, the eel was now known
with certainty to go down to sea to spawn at great depths. They

152 SEASONAL MOVEMENTs OF FISHES.

went down in late autumn, and never returned, but the young eels
ascended our rivers in vast multitudes in May and June, where
they remained till the migrating impulse came upon them in later
years.

THe Kerr oF Morrat: A CAER OR Carr? By Joun T.
JouHNSTONE, Moffat.

The name Kerr is the local appellation of the land immedi-
ately bordering the River Annan from its march with the glebe, or
more properly now, with the Moffat Railway, and down the Annan
to where it is joined by Ellerbeck.

When or who first applied the name may never be known, but
it has borne that name for 150 years certain, as on a map which
purports to be the “ first protraction of the town of Moffat as it
stood in 1758, by James Tait,’’ the name Kerr is given. The map
itself is more concerned with the plan of the town proper, and,
therefore, the course of the River Annan and the plan of the fields
around the town are not shown, but the ground bounded by the
road to Dumfries and the old road to Carlisle is there marked
Glebe, Kerr, and Hammerlands, the Kerr being the open ground
on each side of the river, and the Hammerlands the fenced
meadows adjoining, now part of the Nursery farm. Personally, I
have not seen or heard of any mention of the name earlier than
the map, but it is evident it must have been applied long anterior
to 1758.

The name Kerr itself, more often than otherwise, may be
described as a synonym of the Welsh Caer, a fort, and as such the
authoress of a book, published a few years ago, “ Upper Annan-
dale—Its History and Traditions,’’ draws a very fanciful and
imaginative picture of the Moffat “Caer,’’ and suggests that the
Ladyknowe was its site. It is hardly possible to utterly obliterate
all traces of an old-time fort and its earthworks with ordinary
causes. The Ladyknowe and the grounds around show no trace
of any of the features presented even at this day by the numerous
forts in Upper Annandale. Dr David Christison, Edinburgh, in
his paper given before the Antiquarian Society of Scotland, on
“Forts, Camps, and Motes of Dumfriesshire,’’ states that 28
forts are contained within a radius of 34 miles, and 20 within a
radius of a little more than two miles round Moffat. The list

THe Kerr or Morrat. 153

given in Dr Christison’s paper does not contain the name of the
Ladyknowe as a fort or even a fort site, nor one anywhere in close
proximity to the town. The late Mr John Brown, editor of the
“ Moffat Times,’’ who was well versed in all our local antiquities,
and who was also the author of “ Moffat Past and Present,’’ states
in that work:—“ There is no vestige of any defensive work at
Moffat, nor is it on record that there ever was any work of the kind
there.’’ To all appearance the Ladyknowe is a natural mound or
hillock of ground, similar to dozens of others which are scattered
over our holmlands south of the town, and are our equivalents to
the kames and drums of other places, the formation of which are
well known and understood. These ancient forts were usually
placed on high ground, if not actually on the hill-top, the low-
lying ground at that time being all undrained, and more or less of
a marsh, and it is in this feature of the ground that the key to our
problem “caer ’”’ or “carr’’ will be found. Dr Christison in his
paper mentions that “car,’’ signifying a fort, is the root of the
Welsh caer, but he further states that it has other meanings, and
quotes Dr Joyce’s car, a rock; and Miss Balfour’s Lincolnshire
signification, “a swamp bordering a stream.’’ It is a curious
coincidence that while writing this paper further confirmation of
this Lincolnshire definition was obtained in a story, entitled
“Skelf Mary,’’ by Oliver Onions, published in the current
“T. P.’s Christmas Weekly.’’. The story deals with the fen
country, and the author in his description of the district, men-
tions “the wreaths and wisps of vapour that crept fantastically
over carr and mere,’’ and, in another place, in a conversation
with the farmer, this occurs: “ Ye’ll be a arable man; all’s carrs
hereabouts,’’ showing that the land described as carr was marshy
and unfit for agricultural purposes.

Professor Veitch (Border History and Poetry) gives— cors,
a bog or fen, common in Cornwall,’’ and further states that
there is a Gaelic form-——“ car,’? meaning a curve or bend. Mr
C. E. Moss, in his paper on the peat moors of the Pennines, etc.
(Geographical Journal, May, 1904), gives “carr’’ as a place
name on the Pennines for a “morass.’’ Either Miss Balfour’s
Lincolnshire definition, “swamp bordering a stream,’’ Professor
Veitch’s car, “a curve or bend,’’ and the “carr,’’ a morass of

the Pennines, give a correct topographical definition of the Moffat
Kerr.

154 Tue Kerr oF Morrat.

When I was a boy the Kerr was neither more nor less than a
swamp, with deep holes in it, which were known to every boy in
Moffat as the “ Kerr lakes.’? The Annan, when in flood, has
burst its banks so often during my recollection, and flooded these
lakes with gravel, that they are now non-existent. However, we
require to go back beyond the recollection of even the oldest
inhabitant to understand the full force and aptitude of Professor
Veitch’s “curve or bend,’’ and I have had the privilege of in-
specting a map prepared about the same time as the one of 1758.
This map is to a smaller scale, but it shows the course of the river
and all the fields divided somewhat similar to what they are
to-day, and from it we see that the Annan, instead of running in
a practically straight course past the town till it joined Ellerbeck
as it now does (the course was straightened over 80 years ago),
was a river of curves and bends, and one might also say loops, so
serpentine was its course, and I have no doubt that it was from
these topographical features of the “swampy ground
bordering a stream’’ and its “curving course’’ that the
first inhabitants of the district who called it “car’’ derived its
expressive name. Local pronunciation, when examined, also
favours the term “car.’’ ‘To-day in Moffat the surname Kerr is
pronounced with the the £ soft, as it is spelt, but the pronuncia-
tion is so on account of the great intercourse the inhabitants have
had, as residents in a popular watering-place, with strangers
having in a great measure destroyed the local twang. My own
recollection of the pronunciation of the name by some of our old
residenters now departed was Karr, and we require to go no
further away than the adjoining parish of Crawford to find this
pronunciation of the word in full force and vigour at the present
time, and I am informed that in Ayrshire it is the same, spelt
Kerr, but pronounced “ Karr.’’ Perhaps some of the Society’s
philological experts may be able to throw some further light on the
subject. For the fort theory for the name there is absolutely
nothing to go upon except the bare name of Kerr itself, while the
evidence from the topographical features of either the marshy
ground or curving river seem to be conclusive that it is to these
features the Moffat Kerr owes the name it has borne for hundreds
of years.

LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN. 155

LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN. By Tuos. R. HENDERSON.

Lockerbie, although we cannot claim for it the honour of being
an ancient burgh, is nevertheless a place of considerable antiquity.
When it was first founded, or when it first received the name it now
bears, and thenceforth became a place definite, we cannot tell.
Its earliest history is shrouded in the impenetrable mists of the
past.

There exists neither British nor Roman camp, nor any
memorial of a pre-historic age, from which we might conclude that
in ancient days its site was occupied as a settlement, at least prior
to the time when a slight rift in the dark cloud of the past allows
us a momentary glimpse of its early history. Annan, Lochmaben,
and Hutton have each their ancient moat hill ; Lockerbie has not.
In fact, prior to the time of the Bruces we may, with a reasonable
degree of accuracy, conclude that the site on which the town now
stands was simply a part of the forest which then occupied practi-
cally the whole of the valley of the Annan.

We have one indication, however, and only one, of the origin
of the burgh, and that is the name it bears. From the word
“Lockerbie ’’ we have to learn what we can, and from the frag-
mentary information which it implies read the unwritten record of
the burgh’s early history.

In an ancient document, executed in 1198, relating to a
dispute between Adam de Karleolo and William de Brus, we find
the name spelt “ Locardebi.’’ Dr Neilson, in his essay on “ Old
Annan,’’ mentions that there was a family of the name Locard,
which was for a time represented in the Court of the Bruce, and
ultimately took root in Clydesdale. No doubt, this family of
Locard would, like that of the Bruce, be Norman, and would
occupy at the Court of the latter a position both of influence and
favour. It is even within the range of probability that they were
related to the Bruce himself.

Now we know that in those days, when might was right, the
only method of self-preservation was that of co-operation, and
that that system of co-operation was universally in vogue. Self-
preservation, we are told, is the first law of nature, and our
forefathers were as fully alive to that fact as their descendants
have been ever since.

Naturally, then, when a man received from the King, as a

156 LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN.

token of favour or reward, an extensive tract of land with valuable
rights and privileges—as did the Bruce-—his first anxiety was as
to how he could best preserve not only his newly-acquired
possessions but the position of dignity and power to which he had
attained. These objects he accomplished by parcelling off
portions of his possessions among his relatives and friends, who
would then become his vassals, and by undertaking to protect them
and their belongings against the attacks and depredations of their
common enemies. In return, these lesser landlords, together
with their servants and dependents, became bound to rally to the
standard of their superior in times of war, as also to build a
stronghold and maintain order and peace within their own juris-
dictions. Mr Cosmo Innes says:-——“ The common inductiv2
clause for granting charters in feudal times was, of course, pro
servicio suo. It is often stated that the grant is in reward of
service, but most commonly the gift is for service done and to be
done, past and future. Along with service is joined homage and
fealty—pro homagio et fidelitate. From the King, therefore,
down to his smallest vassal there was created a succession of
positions of superior and vassal, each and all bound together by
the common ties of self-preservation, mutual aid, and protection.

Consequently, a summons from the King would set the whole
feudal machinery of the country in motion. In this connection
we may advert in passing to the views expressed by Sir Walter
Scott regarding the numerous Abbeys which were founded by
David I. He states:—‘“It seems probable that David, who was
a wise as well as a pious monarch, was not moved solely by
religious motives to those great acts of munificence to the Church,
but annexed political views to his pious generosity. | His posses-
sions in Northumberland and Cumberland became precarious
after the loss of the Battle of the Standard in 1138; and since
the comparatively fertile valley of Teviotdale was likely to
become the frontier of his kingdom, it is probable he wished to
secure at least a part of these valuable possessions by placing
them in the hands of the monks, whose property was for a long
time respected, even amidst the rage of a frontier war. In this
manner alone had the King some chance of securing protection
and security to the cultivators of the soil.’’

We now come to the affix bi or by, which forms part of the
word Lockerbie, and is Danish, The Danes, who had begun

LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN. 157

their descent on England in 787, obtained a secure footing in
the north about the middle of the ninth century. They ravished
Northumbria and East Anglia, drove out the Anglican Kings, and
put Norsemen in their place. Fresh invasions of the Danes
took place in the tenth and eleventh centuries, and from 1017
till 1042 Danish Kings held the Throne of England. These
Danes were absorbed in the English people, and learned to speak
their language. The region which they occupied is said to have
extended along the-coast from Norfolk to Northumberland, and
in the interior from Northamptonshire to Yorkshire. A consider-
able number of them settled also in Dumfriesshire. Over a
thousand years have come and gone since these Danes were a
distinct aliment in our midst, but to this day we can clearly trace
their movements in the names of places which wholly or partly are
of Danish origin. | For instance, for the word “ beck,’’ meaning
a burn, we have the local place names of Beckton, Waterbeck,
Troutbeck, and Greenbeck. From the “ garth,’’ meaning an en-
closure, we have Applegarth and Tundergarth. From the affix
“by,’? meaning a town or settlement, we have Sibbaldbie and
Lockerbie. Again, the term “by law’’ originally meant a law
enforced in a “by ’’ or settlement. The words “ gar,’’ to cause,
“ greet,’ to weep, “ mun,’’ meaning must, and “ tine,’’ to lose, are
all Danish, and in local use at the present day. We, therefore,
see that in this district immediately prior to the Norman Conquest
a considerable part of the community was composed of Danes or
of those of Danish extraction. When they settled in a part of the
country which had _ no special name, the first thing that would
naturally happen would be that that place would for convenience
acquire a name, either descriptive of its natural features or other-
wise. When they settled in a place, however, which already had
aname, we have no reason to suppose that they changed that
name. They would simply—as do our countrymen to-day when
settling abroad—adopt the name which the place already bore.
The lights, therefore, which we have to guide us in our
search through the dark night of the past for the origin of Locker-
bie are — that one of the first things the Bruce would do after
receiving a grant of the lands of Annandale would be to sub-
divide them among his relatives and friends, who in return would
be bound with their dependents to serve him in his operations both
of offence and defence, as also to build and maintain a sufficient

158 LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN.

stronghold; that there were at the Court of the early Bruces a
family of the name of Locard ; that that family held a position of
influence and favour at the Court ; that a considerable portion of
the community at and prior to the time of the Bruces was Danish ;
that when these settled in a place the name they gave it was mostly
a descriptive one; that the affix “by ’’ is Danish, and means a
settlement or town; that it is most improbable the place ever had
another name, and consequently that prior to receiving its present
name of Lockerbie it was not a place of residence. From these
facts and circumstances we infer that Bruce made a grant of the
lands round about what is now known as Lockerbie to one
Lockard ; that Lockard, after selecting a suitable place on an
elevated piece of ground lying near the great Roman road and
between two lochs—which have long since been drained—built
thereon a stronghold sufficient to attract around it for mutual aid
and protection numerous less fortunate families who would build
for themselves dwellings; that these settlers called the place
Lockard’s by, meaning Lockard’s town or settlement ; and that
these dwellings which arose around the “by’’ of Lockard some
700 or 800 years ago, and were occupied in a great measure by
Danes, formed the nucleus of this now neat, prosperous, and thriv-
ing little town.

Having got thus far, let us now look for a little at the state
of civilisation which existed, and the method of husbandry which
was followed in those far-off byegone days. In the first place
there would be the residence or “ bi’’ or stronghold of Lockard,
who would now be installed as Lord of the Manor and the repre-
sentative in this district of the powerful Bruce. Then there would
be the necessary place of defence—this would doubtless be in the
form of a peel, which was the type of stronghold then in use. The
residence of Lockard would no doubt be within the peel.

The word peel has long been used to signify a tower or
stronghold. In fact, the phrase, “ Border peel,’’ is more often
used to signify a Border tower than the latter phrase itself.

This use of the word Dr Neilson, in his treatise on the word
“ Peel—its meaning and derivation,’’ shews to be quite erroneous
and the outcome of a misconception of its true and _ original
meaning. He states, “The oldest proper examples of the word
known to me occur in the accounts of the Scottish Wars of

LocKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN. 159

Edward First. The first peel on record is that of Lochmaben ;
the next is at Dumfries.”’

Regarding Lochmaben he states:—“ Edward retiring from
Scotland after the battle of Falkirk in 1298 had taken possession
pF the Castle of the Bruces at Lochmaben, referred to as

eastrum ’ and as a ‘chastel.’ That winter a considerable addi-
tion was made to its defensive strength, as appears from payments
made to English labourers, sawyers, and carpenters (ad faciendum
pelum ibidem) for making a peel there. The entry as regards
the sawyers is (ad sarranda ligna pro constructione peli) for

sawing wood for the making of the peel. This leaves little
doubt that the peel was essentially a wooden structure. Its

character is further illustrated by an order issued in November,
1299, to provide for the sure keeping of the close outside the
castle, strengthened by a palisade—custodis clausi extra castrum
de Loghmaban palitio firmati. This passage points with great
clearness to the conclusion that the peel was this palisaded or
stockaded close, forming an outer rampart extending the bounds
and increasing the accommodation of the castle. In 1300 houses
had been made in the ‘piel,’ and in 1301 the ‘pele’ was un-
successfully assailed by the Scots. In the writs relative to Loch-
maben Castle in subsequent years, very many of them conjoin
the peel with the castle, the full name and style of which was
casirum et pelum. In 1376 payments were made for planks and
to carpenters at the new front called da Pele, and the entry dis-
tinctly contrasts with that which follows for ‘stanworke’ of the
castle itself. So late as 1397 English writs refer to the castle
and peel. The nature of the peel of Lochmaben is thus tolerably
definite.’’

“At Dumfries, as at Lochmaben, there was a castle before
the peel was made by King Edward in the autumn of 1300. In
September Friar Robert of Ulm, and with him Adam of Glasham,
and many other carpenters, were busy making the peel which
was to be set up round about the Castle of Dumfries. The castle
appears to have had thrown round it, some little distance out from
the walls, a strong palisade or stockade, beyond which again a
large fosse was dug. This palisaded and moated enclosure con-
stituted the peel.”’

We therefore see that the word ‘peel’’ was not used
originally to signify a tower, but, as Dr Neilson maintains, was the

160 LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN.

name given to the palisade or strength of wood which was thrown
round the castle at some distance from its walls, and is derived
from the Latin palus, a stake.

As time wore on and brought in its train an improvement in
the art of building, as also in the arts of warfare, the castle itself
would grow in strength, whilst the peel would diminish in useful-
ness. Ultimately the peel would disappear altogether, and what
remained would be called the peel tower or simply the peel.

What other buildings would be erected within the peel we
cannot exactly say. No doubt there would be others, in which
not only the women and children, but also the live stock of the
village and other movable possessions, could be sheltered and
stored during times of seige. In 1542 we read that some English-
men “sett fyer in a peyll’’ on Corrie Water in Annandale, and
took away with them 30 oxen and cows, 8 horses, 60 sheep,
“with mych other insight of howsholde.’’ No doubt, after
the alarm was raised, everything that could possibly be either
carried or driven would be stored inside the peel for safety.
Unfortunately, however, on this occasion the strength of the peel
had proved unavailing.

As has been stated, the house of the superior inside the peel
would as time went on become a place of greater strength and
security, and gradually supersede the surrounding peel, which, as
the arts of war progressed, would become of less use and im-
portance. In course of time the peel would wholly disappear.

There can be’ little doubt, therefore, that the present peel
tower of Lockerbie is the modern representative and occupant of
the sight of the primitive home of the Lockard, which at first was
surrounded by a peel.

This primitive home would be built of wood and wattles,
cemented with mud and clay, roofed with branches and thatch,
lighted by windows of skin, and floored, not with luxurious
carpets, but mother earth in the form of mud and rushes. If
the villagers and their chief had mutual interests, they had also
their comforts in common, or, we might rather say, their dis-
comforts in common. However, they knew no better, would
be as well off as their neighbours, and doubtless content—at
least, let us hope so.

At the time with which we are dealing the wild boar and the

LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN. 161

wolf still roamed in the woods around the village, and badgers,
wild cats, foxes, and eagles were rife.

The condition of the people under the Bruces, that is, of the
masses of the people, was rapidly changing for the better. At
one time the poorest of them were known as “ villeins,’’ from the
fact that they huddled together in vills or villages. They were
practically in the position of slaves, bound to serve the owner of
the land on which they lived, brought back and punished if they
ran away, and changed hands along with the land itself.

The clause in the grant of the lands was “ Cum bondis et
bondagiis ’’——with bondmen and their holdings and services. Mr
Cosmo Innes in his lecture on Ancient Charters says :—“ I cannot
pretend to distinguish with any accuracy the bondman from the
neyf. It is not improbable that the neyf or serf by descent was
distinguished from the bond labourer, but we cannot tell to what
extent or in what manner.”’

After the settling of the Bruce in the district the position of
matters appears rapidly to have changed for the better. Instead
of their being at the constant call of their owner, their services
became first fixed and definite, and then commuted to a pay-
ment, sometimes, though rarely, in money, generally by a share
of the produce of the ground. From being actual slaves they
were, through the kindly influences of the Norman customs and
methods, transformed into free farmers or freeholders, giving a
fixed and definite return for the land they cultivated to the feudal
Lord as also rendering military services when required.

The only means by which the people could live was, of
course, by cultivating the soil. Lockerbie, therefore, would
not then be a collection of houses so much as of small farms.
Each house or booth sat in a little croft or toft, extending to
perhaps half-an-acre, which was fenced. The rest of the land,
whether arable or pastoral, was unfenced, which necessitated
constant herding. The land was cultivated on a system of
co-partnership. A plough, which was a cumbersome, unwieldy,
wooden instrument, required eight oxen to draw it. Each
villager possessed but two. One plough, therefore, called into
requisition the stock of four husbandmen.

Mr Cosmo Innes, in his “ Early Scottish History ’’ (page
188-189), states: —“ We must not judge a plough of the monks
by our modern notions, or fill it in fancy with a pair of quick-

162 LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN.

stepping horses. The Scotch plough of the thirteenth century
(and for three centuries afterwards) was a ponderous machine
drawn by twelve oxen, whether all used at once or by two relays,
so that for five ploughs they had sixty oxen.’’

The arable land of each would extend to some 26 acres,
which were laid off in rigs. This was known as the runrig
system.

The village, no doubt, would possess a brew house, as also
a mill, where each would, by the laws of the barony, be com-
pelled to have his corn ground.

A church it would also possess, or at least, there was one
in the vicinity. In the year 1124 we know for certain that
there existed in Annandale at least three churches—Hoddom,
St Mungo, and Dryfesdale. The Church of Dryfesdale was
dedicated to St. Cuthbert. |The Inquisitis of Earl David in
1116 found that the lands of Dryfesdale belonged to the Epis-
copate of Glasgow. The Church of Dryfesdale was confirmed
to this see by successive bulls of Pope Alexander in 1170 and
1178, Pope Lucias in 1181, and Pope Urban in 1186. ‘The last
specifies that the chapel of Hutton belonged to the mother
church of Dryfesdale. :

There were also numerous chapels belonging to the Knights
Templars in the district. One, for instance, stood near what is
yet known as the Chapel Well at Beckton, within a mile from
the peel. The font of this chapel was, after the suppression of
the Order, used as part of the market cross of the town.

Our forefathers in Lockerbie, therefore, even in these far-off
days, were not without their spiritual advisers ; and, judging from
the noble account their children gave of themselves in after
years, the seed of the Gospel must not only have been well sown,
but sown in rich and fertile soil.

And now my task is finished. I have endeavoured, from
what scraps of information I had at my disposal, to give a short
account of the condition of things obtaining in our little town
when the same was first honoured by Locard—no doubt with
the advice of his fair lady—selecting it as the site of their future
home.

Border raids and forays, it must be remembered, were as
yet unknown. — It was not until Edward had besieged Berwick,
mercilessly butchered without respect of age or sex some seven-

LocKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN. 163

teen thousand of its inhabitants and burned the town, traversed
the country as far north as Elgin, hoisted the red flag with the
three gold leopards on every stronghold, and garrisoned with
English every town and castle, that the bitter feelings of enmity
and hatred were first inculcated, which were in after years and
for centuries to cause such devastation and desolation all along
the Borders. After the proud and brutal monarch had gone
back to England, poor Scotland lay stunned by the swift and
crushing blow which had struck her down. Nearly all the nobles
and leading men in the country had been forced to swear
allegiance. Wasted by the ravishes of war, the country suffered
miserably from famine. Bands of cruel and broken men, bitter
of heart and fierce at the abhorred oppression of the Southron,
hunted in the forests and mountains living by the chase, and
when the chance offered plundering the provision convoys of the
English. By thousands of cottage hearths in the dismal winter
following brave men in shame and sorrow bemoaned to each
other over the untold miseries and the galling scorn which their
native land had to endure. It was from this time onwards—
and who can blame her ?—that Scotland viewed England as her
bitterest enemy ; and then began between the two countries that
system of perpetual robbery and murder which continued
unabated for centuries. I simply mention this in passing to
recall to you the fact that this system of plunder and reprisal,
which ultimately attained such an extraordinary development,
did not always exist, and that during the time with which we
are dealing the Borders enjoyed for the most part a state of com-
parative calm and repose. No doubt there were wars between
the two countries, but these were infrequent. Abundant warning
was given, and the necessary preparations made for the preser-
vation of life and property. During the reign of Lockard,
therefore, at least comparatively speaking, the little village
flourished and its inhabitants enjoyed prosperity and peace.
Money was a commodity scarce, in fact almost unknown, and
perhaps it was well. The avaricious passion for accumulating
Was practically impossible. | Each lived by the fruits of his
handiwork, and the produce was perishable. If one had too
much, rather than waste, his less fortunate neighbour would be
welcome to a share. The whole farming operations were
carried on on a system of co-operation. Their purpose of living

164 LOCKERBIE IN ITS ORIGIN.

together was for mutual aid and protection, and we can therefore
understand that the inhabitants of the little village would be knit
together by these and other ties into the closest relationship, and
would become practically as one family.

BonsHAaw Tower. By Colonel J. B. Irvine.

The Irvings originally came from Ayrshire. When Duncan,
afterwards King Duncan I., was appointed King or Prince of
Cumberland by his grandfather, King Malcolm II., he took with
him several of the Scots clans to the Borders to defend them.
With him went the clan of the Erevines or Irvings, under Crine
Eryvinus’s brother. About 1024 they took up their first habita-
tion upon the river Esk, between the White and Black Esk.
There they built their first habitation, Castle Irving, below Lang-
holm. ‘The burn and wood do still carry the name of Irving
Wood and Irving Burn. ‘The ruins of the castle existed till the
close of the seventeenth century. On the same spot now stands
Irvine House, belonging to the Duke of Buccleuch, and inhabited
by his chamberlain. From this Castle Irving the eldest of the
family acquired by marriage the Tower and lands of Bonshaw.
In this Bonshaw Tower, on the right bank of the Kirtle Water,
ever since has continued to reside the acknowledged head of this
powerful Scots Border clan.

The name Bonshaw, Boneschaw, etc., is derived from schaw,
the Saxon for wood or woodland, and bon, the Norman for good

or fair. It was written in Latin as Bon-boscum. Sometimes the ~

hame was written as it was vulgarly pronounced, as Bonshall or
Bonshank.

I do not know definitely when the Tower was built, though
there are many rumours. But I think we may fairly conclude
that there was a Tower on this spot when we got it about 1024,
as we made it our principal residence. Bonshaw is of the usual
square shape of most of the Border peile towers. The Tower
stands on an almost sheer rocky precipice about 100 feet above the
Kirtle Water. In front is a terrace, now armed with six old guns ;
on the right is a steep ravine with a burn flowing through it and

-a waterfall. In old days it was possible to surround the place
with water. The Tower is built of a mixture of red and white
sandstone rock quarried in the ravine a little above the Tower.

ors
z

BonsHaw Tower. 165

The walls are six feet through in the thinnest place. Over the
old yett (or entrance door) is carved the sacred motto in raised
letters—
SOLI . DEO . HONOR . ET . GLORIA.

The old iron yett is gone. When James VI. came to the throne
in 1603 he had all the iron yetts of the Border towers destroyed
to put down the power of the Border chieftains. You first enter
a small hall about six feet square, communicating with the
old stone wheel stair on one side, and with the old retainers’
kitchen on the other. From the covert roof of this hall hangs
about eighteen inches or two feet an eight-sided stone, like a vast
seal. It has on it, in ancient Hebrew raised letters, I.H.S. in
monogram. This is called the Crusader’s Stone, and, tradition
says, was brought from the walls of the old Temple at Jerusalem
by one of the lIrvings, who was one of the first
crusaders (about 1100), was taken to Rome and_ blessed
Myeethe Pope, and then fixed here. It is supposed
to bless everyone of Irving blood that passes under it. You pass
on into the retainers’ kitchen, which has an arched stone with a
hole in the centre, covered with a stone, for the passing up of
ammunition to the room above. ‘There is also a big iron hook in
the apex of the roof; they say for hanging anyone on the laird
had no further use for. In one corner in the thickness of the wall
is a gloomy dungeon for prisoners. In the centre of each wall is
a large firing hole. Along one wall is a large stone bin, probably
to hold salt provisions when in siege. The floor, as well as the
walls and ceiling, are of solid stone. Passing again through the
wee hall, you enter the wheel stair, the stone steps of which are
much worn, though it is in perfect preservation. Up these stairs
in 1306 passed King Robert the Bruce when flying from Edward
Longshanks. This was the first dwelling in Scotland he
entered.

On the first floor you enter the grand hall of the Tower,
called King Robert the Bruce’s room. It is now used as a
library, but the plain solid stone walls are undisturbed. An
arched recess in one of the walls forms a small altar or, in old
Scots, a wumbry. In one of the window recesses are two stone
seats, to fire from in time of siege. In other two window recesses
are square stone holes or boxes, to hold ammunition. There is a
huge fireplace that would hold half-a-dozen men. Going on up

166 : BonsHaw Tower.

the same wheel stair, you come on the next floor to a similar
room, with window recesses, ammunition boxes, etc. In one
corner is a door leading into a small room in the thickness of
the wall to, they say, the head of an underground passage in the
rock leading to Robgill Tower, so that they could get water, food,
ammunition, etc., in time of siege. Resuming the ascent of the
wheel stair, you come to the top floor, which now is used as a
billiard room. Here you see the great brown beams that carry the
roof, fastened, as of old, with huge oak pegs driven through
before the days of nails. A very few more steps bring you to
the battlements, from which is a fine view of the countryside.
At one end is the flagstaff and an old bell for ringing in the clan
in time of danger. At the other end are the crowsteps, from
whence the sentry looked out towards the Solway to give timely
warning in time of danger. In the centre of each length of wall
are two holes overhanging each firing hole, from which hot lead
or boiling oil could be poured on an invader’s head. There are
sixty steps from the ground to the top.

, I will now, to conclude, give two or three incidents con-
nected with the history of the Tower. Of course, I could easily
give a great many, but this only purports to be a short sketch.
King Robert the Bruce in 1306, when flying from the pursuit of
Edward Longshanks, came one stormy night to Bonshaw to take
refuge, it being the first dwelling he entered in Scotland. When
he left he took one of the laird’s younger sons, Sir William de
Irwin of Woodhouse, and made him his secretary and armour-
bearer. He was with him, in all his troubles and prosperities, till
his death. The King, when firmly seated on his throne, gave him
for his fidelity, in 1323, the castle and lands of Drum, in Aber-
deenshire, which the Irvines still have.. The original parchment,
signed by King Robert the Bruce, is still extant. I saw it when
at Drum. Another son of Irving of Bonshaw, Roger de Irwin,
was keeper of King Robert’s robes.

In 15138, at the battle of Flodden, on 9th September, under
James IV., Christopher Irving of Bonshaw commanded the Light
Horsemen of the Scottish Army. He fell in the first engagement
with all his sons but one, and a very large number of his clans-
men. He was succeeded by his son William. Henry VIII. of
England, in 1544, sent the Earl of Hereford and Lord Wharton
with.an army to effect the complete subjugation of Dumfriesshire,

BonsHAw TOWER. 167

which was looked upon as offering the chief barrier to the con-
quest of the kingdom of Scotland. The chieftains and proprietors
were obliged to submit, as they were overpowered by numbers.
Christopher Irving of Bonshaw and Cuthbert Irving of Robgill
continued in arms with those who offered patriotic resistance. In
order to avoid submitting to the English, and in hopes of saving
Bonshaw, which he could not defend successfully, he made it
over to his son Edward (Instrument of Sasine in favour of Edward
Irving of Bonshaw, dated June 3rd, 1544, deed amongst the family
papers). But the English took Bonshaw and plundered and
burned it, and devastated all the Irving lands about the Kirtle.

In a letter to council of King Henry VITI., dated 9th Septem-
ber, 1544, Lord Wharton, describing one of these invasions of the
year, says that the troops in their return burned Bonshaw, Robgill,
etc., and all the peile towers, steds, and corn in their way.

In the way of this burning, I may say that the Tower was
several times pillaged and burned, but it simply meant the destruc-
tion of the roof and contents of the place, but not the place itself,
as in those days they had no means of rapidly destroying a
strongly-built stone building. I think it was Jedburgh that in the
days of the Bruce they determined to destroy the fortifications to
prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy, and it took a large
force of men over three years, and then they had not quite com-
pleted it.

In February, 1548, was the battle of Dalswinton, where
Christopher Irving of Bonshaw commanded the Scottish Light
Horsemen. The Light Horsemen defeated the English and
charged through them, but a flank attack later on was disastrous,
and ended in defeat of the Scots ; 600 being slain or drowned in
the Nith, and several principal Barons being taken prisoners.
Among these prisoners was Christopher Irrewing of Bonshaw.

Christopher Irving of Bonshaw died 1555. His son Edward,
to whom he had made over Bonshaw in the time of the English
domination, succeeded him. This Edward Irving was a great
and successful warrior.

Having made peace with England in 1550, which lasted to
the end of the century, the Border clans started their old feuds
and fought amongst themselves. An old heredity feud had long
existed between the Irvings of Bonshaw and the Bells and
Carlyles. But the greatest of their feuds was with the Maxwells,

168 BonsHAW TOWER.

which lasted to the end of the century. Notwithstanding the
strong opposition as it would unite two such powerful clans,
Christopher Edward Irving’s eldest son married Margaret, eldest
daughter of the Laird of Johnston. Marriage contract signed
11th September, 1566 (the contract, which is in my possession,
is very curious). Bonshaw took Queen Mary’s side and suffered
accordingly. In 1584-5 Maxwell attacked Johnston with an
army and took Lochwood Castle and Lochhouse and burnt them
both.

Johnston, thus overpowered, sought refuge with his relations,
the Irvings of Bonshaw. Maxwell pursued him there and laid
siege to Bonshaw, which, however, was able to hold out till Max-
well, despairing of taking it, agreed to terms of peace, which
were settled at Bonshaw.

In 1593 Maxwell, who was again Warden of the Marches,

assembled an army to attack and apprehend Johnston. Johnston,
' who was supported by his allies the Irvings, Grahams, Carlyles,
and Scotts, prepared for the encounter. Though young and inex-
perienced himself he had the experienced assistance of Edward
Irving of Bonshaw, a veteran in Border warfare, who with his four
sons and clan had come to his aid. Johnston’s army was ad-
mirably posted on a gentle eminence across the river Dryfe, which
Maxwell had to pass, and was commanded with great military
skill. On the 7th December, 1593, the armies met at Dryfe-
sands. Johnston’s Light Horsemen succeeded in disarranging
Maxwell’s rank by feint attacks, so that when the main bodies met
the Maxwells were encountered at a disadvantage. After a
bloody conflict the Johnston army was victorious. Maxwell and
700 of his men perished in the battle and pursuit. Maxwell’s
body was found with the hand cut off. This was owing to Max-
well having offered a reward to whoever would bring him the
hand or head of Johnston. Johnston retaliated with a like offer.

Lord Herries was appointed Warden, and in 1595 raised an
army and again attacked Johnston. Another pitched battle was
fought, in which the Johnston faction was again victorious. The
King then appointed Johnston Warden of the Marches. In 1608
Maxwell treacherously murdered Johnston, and in 1613 was
executed at the High Cross at Edinburgh for it. William Irving
of Bonshaw, who succeeded his grandfather Edward in 1605, saw
the fall of the power of the Border chieftains through the loss of

BonsHaw TOWER. 169

their independent military position, by the junction of the two
kingdoms.

Bonshaw took strong part with King Charles I., and was
always very active against the Covenant. It was Bonshaw who
arrested the famous Donald Cargill, who was afterwards burnt
at the High Cross of Edinburgh. My great-great-grandfather,
William Irving of Woodhouse, had a long lawsuit for the recovery
of Bonshaw, which he regained in 1696. He married Amelia,
eldest daughter of Lord Rollo. They had fourteen children, of
which James, my great-grandfather, was the second that married
and had issue.

GoD MINING ON THE GoLD Coast. By JoHn Maxwe tt, H.M.
Travelling Commissioner on the Gold Coast.

Mr Maxwell said that the Gold Colony took its name from the
gold which was exported from the country, and we had it on the
best authority that in 1551 Captain Thomas Wyndham on one occa-
sion conveyed to England 150 pounds weight of gold dust. This
gold dust was almost entirely washed from the sand of the rivers.
Neither had this gold industry ceased to exist, for even now the
natives lived by extracting it from the rivers. Gold dust on the
Gold Coast was to a small extent still the money of the land; a
perigum being forty-six dollars, nearly £10; an ounce, £3 12s 5d;
and an ackie, 2s 6d to the natives. Even some of the towns, such
as Elmina, derived their names from the precious metal, and it
was perhaps needless to say that our word guinea was derived
from the fact that the first guinea was made from gold from this
part of Africa. The natives were born miners, and travellers
through the country in some parts experienced great difficulty
owing to the multitude of native shafts. These shafts were practi-
cally open pit holes along the main roads, and he had personally
seen one native falling down one of the shafts, and on one occa-
sion his own dog fell down, and it was with much difficulty that it
was rescued. Gold was to be found everywhere in large or small
quantities, and there was no native family in the country without
its ornaments made of the purest gold, and often of artistic work-
manship. Mr Maxwell then described in detail the method of
mining used by the natives. He said that the natives in selling
gold dust between themselves used little weights. ‘There were

170 GoLtp MINING ON THE GOLD Coast.

thirty-five weights, each with a distinct value, in use in Ashanti,
and the complete set was curious and very complicated, the
smaller weights being not larger than tiny seeds. | Gold washing
was as a rule the work of the women throughout the colony, and
each woman was furnished with a small wooden bowl which was
filled with the earth. This earth was repeatedly washed with
fresh water in the most adept manner, the stones and earth being
thrown out by the rapid rotary motion of the bowl, until the gold
was cleaned from all the earth. The gold, owing to its weight,
sank to the bottom, and the residue was then passed to a smaller
bowl, and the process repeated until nothing was left but the
grains of gold. Illustrative of his paper, Mr Maxwell exhibited
about two hundred gold weights which he collected at various
towns and places he visited. He also exhibited the skin of an
Adristus, one of the most deadly snakes known, showing the four
fangs through which the poison was transmitted. The skins, he
‘said, were sometimes used for making musical instruments, and
they were much prized by the Ju-Ju men before the fetish. He
showed a native lock very like our padlock, with beads attached,
and the medicine of a Ju-Ju man on the back. He was informed
that the price paid for this lock to the Ju-Ju men was £1. ‘It was
much feared by the natives, and it was believed by them that if
the possessor of the lock had an ill-will towards another person,
by just turning the lock and mentioning the party’s name, he could
kill his enemy. He also showed two excellent specimens of
Agra beads, and stated that if any of these beads were broken, the
Ashanti law required the owner to be paid seven slaves. The
value of the beads far exceeded their weight in gold.

During an interval in the proceedings, afternoon tea was
supplied to the company, through the kindness of Mr and Mrs
Sanders of Rosebank.

At the close of the papers, Mr Sanders proposed a very
cordial vote of thanks to the gentlemen who had given the papers.
That, he said, was the first meeting the society had held in
Lockerbie, and he hoped it would by no means be the last.

Rey. R. Neill-Rae, Lochmaben, seconded, and the compli-
ment was warmly awarded.

The Chairman moved a similar compliment to Mr Cormack
and the other local members who had taken such an interest in

GYPsIEs. 171

that meeting, and an especially hearty vote of thanks to Mr and
Mrs Sanders, for their kindness in entertaining the members.
This was seconded by Mr Arnott, and also heartily awarded.
With the kind permission of Mr Johnstone-Douglas, a num-
ber of the Company paid a visit to the old Tower of Lockerbie,
being shown round by Mr John Laidlaw, Arthur’s Place, but
owing to the late hour at which the meeting broke up, many were
unable to avail themselves of Mr Johnstone-Douglas’s invitation.

end March, 1906.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT,

Gypsies. By A. M‘Cormicx, Newton-Stewart.

Mr M‘Cormick commenced by stating that gypsiologists were
all agreed that the gypsies must either have originated from
Hindustan, or, at all events, spent many years in that country.
Their appearance, similarity to natives of Hindustan, and the
preponderance of Hindustani words in Romanes (gypsy language),
all conspire to Prove that. But he added that there are many
gypsiologists who, believing in the testimony of tradition, held
that it was quite probable that there might be something in the
gypsies’ own tradition that they originally hailed from Egypt, and
wended their way across Arabia and Persia to Hindustan, where
they spent many generations. He explained that, whereas there
Were earlier references to blacksmiths (or the calderari) than 1417,
that is the year on which the first authentic reference is made to
Romani-speaking gypsies in Europe.

He described in detail the appearance, manners, customs,
and characteristics of these gypsies, and how they acted on their
Progress throughout Europe, and also how they were received
kindly at first and afterwards with undue severity by both muni-
cipalities and governments. That part of the lecture was illus-
trated with slides from Callot’s pictures of the gypsies, and also
by illustrations showing various types of foreign gypsies.

In a similar manner Mr M‘Cormick showed that the first
authentic reference to gypsies in Scotland was in 1505, and in

172 GYPSIES.

England in 1529, and briefly summarised their reception, actions,
and treatment, pointing out that eventually in both countries many
of the gypsies were either banished or hung, merely on account of
their being habit and repute Egyptians.

Illustrations were given to depict the various types of English
and Scottish gypsies, and the lecturer gave accounts of various
interviews which he had had with gypsies and at gypsy camps.
He also stated tentatively that, in his view, there were no Romani-
speaking gypsies in Scotland before 1505, but that the tinklers
were in this country long before that date ; and that when Johnnie
Faa petitioned the King in 1540 it gave evidence that a fusion had
taken place between the Romani-speaking gypsies and the Faa
gang of tinklers. That theory, he believed, explained how the
tinkler-gypsies had obtained Scotch names, how some of the
Yetholm tribe are of fair appearance, why the nobility took such
interest in preventing the ends of justice being meted out to
gypsies, the early references to gypsies in such traditions as the
“ slaying of the blackimore ’’ by Maclellan, of Bombie, and also
the tradition held by them that they came into Scotland by way
of Ireland.

Mr M‘Cormick further showed that if tinklers were “de
facto’? Romani-speaking gypsies, their language would be the
same everywhere, and pointed out that the Irish tinklers spoke
a language, shelta, which was allied to the shelta spoken by the
Highland Gaelic-speaking tinklers, but which was different from
the language spoken by all the other tinklers in Scotland. He
illustrated that point by showing on the screen the results of in-
quiries made at various centres throughout Scotland.

He then dealt at considerable length with the characteristics
of gypsies, such as frankness and simplicity with friends, their
philosophy of life, peculiar superstitions, peculiar marriage and
divorce customs, fortune telling, and gratitude.

He stated that it had been said that Meg Merrilees was not a
typical gypsy, but maintained that she was a typical tinkler-gypsy
of a byegone day, although the language put into the mouths of
Sir Walter Scott’s gypsies was largely that found in the appendix
to the life of Bamfylde Moore Carew.

In conclusion, he spoke also of the gypsies of “ Aylwin ”’
and “ The Coming of Love,’’ by Mr Watts-Dunton, maintaining
that in these books Mr Watts-Dunton had succeeded in combining,

GYPSIES. 173

in a way that no other had, the real, the tragic, and the
picturesque characteristics of gypsies. The lecture was illus-

trated with lantern slides, principally from photographs by Mr
M‘Cormick.

16th March, 1906.
Chairman—Dr J. MaxweE tt Ross, Vice-President.
New MemBer.—Mrs M‘Lachlan, Dryfemount, Lockerbie.

It was agreed to minute the congratulations of the society to
the Duke of Buccleuch, a life member of the society, on the anni-
versary of the conferment of the first Scottish Peerage to the
family, this being the date of the anniversary, and the secretary
was requested to send the Duke of Buccleuch an extract of the
minute.

Tue Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. By Rev. W. L.
STEPHEN.

The forces which have in the past moulded our national life
are the natural objects of study in societies such as this. Many of
these old world forces have received adequate study. In the
case of the Roman occupation, for instance, there has been no
lack of eager, careful, exact students. The traces or relics of that
period are sufficiently familiar to us; but with the withdrawal of
the Roman legions this country was subjected to a force and an
influence which have not been, it seems to me, sufficiently investi-
gated. That influence was the Norse, and in using the word
Norse I use it as including the Scandinavian and also in certain
points the Danish races. You have, first of all, to appreciate
the influence of the Norsemen on Europe before one can. suffi-
ciently appreciate their influence on Scotland. The bleak and
somewhat grim conditions of life in the desolate regions of the
North had sent out a race of men who were fitly nursed for fighting
under all conditions. levelling in “the hazard of trackless
ways ’’ they wandered over all Europe. One group, passing
across to the east of the Baltic, in course of time set their leader

174 THE Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.

upon the throne of a principality which was subsequently to
develop into the great Russian empire. Rurik the Norseman
laid the foundations of the Russian rule, and his descendants
occupied the throne of Russia until the close of the 16th century.
Another group made their way along the Mediterranean, actually
reaching Constantinople itself, and soon the Eastern capital was
face to face with the alternative of a sack or the payment of an
enormous indemnity. The association of the Norsemen with the
Byzantine capital was to be long continued in the famous
Verangian Guard. Returning from the East and glancing at
Normandy you find there a settlement of the Northmen, subse-
quently to be disguised under the name of Normans. That was
to be a fateful settlement for England and for Europe. From it
was soon to spring the Norman conquest. The colonisation of
Iceland was achieved, and there is a growing tendency to accept
the theory of the discovery of America—Vinland—as historic.
East and West in turn they spread. Turning now more especially
to Scotland, we find the Norsemen in the Viking age stepping
across, first to the Orkneys, then to the mainland in Caithness,
where there were Norwegian jarls or earls for fully four centuries,
and then passing westward they established an over-lordship of
the Western Isles. | Ere long they passed southwards to Dublin,
and in course of time founded Norse kingdoms on the coast of
Ireland. Crossing to the Isle of Man, they quickly set up a
kingdom there, and to-day you have the laws of that island once
promulgated from the Tynwald Hill, which, of course, is simply a
relic from the days when the Norsemen were in occupation.
It is the same name to be found in Dingwall and Tinwald, in
Dumfriesshire. From the Isle of Man successive expeditions of
Norsemen made their way to the south, ravaging the coasts. The
common conception of these Norsemen is that they were pirates
and freebooters. Doubtless there were aspects of their expedi-
tions which justified the description. | They themselves looked
upon the viking’s occupation as the only occupation worthy of a
nobleman and gentleman. They called themselves sea kings.
Later ages have chosen to stigmatise them as pirates. They
themselves in the time-honoured way held they were conveying
the blessings of a higher civilisation to less progressive races.
The Norsemen, having sown their corn in Norway like quiet,
respectable citizens, set out on excursions to Scotland. While

THE Scoto-NoRSE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 175

the corn was growing they could put in their time pleasantly and
profitably over seas. They promised themselves, in American
fashion, “a good time.’’ The Scottish tourist, voyaging gaily to
“the land of the midnight sun,’’ is, all unconsciously, reversing
history. He can in some degree appreciate the light-hearted
attitude with which the Norsemen steered for the open sea.
Gradually expeditions became less and less marauding or plunder-
ing expeditions, but colonising occupations. That is, they looked
forward to settling finally in the country where they landed. But
let us return to their occupation of the Isle of Man. From that
island their favourite method of excursion was to select a creek or
bay into which they might run as carrying them furthest inland.
Obviously, such a way of access lay to their ships by the Solway.
Soon the dwellers on the banks of the Solway became familiar
with the dragon bows of the Norse ships, their streaming raven
banners, and their burnished shields hung overside, flashing back
again the western rays in lines of dazzling light. It seems to me
that the method of the Norse in this invasion was to proceed north
and south. I am aware that some of our authorities hold that
they settled first inthe south. The Lake District of England and
Cumberland, of course, is dotted all over with place names of
Norse derivation. | Whether they settled there first, or whether
they settled on the north and south shores of the Solway simul-
taneously, is a matter of detail. The fact remains that in course
of time they found their way into Dumfriesshire. Now, our
investigation is so far narrowed down; we began with an outlook
upon Europe, then upon Scotland, and now we have traced the
Norse to the Solway and Duntfriesshire. What is the evidence
on which we may found a well-defined Norse occupation in Dum-
friesshire? There remains to attest the Roman occupation—the
camp, as in the case of Burrenswark. What remains to attest
the Norse occupation? Members of this society are familiar with
the remarkable profusion of mounds in this county. Some have
been located as British camps, some as moot hills, some have
proved very difficult to classify. From that most remarkable of
historic documents, the Bayeux tapestry, we learn that the earlier
Norman—i.e., Norse---castles were earthen mounds defended by
wooden stockading. The stone castle with its characteristic
keep, reaching its maximum in a Norham castle, was a much later
development. The probabilities are that not a few of the many

176 THE Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.

Dumfries artificial earth-heights were the strongholds of the early
Norse settlers. | Tynwald in all likelihood corresponded to the
Tingwall of Manx fame, and from that hill the Norse law would go
forth for the south of Scotland, after the fashion sung in the
sagas. To pass on to another aspect of our subject—the place
names—-there is really no room for question. You have the Norse
termination, “by’’ and “bie,’’? in such names as Lockerbie,
Netherby, Canonbie; the familiar “holm,’’ as in Kirkholm and
Twynholm, scattered all over the county. Then follow such
other Norse terminations as “ gill ’’ in Middlegill or Caplegill ;
“rigg,’’ as in Buckrigg or Oakrigg ; “fell,’’ meaning a hill, some-
times disguised as a suffix, as in Criffel; “ hope,’’ as in Blacks-
hope ; “ beck,’’ as in Craigbeck ; and “ thwaite,’’ the Norse word
* for clearing, in Murraythwaite, recalling the Crossthwaite, near
Keswick. All these Norse names are in themselves unmistake-
able evidence of a Norse occupation of the district. Those who
are familiar with the place names of the Lake district will be
struck with the similarity to names there. Take, also, the
familiar folk name of Johnstone in Dumfriesshire.
‘‘ Within the vale of Annandale
The gentle Johnstones ride;

They ha’e been here a thousand years,
An’ a thousand mair they’ll bide.’’

Johnstone is simply the Norse Johansen—to this day the most
common name in Iceland, the oldest of the Norse colonies in
whose sages we have a perfect mine of wealth in regard to Norse
habits and customs. So are Annandale and Iceland curiously
linked together. The place-name, Merkland, has a remarkable
association. You have there a rather striking relic of the Norse
occupation. These Merklands, with their Half Merklands, Two
Merklands, Three Merklands, are very significant from a legal
point of view. Innes, in his “ Scottish Legal Antiquities,’’ in a
suggestive passage, emphasises the significance of the Norse
system of rental—not classifying by acreage, but classifying by
another method of valuation ; and he lays it down broadly that the
west of Scotland bears the traces of the Norse occupation from
this Merk taxation classification, differentiating it from the east
coast. That is interesting from another point of view. It means
that the Norse were familiar with coinage, that is, they did not
wish rent paid in kind or produce. We infer from their famili-

THE ScoTo-NoRSE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 177

arity with coinage that they had reached a comparatively ad-
vanced state of civilisation. We were all watching the action of
Paris just now, and we know that if Paris continues to hoard gold
it means war, while if the Stock Exchange quotations show gold
is being set free the probabilities are peace. As a fighting race,
“soldiers and sailors, too,’’ the Vikings saw that they had the
sinews of war fit and ready. They preferred carving their way
to paying their way. The sword was fame-giver and land-giver.
Large sea expeditions had, however, to be financed. Their naval
bills had to be met. _Let us now glance at two departments of
lowland life—shepherding and fishing—in which we find Nor-
wegian terms presenting themselves. The shepherd in the low-
lands of Scotland has a method of reckoning as to his sheep in
which the term “gimmer’’ is employed, as well as “twinter’’
and “trinter.’”’ These are all Norse words, and the last two bear
unmistakable traces of the Norse method of reckoning by winters,

2?

“twinter ’’ meaning simply two winters, and “trinter’’ three
winters. |The more peaceful colonising aspect of the Norse
association is brought out by such pastoral memories. Then,

with regard to the fishing industry, you have on the Solway the
uncommon haaf net. Now, that word “haaf’’ is really Norse,
and with regard to the term for a salmon spear, a “ leister,’’ you
have again a word that is almost pure Icelandic. Leaving these
well-defined traces of the Norse occupation, we come on another
piece of evidence—that relating to the tenure of land for pasture
or other purposes. ‘The Norse tenure was what is known as udal
tenure, as opposed to feudal tenure. | Land passed from father to
son practically without document. It was at the opposite pole
from the feudal system, and, in fact, the effort by Harold to
induce the Norse to accept feudalism led to prolonged conflict.
The udal system was in force among the conquerors. The con-
quered possibly held land as Merkland. In the “kindly
tenantry ’’ of Lochmaben you have something that has long in-
terested the legal mind. Its origin is usually ascribed to the
days of Bruce, but it is not at all improbable that the “ kindly
tenantry ’’ tenure of land may be a far off relic of the Norse udal
tenure. It suggests a remarkable parallel with the “statemen ’”’
of the Cumberland shore. Wanlockhead and Leadhills furnish
something analagous. We now extend our survey to the litera-
ture of the Borders. One clear, outstanding feature of Border

178 THE Scoto-NORSE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.

literature is the ballad. That reaches its climax in the group of
ballads associated with Yarrow-—the most remarkable group in
Scottish ballad literature. Now, in the ballad of the Borders you
have action, daring. It has all the Norse qualities of love of
adventure. Dr Nansen has singled out as the two characteristics
of Norwegians-—love of adventure and love of independence.
The ballads of the South, curiously enough, as has been shown by
Professor Veitch, can be nearly all paralleled with Norse folk
songs. Inthe ballads of Yarrow you have the steady tendency to
the place of the duel or the conflict. | There has arisen a curious
dispute as to who was the far-off unknown singer whose strains
first gave the keynote to the music that was to be for ever asso-
ciated with
‘ ‘‘The dowie holms of Yarrow.”’
Now, the “holm ’”’ in Norse history has a peculiar association.
The holm was at first an island, and the “ holm-gang ’’ was a duel
fought on an island. In some cases the combatants were actually
tied together, with knives in their hands to fight with, and the last
man of “win out.’’? Such were the rude beginnings of trial by
combat. The idea of having these combats at first on an island
was to prevent interference with the combatants. By-and-bye it
became customary to have them beside meadows or rivers with
enclosures—the lists—so that onlookers could not get in and the
combatants could not get out. It does seem that there is a pro-
bability that this mysterious singer might very easily have been a
skald celebrating some far-off “holm-gang’’ or duel, and thus
giving the earliest tragic association to “the dowie holms_ of
Yarrow.’’ The association of the sister vale of Ettrick with a
modern bard is historic enough, as Professor Veitch has pointed
out, even in his name a well-defined Scandinavian title. The
physical aspect of the Scandinavian is that of a tall, fair-haired,
blue-eyed figure—a type that is to be found all over the south of
Scotland, so much so, that a Norse writer has said that in travel-
ling in the north of England and Dumfriesshire you meet, at
almost every town, men who might pass as Scandinavians. In
Hogg you have many of the characteristics which, for those who
take kindly to theories of re-incarnation, might form a possible
case for the incarnation of a Norse skald. The mysterious
Teribus and teri-odin—-chorus of the Hawick Common Riding
festival—is a tempting theme in this connection, but we refrain.

Bees

Tue Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 179

I now pass to a group of words to be found in common Scotch
speech, and which I take almost at random. ‘They all betray
their Norse origin—“ smiddy, reek, nieve, nab, hansel, redd.’’
Those who wish to develop that part of the subject will find
abundant material in the list furnished by Professor Veitch, of
words common to the south of Scotland, and also by that careful
student, Mr Anderson, who has gone over the ground of the Lake
district. These are the best lists to be studied, because they
have been carefully prepared and collated with the Icelandic.
We have now glanced at the characteristics associated with the
Border ballad, and also at the associations connected with the
less literary form—the more common Scots. I think we see that
they render intelligible the verdict of an authority on philology,
to the effect that, wherever vou get Lowland Scots differing from
- the accepted English pronunciation, you may be very sure you
are near the Scandinavian root. I have already indicated in
outline the process of the Norse occupation, and it was in the
main pastoral, not a military, like the Roman. Although they
were a fighting race, the Norse occupation of our country became,
in consequence, peaceful. They elected to make their home here
in the south of Scotland. In view of all this, the question rises
naturally as to whether or not the ties between Scotland and
Norway might not have been drawn much closer. At one point
it seemed, indeed, as if the destinies of Norway and Scotland were
to be linked for good or evil. At that period Thorfin, son of
Sigurd, ruled the whole of Galloway and Carrick, and one gets
from that fact some idea of the influence of a Norse chief in the
south of Scotland. What put an end to their development of
power was (1) that their supremacy in Ireland was broken in the
great battle of Clontarf, and (2) that there arose, on the Scottish
throne the “ Tamer of the Ravens,’’ Alexander. An effort was
being made by Hago of Norway to emphasise his claims to the
over-lordship not only of the western isles but of other parts of
Scotland. ‘That precipitated a long due conflict, and the famous
fleet set out from the shores of Norway to argue the claim out.
The operations of Harold Fair Hair had already familiarised the
people of Scotland with the heavy hand of the Norse, and they
contemplated the approach of the Norwegian fleet with gloomy
forebodings. The battle of Largs, however, was decisive. We
usually regard the battle of Bannockburn as preserving intact our

180 Tue Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.

national identity. | But Bannockburn only paved the way for the
close union of the two races that fought against each other. It
has been said that the misfortune of Ireland is that she never had
a Bannockburn—that if she had, the union with England would
have become real. Thus, broadly speaking, we may say that
Bannockburn simply made easy and practicable the complete
fusion of the two races in the coming centuries. With the victory
of Largs, the Norwegian dominion was over, and accordingly that
race was no longer to be a factor or force in the development
of this country. Largs actually achieved what is claimed for
Bannockburn—it preserved the national identity from an outside
people. Whether that was a gain or a loss I will leave to you to
_determine. At any rate, it is certain that at that particular period
we did not love England, and that a union with Norway would
have been in no way unacceptable to a great part of Scotland.
Even after the defeat of Largs, it seemed for a moment as if there
was still to be a fusion of the races. The daughter of the Scottish
King had married the King of Norway. The Scottish King died
without issue. His granddaughter, the Maid of Norway, was the
next claimant to the throne. Ambassadors were sent from Scot-
land for her. Michael Scott, the wizard, was among them, but
hardly he, with his weird insight into coming events, could have
foreseen that the death of that little girl was to have such disas-
trous consequences. On the death of the Maid of Norway, Scot-
land was at once seen by Edward of England to afford an opening
for diplomacy, and, through the rival claims for the Scottish
throne, Scotland was launched upon the tempestuous sea of the
War of Independence. Now, we have in the development of his-
tory along these lines indications of the contact of Scotland with
Norway. It, of course, has been usual to think of it as well-
defined in the north—in the Orkneys, which are practically still
Norse, and in Caithness, where the very names of the boys and
girls—Sigismund, Lorna—in use to this day, reveal the Norse
derivation. But, further south, we find distinct evidences. At
Inchcolm you have the graves of the vanquished Norsemen ; and,
incidentally, it is curious to note as _an illustration of the myriad-
minded outlook of Shakespeare that in “ Macbeth ’’ he refers to
the indemnity paid by the Norsemen for the privilege of being
allowed to bury their dead on St Colm’s Inch. The memorial
stones are still to be found there. I have also tried to establish

TuE Scoto-NorsE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 181

the evidence of the presence of the Norse in Dumfriesshire and
further south, so that we see that in the north, middle, and south
the Norseman had laid his hand. ‘That occupation did not leave
so many easily deciphered traces in the way of remains as the
Roman occupation did, but it has left traces as well-defined for
those who care to investigate them. The more the subject is
looked into and analysed, the more it will be seen that there is no
lack of evidence. The religion of the Norsemen has been de-
scribed by Carlyle—full of his study of the early Norse Kings
“a rude consecration of valour.’? They were a_ bold, fearless,
daring race. ‘Trickery, cunning, deception were held as an
abomination by them; the oath-breaker was regarded as a
criminal. The strong man was their hero, and strength was their
worship. Metzsche, the Sandow philosopher, so much heard of

as

once, would have assuredly found here his ideal over-man. In
fact, it was that characteristic of theirs that kept them for long
from being appealed to by Christianity. To the Norseman, as to
the modern Metzsche, meekness was weakness, and the old
chronicler’s satire is deliciously subtle:

In their temples Thor and Odin
Lay in dust and ashes trodden,
And King Olaf sweeping southward
Preached the gospel with his sword.

That was an essentially Norse method of carrying forward the
blessings of Christianity. You have in the strong, resolute atti-
tude of the Lowlanders, as defined in their character as well as
shown in their physical and mental characteristics, one of the not
least important evidences of the Norse occupation—characteristics
which were to give the associations of the Borders with thieving
and marauding, and which were to mark out the Borderers as,
above all things, first-class fighting men. All this may fairly be
claimed part of the Norse heritage to the Lowlands of Scotland.
A recent Border poet has pictured the warriors of the long-
vanished centuries, men who knew the South, revisiting “the
glimpses of the moon’’:

Eerie tramp and horses’ tread
Fill forgotten ways,

Breezes whisper overhead
Buried minstrels’ lays;

182 Tue Scoto-NorseE PERIOD IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.

Soldiers of the legions,
Northern sea kings,

Medieval knights, Border reivers,
Bustle it bravely side by side.

If the spirits of the departed Vikings ever return to the South,
they will find much that is changed, also that time has not wholly
obliterated their footprints by the shores of the Solway, where
they lived, laughed, sailed, and fought, and made our world.
One small glance. This is Friday, a Norse word; yesterday we
said Thursday, that is Thor’s day; the day before yesterday we
said Wednesday, which is Odin’s day. Friday, the night on
which we are met, is the most popular night of the week in the
South of Scotland, I am. assured, for marriages, and Frias, the
wife of Odin, is the Norse goddess of love. There may be other
reasons, economic and social, which dictate Friday as the night of
the week for marriages, but I do not think that it is at all a stretch
of the imagination to see also an association of that established
Lowland custom with the day which in the olden time was sacred
to the Norse goddess of love. Now, I have made an effort to sum
up generally (1) the influence of the Northern civilisation on
Europe ; (2) its influence on Scotland; and (3) its influence on
Dumfriesshire. I have indicated various lines along which, I
think, evidence can be led, and not attempting to exhaust the
evidence. The evidence accumulates on all hands when you
begin to look into the subject. These are lines, it seems to me,
along which the study might be pursued, and the more they are
developed the more clearly will be seen that there still linger
memorials to attest the influence of the Norsemen in their occupa-
tion of the south, not only on place-names, customs, and litera-
ture, but, above all, on the lowland physical and mental charac-
teristics, which have produced so many stirring scenes, so many
daring and striking figures to play their part in the long-drawn
romance of the Scottish Borderland.

THE SALMON DISEASE.

Mr S. Arnott, the secretary, brought up the question of
“The Bacterial Origin of the Salmon Disease,’’ referring to Sir
Herbert Maxwell’s “ Jottings of a Naturalist ’’ in the “ Scottish
Review.’’? In it Sir Herbert said that in matters of natural

-
ey

4

Tue SALMON DISEASE. 183

science it is never quite safe to jump to a conclusion even when
it lies beyond but a narrow gulf of hypothesis, and no clearer
instance of the danger of doing so need be sought than that given
by Professor Huxley’s diagnosis of the salmon disease. It was in
1877 that attention was first drawn to what was considered a novel
epizootic attacking salmon in the Esk and Nith, and destroying
many of them. White fungoid patches appearing first on those
portions of the fish’s skin which are not protected by scales—the
head and fin bases—spread rapidly to other parts of the body,
became confluent, and produced deep ulcers, generally causing
the death of the fish. Huxley satisfied himself and others that
the agent in the disease was the minute fungus “ Saprolegnia
ferax,’’ the same which may be seen in autumn on the bodies of
dead flies sticking to the window panes, and closely akin to
“Peronspora,’’ which causes the potato blight. He considered
that the spores of his fungus, floating in fresh water, attached
themselves to living tissues of a fish which had received some
external injury, and multiplying rapidly, penetrated to the vital
organs. In the year 1903 Mr Hume Paterson announced his
discovery that “Saprolegnia ferax’’ was not the cause of the
disease at all, but simply of the mould which grows upon such
portions of the flesh of salmon as has been previously “ necrosed,’’
or killed by another agent, and this agent was revealed to him in
the form of a uncro-organism, now known as “ Bacillus salmonis-
pestis.’’ So far from this disease originating in fresh water, this
bacillus grows well in sea water, where “ Saprolegnia ’’ will not
grow at all.

Mr Arnott proceeded to say that it was important and in-
teresting to recall that so far back as April 23, 1880, Mr J.
Rutherford, Jardington, read a paper to this society upon
“Observations on the Salmon Disease,’’ in which he said :—“I
have not been able to trace the roots of the fungus beyond the
skin that covers the scales. In making a cut into the fish through
the fungus, the eye at once is attracted by an inflamed, unhealthy-
looking stratum of muscle below the skin, of varying thickness.
In one fish that I examined it extended right through to the inside
sections of that muscle, and when placed under the microscope
were seen to be literally one mass of life—that life being a species
of bacteria. . . . AsIdid most of this work in the winter, when
the frost was so hard I took advantage of it to freeze parts of

184 THE SALMON DISEASE.

fish in the section instrument, and by this means I got some capital
sections of fungus, scales, skin, and muscle. I preserved one
of these sections, which is a very fine one, showing the forms of
bacteria still in and around the muscle. After examining a
number of fish, and finding the conditions alike in each, I then
began to speculate a little as to the nature of the disease, and the
idea at once suggested itself, after what I had seen, that the
disease was located in the muscle of the fish; and I also have
some idea that when it is really known it will be found to com-
mence in the blood, caused either by the food they eat or by
some deleterious solution in the water which passes through the
gills, and that the unhealthy, decaying fluid or matter, which will
naturally pass off from these bacteria, and exude through the
pores of the skin, forms a healthy and proper nidus for the
germination of the zoospores of the fungus, which must be in those
affected rivers in myriads.’’

In view of this old record he (Mr Arnott) wrote to Sir Herbert
Maxwell drawing his attention to it, and Sir Herbert wrote in
reply on 10th inst., saying:—“ Mr J. Rutherford evidently had
touched the secret of the salmon disease long before Mr Hume
Paterson isolated and classified the specific bacillus. It is a great
pity that he did not persevere a little further, for the date of his
discovery corresponds with the period when Professor Huxley was
investigating that very subject, and missed the key to it.”’

Continuing, Mr Arnott went on to say that Mr Rutherford
had discussions with Professor Huxley and Mr J. Stirling, and
that his paper further pointed out that “unless there is a predis-
posing cause, fish will not contract the fungoid part of the disease.

I am rather inclined to believe that salt water is not very
favourable to the growth of ‘salmon ferax,’ but, as far as the
bacteria in the muscles are concerned, no washing by any solution
will affect them.’’

This matter was of special interest to the society, as showing
that one of their members was the original investigator who hit
upon what was really at the root of the disease which has caused
so much trouble before its discovery.

Dr Ross, who presided, said it might be recalled that this was
not the only instance when Professor Huxley, great scientist as he
was, went off the rails, but he was a thoroughly honest scientist
when he saw himself at any time in error. It was of interest that

EDWARD I, AT SWEETHEART ABBEY. 185

one of the oldest of the members of the society—who was, unfor-
tunately, not able to be with them so often now—had made such
a far-sighted suggestion.

Epwarp I. AT SWEETHEART ABBEY.

The following note on the above subject was read from Dr
E. J. Chinnock, formerly rector of Dumfries Academy :—

On a former occasion I quoted Archbishop Winchelsea’s own
words in his despatch to the Pope Boniface VIII. to prove that he
and the Pope’s Legate met King Edward I. at Sweetheart Abbey
on the 27th of August, 1300, and delivered the Pope’s command
that Edward should abandon his claim to the sovereignty of
Scotland. In reading the “ Liber quotidianus Contrarotulatoris
Garderobae,’’ or the “ Daily Book of the Roll of the Wardrobe,’’
for the 28th year of King Edward I., i.e., November, 1299, to
November, 1300, I have found the following entries, which prove
that Edward’s Court was at Douzquer or Sweetheart at the time
specified.

1. “ Paid to Sir John de Langeford, sent from Gerton upon
Flete in Galloway to Carlisle to get money coming from the
Exchequer, and bring it to the King to pay thence the expenses
of his household and army, for his own expenses, those of Richard
de Merewell, and of the others who were in his company, for
bringing and guarding the said money, for 15 days, between the
10th day of August and the 24th day of the same month, going to
Carlisle as is said before, staying at the port of Skynburness,
waiting for a favourite wind, and also returning to the Court at
Douzquer (Sweetheart)—£2 6s 04d.”’

2. “Paid to Thomas le Convers, valet of the King’s
chamber, for mending the iron dogs for the King’s chamber
several times in the present year, by his own hands at Stamford on
the 2nd day of May, 3 shillings; and at Douzquer (Sweetheart),
in Scotland, on the 25th day of August, 10 shillings—total, 13
shillings.’’

3. “ Paid to Sir John Lestrange, banneret, for his wages and
those of his 2 knights and 7 esquires from the 6th day of July, on
which his horses were valued in the aforesaid war, till the 23rd
day of August inst., on which he retired from the King’s army at

186 HousE OF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE.

Douzquer (Sweetheart), the first day being counted and not the
last, for 48 days, £36.”’

Note.—For “ Oxford ’’ in Dr Chinnock’s paper on this subject in
last issue read Otford. Otford is near Sevenoaks, Kent,
where was a residence of the Archbishop.—Ep.

6th April, 1906.
Chairman—Rey. JoHn Carrns, M.A., Vice-President.

New MemBers.—Provost Halliday, Esthwaite, Lochmaben,
and Mr D. Manson, Acrehead, Dumfries.

Tue HousE oF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE AT DUMFRIES.
By JAMEs BarBour, F.S.A. Scot.

Elsewhere the writer has endeavoured to show that there were
two castles here, namely, the King’s Castle of Dumfries at Castle-
dykes and a house of the Maxwells of Nithsdale, which occupied
the site of the present Greyfriars’ Church, at the head of High
Street and adjacent to the spot where the ancient Friary stood.
These are referred to and discriminated by the Rev. Dr Burnside,
minister first of the New Church and afterwards of St Michael’s,
1780-1806, in a MS. history of the town and parish of Dumfries.
It was written in 1790 for Sir John Sinclair’s Statistical Account of
Scotland, and printed in that work in abridged form. Castle-
dykes is called a castle of the Cumyns, the chief residence of the
family being Dalswinton, seven miles up the river. We do not
know of any authority for this designation; and the Wardrobe
Account of the twenty-eighth year of Edward First and the
numerous State papers containing references to the castle cata-
logued by Stevenson and Bain invariably speak of it as the Castle
of Dumfries, or the King’s Castle of Dumfries. But the more
important conclusion affirmed by Dr Burnside is that Castledykes
is the castle round which King Edward, in the year 1300, placed a
palisade, worked in the forest of Inglewood, and which John de la
Dolive and William Arnold de Podio held for the English. That
is to say, it is the castle concerned in the war of succession and

Houser oF THE MAXWELLS oF NITHSDALE. 187

independence, and which Bruce captured after the death of
Comyn.

The castle or house of the Maxwells of Nithsdale, with which
this paper is concerned, being a family manor place, does not
figure prominently in history, but enough connected with later
public events and an atmosphere of tragic incidents reveal them-
selves as to call for brief notice by way of preserving what is
interesting relating to the town of Dumfries.

“Near the site of the Old Friary,’’ says Dr Burnside, “ stood
afterwards a castle belonging to the Maxwells of Caerlaverock
and Nithsdale, which in some old charters and seisins belonging
to the Duke of Buccleuch is styled a ‘Magnum Palatum,’ ’’ and,
proceeding, he states that so far back as the year 1299 the Crown
made a grant of the mote and mote lands to the family. These
are the lands on which their castle afterwards stood, but at what
time it was first erected does not appear. Later we have more
certain information. Robert, fifth Lord Maxwell, 1513-1546, a
man of great wealth and high consequence, had the misfortune to
fall into the hands of the English at the battle of Solway Moss,
25th November, 1542, when he and other Scots were imprisoned
in the Tower of London, and compelled, in order to recover their
liberty, to acknowledge Henry VIII. as lord superior of the realm
of Scotland; and Maxwell, after protracted resistance, also
yielded the castles held by him to the English. These conces-
sions brought Lord Maxwell into collision with the Scottish
Government, which he had now to conciliate. For this purpose
he made a solemn protestation in his new house of Dumfries for
his exculpation, dated 28th November, 1545, representing that he
had been induced to give over the castles to the English from fear
and danger of his life. We here learn definitely that the Max-
wells’ house of Dumfries was new in 1545, and doubtless it was
built by Robert, fifth Lord Maxwell, remembered as the promoter
of the bill for the translation of the Scriptures. In this house of
Dumfries Lord Maxwell made his protestation of innocence, and
declared himself a loyal subject of Queen Mary. The protesta-
tion was accepted, and Lord Maxwell was again received into
royal favour, and had his honours and dignities restored to him.
But he did not long enjoy the royal favour. Worn out by the
troubles through which he had to pass, he died the following year,
9th July, 1546.

188 House OF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE.

We know little of the character of this castle. In the MS.
history of the Maxwell family it is stated that the Lord Maxwell
built a castle in Dumfries with a bartizan about the same ; and an
English officer reporting to his Government anent the defences of
the town of Dumfries describes it as a fair house, battled, but not
strong.

Robert, sixth Lord Maxwell, died early at Dumfries, 13th
September, 1552; and the seventh lord passed away at Hills
Tower when only four years of age.

John, eighth Lord Maxwell, afterwards created Earl of
Morton, 1554-1593, early joined the ranks of the supporters of
Queen Mary, and thereby became obnoxious to Queen Elizabeth,
who in 1570 sent Lord Scrope with an army into Dumfries-
shire, instructed to lay waste the estates of those who favoured
the cause of the Scottish Queen. According to his report to
Elizabeth, Scrope “took and cast down the castles of Caer-
laverock, Hoddom, Dumfries, Tinwald, Cowhill, and sundry
other gentlemen’s houses, dependers of the house of Maxwell, and
having burned the town of Dumfries, returned with great spoil to
England.”’

How long the castle remained dismantled is uncertain, but in
1580 Lord Maxwell appears again to be resident there.

This eighth lord was imbued with a strain of turbulence in his
disposition, which frequently involved him in difficulties ; and his
castle of Dumfries was threatened, and ultimately taken by the
royal troops in consequence of his hostility and disobedience to
the, Government.

The Regent, the Earl of Morton, desired Lord Maxwell to
depart from a claim which he had on that earldom, and being
refused, he in 1577 deprived Maxwell of the Wardenship of the
West Marches, and installed his rival, Johnstone of Annandale, in
his place. After the execution of the Regent, Maxwell was re-
stored to favour, and the Earldom of Morton was bestowed on
him. Arran, the Chancellor, next, for personal reasons,
attempted to curb the power of Lord Maxwell. On 26th
February, 1585, it was ordained by the council that Lord Morton
should be denounced his Majesty’s rebel for harbouring two of the
name of Armstrong, and it was further ordained that he and all
other keepers of the Castle of Caerlaverock, the Thrieve, the
houses of Dumfries, Mearns, and Goatgellis, should be com-

Houser oF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE. 189

manded to deliver them up and to remove themselves and their
servants forth thereof within twenty-four hours after being sum-
moned.

An army intended at this time to march on Dumfries against
Lord Maxwell was dispersed on account of an outbreak of the
plague.

In 1585 an Act of Indemnity was passed in favour of Lord
Maxwell ; but the same year he again offended. | On Christmas
Eve, collecting his followers at his Castle of Dumfries, they
marched in procession to Lincluden College, where mass was
celebrated in ancient form. For this act, the age being intolerant,
he was put in ward, but shortly liberated. Again, in 1588, Lord
Maxwell mustered his forces to act in concert with the Spanish
Armada, when it should arrive, he having advised that the attack
on England should be made through Scotland. Of this his
cousin, Lord Herries, having warned King James VI., Maxwell
was summoned to appear before him, who defiantly replied by
arming his castles. King James assembled such forces as he
could suddenly bring together, and hastened to Dumfries. Lord
Maxwell, who was in his house, received warning of the King’s
advance only an hour before, and was almost surprised by the
royal troops. The gate, however, was held until he had escaped
by a postern. Ultimately taken and imprisoned, he was liberated
and restored the following year. | Lord Maxwell was too able and
powerful to remain long in disgrace, and condonation followed
every transgression on his part.

A bitter feud existed between the Maxwells and the John-
stones, and the latter clan, having raided the Crichtons of San-
quhar, who complained to the King, Lord Maxwell, as Warden
of the Marches, was commanded to see justice done. This con-
genial task he undertook, and having assembled his friends,
marched from Dumfries against the Johnstones, who, being
warned, had also made preparation. The clans met in battle on
Dryfe Sands, 6th December, 1593, when the Maxwells suffered
defeat, and their chief, Lord Maxwell, Earl of Morton, was slain,
to the great grief of his followers. He was buried in a vault pre-
pared for him in Lincluden College. The remains of it stand in
the middle of the chancel.

This eighth lord is characterised in “The Book of Caer-
laverock ’’ as a nobleman of great spirit, humane, courteous, and

190 Houser OF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE.

learned ; and the beautiful seals illustrated in that work are proof
of a refined taste.

John, €th Lord Maxwell, 1593-1613, brought on himself
dire calamity and odium. Having broken prison from Edinburgh
Castle, the King, very angry, issued a proclamation that none
should harbour him under pain of death. Outlawed and in
hiding, Maxwell thought to better his condition by securing the
friendship of the hereditary foes of his family, the Johnstones.
With that view a meeting took place according to appointment
between him and the chief of the latter clan. Maxwell’s motive
will never be known, but conceivably the meeting with his ancient
enemy reminded him of the disgrace of Dryfe Sands and his dead
father, and roused in him uncontrollable passion. However that
may be, he treacherously shot the laird of Johnstone in the back,
who, coming to the ground, shortly expired, exclaiming, “I am
deceived. Lord have mercy on me! Christ have mercy on
me!”’

Lord Maxwell fled to France, where he remained four years.
On returning to Scotland he was apprehended, carried to Edin-
burgh, tried, condemned, and executed, confessing the justice of
the sentence passed on him.

The flight to France was the occasion of the ballad “ Lord
Maxwell’s Good-Night.’’ It enumerates the castles his lordship
held, and describes Dumfries as “ my proper place,’’ that is, my
residence or chief residence.

The castle dismantled by Scrope had been rebuilt. Dr Burn-
side puts the date about 1590, that is, in the time of the 8th lord,
who fell at Dryfe Sands. It will be seen that the castle, like the
seals of the lord before referred to, evidences artistic tastes—it
was highly ornate. Scotland, notwithstanding evil times, had
developed a form of architecture peculiarly her own. Glammis
and Fyvie are noted examples. Lord Maxwell’s Castle of Dum-
fries may not compare with these in magnitude, but it seems no
way inferior in richness of ornamental detail.

The county records furnish evidence showing that the castle
was of three storeys, with vaults below; and its architectural
character is disclosed by certain typical stones recovered from the
walls of the New Church, taken down to make way for the existing
Greyfriars’ in 1866. Among these are a bold corbel such as is
usually found supporting a wall-head battlement; corbels of

Pa
-
-
bd
i

FRAGMENT or SEDILIA

House oF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE. 191

circular corner turrets; jambs and lintels of wall openings, vari-
ously moulded, and enriched in some instances with dog-tooth
ornaments; richly billeted corbeling course; cabled strings of
various sizes ; tapered pinnacles hollowed on the sides and cabled
on the angles; and running conventional leaf ornament, which
probably framed the panel for the coat-of-arms over the door.

A few stones typical of church work were also recovered, the
castle having been partly built of the ruins of the Friary.

The castle was enclosed in a court, had stables and other
offices, and extensive and no doubt beautiful gardens, reaching
backwards to the river.

Robert, 10th Lord Maxwell, created Earl of Nithsdale,
espoused the royal cause during the troubles of the Civil War, on
which account this fine manor-place, along with all the other
castles of the Nithsdale family, was wrecked. In a claim after-
wards submitted by Lord Nithsdale for compensation, they are
said as to having been “ dismantled and razed.’’

Robert, 2nd Earl of Nithsdale, “the philosopher,’’ purposed,
the house having become unfit for his residence, to have it in some
suitable degree repaired. In September, 1659, he appointed John
Maxwell of Cowhill and Robert Maxwell of Carnsalloch to ascer-
tain from tradesmen what would be the cost of repairing his house
in Dumfries and the garden dykes, with necessary office houses.
They ascertained that the expenses would extend at least to £3000
Scots money, and some whom they consulted estimated that the
cost would extend to £5000. This scheme does not seem to have
gone further.

We are made acquainted with the actual state of the castle in
1675. Correspondence passed between the Privy Council and the
Commissioners of Excise of the county of Dumfries relative to
_ the use of the castle for the accommodation of a garrison. On

5th August, 1675, a letter was received from the Privy Council

stating that the Council had emitted an Act appointing garrisons to
__ be in divers places, particularly at the Castle of Dumfries, in
_ which there is to be 50 foot and 12 horsemen, who are ordered
against the first day of August to be at the said place; and the
commissioners are to sight the castle and see that it be made
ready. On 25th August report was made by three gentlemen, who
had been appointed to examine the castle, that the vaults and
_ second storeys were sufficient. The other two storeys were not

192 HOUSE OF THE MAXWELLS OF NITHSDALE.

sufficient, and the roof was not altogether watertight. Withal the
first two storeys are sufficient enough for the conveniency of a
greater garrison than is appointed. On 14th September report
was made by some workmen that £80 (Scots?) would make the
roof of the castle watertight. On 3rd January, 1681, a letter from
the Privy Council, ordaining a garrison of 30 horse to be furnished
at the Castle of Dumfries, was considered. It was recommended
to the magistrates to sight the stables and assist in providing what
may be useful, and to furnish the high rooms of the castle with
beds and dales, and cause the windows to be filled up with divots.

The castle, according to Dr Burnside’s MS., was sold by the
last Earl of Nithsdale, whose romantic escape from the Tower is.
well known, before the vear 1715, to M‘Dowall of Logan, from
whom the town acquired the site for the New Church in 1722.
The site purchased is described in the Town Council minutes as
the foundation of the old castle pertaining to John M‘Dowall,
younger of Logan, with a large part of the clese, and 90 feet
square of the castle garden.

This being the castle associated with “ Lord Maxwell’s Good-
Night,’’ we will conclude with a few stanzas of the ballad :—

Adieu, madame, my mother dear,
But and my sisters three!

Adieu, fair Robert of Orchardstane!
My heart is wae for thee.

Adieu, the lily and the rose,
The primrose fair to see;

Adieu, my lady, and only joy!
For I may not stay with thee.

Though I hae slain the Lord Johnstone,
What care I for their feid ?

My noble mind their wrath disdains—
He was my eather s deid.

Adieu! aati my prope: place,
But and Caerlaverock fair !

Adieu! my castle of the Thrieve,
Wi’ a’ my buildings there!

Adieu! Lochmaben’s gate sae fair,

The Langholm holm, where birks there be ;
Adieu! my ; ladye, and only joy,

For trust me, I may not stay with thee.

Authorities: ‘‘ Book of Caerlaverock,’’ Sir Herbert: Maxwell’s
History, Dr Burnside MS., Mr William Dickie’s ‘‘ Dumfries and
Round About,”

Tue Honey BEE. 193

Tue Honey Bre: Its Naturat History, Anatomy, &c. By
HENRY Marrs.

Much has been written on the subject which I have the
pleasure of bringing before you this evening, and still there is
much in dispute regarding seeing, hearing, and smelling in the
honey bee. Mr T. W. Cowan, in his book on the anatomy, etc.,
of the bee, quotes no less than 126 writers on the subject. Much
has also been written on beekeeping, and still there is much mis-
conception amongst beekeepers on that part of the subject too.
Some time ago a lecturer before the Society of Arts in London
said that beekeeping in some parts of England had made no pro-
gress during the last 2000 years. This may seem an exaggeration,
but seeing that bees are still killed to take the honey it is not so.
Columella, a Roman writer on agriculture, who lived nearly 1900
years ago, dealt with apiculture in one of his books, giving instruc-
tion on the best situation and management of an apiary, which is
far in advance of the methods carried out in some rural districts at
the present time, and might almost be an extract from a book on
modern beekeeping. But I have been asked to confine myself
to-night to the natural history, anatomy, etc., of the bee, which I
now proceed to. If we take a hive of bees in June, we will
find three different kinds of bees therein. |The queen, which is
the mother ; the drones or male bee, and the workers, which are
undeveloped females. These, the workers, were at one time
thought to be neuters, but that is not so, they being produced from
the same egg as the queen. The male bee is brought into exist-
ence at the beginning of summer for the purpose of impregnating
the queen, and is destroyed at the end of the swarming season.
There is only one queen in a hive, a few hundred drones, and
from 50 to 70,000 workers. If the hive becomes too crowded,
preparations are made by the bees to swarm. Large cells are
formed, hanging downward, something like an acorn in shape.
In these cells the queen deposits an egg, which hatches on the
fourth day. It is fed on chyle food till the 9th day, when the cell
is sealed over, the bee leaving the cell on the 15th day. As soon
as the cell is sealed over the queen and nearly all the flying bees
leave the hive and form a new colony. On the 15th day a virgin
queen hatches, and, if the bees are willing to allow this first-
hatched queen her own way, she will destroy, assisted by the bees

194 THE Honey BEE.

probably, all the rest of the young unhatched queens. On the
third day, if weather is suitable, she will fly out of the hive to be
fertilised, which, when once accomplished, lasts her lifetime,
and rarely leaves the hive again except with a swarm. I say
rarely, because some beekeepers maintain that queens do some-
times take an airing flight in the spring, which I doubt. Bees
gather nectar from flowers, most single blossoms containing some.
This nectar contains a large proportion of water, which is evapo-
rated by the heat in the hive, which never falls below about 60
deg. even in winter. Nectar is cane sugar, but is converted by
the bee into the grape sugar or honey by secretion from its salivary
glands. Pollen is gathered from flowers, and is used as bee food
—-propolis also, and is used as a glue for stopping up any air holes
in hive. Water is also gathered, but not stored. The eggs
laid by the queen are of two kinds. The egg hatches on the
third day usually, but sometimes is delayed a little longer,
it depending on the temperature. The larva lies at the
base of the cell, slightly curved, and as it grows forms a
complete ring. The larve are fed on chyle food for three
days, during which time the food is absorbed by the body as
well as the mouth. After three days the food is changed, and
honey and digested pollen is added for workers, and honey and
undigested pollen for those intended as drones ; but those intended
for queens are fed abundantly on the same chyle food during the
whole of their larve existence. It will be noticed that the differ-
ence between a queen and worker is a question of food. When
the larve have grown their full length feeding ceases, and the
cells are sealed over with wax and pollen. This is to keep the
cell porous and allow the bees to breathe. The larve spin a
cocoon with silk from the silk glands, which takes one day for the
queen, two for the worker, three for drones. Then they all have
a period of rest for two, three, and four days. They each take a
day to be transformed into nymphs, and the time in nymph state
is three, seven, and seven days respectively. The queen takes,
therefore, 15 days to develop, the worker 21, and the drone 24
days. It will be noticed that the food is changed at the end of
the third day. It is then that the genital organs in female larve
appear, and if the chyle food is continued, the ovaries are
developed. If the food is changed, we have only the rudimentary
ovaries. | Reproduction without fecundation is called partheno-

Tue Honey BEE. 195

genesis. This was known to exist in some insects 200 years ago,
but it was only about 50 years ago that it was known in bees. All
eggs which come to maturity in the ovaries are one and the same
kind, which, when without coming into contact with the male
fertilising germ develop into male bees. Those which are fer-
tilised produce females. If we cross an Italian queen with a black
drone, the female progeny will show qualities of the two races,
but the drones will be Italians. The drone, therefore, has no
father. This was anatomically proved by Siebold, who crushed
eggs newly laid, and eggs laid _in drone cells were found to be
without the fertilising germ, whilst in the eggs found in worker
cells the germ was plainly seen. In the head of the worker bee
are the compound and_ simple eyes, antennae, and mouth parts.
In the worker the three simple eyes are on the crown of the head.
Set in triangular form, they are much the same in the queen, but
in the drone the compound eyes are so large that they displace
the simple ones, which appear right in front of the face. The
antennae, of which there are two, are in the centre of the head of
each bee. The mouth parts consist of several organs, of which
the most interesting is the tongue. The thorax gives place to the
two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. The abdomen con-
tains the honey sac, true stomach, etc., etc. The compound eyes
consist of a large number of simple eyes placed together, with
sensory hairs between each facet. There are never less than
3900 in each compound eye. The queen has more, and the
drone which has to seek its female many more, displacing the
simple eyes entirely. The compound eyes are for seeing at long
distance, it being calculated that the angle formed by the lenses
enables the bee to see an object of half-an-inch at seven yards.
The simple eyes are for short vision, and useful in dark places.
Mr Cowan thinks Lord Avebury’s experiments not conclusive ;
they simply show bees can become accustomed to certain colour.
Recently a lecture was delivered before the Academy of Science
in Paris on the life of bees by Mr Gaston Bonnier, who said:
“With respect to the visual powers of bees scientists are not
agreed, but after a long study of them had noticed that bees were
not attracted by bright and showy colours, but were evidently
guided by the scent, which draws them towards those containing
nectar.’’ This is exactly my opinion on the subject. The an-
tennae in the worker have twelve separate joints, and near the end

196 Tue Honey BEE.

have sensory hairs. Many scientists maintain that it is in the
antennae that the auditory and olfactory organs are situated ;
others say that organ of smell is in the labrum within the mouth.
Cowan thinks the weight of evidence is in favour of their being
considered olfactory. There are two pairs of wings, the larger
in front, and the bee can at will join the two at each side together,
the hind wings having a series of hooklets which fit into a trough
‘in front wings. Bees can fly backwards at a speed of about 12
miles an hour, but I think this can be exceeded. Young bees
just hatched cannot fly owing to their trachea not being sufficiently
charged with air. The first pair of legs has an arrangement for
cleaning the antennae exactly like a comb, and it has also brush-
ing hairs for collecting pollen gathered on the hairs of thorax.
The hind legs are provided with a basket for carrying pollen, and
also with a pair of pincers for removing wax from the wax plates
on the under side of abdomen. The foot of the bee has claws
which enable it to hang on to any rough surface. There is also a
cushion which secretes a sticky substance, enabling the bee to
walk on smooth surfaces where there is no hold for the claws.
The abdomen is made up of six imbricated rings of chitine con-
nected by a membrane, which by creasing allows the plates to
pass over each other so that the abdomen can be expanded or con-
tracted. There are six dorsal and six ventral plates. Bees do
not breathe through the head, but by openings on the surface of
the body, called spiracles ; they are double, the inner closed with
a valve, and the outer, with hairs to keep out dust, lead to large
air sacs inside abdomen. ‘There are two pairs of spiracles on
thorax, five pairs on abdomen. Spiracles are connected with
tracheal tubes, which extend to antennae. Newport says the use
of air sacs is to enable the bee to alter its specific gravity at
pleasure by enlarging its bulk, and thus rendering it better able
to sustain itself on the wing. The ovaries of the queen, of which
there are two, are placed on each side of the abdomen—they are
tubular glands. Over each side there are about 200 tubes or
follicles, each follicle containing about a dozen of eggs, making
about 5000 altogether. On the ovary on the right side is
the spermatheca, which ccntains the fertilising spermatozoa.
The queen allows the egg to be fertilised or not as the egg passes
out of the ovaries. The wax glands are below the ventral plates
of abdomen. Wax is a voluntary secretion ; yet can only be pro-

Tuer Honey BEE. 197

duced at a high temperature, a temperature of 90 degrees being
required. This the bees obtain by close clustering. Huber
found that bees produced slightly more wax when being fed with
sugar syrup than honey syrup. Pollen is not needed in the
production of wax, except to make up for wear of tissue, which
is great when secreting wax. It is estimated that bees consume
from 10 to 12 lbs. of honey to produce 1 |b. of wax, but tempera-
ture must influence the quantity used. The way in which bees
form the hexagonal cells is said by Mullenhoff to be that of
mutual interference, as all circles coming into contact with each
other assume that form, and also shows that the cells are like
soap bubbles, which if alone are round, but when touching form
a wall, and if there are many the centre will be hexagonal. We
come now to the sting of the bee. It is formed of a pair of
feelers, a sheath, and two lancets having barbs like a fish hook.
Attached to the sting is a poison sac worked by a set of muscles
which pumps the poison into the wound. The bee first uses the
feelers to see if the object is stingable. It then drives in the
sheath, and then the lancets, which move alternately or together.
The pain of a sting is caused by the poison introduced into the
wound, and not by the wound itself, as the sting is only 1.500 in.
in diameter, and is driven in to the depth of 1.50 in. While
bees die from the effects of a sting, the poison, which is formic
acid, can be given them in their food without any ill effects.
Formic acid is one of the remedies used in foul brood.

20th April, 1906.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

BirpD LirE AND Birp PHotocrapHy. By Hucu STEvART
GLADSTONE, F.Z.S., &c.

Birds’ nests are often built at such a height from the ground
that it is difficult to get the lens of the camera to look down into
them. It may at times be necessary to climb a neighbouring
tree, taking your camera with you, and fixing it as best you can,
so as to look down on the nest. Usually, the desired elevation

198 Birp Lire AND BirD PHOTOGRAPHY.

can be obtained by lashing three pieces of stick to the legs of your
tripod, while you focus from a ladder or from your assistant’s
back. To photograph the birds themselves, it is, of course,
necessary to frighten them as little as possible. Mr Kearton, who
may be regarded as the pioneer in this branch of photography,
made use of a stuffed bullock, in which he hid with his camera
near the nest. He also worked from under the shelter of a stuffed
sheep and an imitation rock. Personally, I have not tried these
dodges, but I have noticed as incubation advances that the bird’s
fear of man lessens proportionately as its eggs near the final
stages of incubation. Having found the nest of a bird I wish to
photograph, I make an imitation camera and tripod out of an old
cardboard box and three pieces of stick, and this I place some
distance from the nest. Every day I move my “ dummy ”’ nearer
the nest, till at last it is at the spot where I should like to have
my real camera. On the fateful day I substitute the genuine for
the false article, I attach thirty feet of india-rubber tubing con-
trolling the pneumatic release of my shutter, and I lie down
behind some convenient bush or depression in the ground and am
covered over with grass and leaves, and wait for the bird’s return.
In this way many of our slides have been obtained. The greatest
nuisance the bird photographer has to contend with is what is
technically termed “movement.’’ There is no dodge for over-
coming this, but a lens working at a wide aperture is essential for
good results. Mr Legard and I use an Aldis Lens working at
F.6, and for nests and eggs employ Edwards’ “ isochromatic
plates,’’ with a plate speed of 56, and for birds Ilford “ monarch
plates,’’ with a plate speed of 200. The old-fashioned pyro
developer, though messy, is still the best, but we have obtained
many excellent negatives with other developers. As I have a
number of slides to show I cannot now deal further with photo-
graphic details, but if there is time at the end of my lecture I
shall be glad to answer any questions I can. Throughout the
exhibition of these photographs I would ask you to remember
that in nature birds’ nests, and also the birds themselves, often
closely resemble their surroundings, so that in some cases you
may have a little difficulty in making out the pictures thrown on
the screen.

Our first photograph is of a bird’s nest which is probably

familiar to most of you. Here we have a blackbird’s nest and.

Birp LIFE AND BirD PHOTOGRAPHY. 199

eggs. This picture needs no lengthy description, so we pass to
the next.

This blackbird’s nest was built in an espalier apple tree
trained against a stone wall. The camera and operator were
hidden behind a screen of old sacking. Mr Legard, who took

this photograph, noticed that the bird in feeding its young had
recourse to what is known as “ regurgitation.”

This picture shows the nest and eggs of our familiar summer
visitant, the spotted flycatcher, built in the ivy growing round
the porch at Capenoch.

Here we see the spotted flycatcher at its nest.

This slide shows a young spotted flycatcher.

Tue PirD FLYCATCHER.

Our next five slides are of considerable interest, for they
concern the pied flycatcher, a bird which is extremely local in
its breeding haunts as regards Great Britain. I am very glad to
be able to say that this bird now nests annually in the valleys of
the Scaur and Shinnel. Here we see a view on the river Shinnel.
The natural growth of alders afford plenty of nooks and crannies
in which the pied flycatcher can make its nest, and the proximity
of the river assures the bird of a constant supply of flies and
insects. This is a photograph of the actual tree utilised by the
pied flycatcher for nesting purposes. The hole shows the entrance
_to the nest. Oddly enough a convenient hole at the top of the
same tree was similarly used by a pair of spotted flycatchers. By
carefully removing a portion of the tree we are able to display the
nest and eggs. This nest was so badly lighted that with the lens
stopped down to 45 an exposure of no less than 135 seconds was
necessary. The eggs, as regards size and their pale blue coloura-
tion, are not to be distinguished from those of the redstart, and the
position of the nests of these two birds is often the same. But in
the structure of the redstart’s nest it is usual to find feathers,
whereas these are not made use of in the nest of the pied fly-
catcher. Here we see the female pied flycatcher about to enter
her nest to feed her young. This photograph was obtained by
employing a dummy camera, to which in a few days she became so
accustomed that she paid not the slightest regard to the real
camera when it was placed in position. This slide shows two
pied flycatchers at the nest at the same time, and affords an

200 Birp LIFE AND Birp PHOTOGRAPHY.

ornithological puzzle. As can be seen, neither of these birds is a
mature male. As a matter of fact we often saw the “ pater
familias,’’ but he would never face the camera. Probably one of
these birds is a female which had lost her young, and so, prompted
by the feelings of maternity, carried food to a nest where she knew
there were eager mouths to fill.

TREE CREEPER.

This slide shows the nest of a tree creeper, built in a loose
stone dyke. Usually this nest is made in a crevice of a tree or
behind some semi-detached piece of bark. These birds have the
peculiarity of always lining their nests with strips of bark, as can
be seen. Here we see the tree creeper about to enter its nest.
The stiff, stunted tail should be noticed, which, with its two legs,
makes a kind of tripod for the bird to rest on when creeping the
trees in search of its insect food.

Tue LITTLE GREBE.

Our next series of photographs concern the little grebe or

dabchick. This bird, I understand, has only comparatively
recently taken to nesting in this locality. This photograph is of
the Far Loch at Capenoch, where it is now an annual visitant.
This year I first noticed it on April 6th. The little grebe is ex-
tremely shy in its habits. Its nest is but a floating raft of aquatic
plants moored to the surrounding rushes and reeds. On leaving
the nest the bird carefully covers up its eggs, so that, as can be
seen by our photograph, the nest might often be passed by in
mistake for a bunch of weeds. Here we see the nest uncovered.
The eggs are newly laid, or they would soon have become dis-
coloured by being so frequently covered over with decaying vege-
table matter. When fresh laid, these eggs are of a chalky white
colour, which soon becomes stained. When blown, they are of a
blue-green colour within. This slide shows the bird on its nest.
To get this photograph a dummy camera was placed near the nest
for several days in about three feet of water. When the photo-
graph was taken the camera took the place of the dummy, and I
hid on the bank as far away as the length of tubing of my
pneumatic release would allow. Encouraged by my success, the
next day the camera was placed even nearer the nest, with the
result shown. On the first sign of danger the little grebe in an

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BirD LIFE AND BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY. 201

incredibly short time first covers up its eggs, and then dives
straight into the water without leaving so much as a ripple to
betray its presence. It then stays with only its head above water
near the nest, till it is safe again for it to resume incubation. My
audience may be glad to know that this bird successfully reared
its brood.

’ WHITE WAGTAIL.

This photograph of a white wagtail’s nest was taken in
Iceland by Mr Legard. This bird, though only a rare visitor to
our shores, is probably often overlooked on account of its simi-
larity of plumage to our familiar pied wagtail, the nest and eggs
of which are indistinguishable. Here we see the bird near its
nest. I regret that the photograph does not more clearly show
the plumage; but the white wagtail can always be distinguished
from the pied by the preponderance of grey on its back, and by
the more conspicuous white on its wings.

Meapow Pipir’s NEst AND CucKOoo’s EGG.

This nest belongs to a meadow pipit, but contains, in addition
to its proper complement, the egg of a cuckoo. Its larger size at
once distinguishes it. The parasitic habits of the cuckoo are well
known, and upwards of 120 different birds have been known to
have been thus imposed upon. In this locality, the meadow pipit
would appear to be the most common victim.

Rep NECKED PHALAROPE.

Our next four photographs are of the red necked phalarope,
an exceedingly rare nesting bird in Great Britain. Owing to the
greed of egg collectors, this bird has been almost exterminated
from its original nesting haunts on the north-west coast of Scot-
land. I know of no bird whose habits are more engaging. The
female is the more brilliantly plumaged of the pair, and contrary
to custom (I should perhaps say bird custom), courts the male.
On him devolves the duties of incubation and also the care of the
young: the female being content to idly preen herself on some
neighbouring pool, without a thought of domestic cares. My
photograph was obtained in Ireland. Here we can barely see the
nest, hidden as it is by the short herbage of a maritime shore.
Without moving the camera, but by pressing down the herbage on
either side, we can see the four pear-shaped eggs—the smallest

202 Birp LIFE AND BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY.

pyriform eggs, I believe, that are known: they measure 1.1 by .83
inches. Here the patient male bird can be seen attending to his
unnatural duties. No screen of any kind was needed to take this
photograph, for the tameness of these birds is past belief, as can
be seen by our next picture. Having found some nestlings, and
seeing that their parent kept hovering close to our heads, I got my
friend to hold a nestling in his hand, and focussed my camera on
it. I had only a few minutes to wait before the bird came running
up quite boldly to enquire after its young.

BLACK GAME.

This photograph is of a nest of the black grouse, who are
perhaps better known as black game, the male and female being
called respectively the blackcock and greyhen. Situated as these
nests usually are on grassy hillsides, they are frequently (as hap-
pened in this case) destroyed by rooks. Here we see a greyhen
on its nest, more securely hidden in a young larch plantation.
It is to be regretted that this bird has decreased in this locality.
The diminution of cropping, the draining of hill marshes, and
the fertility and increase of the pheasant, all help to banish black
game.

PHEASANT.

This nest of pheasant eggs would be regarded as a good
clutch. The bracken has been laid aside, so as to better reveal
the eggs. This slide shows the old bird on its nest, and was
taken by Mr Legard in Yorkshire. The pheasant is a notoriously
careless layer. I have found pheasants laying in the nests of
ducks, black game, grouse, partridges, and woodcock, and in
one case I knew of seven pheasants laying in one nest.

WoopDcock.

It is satisfactory when we can affirmatively state that some
bird is becoming a more constant visitor to this locality, and
this, I am glad to say, is the case with the woodcock. Ten years
ago a woodcock’s nest was regarded as a rarity ; now it is quite
common. At Capenoch I can see woodcock in every month of
the year. Here we see the woodcock’s nest and eggs. The
nest is but a depression in the ground, scantily lined with leaves
or bracken. The eggs are not nearly so pyriform as might be
expected of a bird of this family. This picture is of a woodcock

Birap Lire AND Birp PHOTOGRAPHY. 203

on its nest. Some observers have stated that the woodcock when
incubating always keeps her eyes shut—lest, in the words of the
poet, “ Her eyes should betray her secret.’’ My experience has
been that the eyes are more often open than closed. This bird
was so tame that I could stroke her back with my hand, and she
reared her young without mishap.

SNIPE.

This is the nest of a common snipe, well concealed by a tuft
of rushes, which have been cut so as to show the eggs. Our
next photograph, of the bird on its nest, was obtained with great
difficulty. Although a dummy camera had been erected for
many days, the bird was extraordinarily shy. The ground was
flat and quite open, and though I could worm my way to within
thirty feet of the camera, where I had the pneumatic release,
however cautiously I peeped up to see if the bird was on its nest,
it always saw me before I saw it, and was off before I could do
anything. At last one day I pressed the bulb on chance of the
bird being on its nest, with the result shown. This photograph
was taken in splendid light at noon on June 24th, 1905, with an
exposure of one-thirtieth, the lens being stopped down to 23.

Woop PIGEON.

Here we see the nest of the wood pigeon, a nest not often
easy to photograph on account of the height from the ground
at which it is usually placed. This slide shows two young wood
pigeons, fully fledged, in the nest. These birds gave us a
great deal of bother to photograph, for they were sufficiently
educated to resent the presence of the camera; and as fast as
one bird was placed in the nest the other walked off to one side
of the nest and so become out of focus. However, patience at
last gave us their portrait.

CURLEW.

The curlew’s nest is annually increasing in numbers on the
grassy hills in the Thornhill district. | Here we see the nest
and eggs. In the spring of the year our hillsides still resound
with the cries of this bird, and we have read that in the old
Covenanters’ days these birds often forewarned some poor wretch
hiding in the peat hags of the approach of Claverhouse’s

204 Birp LIFE AND Brrp PHOTOGRAPHY.

dragoons, and so gave him time to effect his escape. This
picture shows the curlew on its nest. | Wild and wary as she is,
maternal instinct has tamed her timorous disposition.

LAPWING.

Our next three pictures concern the lapwing or green plover,
a bird so exceedingly useful to the agriculturist that it is
regretted by some that it should still be legal to take its eggs up
till the 15th of April. | Here we see a nest made in a meadow;
while our next photograph shows a nest made on a ploughed field.
To get a photograph of a lapwing on its nest we had a hut made
of spruce branches and placed for several days conveniently near
a nest; but when we went to photograph the bird we found her
eggs had all been destroyed by rooks. | When moving the hut
we found a blackbird had made its nest in the spruce branches ;
so care was taken when erecting the hut near a fresh lapwing’s
nest not to disturb the blackbird. ‘This lapwing’s nest was also
destroyed by rooks, so the hut was moved a third time to another
lapwing’s nest ; and this photograph was obtained. As I sat in
the hut with my camera the blackbird, who had fearlessly
followed her nest, incubated her eggs within two feet of me.
Eventually, as the field had to be harrowed, the spruce branches
of our hut were carefully placed at one side of the field, and
here the faithful blackbird had the satisfaction of rearing her
brood unmolested.

MERLIN.

This photograph is of a merlin’s nest and eggs. One of
these shows most remarkable colouration, being more like that
of a kestrel than of a merlin-hawk. This photograph, as also
the following one, was taken in Iceland by Mr Legard. It
shows young merlins in the nest. This picture is interesting,
as showing the development in the plumage of the nestlings you
have seen in the preceding photograph. Only seven days had
elapsed since the first photograph had been taken.

BLacK HEADED GULL.

Our next series of photographs deal with the black headed
gull; a bird I consider misnamed, as for the greater part of its
existence its head is white, and only in spring does its head
become brown. A far more appropriate name would be the

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Brrp Lire anp Birp PHOTOGRAPHY. 205

masked gull. This bird is a great benefactor to agriculture,
but as is the case with rooks, kestrels, and owls, certain indi-
viduals by their carnivorous malpractices call down wrath on the
whole of their community. At the Dhu Loch, near Capenoch,
there is what is termed a large “ gullery ’’ of these birds. Here
we see the birds at the Dhu Loch hovering over their nests.
This photograph hardly gives a notion of the number of birds
that assemble here to nest. This photograph is of the bird’s
nest and eggs; you will note that they are not unlike those of
the lapwing, being of an olivaceous ground colour, blotched and
spotted with dark brown, with undermarkings of grey, but not so
pyriform in shape. ‘They are often sold to the uninitiated as
plover’s eggs. This photograph, taken in Ireland, shows a
clutch of extraordinary eggs, all pale blue, without any markings
whatever. To find one egg of a clutch lacking in pigmentary
colouration is not very unusual, but to find all three eggs in one
nest absolutely spotless is, I believe, unprecedented. This
picture is of the owner of the nest, anxious to resume its duties
as a mother, yet still not quite certain what the camera is going
te do. All fears set at rest, we see the bird once more settled
on her eggs.
PUFFIN.

This picture shows the nest and egg of a puffin. Asa rule
these birds nest in burrows, and so large are the nesting colonies
that it is at times impossible to walk over the ground they have
burrowed, so often does one sink in up to one’s knees. Here
we see a colony of puffins on their nesting ground. You will
notice that these birds carry themselves at an unusually upright
angle.

GreAT AUK.

Our next photograph is of an extinct bird, the great auk.
This photograph is from a stuffed specimen in the York Museum,
to which it passed from the Strickland collection. The bird
here shown is in summer plumage. This slide shows the great
auk in winter plumage, and it will be noticed that the throat at
this season of the year is whiter. This photograph is also from
a specimen in the York Museum, who obtained it from the Rud-
stone Read collection, to whom it had been presented by Mr Bell
of Thirsk. It may be interesting to note that the last great auk
was killed in 1844; the last British specimen being killed some

206 Birp Lire AND Birp PHOTOGRAPHY.

ten years previously. The only immature specimen of this bird
known is in Trinity College Museum in Dublin. It was caught
alive in Waterford Harbour, and was with difficulty kept alive
for four months, mainly on potatoes and milk. Oddly enough,
it devoured fresh water fish greedily, but did not seem to care
for sea fish.

This is the photograph of a cast of a great auk’s egg—from
the Hancock Museum, Newcastle. Only some 71 eggs are now
known to be extant.

SEA BirDs ON FLAMBOROUGH HEAD.

Our next photographs are of that famous nesting resort of sea
birds, Flamborough Head, off the coast of Yorkshire. Here we
see the “ Door’’ Cliff and “Staple Nook.’’ Myriads of puffins
and guillemots annually come here to nest, and when the Ornitho-
logical Congress met in England last year, the foreign members
were taken to this spot as being one of the ornithological sights
of Europe. Personally, on the unfrequented wild north-west
coast of Ireland I have been far more impressed, both by the
variety and numbers of birds there, and by the superior grandeur
of the maritime scenery. This photograph, also taken at Flam-
borough Head, shows some guillemots sitting on a ledge of rock ;
and gives a good idea of the steepness of these cliffs.

fe

LESSER TERN AND ARCTIC TERN.

Our next four photographs were all taken in Ireland, and
concern the lesser tern. Here we see a nest on the sand. It is
very seldom that any materials are made use of, and the supposi-
tion that this bird decorates its nest with pieces of shell is, I think,
erroneous. Such decorations are employed by the ringed plover,
whose old nests are occasionally utilised by the lesser tern. This
photograph shows the eggs of a lesser tern placed in what I take
to be a ringed plover’s disused nest. The colony of lesser terns
‘which provided us with these photographs nested in close prox-
imity to a colony of Arctic terns. Here we see a nest containing
three eggs of the Arctic tern and one of the lesser tern. That
such mistakes do not more often happen, when large colonies of
birds are nesting within but a few feet of one another, is one of the
marvels of Nature. The Arctic tern was sitting on all four eggs,
but I had left before they were hatched. This photograph shows

Birp LIFE AND BirD PHOTOGRAPHY. 207

the lesser tern on its nest. A pit was dug in the sand near the
nest, into which my friend Mr Legard got with his camera. He
was then covered over with old sacks and liberally sprinkled with
sand.

Our next six photographs concern the Arctic tern. This
photograph shows an islet on the Langa river, in Iceland, which
was resorted to for nesting purposes by these birds. The next,
taken in Ireland, shows two eggs in the nest. The eggs, which
vary enormously, in colouration, are in this case dark chocolate
brown, blotched and spotted with black, and with undermarkings
of grey. Here we see an interesting photograph. You will
notice that one egg is normal; the other is abnormal, being spot-
less and pale blue in colouration. When speaking of the black
headed gull, you will remember that I said that to find one egg of
a clutch lacking in pigmentary colouration was not very unusual.
This picture shows the Arctic tern brooding its young, which can
just be made out below the bird’s breast. This photograph is of
the same bird as in the preceding, and was taken in Iceland. It
shows the bird at the nest, with its wings uplifted in a truly charac-
teristic manner. Our next photograph, taken in Ireland, shows
the Arctic tern contentedly incubating her eggs.

4th May, 1906.

Chairman—Mr RoBert SERVICE, V.P.

It was agreed to record in the minutes an expression of regret
at the deaths of three members of the Society, viz.:—The Right
Hon. the Earl of Mansfield, Captain W. Stewart of Shambeliie,
and the Rev. Joseph Hunter.

Mr J. Rutherford, Jardington, exhibited an equatorial star
finder of his own design for the use of beginners. The following
is Mr Rutherford’s description of the instrument :

A few years ago, when learning the stars, I sometimes had a
good deal of trouble in finding the ones that I saw in the sky on
the map; also, trouble and doubt were experienced in regard to
stars I saw on the map in locating them in the sky. Under those

208 EQUATORIAL STAR FINDER FOR BEGINNERS.

circumstances, I very much felt the need of something to assist in
searching, and for confirmation of my observations. After some
consideration, I designed and made the finder you now see. The
circles are made from old clock dials roughly divided by hand
(cardboard would do quite well). The right ascension circle is
divided to minutes, the dec. to degrees. The finder requires
to be placed on a level stand (I used a large flower vase).
It must stand when in use in its proper position in regard to the
meridian of the place. To do this, find the longitude of the place
on a map, and for every degree that it is west of Greenwich it will
be 4 minutes later than Greenwich time ; for every degree that it
is east it will be 4 minutes earlier. This will give the time of the
place when this is found. Stick a piece of wire upright on the top
of the stand, and at the correct time of noon draw a line along the
shadow made by the wire and the sun; this line will be the guide
for placing the finder. To find the polar axis, take a piece of
wood or cardboard, say, 14 by 18 inches, stand it with its 14-inch
end on the top of the stand or table. Look along its edge, and
tilt it until the edge comes in a line with the pole star; this will
give the required angle. To use, place the finder in its proper
position as to north and south on the stand, guided by the line
already drawn, and I will assume that the top star (Delta) in the
belt of Orion is known to the observer. Look for its position in
the star map, which will be found to be: R.A., 5 hrs. 26 mins. ;
Dec., 0 deg. 23 mins. S. Look through the tube, and _ bring
the star into the centre, turn the R.A. and Dec. circles until the
pointers are on these figures. Now, suppose you want to find
Castor in Gemini: Find its position on the star map, which is
R.A. 7 hrs. 27 mins., Dec. 32 deg. 9 mins. N. Without touching
the circles, turn the Dec. and polar axis until the pointers are
on these figures, and the tube will be pointing to the star, or
very near it. Now, suppose you see a star or group of stars in
the sky, and you wish to know what this particular star is, or in
what constellation the group is. Again adjust the R.A. circle on
Delta (Orion) or any other star the position of which is known;
turn the tube to the star or group, and the pointers will give the
R.A. and Dec. ; find this place on the star map, and this will show
what the star or group is, and in what constellation it is situated.
It is not to be expected from this roughly-made and imperfectly-
divided finder that its readings will be quite accurate, but it cer-

<—_ie

EQUATORIAL STAR FINDER FOR BEGINNERS. 209

tainly is a great help to anyone just beginning to learn the stars
and constellations. I designed and made it in a hurry, and used
it along with the telescope until I got pretty familiar with the
different constellations and principal stars ; it may be constructed
in a short time by any amateur mechanic of ordinary capacity. I
may add that to get a familiar acquaintance with the stars a tele-
scope is not really necessary, but a good star map is required, and
I can recommend to all beginners Proctor’s small atlas, price 5s,
and when used along with Webb’s “ Celestial Objects for Common
Telescopes ’’ and a good 3 in. glass, and all mixed up with a real
desire “to know,’’ it is all that any amateur astronomer may
desire.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF ANNA LAURIE. By W. DICKIE.

This note is a sequel to the very pleasant visit which the
Society paid to Glencairn last summer. You will remember that
our host at Maxwelton House, in the very interesting account
which he gave us of the house and the Laurie family, mentioned
an idea which has lately prevailed in some quarters, that the
heroine of the song which has made the house and its“*braes ”’
celebrated was born, not in Maxwelton, but at Barjarg Tower, in
the neighbouring parish of Keir. In conversation with Sir Emilius
I learned that the only basis for this theory was the record of
her birth in what have come to be known, somewhat vaguely, as
“the Barjarg Manuscripts.’’ I expressed the opinion that it
rested on a misapprehension of the nature of these records, and I
undertook to make inquiry on the subject. I have since done so,
and it has been suggested by the Secretary that the result should
be recorded in the Transactions of the Society.

The Laurie family records of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, I ascertained from Sir Emilius, have not been preserved
at Maxwelton ; but I found in the valuable library at Barjarg, to
which I was kindly given access by Mrs Hunter Arundell and Mr
Wadd, a transcript of that record, covering the period from 1674
to 1731. It is this copy of a Maxwelton document—not an
original record kept at Barjarg—which contains the entry of the
birth of Anna Laurie. The following is a complete copy of the
record ;—

210 THE BIRTHPLACE OF ANNA LAURIE.

MAXWELTOUN REGISTER.

At the pleasure of the Almighty I was married to my wife,
Jean Riddell, upon the 27th of July, 1674, in the Trone Kirk of
Edinb. by Mr Annane.

At the pleasure of God my da. Cath. Laurie was borne upon
the 15th of June, 1675. She was baptized upon the twenty 2d
of the same month by Mr Geo. Hunter.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my son Robt. Laurie
was borne upon the 21st of July, 1676, about 2 o’clock in the
afternoon, it being upon a Wednesday, and he was baptised upon
the 8th day of Augt., 1676, by Mr Geo. Hunter at the Kirk of
Glencairn.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my Da. Jane Laurie was
borne upon the 12th of July, 1677, about 9 o’clock in the morning,
it being upon ane Thursday, and she was baptised upon the 25th
of the same month by Mr Geo. Hunter, our minister.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my Da. Violat Laurie
was borne upon the last day of June, 1680 years, about 12 o’clock
at night, it being upon Wednesday, and was baptized by Mr Geo.
Hunter.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my Da. Susanna Laurie
was borne upon the 15 of July, 1681 years, about 6 o’clock at
night, and was baptised at Glencairn Kirk by Mr Geo. Hunter
upon the 26th of the forrsaid month.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my Da. Anna Laurie
was born upon the 16th day of Decr. 1682 years, about 6 o’clock
in the morning, and was baptised by Mr Geo.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my sone Walter Laurie
was born upon the 3d of May, 1684 years, being Saturday about
7 o’clock at night, and was baptised by Mr Geo. Hunter our
minister.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my son John Laurie
was borne upon the 14 day of Oct., 1685 years, being Tuesday,
about ten o’clock of the day, and was baptised by Mr Geo. Hunter
our Min.

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my father Sir Robt.
Laurie was called by Death, the 23d Augt., 1698 years, it being
upon a Saturday betwixt 4 and 5 in the morning, his age being

57 on the 7 of Sepr.
Signed Rost. LAuRIE,

ee

* te =e Se

PVA it eG pty a eny

a ate

Tue BirtHpLace or ANNA LAURIE. Oi

At the pleasure of the Almighty God my brother, Sir Robt.
Laurie, was called for by death upon the 28th of Feby., 1702
years, it being upon a Tuesday before 12 o’clock in the forenoon,
his age being 27 come the 21 day of July ensuing.

Signed WALTER LAURIE.

At the pleasure of Almighty God my father Sir Walter Laurie
was called for by death upon Tuesday, the 23 of Novr., 1731, at
six o’clock in the morning, being aged 47 from the 3d of May last.

Signed Rost. LAuRIE.

The preservation of the terms of this interesting record we
owe to Mr W. F. Hunter Arundell of Barjarg, who died in 1827.
He cherished the idea of writing a history of the county of Dum-
fries and the county families, and had amassed a great deal of
genealogical material ; but he was not spared to cast the fruits of
his industry into literary form. They were, however, placed at
the disposal of the late Mr M‘Dowall, and largely drawn upon in
the compilation of his “ History of Dumfries.’’ The “ Maxwel-
toun Register ’’ is copied into a volume containing entries relating
to many other families, and arranged in alphabetical order. The
title prefixed to it, as well as the nature of its contents, shews
that it is a register of events occurring in the Maxwelton family,
and, except where otherwise stated, at their own residence. Max-
welton had been the life-long home of Sir Robert Laurie, the first
baronet, who succeeded to the estate as a boy in 1648; and there
his sixth child, Anna, was born on the 16th of December, 1682.

I communicated the result of my inquiries, with some other
material, to Sir Emilius Laurie, and I received from him a letter,
in which he wrote :—

“Let me again thank you for the very interesting article, a
copy of which you have so kindly sent me. You have certainly
completely cleared up the doubtful question of Annie’s birthplace.
I, too, had carefully read, as I thought, M‘Dowall’s History, but
I do not remember to have read the preface, and, therefore,
accepted the Barjarg myth. It is a case in which the injunction
“verify your references ’ needed application, and you have done
well to all who love accuracy in historical statements in clearing
itup. You have also cleared up to me another difficulty, namely,
Anna’s age at marriage. I had always supposed that the date on
her marriage stone at Craigdarroch was the date of her marriage.

212 Tue BirTHPLACE OF ANNA LAURIE.

This appears not to have been the case. You also show, which
I was not aware of, that she was three years older than her
husband, Alexander Fergusson. In the portrait which I have at
Maxwelton of Annie and her husband she certainly looks the older
of the two, and if the portraits were taken at the same time, which
would seem to be probable, the circumstance is explained.”

I may add that Sir Robert Laurie was first married to Marion,
daughter of Sir Robert Dalziel of Glenae, their marriage contract
being dated 21st April, 1662. Of that marriage there were born
three daughters, one of whom became the wife of Alexander
Ferguson of Isle, advocate. Sir Robert’s second wife, mother of
the heroine of the song, was Jean Riddell, daughter of Walter
Riddell of Minto. Anna’s marriage to Alexander Ferguson of
Craigdarroch took place on 29th July, 1709.

PHTHISIS AND SANATORIA. By Dr JaMEs MAXWELL Ross.

Dr Maxwell Ross first showed a set of lantern slides
illustrating the effect of the disease on the lung, the bacilli
from which it originates, and methods by which it may be
disseminated. Thereafter there were thrown on the screen
tables and diagrams shewing the mortality from consumption
in various countries. Those relating to England and Wales
shewed a progressive decrease in the death rate from this
cause in recent years, it having now fallen to 1.2 per
thousand. The lecturer further stated that there was a
more rapid fall in the death rate among females than among
males. It might be that the dust occupations affected the
latter to a greater extent; and factory legislation had probably
affected females more than males. Taking into account the
increase of population, the tables shewed that as compared with
fifty years ago there was an annual saving of about forty thousand
lives which under old conditions would have been sacrificed to
this disease in England and Wales. The Registrar-General’s
reports shewed that about seven thousand people die from con-
sumption in Scotland each year, and that the mortality per
ten thousand of the population had dropped in thirty years from
27 to 16, representing a saving of nearly five thousand lives per
annum. This gratifying improvement was more largely the
result of what had been done by the sanitary authorities in large
towns than of any change in rural districts or small towns.

PutuHisis AND SANATORIA. 213

Tables of the consumptive death rate for five-years’ periods in
Edinburgh and Glasgow shewed a fall in each period. This was
markedly the case in the city of Glasgow, and was a most
gratifying result of the action of the Town Council in regard to
sanitary matters. Dr Ross also shewed a diagram illustrating
the consumptive death rate in the burgh of Maxwelltown, for
which he is medical officer. It shewed the extreme fluctuations
which you got in small communities. To get a proper idea of
the rate of mortality in Maxwelltown you would require to take
a longer period than ten years. Last year it was below one per
thousand. If that would only continue, they would have great
reason to congratulate themselves on the reduction of the death
rate in that burgh. Exhibiting a diagram which shewed by
curved lines the rate of mortality in Scotland generally and in the
county of Dumfries from consumption during the last twenty-five
years, Dr Ross said this would almost make one pessimistic, as it
shewed that the death rate of Dumfriesshire had often been the
largest of any county in Scotland. A coloured map indicating
_ the distribution of the disease in the county during the past fifteen
years shewed that the death rate was highest in Nithsdale.
Another diagram shewed the death rates in the landward part of
Dumfriesshire during the last twenty-five years from consumption
and from zymotic diseases respectively. |The zymotic diseases,
he explained, include smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria,
typhoid, whooping cough, measles. From the period 1881 to
1890 the zymotic diseases and the phthisis diseases had a
mortality not very greatly differing from each other; but from
1890, when the change in local government occurred, as the
years went on, and more and more was being done by the local
authorities for prevention of zymotic diseases, the death rate from
these diseases gradually declined, while there was very little
difference in the death rate from phthisis, for which nothing had
been done. This was an indication to local authorities that when
they had done as much for phthisis as they had done for zymotic
diseases they would bring about a corresponding improvement.
Turning to the consideration of preventive measures, Dr Ross
showed photographs of bottle spittoons for use by consumptive
patients, and he spoke of the great danger from infected sputum.
When he went about the infirmary, he remarked, he was struck
by this, that there was an enormous number of cases of glandular

214 PHTHISIS AND SANATORIA.

diseases of the neck. Many operations were performed on chil-
dren for removing glands and so on. A number of the children
came from the closes about High Street and Queensberry Square.
He would like them to think what the loafers in that square and
“Monument rangers’’ were doing. They were loafing about
there, spitting broadcast, and some of them them were known to
be suffering from phthisis. The sputum became dry and was
carried about as dust. The children, playing about, inhaled
that dust and the bacilli of phthisis which it contained ; and so
they contracted the disease. ‘Touching on conditions tending
to promote the spread of consumption, Dr Ross mentioned the
want of sufficient sunlight and of free movement of air in the
closes of towns. He finally showed a set of slides illustrating
the construction of sanatoria and the results of the treatment.

In reply to a question as to how Dr Ross accounted for the
large amount of consumption in Ireland as disclosed by one of
the slides, the smaller amount in Scotland, and the still smaller
amount in England and Wales,

Dr Ross said he was afraid the answer to that question would
involve a pretty long dissertation. Generally speaking, it was a
question of housing and living. They knew what the housing
and living were in the lower parts of Ireland; and what it was
in certain parts of Scotland had recently been shown by the
medical report on the prevalence of this disease in the Lewis.
In England a number of Boards of Guardians had been in the
habit of giving out-door relief to consumptive paupers and allow-
ing them to live with their families, where they became centres
of infection. Some years ago they changed their policy, and
insisted that consumptive paupers should go into the workhouse
infirmaries. Coincident with that, there had been a considerable
fall in the death rate from this cause in England and Wales.
Factory legislation and sanitary improvement had helped very
much.

PIELD- MEETINGS,

Field Meeting—2nd June, 1906.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)

On Saturday the members of Dumfries and Galloway Natural
History and Antiquarian Society, to the number of over forty,
had a field day in Borgue district, and were the guests of Mr and

Mrs Brown at their beautiful coast residence of Knockbrex.

They were met at Kirkcudbright railway station by several gentle-
men resident in the district, including Mr John M‘Kie, R.N.;
Mr E. A. Hornell, artist; and Mr John Douglas, Barstibly.
Brakes, kindly provided by Mr Brown, were in waiting for their
conveyance. Numerous points of interest were pointed out on
the route, and the drive through a sylvan district, in sight of
the Dee and the Solway, in brilliant summer weather, was greatly
enjoyed. A halt was made at Borgue House, where, by the
courtesy of Mr W. T. Sproat, the company were enabled to
inspect the ruins of Borgue Place, immediately behind the modern
mansion-house. The Place is chiefly interesting as an example
of architecture which came into vogue after the union of the
crowns and the better settlement of the country. The building
occupies three parts of a square. The wall on the fourth side,
with its strong gate, has long since disappeared. Driving past
Borgue village, with its beautiful Parish Church, and Chapelton
Row, Earlston House, the residence of the late Sir William
Gordon, was pointed out. The view from here is very fine, and
the day being an ideal one, everything was looking its best. To
the left is the broad expanse of Wigtown Bay, with the Wigtown
coast standing out clear and sharp, the coast line between Gate-
house and Ravenshall being also very distinct. Nearer, nestling
in the hollow of the shore, is the hamlet of Kirkandrews, and
further on are the woods of Knockbrex. Passing Carleton farm-

216 FieLtp MEETINGS.

house, the old manor house of the Earlston estate, on the right,
a halt was made at Barmagachan, tenanted by Mr Barber. This
is another example of the same style of architecture as at Borgue
Place. Near by is Barmagachan Moat, a small but very perfect
example of the circular mound.

The journey was then resumed by way of Margrie to
Knockbrex, where they were most hospitably received by their
host and hostess. Under the fostering care of Mr Brown,
Knockbrex is rapidly becoming one of the most beautiful places
one could wish to see. The ancient home of the Gordons has
been transformed into a handsome modern dwelling-house ; but it
is on the grounds that the greatest transformation has taken place.
The gardens have been in course of extension and development
since Mr Brown acquired the estate, and when the shrubs and
other plants recently added have become established they will
rank among the most beautiful in the South of Scotland. A
delightful artificial lake, with various bays and inlets, surrounded
by rhododendrons and other flowering shrubs and trees and
choice conifers and foliage trees, was much admired. It has
been formed with much taste, and the rockwork to the west,
recently constructed, is extensive, and has been planted with a
number of choice rock plants. There is in front of the house a
spacious lawn and a number of beds, each filled with a choice
variety of roses. A fine pergola, about 150 feet long, has also
been added for climbing roses, and a unique “sunk garden,”’
after the style of the ancient Roman gardens, has been formed
in the centre of the lawn. ‘The paths are paved with pebbles
like tesselated stone work, and the beds are filled with the finest
shrubs and plants suitable for the position, while the walls will
be covered with climbers and wall plants. The kitchen garden
and glass-houses were also visited and are of an extensive
character, and do credit to Mr Bennett, the head gardener.

After having been entertained to a sumptuous tea, the party
were conducted over the grounds, visiting the splendid stables,
the electric installation, and the laundry, all of which are perfect
models of their kind, and all fitted up with the very latest
appliances. | Mr Brown has also recently formed a harbour,
where small vessels may land their cargoes, and near it is a large
storehouse.

Returning to the house, Mr M‘Kie, addressing Mr Brown,

FIELD MEETINGS. Ail

said that, as it was chiefly through his recommendation that
the members of the Society were led to visit that district,
he had, therefore, personally to thank Mrs Brown and himself
most cordially for their great courtesy and kindness. The mem-
bers had had an opportunity of seeing the beautiful and natural
arrangement of the grounds, but they could have no idea of the
taste and skill, to say nothing of the cost, which it had taken
to bring these to their present state and condition. It might truly
be said of this place, as did the poet when describing the high-
ways then recently opened in the Highlands, who said—

Had you seen these roads before they were made,
You would hold up your hands and bless General Wade.

Had they seen this place before Mr Brown took it in hand and
as they saw it that day, whatever they might do in the way of
blessing, he was sure they would be struck with surprise and
admiration. In the early part of last century that wayward
genius, John M‘Taggart, sang of Borgue as “a parish famous for
its Browns and Sproats, the like ot’s no on this side John 0’
Groats!’’ They had ample proof now before them that since
then the race of Browns had in no way degenerated, as we held
whoever made a portion of his Majesty’s dominions beautiful, as
Mr Brown had done these, deserved well of his country. The
visitors would presently have an opportunity of seeing the interest
he was taking in antiquarian research, through having had the
accumulated rubbish removed from the Broch at Roberton,
whereby its form and structure could now be seen, and it would
be interesting to get the expert opinion of the society as to its
probable origin and the purposes for which it might possibly
have been used. While tendering thanks, it was with the hope
and trust that Mrs Brown, himself, and family might long be
spared to enjoy the fruits of his most interesting labour.

Mr Barbour also added a few remarks, and expressed the
wish that Mr Brown and his family would long live to see their
work come to maturity.

Mr Brown, in reply, said the visit of the society to Knock-
brex had been a great source of pleasure to Mrs Brown and
himself, and it was a pleasure they had greatly looked forward
to. Anyone of an artistic temperament was always welcome to
Knockbrex. They valued the kind remarks that had been made,

218 FIELD MEETINGS.

and appreciated them very much. The people who were not
welcome at Knockbrex were the people who went about uprooting
flowers, carving their names on rocks and trees, and scribbling
on gates ; but anyone interested in botany or natural history would
always be made very welcome there.

At the business meeting the following new members were
admitted :—Mrs Waddell, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ; Mr D. H.
Hastie, Dumfries; Mr W. M. Grey, 5 Victoria ‘Terrace,
Duntfries.

The party, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Brown, then drove
to Corseyard, the residence of Mr P. M‘Connell, Mr Brown’s
factor, where the visitors’ book was signed.

A visit was then paid to the “ broch ’’* on the Roberton shore
discovered some time ago, and which has been excavated and
cleared out under Mr Brown’s direction. ‘The main entrance is
from the side nearest the road. The “broch’’ consists of two
walls, with a passage about three feet wide between. The ground
appears to have been excavated, as the outer wall is built against
the rock. When first discovered the walls, outer and inner, were
about three feet high. A mark has been made indicating the
height when found, and they have been considerably heightened.
From the inner court a number of openings lead into the passage.
This has evidently been covered, as at the west corner the slabs
across are still in position. In the south corner is a part of the
original pavement, and here most of the interesting relics, now at
Knockbrex House, were found. These consist of a beautiful
ear-ring found in the main doorway, teeth, skeleton of a hand,
remains of chain metal, blue and white bead, rings. Still lying
in the “broch’”’ are to be seen a quern, a stone knife, and a
whetstone, all in excellent preservation; besides fragments of
deer’s antlers. On the south-west is a passage leading through
both walls, and still showing the original path to the shore,
covered with rough slabs. Another peculiarity is the number of
openings leading into the passage. The whole building is
circular. The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that
no structure of this kind has hitherto been known to exist in the
south-west parts of Scotland. <A broch is described by Dr Joseph
Anderson as a hollow circular tower of dry-built masonry, rarely

* Notr.—Since this was written further research has shown that this
building is not a ‘‘ broch” but an ancient fort.—Eb.

FieLtp MEETINGS. 919

more than 70 or less than 40 feet in total diameter, occasionally
at least 50 feet high, and enclosing a circular court or area from
95 to 45 feet in diameter. In his opinion, it is clear that these
ancient buildings were used as places of refuge, and in those
days they would be practically impregnable. Roberton broch
is built on a rocky eminence, but whether it was also defended
by ditches and embankments, earthen ramparts, or dry stone
walls has not yet been ascertained.

A hurried visit was paid to the ancient hamlet and church-
yard of Kirkandrews, which contains two stones erected to the
memory of Covenanters done to death near by, and the grave of
William Nicholson, the Galloway poet. Mr Brown, with charac-
teristic generosity, is building a handsome chapel at Kirkandrews
to take the place of the old meeting-house. A beautiful lych-
gate has also been erected. .

The party were greatly indebted to the veteran Mr M‘Kie,
for so kindly acting as guide, and pointing out and explaining
the various objects of interest on the route.

Field Meeting—16th June, 1906.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)
MOFFAT DISTRICT.

A party, numbering about twenty, paid a visit to places of
interest in the vicinity of Moffat. Driving first to Auchencastle,
they had, through the courtesy of Mr Younger, the privilege of
inspecting the fine collection of pictures, which includes a beauti-
ful portrait of a lady, “ Madame Elizabeth of France,’’ by Vegee
Le Brun; characteristic works of George Morland, Sidney
Cooper, Sir W. Beechey, Horatio M‘Culloch, several works of
Dutch painters ; a striking portrait of Oliver Cromwell as a com-
paratively young man and in armour, suggestive rather of the
Cavalier than the Roundhead. Mr Younger has also in his study
a most interesting collection of print portraits of distinguished
British statesmen. Among numerous artistic objects to engage
attention was a massive piece of old oak carving forming the
frame work of the hall chimneypiece, the side supports being
statues carved in wood. The beautifully laid out grounds around
the castle present at this season a gorgeous mass of colour, pro-

220 FIELD MEETINGS.

duced by extensive clumps and deep banks of many-tinted
rhododendrons and azaleas; and the chestnuts and laburnums
also bear a profusion of blossom. Under the guidance of Mr
M‘Adam, head gardener, the visitors made a round of the con-
servatories, vineries, and peach-house, where they found much
to admire; among other special features, the magnificent collec-
tion of calceolarias, each of distinct colour and all of a wonderful
size ; the fine, rose-like carnations, and splendid double begonias.
Driving next by way of Lawesknowe to the old castle of
Auchencas, an inspection was made of its ruins. The outer walls,
which are about ten feet thick and enclose a square of about 120
feet, remain to a height of several feet, as grass-grown ridges,
along their whole length, and stumps remain of three of the angle
turrets. The encircling moat also is plainly to be traced for
almost its entire extent. But the internal buildings have wholly
disappeared. The castle is associated with the name of Ran-
dolph, Earl of Moray, the comrade of Bruce, and afterwards
Regent of the kingdom ; but little mention of it is made in history.
It is known that it became the property of the Johnstones of
Corehead in 1638, and that it had formerly been the property of
the Douglases of Morton. Proceeding next to the beautiful
Garpol Glen, which is in the immediate vicinity of the old castle,
the party viewed its pretty water falls, noted its geology, particu-
larly the spots where the Silurian shales are exposed and samples
of the Moffat graptolites can be obtained; and found much to
interest them in its wealth of flora. Emerging at the foot of the
glen—where a long tunnel has been made in the rock to carry the
stream below the Caledonian Railway-—the party walked across
the fields to Auchencastle avenue, where they rejoined the brakes.
On the way they passed St. Margaret’s Home, a practical em-
bodiment of Mr Younger’s philanthropy, providing as it does a
place of country residence for invalid city children during periods
of convalescence. Driving up the valley of the Evan as far as
Longbedholm, they thence proceeded by the steep hill road over
the ridge into the valley of the Annan, and called by the way at
Chapel farm to inspect the remnant of the old chapel of the
Knights Templars, from which it derives its name. The remains
consist of a portion of the west gable, with three-light pointed
window, of which one of the mullions is awanting, and part of —
the east gable, in which had been the doorway. The latter has

FieLD MEETINGS. 221

been built into the gable of one of the farm cottages ; but through
the kindness of Mr Lindsay, the farmer, the visitors were enabled
to climb the loft and see there the top of the pointed arch of the
chapel wall. Traces of foundations show that there had been
extensive buildings adjoining the chapel, and it is said that the
Templars possessed land for two miles up the valley, including
Gardenholm, where their orchard was. They also had an estab-
lishment at Frenchland, on the opposite side of the river and
town. In a document of date 1355 the chapel is referred to as
“Kyrkbride, in the tenement of Kirkpatrick-Juxta, Moffat, in
Annandale,’’ and it is stipulated that the redemption money
of a certain property, on which a “wadset’’ or mortgage had
been granted, was to be paid on a green cloth before the high
altar of the church so designated. The lands of Chapel were
anciently known as the barony of Cuthbertrig.

In the Council Chamber at Moffat, to which the party next
proceeded, Dr Pairman exhibited a very interesting collection
of articles from New Zealand (in which he was long resident),
illustrative of the life and customs of the Maoris, and also a
number of other curios; and Mr J. T. Johnstone, who had been
the guide for the day, shewed some examples of worm burrows
and castings from the shales of the neighbourhood. Tea was
provided through the kindness of several members resident in
Moffat.

A short business meeting was held, at which the Rev. Mr
Andson presided. Mrs Manson, Acrehead, Dumfries, and Mr
William Miller, Moffat, were admitted as new members.
Thanks were tendered to Mr Younger, Dr Pairman, Mr John-
stone, and to their hosts.

Field Meeting—28th July, 1906.
BONSHAW TOWER.

On the invitation of Colonel Irving a large party connected
with the Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Anti-
quarian Society visited “the chief ’’ at his ancestral home on
Saturday. Some went from Dumfries by train to Annan, and
thence drove across the country. Others motored all the way,

222 FIELD MEETINGS.

Mr Penman kindly placing at their disposal a handsome touring
car which he had just built, and which is seated for twelve.
Several journeyed from Lockerbie and Moffat. | When fully
mustered the company numbered 46. Bonshaw Tower stands
on the right bank of the Kirtle, which at this point rises as an
almost sheer rocky precipice to a height of about a hundred
feet; and it is screened by umbrageous wood, much of it of
venerable age. Beside it also is a bosky glen, with a succes-
sion of small waterfalls, and made accessible by pleasant paths
and rustic bridges. The tower itself is a venerable battle-
mented structure, of the square pattern common on the borders,
occupying the site and embodying probably part of the masonry
of a baronial residence which is believed to have existed there
from the early part of the eleventh century. Attached to it by
a long hall, which might be described as a museum of arms and
trophies of the chase, is the modern residence, the date of
which is attested by the following lettering on a memorial
stone: “1770. W. Irving J. Douglas.’’ The names are
those of the Irving chieftain of that day and his wife, a daughter
of the ducal house of Queensberry. The inscription is placed
over the main doorway, but that has been closed up, and tower
and mansion have now a common entrance. The terrace over-
looking the Kirtle is protected by low ramparts, on which are
mounted six old cannon, and at one angle are remains of a
smaller detached tower of ancient date. The flag of the Irvings,
bearing their badge of three holly leaves, floated from the tower.
Another Irving flag and the Scottish standard were displayed
from the ramparts; and a piper in full Highland costume
paraded the lawn playing a welcome to the visitors. They were
most kindly received and hospitably entertained by Colonel and
Mrs Irving and their daughters, and spent a most interesting
day in inspecting the old tower, of which the original character
has been preserved practically intact; in examining the many
interesting mementos which have been collected within it; and
listening to the Colonel’s breezy narrative regarding the annals
of the Irving clan, the stirring border scenes in which they
figured, and more recent events of a warlike character in which
individual members of it have taken part. “ Bonshaw’’ is
strongly possessed by pride of race and pride of country, and
has a well-grounded aspiration to be the historian as well as the

Firetp MEETINGS. 928

chief of his clan. Before succeeding to the estate and taking
up his residence at Bonshaw he served his Sovereign in the field.
His army experience was varied, beginning in the King’s Own
Regiment, and being subsequently transferred in succession to the
military train, the transport service, and the Manchester Regi-
ment. It was when colonel of this regiment that he retired from
the army and bade farewell to military service, except such as
may be incident to the duties of a member of the King’s Body-
guard for Scotland. He took part in the Abyssinian campaign
of 1867-8, and was at the storming of Magdala. Some of the
most interesting objects in the tower are connected with that
incident. They include a gold altar cross of Coptic work, with
ornamentation of serpents, doves, and crosses; a sacred cup, and
other articles which formed part of the loot of the capital.
There are also weapons of numerous and curious forms in use
in Abyssinia, Madagascar, South Africa, and India, as well as
those of continental armies. It was curious to see an old-
fashioned steel spur, with spikes of cruel length, such as was
anciently in use on the Scottish and English border, side by side
with one of the modern Mexican cowboy. ‘The resemblance in
shape is almost exact, but in the cowboy’s the spikes are shorter.
The walls are adorned with horns of the antelope, the vilde-
beest, and kindred species, and with antlers of the reindeer and
the wapiti deer—the latter specimen having no less than fourteen
tines.

Beginning the exploration of the tower, the visitors first
passed under “ the Crusader’s Stone,’’ which is built into the roof
of the little square entrance hall. It bears the sacred monogram
in ancient Hebrew letters, and tradition says that it was brought
from Jerusalem by an Irving who took part in one of the first
crusades. Passing into the retainers’ kitchen—a barrel-arched
apartment of spacious dimensions—they had their attention
directed to the immense stone bin, in which salted provisions
could be stored in time of siege, and had an opportunity of
making brief personal acquaintance with the dungeon. This is a
small apartment in the thickness of the wall, capable on a pinch
of holding fourteen persons. It is windowless and perfectly
dark, but a small opening in the wall carried right up to the
battlements admits of the ingress of a very meagre supply of air.
Opening off the same little entrance hall is the stone stair of the

224 Fretp MEETINGS.

?

wheel type; or, as it was often called, a “turnpike,’’ which goes
to the battlements, and off it open the various apartments of the
tower. The great hall is now the library. The apartment which
forms the second storey was the chief bedchamber. Here, in an
angle of the wall, is a little chamber from which a narrow square
opening in the wall is carried right to the foundations of the
Tower. Tradition has it that this communicated with a secret
passage cut through the freestone rock from Bonshaw to the
neighbouring tower of Robgill, about a mile distant; and that
through this passage, in time of need, food was conveyed to the
garrison of Bonshaw, and drawn up by a rope through this channel
in the wall. A hole in the rock is to be seen at the Robgill end,
which is said to have been the opening to this tunnel. A corre-
sponding but smaller opening is carried up from the roof of the
little chamber in the wall at Bonshaw to a still smaller secret
apartment above, in which a man might be concealed, and who
might be fed through that opening. The third storey has the
original heavy roof beams still in position, fastened together by
oak pins instead of the modern nails. This is now a billiard-
room. On the battlements there is a pathway along all four
sides of the tower, and on each side there are double openings,
through which molten lead or boiling oil could be poured on
assailants.

The tower has its traditional ghost of a hapless daughter of
the house, who was thrown from the battlements because of her
determination to wed a member of the house of Maxwell, with
whom the Irvings had a long and bitter feud; but, of course, it
does not walk by day, and it is disappointing to learn that it has
not been known to walk at all within living memory.

Colonel Irving showed his visitors some interesting family
records ; among them the marriage contract of Margaret John-
stone, of the Annandale family, and Christopher Irving, younger
of Bonshaw, in 1566. It bore to be signed “ at the Lockhouse,”’
which we take to be Lochwood, the ancient seat of the John-
stones, near Moffat. The father of the bride signed himself
simply “ Johnstone.’? Edward Irving of Bonshaw is made to say
that he signs it “ with my hand at the pen, led by a notary, at my
command, because I cannot write.’’ The Colonel mentioned
that this Irving was a striking proof that learning is not essential
to soldiering, for at the age of ninety he charged at the head of

re

FIeELD MEETINGS. 225

his clan on horseback at Dryfesands, and turned a threatened
defeat into victory for the Johnstones and Irvings. Cows and
other bestial figured in the dowry of which the marriage contract
made mention. Another possession of the family which attracted
attention was an old chap-book containing an account of the
capture of Donald Cargill, the Cameronian leader, by Christopher
Irving of Bonshaw, at Covington Mill, and picturing his unholy
glee at thus securing a reward of five thousand merks which had
been offered by the Government of the day.

The visitors were entertained to luncheon and tea; and in
course of the afternoon a meeting of the society was held in the
library, at which the following new members were proposed by
Mr Arnott, seconded by Dr Semple, and admitted :—Mr and Mrs
W. Matthews, Dunelm, Maxwelltown ; Mr and Mrs White, Noble-
hill Schoolhouse ; Mr George Will, Crichton Royal Institution ;
and Miss Graham, Kilbarchan. Mr Dickie, who presided,
tendered the thanks of the society to Colonel Irving for his kind
invitation to visit Bonshaw and for the generous hospitality ex-
tended to them, and asked him to convey their thanks also to Mrs
Irving and the members of their family. It was a privilege, he
said, to have the opportunity of examining a typical border tower
so well preserved as Bonshaw was, and entwined as it was with
the story of old romance and warlike foray ; and it was even more
interesting to meet in their host a survival of the border chieftain.
They had experience of his kindly nature; and might say of him
that the gentle heart of a knight of chivalry beat under the rough
armour of a border chief. Dr M‘Lachlan, Lockerbie, seconded
the vote of thanks, and observed that, notwithstanding the rather
unfavourable weather, they had spent a most interesting and
pleasant day. Colonel Irving assured them it had been a great
pleasure to welcome the society to Bonshaw, and confessed that
he loved the old tower like a living creature.

226 FIELD MEETINGS.

Field Meeting—Sth September, 1906.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)
SPRINGKELL AND ECCLEFECHAN.

The last of the season’s field meetings of Dumfriesshire and
Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society took place on
Saturday, when between forty and fifty ladies and gentlemen paid
a flying visit to Hoddom Church and Ecclefechan, and spent the
afternoon at Springkell, as the guests of Sir Edward and Lady
Johnson-Ferguson, viewing the works of art of which their palatial
residence is a veritable treasure-house, and enjoying a walk along
the sylvan banks of the Kirtle to the scene of the tragedy of love
and jealousy celebrated in the fine old ballad of “ Fair Helen.’’
The bulk of the party journeyed from Dumfries ; and on the way
their number received accessions from Annan, Lockerbie, and
Moffat. Driving from Annan by way of Hoddom Bridge, they
first halted at the parish church of Hoddom and had an oppor-
tunity of viewing the interior, in which the old custom of a
separate gallery for the chief heritor is still maintained. In the
porch is preserved an inscribed slab, which links Christian Britain
of the twentieth century with Pagan Rome of the second. It is
a tablet dedicated to Jupiter, and was probably brought from the
important military station of Birrens (on the farm of Broadlea,
near Kirtlebridge), or perhaps from the post which the Roman
soldiery occupied on Birrenswark Hill. It was built into the
wall of the old church, for which much of the material might be
got from the buildings left by the Romans, and since its demoli-
tion in 1815 the stone has been preserved in the modern church.
Many of the words in the inscription are contracted, the first three
being represented only by initials ; but the skilled in such matters
render it thus: “Sacred to Jupiter, the best and greatest. The
First Cohort of Germans, called the Nervana, under the command
of L. Fenius Felix, the tribune, erected this.’’ Among the
memorials of the dead in the surrounding graveyard is the family
tombstone of the Sharpes of Hoddom, the record on which in-
cludes the names of the litterateur, Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe,
and his brother, General Matthew Sharpe, the first popularly
elected member of Parliament for the Dumfries Burghs. One of
the oldest stones is inscribed in large raised letters to the memory

ne

Fietp MEETINGS. 227

of “Mr Mathew Reid, who laboured in the church of Steipel-
goordoune,’”’ an old parish now incorporated in Langholm, and
who died seven years before the Prince of Orange came to the
throne of these islands. A never-failing object of curiosity is the
tribute to the perfect woman. A stone raised aloft, so that all

may read, proclaims her virtues in these terms :—
1779.

This monument is erected by James Clow of Land in
memory of Mary Hunter, his spouse. She was daughter of
Robert Hunter, late in Middleshaw, and sister of John
Hunter in Braehead of Hoddam. She was a virtuous wife,
a loving mother, and one esteemed by all who knew her.
And to be short in her praise, she was the wife that Solomon

speaks of in the xxxi. chap. of the Book of Prov. from the
10th verse to the end.

Affliction sore some time she bore
With patience, did resign

Her life to God, that sure abode
Where saints and angels reign.

A satirical dominie of the parish, William Irving, who is
credited with the authorship of that “ pungent pasquil,’’ “ Lag’s
Elegy,’’ presented another side of the shield in the following
thyming commentary :

‘« She was the wife!’’ Oh Solomon, thou fool,
To make a pattern o’ this grubbing tool;

She clothe her house in silk and scarlet fine!
Say rather i’ the linsey woolsey twine,

Her husband ’mongst the elders at the gate!
Yes—known for nothing but an empty pate,
For guzzling down whole chappins o’ sma’ beer,
And selling meal and maut a groat too dear.
Such were the honest, silly ‘‘ Clows’’—say clowns,
Which every roll of honest fame disowns,

Who erst, like Moses, brake the ten commands,
That is the sacred relicts of the Lands.’’

Driving along the beautiful tree-fringed avenue that forms the
highway between the church and village, the party called at thz
churchyard of the ancient parish of Ecclefechan, their chief
object, of course, being to view the graves of Thomas Carlyle and
his kindred. The place has a more cared-for appearance than it
once presented, and a number of old stones, of cumbrous form

228 Fretp MEETINGS.

and in some instances uncouthly lettered, have been set up against
the wall for preservation. One of them bears the date 1669.
Above the severely simple inscription on the tombstone of Car-
lyle and his brother, Dr John, are carved the family crest—two
wyverns—and motto, “ Humilitate.’’ It was noted that the coat
of arms, somewhat varied in style, also appears on the back of
the stone erected to the memory of his parents by a family
“ gratefully reverent of such a father and such a mother ;’’ and on
several other Carlyle stones scattered throughout the churchyard.
“The Arched House ”’ was also visited, and the numerous articles
connected with Carlyle which are appropriately preserved in his
birthplace were examined with great interest. Several of the
company also made a call on Mr Graham, merchant, and were
privileged to see three letters in the autograph of Admiral Lord
Nelson, which are family heirlooms. They were addressed to Mr
Graham’s grand-uncle, Dr Graham, a naval surgeon, who served
with the hero of Trafalgar on one of the ships which he com-
manded. The first was written from Burnham, Norfolk, in 1790,
when Nelson was awaiting appointment to a ship. In it he com-
plains of being greatly plagued by prosecutions about “ these
captures in the West Indies.’’ An action had been raised against
him for £5000 on account of one captured vessel ; and while he
was being defended by the Government, the action was a source
of annoyance to him, and he contemplated the possibility that he
might be put in prison if the decision should be given against
him. He whose famous signal to his fleet has since become a
historic trumpet-call to discharge the whole of duty, wrote to Dr
Graham under the exasperation of that experience :—“ All this
shews that one may do his duty too well.’’ Another of the letters
was the first which the Admiral wrote with his left hand; and his
correspondent used to relate that he practised writing with the left
hand before he lost the right arm under a presentiment that such
a calamity might overtake him. ‘The third letter acknowledges
congratulations on his elevation to the peerage. Dr Graham had
proposed to make him the compliment of a brace of birds, and the
Admiral asked that they should be sent by waggon to London, a
practical commentary on the changes in locomotion which the
years have witnessed.

From Ecclefechan the drive was continued by way of Kirtle-
bridge and Eaglesfield to Springkell ; but on the way a detour was

—_— ee ee

es

>

F |

Fretp MEETINGS. 229

made along the avenue of Blackett House in order to view
Blackett Tower, which was the seat of the head of the Bells of
Middlebie. The rejected suitor of Helen Irving was a Bell,
and this is reputed to have been his residence. It has been a
small tower of the customary square type, and is now in ruins,
although on two sides the walls are entire. Over an entrance way
is a shield lettered thus :—

IB Il
1663.

We have here doubtless the record of the marriage of a Bell with
another Irving than “ Fair Helen.’’ A lintel on the inner side of
the arch also serves as a marriage stone, the inscription being in

one line :—
17 GB IE 14

At Springkell a very cordial welcome was extended to the
Visitors. It is a stately mansion-house, of Grecian design, in
light-coloured sandstone. The central portion is a massive
square block, having the date 1734 carved over the doorway in
the southern front, which is flanked by graceful pilasters. On
each side of it is a slightly projecting wing of about equal size,
these having been added about the year 1818. During the twelve
years that the property has been in the possession of Sir Edward
and Lady Johnson-Ferguson the house has been entirely recon-
structed, so that not a plank of the original wood remains in it,
and it has also been somewhat enlarged. A very beautiful ter-
raced garden has also been constructed, which is at present gay
with choice blooms. Arboriculture is an art which has been long
practised at Springkell, and of which the fruit is seen in the
magnificent specimens of trees of various kinds which stud the
extensive lawns. Among them are a giant silver fir, a great
Spanish chestnut, and many others notable not more for their
size than for their symmetrical proportions. Of beeches there
isanoble avenue. The turf is of rich velvety quality, and recalls
the anecdote of the American visitor at Oxford, who wished to
know how it would be possible to obtain such a grassy carpet.
“By two hundred years of close cutting every day ’’ was the
recipe offered to him.

The art treasures which Sir Edward has inherited and him-
self collected would adequately furnish a civic gallery. Through-

230 Fretp MEETINGS.

out almost its whole length the house is intersected by a broad
corridor, the walls of which are covered with oil paintings, as are
also those of a spacious apartment opening off it. There are
examples of the most distinguished British artists, one that arrests
popular attention most readily being Landseer’s large canvas,
“Taking the Buck ;’? and Dutch, Italian, and French masters are
also largely represented. Many of the paintings have a history
which invests them also with an extrinsic interest. Many family
portraits have a place in the collection, including one of Lady
Johnson-Ferguson, painted since she came to Springkell by Sir
Luke Fildes, R.A. The drawing-room is devoted to water-
colours, of which the collection is at once choice and extensive.
Here also is the marble bust of Queen Victoria by Mr Brock,
R.A., the last for which her Majesty gave sittings, and the great
merit of which has secured for the sculptor the commission for
the statue which is to be placed in front of Buckingham Palace.
Many other beautiful pieces of statuary adorn the house. One
of these is a marble bust of Sir Edward’s father, which was pre-
sented to the family by the employees of the firm which he
founded in Manchester and Bolton. In the morning-room there
is a superb collection of Turner prints, embracing the whole of
the early issue of reproductions of the work of Ruskin’s idol,
engraved with exquisite finish. In the library again is an exten-
sive portrait gallery of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ prints ; and another
apartment contains a large collection of prints of Landseer’s
works. The family have travelled largely and have brought from
many lands articles curious and rare, illustrative of modern life
and ancient art. India, Egypt, the Soudan, Japan, Persia,
Palestine, Italy, Greece have all been laid under contribution,
and other countries as well. These curios, as well as the
pictures, were displayed and explained to the party as they were
piloted through the house by Sir Edward and Lady Johnson-
Ferguson and a lady relative.

Springkell estate comprehends the whole of the ancient
parish of Kirkconnel, which is now incorporated in Kirkpatrick-
Fleming. Kirkconnel was indeed the old name of the estate, as
of the parish, and a village as well as a residence of old date
existed near the spot where the modern mansion stands. The
little “God’s acre’’ of the parish stands on a rising ground on
the left bank of the Kirtle, approached by a pretty glade through

FIELD MEETINGS. 231

the policies, of which it virtually forms part. Two heavy oblong
slabs, raised on short supports, and lichen-grey, cover the tombs
of Helen Irving and the lover whom she died to save. Not
within living memory has any inscription been legible on the
former ; and from the latter has now practically disappeared what
Wordsworth in his ballad calls “ its lone hic jacet,’’ although but
a few years ago we were able to decipher quite distinctly the
lettering, “ Hic jacet Adam Fleming.’’ The figure of a sword,
extending almost the full length of the stone, is still quite legibly
outlined, and another device beside it, which may have been
intended for a cross, is more faintly seen. ‘The story is a familiar
one. Of two suitors the lady preferred Fleming (probably one of
the Flemings of Redhall). Bell, inflamed by jealousy and dis-
appointment, concealed himself on the opposite bank while the
lovers strolled by the side of the Kirtle; then emerged from
behind a tree and aimed a shot at his successful rival. Observing
his murderous intent, the lady stepped before her lover, and
received in her own bosom the bullet which was aimed at his.
Swift vengeance was wrecked on her slayer by Fleming, who
then fled the country and sought the balm of forgetfulness in
foreign wars, but brought back to his mistress’s grave a broken
heart to be laid beside her. The romantic incident, which is
traditionally assigned to the time of Mary Queen of Scots, has
been the theme of many minstrels. We reproduce below the old
form of the popular ballad, the authorship of which is ascribed
to W. S. Irving, a native of Hoddom, who came to a tragic end
by his own hand in Edinburgh. Sir Walter Scott, in his
“Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border,’’ mentions a doubt whether
Helen was not of the same family as her “ undoer,’’ but there
seems no reason to set aside the tradition that she was an Irving,
of the family which possessed the estate of Kirkconnel until
shortly after the year 1600, when it passed into the hands of the
Maxwells. Several Irvings of Kirkconnel are commemorated in
a burial plot adjoining her grave, which closely neighbours the
roofless walls of the tiny church. Outside the burial ground is
set up a large cross of coarse-grained sandstone, hewn out of a
single block. This is understood to mark either the spot on
which the tragedy was enacted, or to which Fleming carried the
heroine when he saw her wounded. One of the arms of the cross
has been partly broken, On each arm there is a sunken space,

232 FreL_p MEETINGS.

which suggests that a brass plate had been inserted; but if so,
the plate has disappeared, and the cross bears no chiselled record
of its purpose.

Among several curious stones in the burial ground is one
with a grotesque piece of sculpture, shewing a lady, like Annie
Laurie, “jimp aboot the middle,’’ and with the lacing of her
dress prominently displayed. The gossips have it that it is the
effigy of a victim of tight lacing; but it does not shew intrinsic
evidence of being anything but a crude attempt at an ordinary
piece of sculpture. Below there is a smaller figure suggestive of
a knight on mail-clad horse.

The visitors were entertained to tea; and before rising from
the table Mr Barbour, architect, a vice-president of the society,
tendered their very cordial thanks to Sir Edward and Lady
Johnson-Ferguson for the delightful day they had spent at Spring-
kell. Sir Edward assured the visitors it had been a great pleasure
to them to welcome the Antiquarian and Natural History Society.
They undoubtedly had very many beautiful things there, the
result of the acquisition of a number of generations, and he
thought half the pleasure of possessing them was to allow their
friends to see them.

Mr W. J. Payne, solicitor, Annan, was admitted a new
member.

FAIR HELEN OF KIRKCONNEL-LEE.

‘“‘[T wish 1 were where Helen lies!
Night and day on me she cries ;
O that I were where Helen lies,

On Fair Kirkconnel-lee.

“‘Curst be the heart that thought the thought,
And curst the hand that fired the shot,
When in my arms burd Helen dropt,

And died to succour me!

‘©O think ye na my heart was sair
When my love dropt doun and spak nae mair!
There did she swoon wi’ meikle care,
On fair Kirkconnel-lee.

“As I went doun the water side,
None but my foe to be my guide,
None but my foe to be my guide,

On fair Kirkconnel-lee.

FietpD MEETINGS. 233

‘“‘T lighted doun, my sword did draw,
I hacked him in pieces sma’,
I hacked him in pieces sma’,
For her sake that died for me.

‘““O Helen fair beyond compare!
Pll weave a garland of thy hair,
Shall bind my heart for evermair,
Until the day I dee!

“OQ that I were where Helen lies!
Night and day on me she cries;
Out of my bed she bids me rise,

Says, ‘ Haste, and come to me!’

““O Helen fair! O Helen chaste!
Were I with thee I would be blest,
Where thou lies low, and takes thy rest
On Fair Kirkconnel-lee.

““T wish my grave were growing green,
A winding sheet drawn o’er my e’en,
And I in Helen’s arms lying

On Fair Kirkconnel-lee.

““I wish I were where Helen lies!
Night and day on me she cries;
And I am weary of the skies,

For her sake that died for me.’’

234

Abstract of Accounts for Year

ep
CHARGE.
1. Balance from Session 1905-6... Bs a aoe se el) “One :
2. Arrears of Subscription recovered as ar a — 3 00
3. Annual Subscriptions from 178 Members __... ¢ Fc 43 7 6
4. Sum repaid by Mr George Irving for Blocks and pues

used in printing his paper... oh ane ase ee LE (6°
5. Arrears of Subscription ... bide “a oe me sez 115 0

To Balance due by Treasurer bt aie ase Bee » SIZ Oe

Domrrizs, 11th October, 1906.—We have examined the Books anc
quarian Society for the year ending 30th September last, and certify that th
operatioas.

ending 30th September, 1906.

Lie
DISCHARGE.
1. Rents and Insurances ___... Shs ie nae oe hen acon leno
2. Advertising Meetings... sae oa or a oe ay

3. Printing and Stationery :—

1, Annual Subscription for Annals of Scottish

History ... as ee : ae fe el) ee
2. R. Grieve & Son e 5 sis el OReG
3. Dumfries Standard for Printing Trangactions 24 15 0
4 J. Maxwell & Son ay ee Fo fy a 2s
—-— 40 15 1
4, Miscellaneous :—
1. Hire of Cabs (Bruce Sexcentenary) ... concn) ff
ween. Durner ss ae oe “83 ee le OS
3. J. R. M‘Lean en... sae ta AS O00 4G
4. Bank Commission, ce. ... ae Soe see oe NOE PD
a eI 3 2)
5. Posts, &c. :—
‘1. Posts of Transactions ... Sie bes £15 +0
2. Secretary and Treasurer Tee se i ec) a
— 5 4 6
6. Balance :—
In Savings Bank ... <tr at aA Sorc A ay
In Deposit Receipt ... “oe oe ae Soe UY A
SUS I
Balance due Clydesdale Bank ... re 612 3
—— L219) 2

£70 12 2

Accounts of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Anti-
foregoing Abstract exhibits a true and correct account of the Treasurer’s

(Signed) JOHN SYMONS, Auditor.
BERTRAM M‘GOWAN, Auditor.

236

UD. al as Be Bs od ie

OCTOBER 6TH.

Miss M‘Kie, Moat House, Dumfries—-Large sunflower, 10 feet
high.

The Secretary—Flowering branch of Bambusa Henonis,
Colchicum autumnale fl. pl., Crocuses iridiflorus and
zonatus.

NOVEMBER 23RD.

Mr George Irving, Corbridge-on-Tyne—(1) A declaration of
loyalty by inhabitants of Morton; (2) scheme of valuation of
division of Hightae community ; (3) burgess ticket of burgh
of Dumfries to George Sharp of Hoddom, dated 1767; (4)
burgess ticket of city of Glasgow to George Sharp of
Hoddom, about same date; (5) burgess ticket of burgh of
Linlithgow to James Kirkpatrick, son of Sir Thomas, second
Baronet of Closeburn, with seal attached; (6) plan of
Birdoswald camp, recently visited by the society. :

Mr J. Laidlaw, Lockerbie—Old sermons published in Dumfries
in the eighteenth century.

Mr A. Turner, Chemist, Dumfries—A relic of David Livingstone,
taken from his medicine chest.

Mr J. S. Thomson, Jeweller, Dumfries—(1) Seismographic record
showing the movement of the earth at Paisley on the occa-
sion of the recent Indian earthquake; (2) piece of Banket
gold reef from West Africa.

Mr Harry Edgar, Ferguslea—(1) Tenor granting John Carruthers
of Denbie power to uplift the stipend of the parish of
Tundergarth ; (2) burgess ticket of Dumfries, dated June,
1808, in favour of Richard Hetherington, of the Annandale
and Eskdale Local Militia; (3) lieutenant’s commission in
East India Company’s service, signed by Earl Cornwallis,
of date 6th April, 1785; (4) act of freedom of burgh of
Dumfries in favour of John Carruthers of Denbie, dated 4th

EXHIBITS. on

June, 1808 ; (5) burgess ticket of New-Galloway in favour of
Viscount Kenmure, dated 17th September, 1820.

Mr M. H. M‘Kerrow, Solicitor, Dumfries—Skin of a _ baby
crocodile shot by his brother on the Paraquay river, South
America; also a lizard’s skin, two python skins, a toucan,
and the nest of the tailor bird.

Mr S. Arnott, the secretary—Two rare species of meadow saffron
and an Albanian autumn snowdrop flowered in the open at
Sunnymead, Maxwelltown, on 12th October.

Professor Scott-Elliot—Photographs -of cup and ring markings
found in Wigtownshire.

Mr Service—-Several exhibits referred to in report of proceedings,
and larvae of Death’s Head Moth found in the end of
October on farm of Townhead, Closeburn.

DECEMBER 18TH, 1905.

Series of paintings of Swiss plants and British orchids not found
in this locality, shown by and the work of Mrs Thompson,
Castle Street.

Rev. H. A. Whitelaw-—A number of ancient Eastern lamps, one
of pre-Christian date found at Joppa, while the others were
mostly Roman-Christian; a number of coins of Bible times
and others of the period of Charlemagne, and Robert of
Anjou; and a curious dice box.

Mr R. Murray-—Eastern lamp.

Mr Reid, Chemist—A number of stereoscopic views illustrative
of local scenes, as well as of the siege of Paris and of Alpine
regions.

Mr H. Edgar and Mr Robert Service, jun.—Old burgess tickets
of Annan and Dumfries; the former documents of the old
East India Company.

The President—Fossils of fish found in the chalk near Brighton ;
also seeds of the common yew, found in the gizzard of a hen
pheasant.

‘Mr J. T. Johnstone, Moffat—A number of specimens of deposits
found at Moffat sewage works.

Mrs Jeffrey, St. Mary’s Isle Gardens—A list of wild flowers found
on St. Mary’s Isle as a contribution to the botany of the Isle.

Mr James Lennox—A number of lantern slides of local Abbeys,
Castles, and Towers.

238 EXHIBITS.

DECEMBER 15TH, 1906.

Mr J. Bryce Duncan, Newlands—Chrysanthemum sport showing
three colours.

Mr James Watt—Photographs, curios, and maps, to illustrate his
lecture, which see.

Mr John Miller, of the Haussaland Horse—A large number of
curios.

The President—A number of E. African photographs.

Mr R. Service—Male and female specimens of a new vole
recently discovered in the Orkney Isles by Mr Millais ; a brass
medal, found in Lochrutton, and struck to commemorate |
coronation of William IV. and Adelaide ; a very fine green- _
stone celt found in lower Dumfriesshire in 1905—size, 54 by
34 by £ by 13 inches.

JANUARY 26TH.

Dr Martin—Short cross sterling or penny of Henry II. found in
digging a grave in Holywood Churchyard.

Mr C. Cumming, Dumfries—Two similar coins found there also,
one in 1902 and the other in 1904.

Miss M. Carlyle Aitken—Brass coin found in a fig.

Mr Frank Millar, Annan—Photo of Gretna Green marriage
certificate.

Mr Harry F. Edgar
coins, etc.

Mr James Reid—A number of very fine stereoscopic photograph
views.

Upwards of 1000 casts of cameos, medals,

FEBRUARY 2ND.
Town Council of Lochmaben—A number of interesting relics
belonging to the Burgh of Lochmaben.
FEBRUARY 16TH.
The Secretary—‘ The Scots Gardener,’’ 2nd edition, 1721, and
“Flora, Ceres, and Pomona,’’ by John Rea, 1665.
LOCKERBIE MEETING.
FEBRUARY 24TH.

Valuable exhibits were shown by Colonel Rogerson of Gillesbie, |
Colonel Irving of Bonshaw, Miss Wallace, Lochvale, Loch--

EXHIBITS. 239

maben; Mr John Maxwell, H.M. Travelling Commissioner,
Gold Coast ; and the Secretary.

Marcu 16TH.

Mr James Lennox—Limestone celt found in Cummertrees ; stone
whorl found at Rockhall, Torthorwald; a shilling and two
sixpences of Queen Elizabeth found respectively in Cummer-
trees, Mouswald, and Torthorwald, dated 1575 and 1566.

Mr R. Service—Dried flower of Physianthus albens, to which
was caught, by its long tongue, one of the Sphinx Moths,
from the Transvaal.

Mr W. M‘Cutcheon—Cocoa nut emptied by tits.

Misses Henderson, 92 Queen’s Place—Pair old shoe buckles, old
knife and fork; walking stick, which belonged to Provost
John Crosbie, Provost of Dumfries in 1712 and following
years; and the following Jacobite relics:—Teapot used at’
“Prince Charlie’s’’ table when im Dumfries in 1745, and
claret jug from which the Prince drank.

ApRIL 20TH.
Mrs Thompson, Inveresk, Dumfries—Water-colour paintings of
wild flowers.
Mr Dermid M. Ross, Duntrune-—Roman and other coins.

May 4TH.

Mr R. Service—Stone mallet, sent by Mr Douglas, Barstibly, and
found on his farm; piece of vitreous silica got at extreme
point of living rock.

Mr W. Dickie—Cast adder’s skin found on Skeoch Hill.

Mr J. Rutherford, Jardington—Equatorial star-finder, designed
by himself.

240

DONATIONS AND EXCHANGES.

Mr John M‘KRie, R.N., Kirkcudbright—-A set of photographs
relating to Billy Marshall, the Galloway Gypsy.

Mr H. Penfold—* Guide to Brampton,’’ written by himself.

Mr J. S. Thomson—Photograph of record of earthquakes in
India in March, 1905, as recorded in Paisley Observatory.

Mr George Irving, Corbridge-on-Tyne—Plans of Birdoswald
Camp and Hoddom Bridge.

Mr James Barbour—Engravings of the Insignia of the Burgh of
Dumfries, drawing of the old house of the Corsan family,
St. Michael Street, Dumfries; drawing of the arms of the
Corsans; impression from plate of old form of burgess
ticket for the burgh of Dumfries; drawing of old kiln for
grain; photograph of Lochrutton Crannog, taken during
the society’s excavations; plan of Old Bridge, Dumfries,
showing its original length; photograph of Yuma Indians ;
and photograph of a shield with the war cry of the burgh of
Dumfries—* ’A Loreburn.’”’

Mr Frank Millar, Annan—Photograph of form used at Alison’s
Bank, Gretna, for irregular or “Gretna Green marriages ”’
before John Murray.

A number of exchanges have also been received from various
societies with which this society is in correspondence.

moo flo BS.

Ordinary Meetings of the Society are generally held on the
Ist and 3rd Fridays of each month of the winter session, which
begins in October. Papers on Natural History Antiquarian, and
Scientific subjects, with occasional lectures, are given at these
meetings.

Exhibits cognate to the work of the Society are also shown
at these Meetings, and the co-operation of members in increasing
the number of exhibits is solicited.

Field Meetings are held during the Summer Months as may
be arranged.

?

The Society’s “Transactions ’’ are published annually, and
are distributed among the members free of charge. Non-
members can purchase copies from the Treasurer, Mr M. H.
M‘Kerrow, 30 St. David Street, Dumfries, from whom any back
numbers in stock can be purchased.

The Society’s Library, which includes a number of Natural
History, Archzeological, and Scientific Works, and a series of
the “Transactions ’’’ of many of the leading learned societies,
with which this society is in correspondence, is available for refer-
ence in the Ewart Public Library, Dumfries. Members of the
Society have the privilege of borrowing these books on applica-
tion to the Librarian at the Library.

The Society’s Museum and Herbarium, which contains an
almost complete collection of specimens of the local flora, are
available for reference in the Library.

“The Reliquary,’’ “The Scottish Historical Review,’’ and
“The Annals of Scottish Natural History ’’ are circulated quar-

249 NOTICES.

terly among the members who desire them, the postage only being
payable by the members of each circle. Particulars can be had
from the Secretary.

A Photographic Committee has been formed for the purpose
of securing a Photographic Record of Dumfries and Galloway.
Photographs will be welcomed, and can be sent to the Secretary
of the Committee, Mr W. A. Mackinnel, The Sheiling, Dumfries.

The Society will be glad of the adhesion of ladies and
gentlemen interested in the various departments of its operations,
and the Secretary will be glad to hear from any who may desire to
become members, with a view to their nomination. The annual
subscription is 5s; where there are more than one member from a
family each one after the first pays 2s 6d.

243

fy ee ies

Rules of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History
and Antiquarian Society, as submitted for approval and adoption
by the Council, and adopted at the Annual General Meeting held
on October 12th, 1906.

I. The Society shall be called the “Dumfriesshire and
Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society.”’

II. The aims of the Society shall be to secure a more frequent
interchange of thought and opinion among those who devote
themselves to the study of Natural History, Archeology, and
kindred subjects; and to elicit and diffuse a taste for these
studies.

III. The Society shall consist of Ordinary, Honorary, and
Corresponding Members. The Ordinary Members shall be
persons proposed and elected at any meeting of the society by a
vote of the majority present. The Honorary and Corresponding
Members shall be persons distinguished for attainments connected
with the objects of the Society, and elected on the recommenda-
tion of the Council.

IV. Ordinary Members shall contribute annually five shil-
lings in advance, or such other sum as may be agreed upon at the
annual general meeting. When more than one person from the
same family join the Society all after the first shall pay half fee.
By making a single payment of £5 any one duly elected may
become a member for life. ©

V. The Office-Bearers of the Society shall consist of a Presi-
dent, Four Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian,
Curator of Museum, and Curator of Herbarium, who, together
with not more than Three Honorary Vice-Presidents, and Ten
other Members, shall constitute the Council, holding office for one

244 RULES.

year only, but being eligible for re-election, subject to the follow-
ing conditions :—One Vice-President and Two Ordinary Members
of Council shall retire annually according to seniority in their
respective offices, and shall not be eligible for re-election to the
same office for one year. Three shall for a quorum.

VI. Meetings of the Society shall be held as may be arranged
by the Council.

VII. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in October,
at which the Office-Bearers and other Members of the Council,
together with Two Auditors, shall be elected, Reports (General
and Financial) submitted, and other business transacted. The
Council shall have power to make arrangements for discharging
the duties of any vacant office.

VIII. A Member may introduce a Friend to any Meeting of
the Society.

IX. The Secretary shall keep the Minutes of the Society’s
proceedings, shall conduct the Ordinary Correspondence of the
Society, and submit a Report at the Annual General Meeting,
which report shall, zzter alia, contain a statement of the atten-
dance of Members at the Council Meetings. He shall call all
Ordinary Meetings, subject to the instructions of the Council, and,
on receiving the instructions of the Council or President, or a
Requisition signed by Six Members, shall call a Special Meeting
of the Society. On receiving the instructions of the President or
a Requisition signed by Three Members of the Council, he shall
forthwith call a Meeting of that body.

X. The Treasurer shall keep a List of the Members, collect —

the Subscriptions, take charge of the Funds, and make payments
therefrom under the direction of the Council, to whom he shall
present an Annual Account, to be made up to 30th September in
each year, and to be audited for submission to the Annual General
Meeting.

XI. Members whose subscriptions are in arrear for two years
and have received notice from the Treasurer shall cease to be
members.

RULES. 245

XII. The Society, unless otherwise arranged, shall have the
power to publish in whole or in part any paper read before it in
its “ Transactions ’’ or otherwise. The “Transactions ’’ of the
Society shall be published from time to time, as may be con-
venient, and shall be distributed to all Members contributing five
shillings per annum and all Life-Members. Contributors of
Papers shall, after giving timeous notice to the Secretary before
publication, be entitled to receive ten copies of their papers, as
and when published.

XIII. Alterations of any Rule, or the addition of New Rules,
shall only be made with the consent of a majority of those present
at the Annual General Meeting, and notice of proposed alterations
must be given to the Secretary a month previous to the meeting.

246

LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY

DURING 1906.

Those who joined the Society at its reorganisation on 3rd
November, 1876, are indicated by an asterisk.

LIFE MEMBERS.

Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, K.G.,

ke Bae nano a cherinen Cor ce TCnEe ae toactn ometaan nAacoe 10th Jan., 1895.
Earl of Mansfield, Scone Palace, Perth ............ 10th Oct., 1897.
F. R. Coles, 1 Oxford Terrace, Edinburgh...... 11th Nov., 1881.
Wm. D. Robinson Douglas, F.L.S., Orchard-

LOM Zan aGianer noes vee gee ceeians heen seo eewiaiaeere tee 11th Nov., 1881.
Thomas Fraser, Maxwell Knowe, Dalbeattie ...2nd March, 1888.
Alex. Young Herries, Spottes, Dalbeattie.

J. J. Hope-Johnstone, Raehills, Lockerbie ......... 3rd May, 1884.
Wan. Js, Elemmes, Maxwell, Munches: ..i-\s0.-as+-.00 Ist Oct., 1886.
Miss M‘Kie, Moat House, Dumfries ............... 14th Dec., 1894.
Samuel Smith, P.C., 20 Chapel Street, Liver-

POG] pee wietiad ess va dtueea deine senses cacetamansane tees 17th Jan., 1896.
Sir Mark J. M‘Taggart Stewart, Bart., South-

Wilko ae cence Saahustoneser sec teroe Anretpetarourenis estar 7th June, 1884.
Captain Wm. Stewart, Shambellie .:............00.. 8th Nov., 1894.

HONORARY MEMBERS.

Baker, J. G., F.R.S., Royal Herbarium, Kew ...2nd May, 1890.
Brown, J. Harvie, F.L.S., Larbert.
Carruthers, Wm., F.R.S., British Museum.
Chinnock, E. J., LL.D., 41 Brackley Road,
Chiswick: Wo s3.00).aseracs- sve Seegrtenteracaesee: 5th Nov., 1880,

List OF MEMBERS. 247

Davidson, Dr Anstruther, Los Angelis ............ 6th March, 1891.
M‘Andrew, James, 69 Spotteswoode Street,

Edinburgh.
M‘Millan, Alex., Castle-Douglas.
BG As LS NEWCASUIC sii. caccioeesscessteeens 10th Nov., 1893.
Sharp, Dr David, F.R.S., Cambridge.
RGus IO UTETIOS #2 fo osielan sist os sleise bie es ia.n 28th Oct., 1904.
Taylor, Robert Hibbert, M.D., Liverpool ......... 2nd June, 1888.
BMT POS. 5: LAVCEDOOL fink vseosnebecessteoeee reds ces 29th June, 1888.

ORDINARY MEMBERS.

Agnew, Sir A. N., Bart., of Lochnaw, Stranraer ...9th Jan., 1891.
Aitken, Miss M. Carlyle, 21 Dunbar Terrace,
POET MIOS Soi atvanui yimaimegees seed bane cnense’ Ist June, 1883.

Andson, Rev. W., Newall Terrace, Dumfries ...... 3rd Oct., 1886.
Armstrong, T. G., Timber Merchant, 24 Rae
BREESE DUMMIES, cnvicneseaadeasecnensesent 9th Sept., 1905.
Armstrong, F., Burgh Surveyor, Dumfries ......... 6th Oct., 1905.
Arnott, S., Sunnymead, Maxwelltown ........... Sea ste een ees ae 1893.
Arnott, Mrs S., Sunnymead, Maxwelltown ......... 5th Jan., 1906.
Atkinson, Mrs, The Ladies’ Club, Castle
SECC tay DUMMIES Pee. ces sonteeswie.chs careuietciene 28th Oct., 1904.
Barbour, James, St. Christopher’s, Dumfries...... 3rd Dec., 1880.
Barbour, Robert, Belmont, Maxwelltown ...... 4th March, 1887.
Barbour, Robert, Solicitor, Maxwelltown......... llth May, 1889.
Barker, John, Redlands, Dumfries ............... 23rd Sept., 1905.
Beattie, Thos., Davington, Langholm ............ 30th May, 1896.
Bell, Richard, of Castle O’er, Langholm ......... 30th May, 1896.
Bell, Miss, 26 Castle Street, Dumfries ............ 25th Nov., 1894.
Bell, 1. Hope, Morrington, Dunscore ............ 22nd Oct., 1897.
~ Blacklock, Pl ,isoletor, Dimless 4 i520 npn: 8th May, 1896.
Borland, John, Auchencairn, Closeburn ............ 7th Sept., 1895.
Bowie, J. M., The Hain, Dalbeattie Road,
IVIEDWCNILONOIE. catmese cn caneectecceaiieses sce 15th Dec., 1905.

Browne, Sir James Crichton, 61 Carlisle Place,
Mansions, Victoria Street, London, $.W...3rd Sept., 1892.
Brown, Stephen, Boreland, Lockerbie ............ 10th June, 1899.

248 List oF MEMBERS.

Brown, I’. M.,Closeburn, Thornhill ...2.0..... 6th Aug., 1891.
Bryson, Alex., Irish Street, Dumfries ............... 6th Feb., 1891.

Cairns, Rev. J., Ivy Lodge, Albany, Dumfries...6th Feb., 1891.
Campbell, Rev. J. M., St. Michael’s Manse,

1B} itr0y nats \preers se OW a ae ee eer 1 15th Dec., 1905.
Carmont, James, Banker, Dumfries .................. 6th Feb., 1891.
Clarke, Dr, Charlotte Street, Dumfries ............ 6th June, 1889.
Charlton, John, Huntingdon, Dumfries ......... 15th Dec., 1905.
Chrystie, R., Dentist, Irving Street, Dumfries...... 3rd Nov., 1905.
Chrystie; Miss. “Ervine, Street .:b.~.cpuceacas asec 5th Jan., 1906.
Coats aw. Ac pore als keaintinusees, asaceneeeess aes 18th Sept., 1896.
Copland, Miss, The Old House, Newabbey ...... dth July, 1890.
Cormack, J. F., Solicitor, Lockerbie ............... 4th June, 1893.

Corrie, John, Burnbank, Moniaive .................. 6th Aug., 1887.
Cowan, John, Glenview, Maxwelltown ............ 15th Dec., 1905.

*Davidson, James, Summerville, Maxwelltown ...3rd Nov., 1876.
Davidson, J., Hillhead, Bankend Road, Dum-

AYES 5 hod co enta ate omc es Pea ee a aeecene ater 10th May, 1895.
Dewar, R. S., 35 George Street, Dumfries ......... 3rd Nov., 1905.
Dickie, Wm., Merlwood, Maxwelltown ............ 6th Oct., 1882.
*Dinwiddie, W. A., Bridgebank, Buccleuch

“STE CE PE MUMMIES <a sunnce vad saneee Mec eeBee eee 3rd Nov., 1876.

Dinwiddie, R., Overton, Moffat Road, Dumfries..9th Aug., 1905.
Dods, J. W., St. Mary’s Place, Dumfries ~..... 2nd March, 1883.
Drummond, Bernard, Plumber, Dumfries ......... 7th Dec., 1888.
Drummond, J. G., Sandon, Moffat Road,

Dimines* 52, o6eess ese eee ee 17th Nov., 1905:
Dudeéani CARs, Garpena.2. cae ic ssonstercace 10th Feb., 1905.
Duncan, Jno. Bryce, of Newlands, Dumfries ...11th Feb., 1898.
Dunlop, Rev. S., Irongray Manse, Dumfries ...10th June, 1905.

Edgar, H., Ferguslea, Maxwelltown ............... 20th Jan., 1905.
Edie, Rev. W., Greyfriars’ Manse, Dumfries...... 15th Dec., 1905.

Farish, W. R., Amisfield House, Amisfield,
RES 18 oe ge coh eh orm Oe enn Cee 17th Nov., 1905.
Fergusson, Rev. G. F., St. Mary’s Place,
Dramfries soAososdvne sneer cots ene erate 15th Dec., 1905.

List oF MEMBERS. 249

Gilchrist, Mrs, Linwood, Dumfries .................. 2nd June, 1883.
Gillespie, Wm., Solicitor, Castle-Douglas ......... 14th May, 1892.
Gladstone, H. Steuart, Lannhall, Thornhill ...... 15th July, 1905.
Glover, John, W.S., 1 Hill Street, Edinburgh ...23rd Nov., 1906.

Glover, J. J., Hazelwood, Maxwelltown ......... 22nd Oct., 1897.
Gordon, Robert, Brockham Park, Betchworth,
SOMGE ES ahem tices tp open aan ae 2aseee em 10th May, 1895.
Grahame, Mrs, Springburn Cottage, Kuil-
Barcham, REMEEWSITE! <acc.%+-eeecscec+eoesnacees 28th July, 1906.
Gray, W. M., 5 Victoria Terrace, Dumfries.
Grierson, John, Town Clerk, Dumfries ............ 6th Oct., 1882.

Halliday, T. A., Leafield Road, Dumfries ...... 26th Jan., 1906.

Halliday, Mrs, Leafield Road, Dumfries ......... 26th Jan., 1906.
Halliday, James Scott, Lockerbie .................. 24th Feb., 1906.
Halliday, Provost, Esthwaite, Lochmaben ...... 24th Feb., 1906.
malliday, D., Provost, Lockerbie ......:.........+: 24th Feb., 1906.
Hannay, Miss, Langlands, Dumfries ............... 6th April, 1888.
Hannay, Miss J., Langlands, Dumfries ............ 6th April, 1888.
Hare, H. Leighton, Lochvale, Dumfries ......... 10th June, 1905.
Hardy, Miss, Moat House, Dumfries ............... Tse Ocks WS 97e
Hastie, D. H., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ...... 24th Feb., 1906.
Henderson, James, Solicitor, Dumfries ............ 9th Aug., 1905.
Henderson, John, Solicitor, Dumfries ............... 5th July, 1890.
Henderson, Thos., Solicitor, Lockerbie............ 17th Oct., 1902.
Herries, Right. Hon. Lord, Everingham Park,

PEIECSINITGE sdaictccems enue won bro wadapete a See ea 10th Jan., 1895.
Hill, Edward J., Ladyfield, Dumfries ............ 25th Nov., 1904.
Houston, James, Marchfield, Dumfries ............ 9th Aug., 1905.

Hunter, Dr Joseph, Castle Street, Dumfries ...... 24th June, 1905.
Hunter, Rev. Joseph, 125 Mayfield Road,
PEED MEN GUA Feces ch Le te Seve Pode Se 22nd Oct., 1897.

Irving, George, West Fell, Corbridge-on-Tyne...17th Jan., 1896.
Irving, Colonel, of Bonshaw, Annan ............... 18th Jan., 1901.
Irving, John, Balmacneil, Ballinluig, Perthshire 16th Oct., 1903.
Irving, John A., West Fell, Corbridge-on-Tyne ...7th Dec., 1906.

Jackson, Colonel, 6 Fruid’s Park, Annan ......... 9th Aug., 1905.

250 List oF MEMBERS.

Johnson-Ferguson, Sir J. E., Bart., of Spring-

kell sHeclelechammstss sash ete ae ore 30th May, 1896.
Johnson-Ferguson, A., Wiston Lodge, Lam-

Tales ele d Saarinen eer an cH ser peer 9th Sept., 1905.
Johnstone, John T., Victoria House, Moffat ...... 4th April, 1890.
Johnstone, Mrs, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ...... 17th Feb., 1896.
Johnstone, W. S., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ...11th Feb., 1898.

el Bie a i oe al

~~

Kidd, Rev. Thos., U.F. Manse, Moniaive ...... 29th June, 1895.
Kirkpatrick, Rev. R. S., The Manse, Govan ...17th Feb., 1896.

Laidlaw, John, Plasterer, Lockerbie ............... 18th Oct., 1901.
Law, Rev. James, South U.F. Manse, Dumfries...2nd June, 1905.
*Lennox, Jas., F.S.A. Scot., Edenbank, Max-

v elllstonias\ceemeecman ancince purer star ee nena Arce omer me 3rd Nov., 1876.
Loreburn, The Right Hon. Lord, 6 Eton

Square, (hondon, SW. cikcvekssdaGuesonere 9th Jan., 1891.
Maicolmy Av Redbank Dumines 32 vias. 2nd Oct., 1894.
Malcolm, Colonel, Burnfoot, Langholm ......... 13th Dec., 1895.
Mann, R. G., Cairnsmore, Marchmount Park,

DD immfiriesiesn eke noes aan cee O eee ce ee 24th Oct., 1900.
Manson, D., Acrehead, Dumfries .......<..Jite.... 16th June, 1906.
Manson, Mrs, Acrehead, Dumfries ............... 16th June, 1906.
Matthews, Wm., Dunelm, Dalbeattie Road,

DUMEET ES 352 oak SP eeeaet inn Ge ace tetera cs 28th July, 1906.
Matthews, Mrs, Dunelm, Dalbeattie Road,

POUUIMIEPIOS | 0-1 iat vewuis taengdeches as outs Poaear 28th July, 1906.
Martin, Dr J. W., Newbridge, Dumfries ......... 16th Oct., 1896.
Maxwell, Sir H., Bart., of Monreith, Wigtown-

SIMIBGr cices ne cate one eee aioe CCE ae eee eee oho tein 7th Oct., 1892.

Maxwell, W. J., Terregles Banks, Dumfries ...... 6th Oct., 1879.
Maxwell, Wellwood, of Kirkennan, Dalbeattie...5th Nov., 1886.

Maxwell, John, Tarquah, Maxwelltown ............ 20th Jan., 1905.
Milligan, J. P., Aldouran, Castle-Douglas

Road, eMiarsswellltowimtsccssece ease aoe eectecene 17th Oct., 1905.
Milligan, Mrs, Aldouran, Castle-Douglas

Roads Maxwellitown: eomseseeeeseneccenee 17th Oct., 19053
Millar; FS Bank ot scotlands Annan .scesees seen ord Sept., 1886.

Millar, John, Elmwood, Moffat ..............s0ce0 24th Feb., 1906.

List oF MEMBERS. 251

Millar, William, Elmwood, Moffat .................. 16th June, 1906.
Moffat, James, Bank of Scotland, Annan.

Mond, Miss, Aberdour House, Dumfries ......... 9th Sept., 1905.
Murdoch, W. J., Cluden Bank, Holywood.........2 21st Dec., 1906.
Murphy, Rev. J., Park Road, Maxwelltown ...... 5th Jan., 1906.
Murphie, Miss Annie, Cresswell House, Dum-

(NHIGIS) 013 oc SADE OOG DEES GOO OEE Aa CE UTES Oeaaee 23rd Nov., 1906.
mamray, R,, George Street, Dumfries ............... 5th July, 1884.
Murray, Mrs, George Street, Dumfries ............ 6th April, 1883.
Murray, Wm., Murraythwaite, Ecclefechan ...... 8th Feb., 1895.
Murray, Mrs, Murraythwaite, Ecclefechan ...... 29th July, 1905.

M*Call, James, of Caitloch, Moniaive ............ 29th June, 1895.
M‘Cargo, James, Kirkpatrick-Durham ............ 24th April, 1896.
M‘Connel, Miss, Milnhead, Kirkmahoe ......... 19th Feb., 1904.

- M‘Connel, Miss L. H., Milnhead, Kirkmahoe ...25th Nov., 1904.
M‘Cormick, Andrew, Solicitor, Newton-Stewart...3rd Nov., 1905.

M‘Craken, Miss, Fernbank, Lovers’ Walk ......... 9th Nov., 1906.
M‘Cutcheon, Wm., B.Sc., Inverie, Park Road,
ptrseme ubcrMpmlt vc cneensedie occ. each oats oanceee 18th Oct., 1901.
Macdonald, J. C. R:, W.S., Dumfries ............ 6th Nov., 1885.
mv Gowan, B., Solicitor, Dumfries .................. 26th Oct., 1900.
M‘Jerrow, David, Town Clerk, Lockerbie ......... 22d Feb., 1906.
© Mackenzie, Colonel, of Auchenskeoch ............ 25th Aug., 1895.
M'Kerrow, M. H., Solicitor, Dumfries ............ 19th Jan., 1900.
= M‘Kerrow, Matt. S., Boreland of Southwick ...... 9th Jan., 1890.
M‘Kie, Thos., Ment House, Dumfries ............ 2nd Aug., 1890.

M‘Kie, John, R.N., Anchorlea, Kirkcudbright ...4th April, 1881.
MacKinnel, W. A., The Sheiling, Castle-

: Wouglas Road, Dunifries ........5.5...... 22nd Feb., 1906.

» MacKinnel, Mrs, The Sheiling, Castle-

a Wouglas’ Road, Dumfries ~...........5..50: 22nd Feb., 1906.

: M‘Kinnon, Rev. Albert, Lochmaben ............... 9th Nov., 1906.

Meeeeemnon, Mrs, Tochmaben ..................06s00 9th Nov., 1906.

~ M'Lachlan, Mrs, Dryfemount, Lockerbie ...... 26th March, 1906.
Meeechlan, Jas., M.D., Lockerbie .................. 25th Oct., 1895.

a Neilson, George, LL.D., Wellfield, Partickhil]
= MME MASS OW! Aviv sohcssticasceddadensaspees 13th Dec., 1895.
Neilson, J., of Mollance, Castle-Douglas ...... 13th March, 1896,

252 List OF MEMBERS.

*Nicholson, J. H., Airlie, Maxwelltown ............ 9th Aug., 1904.
Ovens, Walter, of Torr, Auchencairn ............ 13th March, 1896.
Pairman) Dr, sMo fiat tascocteciestes soe ieseseent etic 24th Feb., 1906.
Palmer, Charles, Woodbank Hotel, Dumfries ...29th July, 1905.
Payne; <9). Wi;-8: Bank Siréets Annan <.ac2. see 8th Sept., 1906.
PenmansvA.(C., Aurlie, MottatsRoad!:2....secseesss 18th June, 1901.
Penman, Miss Aulie> Motiabds oad ssccessestesce sect 17th Oct., 1905.
Phyn, C. S., Procurator-Fiscal, Dumfries ......... 6th Nov., 1885.
Pickering, R. Y., of Conheath, Dumfries ......... 26th Oct., 1900.
Primrose, John, Solicitor, Dumfries.................. 5th Dec., 1889.
Proudfoot, John, Ivy House, Moffat .................. 9th Jan., 1890.
Rae; E..B:, Lown Clerks Wochmaben)..0ce see 22nd Feb., 1906.
Rae, Rev. R. Neill, The Manse, Lochmaben ...21st Dec., 1906.
Reidiae = st. Cathennes, umiltessea:.pan.ce. ke cee 6th Jan., 1882.
Reid, James, Chemist, Dumfries.
Robertson, Oraie vis, <Penpont: <scexcts sucesso 3rd Feb., 1886.
Robson, John, Westbourne, Maxwelltown ......... 25th May, 1895. |
Rogers, Miss, The Oaks, Rotchell Park ......... 21st Dec., 1906.
Ross, Dr J. Maxwell, Duntrune, Castle-

Dotwtelas: Read jasc cs seqne Suse Soh ncee omens 11th July, 1891.
*Rutherford, J., Jardington, Dumfries ..:..:............Nov., [876%

Saunders, Wm., Rosebank, Lockerbie.
Scott-Elliot, =) Brotessor, (Ge hes Es,

F.R.G.S., of Newton, Dumfries ......... 4th March, 1887.
Scott, Alexander, Solicitor, Annan .................. 7th Nov., 1890.
Scott, Rev. J. Hay, F.S.A. Scot., Sanquhar ...... 6th Aug., 1887.
Scot Awy Hanne ldsl® cimtniesea mend caececeeerce Ist Oct., 1890.
Scott, W.'S:, Redeasile, Dalbeattie ....0.........- 14th Jan., 1898.
Scott-Elliot, Mrs, Newton, Dumfries ............... 26th Oct., 1906.
Scott, Hart W., The Hovel, Maxwelltown ......... 9th Nov., 1906.
Semple, Dr, Airlie, Moffat Road, Dumfries ...... 12th June, 1901.
*Service, Robert, Seedsman, Maxwelltown .................008- 1876.

Service, Robert, Jun., Janefield, Maxwell-

OWI? no at Bee atta ate cas eo ci cee eee 24th March, 1905.

Smith, R. G. Eddington-, Buccleuch Street,

PUTT LISS 240s oS cstere histo S ad oa acroniclateeeroa tickers 9th Nov., 1906,

List OF MEMBERS. 253

Smith, Miss, Llangarth, Maxwelltown ............... 6th Oct., 1905.
Stark, J. G. Hamilton, Troqueer Holm ......... 2nd March, 1877.
Stephen, Rev. W. L., St. Mary’s Manse, Moffat, 28th June, 1904.
Stewart, William, Shambellie, Newabbey ......... 21st Dec., 1906.
*Stobie, P., Cabinetmaker, Dumfries ............... 3rd Nov., 1876.
Street, Rev. W. J., U.F. Manse, Maxwelltown ...17th Nov., 1905.
Symons, John, Royal Bank, Dumfries ............ 2nd Feb., 1883.
eyaions, John, Solicitor, Dumities (1-2 .c.c.000. 00. 6th Nov., 1885.
ernomson, |. S., Jeweller, Dunminesic.....:.0...>: 3rd Nov., 1876.
Thomson, Wm., Solicitor, Dumfries ............... Ist Oct., 1898.
Thomson, Miss, c/o Miss Dunbar, Langlands,
Duntfries.

Thompson, Mrs H. A., 26 Castle Street, Dum-

HET Spe crest lyn alge beak Ohta eee aR eee eo en 25th Nov., 1904.
wocher, John, Chemist, Dumfries. .......<.-<20. «00 19th Jan., 1900.
Turner, Alex., Chemist, Dumfries .................. 17th Oct., 1905.
Werneh, W. Hi., Factor, Hoddomi..yi.ceec...2s 05. 26th Oct., 1900.
Waddell, J. B., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ...... 11th June, 1901.

Waddell, Mrs, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ...... 11th June, 1901.
Wallace, M. G., Terreglestown, Dumfries ...... 11th March, 1898.

Wallace, Miss, Lochvale House, Lochmaben ...... 7th Oct., 1892.
Watt, James, Crawford Villa, Johnstone Park,

Dytamatini@Siexcare.c.'2.< 3 cioacneunuals Saesen cee eee 7th March, 1879.
Watt, Miss, Crawford Villa, Johnstone Park,

DRM SS hide osietsais's ob velev ale sees SOLE Oe Oe 6th Oct., 1905.
Watson, Thos., Castlebank, Dumfries ............... 9th Jan., 1880.
Weatherstone, Andrew, Bank of Scotland

ETO USE MO WM TIES ness. cnc cmsenonen se ee meena Ist Dec., 1905.
White, John, Oaklands, Noblehill .................. 28th July, 1906.
White, Mrs Oaklands, Noblehill .................. 28th July, 1906.
Whitelaw, J. W., Solicitor, Dumfries ............... 6th Nov., 1885.
Whitelaw, Rev. H. A., U.F. Manse, Albany,

1) 0 PPE CeCe rou iortiec 20th May, 1904.
Maehiman, Abel, Lockerbie: .......s.tss.cavusscesan 24th Feb., 1906.
WalleGeo. CC. R.1.,. Farm-Manager 0. ois. 2e.se0 28th July, 1906.

Wilson; John, solicitor, Dumfries) -.. 26 j.s1.6000-+: 29th July, 1905.

254 List oF MEMBERS.

- Wilson, Mrs, Castledykes Cottage, Dumfries...... 24th May, 1905.

Wilson, Miss, Castledykes Cottage, Dumfries ...24th Feb., 1906. —
Wilson,-J. Ri, Solicitor; Sanqular > ..e..c%: eee 2nd Oct., 1885. ~
Witham, Colonel J. K. Maxwell, C.M.G., of

Kirkeonnel; Dumfries 2... :.22..0s.4.00+- 7th March, 1890. ©

’ Witham, Miss Maud, Kirkconnel, Dumfries ...... 6th Feb., 1890.

Yerburgh, R. A., of Barwhillanty, Parton,
RiS.O., ‘per EF. “A. Maryiate, 29 5
Kensington Gore, London, S.W. ......... 17th Feb., 1896,

PRET TD

13 DEV. iui

THE TRANSACTIONS —

+i > 4 fy
"

ES AND GALLOWAY

Ma:
y
if
AN,

is.
1. oo

eV O45

t

‘he

Vol. XIX.

THE TRANSACTIONS

Journal of Proceedings

OF THE

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY

Natural History and Antiquarian Society

FOUNDED NOVEMBER, 1862.

SESSION 1906-1907.

‘ PRINTED AT THE STANDARD OFFICE, DUMFRIES.
; 1908,

Office-Bearers for 1907-1908.

President.

Professor G. F. Scorr-Exuior, of Newton, Dumfries, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.G.S.,
F.L.S., &e.

Honorary Vice-Presidents.

Joun F. Cormack, Solicitor, Lockerbie.
Rosert Service, M.B.O.U., Janefield, Dumfries.

Vice-Presidents.

James Barpour, F.S.A., Scot., St. Christopher’s, Dumfries.
JAMES Maxwetu Ross, M.D., Duntrune, Dumfries.
Wixtii1am Dickiz, Merlewood, Dumfries.

J. W. Martin, M.D., Charterhall, Dumfries.

Hon. Secretary and Editor of ‘ Transactions.’’
S. Arnort, F.R.H.S., Sunnymead, Dumfries.
Hon. Treasurer.
M. H. M‘Kerrow, Solicitor, 30 St. David Street, Dumfries.
Hou. Librarian.
Rev. Wm. Anpson, Ivy Bank, Dumfries.
Acting Librarian.
Grorce W. SuHriRuEyY, Ewart Public Library, Dumfries.
Hon. Curator of Museum.
JAMES LENNOX, F.S.A., Scot., Eden Bank, Dumfries.

Hon. Departmental Curators.

Coins and Tokens—Rev. H. A. WHITELAW.
Antiquities—Dr Martin.

Hon. Curators of Herbarium.
Professor Scott-ExLLiot and Miss Hannay.

Hon. Secretary of Photographic Committee.
W. A. MacxkinneL, The Sheiling, Dumfries.

Members of Council.

The President ; Honorary Vice-Presidents ; Vice-Presidents ; Secretary ;
Treasurer ; Hon. Librarian ; Hon. Curator ; Curators of Herbarium ;
and the following :—

Mrs Herten ATKINSON, Castle Street, Dum‘ries.

Rey. Joun Carrns, M.A., Ivy Lodge, Dumfries.

Witiiam M‘Corcueron, B.Sc., Inverie, Park Road, Dumfries.
JAmrEs Houston, Marchfield, Dumfries.

JOHN T. JOHNSTONE, Victoria House, Moffat.

W. A. Mackinnet, The Sheiling Dumfries.

WILLIAM SEMPLE, B.Sc., Airlie, Dumfries.

Prrer Stoprz, Rae Street, Dumfries.

J. B. WapDDELL, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries.

Rev. H. A. Wuiretaw, M.A., Albany Place, Dumfries.

Oar IN LS:

SESSION 1906-7.

PAGE.
Notices fis 7
Rules of Society .. 9
Annual Meeting .. : x le
Presidential Address—The iighiuione of Man—Pr eiiits: Scott-Elliot... 14
Ruthwell Runic Inscription, How it was Deciphered—Dr EZ. J. Chinnock 29
Laggangairn, The Standing Stones of—Miss Fleming ee 32
Bees, Colour Sense of—Mr J. T. Rodda .1 OO
Bulbous Plants, Observation of Seed Distribution Pare rS. Arnott ... 35
Climate of the British Isles—Mr A. Watt 7
Trees, Notes on—Mr W. J. Maxwell 41
Larch, The Japanese—Mr W. Murray 44
Copse Woods—Mr Wellwood Maxwell x Bie 45
Growth of Trees at Dormont, Lockerbie—Major Carruthers 50
Pesancon, In and Around—Mr Wm. M‘Cutcheon ... : eOG
Dumfriesshire and Galloway Ministers in Ganpieade ae r i. Penfold 63
Weather of 1906—Rev. Wm. Andson .. : 69
Natural History Observations at J Susiion —Mr J. + Rutherford 74
Bird Migration at Southerness—Mr R. Service 7
Reptilia, &c., of Cairn District—Dr J. W. Martin 79
Natural History Notes from Annandale—Mr J. W. Payne 82
Yorkshire Abbeys, Among the—Mr D. Halliday ... 86
Castellated Remains of Dumfriesshire—Mr James Lennox 91
Edward I. at Sweetheart Abbey —Dr Z. J. Chinnock 96
Union of 1707 in Dumfriesshire—Mr James W. Whitelaw 97
Fort at Knockbrex—Mr James Barbour 124
Kirkcudbright, An Incident in the History Pueee Sah Robison . 124
Old Records of Kirkcudbright—Mr W. Dickie ss : . 129
Galloway Extracts from Register of Great Seal of Scotland— Dr E. te
Chinnock ee toc eee Ae Sas ee ane . 140

6 CONTENTS.

Scottish Mermaids—Mr R. J. Arnott

Birds in Moffat District—Mr 7. A. Johnstone
Judicial Oaths—Mr M. H. M‘Kerrow

Burns and Moffat—Mr John T.. Johnstone
Ancient Sanitation—Mr J. P. Shannon

Bird Migration in the District —Mr R. Service
Hospital of Sanquhar, The—Mr W. M‘Millan
Place Names, Hazliebrae—Mr James Barbour

Addendum to Old Public Libraries—Mr G. W. Shirley ...

Field Meetings—Amisfield Tower and Torthorwald
sa Orchardton ...
a Capenoch
Abstract of Accounts
Exhibits and Presentations
List of Exchanges
Members of the Society

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Ruthwell Cross ne
Diagram of Rainfall at nese

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY ANTIQUITIES.

e

Hills Tower
Torthorwald Castle
Lincluden College
Bridal Stone, Kirkcowan

Jardine Hall, Spedlins and iicGaweeule

PAGE,

... 142
. 157
2 Lae
. 161
9 L69
.. 16
seal
... 194
22. LUG
a Add
... 183
Sepa)
woe LOD
.. 203
. 204
- 207
. 209

30
38

. facing page 96

”? ” 96
> 9 168
bP] ” 168

.
4

IN © EPO mS:

CTOGORYVOO> >

All Correspondence connected with the general work of the
Society should be addressed to the Honorary Secretary, S.
Arnott, Sunnymead, Duntfries.

All Subscriptions and Correspondence connected therewith,
and all Accounts, should be sent to the Honorary Treasurer, Mr
M. H. M‘Kerrow, 30 St. David Street, Dumfries.

Exchanges should be addressed to the Society, Ewart Public
Library, Dumfries.

Ordinary Meetings of the Society are generally held in the
Lecture Hall of the Ewart Public Library, Dumfries, on the Ist
and 3rd Fridays of each month of the winter session, which
begins in October. Papers on Natural History, Antiquarian, and
Scientific subjects, with occasional lectures, are given at these
meetings.

Exhibits cognate to the work of the Society are also shown
at these Meetings, and the co-operation of members in increasing
_ the number of exhibits is solicited.

Field Meetings are held during the Summer Months as may
be arranged.

The Society’s “Transactions’’ are published annually. These
are distributed among the members for the Session they cover free
of charge. Non-members can purchase copies from the Treasurer,
Mr M. H. M‘Kerrow, 30 St David Street, Dumfries, from whom
_ any back numbers in stock can be purchased.

The Society’s Library, which includes a number of Natural
History, Archzological, and Scientific Works, and a series of
the “Transactions ’’ of many of the leading learned societies,
with which this society is in correspondence, is available for refer-

8 NOTICES.

ence in the Ewart Public Library, Dumfries. Members of the
Society alone have the privilege of borrowing these books on
application to the Librarian at the Library.

The Society’s Museum and Herbarium, which contains an
almost complete collection of specimens of the local flora, are
available for reference in the Library.

“The Reliquary,’’ “The Scottish Historical Review,’’ and
“The Annals of Scottish Natural History ’’ are circulated quar-
terly among the members who desire them, the postage only being
payable by the members of each circle. Particulars can be had
from the Secretary.

A Photographic Committee has been formed for the purpose
of securing a Photographic Record of Dumfries and Galloway.
Photographs will be welcomed, and can be sent to the Secretary
of the Committee, Mr W. A. Mackinnel, The Sheiling, Dumfries.

The Society will be glad of the adhesion of ladies and
gentlemen interested in the various departments of its operations,
and the Secretary will be glad to hear from any who may desire to
become members, with a view to their nomination. The annual
subscription is 5s; where there are more than one member from a
family each one after the first pays 2s 6d.

BOULLORIAL AN OTR

The Society or Editor accepts no responsibility for the
opinions stated in the papers published in these “ Transactions
and Proceedings.’’

The Editor desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to the
“Dumfries and Galloway Standard,’’ “ Dumfries and Galloway
Courier and Herald,’’ and “ Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser,’’ for
reports of several meetings and discussions. He has also to
express the thanks of the Society to Mr Andrew Watt, M.A., for
the block of the Rainfall at Cargen, and to the “ Standard ”’
Press for the loan of the block of the Ruthwell Cross.

fee Bos.

Rules of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History
and Antiquarian Society, as submitted for approval and adoption
by the Council, and adopted at the Annual General Meeting held
on October 12th, 1906.

I. The Society shall be called the “Dumfriesshire and
Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society.”’

II. The aims of the Scciety shall be to secure a more frequent
interchange of thought and opinion among those who devote
themselves to the study of Natural History, Archeology, and
kindred subjects ; and to elicit and diffuse a taste for these studies.

III. The Society shall consist of Ordinary, Honorary, and
Corresponding Members. The Ordinary Members shall be
persons proposed and elected at any meeting of the Society by a
vote of the majority present. The Honorary and Corresponding
Members shall be persons distinguished for attainments connected
with the objects of the Society, and elected on the recommenda-
tion of the Council.

IV. Ordinary Members shall contribute annually five shil-
lings in advance, or such other sum as may be agreed upon at the’
annual general meeting. When more than one person from the
same family join the Society all after the first shall pay half fee.
By making a single payment of £5 any one duly elected may
become a member for life.

V. The Office-Bearers of the Society shall consist of a Presi-
dent, Four Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian,
Curator of Museum, and Curator of Herbarium, who, together
with not more than Three Honorary Vice-Presidents and Ten
other Members, sha}\ constitute the Council, holding office for one

10 RULES.

year only, but being eligible for re-election, subject to the follow-
ing conditions :—One Vice-President and Two Ordinary Members
of Council shall retire annually according to seniority in their
respective offices, and shall not be eligible for re-election to the
same office for one year. Three shall form a quorum.

VI. Meetings of the Society shall be held as may be arranged
by the Council.

VII. The Annual General Meeting shall be held in October,
at which the Office-Bearers and other Members of the Council,
together with Two Auditors, shall be elected, Reports (General
and Financial) submitted, and other business transacted. The
Council shall have power to make arrangements for discharging
the duties of any vacant office.

VIII. A Member may introduce a Friend to any Meeting of
the Society.

IX. The Secretary shall keep the Minutes of the Society’s
proceedings, shall conduct the Ordinary Correspondence of the
Society, and submit a Report at the Annual General Meeting,
which report shall, izter alia, contain a statement of the atten-
dance ef Members at the Council Meetings. He shall call all
Ordinary Meetings, subject to the instructions of the Council, and,
on receiving the instructions of the Council or President, or a
Requisition signed by Six Members, shall call a Special Meeting
of the Society. On receiving the instructions of the President or
a Requisition signed by Three Members of the Council, he shall
forthwith call a Meeting of that body.

X. The Treasurer shall keep a List of the Members, collect
the Subscriptions, take charge of the Funds, and make payments
therefrom under the direction of the Council, to whom he shall
present an Annual Account, to be made up to 30th September in
each year, and to be audited for submission to the Annual General
Meeting.

XI. Members whose subscriptions are in arrear for two years
and have received notice from the Treasurer shall cease to be
members.

RULEs, 11

XII. The Society, unless otherwise arranged, shall have the
power to publish in whole or in part any paper read before it in
its “ Transactions ’’ or otherwise. The “ Transactions ’’ of the
Society shall be published from time to time, as may be con-
venient, and shall be distributed to all Members contributing five
shillings per annum and all Life-Members. Contributors of
Papers shall, after giving timeous notice to the Secretary before
publication, be entitled to receive ten copies of their papers, as
and when published.

XIII. Alterations of any Rule, or the addition of New Rules,
shall only be made with the consent of a majority of those present
at the Annual General Meeting, and notice of proposed alterations
must be given to the Secretary a month previous to the meeting.

aa

TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY

NATURAL HISTORY & ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY.

SHSSLON 1906-7.

12th October, 1906.
ANNUAL MEETING.

Chairman—Professor ScotTtT-ELLiorT.

The Secretary and Treasurer submitted their annual reports,
which were approved of. That of the former stated that fifteen
ordinary, one special district, and four field meetings had been
held, and that there had been a net gain of forty-four members
during the session. An Abstract of the Accounts of the Trea-
surer appears at the end of this issue.

The Secretary submitted the Draft of the Rules, as revised
by the Council, and, with certain amendments, these were
approved of by the meeting. These were printed in the last issue
of the “ Transactions,’’ and are again published in this volume.

On the nomination of the Council the following Office-
Bearers were elected for the ensuing session:—President, Pro-
fessor G. F. Scott-Elliot of Newton; Vice-Presidents, Mr Robert
Service, Mr James Barbour, Dr James Maxwell Ross, and Dr
J. W. Martin; Honorary Vice-President, Mr Robert Murray;
Secretary, Mr Samuel Arnott; Treasurer, Mr Matthew H.

14 THe MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

McKerrow; Librarian, Rev. William Andson; Curator of
Museum, Mr James Lennox; Curators of Herbarium, Professor
Scott-Elliot and Miss Hannay. Other Members of Council—Mr
James Davidson, Rev. John Cairns, Mr William Dickie, Mr
William M‘Cutcheon, Mrs Helen Atkinson, Mr John T. John-
stone, Rev. H. A. Whitelaw, Mr J. B. Waddell, Mr W. A. Mac-
kinnel, and Mr James Houston. Curator of Coins and Tokens,
Rev. H. A. Whitelaw; Antiquities, Dr Martin and Mr Harry
Edgar; of Natural History Specimens, Mr R. Service, jun.
Auditors, Mr John Symons, Royal Bank, and Mr Bertram
M‘Gowan. Photographic and Antiquities Committees were re-
appointed.

The Treasurer intimated that Mrs M‘Dowall had presented
to the Society the Manuscript of the “ History of Dumfries,”’
written by her late husband, Mr William M‘Dowall.

The Society accepted the gift with much gratification, and
requested the Secretary to thank Mrs M‘Dowall for the same.

26th October, 1906.

Chairman—The Rev. JoHN Cairns.

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. By the President, Professor G. F.
Scorpion, MOA. FP SRAGes:s ee:

THE MIGRATIONS OF Man.

Anthropology is at present suffering under an enormous
accumulation of observations and an unusual multiplicity of
authoritative authors. I will try to draw a few clear and
definite conclusions from this bewildering mass of detail, but
must ask you to hold me excused if I give but one side of various
questions upon which there are still many irreconcilable opinions.
To produce the full evidence for my conclusions and to refute
those which are not mentioned would require not a paper but
probably a whole series of closely reasoned volumes.

Even if we take the world as we find it, neither summoning
continents from the vasty deep nor assuming great and sweeping
changes of climate, then man’s wanderings may be explained by

welt

THE MIGRATIONS OF Man. 15

certain very simple and obvious facts. He travelled not for
pleasure but for food. Every improvement in his social state,
every economic discovery, had this for its inevitable result that
more people came into existence, and that, therefore, eventually
some of them had to wander away.

There are certain places where one would expect but a smal]
population, and living in a very savage state of civilisation.
Thus, for example, the uttermost ends of the earth, such as the
Arctic regions and the West Coast of Tierra del Fuego, are still
the home of the Eskimo and of the Yaghan. Other “ refuges ”’
for the less developed forms of mankind are tropical jungles, arid
deserts, and rugged mountain chains. In such country no human
being would be content to live if it was possible to obtain sub-
sistence anywhere else. The weaker races are inevitably forced
into such refuges ; stronger and more numerous peoples annex the
pleasant places of the earth. The main streams of travelling
mankind avoid these refuges, and inevitably follow certain well-
defined roads, which are not difficult to discover. Sometimes
there are great stretches of forest or of more or less fertile grass
land, in passing which the human flood seems to lose any definite
direction, and to percolate or diffuse away for great distances.
These are best compared to wide river valleys or great alluvial
flats, over which the water slowly and shallowly spreads itself.
Yet the main*stream exists nevertheless, and may be discovered
issuing from this area of diffusion.

In America there is a very distinct main road of migra-
tion which is by way of Behring’s Straits. The forefathers
of the Eskimo when driven up into the north-east corner of
Asia, found themselves in a desperate condition. To the north
lay cold starvation in the Arctic, south and west were forests
swarming with fierce savages better armed, more numerous than
themselves, and yearly increasing in numbers. So_ they
hardened their hearts, launched their frail skin canoes on the
ocean, and paddled across to the New Continent, America,
which was clearly visible to them looming blue in the distance.
They might even have crossed by the ice in winter, stopping at
the Diomed Islands which lie between.* Soon after came the
ancestor of the American Indian (Homo Americanus of Keane).

* Peschel Races of Man, Keane Man Past and Present, Ethnology.

16 THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

They drove the Eskimo into their present desolate country* and
proceeded to colonise America. The main stream would pro-
bably pass down the coast line as far as San Francisco, and off-
shoots, that is little parties of fishing and hunting folks, would
journey up the salmon rivers, and gradually diffuse eastwards
throughout the wonderful river systems of British North America.
It is very probable that the invaders crossed the Rocky Mountains
somewhere near San Francisco, and so reached the Prairies.
There they developed into fierce hunting tribes, living mainly on
the Buffalo, and, when population increased to an inconvenient
degree, fighting ferociously with one another. Hence a further
migration was necessary, and so first the small hunting clans and
then larger tribes travelled southward. The road lies by Mexico,
Bogota, and Peru; it is probably the old Inca highway, followed
by Almagro, the first invader of Chile, which crosses by Tucuman
to Paraguay and the Pampas of Argentina. In the rich natural
pasture of those illimitable plains other vigorous hunting tribes
developed, who chased the Guanaco and the Ostrich, and
quarrelled with one another over their hunting grounds. Then
the same forced migration became necessary, and continued until
the Yaghan was driven by the Onas into the extreme south-west
of Tierra del Fuego. In the jungle forests and intricate river
systems of the Orinoco and Amazon, as well as in those of the
Gran Chaco and of Southern Chile, there are still miserabl2
hunting folk, often living in families or very small clans, which
have diverged from the main highway and diffused into the
worst conceivable dwelling places.

The great civilised States of Ancient Mexico, Bogota, and
Peru, which were flourishing empires in the old Spanish days, are
supposed, by many American anthropologists, to be entirely the
work of Homo Americanus. These empires were densely in-
habited, and indeed that of Peru. probably had a larger popula-
tion then than it has to-day: the country was intersected by post
roads, and supplied by irrigation canals so as to produce great
crops of maize, potatoes, and other indigenous plants. It had a
firm and settled government. There were magnificent temples
full of beautiful artistic work in gold and copper, and tended

* An Eskimo population may once have existed in the Argentine
Republic, but this is uncertain.

THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN. AG

by lovely vestal virgins, who worshipped, and were occasionally
sacrificed to the Sun or Son of Heaven, who was embodied in the
Inca himself. Could such a civilisation be invented “ out of his
own head ”’ by any original aboriginal American? If so, it is
surely necessary to prove that there is no trace of any Asiatic
affinity either in the people of those ancient empires or in their
civilisation. It is also necessary to show that any contact with
Asiatic civilisation is so unlikely as to be incredible.

It is impossible to prove either of these propositions.
Japanese and Chinese ships have actually been brought to the
shores of America. Indeed the Kurasiwo Drift and the Cali-
fornian Current would make such accidents probable enough.*
Moreover, as a whole, on broad and general lines, there is a dis-
tinct similarity between the civilisation of ancient China and that
which is supposed to have existed in Peru. Not only so, but
there is a whole series of odd and peculiar details which are
common to both and which could scarcely have been developed
independently. The skull of some of the semi-civilised Ameri-
cans also resembles that of the Mongolt so that it seems more
reasonable to think that ancient missionary enterprise extended
from Japan to Mexico.t The Japanese themselves are supposed
to have come from Korea.

As regards the Pacific Ocean generally, it is, itself a high-
way, for the Polynesian and other races have wandered in every
direction almost to every island in the South Seas. The Maoris
reached New Zealand from Samoa only some 22 to 28 genera-
tions ago ;§ but that is not a very unique feat in canoe navigation.
Canoes have been driven for 2700 kilometres out of their course,
and several voyages at 700 to 800 miles in length have been
recorded.|| Still, on the whole, Asia must have been the starting
point of the South Sea migrations.

The Malay or Oceanic Mongol is a kind of sea tramp, whose
wanderings are difficult to follow. Nevertheless, perhaps, one

* Sittig Smithsonian Reports, 1895. Compare Bartholomew Physical
Atlas Plate 14, and Chart in Guppy Observations of a Naturalist in the
Pacific.

ft Gann Journ. Anth. Inst., Vol. 35, 1903.

= Sittig 0. ¢:

§ S. P. Smith Trans. N. Z. Institute, 1889.

|| Jenks. Bontoe Igorot.

18 THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

might say that his main route has been generally in a south-
western direction. Certain Malays reached even to Madagascar
some three or four hundred years ago, and their descendants are
the Hovas, the aristocracy of Imerina.* There are strong,
steady winds during part of the year (January, February) from
Japan to the Philippines. On the Asiatic Continent, China has
generally been invaded from the northern corner. The great
Wall stands across a regular highway, by which over and over
again Mongols, Tartars, and Mandchus have come down to
conquer and overwhelm the rulers of China. The effect of
these invasions from the north and the surplus population of
China itself has affected even Tonkin, Burma, and the Malay
Peninsula, for Mongolian tribes have traversed the difficult moun-
tain passes and invaded their north-eastern frontier.t Not only
so, but Tibet, “the mysterious,’’ has been invaded from China.t
Thus from Tibet and Malaya the lines lead northward through
China to the great Wall. But a very marked highway, of which
we have historical records to a very distant period, is the line of
the Siberian Railway. This runs from the Caspian in a general
easterly direction; roughly it traverses good steppes or more or
less fertile land, and lies between the forests of Northern Siberia
and the deserts and mountainous country, which forms an effect-
ive northern barrier to Tibet. Along the line of advance of
Russia, in the recent Japanese war, there have passed continual
waves of wandering and savage herdsmen. Sometimes they
reached Mandchuria, and there formed great populations.
Sometimes they swerved northwards, so forcing other peoples
towards Behring’s Straits. Movements of this kind, no doubt,
led to the discovery of America by Eskimo and Red Indian.
Sometimes these invasions turned south before reaching Mand-
churia, and, beating down all Chinese defences, spent and lost
themselves in its hundreds of millions of coolies.

So far then from New Zealand, from Tierra del Fuego and
from Tibet the roads of man’s travel unite near Harbin and turn
westward to the Caspian Sea. The story of British India is far

* Grandidier L’Origine des Malgaches.

+ Skeat and Blagden Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula, and Sir W.
Hood Treacher J. Soc. Arts, 22nd March, 1907.

{ Sir Thos. Holdich Tibet the Mysterious.

Tue MIGRATIONS OF MAN. 19

too well known to require much discussion. Mongols have
indeed tried to invade India by Tibet and the Himalayan passes,
whilst Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English came oversea,
but the real road to India is by the north-west frontier. It is by
that route that Mongol, Aryan, Persian, Greek, and Mahomedan,
after traversing the rugged defiles of the Khyber and other passes,
suddenly overflowed and destroyed the wealthy and luxurious
civilisations in the Ganges valley. By this route apparently
Bacchus entered India before 600 B.c. Some of the aboriginal
Negrittos (apes in-the legend) fought for him; the descendants of
his soldiers are supposed to be the Nysaeans, who were driven
back into the Swat Valley.* The Indian branch of the Aryans
apparently came by Kabul after a stay at Khiva.t Alexander
the Great and the Mahomedan invaders also entered by the north-
west.

Leaving out the Negritto, who still exists in Malaya, the
Philippines, and the Andamans, the aboriginal race in India
seems to be the Gauda Dravidian. Some authorities look upon
them as a Caucasic people (notably Keane); but they are only
known now as inhabiting “ refuges,’’ that is jungles and mountain
fastnesses. In the Bhagavasta Parvana, the Bhil, who may be of
this race, is described as “of dwarfish stature, a black com-
plexion, with large ears, and a protuberant belly.’’ The Bhil
was, according to the legend, produced by rubbing the thigh of
the dead King. “He immediately shouted eagerly ‘What am I
to do?’ Everybody cried out, ‘Sit down!’ ’’t Indeed he has
been obliged to take a back seat ever since. There is apparently
an affinity between the language of some Dravidian tribes in India
and that of the Australian Black fellow. These last are supposed
to have conquered a preceding race, which may have been
Negrittos, like the extinct Tasmanians. §

There is a possibility then that man wandered into Australia
from British India via the Malay Peninsula. As regards the
Little Black or Negritto, the small dwarfish negroid black man
who is an incorrigible vagrant with a penchant for poisoned

* Sir T. Holdich Geog. Journ., January, 1895.

+ Sir C. A. Hiliott Journ. Soc. Arts, March 3, 1905.

{ Barnes J. Soc. Arts, Feb. 8, 1907.

§ Grierson Journ. Soc. Arts, April 13, 1906 ; also Ling Roth Aborigines
of Tasmania.

20 THe MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

arrows, he has not entirely vanished off the face of the earth.
He exists in the Philippines and in the Malay Peninsula as well
as in the Andamans, and the Tasmanians were also Negrittos.
The African Negritto has been traced over a large portion of the
Dark Continent and even into Europe. Near Mentone two skele-
tons were recently discovered which had a suspicious resemblance
to him. Some authorities have stated that there is a Negritto
element in the population of pre-historic and even of modern
Egypt. The Queen of Punt was certainly a Bushwoman, whilst the
Pygmies of the Congo, certain people in German East Africa,
and on Mount Mlanji (British Central Africa), as well as the
Bushmen of the Kalahari, all belong to the Negritto type.* Now
if one remembers the suggestion thrown out by the late Sir W.
Flower, “ He (the Negritto) is thought to be an infantile, unde-
veloped, or primitive form, from which the African Negroes on
the one hand and the Melanesian on the other, with all their
modifications, have sprung,’’ then this wide, scattered distri-
bution is exactly what one would expect. Although later autho-
rities have criticised this suggestion and added much recent
observation which tends to hopelessly confuse the question, still
it does afford an excellent working plan, and will probably be
maintained until some other courageous anthropologist offers as
good and definite an explanation. Tf

In Africa the main highways are particularly well marked.
The North African Coast Road by Tunis and Algeria belongs, of
course, to Europe, and will have to be mentioned later on.
Now if we blot out the Sahara, Somaliland, and Congo forests
(of the Pygmies), the Gaboon forests (of Gorillas and Chim-
panzees), the Kalahari and Namaqualand deserts (of Bushmen),
then two main highways stand out clearly. Both. run together,
descending the Nile Valley as far as Khartoum, and then they
separate. The Niger route runs west, avoiding the Congo
jungles on the south and the Sahara to the north, it passes over
what is (or was) good fertile land into Northern Nigeria, where
some 35,000,000 of people are said to exist to-day. The least

* Haddon Report to British Association, 1904; seems to doubt the
affinity of Bushmen and Pygmies, but other articles in the same volume
uphold the view adopted here.

+ Meyer Negrittos.

THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN. 21

developed and wildest negroes, mostly pagans, devoted to
horrible Juju and Obi superstitions, have been driven either into
the Malarial forests of the West African littoral or into the moun-
tains east of the Benue and Niger, where small cannibal tribes
still hold out.

Different tribes of Negroes have invaded West Africa at
many different periods, where, of course, their descendants are
almost hopelessly mixed up. But other races have also traversed
this route from Egypt to Timbuctoo. MHamitic peoples such as
Hausas and Fulahs (or crosses between Negro and Hamite) have
occupied a large part of the best territory. There have also been
Arab and Mahomedan invasions: indeed the last of these, the
Dervishes, still occupy a very rich and fertile portion between
Lake Tschad and Khartoum. There the shadow of slavery and
atrocious cruelty still rests upon the Dark Continent. The other
main highway ot Africa is the line of the Cape to Cairo Railway,
that is by the Nile, Tanganyika, Nyassa, and Rhodesia.

The Bushmen have been pushed back as far as South-West
Africa by the Negroes.* Upon the footsteps of the Negro there
followed such people as the Masai, the Galla, and the Somali, as
well as the Wahuma or ruling class of Uganda. Of these the
Gallas had reached Abyssinia in 1542. The Dervishes also
attempted to follow this ancient route south, but they were beaten
back by the Abyssinians and finally driven west by ourselves after
the great battle of Khartoum.

Other races, Sabaeans, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, and Eng-
lish have endeavoured to exploit Africa from the east, from such
centres as Aden, Mombassa, Zanzibar, Mozambique, and Lorenzo
Marques. So far as cne can follow the somewhat mysterious
history of the Sabaeans, they seemed to have worked by means of
great chartered companies, managed from Zanzibar and Aden.t
So like the great Arab slave traders of some fifteen to twenty years
ago,§ and, like the Imperial British East African Company, they
claimed a suzerainty over Central and East Africa and traded in
it, but they never either colonised or held it effectually.

* To me the Hottentots seem only a cross between Bushmen and
Negro. Compare Haddon and others /. c.

+ Blundell Geo. Journ., Feb., 1900.

t Reinisch Geog. Journ., March, 1897.

§ Hinde Fall of the Congo Arabs.

to
bo

THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

All these African main roads point either to the Isthmus of
Suez or to the Red Sea. But the story of the peopling of Europe
is the most fascinating of all. Of River Driftman, we have but
a couple of teeth, which is an insufficient basis for any generalisa-
tion, but of the Canstadt or Neanderthal man, there are a certain
number of skulls which have been considered a sufficiently strong
foundation for the deduction that his descendants are still with
us. Robert the Bruce, a certain Archbishop of Tours, Kay
Lykke the Dane, a distinguished lunacy doctor in Paris, show, it
is said, an affinity to this vigorous savage.*

We have also alluded to the Negritto man of Mentone, and
one would expect Negrittos in the Meriterranean, but the most
interesting of these prehistoric Europeans is the tall, long-
headed, athletic savage who lived in the valleys of the Vézére
and Dordogne in early neolithic times.

We know how he lived and hunted; we even know a little
of his religion and beliefs. | Most unfortunately, not a single
lock of hair has been discovered in the repositories of any
deceased Cromagnonite. If we assume that he had red or
yellow hair and blue or green eyes, it is possible to produce a
fairly satisfactory theory as to the balance of power in Europe at
the first invasion of the Aryans (see page 23). The Cromag-
nonites had probably diffused throughout Europe and Africa
north of the Sahara. They lived as small hunting clans; they
had not even advanced as far in civilisation as the Apache and
Red Indians of the Prairies; they may have domesticated the
small, long-haired, long-toothed, and probably savage horse of
the period ; but they probably neither rode nor drove that animai.

A small, rather feeble race, the men of Furfooz seem to have
entered Europe (Belgium) from the East at a very early period.
These were the first round or broad-headed men: they had
probably tamed the reindeer, and are supposed to be the
ancestors of the Lapps.

It is in the highest degree improbable that a Cromagnonite
would be dispossessed of his land by any sort of Lapp, unless
the latter were in great numbers and possessed of much better
weapons. As this last is unlikely, the Lapps were probably
squeezed out to the North—that is, to the Baltic and beyond
it; indeed, towards where they live to-day.

* Quatrefages The Human Species, and Keane 7.

THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN. 23

But these round-headed people from the East were only
the first hint of a very serious danger. Round-headed people
from Asia continued to invade Europe almost incessantly from
that date until 1600 a.p., or even later. Where did they come
from?

Somewhere in Central Asia, sheep and goats, cattle and
horses were already grazing upon the waving grasses and beautiful
rolling downs of the boundless Steppes. The day of the wandering
herdsmen had begun. At first the world seemed inexhaustible.
There is a fine magnificence in Abraham’s offer to Lot: “If
thou wilt go to the left hand, then I will go to the right.”
Indeed, so long as the country was unoccupied they simply
wandered straight on, eating the grass down to the roots at each
halting place.

But, of course, this could not continue indefinitely; to the
north the bleak and inhospitable forests of Russia and Siberia,
full of savage beasts and ferocious hunters, were impossible when
considered as grazing grounds.

Thus they had eventually to turn either East, South, or
West. The perpetual production of news flocks and herds, and
the increase in military strength and in skill of the herdsmen,
necessarily involved an overflow from the original home. The
eastward moving herds passed, as we have seen, by the route of
the Siberian Railway. Those which broke out southwards had
great difficulties. They had to find their way through mountain
defiles, across arid deserts, but they succeeded; for these wan-
dering herdsmen descended in later times upon Asia Minor,
which was then a civilised and settled country, with rich towns
and fruitful cultivation. Countless millions of nibbling sheep,
of omnivorous goats, and of hungry cattle entered and wandered
throughout the land. They, with their fierce and warlike owners,
destroyed every green thing; they first isolated and finally
ruined every luxurious city, and after centuries of destruction
produced the Asia Minor of to-day.*

Those that turned West, the Celtic Aryans, entered Europe
by the Crimea. On that same fertile black soil, which now
produces the wheat of Odessa, they advanced in successive
hordes towards the mouths of the Danube. Avoiding the moun-

*Compare Ramsay Geo, Journ., September, 1902.

24 THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

tainous country to the south, they wandered up the Danube
valley, where their cattle grew fat and throve exceedingly on
the marshy pasture lands and luscious grasses. They were now
on the well-known historic route to Vienna, and were soon
definitely committed to one direction.* The Transylvanian Alps,
covered with forests (to the North), and the mountains of Bosnia,
the Tyrol, and Switzerland (to the South), were quite impossible
for flocks of sheep and herds of cattle, and for clumsy waggons
with axle and wheel of one piece of wood. Thus they were
forced to go on as far as Passau. Then our forefathers, the
Celtic Aryans, found themselves in a dangerous and difficult
position. To retreat was impossible, for other Aryan hordes
were following after them. They were in the midst of an amphi-
theatre of gigantic mountains, full of ravines, precipitous valleys,
and probably covered by dense forests of oak and of pine.
Demolins has given a very graphic and interesting sketch both
of their journey and of their difficulties at this stage.

They were no doubt a purely pastoral people, probably
ignorant of and despising agriculture. (It must be remembered
that in this respect they were very inferior to most modern
savages.) But under these difficult conditions they must, per-
force, have advanced a step higher in the scale of civilisation.
They would separate in small parties, clearing part of the forest
and building villages in every suitable valley. They would then
live like modern savages, that is, cultivating a little, keeping a
few animals, and trading a little ; they probably invented, or stole,
herds of swine, which could live on chestnuts and acorns; their
young men would be kept in good, hard condition by more or less
amicable inter-village fighting ; but a sort of family feeling would
be maintained, for the whole tribe would have to unite occasion-
ally to drive back savage hordes of Slavs, Mongols, and other
barbarians, who also had advanced by the Danube route. We
will leave them there, acquiring civilisation, building lake
villages, and sending exploring expeditions through the historic
defile which leads to Belfort and France.

But probably ages before they started from Central
Asia the Mediterranean had been to some extent colonised
by. a people of a very different type. This Mediter-

* Demolins Les grandes Routes des peuples.

Tue MIGRATIONS OF MAN. 25

Tanean race has been called by a _ great variety of
mames, such as Berber, Iberian, Pict, and Dolmenbuilder.
The last is the best name, for they were monumental masons on
a gigantic scale, and this explains how we are able to trace very
exactly both their route and their settlements. They were a
short, rather feeble, long-headed, and dark people, with a
passion for petite culture or petty cultivation. They cultivated
the soil, and apparently were the first to irrigate the fertile
alluvials of Egypt and Southern Europe. I have noticed that a
partiality for leeks, onion, and especially garlic, characterises
almost all the countries where they still persist from Wales to
Spain, Southern Italy, and Egypt. The important point to
observe is that they lived in large populations ; they were the first
city folk; they had no metal tools, but used wooden picks, stone
adzes, and wooden ploughs, such as one can still see in Portugal.
It is very probable that they were a douce, patient, peaceable
folk, horribly oppressed by priests and kings, and very likely they
were fond of great human sacrifices. They probably invented
the alphabet, and indeed all Egyptian and Greek science, for
they are at the foundation of both the ancient Egyptian and the
Greek race.* They spread by the great North African highway
from Egypt to Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco. The
savage Blonde Cavemen of Morocco were probably driven into
the Atlas Mountains. Then the Dolmenbuilders crossed into
Spain. So far, then, their route is just that followed by Cartha-
ginian conquest, and at a much later date by the fanatical
Mahomedan cavalry, more fierce and destructive than any
other invaders. But the Dolmenbuilders penetrated into France,
where Brittany is full of their monuments, and then crossed
into Britain, where they built no less than 200 stone circles as
well as innumerable “long ’’ barrows. Stonehenge was an im-
portant settlement, which is said to date from 2000-1800 B.c.
They reached Holywood, which is a typical example of their
work. Indeed they seem always to have selected good land,
and the misty peat mosses and rugged forests of stern Caledonia
would not attract them. There are many of us who are de-
scended from the Dolmenbuilders, for in Devonshire, Western
Wales, and the West Highlands one finds short, dark people with

* Sergi The Mediterranean Race.

26 THE MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

long heads and oval faces, and whose resemblance to Spaniards
is very remarkable. Indeed it has led to a tradition that they are
the descendants of ship-wrecked sailors of the Spanish Armada.
I doubt this, first, because Tacitus notices the Spanish appear-
ance of the Welsh Silures, and also because a careful and elabo-
rate account of the destruction of that fleet tends to show that
exceedingly few sailors escaped.* So at that time our country
was more or less civilised: the good lands were cleared of forest,
and, no doubt, a certain amount of art, luxury, and wealth
existed, which continued until a period of which it is not very
easy to fix the date. First copper and then bronze was invented,
and soon came into common use. ‘The dates given by the
various authorities cannot possibly be reconciled, but the tendency
now seems to be to place them always farther back. Flinders
Petrie states that iron was known in Egypt in 3400 B.c.t Mon-
telius, a high authority, points out that bronze daggers were
known in Germany 3000 B.c.{ From 2800-2000 B.c. bronze was
used in Crete (Evans) ;§ it had reached North Italy in 2000 B.c.
(Montelius), and also Britain (Read)|| or at anyrate by 1400
B.c. (Evans).{1 Taylor’s dates for the bronze age of Geneva
(1500 B.c.) and for Greece and Troy (1300 B.c.) are probably
too modern.x

Trade had long existed in the Mediterranean, and, by 2000
B.c., Scandinavia had commercial relations with the Mediter-
ranean. Somewhere about this date then our Celtic Aryans in
Switzerland had been supplied with bronze weapons, and in con-
sequence began to increase in numbers and in military strength.
Then these tall, dark round-headed Celts began to descend upon
Central Europe: they probably collected stores of provisions and
of cattle, and then, forcing their way through the defiles of the
mountains, swept right across France. What happened to the
original Cavemen, the tall, blonde, or red-haired Cromagno-
nites? They were probably driven into Scandinavia and towards

* Spottiswood Green Geo. Journ., May, 1906.

+ British Assoc. Rep., 1903.

+ Montelius Journ. Anth. Inst., Vol. 3, N.S., p. 91.
§ Hvans Man 146 (1901).

|| Read Man 7.

e Hvans Man 6 (1902).

x Taylor Origin of the Aryans.

THe MIGRATIONS OF MAN. HE

the Baltic: indeed it is very likely that, at a very ancient date
some sort of suzerainty was established by the invading race,
perhaps similar to that by which we hold British India. In con-
sequence these Nordic savages learnt to speak Aryan after a
fashion, and so the Teutonic group of nations came into exist-
ence. The first or Gaelic-speaking Celts swept right across
Europe and into England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. They
utterly blotted out the civilisation of the Dolmenbuilders and
destroyed even the tradition of it. But they did not entirely kill
out the Dolmenbuilders themselves. Indeed, why should they
do so? The latter were far more valuable than domestic cattle:
they made, no doubt, excellent serfs and slaves, and in conse-
quence their descendants still exist to-day. The Gaels were
followed by the Welsh-speaking Celts, who also invaded Britain,
but Europe was doomed to experience a still more terrible in-
vasion. The Nordic race, the descendants of the Cavemen, had
learnt to sow corn and to keep cattle: they had obtained good
weapons and had increased rapidly in numbers. At last they
swept down upon the Aryans in France. Tall, fair-haired, big-
bodied Gauls, Goths, and Belgae began to carry desolation,
destruction throughout Central Europe. In connection with this
question there is a point of some interest to us Scotchmen: who
were the tall, savage, red-haired Caledonians described by
Tacitus? Everyone knows what idea the word Aberdonian con-
veys to us. He is a tall, reddish-haired man with strongly
marked features, and a long head, but surely that is almost
exactly the impression which the description of Tacitus’ Cale-
donians leaves upon the mind. So it is quite possible that in
Northern Scotland this detachment of the Nordic race kept off
Dolmenbuilder, Gael, Welsh, Roman, and Saxon, and that it
has remained there until our own times. It is, of course, im-
possible to decide this question definitely, for Saxon, Dane, and
Norwegian, one Nordic people after another, continued to invade
Europe, and especially Britain, for centuries afterwards. Indeed
there never were two races so incompatible in temper as the
Teuton and the Celt, and almost the whole of European history
tells of their raids and invasions from the earliest, which was
before Ceesar’s day, until the war of 1870.

Thus the population of Europe to-day consists, roughly
speaking, of three main elements. Nordic in the Baltic and

28 Tuer MIGRATIONS OF MAN.

North Germany, Celtic Aryan or “ Alpine ’’ in the middle, and
“Dolmenbuilder ’’ along the Mediterranean and in Western Ire-
land and Great Britain. Northern Italy was also invaded and
conquered by Aryans, who traversed the Alpine passes.* But
throughout this tangled and confused story of bloodshed and of
conquest it is clear that two main highways stand out distinctly
enough. There is the Danube Valley route, by which Aryan,
Croat, Magyar, and Turk have pressed into Central Europe, and
there is also the North African highway leading by Spain to
- France and England.

Now if one marks on a map of the world all these various
migrations, these highways of man, then it very soon appears that
they all lead to a very interesting district. Its boundary may be
roughly described as follows:—-From the head of the Persian
Gulf to the Isthmus of Suez, then along the Eastern Shore of the
Mediterranean to the Gulf of Iskanderun, across Asia Minor to
Trebizond and the Caucasus, by the Northern Slopes of the
Caucasus to the Caspian Sea, along the South Border of the
Caspian to Balfrush, and thence back to the mouth of the
Euphrates in the Persian Gulf. This tract of land where three
continents meet is the most interesting place in the whole wide
world. It is a meeting-place of Floras, for it contains not only
temperate forests of oak, of cedar, and of cypress, but Alpine
plants, grassy steppes, arid deserts, Acacia scrub, and also soil
so fertile and so inexhaustibly bountiful that the first gardener
digging with a fire-hardened stick could rely upon an enormous
harvest. Mangroves and the tropical forests with bamboos are at
anyrate not far away. ‘There are seashores swarming with shell-
fish, mighty rivers for the fisherman: it was once full of wild
animals of almost every description. It is the original home of
nearly all our useful plants and of most domestic animals, at
anyrate of those belonging to the old world. It is the zone of
religions ; it contains Babylon and Nineveh; Persia and Egypt
border it, and, besides all this, the great highways by which
vagrant man has wandered even to the uttermost ends of the
earth converge and terminate here. So the original home of
mankind must surely be exactly where it is placed in the oldest
book of the world.

* Ripley Races of Europe, and Sergi /. c.

RuUTHWELL Runic INSCRIPTION. ri)
9th November, 1906.
Chairman——Dr James MaAxweELt Ross, Vice-President.

It was agreed to record in the minutes an expression of regret
at the death of Mr Frank Reid, St. Catherines, Dumfries.

Mr W. A. Mackinnel, the Photographic Secretary, described
the leading photographs exhibited from the Society’s collection,
and made a statement regarding the work of the committee.

How THE RUTHWELL RuNIc INSCRIPTION WAS DECIPHERED.
By Dr E, J. Cuinnock, LL.D.

The decipherment of this Runic Inscription is one of the
most interesting of literary discoveries. After various abortive
attempts had been made by such scholars as the Icelanders, T.
G. Repp and Professor Finn Magnusen, it was at last elucidated
by Mr John M. Kemple, who in 1840 published an essay on
“The Runes of the Anglo-Saxons.’’ To this he appended six
quarto plates of Runic alphabets, the best being a representation
of the Ruthwell Cross from the plates of Hickes, Gordon, and
Duncan. He also translated the Runic carvings. He showed
that the cross is a Christian memorial, and that the letters are
20 lines, more or less complete, of a poem in the old North
English dialect (commonly called the old Northumbrian) on the
Holy Rood or Cross of Christ. In 1823 the German professor
Blune found in the old Conventual Library at Vercelli, near
Milan, an ancient skin-book in the old South English or Wessex
dialect of the 10th century, containing homilies and poems. The
Record Commission entrusted to Mr Benjamin Thorpe the task
of copying and publishing the verses. One of the pieces, entitled
by Mr Thorpe “ The Holy Rood, a Dream,’’ contains 314 lines.
In 1842 Mr Kemble’s notice was arrested by certain lines, and on
comparison he found that they were the identical. inscription
which he had previously deciphered on the Ruthwell obelisk.
So exact had been his text and version that the discovery of the
manuscript copy led him to correct only three letters. It was
now evident that this poem was in substance a work of the 7th
century, and was originally written in the North English dialect.
But its author was still a mystery. A daring conjecture there-

30 RUTHWELL RunNic INSCRIPTION.

anent was first made in 1856 by the Rev. Daniel H. Haigh, who
in an article on the Bewcastle Cross said that there was only one
man who could have written the poem from which this inscrip-
tion was taken, and that was the great Caedmon. By the help

yi!

: ian” “tongy
yi “riyhel tt i i. ACS

of the Vercelli skin-book and the casts taken by Mr Haigh from
the cross, the late Professor George Stephens of Copenhagen
was able to amend the text and add some words to the carving,
and he says that he also found the name of the immortal bard.
For he says at the top are the words Cadmon mae fauetho
(Caldmon fawed or made me). In the 7th century, the date of
the Ruthwell Cross, the South of Scotland formed a part of the

OO Pg ee

RUTHWELL Runic INSCRIPTION. 31
Kingdom of Northumbria, which was inhabited principally by
Angles. Ethelfrid, the first victorious King of all Northumbria,
was probably the first who extended the dominion of the Angles
over Annandale and Nithsdale, which had previously belonged
to the Picts. His successor, Edwin, extended these conquests
considerably in what is now called Galloway, and also northward
even beyond the Forth, on the banks of which Edwinsbury or
Edinburgh will, by its name, preserve the name of its founder for
ever. Oswald and Oswin confirmed and extended these conquests
for the Northumbrian Kingdom. At Whitby, in Northumbria,
in this century was born Caedmon, the first of the many great
poets who have enriched the English language. It seems to
have been customary at that time to inscribe passages taken from
his poem called “ The Dream of the Holy Rood’’ on ecclesi-
astical monuments in England. The Angles would be quite as
well acquainted with the Runic alphabet of the fathers
as with the Roman letters. This accounts for the Anglian
verses of Caedmon being inscribed in Runic_ characters.
There is no trace of this kind of writing having been used in
Germany or by the Saxons and Franks. It was the exclusive
possession of the Goths and their descendants, the nations round
the Baltic, viz., the Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Angles, Jutes,
etc. From my knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, and on con-
sultation of the Anglo-Saxon Dictionary and Grammar,
I had come to the conclusion that the late Professor
Stephens was under a delusion when he imagined he had found
the words “ Caedmon mae fauetho ’’ (Caedmon made me) at the
top of the monument. No such word as fauetho exists in any of
the dialects of Anglo-Saxon. The inscription is written in the
Northumbrian dialect of Anglo-Saxon, from which the Scottish |
language has been developed, as the English is the development
of the Mercian or Midland dialect. No such form as fauetho is
Tecognised by Grammarians. In order to corroborate my own
decision of the worthlessness of Stephens’ alleged discovery, I
wrote to Dr W. W. Skeat, Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Cam-
bridge, asking his opinion. He replied (7th January, 1901) :—
“T think there must be some mistake about Prof. Stephens’
discovery. I do not find that anyone has ever taken it seriously.
Nor do I know where to find authority for the alleged verbal
form fauetho. It is evident, therefore, that the late George

382 RuUTHWELL Runic INSCRIPTION.

Stephens discovered a word that never existed.’’ Full particu-
lars can be obtained by consulting Haigh’s “ Conquest of Britain
by the Saxons,’’ Stopford Brooke’s “ History of Early English
Literature,’’ Sweet’s “ Anglo-Saxon Reader,’’ Stephens’ “ Runic
Monuments of Scandinavia and England.”’

STANDING STONES OF LAGGANGAIRN. By Miss FLEMING-
Hamitton, Craighlaw.

These stones are on a small hillock or rising ground close
to the upper waters of the Tarff—actually in New Luce parish,
but only just across the march from Kirkcowan parish, and it was
from this side I visited them, and took photographs in August,
1904. They are most inaccessible, quite three miles from any
road, over a very rough and wet moor, and not less than eight
miles from Kirkcowan village. Sir Herbert Maxwell says in
“Topography of Galloway ’’ that they stand close to the old
pack-horse track from Kirkcowan to New Luce, and the line
of this route is shown on all but the very newest maps ; however,
it is practically untraceable now. Sir Herbert gives the meaning
of the name as “ Lagan-y-carn ”’ (hollow of the cairns), and about
a quarter of a mile off is the farmhouse of Kilgallioch, which he
translates “Church of the Standing Stones,’’ so that they were
evidently considered remarkable in very early times. I am
sorry the photos are so small, but it was impossible to take any
large apparatus to such an out-of-the-way spot. However, I
think they show clearly the character of the crosses carved on
the stones. They are what, I believe, is called the Greek Cross—
all sides equal—and bear smaller crosses formed simply of two
incised lines on the angles. I do not know of any similar ones,
at anyrate in Galloway. The story related of them is that there
were originally three, but that the farmer at Laggangairn took
one to make a new lintel for his house. Vengeance, however,
fell swiftly ; his collie dogs went mad, and bit him; he also went
mad, and no help being available in that desolate region, his
wife and daughter settled the matter by smothering him between
two “cauf beds.’’? Sir Herbert says they placed the stone over
his grave. I could not find it, however, and the shepherd at
Kilgallioch, who was only newly come, could not assist me.
At Kilgallioch itself are three remarkable Holy Wells, called

9

Have Bees A CoLour SENSE? 38"

“The Wells of the Rees,’’ but they lie in such a hollow it was
not possible to get a satisfactory photograph.

Have Brees a Cotour SENSE? By J. T. Roppa, Eastbourne.

The writer of the paper had been experimenting, and his study
of the subject seemed to confirm the results of Lord Avebury’s
experiments, described as follows :—In order, then, to test the
power of bees to appreciate colour, I placed some honey on a
slip of glass, and put the glass on coloured paper. For instance,
I put some honey in this manner on a piece of blue paper, and
when a bee had made several journeys, and thus became accus-
tomed to the blue colour, I placed some more honey in the same
manner on orange paper about a foot away. Then, during one
of the absences of the bee, I transposed the two colours, leaving
the honey itself in the same place as before. The bee returned
as usual to the place where she had been accustomed to find
the honey; but, though it was still there, she did not alight, but
paused for a moment, and then dashed straight away to the blue
paper. No one who saw my bee at that moment could have
had the slightest doubt of her power of distinguishing blue from
orange. Again, having accustomed a bee to come to honey on
blue paper, I ranged in a row other supplies of honey on glass
slips placed over paper of other colours—yellow, orange, red,
green, black, and white. Then I continually transposed the
coloured paper, leaving the honey on the same spots ; but the bee
always flew to the blue paper, wherever it might be.

I have received several replies from able experts expressing the
view that bees may have visited the blue paper laden with honey in
preference to other colours in Lord Avebury’s experiments. I
have found but few experts who have made experiments with
different coloured flowers, so as to enable them to give an
absolute decision. All the experiments are fully described in
“Ants, Bees, and Wasps,’’ “On the Senses, Instincts, and In-
telligence of Animals,’’ by the Right Hon. Sir John Lubbock,
meet. F.R.S., M.P., F-L.S., D.C.L., LL.D. Also in his reply
to Professor Platean in “The Linnean Societies Journal ’’—
Botany, Vol. 33—“ On the attraction of Flowers for Insects,’’
read 4 Nov., 1897.

These experiments are so very conclusive and coincide

34 Have Bees A CoLour SENSE?

with the deductions I am able to make from the study
of the technical press, that there is no alternative but to
rely on the facts elucidated by such careful painstaking and
exact experiments. G. W. Bulman, Esq., M.A., B.Sc., has
recorded several tables of observations in the “ Zoologist,’’ June,
1902. Also in a paper on insects and flowers read at the East-
bourne Natural History Society, December 19, 1902, giving
numerous observations and facts which should be accepted as a
definite decision, he concluded his paper by saying :—“ These
facts prove conclusively that whatever the bee’s taste may be, it
does not specially select blue flowers for its visits.’? Out of 50
replies received from scientific and natural history societies, I
have obtained but two who have tried to condemn the bee as
colour blind and devoid of reasoning powers. The second
problem raised in this discussion, viz., “Can Insects Reason ?”
has elicited a number of affirmative replies, accompanied by
many illustrations and anecdotes from observers who are able to
prove that ants and bees are attracted by colour; this problem
should not be indexed as insoluble.

Mr Marr said that, although he was a beekeeper of twenty
years’ experience, he had never found that bees had any prefer-
ence for any colour. He had taken particular interest in watch-
ing them at various seasons of the year, and it was possible, if
one was just an ordinary, spasmodic observer, he might find
that the bees preferred blue one day for the simple reason that
they were visiting blue flowers, but the next day perhaps they
might be visiting yellow flowers. The bee would go to the flower
that contained the most honey. He had experimented, and bee-
keeping friends of his had experimented, and they found no con-
clusive evidence that bees preferred blue.

Mr Sinclair, who had kept bees for a longer period than
twenty years, corroborated all that Mr Marr had said. So far
as he had seen, bees had no preference for any colour.

The Chairman said that, although they had no preference
for any particular colour, he did not know that that disproved
the theory that they had colour sense.

Mr Service was of opinion that they had no colour sans
but they had an intense sense’ of locality.

Mr Marrs said that he had experimented with coloured
hives. In the absence of the bees from a blue hive he would

OBSERVATIONS ON SEED DISTRIBUTION. 39D

remove it and put a white or red one in its place. The bees
never for a moment hesitated to enter the hive, and if they had
had a sense of colour they would have known a white hive from
a blue one.

OBSERVATIONS ON SEED DISTRIBUTION OF SOME BULBOUS
Prants. By Mr S. Arnott, F.R.H.S.

Among the many interesting studies in connection with
plant life is that of the means by which the seeds are so distri-
buted as to avoid to a great extent the struggle for existence
between plants of the same species—a struggle which would be
vastly greater were the seeds scattered close to the parent plants.
One could write a lengthy paper upon the subject, but the follow-
ing brief observations upon one part of it alone will possibly be
useful in bringing the whole question before the minds of some
who may have an opportunity of studying it in a greater or lesser
degree. I am not going to discuss the plants which generally find
ready means for the dispersal of their seeds by the agency of the
wind or through the means of birds, but to refer to one or two
examples of plants whose seeds are not of a nature to be wind-
borne, and which are not appreciated by the birds or by any of
the other creatures which convey seeds from place to place,
either through their use as food or from their possessing certain
contrivances which enable them to adhere to the skin, fur, or
feathers of these creatures. Nor do I intend to speak of those
which have, by means of the contrivances which cause a sudden
opening of the seed capsules, a means of scattering these seeds
to a greater or less distance from the parents. The plants to
which I refer are some of the bulbous plants which have flowers
elevated on stems of some length, and which have not any
power of distribution save that given by the possession of these
stems. As an example, one may take one of the Alliums of
Garlics, and one, also, which is of a highly succulent character,
and yet remarkably free from the tough fibrous matter which
gives strength to the flower stems of some plants. The plant
is Allium triquetrum, one full of sap and of a very soft nature.
Its flowers are arranged in a small raceme at the end of the stem,
and droop downwards by means of a slight thinning and weaken-
ing of the latter near its extremity. From the soft character of

36 OBSERVATIONS ON SEED DISTRIBUTION.

the stem, the weight of the flowers and the seed capsules after-
wards produced would cause it to collapse to the base in a
short time were it not for the way it is strengthened by its tri-
angular form. It looks like a miniature triangular girder
set on end, and is _ sufficiently strong to maintain the
flowers themselves. As the seeds begin to form and the
capsules increase in weight, the stems gradually fall forward in
the direction in which the flowers are arranged, and eventually
lie in a horizontal position with the capsules resting on the
ground, where they gradually open and the seeds fall to the
soil. In a group of plants it will be found that the flowers are
all turned towards the light, so that, if in an open position, the
stems, in falling, fall outward, with the result that the seeds
are deposited at distances from a foot or less from the parent.
The triangular form of the stem keeps it from doubling up at
any point save in the soft base. What is noticeable about this
plant which makes this distributing method more valuable is that
it also increases rapidly by offsets from the bulb, and has thus a
greater need for dispersing its seeds to prevent undue competition
among its offspring. A somewhat similar arrangement exists
among such Alliums as bear bulblets on the top of the stem, with
the exception that the necessary rigidity of the stem is often
secured by other means, such as a cylindrical formation of the
stalk, which is either smooth and hollow, smooth and stiff and
with interior fibres or corrugated, the latter arrangement fre-
quently existing among plants with hollow stems also. It will
be observed that in many cases these stems, from their
greater substance and rigidity, last longer than the leaves, and
do not fall down until the seeds are ripe or nearly so. Besides
the Alliums, such bulbous plants as Narcissi, Snowflakes, and
even the Snowdrops are spread by this means, although, of
course, the distance varies according to the length of the stems.
In this short note I have endeavoured to keep it free from techni-
cal terms, and to state the facts so as to induce others to take
their own observations when opportunity offers.

eo)

THE CLIMATE OF THE BRITISH ISLEs. 37
23rd November, 1906.
Chairman—Mr R. Service, V.P.

THE CLIMATE OF THE BritisH Istes. By Mr ANDREW WatTrT,
M.A., of the Scottish Meteorogical Society, Edinburgh.

After some introductory remarks, it was pointed out that,
though our climate was not perhaps an ideal one, the truth was
that the British Isles enjoyed milder temperature conditions than
any other lands within the same latitudes. We were apt to forget
how far north our islands lie, and that John o’ Groats is within
600 miles of the Arctic Circle. Compare, for example, the
enormous range that prevails in Southern Siberia with the mode-
rate variations of temperature under which we live. Lake Baikal
—in the latitude of England—is frozen over for three or four
months every winter, yet during the short hot summer the country
round yields a magnificent wheat crop, which ripens with almost
magic rapidity. So Vladivostock—an ice-bound port in winter
—is further south than the Channel Islands. Compare also
Labrador with its inhospitable climate, and consequently scanty
population.

The secret of the comparative mildness of our climate was to
be found in our insular position. Land and water behaved in
quite different ways towards the heat radiated by the sun. Land
absorbed the heat rapidly and gave it out rapidly, whilst the
transactions of water were of a much more sluggish character,
_ the heat being stored up slowly and parted with slowly. Thus
in the interior of every continent the summers were much warmer
and the winters much colder than on the coasts. Lands entirely
surrounded by the sea were, of course, even more favourably
situated.

But of supreme importance was the fact that our prevailing
winds were from the south-west, and those blowing from off the
tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Atlantic were warm winds.
So, too, the south-west wind was the prevailing one on the
eastern shores of the Pacific, and the eastern shores of the
northern parts of both the great oceans were much warmer than
the western. The influence of the Gulf Stream on our climate
was not to be overlooked, but it was a greatly over-rated factor.

38 Tue CLIMATE OF THE BRITISH ISLEs.

Temperature variations within the British Isles were dis-
cussed in detail. Height above sea-level was an important con-
sideration. We spoke in a vague way of the mild climate of
Devonshire, having in our minds such places as Dawlish, Tor-
quay, and Dartmouth; but on the high land in the middle of
Dartmoor the winter climate was as rigorous as that of Braemar.
But there was no such range of climate as was to be met with on
high mountains in tropical countries. On the famous railway
in Peru, which crossed the Andes at a height of 15,000 feet, as
great a variety of temperature conditions might be experienced
in a few hours as would be met with on a journey at sea-level
from the Equator to a point within the Arctic Circle.

Just as in the case of the great continents, the coasts of our
islands enjoyed more equable temperature conditions than inland

ANNUAL RAINFALL AT CARGEN
1866-1905

AVERAGE : 43-87 INCHES ;
HIGHEST : 63-50 INCHES IN 1872
LOWEST : 30-77 INCHES IN 1890

Tue CLIMATE OF THE BRITISH ISLEs. 39

districts: there was less difference between day and night through-
out the year, and less difference between summer and winter.
In severe frosts the lowest temperatures were met with in the
valleys rather than on the hills. In the great frost of January
and February, 1895, it was noteworthy that at times the summit
of Ben Nevis was warmer than any other spot in Scotland for
which observations were available. Such “inversions ’’ of
temperature were of common occurrence in Switzerland, where
they had passed into a proverb, and there the villages were
built on the slopes of the mountains rather than in the valleys.

' The main features of the climate of our islands as regards
temperature might be determined from observations made at a
comparatively small number of points; but in the case of rainfall
that was far from being the case. The orographical features
of the country showed extraordinary diversity, and places quite
close together might have very different rainfalls. Thus, Cargen
lay nearer to Criffel and the Galloway hills than Dumfries, and
had a heavier rainfall. The registration of rainfall was a
simple matter, and the Natural History and Antiquarian Society
might do good work by encouraging rainfall research in the south
of Scotland. It would, for example, be of great interest to
have a string of rain gauges at intervals up the Nith valley.
The lecturer would be glad to be put in touch with anyone who
desired to establish a gauge.

The general distribution of rainfall over the islands was
described. The west coast was much wetter than the east, and
where, as in Wales, in the Lake District of England, and in the
West Highlands of Scotland, considerable mountains opposed
the passage of the moisture-laden winds from west and south-
West, the rainfall was very heavy. Some places on the east
_ coast of Scotland and England had 25 inches or less per annum,
Glasgow and Dumfries about 38 inches, Fort-William about 78
inches, whilst the average rainfall on the summit of Ben Nevis

had been no less than 160 inches. The rainfall at the Stye, on
the lower slopes of Scafell, was even heavier.

Rainfall varied much from year to year, but it was difficult
to show that there were decided rainfall cycles, though there
was possibly a faintly marked period of eleven years. During
the last half century 1887 had been the driest year in all three
Kingdoms. In England and Wales the wettest year had been

40 Ture CLIMATE OF THE BRITISH ISLEs.

1872, in Ireland 1903, whilst in Scotland 1877 and 1903 had
been almost equally notorious. There was less variation from
year to year in Ireland than in Great Britain, and, roughly
speaking, it might be said that it rains oftener in Scotland than
in England, and oftener in Ireland than in Scotland.

The distribution of sunshine could not be pictured so fully
as that of rainfall, but it appeared probable that, as regards
Scotland, the north-eastern and south-eastern counties were the
sunniest. The explanation was simple, for the Grampians and
the southern uplands intercepted the westerly winds, which were
largely dessicated of their moisture or cloud-forming element by
the time they had reached the east coast. The south coast of
England was the actually sunniest part of our islands, and a com-
parison of the sunshine records of, say, Hastings, with those of
Davos Platz, the famous health resort in the Upper Engadine,
was of interest. The two places had almost the same annual
allowance of sunshine, but during the winter half-year it was
much sunnier in the Swiss Highlands, and during the summer
half-year much sunnier in the south of England.

The question whether our climate had changed within
historic times was a difficult one, and no answer was attempted.
That secular changes had taken place we knew from geology.
An argument in favour of the view that our climate was growing
milder was often based on the fact that the Thames is now never
frozen over. Inthe 16th and 17th centuries we read of that river
being ice-bound for two or three months at a time, of “frost
fairs ’’ on the river at which oxen were, roasted whole. Thus
Evelyn, the diarist, makes such a definite statement as that
“coaches plied from London to Westminster’? on the ice.
But now the Thames has not been fairly frozen over for nearly
a century. Our winters may have grown milder, but one cannot
recognise in such an argument any proof of it. The Thames
near London was a very different river, and one much more
difficult to freeze, since the removal of Old London Bridge
about eighty years ago. The old bridge with its many arches
acted as a sort of half-tidal dam, greatly lessening the rise and
fall of the river, and therefore making the water much easier
to freeze.

In France records had been kept of the date of the vintage
each year as far back as the 14th century. An examination of

NoTES ON TREES. 41

these records gave no evidence of either a deterioration or an
improvement in the climate, though there appeared to be fairly
well-marked oscillations. Again, in Russia we have a country
where internal trade depends largely on its navigable rivers,
which are frozen during the winter months. The dates of the
opening and closing of the rivers to navigation are known with
tolerable certainty for the last two hundred years, and it
appeared as though exceptionally cold years occurred at
intervals of from thirty to thirty-five years and exceptionally
warm years with a similar period. Probably in our islands also
there were such oscillations, but accurate instrumental obser-
vations were an affair of the last half-century, and that was
too short a time on which to base an opinion.

In the course of his remarks, Mr Watt pointed out that
exact statements as to our climate were made possible only by
the painstaking work of observers in various parts of the country.
In the south of Scotland the Cargen observations and those by
Mr Andson in Dumfries were of great value.

The lecture was freely illustrated, many of the lantern slides
being from original diagrams. Of special local interest was a

slide showing the annual rainfall at Cargen for the last forty
years.

ith December, 1906.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.
Notes ON TREES. By Mr W. J. MAXWELL.

The following are some notes on various kinds of trees now
available for planting, which I hope may not be without interest.
A few days ago I measured some trees growing at Terregles. I
find that a Douglas Fir, one of several of the same age and size
which was planted in 1886, has reached the height of 53 feet,
with a girth, at about 4 feet from the ground, of 44 feet. Picea
nobilis, planted in 1885, have attained about the same dimen-
sions. A Thuya gigantea, supposed to have been planted about
1882, but perhaps really five or, six years earlier, is 61 feet high
and 6 feet 10 inches in girth, with very wide-spreading branches

49 NOTES ON TREES.

near the ground, some of which, taking root, are rising round it

like independent trees. Another Thuya gigantea, undoubtedly
planted in 1882, but in harder, poorer soil, is 46 feet high, with
a girth of 4 feet 8 inches. Larch planted.in 1886 are 56 feet

high, and 34 feet in girth. Far surpassing these are specimens.

of Picea grandis, planted in 1882, and then two or three feet
high—now 62 feet high, and 6} feet in girth—60 feet of addi-
tional height in 24 years, and taking their thickness with them.
And here I should like to draw special attention to this noble
tree, for Picea grandis is truly a noble tree, worthy of its name,
sound and hardy of constitution, a thing of beauty at all
seasons, but especially in early summer, when the fresh young
shoots so lavishly thrown out, show up in their brilliant green in
contrast to the darker foliage behind. Beautiful in form and
colour and in luxuriance of growth, it is an admirable tree for
ornamental planting, and should prove a good forest tree as well.
If plants could be obtained more cheaply, we might have planta-
tions of Picea grandis mixed with Douglas firs, in sheltered spots,
which in beauty, rapidity of growth, and quantity of timber pro-
duced would surpass anything we have now, and would yield
pretty good timber too, though not equal to Larch for outside
use.
Picea Nordmanniana, much more generally grown, is very
similar in appearance and growth in its early stages, but sadly
lacks the robust constitution of Grandis. I have found Nord-
manniana a most disappointing tree.

The only large specimen of Abies Menziesii at Terregles
dates from about 1840. It is 744 feet high, with a girth of 153
feet. I think its rate of growth is much the same as that of
Abies Douglasii, and its timber is much the same. Here I may
remark that in exposed places the variety taxifolia of Abies
Douglasii may be found more satisfactory than the ordinary type.
Slower of growth, but of sturdier habit and less liable to lose its
top, it seems better fitted for roughing it.

In rapidity of growth the trees above-mentioned all far sur-
pass the Pines, austriaca, laricio, and sylvestris, and the latter
have no chance when planted with them; but the Pines will
thrive, and root themselves so as to resist the fiercest gale in the
most exposed situations, while the others need shelter from the
blast.

NOTES ON TREES. 43

The Larch is, no doubt, our most useful tree for estate pur-
poses, but in view of the ravages of Larch disease, and the new
pest with which it is threatened, the Larch saw-fly, it seems
imprudent to trust to it so much as has been the custom. I
have seen no signs of this terrible insect so far, but the plague

‘may soon reach us, and the prospect is alarming. As the Larch

saw-fly generally commences operations on the tops of the highest
trees, it seems only too obvious that any human effort short of
burning whole plantations will probably be powerless to check
its advance. The remedies suggested by our watchful Board of
Agriculture, such as gathering the insects from the ground in
the pupa state, and scraping or burning the surface of the ground,

certainly seem to me impracticable on a sufficiently large scale

to be of any use. Birds may help us, but the larva of the Larch
saw-fly much resembles the destructive gooseberry caterpillar,
and I have never seen any bird but one feeding on them. That
one bird was the cuckoo, which I observed some years ago
regularly frequenting the gooseberry bushes in my garden when
we had a plague of those saw-fly caterpillars.

During the past year young Silver Firs have suffered
severely from a species of Aphis attacking the young shoots and
leaves. Numbers of young Silvers of all sizes up to 10 or 12
feet high have been killed, and much larger trees badly dam-
aged. The remedy for this and other Aphis plagues is the
importation of lady birds, if a sufficiently hardy species can be
found somewhere. I believe the fruit growers of California im-
ported four or five different species from New Zealand with

- most successful results.

bcc

There seems also to be a new disease on the Ash. We
have long been familiar with a sort of black canker which
attacks the branches,.and proves fatal in a year or two, but very
recently numbers of Ash trees have been dying from some
disease which shows no symptom except the withering and falling
of the leaves in summer, and a marked brittleness in the wood.
The twigs of a healthy Ash, are, of course, tough and supple;

_ those of an affected tree snap like sticks of sealing-wax.

In conclusion, I should like to recommend the London
Plane, Platanus orientalis, or more general use for ornamental
planting, and especially in our own ‘town of Dumfries. It is
hardy enough to stand our hardest winters, and though it does

44 NOTES ON TREES.

not grow with quite the graceful luxuriance it develops in more
southern climes, it does very well. The only large specimen I
have seen in this district is at Kirkconnell, Troqueer, a tree
about 60 or 70 feet high, with a girth of 9 feet 8 inches; but I
have one at Terregles Banks, planted in 1884, thriving well, and
there are several about Terregles. It is specially suited for
planting in towns from its shedding its bark, and so resisting
smoke.

Dr Borthwick said that in addition to that ordinary ash
canker, there was only one tree he had ever examined which
was evidently suffering from a disease that formed no particular
signs outside, but, on examining it at any time of the year, either
with root wood, twigs, or leaves, wherever there were living cells,
there he found some kind of organism in active movement.
Whether it was a bacterium or not he could not say. Possibly
that cause may have had to do with the case referred to by Mr
Maxwell.

Mr Wellwood Maxwell of Kirkennan asked if the ash in
question had anything apparent on the bark to indicate the
disease. The bark of a healthy young ash was clean, but one
sometimes saw an appearance like a scale on an apple tree.
Was that present in this case?

Dr Borthwick said he knew the white scale, or insect scale,
referred to, and he could not say whether it was present or not,
but the bark had not a healthy appearance, and that was what
led him to examine the tree first. The growth, too, had ceased,
and another conspicuous point was the way in which it lost its
leaves very early in the year, and also portions of the twigs fell
with the leaves.

Mr Maxwell, Terregles Banks, in reply to the Chairman,
said regarding the value of the grandis that the timber of these
silver firs was much of the same order as their own silver fir.

THE JAPANESE LarcH. By Mr W. Murray of Murraythwaite.

Mr W. Murray gave a note on the Japanese Larch. It had
to do with a cover which had already been brought before the
Society in recent years. It was a cover of about four or five
acres planted in 1899, the trees at the time being of the age of
three years. He had had it measured fairly well, and found that

THE JAPANESE LARCH. 45
*

the highest trees in the cover were about 18 feet 6 inches high,
and, these being now ten years old, that gave an average yearly
growth of a foot and a little over ten inches. The average
height of the trees in the cover was 15 feet, which gave an
average yearly growth of 1 foot 6 inches. It appeared to him
that the rate of growth was accelerated during the last two or
three years, because in 1903 some of the trees were exhibited by
Mr Barr, of Messrs Kennedy & Co., at the Highland and Agri-
cultural Society’s show in Dumfries, and at that time, after seven
years’ growth, the average height of the cover was 10 feet.
Since then most of the trees in the cover had grown 5 feet, so
that the rate of growth had been accelerated by about 4 or 5
inches per annum.

Captain Walker said he had had experience with the
Japanese Larch, and thought them very risky indeed. If there
was a rabbit within half a mile it would eat them. That was a
great drawback. Another thing he found was that in high
ground they would not stand early morning frost. They must
be saved from the early morning frost, or else, in his experience,
they invariably lost their tops.

Copsze Woops. By Mr WELLWoop MaAxwWELL.

Mr Maxwell prefaced his paper on “ Copse Woods ”’«by some
explanations as to the growth of Japanese Larch at Kirkennan.
I happened, he said, to be in Japan a little over twenty years
ago, and sent home a packet of seed to my father. It was sown
in 1885. About fifty of them came up; most of them are at
Munches, and I have three of them at Kirkennan. Unfortunately,
one or two rabbits had been left “within half a mile,’’ and
destroyed the rest. The highest one I have, which was sown in
1885, is now 45 feet high, and the girth, breast high, is 25
inches. I have two others 25 feet high, and off one of these I
have brought a sample of cones, the first I have seen on
Japanese Larch in this country, and there is also a sample from
the ordinary Larch for comparison.

There is perhaps a greater area of copse wood in this country
than any other class of wood, and in no class has there been a
greater fall in value. These woods were mostly managed on a
rotation of 20 to 25 years, and used to yield a very fair return,

46 CopsE Woops.

equal to from 8s to 10s an acre per annum, and sometimes more.
I know of one copse wood of about 50 acres, which, when cut 40
years ago, yielded £1400 to the estate, or £28 per acre. This
wood was sold two years ago, when 38 years old, for £300, or
only £6 per acre. To what is this great fall in value due?
Chiefly to foreign competition. I will explain how. The chief
species in a copse wood in this district are oak, ash, birch, and
hazel. The oak was valuable for its bark, which, 30 years ago,
brought £6 10s to £7 a ton. Women and boys could be got in
numbers to peel for ls to ls 3d per day; now it is almost im-
possible to get them at all, and the wage is more like 2s to 2s 6d.
The price of bark, on the other hand, has come down to £4 10s.
This year, I am told that even that price was difficult to get.
The result of this rise in labour and fall in price is that it is
doubtful if it any longer pays to peel the bark off oak copse
wood. The bark, as you know, was used for tanning hides in
making leather, which is now done more economically with the
aid of chemicals and other substances imported from abroad ;
whether the leather is as good and durable I am unable to say,
but I have my doubts. But this I know, that this source of a
considerable supply of labour to some country districts has been
destroyed, never, I fear, to return. The value of the oak was
not very great. The best went for pit props, which are now
about half the price of 30 years ago; and the remainder for
firewood. Ash, birch, and hazel were used for making bobbins
for the cotton and wool mills, and brought as much as 12s a ton
in the wood. Everything was of use down to 1} in. diameter.
Bobbin mills were common in this country, but many have ceased
to exist. Now bobbins are made almost exclusively out of
larger trees. Some makers will take nothing but ash, but that
must not be less than 3 in. diameter ; but at the large works, such
as Coats, of Paisley, the wood is almost all from abroad, and is,
I understand, chiefly birch. The small rods, which were too
small even for bobbins, went for barrel hoops, and brought 16s
to 18s per ton, but this is a trade which has entirely disappeared
from the district. What wood is still used in this country for
barrel hoops is imported from France, but iron hoops have been
the chief cause of the destruction of this industry. When Kirk-
ennan copse wood was cut some 30 years ago under the manage-
ment of my father, he had two acres carefully measured, the crop

4

OO EE

CcpsE Woops. 47

kept separate, and weighed so as to ascertain the exact value,
and it may interest you to hear the results.

FIRST ACRE.

re C2 QQ:

23 3 3 Bobbin wood at 14s ake ase a kon + 6
@ 19 0 Hoops at 16s ... ak he eC ae 015 0
CEO) 0 Bark at £6... es oe bs af 3.0 0

Firewood and props ... wi ie ah 310 0
£23 9 6
Pd. cutting and carting bobbin wood and hoops £8 8 0
Pd. chipping bark, carriage and cutting ae 207 30
— 10 8 0
Net balance aie Sah re os espe ctls) sal lela
SECOND ACRE.

ie 1c. QQ.

Oy 2 2 Bobbin wood at 14s .. a se Aes ilk
3 4 3 Hoops at 16s ... oa a ae of hone
o 16 0 Bark at £6 416 0

Firewood and props ... 118 3
216 7 7
‘Cutting and carting bobbin wood and hoops... £4 13 0
‘Cutting, chipping, and carting bark _... aah 3.4 0
SS AM
Net value... Pe aie wae Reo MLOU WT

Compare this with what was got for the wood on Lochanhead
estate about ten years ago, which was at the rate of £4 an acre, a
price which I fear it would be impossible to get to-day for the
very best copse of 20 to 25 years’ growth. If the Kirkennan
wood, which was of 25 years’ growth in 1875, yielded in the one
case about 10s 6d an acre per annum, and in the other about
7s an acre per annum, whereas the Lochanhead wood of 25
years old would only be 3s 3d per acre per annum, and the
wood I mentioned at the beginning of my paper 3s 2d per acre
per annum, as against about 22s per acre per annum
of 40 years ago; it is evident, then, that wood of this
‘class has ceased to be a remunerative crop, and the question
comes—what should be done with our existing copse woods?
No single answer can be given to this question; each case must
be considered on its merits. Professor Schlich, in a recent book
on British forestry, deals with this question, and suggests that
perhaps the best way is, when the copse has been cut over, to

48 CoprsE Woops.

plant a few trees of different kinds wide apart between the stools,
and, by taking a little care during the first few years, to see that
these young trees are not smothered by the luxuriant growth from
the stools, very good results are being obtained. In a small way
I have been experimenting on how to deal with copse woods for
18 years, and I am bound to say that I think the least satisfactory
portion is that treated as proposed by Professor Schlich. It may
be, however, that this is my fault, but I found that there was
great difficulty in maintaining a proper balance between the stool
shoots and the young trees. When I planted larch at about 6 ft.
apart among the stools, I found they either got overtopped or too-
much drawn. When I planted Douglas at about 9 ft. apart
among the stools, I have found that after 10 or 12 years the
Douglas are getting too complete a mastery over the stool shoots,
even though these have been thinned out to one or two on a
stool to allow of greater vigour, and the result will very soon be
pure Douglas, which will never make clean timber, because they
are not close enough of themselves, and the hardwood was not
dense enough to kill off the bottom branches of the Douglas.
My first experiment was, however, in 1888, to cut a portion about
2 acres clean over. Unfortunately, a few standards of oak and
birch were left, which would have been much better removed,
as they have spread, taken up too much room, and caused breaks
in the canopy. At this time I had just read an account of
the Taymount plantation on Lord Mansfield’s property in Perth-
shire, which was planted with Douglas 12 ft. apart, and filled in
with larch to 6 ft. apart. The result of this was that the Douglas
killed out the larch, and became themselves much too rough to:
form a good timber crop. I therefore decided to put in my
Douglas 12 ft. apart, and fill in with larch to 4 ft. The
result in this case has been not that the Douglas have
suppressed the larch, but that the larch has suppressed the
Douglas in a large number of cases, and still what Douglas have
got through have not lost their side branches, as is necessary they
should do to make clean timber. The only portion where the
Douglas have gained the complete mastery is a small bit where
the planting was commenced, and where my forester put in
double the number of Douglas I intended, and even here the
Douglas have not clean stems. I have made some measurements
of trees in this plantation, and find the average height to be

sill

a ee

CopsE Woops. 49

about 40 ft. The biggest larch I could find is about 50 ft. high,
with a circumference of 30 inches at breast height of the girth
measurement. This tree will contain about 7 or 8 ft. of timber,
not a bad growth for 18 years. There are many others of 45 ft.
high, with a circumference of 24 inches at breast high. The
largest Douglas is about 45 feet high, and 24 inches circumfer-
ence. I have, unfortunately, no correct record of the value of
the copse cut off this portion, but, taking it as the same as the
best acre measured in the seventies as £13 an acre, or £26 for the
two acres, the cost of planting up the wood, I estimate to be
about £8 an acre, including fencing; or, say, £16 for the two
acres. ‘The first thinning was done in 1901, when, as much as
possible, all the diseased larch were removed, and the net price
realised was £20. In the next year, 1902, a gale in September
blew down a good number of the trees, more especially in one
corner, and a fortunate sale of the poles brought in another
£14 10s, making £34 10s in all. The cost of planting £16 at
compound interest at 4 per cent. for 14 years comes to £28 5s,
so that I am justified in saying that my original outlay has been
repaid me, and I have now a young wood of 18 years which is
growing well, and becoming more valuable every year. Other
portions of the wood, where ash and oak predominate, have been
thinned out, leaving always the best with a view to their growing
into a larger and more valuable class of wood, and, where the
stools were not too old, these promise fairly well, but of their
value it is too soon to speak. Two years ago I thinned some
oak a second time, taking out also some birch which had ceased
to improve, and this has been underplanted with silver fir in the
denser portions, and Douglas in the more open parts. These
are already making good growths. I have also small portions
which were cut clean over, and where three years ago Douglas
were planted 4 ft. apart, or 2720 to the acre, which, so far as
my experience goes, is the smallest number that should be
planted to the acre to get good, clean timber. A writer in a
local newspaper this autumn wrote an article recommending very
highly the planting of Douglas and other newer-imported varie-
ties of trees at 9 ft. apart, as a means of restoring the value of
British woodlands. This gentleman evidently had no personal
or practical experience, or he would not have made such a
suggestion. I unhesitatingly say if Douglas are planted so far

50 Corpse Woops.

apart as 9 ft. without equally quick-growing shade bearing
species between them, the results will be as disastrous for
British foresters in the future as the wide planting of the common
spruce has been in the past. The only way to get clean timber
is by crowding in early youth. By far the larger portion of my
copse wood, however, has been treated only by a gradual thin-
ning out of the poorer and weaker growths, leaving the stronger,
and in some parts I am hopeful this may eventually produce a
fairly valuable crop. The great difficulty is to get a sufficient
number of really good trees evenly distributed over the ground.
As I said before, it is too soon to make any definite statement as
to which method is the best, but I am inclined to the belief that
cutting clean over and replanting, while the more costly to begin
with, will yield the best and quickest return. I have endea-
voured to show that, while copse woods used to be a valuable
property, they have now ceased to be so, and there appears to
me to be here an excellent example of what a Government experi-
mental station might be established to do. At such a station
experiments like those I have tried to describe could be carried
on upon a much more extended and systematic scale than I have
been able to carry them on. And if these experiments proved
profitable, there might again be opportunities of employment in
country districts where none now exist. Who knows but that it
might help the return to the land.

Captain Walker said Mr Wellwood Maxwell had spoken of
clean Douglas mixed with larch, and he wished to ask him if he
did not consider that Menzies spruce mixed with Douglas would
give cleaner Douglas than any tree that could be suggested
at a moderate price.

Mr Maxwell replied in the affirmative.

RECORDS OF THE GROWTH OF TREES AT DORMONT, LOCKERBIE.
By Major CARRUTHERS.

Major Carruthers, Dormont, Lockerbie, contributed valuable
records of the growth of trees at Dormont. These are as
follow :—

RECORDS OF THE GROWTH OF TREES AT DORMONT. 51

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RECORDS OF THE GROWTH OF TREES AT DORMONT.

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RECORDS OF THE GROWTH OF TREES AT DORMONT. 53

1 The average growth of these 4 trees is taken from the date
of first measurement.

2 These 11 are all park trees and more or less exposed, except
6, which is in a wood and has a fine straight, clean bole.
Taking the average from the date of first measurement, the 9
oldest trees show an increase of nearly .9 in., and in the last 40
years only a little over .8 in. The 2 young trees average 1.23 in.
since planting, just over 1 in. in the last 40 years (1.025 in.) and
a little more in the last 35 years (1.05 in.).

3 This tree is failing.

4 Up to 75 years the average increase was .93 in. In the
last 45 years it has only been .32 in. Though past maturity and
making little wood, these trees are quite healthy. They are all
solitary trees, except 4, which get a certain amount of shelter
from old beeches.

5 Nisbet says the lime lives to a great age, and often con-
tinues sound for upwards of 200 years. These appear quite
healthy.

6 Nos. 1 and 2 have suffered a good deal from wind, but No.
3, which is more sheltered, is flourishing.

7 The average increase of No. 3 is nearly 1.6 in.

8 This is a very fine tree of its kind and still healthy. Nisbet
gives 80 years as normal age limit.

9 This tree appears to be quite healthy and still growing,
though Nisbet gives 50 to 60 as age of full maturity. No. 1
was badly smashed by wind about six years ago. Nos. 3, 4, and
5 are on a sandy bank, and are not doing well.

10 Nisbet says the Wych Elm is of quicker growth than the
English Elm, but these measurements do not bear out this view.

54. RECORDS OF THE GROWTH OF TREES AT DORMONT.

¢ en 1871. 1906. Average
ear el . ——— 5
planted Tree. shes Hsieh Girth | Age. po BIS)
planted 5, : Girth Jee, pesaae eee
Height. |. 3 ¢4, |H’g’t hare F
ft. in.| ft. in, | ft. in. |ft. in.| ft, | ft. in ‘Sadie
1856 | A. Menziesii2:| 3 0 | 21 0 3 3 5. 1 Ga eaee
BA 55 3 0/19 0 210 6 7150
is 5 3 0} 19 8 29 6 1.| 50
Z ss 3 0] 20 0 7 1150
” ” 8 7 | 50
” ” 8 0 | 50
” ” 6 4 50 1°64
1853 | A. Douglasii 63/216 27 7 4 | 53
1856 ae 5 104 SO 4: 4 3 Il 2 | 53] (2:54)
55 “7 Bae: 10 2 10 i 1 5d
o ” 4 9/22 3 2 ve 5 2] 50
» » 21 3 aes % 9/50
a a o 8] 24 3 2 tL AAG)
an an 4 4/20 0 2a 5 4] 50
= i; 20 6 au} {/2 3/50
1861 “A 0 6 6 2 58 | 5 2) 45 1°62
1856 | Cedrus atlantica ipo sll rs 3 9150
1863 33 % 4) (pe ea 5 14) 43
Ap os ac 4 0 610] 11 6 5 0 | 43
” ” be) 4 2 7 10 12 6 4 5 43
1862 aa 5p Dod 5 4 4 4] 44 M2)
1862 | A. Albertiana 1 Si 6 405) 12 6 2 63) 44
os A Gale 10) oO 210 | 44
A aS 13 6 10 )13 0 45 |4 4] 44
oso LO dea! 1G 5 3 | 44 1

11 These trees were purchased in 1853, and planted out in
the autumn of 1855. The two largest are near each other on the
bank of the lake. The rest are in similar situations or on an
island on the lake. Note by W. F. C.:—“It appears to thrive
best in moist and rich peat soil. The rate of growth seems much’
the same as common spruce. Though ornamental when young

“the trees appear to get very bare of leaves as they get larger, and
unless the timber is superior to common spruce the advantage of
planting it is doubtful. It is said to grow well on peat moss, but
so does common spruce for 20 years. In its native country it
is found in deep alluvial soil, and the expectation that in Scotland

RECORDS OF THE GROWTH OF TREES AT DORMONT. do

it is to produce timber on poor soil or peat moss unless contain-
ing a mixture of alluvial soil is not likely to be realised.”

No. 1 planted without a pit in light sandy loam. Injured
by rabbits, but recovered, and in 1861 was 15 feet high. It
was then well sheltered by common spruce, which were removed
in 1862, and the tree left standing alone. This gave it a con-
siderable check, but though much expased to the $.W. wind it
has not shaken at the root. No. 2 stands in centre of island,
forced soil (a mixture of alluvial and sand), about 5 feet above
water level. Purchased in 1853 when 1 foot 6 inches high, and
planted in autumn 1855. In 1860 it was 16 ft. high, and that
summer lost its leading shoot; the following year it produced
a great number of cones and made hardly anything either of
these years. In 1862 contending leads were removed, and
though it again produced a number of cones it made a leading
shoot about a yard long. In 1863 it produced no cones, and

- made a good leading shoot. It is now (1906) a very fine tree.

“From the rate at which BD grows as compared with common
spruce it would appear that the former will produce in the same
number of years one-third more timber than the latter and of
equal, if not superior, quality. The great bulk of timber which
it will produce points it out as a desirable forest tree. Probably
any soil which can produce spruce of -first-rate quality is equally
suitable for Douglas. Unfortunately, it has a fault which may
prevent it from ever becoming a forest tree in this country, viz.,
its producing cones at an early age. Nine-tenths of the plants
exposed for sale are probably raised from home-grown seed
taken from young trees, and will never attain timber size. In
consequence of this a really valuable forest tree is likely to be
condemned and the cultivation of it given up.’’

Cedras Atlantica.—No. 1 stands on island and has been
drawn up by other trees (others park trees).

A. Albertiana.—No. 3 is protected from prevailing winds
by 1 and 2. No. 4 is on an island, and protected by adjacent
covert. It is probably about 60 feet high, and a handsome tree.

56 IN AND AROUND BESANCON.

21st December, 1906.
Chairman—Dr J. W. Marrtin.

In AND AROUND Besancon. By Mr Witiiam M‘CutTcHEON,
B.Sc.

The Jura Mountains form the natural boundary between
France and the north-west of Switzerland, stretching in a. north-
easterly direction for some two hundred miles and having an
extreme width of fifty miles. In the summer of ’92 I cycled
down the western limit of these mountains from Dijon, the town
of “Glory Roses ’’ and champagne, to Lyons, the River Saone
forming the boundary. Standing on the Tour Metallique in
Lyons one has a splendid view of the deep valley through which
the Rhone comes from the Lake of Geneva, and which separates
the Juras from the Alps of the Dauphiny, with Mont Blanc in
the background. From the Swiss*side a forenoon’s cycle run
from Berne brings one to the eastern limit of these mountains
not far from Lake Neuchatel, which nestles at their foot. In the
summer of 794 I crossed their extreme spur by means of a pass
that leads from Olten towards Bale; but during last summer
(1906) it was my fortune, however, to spend a month of my holi-
days in Besancon, and I was able to glean a few facts concerning
this interesting district.

The Juras rise rather abruptly from the lowlands of Switzer-
land, but towards the great central plain of France they descend
as by a gigantic staircase, for there are no fewer than seven
parallel ranges of diminishing altitude. My personal experiences
were gathered from the two lowest chains, as I had not time to
visit the actual culminating pine-clad points which overlook Lake
Geneva. To the geologist the word Jura recalls the Jurassic
system of rock-formation, and here the limestones are to be seen
cropping out in every valley. The hill on which the citadel of
Besancon stands is a huge mass of limestones, and the bending
of the strata is distinctly visible a long way off, for the two sides
of the hills are perpendicular and devoid of the least trace of
herbage. The limestone lends itself to the formation of under-
ground passages for water, and more than one stream disappears
during its course, to reappear further down the valley. Some

- Se el

IN AND AROUND BESANCON. 57

two miles distant from Besancon are the Grottes Saint-Léonard,
the main portion of which consists of a long narrow tunnel which
enters the mountain side with the same dip as that of the strata,
which at this point have a considerable inclination. Not having
provided myself with candles, I was unable to penetrate very far.
This fissure has to be approached from above by means of a
rough footpath and a guiding chain, as the rocks rise with almost
perpendicular steepness from the valley. A fine view is to be
had of the Doubs Valley, and the forts encircling the town;
one of these, a small one, a mile or so distant, was blown into
the air two months later by the explosion of eighty tons of
melinite. One could almost throw a stone into the river, yet on
the steep slope were cut no fewer than three roads and a railway.

A much more interesting cave exists in the neighbourhood
of Arbois, the district far-famed for its wine, which is produced
on the slopes of the lowest range of the mountains, and where
the memory of the great Pasteur is held in reverence. The
Lycée, or High School, has been named after him and _ his
statue adorns the square, for it was here that he taught, as a
young man, before he began those studies which were to so
benefit the human race and render his name a household word
throughout the civilised world. We visitors were invited by the
members of the Natural History Society to accompany them on
an all-day’s outing, one Sunday, to visit these caves. From the
railway station a four miles’ walk through the well-tended valley
of the Cuisance brings you to a spot hemmed in by a semi-
circular rampart of limestone rocks rising some hundreds of feet
from the valley, and after a short climb among the underwood
you arrive at the mouth of the cave and are glad to take shelter
from the broiling mid-day sun, when, even in the shade, the
thermometer stands at 100 deg. Candles being lit, you descend
the easy slope of this wide cavern, which is bedded with a coarse
sand. At one point you have to climb by means of a rope to a
higher level, and, if so inclined, to a still higher gallery. The
lower gallery contains a large pond and is rather damp, while
the upper one is comparatively dry, though every now
and then you flounder about in a layer of thick black
mud. Here and there the roof descends so low that
you have to lie flat in order to squeeze through, at
other times there is a clear height of forty feet. There were

58 IN AND AROUND BESANCON.

no stalactites or stalagmites worth noting. We went in about
two hundred yards, but were told there were numerous ramifica-
tions which had never been thoroughly explored. The young
folks of the neighbourhood seem to hold high revel in this
cavern, and the place fairly rang with their shouts and laughter,
as some of them got left in the dark. The majority of us had
varied marks of our close contact with the floor and walls when
we emerged once more into the sunlight. Time does not permit
of expatiating on the good qualities of the cuisine or the local
wine served in the open air in the garden of the country inn.
Another day we visited a cavern of more varied interest on
one of the plateaux some miles from Besancon and near to the
village of Hopital-du-Grosbois. After a long climb in the train
we had to walk two miles to our destination. On the way we
noted the fact that the vine-growing region had been left behind,
and that cereals occupied the greater part of the cultivated
ground. Hay was being taken in and various townsmen were out
assisting their country cousins on their only off-day. Every here
and there were depressions on the surface due to subsidences, the
rock having been dissolved from underneath. The entrance to
the grotto takes the form of a rent in the centre of a field, and
we had to descend about seventy feet by means of a ladder.
After that, a shelving tunnel leads down into the grotto proper.
When some magnesium ribbon had been lit we could see at a
glance that we were in an immense dome-shaped cavity of about
fifty yards diameter and fifty yards in height. Here again was
a little lake where one could gather peculiarly rough little bits of
calcareous matter, not unlike bits of fish roe. Just beyond this
sheet of water was a sinister-looking cavity with precipitous sides
where the water found an outlet; it was supposed to reach a
stream in the valley some miles off. On the plateau above there
is no trace of a stream, the water being drained off into those
caverns. The beauty of a grotto, however, consists in its
stalactites and stalagmites, the latter being scattered every here
and there over the floor of the place. Some of them were ten
feet high and six feet through, and their formation points to a
time when the dripping water must have been much greater in
volume than at the present time. Then veil-like draperies and
buttresses surround the stalagmites on all sides. In the
magnesium light they showed up with marble whiteness, but when

—_

=X eee

In AND AROUND BESANCON. 59

the candles were placed behind them they gave the impression of
fantastically carved ivory work. ‘The tops are usually flat with a
faint depression towards the centre, into which the drop charged
with the lime falls. These three grottos, which I have made
mention of, are by no means famous but happen to be easily
accessible from Besancon.

Botanically speaking, the Juras are divided into three zones
according to their altitude. All below 1200 feet form what may
be called the plain; here cereals are grown, but by far the
greater part of the sloping hill sides is taken up with the cultiva-
tion of the vine. The best of champagne may be had for half-
a-crown the bottle, the wine for every-day use being sold at any-
thing up to threepence the bottle. Every here and there you
could see the vine-stumps covering fairly large portions of the
ground where they had been burned down after having been

attacked by the phylloxera or vine disease insect ; this treatment

is meted out to the infested areas to keep the pest from spread-
ing. Fruit trees, such as the apricot, plum, quince, are to be
seen at their best, as are also the walnut, peach, and cherry.
Very few farms are to be seen, the people living in villages, and
going out to the fields in the vicinity. In the next zone, extend-
ing from 1200 feet to 2500 feet, and which may be called the
“Hilly Region,’’ the apricot disappears, and the vine, if found
at all, produces but a poor varietv of wine. More space is
therefore given to the cereals such as rve, barley, maize, and
corn, though these naturally don’t grow so well as lower down.
In the “ Mountain Region,’’ extending from 2500 feet to 5000
feet, the fruit trees entirely disappear, and barley and corn are
cultivated. Here are the best grazing patches for the cattle, and
the forests are then composed of conifers. At lower altitudes
the cattle are never to be seen grazing ; any hay that is grown is
cut and stored indoors for feeding. It is one of the striking facts
of the lowland landscape of France, Germany, and Switzerland,
the entire absence of cattle and hedges. In the “ Plain ’’ there
are numerous fairly extensive forests, the principal trees being
beech, oak, plane, alder, and aspen. Only a small fraction of
these forests are in the hands of the Government.

Among wild flowers the leguminous plants are very common
by the wayside, and other plants which catch one’s eye are the
Traveller’s Joy (Clematis vitalba) and Marjoram (Origanum

60 In AND AROUND BESANCON.

vulgare) ; these are to be found chiefly on calcareous soil, and
here they were in special abundance. In the neighbourhood of
Arbois, which I have mentioned before, the rare plants are
Saxifraga sphonhemica, Telephium Imperati, Geranium palustre
and pratense ; for, although these are to be found in various parts
of the Juras, it is but seldom that they descend so low in this.
latitude. For information concerning the rarer plants I am in-
debted to Dr Magnin, one of the professors at the University.
You find that some of our commonest plants when found in the
district are accounted interesting from the fact that they are,
comparatively speaking, rare; one has to take into account. the
fact of ten degrees difference of latitude. Such plants are Car-
damine impatiens, Geranium silvaticum and lucidum, Anthriscus.
vulgaris, Adoxa moschatelina, Epilobium angustifolium, Hyperi-
cum pulchrum and humifusum, Geum rivale, Pedicularis palustris
and silvatica, Lotus major, Parnassia palustris.

The town of Besancon, birth-place of Victor Hugo, and
capital of the ancient province of Franche-Comté, or the Free
County, deserves more than passing attention, both from an
archeological and historical point of view, and as I spent most of
my time within its walls, for it is fortified, I was able to become
better acquainted with it than with the country at large. At the
present time the town is about the size of Carlisle, and, being in
the border country, its fortunes have been as varied. The River
Doubs surrounds the town on three sides with a_horse-shoe
shaped loop, the remaining side, barely two hundred yards wide,
being guarded by the citadel, perched high on a huge mass of
limestone which descends sheer into the river on both sides.
Julius Cesar, in his Gallic war, describes the situation of the town
at that time, 58 B.c., called Vesontio, and the chief stronghold
of the Sequani, a Celtic tribe. The name of the river is Celtic,
being the same as our own Gaelic word meaning “ black.’’ The
town was a favourite place of residence of the Emperor Marcus
Aurelius, and a fine triumphal arch, the Porte Noire (Black
Gate), 190 feet high, dating from 167 a.p., was erected in honour
of his victories over the German tribes. Near this are the
remains of the Roman theatre, showing the sub-basement in the
form of a semi-circle, as also a row of Corinthian columns, which
have been recently taken from the debris and set in position.
The bridge, which carries by far the greater part of the traffic, is.

————————— ee

IN AND AROUND BESANCON. 61

substantially Roman ; the arches are still visible, though additions
have been put to both sides of them. The town still draws its
water supply from the springs five miles distant, from which the
Romans brought theirs. The Porte Taillée, or “Cut Gate,’’
still shows the spot where they had to cut through the spur of
the citadel hill in order to open up a way for their aqueduct.
The fine park of Chamars still points to the Roman Campus
Martius or parade ground. Towards the downfall of the Roman
Empire, the district was overrun by the Burgundians, whose name
still lingers in the adjacent province of Burgundy. Then its
sovereignty was disputed for centuries ; sometimes it belonged to
the rising kingdom of France, more often, however, it was
attached to the Emperor, and, being so far from Austria, it got
a considerable share of self-government, which is still preserved
in the name Franche-Comté. Then, through marriage, it passed
to Charles V. of Spain; the Spanish occupation is still attested
by the Moorish designs to be seen on some of the buildings of
the sixteenth century. Neither Charles nor his son Philip II.
has left such an impress on the town as did their servants of the
house of Granvelle. Nicolas, keeper of the seals to Charles
V., built the fine edifice, called to this day the Palace Gran-
velle. Nicolas is not so well known as his son, the cardinal
minister of Philip II., and the great opponent of William the
Silent of Orange. The palace is now used as a meeting place for
the learned societies of the town. Granvelle’s fine library now
belongs to the town, and is housed in the municipal library,
which contains 90,000 books, 2000 manuscripts, and 1000 books
dating from the start of printing, some having been printed by
Guttenberg. These together with 10,000 coins form a fair col-
lection for a town of 60,000 inhabitants.

The town was taken and then given up by Henry IV. of
France, and then taken twice by Louis XIV., being finally ceded
to France in 1679.

In one of the squares stands a statue of Jouffroy, who was
the first in France to apply steam to the propulsion of boats, as
he had a model plying on the River Doubs as early as 1776; he
invented a ship with paddles in 1783, but, not having floated it,
the honour was carried off by Fulton, who put one on the Seine
at Paris in 1803.

Behind the Porte Noire, and occupying the site of a Roman

62 In AND AROUND BESANCON,

temple, stands the Cathedral, which is so hemmed in with
nunneries that it has little architectural effect. It contains,
however, some fine mural paintings; but much more interesting
is the fine astronomical clock built in imitation of the one in
Strassburg Cathedral. It has about forty dials, showing the time
at different parts of the earth, together with the rise and fall of
the tide, and the phases of the moon. At the stroke of twelve
six of the apostles circle round the figure of Christ. Mention of
this clock recalls the fact that the chief industry of the town is
watchmaking, and I had the privilege of seeing the different pro-
cesses gone through in this most interesting manufacture. I
think the most marvellous piece of machinery was the one which
cuts out the teeth in the wheels. The factories of this town
alone turn out annually no less than 100,000 gold and a quarter
of a million silver watches.

Besancon, or its immediate vicinity, has been the birthplace
of men of world-wide fame. Mention has been made of Pasteur
and Victor Hugo, whose statue in marble adorns the Promenade
Granvelle, a recreation ground in the centre of the town, em-
bowered in planes and chestnut trees. Here, too, was born
Mairet, who helped to forge the chains which were to bind the
French dramatic writers for two centuries in the classical tradi-
tion until set free by his townsman Victor Hugo. Vernier, the
inventor of the instrument which bears his name; Cuvier, the
naturalist ; Luc Breton, the sculptor; Fourier, the communist,
who gave rise to the “ phalanstérienne school ;’’ Proudhon, the
publicist, who wished to do away with rent and interest ; Nodier,
the poet, were born here.

Besancon is one of the most strongly fortified towns on the
borders of France. The walls and the river are of little im-
portance now in those days of big guns; but sixteen of the
neighbouring hills are fortified. These forts are often sur-
rounded by trees, and are only visible when one stands on a
higher hill. It is also a garrison town, having seven distinct
barracks. You rub shoulders with soldiers at every turn. I was
in the town during the Féte Nationale, and the march past of the
soldiers in broad columns took two hours. One finds in the
school books all over France strong admonitions to the children
to remember the fate of their cousins of Alsace-Lorraine.

The neighbouring hills give rise to saline springs, the waters

In AND AROUND BESANCON. 63

of which have been led into the town, which now has a sumptuous
baths’ establishment. In connection with this is the inevitable
Casino, where you may study the feverish effect of the gaming
table on the human mind.

I left Besancon about four one morning, and never shall I
forget that railway journey of fifty miles to Belfort. The line
lies all the way along. the banks of the Doubs, which is every
here and there hemmed in by precipitous masses of the ever-
present limestone. In and out of the tunnels we threaded our
way, past villages and towns bathed in the early morning mist.
Every now and then one would catch a glimpse of the angler up
betimes, for in that part of the world everybody fishes; but the
picture ever present to my mind’s eye is that of wood-capped
cliffs just emerging above the sea of mist. And so on to Belfort
with its rock-cut “Lion ’’ of Bartholdi which keeps watch over
the town with its teeming garrison.

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND.
By Mr Henry PENFOLD, Brampton.

After drawing attention to the ecclesiastical history of Scot-
land in the seventeenth century and referring to the upheavals
which occurred in England during the same period, Mr Penfold
proceeded :—

It is interesting to note that with the dethronement of
Episcopacy some of the “rabbled or outed ’’ curates who held
benefices in Dumfriesshire found a comfortable home in Cumber-
land, some as parish priests and others as parish schoolmasters.
At Sebergham, Kinneir, he said, the ejected rector of Annan,
found a home as curate from 1699-1735. Bishop Nicholson
refers to him in his “ Miscellany Accounts ’’:—‘“ The present
curate, Mr Kanyer, an honest and modest Scotchman.’’ At
Cumrew also a Mr Allen was curate. The writer has reason to
suspect that he also hailed from Dumfriesshire. Bishop Nichol-
son’s reference to him is interesting:—‘“ The Register Book is
only of paper and begins at 1639. It appears in it that a great
many children of foreigners were baptised here in the time of the
late civil wars by one Mr Alexander Allen, who, they say, was
a Scot, and reckoned a more knowing and pretious man (in his
Way) than most of his brethren.”’

64 DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND.

Another Mr Allen ministered in spiritual things to the people
of Bewcastle, the reference to whom by the good Bishop is ex-
ceedingly quaint :—‘“ The man’s a poor ejected Episcopalian of
the Scottish nation. The men of Bewcastle would be well con-
tent with him if they had him wholly to themselves as in justice
they ought.’’ Allen, at Bewcastle, appears to have been some-
thing of a pluralist, endeavouring to minister to both the people
of Bewcastle and Stapleton at the same time.

Ejected Scotch Episcopalian parsons found also congenial
employment as schoolmasters, no less than three in succession
becoming masters of Sebergham Grammar School. Their names
were Blain, Halifax, and Jackson, and all three were classical
scholars of high attainment, and all three were personal friends
of the ejected rector of Annan, through whose influence they pro-
bably found their way to Sebergham. Chancellor Ferguson,
speaking of them, says (“ Hist. Diocese of Carlisle,’’ p. 184) :—
“The first kept school at Sebergham in a mud hut, and was after-
wards master of Wigton Grammar School, and domestic and
examining chaplain to Bishop Law. The second succeeded Blain
at Sebergham, and also at Wigton Grammar School, and became
incumbent of Westward; the third, mathematician as well as
classic, became vicar of Morland and was the intimate friend of
Archdeacon Paley (author of the ‘ Evidences of Christianity ’).’’

Bishop Nicholson, to whom reference has been made, was a
keen observer, and his “Miscellany Accounts,’ from
which we have quoted, contain graphic descriptive notices
of all the churches in his Diocese of Carlisle. Visiting
Kirkbride Church, he found the parson from home “and
the key of the church would not be found. However, I easily.
put back the lock of the great door with my finger, and quickly
discovered why I was in a manner denyed entrance. I never yet
saw a church and chancel out of Scotland in so scandalous and
nasty a condition. . . . The whole place look’d more like
a pigsty than the House of God.’’ So far as the writer has been
able to ascertain, the Bishop’s travels in Scotland had been no
further than Ruthwell to view the cross, so that the members of
this society can imagine better than the writer can describe the
condition of the Dumfriesshire churches two and a-half centuries’
ago. i

One of the principal roads between Scotland and England

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND. 65

tan substantially over the same ground as the present road from
Dumfries through Annan, Longtown, and so to Brampton, where
it joined the ancient.“ Stanegate,’’ the well-known ancient high-
way between Newcastle and Carlisle, which, passing through or
near to Brampton, was the principal means of communication
between east and west. It is, perhaps, to this fact that we owe
the presence of so many Lowland Scotch at different periods as
residents in Brampton and its vicinity. The Brampton Presby-
terian Congregation, for a long time definitely connected with the
Kirk of Scotland, had its origin in the Act of Uniformity, which
culminated in the ejection of over two thousand parish
ministers in England, who, rather than bind themselves
to a cast-iron uniformity, resigned their benefices, and
became the first of the English Nonconformists. The
parish minister of Brampton at this time was Nathaniel
Burnand, who had been presented to the living by the first Earl
of Carlisle, the Cromwellian Charles Howard. We are not now
concerned with Burnand or his immediate successors, interesting
and important as their story may be, but we pass on to notice
those ministers who are immediately connected with the ground
which this society’s operations cover. The first of such ministers
was an exceedingly interesting character, John Kincaid, variants
of the spelling of his name being Kingcaid, Kinkaid, Kincade,
Kingeade, and Kinkead. Our first introduction to him is
his settlement as Episcopalian parson over the parish of
‘Terregles in 1688. When revolutionary times came he was
deprived by the Act of the Scottish Parliament of 1690, which

restored the Presbyterian ministry and ejected the Episcopalians.

It is probable that Kincaid had been a Presbyterian minister
before the establishment of Episcopacy and conformed when
Episcopacy became the fashion, for his degree of M.A. was
obtained at Glasgow in 1659, so that when he came to Terregles
he was no longer a young man. The disturbances known to
‘students of Scottish history as “ outings,’’ or “ rabblings,’’ took
place at and immediately after Christmas, 1688, and in 1690 we

find him inducted at Brampton. No congregational records of

this date are extant at Brampton, so that any connected or de-
tailed account of his ministry here is out of the question. We

can, however, by judiciously gathering and piecing together

small, and in themselves insignificant facts, tell something of

66 DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND.

the story of his changeful career. By the 108th Canon of the
Church of England the parish clergy were directed annually to.
“exhibit to their several ordinaries the presentments of such
enormities as have happened in their parishes since the last
presentments.’’ Originally the chief enormity had been Popery.
After the passing of the Act of Uniformity it was Noncon-
formity, and so by searching the Bishop’s Registry of
Presentments at Carlisle, under date 1690, we find the
following presentments by the Brampton Church wardens :—
“Wee present Leonard Deane for keeping a meeting house
unlysensed. Wee present Mr John Kincade for preaching there
unlysensed.’’ Leonard Deane was a man of very considerable
importance locally. He it was who provided the congregation
harassed by the Test and Conventicle Acts with an upper room
in the yard of the Scotch Arms Hotel, which was built by Deane
in or about 1674. This upper room was the “ unlysensed ”’
meeting house, and here John Kincaid, the “ unlysensed ’’ mini-
ster, officiated. The hotel, with its ancient hooded doorway,
still exists, and it is probable that some preference for Scotland
and Scotchman led Deane to call it the Scotch Arms. In this.
connection it is interesting to remark that the Brampton Presby-
terian Church is still locally known as the Scotch Chapel.
But to return to Kincaid. Clearly he was a _ person
of considerable local importance, else the church wardens
would not have prefixed to his name the title of Mr, which, in
those days, as we find from the parish register, was only accorded
to important persons. The same inference as to John Kincaid’s.
local importance is suggested by the presentments of the Castle
Canock Church Wardens, who, in that same year 1690, say:—
“We present Mr John Kingcade for baptizing children in our
parish without ye consent of our minister.’’

The last entry in Brampton Parish Register regarding Kin-
caid is :—“ John Kincaid buryed October the 25th, 1707.”

Kincaid seems to have been possessed with an exceedingly
obliging attitude of mind, for we have seen him as an Episco-
palian in Presbyterian Scotland, and as a Presbyterian im
Episcopalian England. Catholic and broad-minded to a degree,
he was not above taking help from the Congregational Fund
Board, London, for from 1696 to 1704 he appears as a recipient
of an annual grant from a fund expressly established to assist

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND. 67

ministers of the Independent persuasion—an undenominationalist
indeed in whom there was no guile.

Leaving Kincaid, we pass to another minister, the Rev. Robert
Wight, M.A., whose name must be familiar to the congregation
of St Michael’s. From Scott’s “ Fasti Ecclesize Scoticana ’’ we
extract the following data:——‘ Robert Wight, son of William
Wight, tenant in Glengelt, was laureated at the University of
Edinburgh, 12 May, 1703. Licensed by the Presbytery of Earl-
ston 12 March, 1709. Ordained as minister over the Presby-
terian congregation at Brampton, 20 Augt., 1712. Presented by
Charles Duke of Queensberry and Dover to Torthorwald, 22
Oct., 1724. Recalled to Brampton, 30th May, 1725. Called
to St. Michael’s, 23 July, 1732, and admitted assistant and
successor, 30 Nov., 1732. Rebuilt St. Michael’s, 1747. Died,
4th Decr. 1762, in his 80th year, and 53rd of his ministry. He
married 3rd Novr., 1724, Jean, daughter of Alexander Robesone,
minister of Tinwald, and had two sons and six daughters.’’ No
more methodical minister was ever placed in a pastoral charge
than Robert Wight. Fourteen days of his Brampton incumbency
had not passed over until he called a meeting of his session
together, at which it was agreed “ that there be two paper books,
one of them to be a register of collections, baptisms, etc., in the
Dissenting Congregation of Protestants att Brampton, the other
to be a register for recording what briefs are received.’’ One of
the first things he did after getting his “two paper books’ was
to insert in one of them a memorandum of the names of this con-
gregation admitted to partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s
Supper. Then follow the names of four elders and fifty-seven
members, the whole concluding with a note saying :—“ All these
were members before Mr Wight’s ordination, being admitted to
partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in the time of his
predecessors.—Robert Wight, Minister.’’

Mr Wight, it thus seems, came to a not insignificant congre-
gation, which, as we shall see, almost trebled itself in his incum-
bency. These registers are still in existence, and are so beauti-
fully written and kept as to rejoice the heart of any who may be
acquainted with contemporary parish registers. Thenceforward
minutes of the session’s proceedings, records of baptism, dis-
cipline, and finance are kept with a scrupulous accuracy and care
which evinced the careful and methodical character of the man.

68 DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND.

The term “briefs’’ may require to a Scottish audience some
explanation. They were collections made under the authority of
an Act of Parliament “for collecting charitie money upon briefs
by letters patent so far as it relates to ministers, church wardens,
chapel wardens, teachers, and preachers in separate congrega-
tions, and to every person qt hath taught in Quakers meetings.’’

One entry from the baptismal register is all that we need
extract :—“ Nov. 27, 1730. Then baptized William, son of Mr
Robert Wight, Min. to the Dissenting Congregation, by himself
before the congregation.’? This son was subsequently well
known in Scotland. He became a distinguished Professor of
Glasgow, occupying at different times the Chairs of Ecclesiastical
History and Divinity. He died July 29th, 1782.

The following extract from the Evans MSS. in the Williams
Library, London, is of interest:—“1718. Brampton market
town. £8 or £6 allowed from Presbyterian Fund. Miuinister,
Robert Wight, 180 hearers, 1 county voter, 6 gentlemen, mostly
poor tenants of the Earl of Carlisle.’’ Another extract from
Evans’ list, under the heading of Brampton, is interesting :—
“Wardrew in the water drinking time. £5 allowed from the
Presbyterian Fund.”’

After twelve years of strenuous labour at Brampton, Wight
received a presentation from the Duke of Queensberry to Tor-
thorwald. He only stayed at Torthorwald some nine months,
however, returning to Brampton in May, 1725, continuing at
Brampton until 1732, when he was called as assistant and suc-
cessor to the Parish Church of St. Michael’s, Dumfries. The
story of his occupancy of this important charge will be better
known to many here than to the writer, who would be glad to
receive any information regarding him, and would also like to
know if a portrait of him exists. When Wight left Brampton he
left a flourishing congregation of 101 Presbyterian families, say
between three and four hundred members. There is still remain-
ing in old lead work in one of the windows of the old church the
initials of “R. W.’’ Following Wight as minister came Mr John
Herries, preacher of the Gospel at Dumfries. Ordained by the
old Cumberland Classis or Presbytery at Brampton on April
10th, 1734, his ministry terminated about the end of 1736.
What became of him there is nothing to show.

That Brampton congregation had friends at Dumfries at this

ee

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY MINISTERS IN CUMBERLAND. 69

time is evident from the purchase of a field called “ Half Acres ”’
as an endowment. Among the subscribers are “ Friends at Dum-
fries,’’? £10. Isaac Watts, the hymn writer, also subscribed one
guinea. This purchase was made in 1745, the same year as Mr
John Allan, from Dumfries, was ordained as minister. Mr Allan
was at Brampton during the period of the rebellion of 1745, and,
whether on account of his youth—he was only 21 when placed in
charge of the Brampton congregation—or on account of his peace-
able disposition, he held no services, for during the period of
rebellion it is recorded :—*“ Nov. 10 and 17, 1745. No sermon.
The min. being out of town because ye Rebels were in.’’ Dis-
cretion seems to have been his “role’’ rather than valour. Mr
Allan received from the Crown a presentation to the Parish
Church of Dunscore, at which place he died in 1753, in the 29th
year of his age, and 8th of his ministry.

Following Allan came the Rev. John Johnston, who was
ordained at Brampton, April 11, 1753. There is nothing out of
the ordinary about Mr Johnston’s ministry. From whence he
came the writer cannot tell, but it is known that in 1758 he left
Brampton and became parish minister of Durisdeer, continuing
there as minister until his death in 1770.

18th January, 190%.

Chairman-—-Mr James Barzour, V.P.

It was agreed to record in the minutes an expression of
regret at the deaths of Miss M‘Kie, Moat House, Dumfries, and-
Mr E. B. Rae, Town Clerk, Lochmaben.

THE WEATHER OF 1906. By the Rev. W. ANDsOoN.

Barometer.—I begin with the barometrical observations,
which, as a general rule, indicate the weather conditions with
considerable certainty—that is to say, a rising and high baro-
meter is as a rule a sign of good weather, while a falling and low
one is a sign of unfavourable conditions, probably of wind and
rain. ‘The highest reading of the year was registered on 8th and
9th of April, when it rose to 30.743 inches; and the lowest on

70 THE WEATHER OF 1906.

the 10th of February, when it fell to 28.417 in.; showing an
annual range of no less than 2.326 in. The mean barometrical
pressure for the year (reduced to 32 degrees and sea level) was
29.816 in. This is rather less than the average of the last twenty
years, which is 29.913 in. The only months which had a mean
in excess of 30 inches were April, June, and September, the
values of these being 30.060 in. for April, 30.139 in. for June,
and 30.197 in. for September. The lowest monthly mean was
in February, with 29.672 in., and the next lowest was in October
with 29.722 in. In the second week of January the barometer
fell below 29 inches, and the weather was stormy and wet, with a
westerly and south-westerly wind. Again in February, also the
second week, when the lowest reading of the year was reached,
the weather was exceedingly rough and squally, with strong
winds between north-west and south-west. And once more on
the llth and 12th of March, when the barometer went down to
28.690 in., there was a repetition of the storm, mostly from the
north-west. Stormy weather also marked the close both of
November and December, and the latter was distinguished both
by the severest snowstorm and the lowest temperature of the year,
when roads and railways were blocked over the whole country,
and many sad fatalities occurred.

Temperature.—Passing from the barometric variations, we
now come to the temperature, which is perhaps the most im-
portant element of weather. Here we have on the whole a very
favourable account to give. Premising that the observations
are of temperature in the shade, four feet above the grass, I
have to report that the absolute maximum, that is, the highest
single day temperature of the whole year, was not only the highest
for last year but the highest for many years, I think for the
whole period of 20 vears to which my observations extend, and
it occurred also at an unusual period, not in June, July, or
August, but in September. In the end of August and beginning
of September there was an extraordinary heat wave which passed
over the country, occasioning such remarkable temperature as 82
deg. on the 31st of August, 88 deg. on the Ist of September, and
89 deg. on the 2d September. From 89 deg., the highest of the
year in September, to 17 deg. on the 26th December, the lowest,
we have the extraordinary range of 72 deg. The warmest
months were August, with a mean of 60.5 deg.; June, with a

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THe WEATHER OF 1906. 71

mean of 58.8 deg.; and July, with a mean of 58.4 deg. Juns
and August were both above average, and July only very slightly
below. June was remarkable for warm, sunny days, with maxi-
mum temperatures ranging from 70 deg. to 82 deg., and no rain
from the 2d to the 16th, and only 10 days in which any rain fell.
The coldest months were February and December, February with
a mean of 37 deg., 1 deg. below the mean, and December with
36.1 deg., 24 deg. below average. ‘Taking all the months, there
were six, viz., January, June, August, September, October, and
November, which had excesses above the mean amounting alto-
gether to 12.2 deg. ; and five which had deficiencies below the
mean, viz., February, April, May, July, and December, to the

amount of 7.1 deg.; while March was exactly average. Hence

we can readily understand that the temperature of the year as a
whole must be somewhat in excess of the average, although not to
any great extent. The mean of the last 20 years is 47.5 degs. ;
but 1906 comes out at 48.3 degs.

Rainfall.—We now pass on to the rainfall, not the least im-
portant element of the weather. The number of days in which
precipitation took place either in the form of rain or of snow
or hail was 211 (rain 199, snow or hail 12). The heaviest rain-
fall in 24 hours occurred on the 2d of August in connection with
a severe thunderstorm, and amounted to 1.70 in., and again on
the 13th of the same month there was a fall of 1 in. Only on
one other day, in May, the 19th of that month, was there a fall
exceeding an inch, the amount then recorded having been 1.38
in. The total amount for the year was 36.29 in. This is slightly
under the average, the mean of 20 years being 37.11 in. The
wettest months of the year were May and August. For May the
record was 5.44 in., rather more than double the average for that
month. In August the amount was 6.73 in., about 24 in. above
the mean. It may be mentioned that during these months the
river was almost constantly flooded, and in the beginning of

_ August particularly the depth at the bridge was nearly 11 feet

and the Sands completely covered. But while these two months
contributed so heavily to the rainfall of the year, all the other
months, with the exception of October, were under the average
in amount, the driest having been September, with a record of
only 0.72 in., with only eight days on which it fell; April with
0.92 in., with ten days; and June with about half its usual

THE WEATHER OF 1906.

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Tue WEATHER OF 1906. 73

amount, and also ten days. From the 30th of March to the 18th
of April there was a very dry period, with anti-cyclonic condi-
tions, when not more than one-hundredth of an inch fell, a
circumstance which proved exceedingly favourable for the seed
time. And we must all remember the splendid weather in
September which followed the rains of August, and by its dry-
ness and comparative warmth proved equally favourable to
harvest operations, in this district at least, although in the
northern parts of Scotland, where the crops were later in ripen-
ing, the same advantage was not enjoyed. In connection with
this part of the subject, some notice should be taken of the
snowstorm which marked the closing weeks of the year, which
was undoubtedly the severest snowstorm experienced in this
country for many years past. It was accompanied by strong
winds, mostly from a north-westerly direction, which caused
much drifting and blocking of railways and roads, and by a very
low temperature, the lowest indeed of the year, which greatly
aggravated the inconveniences and dangers which it involved.
And one of its most lamentable results was the railway accident
near Arbroath, in which 22 persons lost their lives, and many
more were more or less injured.

Hygrometer.—The readings of the dry and wet bulb ther-
mometers for the year, by which the relative humidity of the
atmosphere is ascertained, were mean dry bulb, 48.5 deg., almost
exactly the same as the mean temperature of the year, which was
48.3 deg., and mean wet 45.4 deg., from which it follows that
the mean temperature of the dew point comes out at 41.4 deg.,
and the relative humidity at 79—saturation being equal to 100.

Thunderstorms were comparatively rare during the year.
But I noted at the time that there was one on the 11th May,
which lasted about half-an-hour, with the accompaniment of a
shower of hail, and another on the 29th of the same month from
1 to 2 p.m., which was repeated after 5 p.m., with heavy rain.
But by far the severest thunderstorm of the year was from 6 to
8 p.m. on the 2d of August, which was accompanied by the
heaviest rainfall of the year, the amount which fell on that day
having been 1.70 in., which is equivalent to 170 tons of water per
acre. There was thunder and lightning in some parts of the
country in connection with the storm of the last week of Decem-

74 Tue WEATHER OF 1906.

ber, but I cannot say that I observed any occurrence of the kind
in this district.

With regard to the wind observations, the table shows that
on the greatest number of days it blew from the south-west,
which is the rule, but during the past year there were nearly as
many days in which it blew from the north-west. Adding to-
gether the south-east, south, south-west, and west, we have 198
days, and adding north, north-east, east, and north-west, we have
150, while fifteen were calm or variable.

I have been favoured with reports of the rainfall for the past.

year in several places in this district where regular observations
are taken, which I now beg to submit to the society.

Amount for year. No. of days

Inches. on which it fell. Observer.
Jardington ... 37°85 sie 243 ... Mr Rutherford.
Arbigland ... 37°31 ce _ ..» Mr Houliston.
Cargen dicing ee ok sas 163 «s« Mr Peacock.
Lochmaben ... 41°21 a 228 .... Provost Halliday.
Drumlanrig ... 47°04 mee 220 we. Wir Teeter:
Dumfries ... 36°29 ees 211 .. Rev. W. Andson.

I see from an article in the “ Meteorological Magazine,’’ by
Dr H. R. Mill, that over the country generally the rainfall for
the year is very nearly average—in some places a little more, in
others a little less.

Some Natura History OBSERVATIONS AT JARDINGTON, NEAR
Dumrrigs, In 1906. By Mr J. RuTHERFoRD, Jardington.

January.—Barometrical pressure varied between 29.15 and
30.65 inches. Rainfall, 4.25 inches; fell on 26 days. There
was very little frost; and fine, mild weather prevailed during the
month. I heard the Song Thrush on the 27th for the first time,
and on the last day of the month the song and chatter of birds
was heard everywhere.

February.—Barometrical pressure varied between 28.6 and
30.4 inches. Rainfall, 2.5 inches; fell on 14 days. The
weather during this month was also fine and mild; no continued
frost, although there were a few frosty nights. In the beginning
of the month the fields were covered with beautiful green grass.

March.—Barometer varied between 29.1 and 30.4 inches.

OBSERVATIONS AT JARDINGTON. 7d

Rainfall, 3.32 inches; fell on. 19 days. Typical March weather
prevailed, but not at all severe. On the 12th, 13th, 14th, and
15th there was very hard frost, 7, 18, 22,.and.7 degs. respect-
ively, being registered during the night on those dates, with a
north and north-west wind, and barometer at 30. March flowers
were 10 days later in. coming into bloom than in the previous
year, 1905. Colt’s Foot flowered on the 24th and the Anemone
on the 31st.

April.—Barometer varied between 29.2 and 30.8 inches.
Rainfall, 0.81 inches; fell on 11-days. There was no rain till
the 17th. There was a little frost during several nights, but no
day frost. The Small White Butterfly was first seen on the 10th,
and the first Swallow seen on the 16th. The Sand Martins were
first seen on the 27th. The Cuckoo heard on the 21st. The
Sloe came into bloom on the 13th, and Pear (Jargonelle) on the
9th.

May.—Barometer between 29.7 and 30.2 inches. Rainfall,
5.4 inches ; fell on every day during the month, with the excep-
tion of the 13th. This was nearly double the average rainfall
for this month for the last 13 years, the mean for that time
being 2.48 inches. The wet weather during the month hindered
turnip putting in to some extent, but it thoroughly watered the
land, and, being followed by a warm, dry June, there was an
abundance of grass during the summer; also good crops of hay
and oats followed. There was a little frost on the nights of the
Ist and 2nd. Flowers came into bloom about seven days later
than 1905. Birds and insects also appeared about seven days
later. The Chestnut blossomed on the 29th. The first Wasp
was seen on the 7th. The Spotted Flycatcher came on the 17th:

June.—-Barometrical pressure varied between 29.5 and 30.4
inches. Rainfall, 1.6 inches; fell on 13 days. Fine, warm,
genial, typical June weather prevailed during the month. Haw-
thorn came into bloom on the Ist, which was a fortnight later
than 1905, the Wild Rose on the 7th, Ox Eye Daisy on the
8th, Bluebell on the 30th.

July.— Barometer between 29.75 and 30.4 inches. Rain-
fall, 2.42 inches; fell on 20 days. The weather during the
month was very favourable for haymaking. Ryegrass and early
meadow hay were well got. Knapweed came into bloom on the
20th. Meadow Brown Butterfly seen on the 4th.

76 OBSERVATIONS AT JARDINGTON.

August.—Barometrical pressure varied between 29.55 and
30.35 inches. Rainfall, 6.45 inches; fell on 26 days. This was
an exceptionally heavy rainfall for August, the mean for the
last 13 years being 3.98 inches. Meadow haymaking on higher
lands was hindered very much by the wet weather, a good deal
being almost wasted. Oats that began to shoot at Jardington
on the Ist of July were cut on the 26th of August. I have
observed that, with average seasonable weather, oats are ready
for cutting in about 57 days after beginning to shoot.

September.—Barometer between 29.55 ‘and 30.7 inches.
Rainfall, 8 inches; fell on 9 days. The weather was very warm
in the beginning of this month. On the Ist, at noon, in the
shade, 82 degs. was registered; at 4 p.m., in the sun, the
thermometer stood at 97 degs. From beginning to end this was
an ideal month for harvest work, and crops were secured in
capital condition.’ Strawberries were in bloom on the 30th.

October.—Barometrical pressure between 29.4 to 30.5
inches. Rainfall, 4.8 inches; fell on 26 days. There was a
heavy flood on the Cluden on the 27th and 28th. The last
Swallow was seen on the 5th.

November.—Barometer varied between 29.1 and 30.55
inches. Rainfall, 2.7 inches; fell on 25 days. The weather
during the month was very mild and fine; in the last week the
fields were quite fresh and green.

December.—Barometer between 29.2 and 30.65 inches.
Rainfall, 3.0 inches; fell on 24 days. There was a severe
storm of drifting snow on the 26th, 27th, and 28th, with a cold
north by west wind, which blocked up a number of the roads in
this locality, also many of the roads and railways in the north of
Scotland; but, with this exception and a few nights on which
there was a good deal of frost, the weather during the month was
very mild. I think I may add that throughout the whole year
the weather was exceptionally fine and mild; yet it is a year
which will be noted for its disastrous earthquakes.

BirD MIGRATION AT SOUTHERNESS. By Mr R. SERVICE.

Mr Service gave an interesting address embodying some of
his observations of the autumn migration of birds at Southerness
during the week from 13th to 19th September last, when he had

BirD MIGRATION AT SOUTHERNESS. (ics

kept watch. During that time, sixty-seven species of birds came
under observation—a rather large proportion, because, as a rule,
they could not reckon on finding any more than from forty to
forty-five in any given district in that period of time. His first
observation was that of a party of no fewer than fifteen gray
wagtails. That was a comparatively rare sight, the largest num-
bers he had previously seen together being just two or three.
They flew about a few minutes and then headed right into the
clouds, thence aiming almost due south, or on a course that
would take them past Anglesea. The next specimen he saw was
the blue-headed wagtail. He had not seen this bird in life
before, it being one of the rarest species in the district. On the
Sunday he witnessed an extraordinary assemblage of titlarks,
numbering many thousands. Where they came from he could
not tell. He watched all day to see from what point of the
compass they had arrived, but he failed to get a clue. When
disturbed, these titlarks did not fly up in the air as is their usual ;
they rather simulated the movements of mice, running about
among the herbage and around rocks and stones. They re-
mained all Sunday at the point; and next morning, when he
looked around, not a dozen was to be seen of all the thousands.
They had gone off during the night. About half-past twelve that
same day, when he was looking across the sea, he saw five rooks
coming along and going south; then some forty came along,
half-an-hour later twenty more, and towards six o’clock nearly
sixty. He had not before seen rooks coming across from the
English side; but considering the time of day they arrived and
that they came in separate bodies, he had every reason to believe
that these rooks were on migration and had probably started
their journey from some of the Danish or German forests. That
Was not an unreasonable view, because along the east coast of
England and Scotland rooks had been seen coming in from the
ocean in swarms. Suddenly, on the Monday morning, a large
number of swallows, probably eight hundred or a thousand, made
their appearance, none having been visible before that. The
great bulk were the ordinary swallow, a number were house
martins. For an hour and a-half they circled about, when
suddenly the house martins changed to the majority. Where the
swallows went to he could not make out, but probably they
went off singly or in a stream. The martins now in large num-

78 Birp MIGRATION AT SOUTHERNESS.

bers flew about for a while; then they took a diagonal flight
about a quarter of a mile up towards the clouds; and went off in
the same direction that all. birds follow at the autumn’ migration
from Southerness, nearly due south. Immediately afterwards
there was quite a “rush’’ of wings, and a flock of about seyen
hundred starlings made their appearance. Mr Service’s other
observations had reference to, among other birds, razor-bills,
guillemots, gulls, and the raven, the latter a common bird in
former times, but now rare because of the strictness with which
it is kept down by game preservers and shepherds.

Tue LAYING OF PHEASANTS.

A note on this subject was contributed by Mr Hugh S.
Gladstone, Capenoch. This showed that early in the spring of
1906 two hen pheasants were penned with a blackcock in the
hope of obtaining a hybrid. None of the eggs, however, were
fertile. The first egg was found in the pen on April 11th, and
the last egg on October Ist, when the hen birds were liberated.
During this period no less than 154 eggs were laid by these two
hen pheasants.

CisT AND URN FOUND AT CREETOWN.

A communication on the cist and urn recently found near
Creetown, with a drawing of the urn, was submitted from Mr
C. S. Robertson, Creetown. It contained the following particu-
lars :—“ While Mr Joseph Gordon and his son were clearing
away an embankment in the vicinity of a new house recently
erected at Barholm Dairy, on 8th December, 1906, they found a
small cist neatly built with stones about 3 feet in length, 21
inches broad, and 1 foot deep, and covered with a flat slab
which was about 3 feet by 21 inches. The cist was composed’
of the ordinary whinstone of the district. On the finders re-
moving some of the side stones, which they thought were simply
rough cobbles embedded in the soil, the top slab fell in, and on
this being lifted it was seen that there was something underneath.
On the rubbish being cleared away, a small urn was discovered,
which had unfortunately been broken by the top stone falling in.
The urn is beautifully moulded, and appears to be made of burnt

Cist AND Urn FounpD aT CREETOWN. 79

clay, is five inches in diameter at the top, six inches in depth,
and about half-an-inch thick. It is composed of three layers,
the outer and inner being brown and the centre quite black.
The urn contained small bones and dust, which appeared to have
been put in after cremation, and one little bit of skull was quite
easily detected.’’

Ist February, 1907.

Chairman—Mr R. SErvicE, V.P.

REPTILIA AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE CAIRN District. By Dr
J. W. Martin.

I now conclude the third and last group of the Fauna of
Glencairn, which deals with the reptiles and amphibians. This
is not an extensive or numerous group, as the divisions will show,
probably owing to the extensive cultivation of the land during
Jast century, and the drainage of the soil, thus driving out the
inhabitants of the marshes and more secluded parts of the dis-
trict. ‘The members as represented are for the most part small,
and seemingly unimportant, but, no doubt, they fulfil a useful
purpose in the general economy of Nature, and on that account
commend themselves to our closest study and attention. We
have no fossil remains such as exist in other parts of Scotland,
though traces are to be found in the eastern parts of Dumfries-
shire of saurians or amphibians, as recorded by Sir William
Jardine, a past president of this society. Might I recommend
to those who have the time and opportunity to spend part of the
summer in the examination and dredging of inland ponds and
marshes, and the search of secluded areas such as abound in
woods and hill districts, for what may be found of the obscure
animals we are dealing with to-night? I have to apologise for
the absence of specimens at present.

1. Lizard (Lacerta vivipara), called newts, asks, and
mankeepers in the country.—I have often seen specimens of this
harmless little animal, especially during the month of Augnst,
when out on the hills. It is very quick in its movements, and,
like other members of its family, readily parts with its tail,

80 REPTILIA AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE CAIRN DISTRICT.

should you lay hold of that part of its body in trying to catch
it. The tail quickly grows again, and in some cases comes
double. It is of a light brown colour, and easily escapes the
eye of the casual observer, although lying sunning itself on some
bank or stone. It feeds principally, if not entirely, on insects.
It is strange the inborn fear of boys and girls possessed by this
little animal.

2. Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis)—The slow-worm is very
common in most parts of this parish, and may be seen almost
any sunny day in summer in the woods or hillsides. It is com-
monly taken for a snake, and dealt with accordingly; but in
reality is as harmless as a lizard, to which, indeed, it is closely
allied ; and may be handled with perfect freedom, its beautiful
markings being well worthy of a close inspection. It feeds on
insects, and hibernates. I have secured several specimens 12
inches long, but some are got 15 inches in length. It casts its
slough. It is ovo-viviparus, i.e., its young are brought forth
alive, from seven to ten at a birth. The tail breaks off easily.

3. Common Newt (Triton punctatus or vulgaris).—This
member of the amphibia may be mistaken for a lizard by the
casual observer on account of its somewhat smooth skin and
habit of living so much on land. It is fairly common in most
parts of the parish, and may be found during the early summer
months in quiet pools frequented by tadpoles, on which it feeds,
and among which its young may be seen swimming about. It
also feeds on aquatic insects and worms. In September they
commence to hibernate, emerging in early spring. It casts its
skin like one taking off his clothes. Its length is 34-4 inches.
Newts have a very slow motion on land. It is the most common
species of newt in the British Isles.

4, Great Water Newt (Triton Cristatus).—Though not so
common as the last mentioned, may occasionally be met with.
It is somewhat larger, about six inches long, and is of a more
loathsome appearance, with its warty skin and dark brown
colour. I remember seeing a fine specimen when one of the
wells at Dardarroch was being cleaned, the yellow ventral
markings being very brilliant. It also feeds on tadpoles a good
deal, and may be met with in pools where they are abundant.
A crest develops about the breeding season, but drops off again.
If this newt drops into a well from which it is not able to get

REPTILIA AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE CAIRN DISTRICT. 81

ut, it may remain there when it appears as though it had been
living in that situation.

5. Palmated Newt (Triton palmipes).—Said to occur in the
higher reaches of the parish, as on the hills and moors. It is
characterised by: Ist, the tail is suddenly truncate before the
apex, and terminating in a slender filament three lines in length ;
2nd, hind feet perfectly palmate, all the toes united by a mem-
brane; 3rd, the dorsal crest, small and simple; 4th, size much
smaller than the smooth newt.

6. Adder (Pelias berus), Scot.— Nether,’’ Anglo-Saxon—
“Neddre.’’—The adder, or common viper, is the only
poisonous snake to be found in Britain. It is fairly
common in this parish, but is gradually getting scarcer. My
friends have often killed them when grouse shooting in August,
and last summer they found one on the road between Dunscore
and Moniaive, and therefore far from its habitat. Its bite is
dangerous to small children, sheep, and sometimes dogs, but I
have rarely heard of any loss among larger stock from that cause
in this district. It feeds a good deal on mice, and is therefore
of some use to the farmer, but its loathsome appearance and
poisonous bite make most of us dread rather than cultivate its
acquaintance. (There was a fatal case of a bite in a child
reported in the Medical Journal two months back.)

7. Snake (Tropidonetus natrix).—This is the common grass
snake of England found about gardens and manure heaps, but
I have never heard of this snake being found in this district or
neighbourhood. The smooth snake (Coronella loevis) was said
to have been found near Dumfries on one occasion.

8. Common Toad (Bufo vulgaris).—This somewhat slug-
gish and repulsive-looking creature is very common, and may be
met with in any garden or by the roadside almost any summer
evening after rain. It is considered useful for keeping down
slugs in the garden, and therefore rather encouraged and pro-
tected by some gardeners; but I doubt if it prefers such to a
good earthworm or some of the insect tribe. In any case it is
quite harmless. It frequents sluggish ponds during the breeding
season, when it deposits its eggs in long stringy lines of a yard
or more, the young after passing through the various tadpole
Stages forsaking the water in autumn. In winter it hibernates

82 REPTILIA AND AMPHIBIANS OF THE CAIRN DISTRICT.

in some suitable hole in a tree root or crack in a wall. In
appearance it is brown and warty looking, and when alarmed
has the power of causing an acrid secretion to exude from the
pores of its skin, which is supposed to cause a slight —
to the animal molesting it.

9. Frog (Rana temporaria), the paddock or puddock.—The
common frog is very widely distributed throughout the parish,
and may be seen in great numbers during the breeding season in
any suitable pond. There is a pond of this kind on Dardarroch,
called Waterloo, where I have counted many hundreds at
that season, and listened to their monotonous croaking, the pond
being kept constantly astir with heads bobbing up and down.
Later in the season one finds them, especially during wet
weather, scattered over hill and dale, when their brilliant coat is.
sure to attract the eye. Their food consists principally of slugs,
snails, and insects, which are captured by the frog suddenly
throwing forward the tip of the tongue, which is covered with a
viscid secretion. Its curious mode of breathing led us as boys
to imagine it was about to spit upon us, but it is merely its
natural method.

The Edible Frog (Rana esculenta), so far as I know, is not
found in Scotland, though it is in England, especially in Cam-
bridgeshire and Norfolk, where it was introduced about 1837
to 1842.

NaTuRAL History NOTES FROM ANNANDALE. By Mr J. W.
PAYNE.

Since coming to live at Annan, rather more than eighteen
months ago, I have taken considerable interest in observing the
wild life of Lower Annandale, chiefly in the bird life of the
locality, and have noticed one or two differences in the avi
fauna as compared with the coast line of, say, the neighbouring
Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, with which I am more familiar. I
do not take the birds in any particular order.

Here I may be allowed to repeat the notes I made upon the
ideal situation of the Solway as a vantage point for the study of
bird migration.

The Solway area is considered by many experts on the
subject to be one of the best in the British Isles for carrying on

NaturAL History NOTES FROM ANNANDALE. 83

natural history observations. This is so especially in reference
to bird migration. The study of bird migrations in the Solway
area is pursued almost alone by Mr Robert Service. But why
should he be alone, when the study of Nature is a pastime for
all?

_ In spring one is naturally interested in the coming of our
summer migrants. In this connection my notes on April 6th and
20th may be worth recording.

The beginning of April brings quite a number of our spring
birds to the south of England; and they are usually with us
about a fortnight later. First and chief of these to visit the
woods along the Annan is the willow warbler. On the average it
reaches the Solway area about the middle of April. My own
earliest recorded date occurred in 1893 (8th April). The
summer that followed was a specially fine one. Last year I first
heard this bird on the 12th, an early date also. The summer of
1905 was one of the finest of recent years. In some cold seasons
I have listened in vain for the song until the 19th or 20th. The
pleasing succession of liquid, falling notes, once heard, is always
remembered. ‘Two other interesting species of this order come
to the woods on the Annan in some numbers—the wood warbler
and the garden warbler. I found two nests of the latter last
summer, but somewhat late in the season. I think the blackcap,
a sweet songster second only to the nightingale, comes to the
woods opposite Mount Annan.

As our summer migrants come, so our winter migrants move
northward. Among these is the pretty little siskin. It is known
as a winter migrant in Dumfriesshire, but its home in summer is
among the pine-woods of the north of Scotland, in similar
localities to those affected by the crossbill. I am indebted for
this information to a friend who was a close Nature student.
The young of the crossbill are hatched very early in the season,
generally in January, sometimes even in December I was told.
Nature’s reason for this is that at that period the pine cones
yield more readily to the bills of the birds, and so food is
provided.

We in Annandale are still looking for the first swallow! I
was told by a friend that the swallow was seen on the 4th
near Lockerbie ; and I have seen similar notes in the newspapers.
These probably all refer, however, to the sand martin, which is

84 NATURAL History NOTES FROM ANNANDALE.

the first of the hirundines to reach our shores. When in the
company of two naturalist friends, I saw a pair of this species on
the afternoon of Saturday, the 7th. This date is the earliest at
which I have seen the sand martin, and I think the occurrence
may be taken as a presage of an early summer. The martins
observed on 7th April were catering for flies above the river
opposite Milnbie Quarry, where they, of course, nest. Since
then the numbers have considerably increased.

While the fine weather brings our summer migrants earlier it
is not all in their favour. In some years after such a fine period
there is apt to be a recurrence of wintry conditions late in the
spring, when the birds are less able to bear it. Many die in
consequence. This was very marked by the case in 1886, when
many swallows died after their arrival at their nesting haunts for
the summer. It already seems as if we were to have a similar
cold spell in the present year. The earliest summer visitor
noted by me last year was the wheatear. I saw several of these
birds on April 7th, 1905, when the ground was under snow. As
their constitution differs greatly from that of members of the
swallow family the cold did not affect them in any appreciable
degree.

An interesting case of the nesting of the woodcock was
reported to me from Hoddom. I in turn reported the circum-
stance to Mr Murdoch, editor of the “ Natural History ’’ page of
the Yorkshire Weekly Post, who replied in his column :— It
is interesting to know that woodcocks are breeding in your neigh-
bourhood. These birds breed in Yorkshire, also quite regularly
in certain wooded parts of Westmorland. I am inclined to think
that they breed in various parts of the North of England to a
far greater extent than is generally supposed. In the nesting
season they are very wary, and few birds, in the place chosen for
their nest and in its construction, also having regard to their own
plumage, display the protective imitation faculty so beautifully
as woodcocks. They probably breed oftener in Dumfriesshire
than is generally known. If you looked into the pages of that
delightful book, ‘My Strange Pets,’ by Richard Bell of Castle
O’er, in your own county (Edinburgh: Blackwood & Sons. 1905,
p. 238), you will find an interesting passage on the subject.”

In May, along with a few friends, I paid a visit to the large
gullery on Bowness Moss, in Cumberland, where, I dare say,

ae

NATURAL History NOTES FROM ANNANDALE. 85

most, if not all of the supply of black-headed gulls of Lower
Annandale are bred. I give my notes upon the visit:

“The day was showery, but never unpleasantly so, and the
rain in no sense cooled the enthusiasm for what is, perhaps, one
of the most interesting sights the field of nature affords. Save
for the gulls themselves, the moor seemed wanting in bird life.
An occasional blackcock rose from the marsh; the call of the
curlew could be heard; and occasionally the carol of the sky-
lark. Sometimes one or two of the gulls might be seen flying
from the ploughed fields. The first nesting-place we came to
was a little tarn or sheet of water, thickly covered with wet
weeds. There were one or two nests at the margin; but the
larger number, between thirty and forty in all, were practically
afloat on the water. At a little distance we found the main
colony of gulls, which again was divided into two large camps.
Here the birds were in the air in thousands, screaming loudly as
they dashed hither and thither above us, evidently distressed at
our intrusion upon their homes. The nests were on the bare
ground, all carelessly made of course stalks and lighter herbage
from the muss. The nests were placed so closely together that
we had to exercise some care not to tread upon the eggs. We
found nests with one, some with two, others with three eggs, the
last being the highest number in a clutch. Among the eggs
themselves, there is great variety of colour and marking. Some
have a very pretty greenish ground colour, marked with large
blotches of brown, while others have a drab ground, with pencil-
lings of dark brown. The sight of the black-headed gulls in
nesting time is one not soon forgotten.

“We saw two pairs of lesser black-backed gulls frequenting
the moss. I understand they breed at a little distance from their
more numerous congeners. In appearance they are much more
sedate. The lesser black-backed gull usually nest on the shore.
Their breeding upon Bowness Moss is, therefore, exceptional.
Nesting with them, however, will not take place until later in the
month of May. One is here reminded of the exception with re-
gard to breeding haunts in the case of the oyster-catcher. It
almost always builds on the seashore, that is beside salt water.
Yet an exception to that rule is furnished by its nesting on the
shores of the large fresh water lochs in Perthshire, Loch Katrine,
Loch Vennacher, etc.’’

86 NATURAL History NOTES FROM ANNANDALE.

During the summer of 1906 I examined one nest of the grey
wagtail on the Annan. I mention this not because the bird is
quite rare, for it cannot be said to be so, but because it is rather
local in its. distribution, and the Annan seems to be one of its
favourite haunts.

It is rather curious to note that while numbers of the garden
warbler came to the woods on the river-side in the.vicinity of
the town of Annan in 1905, and two nests of the species came
under my own notice in that season, this migrant did not put in an
appearance at all in 1906. Whether this is to be accounted for
by the nature of the season or not, I am unable to say. In 1905
we had a very fine summer, while the summer of 1906, especially
the earlier part of it, when the birds were on migration, was
decidedly under the average in warmth.

15th February, 1907.

Chairman—Mr JAMEs Barzour, V.P.

AMONG THE YORKSHIRE ABBEYS. By Ex-Provost Davip
Hatuipay, Lockerbie.

At the outset the lecturer spoke of the numerous ruins and
charms of Yorkshire, and commenced his description of several
of the Yorkshire Abbeys with Fountains Abbey. To him, he
said, there was always something very fascinating in ruins of any
kind, particularly in those of an Abbey, and he felt inclined to

quote the words of Byron :—
‘‘The lore

Of mighty minds doth hallow in the core
Of human hearts, the ruin of a wall
Where dwelt the wise and wondrous.’’

Fountains Abbey is situated within the beautiful grounds of
Studley Royal, the property of the Marquis of Ripon, not far
from the cathedral town of Ripon. Like most of the Abbeys of
Yorkshire, Fountains dates from the first half of the twelfth
century, when some monks, who were disgusted at the irregu-
larities and the laxity of discipline of St. Mary’s, at York, under
the weak rule of Geoffrey, the third Abbot, headed by the Prior

AMONG THE YORKSHIRE ABBEYS. 87

and Sub-sacrist, invoked the aid of Thurstan, the celebrated
Archbishop of York, to remedy the state of matters. Owing to
the power of the Abbot, the appeal to the Archbishop proved
ineffective, and the discontented brethren decided to leave the
Abbey altogether. The Archbishop, willing to aid these zealous
Monks, gave them a site in the Vale of Fountains, on the banks
of the little river Skell, a spot which, for its beauty of situation,
was such an one as the Monks would themselves have selected
for their pious meditations. At that period, however, the district
was still suffering from the effects of William the Conqueror’s
policy of defence against the Northmen. About Christmas time
the Monks took possession of their new property, and, as build-
ing operations were impossible at such a season, the pious men,
refusing the offer of a temporary home made to them by the
Archbishop, camped under the trees, and there they experienced
the hardships of a very severe winter. A number of large yew
trees are still shown as being the identical trees under which
they camped, and under the largest of which they erected a hut
to serve as an oratory. Filled with a worthy ambition to build
a church, they set to work. Their first Abbot was the Prior of
St. Mary’s, and they adopted the Cistercian rule because of ‘its
greater austerity than the Benedictine. Having asked St.
Bernard, at Clairvaux, for advice, he sent them one of his own
Monks, named Geoffrey, to instruct them in the subtleties of
chanting and in the arrangements for their church. In due time
this church was completed, and the brethren having attained a
great reputation soon began to receive accessions to their numbers
and gifts of land from the nobles. The wall of the close en-
circled twelve acres of ground and more than two acres were
covered by the various buildings, while the church was found to
measure nearly four hundred feet. The buildings, however, that
one now sees and admires must not. be imagined are those actu-
ally erected by the first Monks, because each succeeding Abbot
tore down and rebuilt as necessity required or as his fancy sug-
gested, till it finally became the gorgeous pile which excited the
greed of Henry VIII. and his courtiers. | Between the years
1203-7 the Monks became so numerous that there was not room
in the chancel for them, the altars being too few to allow them
all to celebrate at the same time. This caused a considerable
extension to the eastward, a transept being added at the east end

88 AMONG THE YORKSHIRE ABBEYS.

—a most unusual thing—to make room for an additional number
of altars. This particular part of the ruins is called “the nine
altars,’’ and is not the least interesting part of the buildings.
The architecture of the choir is Early English, and is much to be
admired for the lightness and elegance of its columns and arches.
Wheel windows were at first used for lighting, but were after-
wards removed, and the present seven-light windows substituted.
The eastern window is fifty-two feet in height, and its tracery is
exceedingly beautiful. The lady chapel is also an exquisite struc-
ture. The pavement of the nave has all disappeared, and
instead we have a fine green sward fringed with massive columns
twenty-three feet high. Probably the most striking feature of
the ruined Abbey is the perpendicular tower, which rises 1684
feet high, and is of noble proportions. Next to the tower, or
some people might think even more wonderful, are the cloisters,
which, as usual, are situated at the south of the church, in the
angle formed by the nave and the transepts. They are of
singular construction and remarkable beauty, and are even to-day
completely perfect. The chapter house opens by six arches upon
the east walk, and to its south is the remains of a narrow groined
chamber, which formed the Abbot’s entrance into the monastery.
The long, low vaulted building which forms the south side of
the cloisters is really very wonderful. The northern half is said
to be of Transition Norman era, the date of the commencement
of the monastery, and was stated to have been extended south-
ward in the thirteenth century. Much speculation has arisen
among experts as to its exact use, but it seems to be generally
accepted that it was the day-room of the lay brothers. A
magnificent hall, a chapel, and other rooms, supposed to have
been the Abbot’s house, were to the east of the cloisters.
Leaving Fountains, the lecturer proceeded to give a descrip-
tion of Bolton Abbey, situated within a short distance of Skipton
and Ilkley, regarding the foundation of which there is an interest-
ing legend. In the year 1120 William de Merchines and Cicely,
his wife, founded at Embsay a priory of Augustinian Canons to
the honour of the Virgin Mary and St. Cuthbert. It continued
at Embsay thirty-three years, being then translated by a daughter
of the founders to Bolton, to the vicinity of the chasm on the
Wharfe where her son, “the boy of Egremond,’’ had met an
untimely death. While by no means so grand or so extensive as

Or ee hart i tal eel

Se

a ae

AMONG THE YORKSHIRE ABBEYS. 89

that of Fountains, the Abbey is well worthy of a visit. The
remains of the choir are probably interesting. In its interior
are nine niches of each side, which were the stalls of the canons,
and above them is a series of arches with a profusion of varied
capitals. Beyond there is a tier of lower stalls for the conversi,
who were lay brethren of a college of canons. On the south side
are four sedilia, with carved bosses, where the officiating priests
rested at intervals during the service. The nave of the church
is still complete, and is used regularly every Sunday for divine
service. In fact it is reported to have been in continuous use
from 1150 to the present day. The tower, which, unfortunately,
was never completed, is a massive and imposing structure, was
begun in 1520. The arms of the Cliffords and of the Priory are
introduced into the spandrils of the doorway, and on the first
stage of the south-west buttress stands the figure of a pilgrim in
a cap and gown, holding a short staff in his right hand and a
shield under his arm, while at his feet is an old sun-dial. The
greatest attraction, however, of the nave is the door, at once
massive and elegant, but rather hidden, by the gateway of the
tower. There are no fewer than fifteen mouldings on the door-
way, and they are almost perfect.

The next building to be described was Kirkstall Abbey, in
Leeds, which was built between 1147 and 1153 by Henry de
Lacie, Baron of Pontefract, for Monks of the Cistercian order.
To-day it is a picturesque and beautiful ruin extending over an
area of 340 feet by 440 feet. The principal portion seems to
have belonged to the church, a cruciform building, of Transition
work, and, like nearly all the abbeys visited, its tower was the
leading feature, being lofty and square,*and said to have been
built in the reign of Henry VIII.

In a corner of the gardens of the Yorkshire Philosophical
Society at York are situated the remains of St. Mary’s Abbey, at
one time a Benedictine Monastery, in point of wealth and influ-
ence the most important in the north of England. The founda-
tion-stone was laid by William the Second, who also gave it a
number of grants and privileges, by which it quickly rose to an
important position. At the Reformation it shared the fate of
other religious houses, and was surrendered to the crown. From
1540 onwards the buildings were used as quarries for material for
other buildings, but in 1872 the society to whom the ruins now

90 AMONG THE YORKSHIRE ABBEYS.

belong obtained possession of the ruins and land. By their
excavations a good idea of the original structure can be had.
The principal remains consist of the north wall of the nave of the
church, with its eight windows, and panelled archade with
pointed arches. The whole length of the church was 371 feet
and the breadth 60 feet, and it was a beautiful specimen of early
decorated work.

Proceeding to describe Whitby Abbey, the lecturer told the
story of its foundation by Oswry, King of Northumbria, whose
daughter Hilda became its first Abbess. After varying fortunes
the abbey began to flourish under the Romans. In its original
shape the abbey was cruciform, consisting of a nave, with two
aisles, a transept (with aisles on the east side only), a square
lantern tower, and a choir, with aisles. It extended about 300
feet from east to west, and the transept about 150 feet from north
to south. It is of Gothic architecture, but has undergone many
alterations and repairs, with the unfortunate result that we have a
conglomerate mass of styles far from satisfactory to even the
most amateur of students. Amongst these styles were mentioned
the “early pointed ’’ (chiefly shown in the long, narrow, lance-
headed windows, without mullions), the “decorated ’’ (distin-
guished from the preceding by a considerable increase and
variety of ornament), and, lastly, the “ perpendicular ’’ (distin-
guished by large windows divided by perpendicular mullions and
horizontal transoms, and by a great display of ornamentation and
elaboration). The tower of the abbey, which rose to the height
of 104 feet, is reported to have fallen in 1833.

The last Abbey dealt with was that of Jorvale or Jerveaulx,
an interesting ruin near Middleham. Belonging to the Cistercian
order, it was founded in 1156, and dedicated to St. Mary.
Cruciform in design, its extreme length was 270 feet, and the
ruins were thoroughly cleared in 1807 by the Earl of Aylesbury.
The outstanding feature of the ruins are the refectory and
domestic buildings, which are very extensive.

THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 91
Ist March, 1907.
Chairman—Dr W. SEMPLE.

A minute of regret at the death of Mr Robert Murray,
Honorary Vice-President of the Society, and for many years
a member of the Council and a Vice-President, was unanimously
adopted.

THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. By Mr JAMEs
Lennox, F.S.A.Scot.

In submitting this paper I give it more as an index or
preface to so great a subject, and I promise it will not be the last
of this subject that will be brought under your notice. In pro-
ducing so imperfect a paper the only excuse I have to offer is
that I do so to try and focus the photographic efforts of our
camera section on one of the important antiquarian subjects in
the county of Dumfries. I select this branch of our work for
two reasons. Jn the first place it is perhaps the widest, and in
the second place many of these towers have disappeared from
natural decay and from the ruthless hand of man within very
recent years, and we wish a permanent record of what remains
to-day, both by photograph and also by measurement. Messrs
M‘Gibbon and Ross in their “ Castellated and Domestic Architec-
ture of Scotland ’’ have done a colossal work in this direction,
but from want of local knowledge it was impossible for them to
produce a complete work for the whole of Scotland, and it re-
mains for local societies like ours to compile this in papers of a
tabulated form for ready reference at any future time. In the
two other counties of Kirkcudbright and Wigtown we have also
many towers, but we have also ecclesiastical remains of a very
fine order, whereas in Dumfriesshire we are devoid of ancient
church architecture, although we at one time had Holywood
Abbey, Dumfries Monastery, and Canonbie Priory, besides less
important buildings. In the troublous times of Border war the
Border Tower sprang up as an absolute necessity for self pre-
servation as well as for the protection of one’s goods, unless the
"owner removed into a walled burgh, and thus got protection.
The church itself could not claim immunity from these Border
thieves, as these men respected no property if they thought they

92 THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE.

could plunder it. The church of Annan had a fortified tower as
part of its structure, and to defy the English Borderers. In this
county we have castles proper, such as Caerlaverock, [Lech-
maben, etc., but by far the greater number of our castellated
remains are Border towers or peels constructed in different ways,
for the most part simple keeps with a great number of distinctive
peculiarities, and it is these we wish to have properly recorded.
For convenience, I divide the list into three sections, as
follow :—

ESKDALE, LIDDESDALE, AND THE DEBATABLE LAND.

Glendinning—in Westerkirk. | Westerhall—in Westerkirk.
Brantalloch Castle—near Staplegorton Churchyard, fragment of
wall only. | Wauchope Castle—earth works and grass-grown
walls near Langholm. Langholm Tower—vestiges, north of
Langholm. Broomholm—site of. | Harelaw—at Penton Linn
(Liddle). Munbyhirst. Auchenrivock. MHallgreen. Wood-
houselees-—sites for the most part of these towers are the only
remains. Hollows or Gilnockie Tower on the Esk.—This tower
belonged to Johnnie Armstrong (the most famous man in Border
song) ; he was executed by James V. for his many dashing raids.
into England; he, however, was a sort of Border Robin Hood;
he protected the poor, and never stole from the Scotch. He was
known as the Prince of Plunderers. The English warden of the
west marches wanted to burn his tower, and Armstrong hearing
of it, and knowing the greatness of his opposing force, swept
round them, and the same night burned Netherby Hall. This is.
a typical Border tower of the simple keep design, and I will give
a rather detailed description of it so as to serve for others that

follow, pointing out some of their peculiarities as I come to them.
It measures 334 feet by 254 feet, and about 40 feet high to the
parapet. There is, as is common in such buildings, a vaulted
ground floor lighted by slot holes. There were three other
storeys and a cape house or warden’s house in the attic. There
was but one room in each flat. At the corners there were turrets
and a parapet walk round connecting them. These were sup-
ported on projecting corbels. Above this come the sloping
gables, one forming a chimney head, the other a beacon lantern.
This stone lantern is not common, and photographers should
observe and note it when met with. At the back of the tower

Shean “gen. |

a ae Se

ee ee ee

SE Oe OR ee ete

oi

lie

THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 93

there may have been a court yard, such ‘as was common for the
protection of cattle, etc. This tower formed one of a great
group of Armstrong towers, Mangerton, over into Roxburghshire
being the chief one. Sark Tower—-site of, near the farmhouse of
Tower of Sark.

ANNANDALE.

Millingshaw—Fragment only on Evan Water. Middlegill—
Fragment only. Auchencass Castle—At the junction of Garple
and Evan. This was a first period castle of earthwork and
curtain walls, the immediate successor of the earthwork and
palisade. French Land—A. tower on L plan, a little to the
east of Moffat, requires to be carefully photographed. Loch-
house—A regular Border 16th century keep having one pecu-
liarity ; the 3rd storey walls are thinned externally, and give the
appearance of an additional storey having been added; this will
require to be observed by photographers. LLochwood ‘Tower—
The home of the Johnstones of Annandale. It is in a very
Tuinous state, and much hidden by the fine trees. Spedlings
Tower—A second period keep, converted by repairs and exten-
sions to a fourth period keep, and is a fine specimen, requiring
care in bringing out the details. Elshieshields Tower—A fourth
period tower on the L plan; these towers on the L plan are for
the most part simple keeps with a wing at one angle, and contains
the stair. This has angle turrets at three of the angles; the
fourth is taken up with a cape house. Lockerbie Tower—This
is surrounded by houses, and thus slightly hidden. It was used
as police cells until recently. Lochmaben Castle—Situated on
a promontory in the Castle Loch; was defended by great earth-
works from the shore side. The building at first consists of
curtain walls like all first period castles. The ashlar stones have
been stolen for all sorts of local purposes, so little remains for
definite photographs. The huge blocks of rubble bound together

by shell mortar testify to the great strength. Hoddom Castle—

A tower on the L plan adapted to modern requirements. Re-
pentance Tower—A small watch or signal tower. Blacket Tower
—On the L plan; this is not mentioned by M‘Gibbon and Ross.
It belonged to the Irvings. It measures 30 ft. by 24 ft.; this
addition formed for the stair, and is surmounted by stepped
gable roof. The main tower is very ruinous, and the exact plan
is now difficult to make out. Above the door is the date 1663,

94 THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE.

and on a marriage stone is I.B. Il. Bonshaw Tower—A typical
Border simple keep, 34 ft. by 25 ft., having a corbelling carrying
a parapet but no angle turrets. This is the tower of the head
of the Irvings. The tower is in perfect condition, except a slated
roof in place of one of stone flags. Wardhouse—Only one-half
of this tower remains, looking like a section to shew the inside of
such towers. Was also an Irving tower. Robgill Tower—lIs
said to have been like Bonshaw, but the proprietor took down the
walls to the level of the hall floor to build his dining-room over
it. Redhall Castle—The home of the bold Flemings; site of
only. Old Gretnay—Site of only ; in this parish there were eight
towers, all now extinct, showing the necessity of complete records
being taken of what still remains. Stapleton Tower—This is
the finest Border peel I have seen, not recorded by M‘Gibbon
and Ross. It is in perfect preservation, measures 37 ft. by 31,
and is about 50 ft. high. The doorway is decorated by the holly
leaf, the crest of the Irvings. The windows and patron saint
niche over the doorway are decorated by fine dog-toothing ; the
parapet is supported on corbels; the angle turrets are also sup-
ported on corbellings. The wooden door was supported by an
iron yett; the ground floor is arched. Brydekirk—A fragment
only, built into farm steading. Cockpool—Site of only (the home
of the Murrays). Comlongon Castle—A splendid building, with
many interesting peculiarities, and would require many photo-
graphs in detail. Holmains—Fragments only. Raffles—Site
of.
NITHSDALE.

Clenrae Castle—Up Croiach Water (mounds at site). Castle-
hill—In Carco (site of). Kemps Castle—At junction of Barr
and Euchan burns (fragmentary). Goosehill Castle—On Goose-
hill Farm. Castle Robert—Site of. Castle Gilmour—In
Menoch Pass. Carshogal Castle (site of). Sanquhar Castle—

Stands to the south of the town, on the bank of the Nith. The ~

castle covers a large space, and photographers will require a
good many plates to do justice to the details of the building, or
group of buildings. Enoch Castle—Near Carronbridge Station
(fragmentary only). Castlehill—In Durisdeer (site only). Mor-
ton Castle—The second only in interest in Nithsdale ; was origi-
nally a first period castle of curtain walls, and was converted into
a third period castle, guarded on three sides by the lake, and on

wh” i.

THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. 95

the south side by the two towers at either extremity. It is of im-
mense size; the front wall measures 90 feet long. It is well
described by M‘Gibbon and Ross, and the present remains show a
transition from the courtyard to the keep castle. Drumlanrig
Tower—The remains of this tower were swallowed up by the
castle of that name. The walls form part of the chapel within
the castle. Tibbers Castle—lIs very ancient; the walls have been
cleared of debris. Auchengassel—In the upper part of Penpont
parish. Closeburn Castle—A fine and strong specimen of second
period castle, 45 feet by 34 feet, the walls being 10 feet thick ;
this will require to be photographed on all sides. It is occupied
by Mr Brown, the Closeburn factor. Barjarg Tower—A tower
in the L plan, with angle turrets, and added to and adapted to
more modern requirements in the 17th century. This is not
given by M‘Gibbon and Ross. Jarbruck Castle (site only).
Peelton—Close to Crawfordton (site only). Old Crawfordton—.
On the west side of Cairn (lower storey standing); was a simple
keep. © Maxwelton House—The north end of this is the remains
of an ancient castle. Breconside Tower—On the L. plan,
measures 27 feet by 21 feet with 5 feet walls, and the abutment
of 17 feet by 17 feet, forming the L. It was in occupation in
the nineteenth century, but only the foundation now remains. It
is situated near the old Drove Road from Lanark, passing Tynron
and on to Dunscore. Snade Castle (site of only). Sundaywell
Tower—Measuring 27 feet by 21 feet, with walls 4 feet 6 inches
thick; has been converted into a dwelling-house; modern
windows broken into the walls, and surmounted by ordinary
chimneys. A porch has been built to the doorway, and on the
end of this the marriage stone, which used to be above the door,
is now inserted. It consists of a square stone, in the centre a
shield, the lower half of which is a St. Andrew’s Cross sur-
mounted by three diamonds, above which are the letters
I K—I W, and under it the date 1611. Bogrie Tower—Site of
only, and a marriage stone. None of these Glencairn towers are
given by M‘Gibbon and Ross. Lag Tower—A simple keep of
15th century. In this there was no vaulted ground storey; it is
chiefly remembered by being occupied by the Laird of Lag, Sir
Robert Grierson, the Bloody Lag of the Covenanters. Four-
merkland Tower—In Holywood parish. A keep in good pre-
servation, with a detailed description in M‘Gibbon and Ross.

96 THE CASTELLATED REMAINS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE.

Two angle turrets and no battlements, date 1590. Isle Tower—
A simple keep, with two angle turrets and no battlements; in
perfect preservation, with iron yett and wooden door. The pro-
perty of the Fergusons, it was built in 1587. Dalswinton (site
only). Cowhill Tower—Fragments only; on a hill in front of
modern house. It was built by a Maxwell in 1579, and mostly
taken down in 1789. It consisted of a stair turret, and to the
one side a fortified house, and is described by Grose. Amisfield
Tower—A typical peel of large size; in good preservation ; with
three circular turrets at angles, and a signal turret at the front
corner. ‘These turrets at angles are all corbelled out from walls.
The windows are all decorated with dog-toothing. Above all is
a square cape house. A dormer window directly over door has
beautiful decorations. | Above the doorway are two marriage
stones. Torthorwald Castle—Is of unusual construction, and
has been constructed to prevent being destroyed by fire; both
the storeys were arched. It has been added to, as is seen by
distinct join on the building. It belonged to the Carlyles.
Dumfries Castle and the Maxwell Tower in Dumfries have both
disappeared. Caerlaverock Castle—The finest in the county,
and would require a paper devoted to itself; originally a first
period castle of curtain walls; it has been adapted in different
ages to the ideas of the periods. The north walls show two
dates, as the top part is newer than its base. The internal
structure has different dates in its construction. On the right
of the gateway the buildings are older than they are on the left.
Those on the left belong to the decorative period in castellated
architecture. Bankend or Isle Tower—A keep on the L plan,
in very ruinous state, which should be at once photographed, as
the walls are so rent that the whole structure may fall any day if
something is not done to preserve it.

Epwarp I. aT SWEETHEART ABBEY. By E. J. CHINNOCK,
LEAD:

Some time ago I sent the Society an excerpt from the letter
sent from Otford by Robert of Winchelsea, Archbishop of
Canterbury, to Pope Boniface VIII., describing how he and
Lombardi, the other Papal Legate, had met King Edward I. at
Sweetheart Abbey, on the 27th of August, 1300, and delivered

HDS nV

HILLS TOWER, KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.

TORTHORWALD CASTLE, NEAR DUMFRIES, see pages 96 and 182

EpwWArD I. AT SWEETHEART ABBEY. 97

the Pope’s mandate that the King should abandon his claims on
Scotland. I now send translations of two extracts from the
“Daily Book of the Wardrobe of Edward I.’’ for that year,
establishing the fact that Edward was at Newabbey, and not at
Caerlaverock, at the time when the Papal Legates had their inter-
view with him.

From page 69—“ Paid to Sir John of Langford, sent from
Gerton upor Fleet in Galloway to Carlisle, for the fifteen days
between 10th of August and the 24th day of the same month,
going to Carlisle, staying at the Port of Skynburness, waiting for
a favourable wind and returning to the Court at Douzqueer
(Sweetheart), £2 6s 04d.”

From page 202—“ Paid to Sir John Le Strange, Banneret,
for his wages and those of two knights and seven esquires from
the 6th day of July, on which his horses were valued in the afore-
said war, until the 23rd day of August, on which he retired from
the King’s army at Douceur (Sweetheart), the first day being
reckoned and not the last, for 48 days, by agreement made with
him at Westminster, in the month of November in the 30th year,
£36.”’

15th March, 190%.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

THE UNIon oF 1707 in DumrrigssHIRE. By Mr James W.
WHITELAW.

The Treaty of Union between Scotland and England was
adjusted in the first instance by commissioners who were
appointed to represent the two Kingdoms respectively, and
among the Scots representatives we find the Duke of Queensberry
and Daniel Stewart, brother of the Laird of Castlemilk. The
commissioners met for the first time on 16th April, and finished
their labours on 23rd July, 1706. The Treaty consisted of 25
articles, and at this stage only four copies of it were made, one
for the Queen, one for the English House of Lords, one for the
English House of Commons, and the fourth for the Scots Parlia-
ment, who met in Edinburgh on 3rd October, 1706, to consider

98 Tse Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

the Treaty, with the Duke of Queensberry occupying the throne
as Lord High Commissioner for Queen Anne, and the Earl of
Seafield as Lord Chancellor, or Premier as we now should call
him. The Scots Parliament sat as one House, and consisted of
the greater barons or nobility, the Commissioners for the Shires,
who were elected by the smaller barons and freeholders, and the
Commissioners for the Burghs. Dumfriesshire returned four
members—Sir John Johnstone of Westerhall; William Douglas
of Dornock ; John Sharp of Hoddom; and Alexander Fergusson
of Isle. The royal burghs of Dumfries, Annan, Lochmaben,
and Sanquhar each returned one member, who were Provost
Robert Johnstone for Dumfries; William Johnstone for Annan;
John Carruthers for Lochmaben; and William Alves for San-
quhar. It is well to explain here that the title “ Provost,’’ as
applied to Robert Johnstone, is a little misleading; he had
occupied the civic chair, and in courtesy was still accorded the
title on the principle of “ Ance a Provost ay my ‘ Lord,’ ’’ and so
Provost Johnstone we will continue to call him. On the opening
day a letter was read from the Queen, dealing mainly with the
Union, and speeches by the Queen’s Commission and the Lord
Chancellor followed thereon. Her Majesty’s letter and these
speeches were ordered to be printed. The Articles of Union
were also “ordered to be printed, and copies to be delivered to
Members of Parliament.’’

FEELING IN DUMFRIESSHIRE AT THE TIME.

A few days later Provost Johnstone writes to the then
Provost of Dumfries, William Copland of Colliston, enclosing a
copy of each of these prints, and requests the views of the Town
Council thereon. These were passed round the members for
perusal, and were considered at a meeting of Council held on
14th October, when the following resolution was arrived at:—
“The Magistrates and Council of this burgh did unanimously
consider that the said Articles are not fully and clearly under-
stood by them, and therefore that they cannot give their said
representative any positive instructions thereanent. In regard
they have not seen the minutes of the said Commissioners of the
Union nor the debates, reasonings, and motives that induced the
said Commissioners to agree unto the said Articles. But withall
the Council recommends to their said representative to be well

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Tue Union oF 1707 IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 99

advised in what he votes and that he shall have all due regard to
the security of the Protestant religion as now established by law,
and to the honour, safety, and interest of the kingdom, and to the
rights, privileges, and municipal laws thereof. And the Council
recommends to the Provost to send an Extract hereof to him.’’
Probably the members of the other burghs took a similar course,
but there is no record of this. The minutes of the Town Council
of Annan are rather meagre, and do not contain any reference to
the Union, while the minutes of the Town Councils of Loch-
maben and of Sanquhar have not been preserved so far back.
The county minutes are also awanting, and we are therefore
unable to ascertain whether the county members applied to their
constituents for their views upon the Union. However, certain
of their constituents did issue “instructions’’ to them, and,
luckily, a copy thereof has been preserved in Dumfries Observa-
tory (Appendix I.). In this document is pointed out “That if
you give our votes for ratifying and confirming the said Articles,
we must resign and lose our Crown, Sovereignty, Independence,
and our Parliament; and by unavoidable consequence, these
three great and valuable interests, to wit, our Church Government
by law established, our liberty, and our trade ;’’ the argument as
to the advantage of community of trade with England is contro-
verted on the ground that this is “most uncertain and of a long
view ;’’ and, after a strong statement that the power to represent
the County in Parliament did not authorise them to conclude a
union with England without a special mandate, the document
concludes as follows :—* Upon the consideration whereof, we, by
these our instructions, specially require you, our commissioners
and delegates, that when any of the said Articles of Union, which
we have declared prejudicial to our interests, are proposed,
motioned, or overtured by any member, or members of Parlia-
ment, to be ratified and past into a law, that you expressly give
your vote against the same; and that you neither treat, vote, nor
determine in any matter which may relate to the surrendering and
resigning of any of our foresaid privileges, dignities, rights, and
interests, without advising and consulting your constituents, and
procuring from them their special warrant for that effect. And
these, our sentiments and resolutions about the matters above
specified, are signed and signified by us, the barons, freeholders,
heritors, and others, within the Sheriffdom of Dumfries, at Dum-

100 Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

fries the twenty-ninth day of October, one thousand seven hun-
dred and six years.”’

ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND.

The printing of the treaty made the terms of it public pro-
perty for the first time, and a storm of opposition to it arose
throughout the country. The Church of Scotland was first in the
field; an address by the Commission of the General Assembly
“for establishing and confirming the true Protestant religion and
government of the Church as by law established ’’ was presented
to Parliament, and read on 17th October, “ And thereupon the
Parliament declared that before concluding the union they would
take the said address to their consideration, and would do every-
thing necessary for securing the true Protestant religion and
Church government presently established by law in this king-
dom ;’’ but the Church in general does not seem to have been
altogether satisfied with this promise. The Synod of Dumfries
was then divided into four Presbyteries, viz.:—Dumfries, Pen-
pont, Lochmaben, and Middlebie. The Presbytery of Middlebie
has since been split up into the Presbytery of Langholm and the
Presbytery of Annan. ‘The Synod at that time held regular half-
yearly meetings, which extended over several days in May and
October, and at the meeting on 10th October, 1706, they passed
an Act respecting the Treaty of Union, which they considered
might concern the liberties and future happiness both of the
Church and nation (Appendix II.). In this Act the Synod record
their thankfulness “for the restoring of the rights and privileges
of this National Church by the late happy Revolution,’’ but
express the fear “That impenitency in sin and slackness of
reformation may provoke the Lord to remove the blessings we
enjoy,’’ a fear which seems to them to be rather confirmed by the
fact of “the present threatening season, whereby the fruits of the
ground have been and are in a great measure endangered, to-
gether with many other calamities and distresses, as tokens of the
Lord’s holy displeasure, which both Church and nation groans
under ;”’ they therefore judged “ it incumbent upon them to excite
themselves and one another, and the people under their inspec-
tion and charge to the great and necessary duties of unfeigned
repentance, of active and zealous reformation and returning to
the Lord, and of pouring out our most serious and fervent

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Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. 101

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supplications before the Throne of Grace,’’ and they appointed
“the several Presbyteries of this Synod to meet upon Wednesday
next in order to the foresaid ends, and to spend the day together
in the above exprest dutys, and each minister apart .with his
Session and such other serious Christians within his paroch, as he
and they think fit, to keep another day for the foresaid ends with
their first conveniency; and that they stir up the Godly within
their bounds to a just concern in their prayers to God for the
interest of the Church and nation in this present juncture.’’ The
Presbytery of Dumfries had this Act under their consideration at
their meeting on the same day (10th October), and on 16th
October it is minuted that they carried out the instructions therein
contained. On 22nd October the Commission of the General
Assembly passed an Act in somewhat similar terms, in which they
recommended to all Presbyteries to set apart “a day for solemn
public prayer, fasting, and humiliation.’’ This was done by the
Dumfries Presbytery on 29th October, when they appointed the
following Tuesday as a solemn Fast in all the parishes within
their bounds ; and they also, in obedience to a further letter re-
ceived at the same time from the Commission, engaged “in
prayer among themselves for the Lord’s directing of the Parlia-
ment at this time.’’ When there was much business the Presby-
tery adjourned for an interval in the middle of the day, and on
their resuming business on that afternoon the minute opens with
the quaint phrase, “The brethren who had not prayed in the
forenoon went about it now.’’ William Vetch, minister of Dum-
fries; Alexander Robison, minister of Tinwald; and Andrew
Reid, minister of Kirkbean and clerk of the Presbytery, had
been chosen to attend the Commission in succession, and before
the mid-day adjournal on 29th October certain brethren were
appointed to draw up instructions to these representatives. In
the afternoon, these instructions being produced and read, were
approven and appointed to be insert in the Presbytery book;
the tenor whereof follows :—‘“ The Presbytery of Dumfries having
seen by the Articles of Union that the Scots Parliament is for
ever to be dissolved, whereby the whole covenanted work of
Reformation as well as all our privileges, will be in imminent
danger ; therefore we thought it our duty to give the following
instructions to you who represent this Presbytery in the Commis-
sion of the Kirk. 1°. That in a calm and regular way ye move

102 THe Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

that the Commission use what methods they think fit for them in
the capacity of a Church-judicatory for preventing the passing of
that article of the giving up of our Parliament. 2°. That ye do
nothing in the Commission which may be reasonably accounted a
compliance with the passing such an Article. 3°. If any such
thing be likely to be concluded by the Commission that may be
accounted such a compliance, or any other way endanger the
present Church-establishment according to the claim of right and
all Acts of Parliament made thereanent, ye shall in our name
protest against it.’’? The letter to be sent to them with the above
instructions was also read and approven, and Mr Vetch appointed
to sign both in the Presbytery’s name, and to transmit the same
with all dispatch. A fortnight later Mr Vetch and Mr Robison
reported that they had attended “the Commission, and, having
made report of their diligence, they were approven.’’ The
minutes of the Presbytery of Penpont and of the Presbytery of
Lochmaben are awanting for this period, while in the minutes of
the Presbytery of Middlebie there is no reference to the Union
except that the Act of the Commission above alluded to was not
dealt with till the 13th November, when the 21st of that month
was appointed as a Fast day. ‘There is no time to follow the
matter through the deliberations of the Commission ; suffice it to
say that by the influence of William Carstares, minister of Grey-
friars, Edinburgh, the Church was kept out of the thorny path
of politics, and her attention mainly directed to passing the Act
of Security. This Act was read a first time on 6th November,
and after a further representation and petition from the Commis-
sion of Assembly, and a strongly-worded protest from Lord Bel-
haven to the effect that it afforded “no valid security to the
Church of Scotland ’’ (which protest was concurred in by the
Marquis of Annandale, John Carruthers of Lochmaben, and
several others), the Act was passed by a large majority on 12th
November, the very day on which Mr Vetch and Mr Robison
reported to the Presbytery.

THE BURNING OF THE ARTICLES OF UNION AT DUMFRIES.

The Cameronians in the West and South-West of Scotland,
with Covenanting times still green in their memory, not un-
naturally saw danger to the Protestant religion from the Union,

and the Act of Security did not allay their fears, or, indeed, the

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Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. 103
fears of the more extreme Churchmen. So strong was their
opposition that they seemed prepared to join with the Jacobites
in the north, and march in armed force on Edinburgh. Had
they done so, the face of history might have been changed, for
the Government had only a small number of somewhat disaffected
troops at their disposal. But the Cameronians and Jacobites had
nothing in common except their opposition to the Union, which,
in each case, was based on widely divergent grounds ; there were
traitors among their numbers who kept the Government advised
of what was going on; and all that happened was some rioting in
Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Lanark, and a fairly peaceful, but
apparently well-organised, demonstration in Dumfries, with
which alone I deal in detail. On 20th November a body of
horsemen came in from the country, and were joined by some of
the town rabble ; they proceeded to the market cross, and a fire
was lit; a print of the Treaty of Union was produced, and
solemnly burnt; then a paper containing the names of the Com-
missioners who signed the Treaty was committed to the flames
with the remark, “and thus may all traitors perish ;’’ the minutes
of these Commissioners (evidently printed in book form) were
also burnt; and finally, there was affixed to the cross a protest
entitled “ An Account of the Burning of the Articles of the Union
at Dumfries,’’ which, being in the form of a printed document,
shows distinct premeditation (Appendix III.). This document
notifies to all concerned the reasons and designs which actuated
the participators in the demonstration ; they state that they have
“no design against Her Majesty, nor against England nor any
Englishman ;’’ they testify their dissent from, discontent with,
and protestation against the twenty-five Articles of the Treaty of

_ -Union ; they express very freely their views regarding the Scotch

Commissioners who adjusted that Treaty to the effect that they
must “have been either simple, ignorant, or treacherous, if not
all three; when the minuts of the Treaty betwixt the Commis-
sioners of both Kingdoms are duely considered; and when we
compare their dastardly yieldings unto the demands and pro-
posals of the English Commissioners, who, on the contrar, have
valiantly acquit themselves for the interest and safety of their
nation ;’’ and after indicating that they considered that the Union
was being attempted to be carried against the consent of the

_ generality of the nation, they protested that “ whatever ratification

104 THE UNION oF 1707 IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.

of the foresaid Union may pass in Parliament contrar to our
fundamental laws, liberties, and privileges, concerning Church
and State, may not be binding upon the nation, now or at any
time to come ; and particularly we protest against the approbation
of the first Article of the said Union, before the privileges of this
nation, contain’d in the other Articles had been adjusted and
secured ; and so we earnestly require that the representatives in
Parliament, who are for our nation’s privileges, would give
timeous warning to all the corners of the Kingdom; that we and
our posterity become not tributary and bond slaves to our neigh-
bours without acquiting our selves as becomes men and
Christians ; and we are confident that the soldiers now in martial
power have so much of the spirits of Scots-men; that they are
not ambitious to be disposed of at the pleasure of another nation ;
and we hereby declare that we have no design against them in
this matter.’’ There is an endorsation at the foot of the docu-
ment that it was “ publickly read from the Mercat Cross of Dum-
fries about one of the clock in the afternoon, the 20th day of
November, 1706, with great solemnity, in the audience of many
thousands ; the fire being surrounded with double squadrons of
Foot and Horse in Martial order: And after the Burning of the
said Books (which were holden up Burning on the point of a
Pike, to the view of all the People, giving their consent by
Huzza’s and Chearful acclamations). A Coppy hereof has left
affixed on the Cross, as a Testimony of the South part of this
Nation against the Proposed Union, as Moulded in the Printed
Articles thereof. This we desire to be printed and kept in
Record ad futuram rei memoriam.’’ The endorsement is quite
illegible in the print of the “ Account ’’ preserved in Dumfries
Observatory, which is much torn at the foot, but there is a com-
plete copy in the Advocates’ Library, from which I have ascer-
tained its terms. The intention seems to have been to impress
Parliament with the importance of the disturbance in question,
even at the expense of strict accuracy of detail, because in De
Foe’s History of the Union, published in 1709, the author (who,
writing so soon after the event, must have been able to obtain
fairly exact information) states that the numbers actually present
were about 200, and he adds “that there was any such thing as
squadrons or companies, either of horse or foot, or any
martial order, such as officers or commanders, or any-

————————————— eS SS:—

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Tue Union oF 1707 IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 105

thing like troops, was a manifest forgery.”” On 29th
November the Lord Chancellor reported these disturbances to
Parliament, and presented a letter from the Magistrates of Dum-
fries to Her Majesty’s Advocate, bearing an account of the
abuses and tumultuary meeting in that place with a declaration
emitted by those who met, which was affixed to the “ Mercat
Cross of Dumfries ;’’ and after some discussion a proclamation
against all tumultuary and irregular meetings and convocation

_ of the lieges was passed ; it proceeds in name of the Queen, and

is addressed to “Our Lyon-King at Arms and his brethren,
heraulds, pursevants, massers, and messengers at arms, our
Sheriffs in that part conjunctly and severally,’’ and it concludes
as follows:—‘“ Our will is herefore, and we charge you that ye
pass to the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, and Mercat Crosses of
Dunfreis, Lanerk, and Glasgow, and other places needful, and
there make publication hereof by open proclamation of the
premises that none may pretend ignorance, and ordain these pre-
sents to be printed, and our solicitors to send copies hereof to the
magistrats of the respective burghs above-mentioned for that
effect.’’ Parliament returned next day to the consideration of
the’ declaration affixed to the Market Cross of Dumfries, and re-
mitted to a committee to take trial and make enquiry anent the
printer of the paper, who, luckily for him, was never discovered ;
further, not to be outdone in dramatic effect by their opponents,
they ordered “ that the said scurrilous print be burn’d by the hand
of the Common Hangman at the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh
upon Monday next, between eleven and twelve of the clock, and
the magistrats of Edinburgh appointed to see the orders punctu-
ally executed.”’
A CLERICAL PROTEST.

Before leaving this part of my subject, I must refer to a
petition against the Union, which is minuted as an “.Address of
a body of people in the South and Western Shires, subscribed
by Mr John Hepburn and other seven persons,’’ received in
Parliament on 12th November (Appendix IV.). Mr Hepburn
was “ Minister of the Gospel at Orr, in Galloway,’’ but had been
deposed by the General Assembly from that charge, in which,
however, he was reinstated. He was a very staunch Presby-
terian, and the address in question, which is strongly imbued
with his own personality, is a characteristic piece of ecclesiastical

106 Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

invective. Its terms are preserved in a book, entitled “ Humble
Pleadings for the Good Old Way,’’ published by Mr Hepburn in
1713, and there is also a copy in the Advocates’ Library. It
states nine grounds for the protest against the Union therein con-
tained, of which I shall quote two as an example of its language:
—“lmo. We incorporat with a nation deeply guilty of many
national abominations, who have openly broke and burnt their
covenant with God and league with us, entered into in the year
1643. Are sworn to the maintainance of abjured Prelacy; have
their publick and established worship horridly corrupted with
superstition and idolatry, and their doctrine dreadfully leavened
with Socinianism and Arminianism; besides the most gross and
deeply lamentable profaneness that abounds amongst them.

5to. When we think how the great God, Who fixes the
Gansds of people’s habitations, has granted to us this land; and
by a very peculiar Providence has preserved us as a free nation
these 2000 years, when many other nations, greater and mightier
than we have been dispersed, and their memory extinct; how
unaccountable does it appear to us, that we should destroy our
selves and make a voluntar surrender of our liberties, sovereignity
and independency; and that when our God has so often inter-
posed by a marvellous Providence for our deliverance and de-
fence, from the encroachments and invasions of forreigners and
injurious neighbours! We should now distrust our Protector,
and chuse England for the ground of our confidence, our shield
and stay ; which as we look upon as contrary to God’s Word. So
likewise to our sacred covenants, whereby, according thereto, we
are bound to maintain the privileges of our Parliaments, and
liberties of the subjects.’? But Mr Hepburn could use softer
tones when occasion required, and his book ends with these
words :—“ Curteous reader, be pleased to pardon escapes of the
Press in pointing and spelling.’’ Evidently the “ Printer’s
Devil ’’ was beyond even ecclesiastical control in these days
when Church discipline was a stern reality.

Locat REPRESENTATIVES AT THE CONVENTION OF ROYAL
BuRGHS.

We must now hark back in point of date, and ascertain the
position taken up by the Convention of Royal Burghs. At a
meeting of the Convention on 8th July, 1706, the Lord Provost

Tue Union or 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. 107

of Edinburgh was requested to call the Convention together “ in
case the great concern of ane Union with England comes to be
laid before, and considered by Parliament.’”’ On 15th October,
Sir Samuel M‘Lellan, the then Lord Provost, accordingly did
convene such a meeting, and his missive was considered by the
Town Council of Dumfries on 21st October, and the meeting
elected William Copland of Colliston, the then Provost, as their
commissioner to the Convention, with Alexander Barclay, one of
the Bailies, as his assessor. The missive was further considered
on 25th October, in view of the request therein that special in-
structions should’ be given to the commissioner, and the meeting
appointed “ Bailies Corbet and Ewart, Provost Rome, the Dean,
Baillie Kennan, Treasurer Gilchrist, the Convener and any two
Deacons he pleased to bring with him, as a committee or major
part of them, to meet with the said commissioner and assessor,
and consider the Articles of Union agreed by the Commissioners
of Scotland and England, and to draw up instructions to the said
commissioner and assessor.’’ The Council minutes do not show
what these instructions were, but on 19th November the Provost
reported that he and his assessor “had attended and waited on
the said Convention during the sitting thereof, and had walked
according to the town’s instructions to them.’’ Lochmaben was
also represented at this Convention, but there was no representa-
tion from either of the burghs of Sanquhar or Annan. The Con-
vention met on 29th October, and again on 4th and 5th Novem-
ber, on which last mentioned date they unanimously resolved to
present an address to Parliament, the terms of which had been
_ adjusted after debate. This address is directed “To His Grace
_ Her Majesties High Commissioner, and the Right Honourable
the Estates of Parliament,’’ and after stating the Convention’s
objection to an incorporating union and the fear of increased
_ taxation and of Scots interests suffering in a British Parliament
wherein Scotland was only allowed a “ mean representatione,”’
_ the address concludes as follows:—‘ We therefor humbly sup-
plicat your grace and the honourable estates of Parliament, and
do assuredly expect that yow will not conclude such ane in-
_corporating union as is contained in the articles proposed, but
_ that yow will support and maintain the true reformed protestant
religione and church government as by law established, the
“sovereignty and independency of this crown and kingdome, and

108 THe Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

the rights and privileges of Parliament, which have been
generously asserted by you in the (present) sessione of this pre-
sent parliament, and do further pray that effectual means may be
used for defeating the designs and attempts of all popish pre-
tenders whatsomever to the successione of this croun and king-
dome, and for securing this natione against all the attempts and
encroachments that may be made by any persons whatsomever
upon the sovereignity, religion, lawes, liberties, trade, and quiet
of the same; and we promise to mentain, with our lives and
fortunes, all those valuable things, in opposition to all popish
and other enemies whatsomever, according to our lawes and
claim of right.’’ The address was presented to Parliament on
6th November, and is referred to in the minutes of Parliament of
that date as “ given in and read.”’

LOcAL PETITIONS AGAINST UNION.

Both prior and subsequent thereto there were petitions
against the Union presented to Parliament from various counties
and burghs; among those were the following of local interest,
which were received on the dates now mentioned :—

Novr. 12—The Burgh of Kirkcudbright, and a body of people in
the South and Western Shires.
,, 18—The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright.
», 23—The Stewartry of Annandale.
», 26—The Burgh of Annan, and the Burgh of Lochmaben.

Decr. 3—The Burgh of New-Galloway, and the four parochines

of Glenkenns in the “ Shire of Galloway.’’

The terms of only four of these addresses are, so far as I am
aware, now ascertainable; those of the Stewartry of Kirkeud-
bright and of the Burgh of New-Galloway are contained in the
appendix to De Foe’s History; copies thereof, and also of the
address of the four parochines of Glenkenns, are preserved
in the Advocates’ Library; and the fourth is the address
of the body of people in the South and Western Shires
to which I have already alluded. These addresses, and
others of a similar nature from different parts of the country
were treated with scant courtesy by Parliament, and the Duke of
Argyll described them as only fit to make kites with. The
opponents of the Union then endeavoured to get the subscribers

Tue Union or 1707 1n DUMFRIESSHIRE. 109

to these addresses to assemble in Edinburgh for the purpose of
“ waiting the effect of said addresses, and of knowing what return
the Parliament would make.’’ Parliament replied on 27th
December with a Proclamation “against all such meetings and
gatherings of the subjects as are unwarrantable and contrair to
law,’’ and the proposed assemblage was thereby prevented.
Thus in one way or another outside opposition was met and
checkmated.

Votes oF LocaL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT.

There was, however, a strong minority in Parliament itself
against the Union, and when Parliament met on 3rd October the
Ministry could not count on a majority of more than twelve. It
was to the statesmanship of the Duke of Queensberry and the
Earl of Seafield, assisted by those princes of debate, the Earl of
Stair, the Earl of Roxburgh, and the Duke of Argyll, that the
accomplishment of the Union was largely due. The general
debate upon the Treaty occupied the whole of October, and the
national Whig party, or “ Squadrone ’”’ as they were called, ulti-
mately declared in its favour, which practically placed the matter
beyond doubt. On 2nd November the Ist Article was again
read, and two days later it was approved by a majority of 116 to
83, and the subsequent divisions on the other Articles show that
these numbers represented practically the full strength of both
parties. What of the votes of our local members? Of the
county members, Sir John Johnstone and William Douglas were
the most regular attenders, and they voted persistently in favour
of the Articles of the Treaty of Union. John Sharp and Alex-
ander Fergusson were not so regular in attendance, but when
present they voted against the Treaty. It will therefore be
seen that Sir John Johnstone and William Douglas disregarded
the instructions of their constituents, while John Sharp and Alex-
ander Fergusson acted in accordance therewith ; and I am led to
understand that at a meeting held afterwards in Dumfries Mr
Fergusson was publicly thanked for his opposition to the Union,
in which vote of thanks Mr Sharp would also be included in all
likelihood. In regard to the burgh members, Provost Johnstone,
the member for Dumfries, has been represented as a fierce
antagonist to the Union; there was, after the manner of the times
of paying fulsome compliments to the deceased, inscribed upon

110 Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

his tomb the words, “ Unioni fortiter opposuit,’’ and it is pro-
bably from this that the idea arose; but the Parliamentary
division lists do not bear out the assumption. He voted against
Article 1, which provided for an incorporating Union of England
and Scotland into one Kingdom by the name of Great Britain ;
he was absent from the division upon Article 2, which secured
the succession to the monarchy of the United Kingdom to Queen
Anne and her issue, and in default of issue to Princess Sophia,
Electoress and Duchess of Hanover and the heirs of her body,
being Protestants; he voted against Article 3, which established
one British Parliament; upon the Articles dealing with the com-
munity of trade, equality of taxation, etc., he voted sometimes
with the majority and sometimes with the minority; and he was
not present at any division after that upon Article 15. In view
of the instructions given to him by the Town Council, already
alluded to, it is curious that he was absent from the division
upon Article 21 conserving the rights and privileges of Royal
Burghs, and from the division upon the Act of Security in favour
of the Church. The votes and attendances of William John-
stone, member for Annan, are very similar to those of Provost
Johnstone; the most regular attenders were John Carruthers,
member for Lochmaben; and William Alves, member for San-
quhar, the former of whom voted persistently against the Union,
whilst the latter, with equal persistence, voted in favour of it.
The Duke of Queensberry, as Lord High Commissioner, did not
have a vote, and, indeed, looking to his high official position, his
connection with the Union is of national rather than of local
interest. There was, however, another local magnate among the
nobility who attended the last Scots Parliament—the Marquis of
Annandale—and his votes were generally cast against the Union,
although he voted with the majority on one or two occasions.
Before the final vote upon Article First was taken on 4th
November, he offered a “Resolve’’ against an incorporating
Union (Appendix V.); he voted with the majority in favour of
Article Second settling the succession to the Throne; but before
the final vote on Article Third he gave in a protest “upon the
foot of his former resolve presented to this house ’’ (Appendix
VI.), to which protest there was a strong adherence, among whom
we find Alexander Fergusson of Isle, and John Carruthers, the
member for Lochmaben. The Marquis of Annandale was

THe Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. ib!

Provost of the Burgh of Annan in 1706, and I think he held the
same position in Lochmaben, and his influence had no doubt
considerable effect upon the votes of the members for these two
burghs. On the other hand, the Queensberry influence at
Sanquhar may account for the member of that burgh voting in
favour of the Union, which has occasioned some surprise, seeing
that that district was a stronghold of the Cameronians, who were
so much against it.

THe Enp oF “ ANE AULD SANG.’’

The Act of Ratification was read a first time on 15th
January ; it was again read on the following day, and “ Then the
Act for Security of the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian
Church Government, which is insert in and ratified by the above
Act, was touched by the Royal Scepter by Her Majesties High
Commissioner in the usuall manner,’’ and after some further
procedure, including a third representation and petition from the
Commission of the Kirk, “ The vote was put approve the Act,
ratifieing and approving the Union of the two Kingdoms of
Scotland and England Yea or not, And it carried approve.”
The majority was 110 to 69, and in this division there voted
with the majority Sir John Johnstone, William Douglas, and
William Alves, and with the minority the Marquis of Annandale,
Alexander Fergusson, and John Carruthers; the other local
members were absent. The scene now changes to England.
The English Parliament commenced its deliberations upon the
Treaty and the Scots Act of Ratification early in February, and
the English Act of Ratification received Royal assent on 6th
March, 1707. On 19th March the Exemplification of the English
Act of Ratification was laid before the Scots Parliament, and
ordered “to be inserted in the Books of Parliament and to
remain with the Records of this Kingdom,’’ and after authenti-
cating it for this purpose by his signature, the Earl of Seafield
used the memorable words, “ Now, there’s ane end of ane auld
_ sang.’’ By the Treaty the number of members to be returned by
Scotland to the British House of Commons was fixed at 45, and
of these the Scots Parliament appropriated 30 to the shires and
15 to the burghs. Under this distribution, Dumfriesshire
returned one member, and the burghs of Dumfries, Annan, Loch-
maben, Sanquhar, and Kirkcudbright one member. It was

12 THe Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

further arranged that the first members should be elected by the
Scots Parliament from amongst its own numbers, and Sir John
Johnstone of Westerhall was chosen for the county, and Sir
Andrew Home (the member for the burgh of Kirkcudbright) was
chosen for the district of burghs. On 28th April the Scots
Parliament was finally dissolved, and three days later, on 1st
May, the Union came into full effect, and was inaugurated by a
religious service in St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was attended by
the Queen, the State officials, and the Members of both Houses
of Parliament.

And so there was an end to “ Ane auld sang,”’ for a while at
least, because in the years that followed the Union the fears of
its opponents were to some extent realised. Matters were not
helped by the feeling which arose that some of the support of
the Union was obtained by English gold; historians are not
agreed on the subject, and in any case the charge of bribery rests
on very slender and partisan grounds, but the idea long remained
fixed in the minds of ordinary folks, and is alluded to by Burns
in his poem—

Sucu A PaRcEL OF ROGUES IN A NATION.
ue

Fareweel to a’ our Scottish fame,
Fareweel our ancient glory;
Fareweel even to the Scottish name,
Sae fam’d in martial story!
Now Sark rins o’er the Solway sands,
And Tweed rins to the ocean,
To mark where England’s province stands—
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation.

Il.

What force or guile could not subdue,
Through many warlike ages,

Is wrought now by a coward few,
For hireling traitors’ wages.

The English steel we could disdain,
Secure in valour’s station,

But English gold has been our bane,
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

III.

O would, or I had seen the day,
That treason thus could sell us,

ee ee ee a

THE Union oF 1707 1n DUMFRIESSHIRE. Ile:

My auld grey head had lain in clay,
Wi’ Bruce and loyal Wallace!

But pith and power, till my last hour,
Tll mak’ this declaration,

We’re bought and sold for English gold,
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

I have not been able to fix the exact date of this poem, but
the local allusions to the “Sark ’’ and “Solway Sands’’ seem
to indicate that it was written after Burns came to Dumfriesshire,
and this view is rather confirmed by a letter written by Burns to
Mrs Dunlop from Ellisland on 10th April, 1790, in which he
remarks :—“ Alas! have I often said to myself, what are all the
boasted advantages which my country reaps from the Union that
can counterbalance the annihilation of her independence, and
even her very name,’’ and the letter closes with the statement
that he had “been manufacturing some verses lately,’’ among
which may very well have been the poem just quoted. It was
three years later that Burns, on a Galloway moor, amid the
warring of the elements, composed “Scots Wha Hae;’’ which
sings in grander tones of that beginning—or, perhaps, I should
rather say that revival of Scottish Independence with which the
names of Wallace and Bruce are so closely connected. Was the
fact of this Birthday Ode being written after the Requiem, to
which I have just alluded, prophetic of Scottish independence
surviving the eclipse which it was thought to have suffered from
the Union? We may almost say that it was so, because in course
of time the doubts and fears of the opponents of the Union have
come to be groundless, and in the end we must admit that the
final result has been for the good of both nations.

SCOTLAND AND SCOTSMEN To-Davy.

The Scottish name and Scottish fame and ancient martial
glory are as undimmed as they were two hundred years ago, while
the opening of trade with the English colonies, from which
Scotland had previously been debarred, has been the foundation
of her commercial prosperity. It seems to me, therefore, that
the “ Auld Sang ”’ has arisen from its ashes in a revised version
set to modern time and still goes ringing down the ages.
Scotland has no longer a Parliament sitting in Edinburgh, but
go to Westminster and you will find Scotsmen in the forefront

114 Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

on both sides of the House; you will find them occupying impor-
tant positions in the professions, in finance, and in commerce
throughout the whole United Kingdom; and in that Greater
Britain beyond the seas they are amongst the most loyal and
successful citizens. But though loyal citizens of this great
Empire of which we are all so proud, they never forget the
ancient Northern Kingdom to which they owe their origin, but
ever, be it in times of trial or in times of mirth, draw closer to
one another just for the sake of those days of “ Auld Lang Syne.”’

APPENDIX I.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE SHERIFFDOM OF
Dumfreis.
GENTLEMEN ,—

Having seen and considered the articles of Union agreed
upon by the Commissioners for the Kingdoms of Scotland and
England; we judged it proper, to impart to you our Resolutions
thereanent.

We find, That if you give our Votes for Ratifying and Con-
firming the said Articles, we must Resign, and Lose our Crown,
Sovereignty, Independency, and our Parliament ; and by unavoid-
able Consequence, these Three great and valuable Interests, to
wit, Our Church Government by Law established, our Liberty,
and Our Trade. We find our Taxes and impositions certain,
and subject to a greater Power to make them effectual: Our
Advantage, from a communication of trade with the Kingdom of
England, most uncertain, and of a long View.

OUR reserved Rights and Interests, are capable of no
security, seeing the plurality of Voices in the Parliament of Great-
Britain, must Determine whatsoever is brought before them.

We doubt not of your being most sensible of these important
Losses ; And as we have given you full Power to Represent us in
Parliament, in every Thing which may redound to our Advan-
tage, and is contained within the Bounds of your Commissions ;
so we doubt not of your integrity and Resolution, to give the
immediate Sentiments of those you Represent by acting for their
good and Interest.

At your Election, you were impowered to represent us in the —
Parliament of Scotland, to do everything that was not Extraordi- —
nary; and that it is presumed, your Constituents would have |

Tuer Union oF 1707 1n DUMFRIESSHIRE. 115

given a special Mandate for: But a matter of so high and great
importance, as an Union in the terms it is now agreed upon, by
the Commissioners for the respective Kingdoms, not being then
in View; We judge, That nothing can be done by our Repre-
sentatives in that Matter, conform to their Commissions, unless
they have a special Authority for.that Purpose. And we have
not, by vertue of your said Commissions, delegated any Power to
you our Trustees, to evert, alter, or innovate our Fundamental
Laws, our Ancient Constitution, and Privileges of Parliament, the
Offices, Rights, Liberties, and Dignities of this Kingdom, either
belonging to Church or State. For all which, a special Mandate
was requisite and necessary.

Upon the consideration whereof, we, by these our instruc-
tions, specially require you our Commissioners and Delegates,
That when any of the said Articles of Union, which we have de-
clared prejudicial to our interests, are Proposed, Motioned, or
Overtured, by any Member, or Members of Parliament, to be
Ratified and past into a Law, that you expressly give your Vote
against the same; and that you neither Treat, Vote, nor Deter-
mine in any Matter, which may relate to the Surrendring and
Resigning of any of our foresaid Privileges, Dignities, Rights,
and Interests, without advising and Consulting your Constituents,
and procuring from them their special Warrant for that Effect.
And these our Sentiments and Resolutions about the Matters
above specified, are signed and Signified by us the Barons, Free-
holders, Heritors, and others, within the Sheriffdom of Dumfreis ;
at Dumfreis, the twenty-ninth day of October, One thousand
seven hundred and six years. Sic Subscribitur,

William Fergusson of Kaitloch Sir Thomas Kilpatrick of Closs-
Robert Murray of Dumevreif burn

John Creichton of Craufurstoun Sir John Jardin of Applegirth
Alexander Migahen of Dalwhat Sir Walter Laury of Maxweltoun

James Kirk of Bogrie Robert Johnston of Wamphray
John Maxwell of Stetlstoun George Maxwel of Dalswinton

William Johnston of Grantoun Walter Riddel of Glenriddel
Mr John Cunningham of Birk- Alexander Ferguson of Craig-

Shaw darroch
John Corsan of Metkleknox Robert Brown of Lnglestoun
James Carlile of Breakwhat Charles Maxwell of Couhill

116 THe Union oF 1707 In DuMFRIESSHIRE.
James Rorison of Caldside William Hatrstain of Craigs
James Douglas of Dornock, John Bell of Croudounknow
younger James Ferguson of Fourmerkland
Francis Maxwell of Tinwal Wilham Grier, younger of Lag
Andrew Johnstoun of Newton George Johnston of Girthherd
David French of Frenchland Mr Archibald Johnston, Portioner
Mr John Henderson of Broad- of Moffat
holm

APPENDIX II.

ACT BY THE SYNOD OF DUMFRIES RESPECTING THE UNION WITH
ENGLAND EXCERPTED FROM THEIR MINUTE OF MEETING,
DATED 10TH OcTOBER, 1706.

The Synod considering, That the result of a Treaty of Union
with England, which may concern the Liberties and future
Happiness both of this Church and Nation, is to be laid before
the Parliament ; and that, as they ow the most humble and thank-
full Acknowledgments to the Infinite Mercy of God for the Re-
storing of the Rights and privileges of this National Church, by
the late happy Revolution, and to his free and undeserved Grace,
for continuing and preserving the same until now, so they have
Ground to fear, That Impenitency in Sin, and slackness of
Reformation may provoke the Lord to remove the Blessings we
enjoy; Considering likewise the present threatening Season
whereby the Fruits of the Ground have been and are in a great
measure endangered, together with many other Calamities and
Distresses, as Tokens of the Lord’s holy Displeasure, which both
Church and Nation groans under; They do, therefore, judge it
incumbent upon them to excite themselves and one another and
the people under their inspection and charge to the great and
necessary Duties of unfeigned Repentance, of active and zealous
Reformation, and Returning to the Lord, and of pouring out our
most serious and fervent Supplications before the Throne of
Grace, through the intercession of our glorious, exalted and com-
passionate Redeemer, for the Spirit of Grace and Humiliation, of
Repentance and amendment, of Zeal, Faithfulness, and Wisdom,
unto our Selves and all Ranks within the Land, That it may
please our Merciful God to pardon our Sins, to heal our
Breaches, to remove all the Tokens of his wrath, and to cause his
Face shine upon his Sanctuary, That our gracious Queen may be

ee

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y

v

Tue Union oF 1707 1n DUMFRIESSHIRE. 117

preserved and blessed in her person, Counsells, Forces, and
Government, That the Parliament may be under the influence and
Direction of Divine Wisdom and Conduct in all their Determina-
tions, to the Glory of God, the Welfare, Comfort, and Satisfac-
tion of his people, That the Rights and Libertys of this National
Church, now happily established by Law, may be confirmed and
secured from Danger, That Truth, Rightousness, and peace may
be perpetuated and a good Understanding and Agreement con-
tinued and increased between the two Nations, with respect to a
happy Union, That God may direct and guide the Commission of
this National Church in doing what is incumbent upon them, with
Faithfulness, zeal, and prudence, And the Synod doth hereby
appoint the several Presbyteries of this Synod to meet upon
Wednesday next, in order to the foresaid Ends, and to spend the
Day together in the above exprest Dutys ; and each Minister apart
with his Session and such other serious Christians, within his
Paroch as he and they.think fit, to keep another day for the fore-
said Ends with their first conveniency ; And that they stir up the
Godly within their Bounds to a just concern in their prayers to
God, for the Interest of the Church and Nation in this present
Juncture.

APPENDIX III.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE BURNING OF THE Articles of the Union at
Dumfries.

These are to Notifie to All Concerned, what ave Our Reasons for,
and Designs in the Burning of the Printed Articles of the Proposed
Union with England, wth the names of the Scots Commisstoners,
Subscribers thereof: together with the Minuts of the whole Treaty,
betwixt them and the English Commissioners thereanent.

We have herein no Design against Her Majesty, nor against
England or any Englishman; neither against our present Parlia-
ment, in their Acts or Actings, for the Interest, Safety, and
Sovereignty of this OUR NATIVE and ANCIENT NATION:
But to Testifie our Dissent from, Discontent with, and Protesta-
tion against the Twenty five Articles of the said Union, sub-
scribed by the foresaid Commissioners; as being Inconsistent
with, and altogether prejudicial to, and utterly destructive of this
NATION’S Independency, Crown-Rights, and Our Constitute

Laws, both sacred and civil. We shall not here condescend upon
the particular Prejudices, that do, and will Redound to this
Nation, if the said Union should be carried on, according to the
Printed Articles; But refers the Reader to the Variety of
Addresses, given in to the present Parliament, by all Ranks from
almost all corners of this Nation, against the said Union: Only
we must say and Protest that the Commissioners for this Nation
have been either Simple, Ignorant, or Treacherous, if not all
three, when the Minuts of the Treaty betwixt the Commissioners
of both Kingdoms are duely considered ; and when we compare
their Dastardly Yieldings unto the Demands and Proposals of the
English Commissioners; who, on the contrar, have Valiantly
acquit themselves for the Interest and Safety of their Nation.

We acknowledge it is in the Power of the present Parliament
to give Remissions to the Subscribers of the foresaid Articles and
We heartily wish for a good Agreement amongst all the Members
of the Parliament that it may tend to the Safety and Preservation
of both CHURCH and STATE, with all the Privileges belonging
thereto, within the Kingdom of SCOTLAND.

But if the Subscribers of the foresaid Treaty and Union, with
their Associats in Parliament, shall presume to carry on the said
Union, by a Supream Power, over the Belly of the Generality of
this Nation; Then and in that case, as we Judge, that the Con-
sent of the Generality of the same can only Divest them of their
Sacred and Civil Libertys, Purchased and maintained by Our
ANCESTORS with their Blood; So we Protest, whatever
Ratification of the foresaid Union may pass in Parliament,
contrar to Our Fundamental Laws, Liberties, & Privileges, con-
cerning Church and State, may not be binding upon the Nation,
now nor at any time to come: And particularly we Protest against
the Approbation of the first Article of the said Union, before the
Privileges of this Nation, contain’d in the other Articles had been
adjusted and Secured: And so we earnestly Require that the
Representatives in Parliament, who are for Our Nation’s Privi-
leges, would give timeous warning to all the corners of the King-
dom ; That we and our Posterity become not Tributary and Bond
slaves to our Neighbours, without acquiting our Selves, as
becomes Men and Christians, And we are Confident that the
Soldiers now in Martial Power have so much of the Spirit of
SCOTS-MEN ; that they are not Ambitious to be Disposed of, at —

118 THe Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

THE Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. 119

the pleasure of another Nation: And we hereby Declare that we
have no Design against them in this matter.

This was publickly read from the Mercat Cross of Dumfries

about one of the clock in the afternoon, the 20th day of.
November, 1706, with great solemnity, in the audtence of many

thousands ; the fire being surrounded with double squadrons of
Foot and. Horse in martial order: And after the Burning of
the said Books (which were holden up Burning on the point of
a Pike, to the view of all the People, giving their consent by

Hluzza’s and Chearful acclamations). A Coppy hereof was left
affixed on the Cross, as a Testimony of the South part cf thts

Nation against the Proposed Union, as Moulded in the

Printed Articles thereof.

This we desire to be printed and kept in Record ad futuram rei
memoriam.

APPENDIX IV.

_ To His Grace, Her Majestie’s High Commissioner, and Honour-
able Estates of Parliament, The Humble Address of a Con-
siderable Body of People in the South and Western Shires.

Sheweth

_ We Undersubscribers being Commissionate and Appointed by
many Christian Societies in the South and Western Shires of this
Kingdom for the Effect following, considering how much the
Union treated of at present, may be of dangerous consequence to
the Civil and Sacred Liberties and Concerns of this Nation; and
how it is like, if carryed on, to involve the Nation in much Guilt.
While,

1 mo. We Incorporat with a Nation deeply Guilty of many
National Abominations, who have openly Broke and Burnt their
Covenant with GOD, and League with US, entered into in the
year 1643. Are Sworn to the maintainance of Abjured Prelacy,
have their Publick and Established Worship horridly corrupted
with Superstition and Idolatry; And their Doctrine dreadfully
leavened with Socinianism and Arminianism, Besides the most
Gross and Deeply Lamentable Profaneness that abounds amongst

2 do. We would thereby bind up our Hands from Prose-
c uting the Ends of our League and Covenant, while Incorporating

120 Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

with them upon terms quite Prejudicial thereunto, And such as
whereby we could not but dishonour our GOD, and bring His
Wrath upon us, on this Account; And hence for our parts, the
Fear of GOD makes us abhore any thoughts of thus Imbodying
with them, or of any Union whatsoever of that sort, without
making this our joint Covenant the Primary and Fundamental
Article thereof.

3 io. We can never for our parts Own or connive at the
Civil-Places of Church-Men, and that Bishops should have a
Legislative Power and Authority over us: Yea, We reckon the
Title of Spiritual Lords, given to them as Blasphemous, The
Lord Christ being the one only Lord in His Own House. 4 to.
It is an Extream Grievance to us, to think, That not only the
interest of the Church of England should be secured by an Oath
of Abjuration, while that of ours is left to the Will and Discre-
tion of the English in a British Parliament, But withal, for any
thing we see or hear of as yet; Many in this Nation will be
obliged to take the said Oath: Which considering the 2d Act of
Parliament, To which it refers, cannot be done, without both
Inferring, Guilt on our Part, Endangering our Church and
inevitably causing many jealousies, Heart-burnings, and most
grievous Ruptures amongst us.

5 to. When we think how the Great GOD, who fixes the
Bounds of Peoples Habitations, has granted to us this land; And
by a very peculiar Providence has Preserved us as a free Nation,
these 2000 Years, when many other Nations, Greater and
Mightier then we have been Dispersed, and their Memory extinct ;
How unaccountable does it appear to us that we should Destroy
our Selves, and make a voluntar surrender of our Liberties,
Sovereignity and Independency ; And that when our GOD has so
often interposed by a Marvellous Providence for our Deliverance
and Defence, from the Encroachments and Invasions of
Forreigners and Injurious Neighbours! We should now distrust —
our PROTECTOR and chuse England for the ground of our
Confidence, our Shield and stay; Which as we look upon as
contrary to GOD’s Word. So lewise to our SACRED COVE-
NANTS, Whereby, according thereto, we are bound to maintain
the Privileges of our Parliaments, and Liberties of the Subjects.

6 to. We cannot see what Security we can have for what
ever is dear to us, that we need to have secured in case of an

Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE. 121

Incorporating Union with England, save only their bare Promise,
who have broken the most solemn Tyes of Sacred Engagements,
and all Bonds of Friendship, Confederacy, and Neighbourhood,
these hundred years bygone, to the extream hurt, & hazard both
of our Church and State, and have even still, since ever we came
under one Head with them, been in appearance seeking our
Ruine.

7 mo. For any thing we can see, if this Union should go
on, either we behooved to Ruine our Selves by submitting to a
Toleration, destructive to our own Government and Discipline ;
or else to put our Honest Neighbours (some of the Dissenters)
in England, in hazard of losing theirs, since it will no doubt be
pleaded, that the Dissenters in both parts of the Nation should be
equally dealt with; And yet for us we cannot without Horror
think of the Sin, and sinful Consequences of a Toleration here.

8 vo. Our Hearts do Tremble to think what bitter Fruits of
Faction, Parties, and incurable Breaches the going into this
Union may produce, and how easie an Access thro’ this and the
great Ferment of the Nation it may make for the pretended King
James the Eight to come to the Throne, At least we cannot
understand how this Union can put a Bar thereupon, but rather
have strong and not groundless Fears of its tending to the con-
trary. And as to the matter of Rents and Irritation among these
_ in our Bounds, We are very sure that they whothave hitherto com-
plained of the continuance, by Act of Parliament, of so many
Prelatists in Churches, of the Connivance at others in Meeting-
houses, of Incroachments made on Assemblies in their Adjourn-
ments and Dissolution ; and otherwise also in the matters of Fasts
and Oaths; And of the not duly Executing of good Laws against
Papists, Quakers, and other Heretical and Profanely Scandalous
Persons, will then have their Grievances greatly encreased, and
_ who knows what may be the issue thereof.

9no. We cannot see how it can consist with this Union to
endeavour to bring to condign Punishment Malignants, or
Enemies to Reformation, which is plain Duty in itself, and to
which we stand solemnly engaged by our Covenants; Yea, such
being readiest to take the Sacramental Test of England, are
nearest to advancement, and no Scotsman can be advanced in
England without it, whereas any Englishman may be in place of
Truth in Scotland how opposit soever to our Government.

122 Tue Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

Upon all which and many moe such Weighty reasons we
could offer, and are offered by others, who seek the welfare of
the Church and Kingdom, Tho we solemnly Protest and Profess
that we are not against an Union in the LORD with England,
And such as may be consistent with the Liberty of our Nation,
and with our sacred Covenants, and security of our Church; Yet
we cannot but also Protest, Likeas hereby we do Protest, against
this Union as moulded in the Printed Articles; Neither do we
judge our selves bound thereby, tho’ a prevailing Party in Parlia-
ment should conclude the same; but will stand by such Noble
patriots, with Life and Fortune, as are for the Maintainance and
Defence of the Nations Independency and Freedom and this
Churches just Power, and proper Privilege, conform to our
attained Reformation from 1638 to 1649.

This in name of many Christian Societies united into a con-
siderable Body of People, in the South and Western Shires of this
Kingdom, is subscribed this 12th day of November 1706.

BY,
W. Woodburn, J. Hepburn, .
J. Thomson, G. Mitchel,
W. Lorimer, W. Harris,
J. Mulican, J. Millar. .

APPENDIX V. ‘
i

RESOLVE BY THE MARQUIS OF ANNANDALE, EXCERPTED FROM |
'

MINUTES OF PARLIAMENT, UNDER DATE 4TH NOVEMBER,
1706. “

“ Whereas it evidently appears since the printing, publishing, and
“considering of the Articles of treaty now before this house this
“ Nation seems generally averse to this incorporating Union in the
“terms now before Us as subversive of the Sovereignty funda-
“mental Constitution and Claim of Right of this Kingdom and as
“threatening ruin to this church as by law established.

“AND since it is plain That if an Union were agreed to in
“these terms by this Parliament and accepted of by the Parlia-
“ment of England, it would in no sort answer the peaceable and
“friendly ends proposed by an Union but would on the contrare
“creat such dismall distractions and animosities amongst our-
“selves and such jealousies and mistakes betwixt us and our

THE UNION oF 1707 IN DUMFRIESSHIRE. 12S

“Neighbours as would involve these Nations into fatal breaches
“and confusion.

“THEREFORE Resolved That We are willing to enter into
“such an Union with our Neighbours of England as shall unite us
“entirely and after the most strict manner in all their and our
“interests of Succession, Warrs, Alliances, and Trade, Reserving
“to us the sovereignty and independency of our Crown and
“Monarchie, and immunities of the kingdom and the constitution
“and frame of the Government both of Church and State as they
“stand now established by our fundamental Constitution by our
“Claim of Right and by our laws following thereupon. Or

“RESOLVED That We will proceed to settle the same suc-
“cession with England upon such conditions and regulations of
“government within ourselves as shall effectually secure the
“Sovereignty and Independency of this Crown and Kingdom and
“the indissolvable society of the same with the fundamental
“tights and constitution of the government both of Church and

_ “State as the same stands established by the Claim of Right and
“other Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom.”’

APPENDIX VI.

PROTEST BY THE MARQUIS OF ANNANDALE, EXCERPTED FROM

MINUTES oF PARLIAMENT, UNDER DATE 18TH NOVEMBER,
1706.

“WHEREAS it evidently appears since the printing, publishing,
“and considering of the Articles of treaty now before this house
“this Nation seems generally averse to this Incorporating Union
“in the terms now before us as subversive of the Sovereignty,
“fundamental constitution, and Claim of Right of this Kingdom,
“and as threatening ruin to this Church as by Law established
“And since it is plain That if an Union were agreed to in these
“terms by this Parliament and accepted of by the Parliament of
© England it would in no sort answer the peaceable and friendly
“ends Proposed by an Union but would on the contrary creat
“such dismall distractions and animosities amongst our selves
“and such jealousies and mistakes betwixt Us and our Neigh-
“bours as would involve these Nations into fatal breaches and
“confusions Therefore I do Protest for my self and in name of
“ail these who shall adhere to this my protestation That an In-

*

124 THe Union oF 1707 In DUMFRIESSHIRE.

“corporating Union of the Crown and Kingdom of Scotland
“with the Crown and Kingdom of England and that both Nations
_ shall be represented by one and the same Parliament as con-
“tained in the articles of the treaty of Union is contrare to the
“honour, interest, fundamental Laws, and constitution of this.
“Kingdom, is a giving up the Sovereignty, the Birthright of the
“Peers the rights and privileges of the Barons and Burrows, and
“is contrare to the Claim of Right, property, and liberty of the
“subjects and third Act of her Majesties Parliament Im vijc and
“three by which it is declared high treason in any of the Subjects.
“of this Kingdom to quarrell or endeavour by writing malicious
“and advised speaking or other open act or deed to alter or
“innovat the Claim of Right or any article thereof As also that
“the Subjects of this Kingdom by surrendering their Parliaments
“and Sovereignty are deprived of all security both with respect to
“such rights as are by the intended treaty stipulated and agreed
“and with respect to such other rights both Ecclesiastick and
“Civil as are by the same treaty pretended to be reserved to
“them, And therefore I do Protest that this shall not prejudge
“the being of future Scots Parliaments and Conventions within
“the Kingdom of Scotland at no time coming.”’

23rd March, 1907.
SPECIAL DISTRICT MEETING.

Town Hatt, KIRKCUDBRIGHT.
Chairman—Mr Tuomas FRASER.

KOCKBREX ForT.

Mr James Barbour, F.S.A.Scot., gave an account of the Fort
at Knockbrex, his paper on which, read at a meeting of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, is sent to the members of this.
Society for the session who apply for it to the Treasurer.

AN INCIDENT IN THE History OF KirkKcupDBRIGHT. By Mr
JosrePH Rosison.

One of the most picturesque among the many incidents in the ~
history of Kirkcudbright is that of the attempted storm of the —

é

Aw INCIDENT IN THE History OF KIRKCUDBRIGHT. 129

town by Sir Thomas Carleton in that dreadful period of Border
warfare after the disastrous battle of Solway Moss. It occurred
in February, 1547, a year in which Dumfriesshire suffered
severely. Sir Thomas, who had come by way of Teviotdale and
Canonbie, seized Dumfries, and issued a proclamation in the
name of King Henry, calling upon all men to come and make
oath to King’s majesty. The great majority of the natural
leaders of the people appear to have submitted; and it is to the
honour of Kirkcudbright, at a time when the whole of Dumfries-
shire lay under the English yoke, that the town refused to
acknowledge English supremacy. As was to be expected, Carle-
ton, with a strong force of cavalry, left Dumfries to burn down
the town as an example.

Kirkcudbright at that period, more than four and a-half
centuries ago, consisted of the High Street only, with, perhaps, a
few straggling houses in what is now known as the Millburn.
Where St. Mary Street, St. Cuthbert Street, and the streets in
that vicinity now stand, would then, in all probability, be a
swampy meadow, flooded at every high tide. It was not till fully
three centuries had elapsed that the embankment was formed.
From the present harbour a great creek ran through what are now
known as the Church Grounds, and at high water this would form
a formidable defence to the little burgh. When this creek was

filled up I have been unable to definitely ascertain ; but the vener-
able Provost M‘Ewen remembers his father stating that at low
Water people passed across on stepping stones on their way to the
_ church on the Moat Brae. The creek terminated at or near the
house now occupied by Sheriff Napier, where stood the Meikle
Yett, the principal—indeed, it might be said the only—port. On
the other side of the street the “ Yett ’’ abutted on the fosse and
wall, which then proceeded towards the west, enclosing what are
now known as the town’s gardens. Much of this portion (says
M‘Kenzie, in his “ History of Galloway,’’) is still open; but unfor-
tunately that is not the case now. At the field near the Academy
the ditch and wall proceeded along the west side of the town, at
the foot of the gardens behind the High Street, to the river, and
in many places its course can still be distinctly traced. The wall
continued along the edge of the river, another gate being at the
harbour, thus completing the defences. The space included was
almost square, each side being about three hundred yards long.

126 Aw INCIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF KIRKCUDBRIGHT.

Where Union Street, Castle Street, Castle Gardens, part of St-
Cuthbert Street, and the present Castle stand was then a
meadow ; on the south and west the ground will be little changed.
On the Moat Brae rose in stately magnificence the fabric of Grey-
friars, not yet for a few years longer to fall a prey to the
despoiler. On the south, where the County Buildings stand, rose
the Church of St. Andrew, destined to an ignoble use by the
builder of Kirkcudbright Castle. The old Tolbooth was erected
about the middle of the sixteenth century, and if built at the time
of the raid would be entirely new. In the open at Castledykes,
the ancient Castle of Kirkcudbright, one of the royal fortresses,
upreared its hoary front. Here came the hero Wallace to em-
bark on his expedition to France in search of aid for his sorely
distracted country. Here also came the “Hammer of the
Scots,’’ and are there not the memories of Robert Bruce, the
warrior-king ; Edward Bruce, his rash but heroic brother; the
Jameses ; Henry VI. of England and his indomitable Queen
Margaret of Anjou? Away to the south was the Priory of St.
Mary’s Isle, then an island in reality at some stages of the tide.
On the hill, towards the east, was the even then ancient church-
yard, with its little church, the site of which is now marked by
yew trees. Hither then, on that far-away February evening,
appeared the strong detachment of English horse under Sir
Thomas Carleton. The inhabitants had received timeous notice
of the raid, and stood on their defence. We may imagine, how-
ever, with what feelings the approach of the enemy was viewed.
The town had already been summoned to surrender, and, to their
honour be it said, had refused to do so. Some, no doubt, would
be for surrender; but some strong man, like Provost Towers of
Edinburgh, after Flodden, would elect to fight to the bitter end.
There would be memories, too, of Brankston’s fatal ridge, with
the recent actions at Annan and Dumfries. The attack upon the
town reads like a page from Froissart. The townspeople,
according to Carleton’s despatch, barred their gates and kept
their dykes. Advancing on foot, the Englishmen made a vigor-
ous assault, but were driven back. One man within the walls was.
killed by an arrow, and this, according to the quaint chronicle,
alarmed some of the women for the safety of their husbands.
“One wife,’’ says Sir Thomas, “ came to the ditch and called for
one that would take her husband and save his life.”’ Like many

a

AN INCIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF KIRKCUDBRIGHT. 127

another English commander, Carleton had Borderers under his
command, and one, Anthon Armstrong, with a keen eye, no
doubt, to the ransom, rather than from any feeling of pity, called
out to the poor woman, “ Fetch him to me, and I’l] warrant his
life.’’ The woman brought her husband (who was, perhaps,
nothing loth) through the dyke, and delivered him over to Arm-
strong, who took him to England, and received a ransom for him.
Just at this point the Laird of Bombie made his appearance with
a party of his friends and vassals, and attacked the besiegers.
The result of a sharp encounter, however, was that several of
M‘Lellan’s men were killed, and others taken prisoners, and the
party compelled to retreat. It is said that only one Englishman
fell, but commanders in all ages have minimised their losses. Be
that as it may, the determined attitude of the defenders and the
help they were likely to receive, decided the English commander
on a retreat to Dumfries. He, however, denuded the district of
stock, carrying with him, according to his despatch, no fewer than
2000 sheep, 200 cows and oxen, with 40 or 50 horses, mares, and
colts. The people rose behind them on the west side of the Dee,
and proceeded towards a place, then called “ Forehead Ford,’’
which, I think, may be identified with the present farm of Ford,
near Bridge of Dee. The Galloway men must have been in con-
siderable strength, as the Englishmen were alarmed to such an
extent that they abandoned their sheep, and gave the charge of
their “ nowte and naggs ’’ to the men who rode the worst horses.
Sir Thomas was a cool and wary soldier, and sent thirty of his
best men to meet the Galloway men, should they attempt to cross
the river. He himself, with a strong party, remained to guard
the standard, keeping themselves in readiness, if need be, to
‘succour their companions. The Galloway men, however, did not
venture to cross the river. Galloway, at this period, according to
Buchanan, was struck with such terror that its chiefs, partly
afraid of being deserted by the other landholders, vied with each
other who should be the first to adhere to the English Govern-
ment. As Sir Herbert Maxwell, in his “ Dumfries and Gallo-
way,’’ says, Kirkcudbright, deserted on every hand, was com-
pelled to come into the King’s Grace, along with, among others,
the Laird and Tutor of Bombie. The number of men accredited
to Kirkcudbright was 36, and to the Tutor of Bombie 151. The

128 AN INCIDENT IN THE HisToRY OF KIRKCUDBRIGHT.

pledge for Kirkcudbright, described as a “pretty haven,’’ was
“ Barnaby Douglas’s son,’’ described as worth nothing.

More than forty years later a new Meikle Yett appears to
have been considered necessary. According to a minute of
Council of 19th April, 1590, the building of the Meikle Yett was
let to Herbert Gladstanes. The details are all carefully speci-
fied, and the height was to be such that “himself and his grey
horse riding may not reik the hand to the pien stane thereof.”
The next we hear of the Meikle Yett is about a century and a-half
later. In the Council minutes of 3rd September, 1739, we have
a further reference to it. John Kerr, mason in Kirkcudbright,
petitions the “Right Honourable the Magistrates and Town
Council of Kirkcudbright for the sum of £6 11s 11d, the balance
of an account for £12 7s 3d for having two years previously built
and finished the port of the burgh on the same place where the
old port called the Meikle Yett stood.’? The Council ordered
the petitioner to produce his contract and acts of Council to
which he ought to refer. Kerr expressed his surprise that he was
ordered to do this. He was unable to do so. However, the
past Bailies and great part of the past Council knew very well
he was employed; “yea, they desired me to do the work, and
engaged to pay me or see me paid.’’ Kerr proceeds that the
work testified for itself, and the account given in by him in his
former petition “this day will stand tryall before any Corporation
or quorum of crafts, and sure I ought (to receive) payment, as it
could not be alleged I owe the town any sum, nor promised, nor
was it in my power to do it gratis. Please, therefore,’’ proceeds
the earnest “cry and prayer,’’ “to order me payment of the said
balance, to prevent putting your past members, who engaged to
see me paid, to further trouble. Your gracious answer is still
humbly expected.’’

The Council’s answer was the laconic one—“ Adheres to the
Inter Loquitor in the petitioner’s petition this day.’’ In 1771
the community petitioned to have it removed, and the Magis-
trates, “being of opinion that it was no longer required for de-
fence, and that its removal would not only be an improvement to
the street, but encourage building eastwards, granted the re-
quest.’’ In consideration of the sum of ten guineas, and his
engaging to erect a new house immediately to the north of where
the gate stood, it was sold to Mr Freeland, a merchant, and, if

AN INCIDENT IN THE History OF KIRKCUDBRIGHT. 129

I mistake not, also a magistrate, of the town. In fulfilment of
the agreement, the house now occupied by Sheriff Napier was
erected by Mr Freeland. It was used for many years as a branch
of the Bank of Scotland, hence the name of Old Bank House.
Mackenzie, in his “ History of Galloway,’’ says that two per-
forated stones in the pavement “are still visible, in which the
pivots of the gate turn.’’ ‘These are still to be seen—one in
front of Sheriff Napier’s house, and the other in front of Mr
Peter Comline’s. One of the stones is a whinstone, and the other
a Netherlaw sandstone. The yett, with its pillars and two
globular ornamental stones, were removed about 1780, the arch
stones being built over the burn at the east side of the church-
yard. To judge from this arch, the yett would be about six feet
wide. The pillars and stones were erected at the present
entrance to the churchyard, to guard, after all the years of storm
and strife, the peaceful “ God’s acre ’’ on the hill.

KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. By Mr W.
DICKIE.

THE Common LANDS—ALIENATION OF BURGH PROPERTY—
EXTENT OF THE TOWN.

In perusing the Town Council records of Kirkcudbright
many cases come under our notice during the latter half of the
sixteenth century in which portions of common lands lying
within and around the town were parted with for annual con-
siderations more or less onerous. Thomas Anderson, the Town
Clerk, figures in a number of these transactions; one of the
deeds conveying to him “all and haill thair common landis by
and within the said burgh, betwix the Hie Street qlk passis fra
the Marcat Croce of the samen to the port callit the Mekill
Yet, upon the south pairt,’’ excepting those portions which have
already been conveyed to James Lidderdale of St. Mary’s Isle
and others. For this he is only to pay annually sixpence of
“usual money.’’ Andro Pauling, burgess, gets a conveyance of
a “croft and pec. of land’’ in the south end of the burgh, and
lying east of “the common streit qlk. passes fre the said burgh
to Sanct Marie Isle,’’ for five merks and an annual feu duty of
twelve pennies. In 1581 the Council disponed to “thair nycht-
bour, Johnne Hendirsoun,’’ a waste piece of ground betwixt the

130 KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

?

“Mlynburnes,’’ on the east side of the common street, for 2s of
ground annual, for the erection of a house; and he is taken
bound to build in line with the mill wall. In February, 1584, a
number of plots lying north and west of the “ Moit,’’ or Moat,
are let in feu at 3s 4d each. In one case the length is specified
at sixty feet. The Moat Well is also mentioned in the descrip-
tion of boundaries. On 11th February, 1579, a sale is made
to Robert Hall, burgess, of certain “common land beneth the
toun and at the buttis,’’ as it shall be “ proppit and markit ”’
by certain persons appointed and sworn for the purpose. The
price is to be forty merks. Of that sum, the Council assigns
£20 to John Foster, a former Treasurer, in payment of a debt
due to him; and ten merks to James Cant, “ wardane’’ (who
was also the Kirkmaster), in settlement of his claim, probably
for arrear of salary. These payments absorb the whole sum.
It would seem, therefore, that it was the pinch of necessity
which compelled the community to part with so many slices of
their birth right. An incidental reference in a court case to a
private person, Hercules Hal, uplifting 30s yearly “maills of
the Castledykes ’’ (16th Dec., 1579), shews that before the year
1572 the burgh had parted with this portion of their patrimony,
of which they received a royal gift in 1509.

The Boreland farms were then, as now, one of the most
important possessions of the town. They, as well as common
lands lying around the burgh, were divided into “ skairs,’’ or
plots of equal size, regarding which the original rule would
seem to have been that they should be let annually to the bur-
gesses ; but with that persistent tendency to expansion that seems
inherent in “the rights of property’’ those who were at first
annual tenants subsequently secured long leases, and with the
lapse of time acquired a prescriptive interest in their holding
that put them almost on the footing of proprietors. Of the in-
convenience arising from this state of matters, and the way in
which it operated to the prejudice of other burgesses, we have
evidence in the following elaborate minute of date May,
1580 :—

“The qlk day the Provost, Bailzeis, Counsall, and com-
munitie of the said burgh, being conveint in the tolbuith of the
same, in ane assensit court, understanding that the common
landis beneth the said burgh wir gevin be thame in feu to the

KiIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 13k

burgesses of the said burgh quha wir rentallaris of the same
befoir, and als thair landis callit the Borelands wir set in lang
takis to the said personis, albeit divers and sundrie of thame to
quhome the samen wes gevin were depaupirit [became paupers}
and becum unworthie to keip skat and stent [to bear the public
burdens, and enjoy the privileges of burgess-ship] with the
remanent ny*bouris of the said burgh, and that divers young men
and others burgesses of the said burgh, quha were abill to sus-
tene the chairges of the toun, wir be dispositioun of the saidis
landis in manner foirsaid debaureit perpetuallie fra the saidis.
landis, and culd ressave na commodtie thairof, quhairthrow thay
wir [compelled] pairtlie to leif the said toun, to the greit dis-
commiditie thairof, in suffering sik men as were nocht abill to
underly and fulfill the charges to bruik the proffeit of the
common landis, and sik men as wir abill thairfoir to want the
said proffeit, and thairby to depart the said burgh, qlk feuing
of the saidis landis thay culd not retreit nor annul, sa that
samekill [so much] thairof as wes gevin to thame that wir nocht
worthie thairof mycht be of new disponit to thame that wes abill
and meit thairfoir; bot behovit to mak sum uthir remeid thair-
anent, and sa willing to recompens thame quha wantit with sum
uthir landis nocht feuit nor set in lang takis, and knawing that
na landis perteining the said burgh wir instantilie sa meit to be
disponit to thame as the common landis of the said burgh callit
the Mylnflat, qlk first behovit to be declarit common, and in the
tounis hands, and that because it wes afoir set in tak to sum
burgesses of the said burgh for certane yeiris, qlk will be sone
expyrit, and cannot but [without] thair consentis be declarit
common nor gevin in feu to na uthirs during the tak thairof:
Thairfoir, for eschewing of the inconvenientis foirsaidis, thay
altogidder in ane voce, without ony discrepance, hes declarit,
and be this present act instantlie declaris that the saidis landis
of Mylnflat and the pertinentis as presentlie, notwithstanding the
saidis takis thairof, commoun and in the tounis handis, and lesum
to the toun to dispone the samen to quhatsumevir burgess within
the said burgh thay pleis, but ony observatioun of the takis
thairof set to ony of thame of befoir.”’

_ The following account of the riding of the marches, of date
4th May, 1597, gives a more detailed account of the burgh’s
landed possessions, viz.:—“ The qlk day Williame Fullartoun,

132 KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

ane of the bailyeis of the said burgh, accompaneit with ane
guid pairt of the Counsall and communitie of the said burgh,
past and perambulat the landis within thair teritoreis: And first
to thair landis lyane benethe the said burgh, on the southe and
west sydis thairof, merchand to the land of Sanct Marie Ile on
the southe, the landis of Meikill Kirkland on the eist, and the
sey on the west partis, qlk is devydit in fyftie skairis and set in
few ferme to the burgesses of the said burgh for payment yeirlie
of ijs [2s] money for ilk skair: Secundlie, to thair landis callit
the Mylnflat, lyand at the north pairt of the said burgh, merchand
with the landis of Lochfergus on the northe and eist partis, and
the sey on the west partis, qlkis lands [extend to] xxv skairs, and
ar set in few ferme to the inhabitantis of the said burgh for the
yeirlie peyment of ijs. of few maill for ilk skair thairof: And
thirdlie, to thair landis of Boirlandis, merchand with the landis
of Lochfergus, Lytill Stokartoun, and Culdoche, on the southe,
eist, west, and northe partis, qlk also are devydit in fyftie skairis
amangis the inhabitantis of the said burgh, and were set in takis
to thame for the space of xix yeiris, quairof thair is bot ane yeir
or thairby to rynn, for the yeirlie peyment of xijs money of maill
for ilk skair of the same: And fand that nathind was alterit or
removit of the boundis and merchis of the saidis landis, boundit
of auld tharto, but remaint still, as of befoir, sufficientlie
merchit and proppit.’’

The manner in which the common good of the burgh was
intromitted with aroused the suspicions of the Convention of
Royal Burghs that it was not being “set to the best avail,’’ as
the expression then was; and they called for a strict accounting
from the Kirkcudbright commissioner. Accordingly a statement
of the burgh’s sources of revenue, together with the manner in
which these were set, was submitted to the Convention of 1612.
So far as regards lands the list is not a correct one, or the
process of alienation had gone on rapidly, for it is stated that
there are no common lands pertaining to the burgh except the
Borelands. These, it is further stated, are divided into a
hundred skairs, and let at twelve shillings per skair; and it is
explained that one half is under crop and the other half in
pasture, “ay four yeirs about.’’

The Council in those days sometimes adopted rough and
ready methods to obtain the money necessary for public

KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 1B iss

purposes. We have an example of this in connection with the
plague or pest, which visited the town in 1585. On the 9th of
March of that year (1586 according to our present reckoning)
it was ordered for “ paying of the clengeris thair feis awand
thame be the toun ’’_« clengeris ’’ being « persons employed
to use means for the Tecovery of those afflicted with the plague ”’
—every burgess, tacksman, and possessor of the skairs of land
of the Borelands, Milnflat, and “land beneth the toun ’’ were to
pay two. years’ “maill,’’ or rent of the said lands in advance.
Little time was allowed them to make arrangements to meet this
call, for the money was to be paid over to the collector “ betwix
and the morne at evin.”? [py cases where payment is not made,
the skairs are to be declared “vacand and in the tounis hands,’’

The descriptions of boundaries in the case of property
transactions are interesting as helping us to a notion of the
extent and form of the town at that period. «“ Common gaits,’’
“common streits,’? or “hie streits ’’ as they were synonymously
called, ran from the Market Cross to the Moat, near the
harbour ; from the Cross to the Meikle Yett, or gate of the town,
east of the Selkirk Arms Hotel; from the town to St Mary’s
Isle, by way of the Meikle Yett ; another from the Cross to the
Isle, and a “common vennel ”’ branching off in the direction of
the Isle, some way east of the Market Cross. The name of the
Moat still survives, although its use is not apparent. It is
probable that it had served a defensive purpose in connection

‘with the harbour. This view is strengthened by the circum-

Stance that the Convention of Burghs made a grant to the town
in aid of the repair of the Moat and Haven.

THIRLED TO THE Latrp’s Mitt: Monopottrs.

On 15th November, 1580, we find this entry: (the Bailzies,
Counsall, and communitie of the said burgh, at desyre of the
Rycht Honbll. Thomas M‘Clellane of Bombie [who was Provost
in 1576; builder of the castle, father of the first Lord Kirkcud-
bright], oblisses thame to bring thair cornis, malt, and uthir
Stuffe to the myln callit the New Myln, and pay their multuris.
usit and wont, sa that the said myln be sufficient in wattir, wark-
men, and all uthir necessaris, and [accessable ?] to all the town
Tequyring thame.’’ And if the mill shall be found to answer
these conditions—the matter being tried by “half ane disone of

134 KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

the honest men of the said burgh ’’—they ordain that all malt
and other stuff passing from the town to other mills “be
eschaittit [i.e., forfeited], and lesum [i.e., lawful] to ony
haiffand interest and apprehendane the same, to tak it; in doing
of the qlk they sall incur na skaith.”’

This appears to be an instance of the Council using its
monopoly-creating power to the personal advantage of one of its
most influential members. We are less surprised to find a
prohibition against competing with the ferryboat, for that
belonged to the Council, and was a part of its revenues which
was annually let. This is the Act of Council on that subject,
dated Ist Dec., 1591: “It is ordaint that na boit be permitit to
_ cary men or horss over the water bot the ferry boit allanerlie

lie only: *

Here is another prohibitive enactment, of date 12th January,
1587-8: “ The Bailleis and Counsall hes statute and ordaint that
nane on landwart, in ony tyme cuming, brew ony, except frie
stallangeris, under the pane of v. lib. ilk falt.” The “free
stallangers ’’? were persons other than freemen of the burgh, who
were allowed for a small annual consideration to open stalls or
booths for the sale of merchandise on market days.

THe Customs OF MINNIGAFF.

At Michaelmas, 1576, the whole small customs of the
burgh “by [i.e., except] Monygeif,’’ were let for a year to
Robert M‘Culloch, at a rent of twenty merks; and about the
same time, it appears, Thomas Hall was “customar of Mony-
geif,’’ holding the customs on lease at the yearly rent of “ fyve

punds usuall money.’’? In 1579 the customs of Minnigaff were
set to Johnne Foster for seven merks; and we find annual
entries of their let, at varying sums. Minnigaff was at that

time a place of more relative importance than it is now; and it
was one of two burghs of barony which were in a manner feuda-
tory to the royal burgh of Kirkcudbright; the other being
Preston, now also decayed to the shadow of its former self.
Minnigaff was a thorn in the flesh to the neighbouring town of
Wigtown, which not only felt its dignity as a royal burgh hurt
by the weekly market and annual fair which had been set up
and prospered in this up-start village, but which found its
customs revenue impaired from the same cause. What was the

KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 135

nature of the customs levied by the superior burgh does not
appear; but they could hardly have been of the nature of
market dues, for Kirkcudbright joined with Wigtown in at least
one of the complaints to the Convention of Burghs, which were
of almost annual occurrence, against the infringement of the
charter rights of royal burghs occasioned by the markets held
at Minnigaff.

THe Town CHURCHES AND THE TOLBOOTH.

There were at this time two ecclesiastical buildings in the
town itself—the church of the Greyfriars, attached to which had
also been a convent, where the female school now stands; and
St Andrew’s Church, or the New Kirk, where the little Roman
Catholic chapel and school now stand, behind the Court-house ;
and the church of St Cuthbert would be standing beside the
burial ground still in use, the “ Hie Kirkyaird,’’ as it was then
called. The churches have a curious and somewhat perplexing
history in the years immediately following the Reformation.
The magistrates had received from Queen Mary, in 1564, a
grant of the Friars’ Kirk, to be used as the parish church, and
it continued to be so used until the present parish church was
built; but in the year 1596 Thomas M‘Clellan, of Bombie, the
Provost, had received from King James a personal gift of the
church and monastery, and proceeded to build the present Castle
on a portion of the ground. He was also patron of the church
of St Andrew’s, and seems to have exercised a proprietary right
in the building. In March, 1570, he disposed of both churches
to the town, the price being two hundred merks and a hundred
bolls of lime (the latter, it is understood, to assist in building
the castle). | Greyfriars’ continued, as before, to be used as the
parish church; but St Andrew’s was turned to a baser purpose,
being made to do duty in place of the recently demolished
tolbooth. Ten years later we come upon an entry in the
Council books which puts a different complexion on the trans-
action. It bears that Provost M‘Clellan (who is here termed
“the Richt Honn!"!.’’) had excambed the two churches with the
town for a tenement called the Pesthous ; but the transaction had
never been completed by recording and the giving of seasin.
To remedy this the town, of new, dispones the said tenement to
the Provost, subject to an annual burden of £12, the property

136 KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

“to be halden of their sovrane lord in free burgage ;’’ and he,
on the other part, ratifies the conveyance to the town of the two
churches, which are to be held of him in blanche, “ for payment
of ane rois [rose] at midsummer, gif it beis requirit.’’ The
former bargain may have fallen through from failure to imple-
ment its terms; or’ this second conveyance may be merely a
colourable method of completing the title.

The neighbourhood of the tolbooth and quondam church
had been in a very insanitary condition. The burgesses, we
learn from a minute of February, 1579, were hardly able to get
to it dry-shod, because of the mire and dubs; and Thomas
Anderson, the Town Clerk, had undertaken to open up “the
auld conduttis [passages or conduits] of the Watergait,’’ and to
mend “the passage and way to the said tolbuith;’’ in recom-
pense for which services he received a conveyance of a rood of
the “waist landis callit Poldryte and new kirkyaird,’’ north of
“the Hie Passage [street] qlk passis fra the Mercat Croce to the
port callit the Mekill Yet,’’ subject to an annual rent of £12.
A proper tolbooth was erected soon afterwards, beside the market
cross, and it is still standing. The Convention of Burghs, in
1591, voted a sum of £20 to aid in its erection, and exempted
the burgh from sending representatives to its sittings for the
space of three years, the outlay thus saved being, presumably,
applied to the same purpose.

BuRIALS IN CHURCH.

Burial within the walls of the church had up till Reforma-
tion times been a common practice, and it was one that was
clung to with something like superstitious tenacity. Here is a
minute, of date 16th May, 1580, forbidding its longer continu-
ance:

“The qlk day the Provost, Bailzeis, Counsall, and com-
munitie of the said burgh, understanding perfytelie that the auld
kirkyaird appointit be thame for buriall of the personis deceis-
sand within the said toun and parochin is sufficientlie biggit and
dykit, and sa ordainit yeirlie to be uphauldin for the same
effect: Quhairthrow bestiall is debarrit fra passing thairin, and
sa is decent and honest for the said buriall, and that be the
lawes and actis of the realme the kirk aucht to be haldin void
of ony buriall, and the samen to be maid in the kirkyaird

KirKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 137

appointit thairto as said is: Thairfoir statutis and ordains that
na person nor personis be bureit or eirdit [earthed?] in the
paroche kirk of the said burgh, sumtyme callit the Freiris Kirk
thairof; and gif ony contravenis the samen, ordains the Kirk-
master to poynd the executors of the defunct persone bureit
thairin or the [effects?] of the defunct in the said kirk for the
soume of x lib (£10) money; and he to keip the samen and be
anserabill thairfor to the toun.”’

HovusE BuILDING.

Although timber was commonly employed in the construc-
tion even of the better class of houses, building material of a
more durable kind was also in use. We find occasional mention
of payments to masons. One of that craft received 25 merks
for building a house. Another was feed (in April, 1580), at
the rate of 20s yearly, to uphold the tolbooth in slates. And a
still earlier tolbooth had been a stone building, for on 22d
January, 1577, the Council granted an acknowledgment to
James Lidderdale of £110 paid to them for a piece of land and
“for the stanis and tymer of the auld tolbuith.”’

THe Rev. JoHN WELsH.

In a minute of date 2d April, 1600, we have incidental
mention of the Rev. Mr Welsh, son-in-law of Knox, and for
some time minister of Kirkcudbright, in the capacity of defender
in a civil action before the magistrates. “The saidis Bailleis
decernis Mr Johnne Welshe, minister, pnt. [present] in jugement,
be his awin grant, to pay to Williame Fullartoun, burgess thairof,
xx lib. money, for the Witsonnday and Mairtimas maill of his
houss he occupyit in anno 1599 yeir, with ijs. expenses.”’

THe MINISTER’s STIPEND: A NOTABLE MINISTER.

In 1602 the Council stipulated to pay to a successor of Mr
Welsh, the Rev. Robert Glendinning, an annual stipend of a
hundred pounds. This, no doubt, would be supplemented by
the heritors of the landward part of the parish. At least we
know this was the case in 1692, when the burgh’s share of the
stipend had increased to £183.

This same Robert Glendinning was a man who took a
decided stand in troublous times. After he had been settled

138 KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

in Kirkcudbright for more than thirty years he refused to obey
an order of the Bishop of Galloway, and the wrathful prelate
issued a warrant for his incarceration. His son was at this
time one of the bailies, and the bench withheld the civil sanction
to the ecclesiastical decree. This brought down the bishop’s
wrath on the magistrates of the town, and led to their own
imprisonment, apparently with the sanction and by the sentence
of the Commissary of Kirkcudbright, in Wigtown Jail; a pro-
ceeding which led the Estates in 1645 to issue a commission for
the trial of the “insolent persons ’’ who had thus treated the
magistracy. The son, William Glendinning, rose from the
position of Bailie to that of Provost and M.P., and he took a
prominent part in the stirring politics of the time, being one of
the Scotch Commissioners who were sent to London to endeavour
to prevent the execution of Charles I.

THE RESTORATION.

One of the latest entries in the volume now under notice
is an elaborate and solemn oath, signed by John Inglis, Provost ;
John Moir, Bailie; and several other councillors, deacons, and
officials, pledging them to remain faithful to the true Protestant
religion, as set forth in the Confession of Faith, and to render
obedience and undivided allegiance “to my most gracious
sovrane, Charles the Second,’’ then lately called from exile to
the throne. Read in the light of historical events, the juxta-
position now seems strangely incongruous.

INCORPORATION OF THE TRADES.

The minute of 4th October, 1598, contains the Act of
Council conferring corporate rights on the Trades: “ The saidis
Provost, Bailleis, and Counsall, in respect of the supplicatioun
gevin befoir thame be the craftismen qlkis ar burgesses of this
burgh, anent the hurt susteint be thame be the resorting of un-
freman craftismenn in this toun: hes thairfoir grantit to thame
deaconis of thair cheissing, to put order thairanent, according to
the use of uthir burrowis; and the saidis deaconis to be anshir-
abill for ilk fault to the toun commitit be thair craftismen.”’
This privilege would appear, however, to have fallen into disuse ;
for a subsequent Act of the Town Council, passed in 1681 (and
which is quoted in the appendix to the “ History of Galloway,”

KIRKCUDBRIGHT IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 139

with confirmation by the Lords of Council and Session), con-
ferred on the trades the right of electing deacons, as for the first
time ; the reason alleged on this occasion being that insufficient
work was put out by many craftsmen and better supervision was
necessary.

A Note oF Luxury.

The services of the dyer, or “ litstar ’’ as he was then called,
seem to have been much in request, if we may judge from the
number of accounts which one “ Wm. Quhitford,’’ of that craft,
sought to recover, for the “ litting ’’ of “ blew woll’’ and “ reid
woll.’?. The hair powderer was another minister of fashion
who found custom, more or less extensive. On 3d May, 1581,
William Wilson, “in Sanct Johnne’s Clauchane,”’ as surety for
James Wilson, “ powderar in Kirkcudbryt,’’ is found indebted
to John Johnstone, Dumfries, 24 lbs. weight of fine powder, and
12 Ibs. of another quality.

A MarrRIAGE CONTRACT.

In 1580 Janet Lintoun, widow of William Hay, and now
Mrs Dungalson, is the pursuer in an action of a rather curious
nature. She sues James Lidderdale of St Mary’s Isle
ior the sum of £40, being half the expense incurred in “ lofting ”’
or putting a second storey upon a portion of “the Place,’’ or
mansion hoyse, agreeably to a bargain made in the pursuer’s
own “ buith,’’ or shop, in or shortly after the year 1572. She
had undertaken “to loft the hall, the laich hall, and the
chalmer of the Place;’’ and she now set forth that she had
spent on this work, in buying timber and paying “warkmen’s
feis,’’ the sum of fourscore pounds, of which defender was due
to her the half. Lidderdale, to whose oath the claim was
referred, “ made faith that he promeist the same, bot condition-
allie, gif his sone, Jon Lidderdaill, suld haif completit
marriage with umqll Agnes Hay, hir dochtar, qlk wes nccht,
becaus of hir deceis, and sa he wes nocht undir forder promeis.”’

140 EXTRACTS RELATING TO GALLOWAY.

EXTRACTS RELATING TO GALLOWAY FROM THE REGISTER OF THE
GREAT SEAL OF ScoTLanp. Translated by Dr E. J.
CHINNOCK.

“1458. 22nd year of James II. At Edinburgh. 7 October.
—The King has confirmed to the knight, William Monypeny of
Ardweny and Conkirsalte, and Katerine his wife, the lordship
land of Buttilis, together with the enclosure as far as the castle,
the lands of Kirkenan, Barloghane, Barnahasteris and Donvall
in the barony of Buttilis, in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbrycht,
which the said Wil. and Kat. have resigned, to be held by the
said Wil. and Kat. and either of them surviving and the heirs.
lawfully begotten between them, failing whom, by the lawful and
nearer heirs of Marjory Stewart, grandmother of the said
Katerine, whomsoever ; one grain of rice to be paid annually on
the feast of St. Peter which is called a vincula, at the castle of
Buttilis, in the name of white farm.’’

“1469. 9th. year of James III]. At Edinburgh. 27. Jany.
—The King has confirmed the charter of James M‘Dowale, Lord
of Spottis [by which he granted to Dionicius de Carnis, his brother,
for his good services, help, &c., the lands of Gaitgil, otherwise
called Litiltoun, amounting to 3 merks of lands of ancient extent
in the parish of Borg in the lordship of Galloway, stewartry of
Kirkcudbricht, sheriffdom of Dumfres—to be held by the said
Dion. & the male heirs of his body lawfully begotten; failing
whom, by John de Carnis of Orchardtoun & his heirs whomso-
ever, by the said James M‘D. of the King. One red rose to be
paid to the King at the chief messuage of Gaitgil, in the name of
white farm. Witnesses:—Rob. Heris of Kirkpatrick-Yrngray,
Geo. Heris, his son & heir apparent, John Rerick of Dalbaty,
Fergus Rerik, his son & heir apparent, And. M‘Dowale, son of
the said James M‘D., & his heir apparent, John Bel, notary
public. At the burgh of Dumfres. 18 Jany. 1467.’’]

The following refers to the Castle of Threave :—‘“ 1477. 18th
year of James III. At Edinburgh. 28 October.—The King has.
appointed Robert Carlile, son of John, Lord Carlile—warden of
the Castle of Traife for the ten years next following, with the
power of substituting constables, &c., with all the feus, advan-
tages, and profits as the said John had previously for the guard
of the said Castle, namely the two granges of Keltoun and the
Treife, and the mill of Keltoune.’’

EXTRACTS RELATING TO GALLOWAY. 141

“1491. 3rd year of James IV. At Edinburgh. 22 March.
—tThe King has granted to Thomas Maclellane of Bondby, his
heirs and assigns, the land and holding, with the crofts belonging
to the same called the Dowcroft, in the burgh of Kirkcudbrycht,
formerly belonging to Peter Kessok, and then to the King, on
account of bastardy, through the decease of the said Peter.’’

“1492. 4th year of James IV. At Edinburgh. 20 Febru-

ary.—The King has confirmed the charter of the provost, baillies,

and community of the burgh of Kirkcudbrycht [by which they
demitted to Thomas Makclellane of Bondby, his heirs and
assigns, to fee farm the liberty of the water commonly called the
Kirkburne, until it enters the water of Dee, with permission to
build a mill and a sufficient mill-house on the north side of the
said water, and also to build a fuller’s mill and a house for the
same upon the said water wherever it seems best, with permission
to dig an aquaduct ; with one croft, commonly called the Clerk-
hill, on the south side of the said water, between the King’s road
on the one side and the road which leads to the parish church of
Kirkcudbricht on the other side; and with another croft,
commonly called the Crukit Akir, between the church land of St.
Cuthbert on the east side, and the commonland of the said burgh
on the west side and the lands of Lochfergus on the north side ;
40 shillings to be paid yearly,-.and all the burgesses of Kirkcud-
bricht to have their woollen cloths thickened and cut in the said
fuller’s mill for half the price received from others. Wit-
nesses:—John Carnys of Dalbaty, Alan Makclellane, Tho.
Makeffet, and Tho. Walker. At Kirkcudbricht, 6 February,
weel’’),

“1508. 20th year of James IV. At Edinburgh, 24
February.—The King for good service has granted to his familiar
servant George Bosuell and his heirs and assigns, the holding
below the burgh of Kirkcudbrycht on the west side of the King’s
road and the croft of arable land called the Dowcroft, at the east
end of the said burgh, below the liberty of the same, which
indeed formerly belonged to Peter Kessok, son of Patrick
Kessok, burgess of the said burgh, and then belonged to the
King, on account of the said Peter’s bastardy, who died without
lawful heirs. He has also granted to the same George the farms,
etc., of the elapsed terms, together with all the goods of the said
Peter,’’

142 EXTRACTS RELATING TO GALLOWAY.

“1510. 22nd year of James IV. At Edinburgh. 26
February.—The King has demitted at fee farm to Patrick
Forestare, alderman, William Inglis, and John Maklellane,
bailies, and all the community of the burgh of Kirkcudbrycht
and their successors, the lands called the Castell manys of Kirk-
cudbrycht, then amounting to 40 shillings, near the said burgh,
in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbricht, in the sheriffdom of Drum-
freis ; 40 shillings, and 20 shillings beyond, to be paid in increase
of the Royal rental.’’

(Notice that in this document the Provost is called “ Alder-
man.)—E. J. C.

Sth April, 1907.

Chairman—Mr Wn. M‘CutTcHEON.

ScottisH MErmaips. By Mr R. J. Arnott, M.A.

Wherever, in Europe at least, is to be found a people upon
whom superstition and a fear of the supernatural have a hold the
mermaid myth is sure to have a place in the popular traditional
and legendary lore. Nor, curiously enough, are mermaids con-
fined to the sea-board, for they have their haunts on the banks of
rivers, and here and there on the shores of inland lakes, as well
as in the caves or by the rocky bays and sandy beaches of the
coasts. I have no intention of seeking to arrive at the origin of
the myth, or of inquiring what was the name of the first mermaid,
or where she was to be found, although it might not be an
altogether impossible task; any more than, in connection with
individual local legends, of speculating upon a possible explana-
tion of how they came to exist or whether any substratum of truth
may perchance underlie them. There is no particular occasion
for dipping farther into classical mythology than to remark in
passing that the Sybils, the Gorgons, and the Syrens of the
ancient Greeks and Romans all had certain marked features in
common, beauty of face and form and profusion of locks being as
inseparable from them as from the more modern mermaid.
While touching on these features, it may be noted that not only
did both syrens and mermaids once have wings, but they did not

SCOTTISH MERMAIDS. 143

always have tails. It is not necessary to turn to any of the
“ Just-so Stories ’’ to learn how the mermaid lost the one or came
by the other of these useful and ornamental appendages; for a
full and faithful account of both phenomena may be found by
those who care to put themselves to the trouble of a little
research in the writings of various learned authors, whose earnest-
ness of purpose and belief in the truth of what they are narrating
are as far removed from the cheerful inconsequence of Mr
Kipling’s tales as are his object and style and treatment differ
from theirs. It is not without significance of the persistency of
the myth, and the perennial power it possesses of appealing to the
fancy, that, even in these days when stolid matter-of-factness
threatens to blight so much of the fruit of the imagination, the
mermaid is still found capable of playing a leading part in the
popular reading, just as in the literature of Greece and Rome.
For, quite apart from the field of poetry, has not Mr H. C.
Wells succeeded in giving us some idea of the perplexities and
complications that are liable to arise when a “ sea-lady ’’. happens
to find her way on shore?

The close similarity existing between the mermaid legends of
different times and of various parts of the continent and those of
our own islands is, of course, nothing to be surprised at. They
all belong to that great body of folklore which is the common
property of so many nations and peoples, owing to its having
been in the possession of the original racial stock and becoming,
through process of time, indigenous to the soil wherever members
or offshoots settled.

Before proceeding to deal in detail with Scottish mermaid
Jegends I may be permitted, in a few more introductory words, to
indicate the general character of the various forms in which the

_myth prevails.

The mermaid of whom Tennyson has sung is, it is to be
feared, a somewhat elementary, unsophisticated damsel in com-
parison with the most of her kind :—

““T would be a mermaid fair.
I would sing to myself the whole of the day;
With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair ;
And still as I comb’d I would sing and say,
‘Who is it loves me? who loves not me?’ ”’

Charming, indeed, she is, but she is hardly the mermaid of the

144 ScoTtTisH MERMAIDS.

popular legend. Unfortunately for those mortals whose lot it
has been to make the acquaintance of these sea-maidens, they are
seldom content that

‘« All the mermen under the sea

Should feel their immortality
Die in their hearts for the love of me.’’

More usually their song is that of the syrens of old—

‘‘ Mariner, mariner, furl your sails,
Come hither to me and to me:
O hither, come hither, and be our lords,
For merry brides are we:
We will kiss sweet kisses and speak sweet words:
O listen, listen, your eyes shall glisten
When the sharp clear twang of the golden chords
Runs up the ridged sea.
Who can light on so happy a shore
All the world o’er, all the world o’er?
Whither away? listen and stay: mariner, mariner, fly no more.’’

But it is little wonder that the mariners “ whisper to each other

half in fear ’’ when they hear that “shrill music.’’ For while by
reason of their partly human form these ocean dwellers are fated
to seek intercourse with mortal men and women, it is seldom to
the advantage of the latter that this should happen. Even where
there appears to be love for love’s sake, it never lasts. A mer-
maid may become the wife of a human being and make her home
with him on land, but sooner or later the time comes when she
cannot resist the temptation to return to her native element.
And where a mortal is induced to consent to marriage with one of
the sea-folk something generally happens after a while to sunder
what may have proved to be a happy enough union. Such is,
for instance, the case pictured in Matthew Arnold’s beautiful

poem, “ The Forsaken Merman,”’’ with its haunting refrain :—

‘Here came a mortal,
But faithless was she!
And alone dwell for ever
The kings of the sea ’”’—
where “the sound of a far-off bell ’’ at Easter-time is sufficient to
bring about the return of the wife and mother to her kinsfolk.
Occasionally the mermaid will use her supernatural influence
for the protection or the advantage of a human being ; but more
generally her appearance or intervention forebodes some impend-

ScoTTIsH MERMAIDS. 145

ing disaster to those to whom she appears, and her purpose is
rather to lure them to destruction than to warn them of the
danger in which they stand.

Of most of these aspects of the mermaid’s mission and
character the following individual legends relating to different
districts of Scotland will be found illustrative.

First let me cite, chiefly because of its typicalness of the
nature and habits of the legendary mermaid, an example with
which you are probably all familiar. It is the “ Mermaid of
Galloway,’ of whom we are told, in an almost faultless imitation
of the old ballad, by Jean Walker, who was born in the village
of Preston Mill, Kirkbean, and lived within sight and sound of
the Solway until her marriage with the stonemason-poet, Allan
Cunningham. As is the case with many others, I fancy, of these
tales, the legend only seems to exist, or at least to survive, in
the poem :—

‘““There’s a maid has sat on the green merse side
These ten lang years and mair ;
And every nicht 0’ the new moon
She kames her yellow hair.

And aye while she sheds the yellow burning gowd,
Fw’ sweet she sings an’ hie,

Till the fairest bird that wooes the green wood
Is charmed with her melodie.

But wha e’er listens to that sweet sang,
Or gangs the dame to see,

Ne’er hears the sang o’ the laverock again,
Nor waukens an earthlie e’e,

It fell in aboot the sweet simmer month,
I’ the first come o’ the moon,

That she sat 0’ the tap 0’ a seaweed rock,
A-kaming her silk locks doon.

She kamed her locks owre her white shoulders,
A fleece baith bonny an’ lang ;

An’ ilka ringlet she shed frae her brows,
She raised a lightsome sang.

‘I hae dwelt on the N ith,’ quo’ the young Cowehill,
‘Thae twenty years an’ three;

But the sweetest sang e’er brake frae a lip
Come through the greenwood tree,

146 ScorrTrisH MERMAIDS.

‘QO, is it a voice frae twa earthlie lips
Whilk made sic melodie?

It wad wyle the lark frae the morning lift,
An’ weel may it wyle me!

‘The simmer dew fa’s soft, fair maid,
Aneath the siller moon;

But eerie is thy seat i’ the rock,
Washed wi’ the white sea foam.

‘ How rosie is thy parting lips,
How lilie-white thy skin;

An’ weel I wat thae kissing e’en
Wad tempt a saint to sin.’

Then took she up his green mantle,
Of lowing gowd the hem;

Then took she up his silken cap,
Rich wi’ a siller stem;

An’ she threw them wi’ her lilie hand
Amang the white sea faem.

She took the bride-ring frae his finger,
An’ threw it in the sea:

‘That hand shall mense nae ither ring,
But in the will o’ me.’

She faulded him in her lilie arms,
An’ left her pearhie kame;

His fleecy locks trailed owre the sand,
As she took the white sea faem.

First raise the star out owre the hill,
An’ neist the lovelier moon;

While the beauteous bride 0’ Gallowa’
Looked for her blithe bridegroom.”’

Fortunate, it would seem, then, is he who can stand the
sweet temptation. Narrow enough was the escape of the young
laird of Lornty, in Perthshire. Riding home late one night,’
accompanied by his man, he heard what sounded like cries of
distress from the direction of a loch near at hand, which lay
hidden in a wood. Making his way quickly to the spot, he saw
in the water a beautiful young woman, apparently in the last
stages of exhaustion. Faintly she called for help, appealing to
him by name. Without hesitation he plunged into the loch and
was about to catch hold of the maiden by her long yellow locks,
that “lay like hanks of gold upon the water,’’ when a warning cry

ScoTtTisH MERMAIDS. 147

from his man arrested his action. “ Bide, Lornty,’’ he shouted,
seizing his master by the arm and dragging him to the shore,
“bide a blink; that waulin?’ madam was nae ither-—-God sauf
us—than a mermaid.’’ Fortunately the laird realised his danger
in time. For as he prepared to mount his horse and ride off the
woman rose in the water and addressed him in tones full of anger
and baffled hate :—
“‘Tornty, Lornty,
Were it na your man,

I’d gart your heart’s bluid
Skirl in my pan!”

That, however, the allurements of the mermaid do not
always entail the ruin of their victims we are reminded by the
story of Macphail of Colonsay and the mermaid of Corrievrekin
(between the islands of Jura and Scarba), which Leyden adapted
in his ballad, entitled “The Mermaid,’’ from a Gaelic tradition.
One day when Macphail is out in his boat there comes—

‘‘ Floating o’er the deep
The mermaid’s sweet, sea-soothing lay,
That charmed the dancing waves to sleep
Before the bark of Colonsay.

That sea-maid’s form, all pearly light,
Was whiter than the downy spray,
And round her bosom, heaving bright,

Her glossy, yellow ringlets play.

Borne on a foamy-crested wave,
She reached amain the bounding prow,
Then, clasping fast the chieftain brave,
She, plunging, sought the deep below.”
He is carried down into a coral cave, and the mermaid asks him
to forget his maid of Colonsay and marry her. At first Macphail
refuses, but in a short time he yields to her entreaties. They live
happily together for several years, in the course of which five
children are born to them. After a while, however, Macphail
begins to tire of his life beneath the waves, and prevailing upon
his consort to carry him near the shore of Colonsay, he escapes
to land. .
“* And ever as the year returns,
The charm-bound sailors know the day,
When sadly still the mermaid mourns
The lovely chief of Colonsay.”’

148 ScoTTISH MERMAIDS.

One peculiar power the mermaid of Corrievrekin possessed was
that of laying aside at will her “ scaly train ;’’? only when she did
divest herself of it she became so wild and ungentle in her
bearing that means had to be taken, for obvious reasons, to pre-
vent her lover from coming into her presence whenever the trans-
formation took place.

Occasionally, as has been remarked, but not often, the
appearance of a mermaid brings good fortune to those who en-
counter her. One Galloway mermaid is related to have come
across a youth bewailing the illness of his sweetheart, who was
suffering from consumption. Taking compassion on him, she
cheered him with the adjuration :—

‘‘ Wad ye let the bonnie Mary dee i’ your hand,
And the mugwort flowering i’ the land ?’’
The lover followed her advice, and the restoration of the girl‘s
health was effected by the administration of the mugwort (which,
it may be explained, was supposed to be especially potent for the
cure of ailments and diseases, even casting out madness, if
gathered on St. John’s Day).

A similar reminder, but one which, alas! came too late, was
given by a mermaid who rose out of the Clyde, above Port-
Glasgow, as the funeral of a young woman who had died of con-
sumption was passing along the high road by the side of the
river :—

‘Tf they wad drink nettles in March,
And eat muggins in May,
Sae mony braw maidens
Wadna gang to the clay.”

Generally when a mermaid places her knowledge at the dis-
posal of a mortal it is in return for some service rendered to her.
One day some Shetland fishermen out at the “haaf’’ fishing
found a mermaid instead of a fish caught on one of their hooks.
When dragged on board the boat she pleaded hard to be set free,
promising in return that anything they might wish for would be
granted them. This seemed a good enough bargain, and the
mermaid was returned to her native element. As she was dis-
appearing she sang :—

‘‘Muckle guid I wid ye gie,
An’ mair I wid ye wish;
There’s muckle evil in the sea:
Scoom weel your fish.”’

ScottisH MERMAIDS. 149

The skipper, thinking he was being merely jeered at for his pains,
became very angry, and ejaculated—“ Cheated, and by a mer-
maid!’’ Only one of the crew of the “sixern ’’ paid any heed to
the words of the mermaid. Accepting them literally, he
“scoomed weel’’ his fish, with the result that he discovered
among the “scoomings ’’ a valuable pearl, for which he obtained
a sum that made the voyage a highly profitable one.

Sometimes the good offices of the mermaid are to be pur-
chased only at the cost of the performance of some feat of not a
little difficulty. "Hugh Miller tells a story of the Cromarty dis-
trict in which such a task is required. Like Proteus, in classical
mythology, the mermaid in question exerted the power she
possessed by virtue of her connection with the invisible world,
only when compelled to do so. Should she fall into mortal
hands and be overpowered, her release must be purchased by the
granting of any three wishes her captor might frame, concern-
ing either his own fortunes or those of his friends. It was
seldom, however, the opportunity came the way of any man, for
her strength was such she generally emerged victorious from the
struggle, and succeeded as well in carrying her assailant with her
into the sea.

Early one morning John Reid, a young Cromarty ship-
master, was strolling aimlessly along the shore thinking moodily
how badly his suit was faring with Helen Stuart, and how poor
was the prospect of its happy issue. Suddenly his steps were
arrested by the low notes of the sweetest singing he had ever
heard. After listening for a moment or two, he crept noiselessly
forward, and on turning the corner of a cliff he saw the musician,
“apparently a young girl, who seemed bathing among the waves,
and who was now sitting half on the rock, half in the water.
Her long yellow hair fell in luxuriant profusion on her snow
shoulders, and as she raised herself higher on the cliff, the sun
shone on the parts below her waist with such dazzling brightness
that the sailor raised his hands to his eyes, and a shivered speck
of light, like the reflection of a mirror, went dancing over the
shaded roughnesses of the opposite precipice.’’ Then, realising
that this was none other than the mermaid of whom he had heard
so much, John dashed forward and seized her. Sturdy was her
resistance, and a desperate struggle ensued; but eventually the
mermaid had to yield. The price she offered for her freedom

150 ScotTisH MERMAIDS.

was that which John had heard tell of, and he at once stated the
“wishes three,’’ the fulfilment of which he desired. The first was
that neither he himself nor any of his friends should perish by sea ;
the second, that he should be uninterruptedly fortunate in all his
undertakings ; the third wish he never communicated to anyone
except the mermaid—and yet, somehow, nobody ever failed to
guess it! These stated, “Quit and have!’’ exclaimed the mer-
maid, and as he released his hold, she sprang into the sea. John
was soon able to put the genuineness of her promise to the test.
Continuing his walk, he came upon Helen Stuart reclining on the
grass, and setting himself beside her, he pursued his wooing with
such success that not long afterwards she became his bride. And
the mermaid proving as good as her word in every particular, it is
needless to say that they lived happily ever afterwards.

The more terrible side of the mermaid’s character is nowhere
more grimly illustrated than in another of Hugh Miller’s northern
legends. Where the parish of Tarbat borders on that of Fearn is
situated Loch Slin, “a dark, sluggish sheet of water, bordered on
every side by thick, tangled hedges of reed and rushes.’’ The
very atmosphere is pervaded with the uncanniness of the story.
A little girl from a cottage some distance off was passing by the
loch one evening on her way home, just when the dusk had begun
to draw round its shores, when she heard a strange sound as of
continuous knocking. Then she discovered what seemed to be a
tall female standing in the water, by the edge -of the loch,
engaged, apparently, in beating clothes on a stone with the sort of
bludgeon still (or at least in Hugh Miller’s time) used in the north
country for the purpose. Something told the girl that this must
be the mermaid of Loch Slin, of whom such eerie tales were told
round the fires of a winter’s night, and terror-stricken she took to
her heels. But as she hurried past she could not help noticing
that the woman “seemed to ply her work with a malignant
pleasure, and that on the grass plot directly opposite where she
stood there were spread out as if to dry thirty smocks and shirts
all horribly dappled with blood.’’ Breathless and horrified as
she was, the girl was still able to relate her adventure when she
arrived home, and there was much speculation as to what this
strange spectacle might portend. It was but in keeping with the
reputation of the mermaid that it should imply some impending
calamity. This surmise proved only too true. On the following

a

ScoTtTisH MERMAIDS. 151

Sunday a terrible and mysterious explosion shattered the ancient
Abbey of Fearn, bringing down the ponderous stone roof among
the worshippers, and burying nearly half of them in the ruins.
In all, thirty-six persons were killed on the spot, and many more
were so frightfully injured that they never recovered. Among the
victims were several relatives of the girl who had heard the
uncanny knocking and witnessed the grim employment of the
mermaid of Loch Slin.

There is often a vindictiveness, too, about the mermaid’s
nature, that leads her to wreak a terrible vengeance upon those
who do her an injury or thwart her will or cross her path in any
way. Close to the old house of Knockdalion, near the water of
Eirvan, there used to be a block of stone on which a mermaid
would sit at nightfall for hours at a time, singing her songs and
combing her yellow hair. One day, however, the mistress of
Knockdalion took it into her head that the singing was annoying
her child and keeping him from sleeping, and she had the stone
broken to pieces. Great was the mermaid’s grief and anger when
she appeared that night and found her favourite seat was no
longer there. And this was what she sang :—

““Ye may think on your cradle—lI’]] think on my stane,
And there’ll ne’er be an heir to Knockdalion again.’’

Soon after the cradle was found overturned, with the baby
dead beneath it. And the mermaid’s prophecy proved only too
true, for the family became extinct with that generation.

One day some fishermen from Quarff, on the south-eastern
coast of Shetland, caught a mermaid on one of their hooks. On
seeing what was the nature of their prey, one of them drew his
knife and stabbed the mermaid in the breast; whereupon the
hook gave way, and she sank. Thenceforward the fisherman in
question never prospered, and till the day of his death he was
haunted by an evil spirit, in the form of an old man, who used to
say to him—“Will ye still do such a thing, who killed a
woman ?”’

Another Shetland story is of a somewhat similar character.
A young fisherman one day caught a seal, which he skinned in
the usual fashion, afterwards tossing the carcase into the sea.
The animal, however, had only been stunned, and very soon
revived. He naturally began to feel very cold in the absence of

152 ScottTisH MERMAIDS.

his outer covering, but what most made him disconsolate was the
thought of his forlorn appearance. A mermaid who had ob-
served the incident took pity on his plight, and her efforts to
restore to him his lost skin resulted in a sad catastrophe. The
mermaid became hooked on the fishing line of the boat to which
the captor of the seal belonged. Although the latter, his con-
science smiting him for what he had just done, pleaded for the
release of the mermaid, she was hauled on board and placed in
the bottom of the boat on the sealskin. In a few minutes a
sudden squall arose and overturned the boat, drowning the whole
of her crew. The seal was able to recover his skin; but, alas!
he had to lament the loss of the friend through whose agency this
was effected, for the mermaid had become so exhausted by her
struggles that she was at her last gasp when she was precipitated
back into her native element. Ever since this happened, the
legend has it, the seals have constituted themselves the special
guardians of the mermaid race.

A still closer relationship, however, than is generally recog-
nised, subsists between the seals and the semi-human denizens of
the ocean. In Orkney and Shetland “selkie’’ is the popular
name for the seal; and those of the larger species are often
called “selkie-folk,’’ because they are supposed to have the
power of turning into men and women. According to one state-
ment, the original “ selkie-folk’’ were fallen angels, who were
condemned to this condition because of some fault, not serious
enough to necessitate their consignment to the infernal regions.
According to another version, they were human beings who, as a
punishment for some wrong committed, were condemned to
assume the form of the seal and to live in the sea, being only
allowed to revert to their human character at certain periods and
conditions of the tide, when they were on dry land. When they
have doffed their sealskins, these “ selkie-folk,’’ of both sexes,
are said to be particularly striking for their beauty of feature and
fairness of form, and sad havoc have they been known to play
with the affections of the sons and daughters of the coast. It is
believed to this day in some parts of the islands of the north
that a certain horny growth on the palms of the hands and the
soles of the feet denotes descent from one of the “ selkie-folk,’’
this being the result of an attempt to cut away the webbed
membrane appearing between the fingers and toes of the original

|

ScotTtTisH MERMAIDS. 153

offspring. There is, by the way, a beautiful legend that when
a young and fair maiden is lost at sea she is not drowned, but
taken captive by the “ selkie-folk,’’ and becomes the bride of one
of them. One curious characteristic about these creatures is
that they are never known to appear alone (as is almost invari-
ably the case with the mermaid), but always in groups, basking
in the sunshine or gambolling about on some sea-surrounded
skerry, with their sealskins lying beside them on the rock. The
moment the alarm is given of the approach of anyone, they make
a dash for their furry garments, and donning them, are immedi-
ately seals again, and plunge into the sea and make off.

A typical story of an encounter with the “ selkie-folk ’’ and
what came of it is that of the guidman of Wastness, in Shetland.
This young fellow, who had successfully withstood the blandish-
ments of the maidens of the country-side, and had escaped the
toils of their mammas, one day came upon a group of “ selkie-
folk ’’ sporting on a rock by the shore. Creeping forward, he
secured the sealskin nearest him, before its proper owner could
reach it, and set off home with it over his shoulder. Before he
had gone far he heard a pitiful wailing behind him, and looking

round, saw a beautiful girl following him, weeping dolefully.

This, as he rightly conjectured, was the one of the “ selkie-folk ’’
whose sealskin he had seized, and who was unable to escape
owing to the want of it. Timorously she approached, and tear-
fully she begged the restoration of property so necessary to her.
The young crofter, struck by her beauty and winsomeness,
refused to meet her wish unless she consented to become his
wife. After some persuasion, he succeeded in wringing from the
sea-maiden a reluctant consent, and she accompanied him home.
A thrifty, frugal, and kindly goodwife, too, did she turn out,
and the birth to them of seven children—four boys and three
girls—seemed to leave nothing lacking for her happiness. But
often the mother would turn away from her children and gaze
with a longing, far-away look in her eyes, at the sea. The seal-
skin she had never seen since the day she came as an ocean

_ bride. One day when her husband and eldest sons were away

at the fishing, and she was left in the house with only the
youngest child, who had been ill, an overpowering desire came
over her. High and low she hunted for the missing skin, but

154 ScottTisH MERMAIDS.

she was unable to find it. She was on the point of giving up the
search in despair, when the child said she knew where her father
kept an old skin bundled up. Sure enough, this proved to be
the identical article for which she was seeking, and slipping
away from her child with it clasped close in her arms, she made
quickly for the beach. Arrived at the water’s edge, no time was
lost in putting on the skin, and with a glad shout she sprang into
the sea. Swimming rapidly towards a group of seals not far
distant, she was greeted with warmth on her return to her kith
and kin, the demonstrations of a large male seal which had been
often noticed in the neighbourhood being particularly marked.
Just then the guidman happened to be returning from the fishing,
and as his boat sailed past what was his astonishment to hear
himself addressed as follows :—

‘‘Guidman o’ Wastness, fareweel tae dee!
I liket dee weel; doo were guid tae me.
But I loo better my man o’ da sea!’’

When he arrived home he found it was no trick that was being
played upon him; and what his youngest child had to tell soon
enlightened him as to the manner in which he had lost his help-
meet. Distracted, he haunted the sea-shore for several days and
nights ; but never a trace did he again see of his “ selkie ’’ wife.

A story of a different kind is that relating the experience of
a fisherman from Papa Stour who landed on the Ve Skerries
with some others to secure some seals. A number had been
stunned and skinned, when the rising of a tremendous swell
caused the men to dash for their boat. In the hurry, one man
was left behind. Realising that he had been deserted by his
comrades, he returned to the spot where the carcases of the seals
had been left lying. There, to his astonishment, he found what
appeared to be a large number of human beings, busy attending
to some others who lay on the ground. It was the “ selkie-folk ”’
who had come to the rescue of their stunned companions. The
plight of the latter, even when they had recovered from their
swoon, was a sad one, for the fishermen had not forgotten the
skins in their haste. Instead of the marooned seal-hunter being,
as he had expected, set upon by the “selkie-folk’’ and put to
death for what had taken place, he was courteously approached
and questioned concerning the possibility of the recovery of the

—————— I lr OF

ScoTTisH MERMAIDS. 155

skins. Ultimately a bargain was struck. One big seal, named
Gioga, consented to convey the man to the mainland provided he
would undertake to have them returned in as short a time as
possible. Gioga even allowed him to cut holes in her shoulders
and flanks for his hands and feet, to prevent his slipping off her
back. In this fashion the voyage to Papa Stour was safely
accomplished ; and the Shetlander did not fail to fulfil his part
of the bargain in securing the restoration of the captured skins.
The truth of this tale is vouched for by the islanders by the fact
that some time afterwards the body of a large seal which was
washed ashore in that district was found to have holes cut in the
skin corresponding to those spoken about by the fisherman in
question.

We meet with a variant of the “selkie-folk ’’ legend on the
northern mainland. The story is told concerning a fisherman
and seal-hunter who lived not far from John o’ Groat’s House.
One day on returning home he was summoned by a stranger to
accompany him to a person who was desirous of bargaining with
him for sealskins. Mounting the horse that was standing at the
door they rode till they came to a steep precipice. There they
dismounted, and immediately the stranger seized the fisherman
and leapt with him into the sea. How far they sank he could
not tell, but ultimately they came to a door in the cliff. Enter-
ing, they came into the midst of a large assembly of “ Roane ”’
or seals, who were speaking and acting like human folk, but
seemed very sad; and to his astonishment the fisherman per-
ceived that both he and his companion had the appearance of
seals themselves. The production of a large knife by one of the
seals threw the hunter into a great state of fear, and his panic
was in no wise diminished when he recognised it as one belonging
to himself, which he had lost that very morning after stabbing a
seal, which had escaped. He was assured, however, that he was
in no danger. His guide explained that the seal that had been
stabbed was really his (the guide’s) old father, and he was at
that very moment lying dangerously ill in an adjoining apart-
ment. What the hunter had been brought for was in order that
he might lend his aid towards bringing about the recovery of the
invalid. When taken into the presence of the latter, he at once
tecognised him as the seal that had escaped him in the morning.
He was now asked to cicatrise the wound he himself had inflicted

156 ScoTTisH MERMAIDS.

a tremendous cut in the hindquarter. The operation was per-
formed without difficulty, and the seal arose from his couch in
perfect health. The fisherman was then informed that he was
free to return to his wife, on the express condition, however,
that he would never again maim or kill a seal. On his assenting
to this, not without some natural reluctance, he was conducted to
the door of the cave, and he and his guide rose to the surface
together, finding their former steed awaiting them, ready for a
second gallop. Once on land, the guide breathed on the fisher-
man, and they both became like men again, and mounting, they
were not long in reaching the door of the hut. And here, to
his great delight, the fisherman was rewarded with a sum of
money large enough to make his enforced abstention from seal-
hunting a loss which he could afford to bear with perfect
equanimity.

To conclude, let me borrow from “ Fiona Macleod’’ an
instance of another form assumed by one of these sirens of the
sea. As might be expected from the narrator, the circumstances
are invested with a supernatural eeriness such as is to be found
only in an atmosphere of Celtic mysticism. Murdo Maclan of
the Isle is made, in “ Sea-Magic,’’ to relate how “a woman often
came out of the sea and said strange foreign words at the back of
his door—and that in a whinnying voice like that of a foal—came
white as foam, and went away grey as rain. And then,’’ he
adds, “she would go to that stroked rock yonder and put songs
against me till my heart shook like a tallow-flaucht in the wind.’’

And once, he goes on to say, “a three-week back or so I
came home in a thin, noiseless rain, and heard a woman-voice
singing by the fire-flaucht, and stole up soft to the house-side ;
but she heard the beat of my pulse, and went out at the door, not
looking once behind her. She was tall and white, with red hair,
and though I did not see her face, I know it was like a rock in
rain with the tears streaming on it. She was a woman till she
was at the shore there, then she threw her arms into the winds,
and was a gull, and flew away in the lowness of a cloud.”’

It is impossible to say in regard to questions such as these,
where tradition based upon apparent fact merges into legend
founded upon the frankest fiction. On that account, as well as
from consideration of length, no attempt has here been made to
inquire into, or even touch upon, any of the occasions on which

ScoTTiIsH MERMAIDS. 157

mermaids are said, with more apparent matter-of-factness than
is the case with most of the legends just brought to your notice,
to have been seen on our coasts. The task would probably be
as thankless as that of investigating the identity of the “ mer-
maids’’ whose seizure has been recorded with full circum-
stantiality from time to time. It would probably also prove as
futile as the oft-made attempt to grasp the elusive personality of
that more up-to-date apparition of the vasty deep, the sea-
serpent, whose actual capture, in spite of the growing frequency
of its appearance even in our own waters, and the general agree-
ment among those who have encountered it of at least the
ferociousness of its aspect, has yet to be chronicled.

Notes on Birps In Morrat District. By Mr T. A.
JOHNSTONE.

An interesting note of his observations of the bird life of the
district, regarding nesting, habits, etc., was contributed by Mr
Johnstone.

Jupiciat OaTus. By Mr M. H. M‘KeErrow.

A witness in all the courts of justice is required to give
evidence on oath. The rules excluding the evidence of certain
persons which at one time prevailed in Scotland have been gradu-
ally relaxed in practice and by legislation, and it may be laid.
down as a general proposition that all persons capable of giving
rational evidence are competent witnesses both in civil and
criminal causes. The witness by imprecating the wrath of God if
he speaks falsely, or by calling attention to the fact that he speaks
as in the sight of a Supreme Being, is found by experience to tell
the truth more exactly than if he were merely making a statement
without such sanction. One of the chief matters in witness-
bearing is the appeal to God or sanction of an oath. Sanction of
an oath has always been required by the Law of Scotland.
Balfour says:—‘“ He wha is producit and ressavit as witness sould
sweir that he sall not false say, nor suith conceil wittinglie in that
cause, neither for love of the ane partie, nor for the haitret of the
uther.’’ The full form of the oath is:—“I swear by Almighty
God, and as I shall answer to God at the Great Day of Judgment,

158 JupiciaL OATHs.

that I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth.’’ There are cases both ancient and modern where deposi-
tions of witnesses were set aside because they wanted the words,
“as they shall answer to God.’’ The oath is administered in
Scotland by the presiding judge or magistrate standing with up-
lifted hand, the witness also with right hand upraised, repeating
clause by clause after him. Not very long ago it would have
been deemed impossible for a witness to be sworn except accord-
ing to this form. Innovations upon the ancient ceremony,
perhaps by the disinclination or inability of the judge to stand
up, have crept in, and the oath is now usually administered
sitting. The next departure was the omission of the “ great day
of judgment,’’ and the oath as it is now administered is simply,
“T swear by Almighty God, as I shall answer to God, that I will
tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”” A
witness may object to take the oath in the above form. If he
does so, he may be sworn in whatever form he considers to be
binding on his conscience. Whenever the oath is administered,
in the form and with such ceremonies as such person may declare
to be binding, every such person, in case of wilful, false swear-
ing, may be convicted of the crime of perjury, in the same
manner as if the oath had been administered, in the form and
with the ceremonies most commonly adopted. 1 and 2 Vict., c.
5. Every person, upon objecting to being sworn, and stating as
the ground of such objection that he has no religious belief, or
that the taking of an oath is contrary to his religious belief, shall
be permitted to make his solemn affirmation, instead of taking
an oath (in all places and for all purposes where an oath is or
shall be required by law), which affirmation shall be of the same
force and effect as if he had taken the oath. The affirmation is
in the following terms:—I, A. B., do solemnly, sincerely, and
truly affirm, and declare that the taking of an oath is according
to my religious belief unlawful, and I do solemnly, sincerely, and
truly affirm and declare that I will tell the truth, ete. 28 and 29
Vict., c. 9, sec. 2 and 3. Where a witness makes affirmation he
must use these precise words. Anyone making an affirmation
who wilfully, falsely, and corruptly affirms any matter or thing
which, if deposed on oath, would have amounted to, is “ liable
to prosecution, indictment, sentence, and punishment in all
respects as if he had committed perjury.’’ Peers of the Realm

JupiciaL OATHs. 159

are authorised to give their verdicts on honour, without the
sanction of an oath, when acting on their judicial capacity, but
are not so exempted in any case of ordinary witness-bearing. In
ancient nations the oaths were taken over the altars and relics of
saints. In patriarchal times the oath was sworn by placing the
deponent’s hand under the thigh of the magistrate—a practice
which if followed in modern times would in many cases be pro-
ductive of much physical inconvenience to the Bench, and no
small hazard to the witness. The Jews swore with their right
hand uplifted to heaven. The practice is apparently referred to
by King David in these words, “ Whose mouth speaketh vanity,
and their right hand is the right hand of vanity.’’ The practice
of the uplifted right hand is followed in Scotland, but not in
England. With us the oath is administered as I have said by
the judge or magistrate standing. In England that duty is left
to an inferior officer of Court, and “the cataract ef words poured
forth on the cloud of witnesses,’’ is as rapidly sealed by a sym-
.bolical kiss on the greasy boards of what is presumed to contain
the Gospels. The prayer book has been held a sufficient substi-
tute. In this and many other matters our Scotch legal pro-
cedure may claim comparison with that of England or Ireland.
A Jew is sworn on the Old Testament with his hat on, a staff in
his hand. Mohammedans are sworn on the Koran. A nomi-
nate religion is not necessary for the taking of an oath, thus a
negro who said he believed in God and a future state was ad-
mitted. A story is told of a negro witness who, when in the
witness-box, was asked by the judge—* Do you know the nature
of the oath?’’ Witness—“Sah.’’? Judge—‘“ Do you understand
what you are to swear to?’’ ' Witness—“ Yes, sah, I’m to swear
to tell de truf.’’ Judge—“ And what will happen if you do not
tell it? Witness—-“I ’spects our side ’ll winn de case, sah.”’
A Chinaman takes the oath holding a saucer in his hand,
and dashing it to pieces at the conclusion of the formula, indica-
tive of his sense of God’s wrath should he falsify the truth, and
become a vessel of wrath, and fit for destruction. Some doubt
has been thrown on the methods hitherto employed in swearing a
Chinaman. Up till now it has been usual to swear Chinese
witnesses by breaking a saucer or blowing out a lighted candle.
The procedure followed in either of these picturesque methods is
first of all to swear the interpreter in the usual way. When the

160 JupiciaL OATHs.

candle is to be used it is lighted by the usher, and the witness
kneels while the candle is blown out. The interpreter thereupon
swears the witness as follows:—‘“ You shall tell the truth, the
whole truth. The light is extinguished, and if you do not tell the
truth your soul will be extinguished like the candle.’ When a
China saucer is used, it is handed to the Chinaman, who breaks
it while he kneels, and after he has been cautioned to tell the
truth, the formula proceeds. “The saucer is cracked, and if you
do not tell the truth your soul will be cracked like the saucer.”’
At the Thames Police Court the other day both these methods
were called in question by the Rev. George Pearcey, who has had
32 years’ experience in various parts of China, and who stated in
answer to Mr Mead, the magistrate, that the English forms of
swearing were not in vogue in police courts in China. Mr
Pearcey, who was acting as interpreter for a Chinaman, asserted
that in China the principal and most binding form of oath was
the cutting off of a cock’s head. He was quite satisfied that a
hen’s head would not do as well, but the court official pointed
out that it would be rather expensive to adopt this custom, as
when a large number of Chinese were to be sworn it would take
a farmyard to meet the requirements of the court. An inquiry at
the Chinese Embassy did not result in much light being thrown
on the subject. The First Secretary protested that he did not
know what was the correct Chinese method of being sworn.
“Fortunately,’’ he said, “I have never been brought before a
Chinese police court, and forms of oath may differ very much ‘n
various parts of the Chinese Empire. I am not, however, con-
versant with the law on the subject, and it would therefore be
very unwise for one to attempt to make any definite statement.”’
Captain J. A. Morris, the superintendent of the Strangers’ Home
for Asiatics, West India Dock Road, says that undoubtedly one of
the most binding oaths was the cutting off of a cock’s head, but
the ceremonies of blowing out a light and breaking a piece of
ware were also observed in China. From a twenty years’ experi-
ence of “ John Chinaman,’’ however, he had come to the conclu-
sion that the Celestial had no fears of any kind. “ No oath,’’ he
said, “will bind a Chinaman if he does not wish to speak the
truth.’’ When a cock’s head is cut off in administering the oath
the bird is taken inside a joss-house, and the cutting takes place
before a shrine, on which is an idol. The oath is to the effect

ae!

JupiciaL OATHS. 161

that if the man does not speak the truth he hopes that his own
throat will be cut, as in the case of the fowl, and his blood
scattered over the four oceans. It may be interesting
to give the form of an oath at one time administered
in the Commissary Court of Edinburgh. It was of fearful
import, and was abolished on the representation of the
Secession Church. The oath was taken by the witness kneeling
on his or her right knee upon a cushion, and placing his or her
right hand upon one of the holy evangelists, and pronouncing
these words—“ I renounce all the blessings contained in this Holy
Book if I do not tell the truth; and may all the curses therein
contained be my portion if I do not tell the truth. I swear by
Almighty God,’’ etc.

Since writing the foregoing I have observed that in the Green-
wich County Court recently a witness showed some hesitation in
kissing the Book, thereupon Judge Willis said:—I do not want
anyone to kiss the Book. You can hold up your hand. I was
surprised the other day to see it stated that it was Scotch law to
hold up the hand, but it is English law, and has been English
law from time immemorial. A great Vice-Chancellor of Oxford
250 years ago objected to kissing the Book, and the then Lord
Chief Justice swore him by holding up his hand. I should accept
the evidence of any person who said he believed in a God, but if
he admitted that he was of opinion that he would not be punished
for any violation of the law by false swearing I should reject him.

18th April, 190%.
Chairman—Dr MartTIn.
Burns AND Morrat. By Mr J. T. JOHNSTONE.

The associations of Moffat with the poet Burns are not very
numerous, but though lacking in quantity their quality is excel-
lent, and they are extremely interesting, as some of his finest and
Sweetest songs have either their theme or their scene in this
locality.

In the year 1775 at Craigieburn, Moffatdale, Jean Lorimer
was born—the Chloris of after years whose many charms and

162 BuRNS AND MOFFAT.

bonny blue e’en had such a potent influence on the poet’s muse,
that no less than thirty of his very best productions were inspired
by her, the local song, “Sweet fa’s the even on Craigieburn,’’
being one of his sweetest, and is said to have been composed to
aid a Mr Gillespie, a fellow-official in the excise, in his wooing of
Miss Lorimer.

Another association with Moffat was his friendship with Mr
Clark, the parish schoolmaster. Mr Clark while here had a
difference of opinion with the local patrons of the school, and in
the interests of his friendship the poet, under date of 11th June,
1791, wrote’a letter to Allan Cunningham, bespeaking his influ-
ence among the Edinburgh magistrates and town councillors of
his acquaintance, who were the patrons of the Moffat school, and
before whom Mr Clark’s difference had to come for consideration.
The letter closes recommending Mr Clark to his acquaintance
and good offices, “his worth entitles him to the one, and his
gratitude will merit the other.’’ Mr Clark subsequently was
appointed to a school in Forfar, and it was to Mr Clark at
Forfar that Burns, a little over three weeks before his death,
penned that pathetic letter beginning “ Still, still the victim of
affliction; were you to see the emaciated figure who now holds
the pen to you, you would not know your old friend,’’ and re-
questing him to forward by return of post another (guinea) note.
The general correspondence between Burns and Clark has not
been preserved. Mrs Clark, after her husband’s death, destroyed
them owing to their rather free language.

Then Moffat is the scene where occurred that “ handsome
apology for scrimpt nature,’’ the noted epigram on Miss Davies—

‘“ Ask why God made the gem so small, and why so huge the granite ?
Because God meant mankind should set the higher value on it.’’

The occasion of this epigram was the poet and a friend observing
Miss Davies, who was very small, riding past in company with
a lady of very portly dimensions. The lines were afterwards
inscribed on a pane of glass in the window of the room in the inn
where he and his friend were sitting.

The precise inn in Moffat which was thus honoured has
hitherto been a matter of conjecture, and although I am unable
at present to decide the matter definitely, I hope to be able to
throw some light on it that will bring it nearer solution. Some

BurRNs AND MOFFAT. 163.

of the editors of the poet’s works state the place as being the inn
or the principal inn at Moffat; others again state the Black Bull
as the place. Mr M‘Dowall, in his “ Burns in Dumfriesshire,’’
gives the Black Bull, and Mr Kemp in “ Convivial Caledonia,’’
does the same. Mr Lowe, in his “ Scots Wanderjahre,’’ gives:
the Spur Inn (now known as Proudfoot House) as the enchanted
spot, and says:—“ Here it was according to local tradition—
guide-books to the contrary—that Burns stayed briefly in the
autumn of 1788, and it was on a window of the Spur that he
«scrawled the impromptu verse.’’ None of the editors of Burns’
works, or any of the above writers on the subject, had seen the
original pane of glass, at least while it remained in the inn
window. However, we have the evidence of one individual who
had seen it. I refer to the Rev. William MacRitchie, minister of
the parish of Clunie, Perthshire, who in 1795 made a tour through
Great Britain. During this tour he kept a diary, which was pub-
lished in the year 1897. The diarist travelled on horseback,
and “left the Bield, Tweedsmuir, on Friday morning, the 26th
June, and arrived at Rae’s Inn, Moffat, to breakfast at 11
o’clock a.m., where read the following lines written on the glass
in one of the windows of the room where I breakfasted:—‘ On
seeing Mrs Kemble in the character of ‘ Yarico’ at Dumfries,
1794 :—

“Kemble, thous cur’st my unbelief of Moses and his rod,
At Yarico’s sweet notes of grief, the rock with tears had flow’d.

ied

“On being asked why God had made Miss Davies so small and
Mrs D so big :—

*«« Ask why God made the gem so small, and why so huge the granite ?
Because God meant mankind should set the higher value on it.’ ”’

The lines regarding Mrs Kemble are rather interesting as appear-
ing with Burns’ initials on the window of Rae’s Inn. According
to Allan Cunningham, the poet wrote these lines in Mrs Riddel’s
box in the Dumfries Theatre. Mrs Kemble’s first appearance at
Dumfries Theatre was in October, 1794, and we find ‘them
scratched by Burns on a window in Moffat on the 26th June of the
following year; but there is no saying how long before that date
they were inscribed. The editor of Mr MacRitchie’s tour in a
note mentions “that in all likelihood they were written at Moffat

7

164 BuRNS AND MOFFAT.

for the first time, as it was very unlikely that he would quote
himself.’? Miss Davies’ epigram has not the poet’s initials.
The diarist gives a list of “company at Moffat,’’ presumably
staying at Rae’s Inn, but he does not state so. These are Lady
Lockhart Ross; Mr Irvin, West Indian; Mr Dalziel of Glenae;
Mr Ogilvy of Chesters; Mr Hume of Bassington (Bassingdean) ;
Captain Lockhart, Royal Navy, son of the late Lord Covington,
one of the Lords of Session; Mr Paisley, banker ; Mr Carruthers
of Howmains, etc. Mr MacRitchie only rested a few hours at
Moffat, as he went on to Dumfries the same day, but he had
stayed at Moffat the previous year for a short while.

To endeavour to locate Rae’s Inn I have consulted the old
minute book of the Justices of the Peace for the county, who were
the licensing authorities for granting licenses for retailing ale,
beer, and other exciseable liquors, and I find that James Rae,
vintner, was granted a license in 1786, and that this license was
continued annually till and including 1795. The full list of
licenses granted for Moffat in 1795 were as follows:—James
Brand, in Auldhousehill ; James Rae, vintner; S. M‘Millan, mer-
chant; Alex. Craig, merchant; James Proudfoot, innkeeper ;
William Harkness; Thomas Greive, innkeeper; John Dickson,
innkeeper; Archibald Johnstone, innkeeper; Robt. Russell,
watchmaker; James Kirkpatrick, innkeeper; John Bell, flesher ;
Andrew Rutherford; Robert Murray, constable; John Murray,
shoemaker; John Lowe, gardener; Wm. Lithhead; James
Balchild, vintner ; Margaret Bell in Newbigging ; Archibald Smith
at Annan Bridge-end. In the above list there are two parties
described as vintners. At that time this description would apply
to persons who kept a superior establishment for the entertain-
ment of man and beast, to that of the ordinary inn or “ yill
hoose.’’ In these days tea was a luxury, enjoyed by common
folks on New-Year’s Day or some other “ red letter day ’’ in their
calendar, their regular beverage being ale, mostly home brewed,
while the gentry and upper classes consumed sack, Canary, and
other wines. It is most unfortunate that the licensing minutes
quoted do not give the names of the inns for which the licenses
were granted, but there can be no doubt that the vintners’
establishments would be the King’s Arms (now the Annandale
Arms) and Rae’s Inn, James Balchild being in the King’s Arms
and James Rae in his own establishment. Corroboration of the

Burns AND MOFFAT. 165

fact of the vintners being the principal inn is given in the licensing
list for 1803, where John Wrght, vintner, is granted a license.
From another source I learn that Wright was tenant of the King’s
Arms.

The present proprietor’s titles for the Spur Inn (now known
as Proudfoot House) only date from 1818. In that year the
proprietor, Alex. Craig, disposed of the property to James Carr,
Harrington, Cumberland. Alex. Craig is described in the dis-
position granted to James Carr as innkeeper, and his name
appears on the licensing list from the year 1784 till after 1795,
and in the list he is described variously as merchant or innkeeper.
As Mr Craig would be proprietor of the Spur Inn for a number
of years before he sold it, this, I think, disposes of any claim the
Spur Inn may have to the epigram. The titles to the property
prior to 1818 would in all probability be recalled by the superior,
and the existing titles granted. Nearly all the old titles in Moffat
were recalled by the superior and new titles granted in the early
decades of the 1800’s. According to the titles of the Black Bull,
which date from the year 1779, Elizabeth Duncan and John
Spence Duncan were the proprietors, and in 1786 one Archibald
Murray acquired a part interest, and it remained in their hands
till 1821. Neither the name of Duncan or Archibald Murray
appears on the licensing list (the names of a John and Robert
Murray do). It is therefore evident that the Black Bull was not
occupied by any of its proprietors, but was in the hands of a
tenant, whose name will appear on the licensing list already
given for the year 1795, but whose identity is at present unknown.
But at that time the Black Bull had no claim to being one of the
principal inns of Moffat, as it was the recognised headquarters
for the carriers’ carts, of which over 80 passed through Moffat
every week going to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries,
and Carlisle, and this characteristic it retained till the entry of
the “iron horse ’’ destroyed the carriers’ trade. With regard to
Rae’s Inn, the Raes were a well-known Moffat family, the last of
whom emigrated to Australia in the year 1848. Rae Street, a
narrow street on the west side of the High Street, next the Buc-
cleuch Hotel, derives its name from them. The Buccleuch
Hotel (it was not known by that name till after 1860) was their
property and in their occupation till they left the place, when
q they sold it to Mrs Cranstoun, at that time tenant of the Annan-

166 BuRNS AND MOFFAT.

dale Arms, and I think we may safely assume that Rae’s Inn in
1795 occupied nearly the same site. Mr Fingland, the present
owner, informs me that his titles, which date from 1799, are in
James Rae’s name. The fact of the titles not bearing an earlier
date is easily accounted for. Formerly all the buildings with
their grounds in Moffat were held from the superior on short
leaves, and from about the year 1772 till the end of the century
nearly all these leaves expired and fell again into the hands of
the superior and his successor, the Earl of Hopetoun,
who removed a great number of the buildings altogether,
and set back the building line on the west side of
High Street at least 30 feet, and then re-feued the ground again.
Mr Rae’s original title had in all likelihood lapsed, and the
present title represents the refeuing and rebuilding of the
premises, which were acquired by Mrs Cranstoun in 1848, and
afterwards altered by her to the Buccleuch Hotel, as we now
know it. The Buccleuch Hotel will be at least 30 feet back from
where the original building stood previous to 1799, Churchgate,
the entrance to the town on the Dumfries road, at that time being
only a street twelve feet wide. So that, taking into consideration
the history of this property and its connection with the Raes, the
fact that James Rae is always described as a vintner, the quality
of the visitors he accommodated, as shown by MacRitchie’s list,
all point to Rae’s Inn being a house of superior character and
accommodation, and justify the assumption that the famous
epigram was written in a building now non-existent but some-
where near the site of the present Buccleuch Hotel. It is pos-
sible that at some future time some definite information may crop
up and decide the point ; meantime I have been unable to get any
further information.

Nothing is known authentically about the further history of
the pane of glass, except that it has disappeared. ‘Tradition
asserts that it was taken away to Russia by the Czar Nicholas I.
when he visited Scotland, but a more feasible explanation may be
given. In 1779 relics of the poet were not so highly prized as
they are now, and when Rae’s old inn was removed the window
with the pane of glass would most likely disappear along with
the building.

Another of our local links with the poet is the famous
convivial song, “O, Willie brewed a peck o’ maut.’’ A number

BuRNS AND MOFFAT. 167

of the editions of the poet’s works, Allan Cunningham’s for
instance, give the scene as the Laggan in Nithsdale, a
small estate which William Nichol had bought on the advice
of the poet, and the occasion the house-heating on
Nichol’s entry into possession. All our local guide-books and
Kemp’s “ Convivial Caledonia ’’ refer it to a wayside ale-house
at Craigieburn, on the site of the house now known as Burns’
Cottage. In the chapter on “Remarks on Scottish Songs ’’
Burns refers to Moffat as the scene. “This air is Masterton’s,
the song mine. The occasion of it was this: —Mr Wm. Nichol,
of the High School, Edinburgh, during the autumn vacation
being at Moffat, honest Allan, who was at that time on a visit to
Dalswinton, and I went to pay him a visit. We had such a
joyous meeting that Mr Masterton and I agreed each in our own
way that we should celebrate the event.’’ The probable time of
this visit to Moffat is by Robert Chambers’ “ Life and Works of
Robert Burns,”’ vol. iii., p. 64, fixed between August 13th and
September 25th, 1789. There can be no dubiety about the meet-
ing taking place in Moffat, but I very much doubt of its taking
place at or near the present Burns Cottage at Craigieburn. In
the licensing court minutes already referred to the name and
address of the applicant for a license, if he resided outside the
town of Moffat, are always given. Thus John Johnstone had a
license for Auldhouse Hill, afterwards held by James Brand;
Thomas Henderson for Nethermill Burnfoot, and Archibald
Smith at Annan Bridge-end. If there had been a licensed house
at Craigieburn the name would have been mentioned. License-
holders in Kirkpatrick-Juxta, Wamphray, and Johnstone have all
their residences given as well as the name of the parish. That
being so, we may presume that place in the town of Moffat was
the scene, and here tradition asserts that it occurred in a small
inn at the Kirkyard gate. Now, in the year 1764 one Archibald
Blacklock feued a site and built a house, which in its titles is
described as bounded on its north side by “the new entrance to
the kirkyard.’’ And this individual, Archibald Blacklock (or
another of the same name), held a license according to the
minute book from 1779 to 1792, so that Archibald Blacklock’s
house fulfils all the requirements of the tradition, and unless the
existence of an ale-house at Craigieburn can be proved from some
other source we may reasonably conclude that the “three merry

168 BurNs AND MOFFAT.

boys’ held “their joyous meeting ’’ and preed the “ barley
bree ’’ till “wha last beside his chair shall fa’, he is the king
among us three,’’ in the inn beside the kirkyard gate.

There is another tradition regarding a verse-making competi-
tion between Burns and three Englishmen, which occurred on one
of his visits, but as the same story is claimed as having occurred
at several other places I do not guarantee the tale. It refers to
the tale of Burns opening the room door of an inn and drawing
back when he saw the room was occupied by three strangers, one
of whom observing Burns before he got the door closed shouted,
“Come in, Johnny Peep.’’ Burns joined the company, who
proved to be all good fellows, and a merry meeting resulted. In
the course of the sitting one of the strangers proposed that each
should write a verse of poetry and put it with half-a-crown under
the candlestick, the one producing the best verse to have his
stake returned, while the balance was to be spent in liquor to
prolong the evening’s enjoyment. The lines produced by Burns

were :—
‘* Here am I, Johnny Peep;
I saw three sheep,
And these three sheep saw me;
Half-a-crown a-piece
Will pay for their fleece,
And so Johnny Peep gets free.”’

Burns was acclaimed the victor, one of the strangers exclaiming
that he must either be Bobby Burns or the Devil, the happy party
not separating till the early hours of morning.

The place where this is said to have occurred at Moffat was
in an ale-house which would occupy the site of what is now the
Buccleuch Hotel bar; at that time it was the house adjoining
Rae’s Inn. It was firmly believed in by the late Miss Cranstoun,
of the Annandale and Buccleuch Hotels. This family came to
Moffat in 1820, and occupied the Spur Inn till 1838, when they
removed to the Annandale. And in 1820 the traditions regarding
these matters would be much fresher and stronger than they are
now, and also more reliable.

These are all the associations of Burns with Moffat of which
I am aware, and I am sorry that in discussing them there is so
little evidence to rely on, and so much which is circumstantial.
In concluding I must express my thanks to Mr M‘Kerrow, our
treasurer, in borrowing for me the Justices’ Minute Book, and to

LINCLUDEN COLLEGE, NEAR DUMFRIES.
Showing Tomb of Margaret, Countess of Douglas.

OLD BRIDAL, STONE, CROUSE FARM, KIRKCOWAN, WIGTOWNSHIRE

BurRNs AND MOFFAT. 169

the other gentlemen who kindly allowed me a reading of their
titles or gave me information about them.

ANCIENT SANITATION. By Mr J. P. SHannon, A.R.S.I.

In this paper Mr Shannon gave a succinct historical review
of sanitation from its earliest practice, referring to the early
ordinances relating to health recorded in sacred and profane
works. He pointed out the great work done by the Romans, as
revealed by their great Cloaca Maxima and other structures such
as the great aqueducts and those in their colonies. He also
referred to the use made of natural medicinal waters by the
Romans. The science of hygiene formed the subject of another
portion of the paper, and was dealt with on broad general lines.

Notes ON Birp MIGRATION IN THE DISTRICT.

Mr Robert Service contributed some valuable oral notes on
the migration of birds in the district, of which he had recently
made observation. One of the features of 1907 that would be
remembered, he said, was the very striking fact that the birds
made so extremely early an arrival from the south. There had
already been recorded the unprecedented number of five species,
all in before the end of March. The middle of April and
onwards marked the average dates for the arrival of these birds in
this district of Solway. The wheatear, the first of the five species
to arrive, generally came in the closing days of March—mostly
before March was quite out, but usually we were two or three
days into April before there was a general appearance. This
year many of them were seen along the Stewartry coast newly
arrived on the 19th March, that is, a full week before the earliest
of them were usually noted here. The ring ousel or mountain
blackbird came first perhaps among the whole of our migrants
to the hill country from the head waters of the Ken to Upper
Annandale—a country which constituted the headquarters or
metropolis of the mountain blackbird in the whole of Great
Britain. It was a species which would linger very long in the
winter months. Readers of White’s “Selborne ’’ would remem-
ber how the old naturalist saw it at Christmas on Dartmoor. He
_ (Mr Service) had many a time recorded its appearance in this

OO SS xe -”SS—<“ eS”

vr

4

170 Notes ON BirD MIGRATION IN THE DISTRICT.

district during practically the whole of the winter months, so that
it was a species which in a mild season actually would live
through the winter in Scotland, and so obviate the necessity of
migrating at all. But that observation applied rather to odd
individuals of the species; the great bulk returned to winter
quarters round the southern shores of the Mediterranean and
further to the east. It came very quickly back again, however,
and along the south of France and in the milder latitudes in the
east of Spain it arrived very early in February. This year the
first of the species were seen close to Sanquhar on 25th March,
or something like a fortnight earlier than the usual date.
Another of those species, odd members of which might occa-
sionally linger through a mild winter in the south-western corner
of England—Cornwall, Isle of Wight, and such districts—was
the chit-chaff. It was one of the three warblers which formed
such a very large proportion of the summer birds throughout
Great Britain. One or other, and in many cases the whole three,
were to be found in every district from the south of England right
up to the Shetlands. In this district we didn’t as a rule see a
chit-chaff before 15th April, but this year if was seen on 1st
April, and within three days thereafter its familiar double
note could be generally heard. The swallow and sand
martin were two really typical migrants. Many people
thought they alone were the migrating birds, and _ that
all the others were more or less stationary. He didn’t
understand how such an erroneous notion had arisen. The
swallow and sand martin came pretty often together. As a rule,
the sand martin was a day or two in advance, and nearly the
whole of the “early swallows’’ which were paragraphed in the
newspapers were in reality, not swallows, but sand martins. This
year the swallow appeared on 30th March, the earliest date that
had ever been recorded in Scotland. The same evening sand
martins were seen, and next day both species were pretty general
over the whole country. It was towards the early afternoon of
the first April before anything like large parties appeared, and
these were seen all over Galloway especially—not so many in
Dumfriesshire, except towards the western portion, but all over
western Galloway they were comparatively abundant. The
arrival of the species he had named pointed out a very interesting
circumstance, and that was that there was a migration line over-

NOTES ON Birp MIGRATION IN THE DISTRICT. 171

seas from the western portion of France and right up from Spain
which, given an uninterrupted belt of good weather in front,
would bring the birds up to the south-western portion of Scotland
days in advance of what might be expected in other districts of
the British Isles. That was a fact which he (Mr Service) had
discovered and pointed out, and it was only now being thoroughly
established. He thought he might fairly claim to have made at
least that little discovery. Mr Service closed with the narration
of a curious incident that occurred in the end of the first week of
April. It was a Saturday evening at dusk, when a very general
migration was going on all over this locality. One of his children
in walking along the road happened to hear a small party of
thrushes passing overhead, and immediately one of them fell
dead with a stone-like fall. What caused that occurrence had
been a puzzle to him ever since. He thought himself the bird
had taken some sudden illness—heart disease or some trouble of
that kind—because there were indications about it to that effect
when he dissected the body. On the other hand, there might
have been a collision among the birds in the air, as sometimes
happened in the case of starlings.

THE HospiraL oF SANQUHAR. By Mr W. M‘Mi11an.

In the latter end of the 12th century a new development of
the monastic spirit which had crept into the Church took place.
It was then that the Military Religious Orders were founded, in
which the duties of monk and soldier were combined. ‘The two
principal orders were the Knights’ Templars and the Knights of
St. John of Jerusalem. The latter had their origin in Palestine,
their aim being to protect the Christian pilgrims going to
Jerusalem. The dress of the Order consisted of a black robe
and cowl with a white cross of eight points upon the left breast.
The occupation of Jerusalem by the Europeans greatly modified
and enlarged the scheme of the “ hospitallers,’’ as these knights
came to be called. Lands and lordships in Western Europe were
bestowed on the brotherhood by crusading princes and nobles,
and, in addition to the “hospital,’’ which they managed at
Jerusalem, there were many more established throughout the
countries of the west and south of Europe. One of these
hospitals stood on the farm of Newark, in the parish of San-

172 THE HospiTaL OF SANQUHAR.

quhar, about a quarter of a mile south-east of the Royal Burgh.
It stood on the little knoll known as the “King’s Scaur,’’
between the river Nith and the “ King’s Burn.’’ Standing on
this eminence, it could easily be observed by anyone who needed
its succour or shelter. This one owed its foundation to the
Rosses of Sanquhar and Ryehill, and in all likelihood to that
Sir Robert who, as is related in a curious old metrical romance
—only a fragment of which is now extant—joined with other
Nithsdale Barons in the crusade under Richard Coeur-de-Lion,
which in 1190 set out to drive the infidel from the Holy Land.
In the interesting old ballade we are told how

“‘The stalwart Richard, England’s Gloire
To Haly Eardt was bown;
His brand he branglit sae brilzean,
He dang the dour Mahoun.

The stark and Hawtaue Maccusweel,
Then of stranid sae grene,

Had graithed him with the Holy Corse
To fare with Englande’s Kynge.

Sir Roger de Kilpatrick,
Child of Killosburns towers,
Had in his basnet heezed the corse
Zeid frae his lady’s bowers.

Sir Rab, the Ross o’ gentil Laits,
Thane of Hie Sanchar’s Peel,
On his caprousie heezed the Corse,

He stalwart was and leel.

Torthorwald’s stark and douchty wight,
Zeid with the valiant throng,

Myself graithed out in Abergown
Went in the lave amang.

In twa-score carvels frae Cockpool
We brilzean London raucht

A mighty meany valiant thrang
Wha fremit ferlies saucht.

Wi’ winsome fasche away we sailed
Far ower the sea sae braid,

At Scauderson we rowed tae swaird
For Haly Eardt we gaed.”’’

There are in all fourteen verses left of the ballad, which is
preserved in a manuscript of the late Dr Grierson, Thornhill.

Tue HospiraL OF SANQUHAR. 173

The Rosses were of Norman descent, and came to Scotland about
the 12th century. They bore as their arms—Gules, three water
budgets argent. The water budgets, bouggets, or buckets, were
worn as a badge by the Ross family, “ because,’’ says the family
historian, “they were indicative of an ancestor of the family,
who, having been engaged in the crusades, had been forced in
the desert in Palestine to fight for and carry water in leathern
vessels called budgets or bouggets, which were usually slung
across a horse’s or camel’s back.’? The coat-of-arms and the
old ballad are therefore evidences that one of the Rosses had
taken part in these old religious wars, and, what more likely
than that, “Sir Rab’”’ on his return, being full of religious zeal,
should follow the example set before him in other parts of the
country and establish an hospital under the safeguard of his own
ramparts? Whether this institution was established as early as
the crusades or not, it was nevertheless an ancient foundation,
for in 1296 Bartholomew-de-Eglisham, its chaplain and superin-
tendent, swore fealty to Edward I. of England at Berwick-on-
Tweed, where so many of the nobility and clergy took the oath
of allegiance that thirty-five skins of parchment were required
to hold their names. On one of the rolls the name “ Bartholo-
mew-de-Eglisham, chapeleyn gardein de novel lew de Sene-
whare,’’ occurs immediately before “Patrick or Matthew de
Parton del comte de Dumfries.’’ At this period the Grand
Master of both the Hospitaller and Templar Orders submitted
to Edward I. This Bartholomew was in all probability a
Norman, as many of that race were to be found in the Churches
' of Scotland at that period. The country was then in a very
unsettled state, and the brethren doubtless did their share in
civilising those who lived in the valley. The monks were drawn
chiefly from England, a country which was at that time in a
much more advanced stage of civilisation than the wilder Scot-
land. Not only had they to heal the sick and preach the Gospel,
but some of them were skilled in the manufactures of the day,
and many occupations till then unknown were commenced, to
the benefit of the district generally. The hospital at Newark
was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, to whom many hospitals
were dedicated. The church or chapel attached to it was,
however, dedicated to St. Nicholas, the saint whom the children
of to-day remember as “Santa Claus.’’ The principal fair of

174 Tue HospiraAL OF SANQUHAR.

the Royal Burgh of Sanquhar was fixed for the 22nd June, the
festival day of St. Mary, so it may be that the Hospitallers had
some influence in fixing that date. The Church of St. Nicholas
seems to have been in existence until the Reformation, for in the
Register of Deeds there is a decreet aribitral between John
Chrichton of Ryehill and Edward Lord Chrichton of Sanquhar
ordaining the former to pay to Mr Robert Chrichton, parson of
Sanquhar, as chaplain of St. Nicholas, Newark, £40 yearly.
(It was this Robert Chrichton who, in 1562, was committed to
ward in Perth for having celebrated the mass in Sanquhar Parish
Church.) Edward Lord Chrichton succeeded his brother ‘n
1562, so that St. Nicholas Church must have been in existence
then.
TRACES OF THE BUILDING.

Though all trace of the building is now gone on the surface,
there is no doubt but that if excavations were made the founda-
tions would be laid bare, for when the field was ploughed some
time ago some large stones from the building were turned over.
There are also many stones in the dykes around, which seem
to have belonged to a building of some importance. In the
roadside dyke at Castlemains were many sculptured stones, which
were supposed to have come from the hospital, but these were
removed about ten years ago to the Old Castle by the late
Marquis of Bute. These stones did not seem to have belonged
to the Castle, as no others like them were to be found on the
building, nor were any found around except a few which had
probably found their way there from the hospital also. There is
also a finely carved head built into the wall of a house known as
“The Ark’’ at the Townfoot. This is also thought to have
come from Newark. A little while ago one of the stones from
a Gothic window was dislodged by a flood, and now lies on the
river-side beside the site of the institution. The writer of the
statistical account of the parish of Sanquhar in 1793 says :—
“Near the residence of the Rosses (Ryehill) there seems to have
been a large pile of building, perhaps the Hospital of Senewhare,
a religious foundation, though this cannot be ascertained.
Several of the stones of a Gothic figure are built into the walls
and windows of houses near where this edifice once stood.
There is also in the open field a large font or rock basin.
Human bones have been found in digging and ploughing up the

Tue HospiraL OF SANQUHAR. 175

field in which it stands, and a key of enormous size much con-
sumed with rust was found about twenty years ago, and is now
lost. In his “ History of Sanquhar ’’ (1853) Dr Simpson says :—
“Tf a conjecture may be hazarded, we may suppose that the
church at the west end of Sanchar—(the one erected on the
site of the present Parish Church)—took its rise in Celtic times,
and that the church at the east end of which nothing now
remains originated with the family of Ross, on whose lands it
was reared. It seems that there was a church and churchyard
before the hospital was erected on the spot, and that the Rosses
endowed it.’? Whether this conjecture of the Doctor be
correct or not it is impossible now to tell. Many years ago a
tombstone bearing the following inscription was unearthed not
far from the site of the hospital :—

Hir Lyes

The Gude Sir John Ross of Ryehill;
Hir lyes
The Gude, Gude Sir John Ross of Ryehill;
Hir lyes
The Gude, Gude, Gude Sir John Ross of Ryehill.

This stone is now lost.

In addition to this establishment at Sanquhar there were
others belonging to the Hospitallers throughout Dumfriesshire.
Traces of the Order are to be found at Ruthwell, where they had
their preceptory ; at Spitalfield, near Dumfries ; at Howspital and
Spitalrigging, near Annan, and at Trailtrow, in Annandale; but
their largest institution was that at Sanquhar. In his “ History
of Dumfries ’’ the late Mr M‘Dowall, in speaking of the Knights
Hospitallers, says:—*“ Their largest hospital in the county grew
up under the shadow of Sanquhar Castle, on the northern bank
of the Nith. Many years after all traces of it had disappeared
the plough turned up numerous relics of its inmates, the moulder-
ing memorials of a brotherhood who were men of note in their
day, though they are now all but forgotten throughout the district
—a fate which they share in common with their more dis-
tinguished fraters, the military monks of the Temple.’’ These
establishments flourished for about three centuries, but gradually
fell into decay. Some are inclined to think that the Reformation
was to blame for the destruction of such edifices, but this is
hardly correct. As the late Marquis of Bute, in his “ Essays on

176 THE HospPiITaAL OF SANQUHAR.

Home Subjects,’’ points out, these ecclesiastical buildings had
suffered by neglect in the years preceding 1560, as well as from
English soldiers in times of invasion. Mr M‘Dowall in his work
quoted above states that “ at the Reformation, the property being
secularised, Ross of Ryehill is said to have secured a consider-
able portion of it.’’ This is, to say the least, very doubtful.
The last of the Rosses in Upper Nithsdale was Isobel de Ross,
who married William-de-Crichton about 1350. At the time of
the Reformation Ryehill was held by a branch of the Crichton
family. The sick cared for within these institutions were gene-
rally those afflicted with the terrible scourge, leprosy; which was
at that early period very prevalent, and which claimed many
victims. (It was of this disease that King Robert the Bruce died
in 1329.) The want of cleanliness, of vegetables, of
fresh meat in winter, but above all the terrible hard-
ships to which some of our countrymen were exposed concurred
to make leprosy as common in Scotland then as it is in some
Eastern countries to-day. At these places, too, travellers who
needed shelter could rest for the night in something the same way
as travellers do to-day at the Hospices among the Alps. It cer-
tainly seems a little strange to us with our modern ideas of
sanitation and public health that a hospital for lepers should be
used also as a hotel for travellers, but in those days such things
do not seem to have troubled our fathers.

ADDENDUM TO “ OLD PusBLic LiBRARIES,’’ Voi. XVII., P. 39.
By Mr G. W. Suir ey.

The Society Library was dispersed by auction in Edinburgh
on the 15th and 16th March, 1875. Mr W. Macmath, Edinburgh,
possesses a copy of the sale catalogue, and bought at the sale what
was believed for long to be the only copy of Burnside’s History
(Catalogue number, 73, Folio). Mr Macmath now has that copy
and another similar one which had been in the possession of
William Bennet, editor of the Dumfries Monthly Magazine. The
original History by Burnside is now in the possession of the
Society.

177

Pie Dp NVLEE PINGS.

18th May, 1907.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)
AMISFIELD TOWER AND TORTHORWALD.

The first of the season’s field meetings of the Dumfriesshire
and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society took place
on Saturday afternoon, when a party numbering twenty-eight
paid a visit to Amisfield Tower and Torthorwald Castle. The
day was pleasant for driving, and the wayside trees, with their
various stages of leafage, afforded material for interesting ob-
servation. At Amisfield Tower a hospitable reception awaited
the visitors at the hands of Mr and Mrs Farish. The many
handsome trees in the policies were greatly admired. In the
extensive and trimly kept walled garden are two apple trees on
which mistletoe is growing—on one of them a many-branched
plant. Several cherry trees, covered with a close mass of
blossom, presented a particularly beautiful sight.

Attention was chiefly directed to the old tower, which adjoins
the mansion-house to the north. It is externally in perfect
preservation, and in the interior the winding stone stair is intact
from the basement right up to the little watch-box, or “cape
tower,’’ perched high on the top of the south-east angle tower,
from which a magnificent prospect can be obtained. It com-
mands a long stretch of the Solway shore, which would be the
quarter from which danger was chiefly to be apprehended in the
days when the owner of the tower and his retainers had figura~
tively at least to sleep with spur and spear. A good many of the
original wooden beams survive, but in a decayed state; and the
inaccessible corners were on Saturday vocal with the chirp of
adolescent jackdaws. There has been a castle of Amisfield, or

178 Fietp MEETINGS.

Hempisfield, as it is sometimes styled in early documents, since
the twelfth century ; but the tower now standing is of later date.
The main building is a square keep, of three storeys, basement,
and attic, built of whinstone, each storey consisting of a single
large apartment, with some subsidiary accommodation; but its
height is greatly increased by projecting turrets, which add to it
also a very picturesque feature. These turrets are of red sand-
stone ; and the south front of the tower, in which is the entrance,
is enriched with door and window settings of freestone, elabo-
rately carved. They are square in form, but at a little distance
above each is a rough circular arch in the whinstone. This may
either indicate that the richer work is a late insertion in an older
building, or it may be that the arch was formed to protect the
freestone lintel from the superincumbent weight, which, even as
it is, has proved too heavy in one instance and has cracked the
lintel. On the same front are two shields in freestone, marriage
stones, commemorating Sir John Charteris and his wife, Agnes
Maxwell, daughter of John, Lord Herries (first of the Maxwells
to bear that title). The husband’s shield, with a plain saltire,
bears the initials I. C. and the date 1600. On the other the three
hedgehogs of Herries are carved on two quarters, and in the
others a label of three points ; surmounted by the initials A. M.
and the same date. A massive door from the tower, which is
now in the Antiquarian Museum in Edinburgh, also bears the
date 1600 and a representation of the incident of Samson rending
the lion’s jaw. The following detailed description of the tower
we take from Messrs Ross and M‘Gibbon’s valuable work on
“The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland,’’
viz. :—

“This striking tower is situated on level ground above the
steep bank of a stream about four miles from Dumfries, and
near the station of Amisfield. It is one of the most picturesque
of the late tower-built houses in the country. In plan it is a
simple parallelogram, 31 feet 6 inches by 29 feet. The ground
floor contains the entrance door and a straight stair to the first
floor. It has one vaulted apartment, forming the usual cellar
or store, and a smaller cellar next the entrance door, which may
have been a guard-room. The first floor comprises the hall, 21
feet long by 15 feet wide, with large fireplace, almouries, etc.,
as usual. The recess adjoining the staircase seems to have been

FieLD MEETINGS. 179

partitioned off as a separate chamber. One small cupboard has
a little window to the outside, and may have been a place for
keeping victuals in. This hall was probably used as a kitchen
and servants’ hall. The second floor contains the more im-
portant upper hall or proprietor’s living room, having windows on
all sides, some of them provided with stone seats in the ingoings.
There are also a garde-robe and almouries in the thickness of
the walls. This room is only 22 feet by 21 feet. Above the first
floor the staircase is carried up in a circular turret, corbelled out
from the square angle, about seven feet from the ground. Over
the corbelling there is a door by which access could be obtained
to the tower without opening the strong doors and defences of
the lower doorway. This door would probably also be con-
nected with the enclosing wall of the courtyard. The way in
which the outer circle of the stair turret is managed shows a
little straining after effect. The third floor was evidently the
proprietor’s family bedroom. There is access from it by a few
steps to the angle turrets at three of the angles. The form of
these is unusual, from their being composed of a corbelled pro-
jection, partly circular and partly square. Each turret is pro-
vided with shot-holes, so that the face of the walls is protected
on all sides. Above this floor the stair turret is made square
in plan, and is overhung in a very extraordinary manner, the
whole turret being very skilfully corbelled out from and balanced
on the plain square angle of the ground floor. Above the third
floor there is an attic room of the same dimensions. A small
corbelled turret in the angle of the main staircase contains a very
narrow stair to the attic floor and to two rooms (one above the
other) immediately over the main staircase. These rooms are
9 feet by 8 feet. Still higher than this, and overhung and
balanced on the apex of the gable, are two stories, and a still
smaller stair than the last leading to the “ cape-house ”’ or watch-
tower, about 6 feet by 5 feet, forming the highest point of the
building. Altogether this building affords a fine and telling
example of the love of corbelling so prevalent in the fourth
period of Scottish architecture. The windows are much more
enriched than usual, and the enrichments all show the tendency,
then so common, of reverting to the early types. Round the
windows we find the dog tooth; the top of the tower shows the
billet and cable, while the projecting dormer has the cable and

1

180 FIELD MEETINGS.

guilloch combined with the small shafts and corbels so common
in Scottish architecture at that time. This is probably the most
striking example of the adherence to the old keep plan, so re-
markable in Scotland, while its external appearance is so entirely
altered by the multiplicity of the turrets and ornaments piled up
upon it as almost completely to conceal its origin.’’

The fireplaces both of the first and seccnd floor are flanked
by pillars of Norman style, and of a character too ornamental
to support the idea that the first floor formed servants’ quarters.

The estate of Amisfield was in possession of the Charteris
family from the twelfth century until quite recent times. It was
sold by George Charteris, who died in 1861, to John Irving, a
planter in Jamaica, and has since passed through several hands.
The family has long also been established in the east of Scotland,
and is now represented in the female line by the Earl of Wemyss,
whose family name is Charteris Douglas, and whose seat near
Haddington is named after the Dumfriesshire property Amisfield
House. A Charteris of Amisfield was witness to a grant of lands
in Annandale made to Robert the Bruce by William the Lion in
1165. In 1298 a successor, Andrew Charteris, after having
sworn fealty to King Edward, became suspect, and his “ Castle
of Amisfield and land of Drumgrey ”’ were gifted by Longshanks
to the Earl of Warwick, and landed estate in England belonging
to him was also forfeited. It was not a long alienation, however,
as he made his peace with the English King in 1304; and he
managed to keep his estates notwithstanding that he joined Bruce
in the enterprise inaugurated at Dumfries less than two years
later. It was a family prominent in Border wars. The head of
the house fought for James III. at Sauchieburn, and incurred
another forfeiture, which, however, was annulled. The Sir John
whose marriage stone is set in the front of the tower was
associated with his father-in-law that was to be (Lord Herries) in
a royal commission to establish order on the Borders after the
clan battle of Dryfesands, in 1593. A Charteris of Amisfield
frequently sat in the Scotch Parliaments of the seventeenth
century, and Sir John was associated with Grier of Lagg in the
persecution of the Covenanters. We don’t know whether it is to
that period that the origin of the family ghost is referable. It
takes in legend the form of a headless lady dressed in white ;

i
Pa

FietD MEETINGS. 181

but it is disappointing that no modern record exists of her
appearance.

James V. and James VI. were both visitors to Amisfield.
In the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh are shown two posts of
bed which the latter sovereign is said to have occupied during one
of his journeys to England. A visit of the earlier James is
associated with the story of a dramatic personal exercise of his
prerogative as the fountain of justice. | While on a progress
through the borders, it is said, he received a complaint that
Charteris had turned a deaf ear to a poor widow’s appeal for help
when a party of English raiders had carried off her son and two
cows, that formed her whole living. Leaving his retinue at a
distance, he approached Amisfield alone, tethered his horse to a
tree, and going to the door on foot, he there “ tirled at the pin.”’
Charteris was at dinner and refused to be disturbed. Even when
the porter was bribed to carry a message that the English had
come over the Border and the beacon should be lighted, he
threatened the fate of Haaman to any who should dare again to
disturb him. Then King James blew his horn, summoned his
men, and sent in a message that he had been refusing admission
to “the Gudeman of Ballengeich.’’ All then was obsequiousness
on the part of the baron, but he was told that he must rescue
the widow’s son and restore to her tenfold what she had lost, or
he would be hung as high as Haaman. An ancient stump is
still pointed out in the grounds as the remnant of the tree that
served his Majesty for a tethering post.

A little way west of the tower is a camp, in form of an oval
shaped piece of slightly raised land, surrounded with ditch and
rampart, and on it are some stones suggestive of foundations of
buildings. It is possible that there is here the site of the original
castle of Amisfield. In the “ Statistical Account of Dumfries-
shire ’’ it is suggested that this “ may possibly have been a Roman
station, where a cohort or two may occasionally have been placed.
What renders this more probable is that the old Roman road from
Burnswark by Trailflat passed close by.”’

Before leaving Amisfield a short business meeting was held
under the presidency of Dr Martin, Holywood. The Rev. A. G.
M’‘Kinnon, Lochmaben, and Mr J. R. Wilson, solicitor, San-
quhar, expressed the thanks of the society to Mr and Mrs Farish
for the opportunity afforded to see the interesting old tower and

182 FIELD MEETINGS.

for their kindly hospitality; and Mr Farish, in reply, expressed
the pleasure which the visit had afforded them.

Driving by way of Tinwald Parks, the party next proceeded
to Torthorwald ; and there they were met by the Rev. J. Marjori-
banks Campbell, who communicated to them some notes regard-
ing the old castle and its history. It occupies a commanding
position, overlooking the valley of the Lochar and the town of
Dumfries. Acres of Lochar Moss, near to its western extremity,
are at this season covered with the white tufts of the cotton grass ;
and as seen from the height it presented the appearance of a field
of snow dotted with gaunt Scotch firs. Only a fragment of the
castle remains, and there is no access to its upper floors ; but it is
pleasing to observe that further decay is being arrested and some
judicious work of preservation has been undertaken by the pro-
prietor, Mr D. Jardine Jardine of Applegarth. The walls have
been of great thickness, nine and ten feet, and in some places
apparently even more; and the inner packing has been of rough
stone mixed with burned shell lime, forming a mass almost as hard
asrock. Fragments of shells can still be detected in the mortar.
Mr Campbell suggested a Saxon origin of the name, and that it
meant the tower of Thor in the Wood. It was a square tower of
two vaulted storeys, basement, and attic rooms, measuring some
51 feet by 28 feet, and 45 feet high from the ground to the apex
of the second storey. There has been a circular staircase in the
north-east angle. The castle was last repaired as a place of
residence in 1630. The roof is stated to have been still standing
in 1790. Mr M‘Dowall places Torthorwald in the second class
of the castles of the district, but its extensive earthwork fortifica-
tions entitle it to rank even with those of the first class. The
large raised courtyard is protected by its steep sides, and also by
a deep ditch, still wonderfully intact; and beyond this again lay
a tract of marsh and an earthen rampart. About 1124 John de
Soulis received of Bruce the barony of Torthorwald. It passed
by marriage into the hands of the Kirkpatricks, and was there-
after in the hands of the Carlyles from 1357 to 1570. One of
that family, Sir William de Carlyle, married Lady Margaret
Bruce, sister of King Robert. His son received a charter of
the lands of Calyn and Roucan. His descendant, William de
Carlyle, was created Lord Torthorwald, and in 1443 he pre-
sented a bell to the parish church of Dumfries, which is now

oe
= a

FIELD MEETINGS. 183

preserved in the Observatory. The title fell into abeyance in
1579. It was revived by a new creation in favour of Sir James
Douglas of Parkhead, who had married a grand-daughter of the
last of the Carlyle barons. This Sir James it was who assassi-
nated the Earl of Arran, ex-Regent, and set his head on a lance
on the battlements of Torthorwald, in revenge for the death of
his father, the Regent Morton, whom Arran had brought to the
block. About 1640 the estate was sold to the first Viscount
Dalrymple, and it continued in the Queensberry family until the
time of the eighth Marquis, by whom it was sold to the late Mr
Jardine of Dryfeholm. The title of Lord Torthorwald was re-
vived in 1793 by the Carlyle family, whose last male descendant
died in London several years ago.

During the Carlyle regime a royal charter was granted to
John, Lord Torthorwald, in 1743, erecting the town of Torthor-
wald into a free burgh of barony, to be called “ Carleill,’’ with
a weekly market and right to have “ baxters, brousters, fleshers,’’
and workmen in arts and trades; but a thinly-sown wayside line
of cottages, dwindled in numbers of recent years, attests the
failure to realise the project.

20th June, 1907.
(From the Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser.)
ORCHARDTON.

On Saturday afternoon, through the kindness of Mr and Mrs
W. D. Robinson-Douglas, a company of over thirty members of
the Society were privileged to visit the beautiful grounds of
Orchardton. The company journeyed by rail to Dalbeattie,
where they were joined by a few of the Galloway members of
the Society. Brakes were in waiting at the station to drive the
party to Orchardton. The day was all that could be desired,
and, the sun shining brightly, the country was looking its love-
liest. The drive was by way of Munches, Kirkennan, and Pal-
nackie, and the company were loud in their praises of the
romantic and beautiful scenery. On arrival at Orchardton
House, the visitors were most courteously received by Mr and

184 FIELD MEETINGS.

Mrs Robinson-Douglas, who were accompanied by Mr and Mrs
Ovens of Torr and Professor Scott-Elliot and Mrs Scott-Elliot
of Newton. The party were first shown Mr Robinson-Douglas’s
notable collection of beetles—a collection stated by Professor
Scott-Elliot, the president of the society, to be one of the best
private collections in the country. The company also had the
privilege of seeing a beautiful collection of photographs by Mrs
Robinson-Douglas. There was a fine array of Galloway books,
in which the company were much interested. One is a manu-
script record of an action at law brought by “Sir Robert Max-
well of Orchyardtoun, Bart., against Sir Thomas Maxwell,
Barbara and Agnes Maxwell, and others,’’ and which dragged
its course through the courts for a period of sixteen years. This
Sir Robert was “ The Wandering Heir ’”’ of Miss Goldie’s “ Recol-
lections,’’ who, reared in France and entering the French army,
came to this country as a soldier of Prince Charlie. He
narrowly escaped being shot at Dumfries, where he was captured
after the slaughter of Culloden, made his way back to France,
then returned to this country and began a legal process to eject
the cousin who was in possession of his estate. The trouble
dated back to the time of Sir Robert Maxwell, fifth of Orchard-
ton, who, dying in 1729, had settled the estate on heirs male of
his second marriage, to the exclusion of an older son, and stipu-
lated in the settlement that if any of the heirs should be Popish
and profess the Romish religion they should be debarred and the
right of succession should pass to the next in blood being a
Protestant. Sir Robert, prior to raising his suit, subscribed the
formula against Popery, and alleged that at the time of his
father’s death he was a minor, not in a position to make his elec-
tion of religion, and that he had been purposely reared a Roman
Catholic and kept out of the way. He won his plea, but the
year before his death (which occurred in 1786) he was obliged to
sell the estate, being one of many Scottish landed proprietors
who were involved in the failure of the Ayr bank of Douglas &
Heron. The purchaser of Orchardton was Mr James Douglas,
great-grandfather of Mr Robinson-Douglas, who, along with
his brother Sir William (founder of the towns of Castle-Douglas
and Newton-Stewart and builder of Gelston Castle), was a
prosperous London and American merchant. A striking portrait
of the old gentleman, by Raeburn, is one of a series of family

FIELD MEETINGS. 185

portraits, which, with other valuable paintings, adorn the walls
of Orchardton.

Professor Scott-Elliot accompanied the visitors through the
beautiful gardens and hothouses, pointing out and explaining
many rare and valuable plants. Placed in a highly favoured
situation for the growth of comparatively tender plants, and
lending themselves, by their picturesque position, to the adorn-
ment prompted by a refined taste, the gardens and grounds at
Orchardton are particularly attractive, both in their arrangement
and in the plants to be found there. Since Mr Robinson-
Douglas succeeded to the estate many improvements in these
have been effected. The grounds are now amongst the most
beautiful in the Stewartry, and they were much admired by the
party. The avenue, bordered on either side by handsome trees,
is also beautified by large masses of rhododendrons, not quite
past bloom when the party visited Orchardton. At the garden
front there are also many large beds of azaleas, which were still
in bloom on Saturday. Here, and elsewhere in the grounds, are
many choice shrubs, several of which are not to be met with
elsewhere in the Stewartry, and some bloom well here which are
not to be found elsewhere in Scotland in flower. The botanical
members of the party were much interested in some buddleias,
among them being the rare colvillei, which has flowered at
Orchardton for the first time, and whose flowering is probably
unique in Scotland. Another rare plant in this country is one of
the crinodendrons (Tricuspidaria lanceolata), a beautiful shrub,
with large crimson flowers on long pendant stalks. It is only

_ hardy in a few favoured places in Scotland. This is grown in
the rock garden, which is a beautiful little spot, furnished with
many choice rock plants and shrubs, such as bamboos, Japanese
maples, the New Zealand broom (called Notospartium Car-
michzlae), cytisuses, and a host of others, arranged in a natural
Way among the rocks, through which little runnels trickle, widen-
ing out into small pools in which gold fish disport themselves,
and some of the smaller exotic water lilies grow. A small
artificial lake has also been constructed here, and this is
margined with choice moisture-loving plants; while the water
hawthorn or aponageton and a number of the new hybrid water
lilies flower freely in the pond. In the shrubberies and on the
walls are many choice things, such as the New Zealand

r

‘a

186 FIELD MEETINGS.

Edwardsia, new Deutzias and mock oranges, the Californian
carpentaria, which blooms well; many fine roses, and a great
number of rare and beautiful plants from Chili, New Zealand,
North America, &c. Herbaceous plants are also largely culti-
vated, among the most noteworthy of these being Eremurus
himalaicus, a lilywort from Turkestan. The more formal parts
of the garden were backward on account of the wet season, but
the fruit and vegetables, like the other parts of the gardening
department, reflected great credit on Mr P. Wilson, the head
gardener. The greenhouses greatly delighted the company, and
a splendid bougainvillea, with a superb plant of a near ally of
the potato, from Costa Rica, called Solanum Wendlandi, specially
delighted the horticulturists of the party. A number of the com-
pany visited the shore under the guidance of Professor Scott-
Elliot, whose botanical knowledge was of the highest value to
the party, and examined a number of native plants which grow
there.

Coming out into the open beyond the gardens, a splendid
view was had of Almorness Bay, with Heston Island in the fore-
ground, and, away in the distance, the Cumberland coast line.
Interesting features here were the various beaches, the Professor
pointing out how the sea had gradually receded from the shore.

On returning to the mansion-house, the visitors were sumptu-
ously entertained to tea.

Professor Scott-Elliot said, before they parted, he had a
few words to say, with which they would all agree—that they
should accord a very hearty vote of thanks to Mr and Mrs
Robinson-Douglas for having so kindly permitted them to come
down there that day. (Applause.) The district was not only
historically interesting, but the gardens, as they must all have
perceived, were simply crammed with rare plants from Chili,
Japan, Palestine, and Eastern Europe, and, in fact, from all
over the world. Nobody who had the smallest practical know-
ledge of gardening could but be aware of the time and trouble
entailed in providing and keeping in good order such a collec-
tion. The charm there was that every plant seemed to have been
consulted as to what it liked best, where it would like to grow,
and then it was discovered how to make them join in one
harmonious whole, and blend so artistically together. The
gardens would be very difficult to match anywhere in the

FieLD MEETINGS. 187

world. In addition to the gardens they had also been
privileged to view the rich collection of bettles made by
Mr Robinson-Douglas—a much better and larger individual
collection than in any other district of Scotland. It was a very
valuable scientific work, which he was afraid was being neglected
as a study of these different groups of insects, fungi, etc. Not so
long ago there seemed to have been more people who took up
and studied one special group. Now, he thought that they, as a
society, should go in strongly for the different groups of natural
history, and that they ought to specialise more, and really make
some serious effort to study these groups more than they had done
lately. He asked them to give both Mr and Mrs Robinson-
Douglas a hearty vote of thanks, not only for their kindness in

_ asking them there, but also for taking such trouble and care
in making the day so interesting as it had been.

Mr William Dickie seconded. They had seen a very beauti-
ful place under the best of auspices, and they had had the advan-
tage of having the guidance of a gentleman who was the creator
—in a secondary sense, but still in a very real sense—of the
beautiful scene. They had also had the advantage of’ the
guidance of Professor Scott-Elliot and Mr Arnott—two gentlemen
who were thoroughly experienced, and who had the tact and
ability to impart the knowledge they possessed.

Mr Robinson-Douglas said he would just like to thank the

_members, in Mrs Douglas’s name and his own, for the very kind
way in which they had received the remarks by Professor Scott-
Elliot and Mr Dickie. It was a great pleasure to them. both to
see them there that day, and to be able in any way to interest
them in the various things they had at Orchardton. What was
the greatest pleasure of all was that those who were really
acquainted with the various branches should see what they could
there, and be able to enjoy themselves. He had been privileged
to compare notes with some of them, and it was very interesting
to know even the little he did know, and to have some knowledge
of the much greater researches that might be made. It was
perhaps a much better plan, as their president had suggested,
that there should be a little more specialising in natural history.
The subject, from every point of view, was too vast ever to be
accomplished by any one individual. There was an immense
deal in the Stewartry and Dumfriesshire yet to be discovered

&

188 FieL_p MEETINGS.

which was in the hands of their society to do, and might be
carried out in a more useful and scientific and elaborate degree
than he had been able to do. He understood the party were
now going from the new Orchardton to the old one. That
carried the history of the name back a good many centuries,
away back early in the fifteenth century. The previous name of
the place was Irisbuttle, and it was not clear when the name
Orchardton first appeared. At anyrate it had been the name
now since early in the fifteenth century. They would see the
site of the old house which was inhabited up till about 1760, or
something like that. Round the tower there a considerable
amount of controversy had been raised, and about which a good
many theories had been started. He thought it was now almost
certainly decided that it was similar, although of an unusual
shape, to the ordinary keep or peel tower that belonged to the
large mass of the houses in the country at that time. Its chief
interest was that it was round instead of square. It was of con-
siderable antiquity, even for towers of that kind. Although not
much remained now, there,was just enough to see where the
rooms had been, and what they were used for in times of
emergency. He hoped it would be of interest to them, passing
from the present to the past. (Applause.)

The company then entered the brakes, and were driven to
the Round Tower. Perhaps the best account of the tower is that
given in “A History of the Family of Cairnes or Cairns and its
Connections,’’ by H. C. Lawlor. The author traces the history
of this family in its various branches. Alexander Carnys, the
Provost of Lincluden, who died in 1422, during the term of his
office, had accumulated considerable property in the Stewartry,
Orchardton being one of the possessions of the family. Here
John Cairns erected a residence. Mr Lawlor says:—“ That he
was a man of strong original ideas and strong individuality of
taste there can be little doubt. The castle which he built was
unique in Galloway, and almost so in all Britain. It consisted
of a rectangular block measuring about 80 feet by 60 feet. The
height cannot be estimated, as of this portion of the castle only a
fragment of the strong arched basement remains. But, from the
depth of fallen masonry within the four walls, it could be esti-
mated that the building was of considerable height. However, a
remarkable feature of the castle was a massive circular peill at

FIELD MEETINGS. 189

the end of the main building, and communicating therewith by an
arched doorway on the first floor. The remarkable structure
has withstood the ravages of time to a wonderful extent, and
while the original woodwork has disappeared, the masonry is
almost intact. The basement consists of a vaulted chamber of
small dimensions. The walls of the basement are almost eight
feet thick. This chamber or dungeon is entered by a doorway
communicating with the outside, but the stone work round the
doorway being of a much more recent date than the castle itself,
indicates that originally the dungeon was entered only by a trap
door in the vaulted roof which forms the floor of the first storey.
The first floor of the peill was the entrance hall of the castle, and
round the walls are remains of carving which indicate that it was
originally handsomely decorated. The floors above the entrance
hall were of timber, and have long since disappeared. The
main entrance, which is approached externally by a flight of
steps, has an arched doorway formerly leading into the rectangu-
lar dwelling portion of the castle, which has now fallen away.
The walls on the first floor measure six feet in thickness,
and the side door from the hall leads to a circular
staircase, built in the thickness of the wall, to the
upper floors and the roof, which has a flagged path-
way, some eighteen inches wide, surrounded by battlements, still
in fair preservation. . . . It is quite probable there was a
castle on this spot before 1456, but there is no doubt that the
circular tower and other improvements were added about this
period by John Cairnis, who made this his residence, giving it the
name of Orchardton, the name by which the lands of the present
estate shortly afterwards came to be known. Orchardton is first
mentioned as the residence of John Cairnis in the records of
1467. The round peill was an object of renown through Scot-
land, and is still visited by many tourists and antiquaries.

All accounts seem to unite in overlooking the fact that the tower
was merely a stronghold or keep of a larger residence, now
almost entirely demolished by the ravages of centuries.’’ In the
wall of the first storey of the tower is a recessed apartment, with
an arched framework of light-coloured sandstone and Gothic
design, and set into it is a carved stone, hollowed on the upper
surface and with a small central hole, which is obviously a
fragment of a piscina. This suggests that the apartment had

190 FiretD MEETINGS.

been used for ecclesiastical as well as residential purposes. A
tradition sayg that this stone was taken from the ancient chapel of
Kirkmirren, of which the site is pointed out near Potterland.

After a short stay at the Tower, the homeward journey was
resumed, Dalbeattie being reached shortly before eight o’clock,
after a delightful day’s enjoyment.

NaTIvVE PLANTS FOUND AT ORCHARDTON.

Professor Scott-Elliot adds the following notes:—Amongst
the more interesting wild plants may be mentioned the Spearwort,
Ranunculus Lingua, Myriophyllum spicatum, and Carex
Pseudocyperus, all of which were in flower in or near the small
pond by the house. Along the seashore there was a beautiful
example of Armeria mudflats, composed, besides Thrift, of
Glaux, Aster Tripolium, Plantago lanceolatus, Cochlearia,
Triglochin palustre, and several Scirps and Rushes. _ Still more
interesting was the enormous extent of mud covered at high tide
whereon hundreds of tiny plants of Salicornia herbacea could
be observed. Amongst other plants were Potentilla reptans
and Sherardia arvensis growing in the park below the house.
The Skullcap and Cow Wheat are also common, but members
had not time to make an exhaustive list.

13th July, 1907.
CAPENOCH.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)

What scientists there may be in the counsels of the Natural
History and Antiquarian Society did not justify their prescience
when they fixed upon Saturday last for a Mid-Nithsdale excur-
sion. The day proved to be another dripper sandwiched between
one of those rare dry blinks that had still the touch of a snell
spring in their evening temperature and the broiling days that we
are all hoping mean the advent of a real though belated summer.
Climatic miscalculations notwithstanding, however, they made
a very pleasant afternoon of it, and they saw much to excite their
interest and to extend their acquaintance with nature. In view

Fietp MEETINGS. 191

of the wet condition of the fields, a proposed climb of Tynron
Doon was dropped from the program, and instead the company
gave a short time to a visit to the museum in Thornhill, which is
still known by the name of its founder, Dr Grierson. There they
were impressed with the methodical arrangement of the extensive
and miscellaneous collection, and with the orderly and cleanly
manner in which everything is kept. Occasional gifts still swell
the contents of the museum, among the latest being a very exten-
sive collection of bird eggs given by Mrs Dickson, late of
Dabton. Mr P. Stobie, in name of the society, tendered to Mr
Kerr, the curator, their thanks for his kindness in permitting
them to see the museum and in piloting them through it, and also
through the grounds, which are rich alike in botanical and anti-
quarian interest.

Driving from Thornhill to Capenoch, the party were hospi-
tably received by Mr and Mrs Hugh S. Gladstone, who had
driven over from their own residence of Lann Hall to do the
honours of the house. There being a lull in the rainstorm, the
“mere males ’’ for the most part elected to accompany Mr Glad-
stone on a tramp up the hill to the Far Loch, through the wood
by “the Picts’ Cairn,’’ and back by way of the home farm. And
it was a walk replete with pleasure. The beautiful ornamental
grounds end in a gem of a pond fringed with rhododendrons,
eucalyptus, and various trees. A belt of hard wood is traversed,
passing on the way a square-shaped sheet of water, haunt of the
heron and the curlew. Then the path leads along a hillside
planted with young larch; and we emerge at a narrow, sinuous
sheet of water, known as the Far Loch—because, we suppose, of
its situation, furthest from the mansion-house—and which forms
a paradise for the birds, in the observation and photographing
of which Mr Gladstone finds an engrossing pursuit. Here are

found wild duck, teal, wigeon, little grebe, and an occasional
pochard. A pair of carrion crows nest regularly in a clump of
firs on its margin, but care is taken not to allow them to multiply.
A pair of oyster catchers or sea pyets have lately been frequent-
ing the lower lochs, indicating that this bird, which is found in
great flocks on the Solway shore, is coming inland to nest. The
wigeon does not nest here yet. The curious floating nest of the
little grebe has been observed here during the last five years.
But this year the pitiless rain has filled the little craft to such an

q

192 FieLD MEETINGS.

extent as to submerge it and to chill the eggs. The same cause
has played havoc with the young of game birds. Those of the
pheasant in particular have been largely drowned out; and Mr
Gladstone mentioned that he had lately seen eight hens, only
one of which had a brood—and that brood consisted of a soli-
tary bird. | Woodcocks, it was stated, are nesting in increasing
numbers in the district. Roe deer frequent the wooded heights,
and one was observed crossing the fields, alarmed no doubt by
the invasion of its sanctuary. Picturesque animals though they
are, their destruction of crops and trees turns the hand of both
landlord and farmer against them. An occasional white hare is
met with in the district—not the blue hare of the north, which
assumes a white coat in winter, but white specimens of the ordi-
nary brown hare—and two of them at present have their home
on Capenoch. At the farm are several young specimens of the
wild grey goose—the Grey Lag—brought by Mr Gladstone from
the Outer Orkneys.

“The Picts’ Cairn,’? which was passed on the way to the
loch, is a little hill almost perfectly round in form, and with flat
summit. On one face is a mass of large and more or less loose
stones; but these appear to be fragments detached from the
native rock, rather than any artificial accumulation. It is a
spot which would certainly form a very good natural stronghold,
but nothing was seen to explain the origin of the name which it
locally bears. From this elevated spot an extensive view is
obtained over the valley, through which flow the streams of Nith
and Scar, and away to the background of massive hills domi-
nated on the one hand by the Green Lowther, on the other by
Queensberry. Capenoch, situated on a most pleasant spot near
the base of the hill, is a stately modern mansion, built of a light
reddish sandstone, but incorporating part of an old baronial
tower two centuries old and with walls seven feet thick. The
Scar borders the policies and gardens, and near to the sawmill
its waters tumble over a mass of broken rock with effects turbu-
lent and picturesque. The more placid Shinnel flows through
the policies, a bridge carrying the avenue across it just before
it loses itself in the larger stream. The grounds are plentifully
studded with handsome trees, oaks and other native species, and
there is a nice selection of more recently planted conifers. A
beech tree presents a singular feature, and was the subject of

Fretp MEETINGS. 193

some speculation. Most of the branches. bear leaves of the
ordinary shape; but on others the leaves are narrow and elon-
gated; and the ordinary and “sport’’ form of leaf are found
growing together on some branches. We believe the true ex-
planation is that a fern-leaved beech has been grafted on a
common beech, and is gradually reverting to the original type,
as often happens.

The gardens are extensive, and rich in fruit, both hardy and
under glass, and in bedding out plants; and give evidence of
very skilful management.

The ladies passed most of the time in the gardens and the
house, under the kindly pilotage of Mrs Gladstone. Reuniting
forces, the party proceeded to the dining-room, where tea
awaited them. Before rising from the table Dr Martin, Holy-
wood, a vice-president of the Society, and the Rev. T. Kidd,
Moniaive, expressed their thanks to Mr and Mrs Gladstone for
their great kindness. Some time was thereafter spent in ex-
amining the valuable collection of birds, the wonderful series of
photographs of bird life, and other things of interest indoors.
A recent addition to the ornithological specimens is a fine female
raven, shot at Glenwhargen, for the injury which these birds do
to sheep has produced war on the family long settled there. A
volume inspected with peculiar interest was a large scrap book of
the South African War, and particularly of the experiences of
the 3rd King’s Own Scottish Borderers, as an officer of which
Mr Gladstone took part in the campaign. A singularly pathetic
memento which it contains is a letter of a Boer named Meyer,
who had been sent into the Boer lines with letters intended to
induce his compatriots to come to terms of submission. Being
captured, he was tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to be
shot. It was while awaiting the execution of the sentence that
he wrote this letter of farewell to his wife. He tells how the
sentence had been pronounced by an old friend of his own,
named Joubert, who could hardly control his feelings in court in
the discharge of the stern duty, and who afterwards came to him
in tears. The writer indulges in no language of reproach or
complaint, but sends a pious last message to each of his half-
dozen little ones and to the wife who would be a widow ere the
missive reached her. , it is a document fitted to bring home to
the heart the essential bitterness of war.

i:

194 - Fretp MEETINGS.

THE APPARENT ORIGIN OF A PLAcE-NAME. By Mr James
Barzour, F.S.A.Scot.

(Read at Thornhill Museum.)

Spade-work has accomplised much in revealing details of
ancient monuments and adding to our knowledge of their history.
It is not so common by the use of the same implement to recover
long lost evidence of a place-name, but the following note
furnishes a seeming instance of the kind.

Such names are frequently derived from some peculiarity
attaching to the place itself, and if in course of time the dis-
tinguishing characteristic comes to be obliterated, the name, by
the rule of guess work, a more popular method of investigation
than spade work, is said to owe its derivation to some ancient,
unknown, or never-existing tongue, should it have a somewhat
mysterious sound ; otherwise it is considered fanciful, the whim
of an old laird.

In the parish of Kirkmichael, Dumfriesshire, there is, on the
left bank of the Water of A!, a farm bearing the very ordinary
and modern looking name of “ Hazeliebrae.’’ There are no
hazels at or near the place to account for the name, neverthe-
less it appears in the Old Valuation Roll, and how long it has
been in use no one can tell. An interesting discovery has now,
however, been made having the semblance of a solution of the
question. On proceeding to excavate a pump well water was
reached at a depth of 8 feet, and a sample being submitted for
examination to the county analyst, Mr Davidson, it was found to
contain an unaccountable amount of vegetable matter. This, it
was thought, came from the surface, and in order to get free of
it the well was carried deeper, but almost immediately the
source of contamination was discovered at the bottom of the
excavation, consisting of a stratum about 6 inches in thickness of
vegetable remains, showing brushwood and leafage, in which
were recovered a number of hazel nuts. The stratum was much
compacted as if by the application of pressure over a lengthened
period. The overlying strata from the ground surface consisted
of a stratum 7 feet deep of reddish yellow loam inclining to
clay, dry, and sufficiently soft to admit of being removed by
the spade alone; a bed about 12 inches deep of stones 4 or
5 inches across mixed with gravel, from which the water sub-

Fietp MEETINGS. 195:

mitted for analysis was taken; the 6-inch deep bed of vegetable
remains, and underlying this a 12-inch deep stratum of grey
clay or earth, on which the plants had been nourished, and
shingle of unknown depth, yielding an abundant supply of
water. The level of the shingle of the bottom of the well
corresponds approximately with the bed of the river, which is
distant about 150 yards. The name of the place is seemingly
fully accounted for. The hazels have been revealed, and the
brae, the crown of which is occupied by the farm steading, begins
to rise at the well. It is characterised as a “ Hazeliebrae.’’

I don’t pretend to account for the accumulation of 8 feet
of earth over the stratum of vegetable remains at the bottom of
the well. If due to silt from the overflow of the river, the floods
mist have risen to a height of 12 feet or so above the present
level, and have submerged a large area of land. A similar in-
stance of long covered vegetable remains was exposed in the
course of excavating the reservoir for Ruthwell Water Works.
The strata consisted of (1) 2 feet of moss, (2) 2 feet of clay, (3)
soil containing sprigs and hazel nuts, and again clay; and many
years ago the late Mr Gibson, a member of this Society, re-
ported to the Royal Geographical Society another find of the
same kind in the excavations for a gasometer at the Dumfries
Gasworks. ‘These circumstances are interesting, as going to show
alterations of level of the surface of the ground, and prevalence
of a brushwood covering.

14th September, 1907.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)

JARDINE HALL, SPEDLINS, AND CORNCOCKLE.

The last field meeting for the season of the Dumfries and
Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society was held on
Saturday last, when on the invitation of Mr D. J. Jardine of
Applegarth the members paid a visit to his seat, Jardine Hall,
and viewed the romantic Spedlins Tower and the sandstone
quarry on Corncockle Moor, features of the estate which appeal

Strongly to the archeologist and the geologist respectively. The

a

196 FIELD MEETINGS.

company numbered sixty, the larger number ttavelling from Dum-
fries, and smaller contingents coming from Moffat, Lockerbie,
and Annan. Assembling at Lockerbie, they left the town by way
of Dryfe Bridge, where the remnant of the old churchyard re-
called the rhyme about “ spades and schules,’’ and cast their eye
over the battlefield of Dryfesands. Turning to the right at the
hamlet of Millhousebridge, they drove along the left bank of the
Annan by a finely wooded road to Jardine Hall. Arriving in
front of the stately mansion—which dates from 1814, but has
been something like trebled in size by its present owner—they
were cordially welcomed by Mr Jardine, and found a generous
luncheon awaiting them in a marquee which had been erected on
the lawn. Thus fortified, they crossed the Annan by a foot-
bridge and proceeded to Spedlins Tower, which crowns a rising
ground on the right bank of the river. It is a border keep of the
larger class, and its outer walls are practically perfect, thanks
largely to the care of Mr Jardine, who has had judicious repair
carried out where required, and has erected a protecting fence
around it. The roof is a double one, with stone gutter between.
Circular angle turrets, with massive rope mouldings, give a
decorative element to the architecture. The tower was the family
residence of the proprietor of Applegarth estate until the erection
of a new dwelling-house, where the gardens now are, and which
was in turn superseded by Jardine Hall early in last century.
Now many lintels of the tower have given way under the pressure
of superincumbent masonry, and time has otherwise made con-
siderable ravages with the interior walls. The tragic story of the
starving of a prisoner in the dungeon is the incident that seizes
the popular imagination in regard to Spedlins. According to the
commonly accepted account it was an unfortunate miller who
met this fate. Until a comparatively recent date a mill stood in
close proximity to the castle, and the point where the “ race ”’
entered the Annan is still pointed out. Tradition has it that
Porteous, the tenant, set the mill on fire, and for the deed was
consigned to the dungeon, and there forgotten when the baronet
and his retinue rode off to Edinburgh. Several of the visitors de-
scended by a ladder into the dungeon. It is really a cupboard
built in the thickness of the outer wall, and entered from the
top by an opening at the foot of the staircase that leads from the
great hall to the apartments above. It is fifteen feet deep, nine

af

i Poel

FIELD MEETINGS. 197

feet in length, by four broad. There is no air-hole in the walls,
although we understand there was one communicating, not with
the outer air, but with a vaulted chamber below, which has now
been overlaid by soil. The entrance is now covered by a thick
board. Probably a stone flag would be used when the tower was
inhabited. In any case, whenever the chief or any of the house-
hold left the banqueting hall to go to the bed-chambers or to the
battlements they must have walked over the head of the wretch
occupying the dark and noisome cell. It would hardly seem
necessary to starve one kept under such conditions: he could be
poisoned by merely keeping the door shut. We reproduce at the
end of this article the ballad in which Robert Chambers has
enshrined the doleful seventeenth century tale. Mr Chapman,
factor on Applegarth estate, accompanied the party on their
visit to the tower, and in the great hall he read the following
notes regarding its history and architecture :-—

“Spedlins Tower, the ancient seat of the Jardine family, is
a fine specimen of the plain square tower or keep, of which there
are many examples in the Border district. It measures 46 ft. 6
in. long by 39 ft. wide, and 48 ft. high to the eaves. There have
been four floors, viz., the basement, 10 ft. in height ; the principal
floor, consisting chiefly of a hall measuring 28 ft. by 20 ft. 6 in.,
by 18 ft. high; the third floor, which evidently consisted of four
rooms 10 ft. high; and the fourth floor, which also bears evidence
of four rooms 8 ft. in height. Above that again there seems to
have been an attic floor. The walls of the two lower stories are
very strong and substantially built, being from 9 ft. to 10 ft. in
thickness. The walls of the upper portion are much thinner,
being from 3 ft. to 3 ft. 6 in. thick. The lower floors are con-
structed on arches reaching across the full width of the building,
while the upper floors have been carried on wooden joists, the
joist-holes being still seen in the walls. Both Grose and
M‘Gibbon, the authorities on Scottish antiquities and castellated

architecture, were of opinion that the two vaulted stories were

built in the fifteenth century, and that the date 1605, on the
square tablet at the top of the Tower on the east side, represents
the date of the additional two stories. The tablet bears a coat-
of-arms as well as the date, of which I have taken an impression
and have made a drawing from it as shown. I have also noted

the following differences between the lower and upper portions,

v.

&

198 Fietp MEETINGS.

viz.:—The building stones of the lower portion are mostly larger
and packed in between with small stones, formerly termed block
and sneck, while those of the upper portion are more regular and
squarer dressed, and do not show nearly so much rock face,
besides being less weathered. The windows of the upper portion
are all safed with arches over the lintels, while the lower are
not, except the large window in the hall, which has evidently been
introduced at the time when the addition was built. The rybats
of the upper windows are rounded at the edge, instead of being
splayed like those of the lower stories. In the south-west corner
is the dungeon (formed entirely in the thickness of the wall of
the tower), measuring 9 ft. by 4 ft. wide and 15 ft. deep.
Entrance to the dungeon is had by a hatchway at the foot of the
staircase. It was in this dungeon that “ Dunty,”’ or as tradition
has it a miller named Porteous, was imprisoned by one of the
baronets, and having been forgotten was unfortunately left to die
of starvation. His ghost is said to have haunted the building
until the family chaplain exorcised and confined it to the dungeon
in which it remained quietly as long as the family Bible was kept
in the Castle. The story, however, is well-known, and need not
be recapitulated in full here. Particular note should be taken of
the elaborate design, and measures 8 ft. wide by 5 ft. high. The
tower is built of Corncockle red sandstone, which stands the
weather remarkably well; in fact the rope mouldings and cor-
belling of the turrets are almost as perfect as the day they were
dressed. Although roofless, it is in a remarkably good state of
preservation for such an old building, the present proprietor, Mr
D. Jardine Jardine, having had it all carefully pointed and
repaired a few years ago.”’

Having surveyed the tower, the party broke up into groups.
Some wandered through the policies and inspected the gardens ;
others, under the guidance of Mr Chapman, walked to Corn-
cockle Quarry, where also they were met by Mr Burke, manager
for Messrs Benson, the lessees. A vast quantity of rock has been
quarried during the last twenty years, but the supply has still
been only slightly tapped. There is on one side a solid rock
face 120 feet in height, which has not yet been touched; and in
the bottom of the quarry great blocks are being cut out, as large
as 22 feet in length and 24 feet thick. It is a sandstone of com-
pact grain, of which large quantities are sent to the cities for

ers

FIELD MEETINGS. 199

building purposes. On one of the exposed faces were seen a
series of the fossil footprints which have made this quarry familiar
to the students of geology. Something of a sensation was created
when, in 1827, the versatile Dr Henry Duncan, minister of Ruth-
well, announced the discovery of the footprints of quadrupeds at
Corncockle, for it was part of the geological faith at the time
that no animals so highly organised as these indicated had existed
in the New Red Sandstone period. Professor Buckland, of Ox-
ford, was the first scientist to admit the authenticity and signifi-
cance of the new discovery, and he indulged in the witticism that
as the footprints which he saw all pointed southward they showed
that even in these early days the inhabitants of Scotland had set
their steps towards England. Professor Sedgwick, of Cambridge,
and Sir Roderick Murchison were doubtful for a time, even after
a personal visit; but the evidence was too clear, and it was
strengthened by the subsequent discovery of footprints and de-
tached bones of still larger animals in the same formation in
Saxony and near Liverpool. To these gigantic animals of croco-
dilian character, found in the Saxony rocks, the name Cheiro-
therium was given, because of the resemblance of the footprints
to a human hand; and they are also known as Labyrinthodon, a
fanciful name based on the structure of the teeth. The smaller
Corncockle impressions have been likened to such as would be
made by land tortoises. It has been conjectured that the triassic
tocks, to which this sandstone belongs, were laid down in a great
salt lake or inland sea, round the margins of which these
ungainly animals left their footprints on soft sand. The
hardened strata had been tilted up when nature was in one of her
violent moods, and at Corncockle you see a regular progression
of the footprints going down a steep angle of something like
forty degrees. Some excellent examples of the fossils are pre-
served in the mansion-house of Jardine Hall.

The gardens at Jardine Hall are extensive, and the com-
pany found much to admire, although the severe frost experi-
enced about ten days before had disastrous effects upon many of
the plants, and in consequence the beds and borders were not so
gay as they would have been in ordinary circumstances. In the
open space at the garden front of the mansion there are a number
of choice trees and shrubs, including some old yews, some very
fine Douglas firs, good specimens of Abies Nobilis, fine Welling-

200 FieLtp MEETINGS.

tonias, Cedars of Lebanon, cut-leaved hornbeans, Tilia cordata,
American and other oaks, such as Quercus rubber and Quercus
castanizfolia ; with large beds of good shrubs. A Douglas pine
(Abies Douglasii) is one of the finest to be seen in Scotland. It
has attained to a height of eighty feet; at five feet from the
ground its girth is 11 feet 5 inches; and its branches cover a
great space 69 feet in diameter, the lower ones resting upon the
ground. ‘This growth has been attained, it is understood, in
something like seventy years. The flower garden is prettily laid
out, and is well furnished with hardy flowers, roses, and wall
plants, while annuals are largely utilised for the autumn display.
As already indicated, the bedding plants had suffered from frost,
but in ordinary circumstances they would have been very pretty
with their skilful arrangements of begonias, fuchsias, asters,
stocks, and other seasonable flowers. The vegetable and fruit
garden is very extensive and in excellent order. The glass de-
partment is also extensive, and includes a spacious conservatory,
filled with suitable plants, such as swainsonias, begonias,
petunias, schizanthuses, pelargoniums, etc., admirably cultivated.
The vineries, peach-houses, and other glass structures showed
large crops of excellent fruit ; and the ferneries were specially
attractive to those who are interested in these plants.

At half-past five the company again assembled in the mar-
quee, where they partook of tea; and Professor Scott-Elliot of
Newton, president of the society, tendered their very cordial
thanks to Mr Jardine for his kind invitation to visit a place where
there was so much of interest to see and for the noble hospitality
which he had extended to them. Mr Jardine assured his guests
that their visit had been a great pleasure to him.

At a business meeting the following new members were pro-
posed and admitted: Mr Dickson, rector of Moffat Academy ; Mr
Malcolm, rector of Lockerbie Academy; Provost Byers,
Lockerbie ; Mr A. Chapman, Dinwoodie Lodge; Mr Gooden,
Inland Revenue service ; Miss Annie Gordon, Kenmure Terrace,
Maxwelltown.

THE PRISONER OF SPEDLINS.

To Edinburgh, to Edinburgh,
The Jardine he maun ride;
He locks the gates behind him,

For lang he means to bide.

Fietp MEETINGS.

And he, nor any of his train,
While minding thus to flit,

Thinks of the weary prisoner,
Deep in the castle pit.

They were not gane a day, a day,
A day but barely four,

When neighbours spake of dismal cries
Were heard from Spedlins Tower.

They mingled wi’ the sighs of trees,
And the thud-thud o’ the lin;

But nae ane thocht ’twas a deein’ man
That made that eldrich din.

At last they mind the gipsy loon,
In dungeon lay unfed;

But ere the castle key was got
The gipsy loon was dead.

They found the wretch stretch’d out at length
Upon the cold, cold stone,
With starting eyes and hollow cheek,
And arms pee to ipa bone!
Now Gpediin is an eerie havea,
For oft at mirk midnight
The wail of Porteous’ starving cry
Fills a’ that house wi’ fright.

**O let me out, O let me out,
Sharp hunger cuts me sore;

If ye suffer me to perish so,
Vll haunt you evermore!’’

O sad, sad was the Jardine then,
His heart was sorely smit;

Till he could wish himself had been
Left in that deadly pit.

But ‘‘ Cheer up,’’ cried his lady fair,
“?Tis purpose makes the sin,

And where the heart has had no part
God holds His creature clean.’’

Then Jardine sought a holy man
To lay that vexing sprite;

And for a week that holy man
Was praying day and night.

And all that time in Spedlins house
Was held a solemn fast,

201

202 Fretp MEETINGS.

Till the cries waxed low, and the boglebo
in the deep ne Sea was nate

There ae a ‘Bible in Spedlins ha’,
And while it there shall lie

Nae Jardine can tormented be
With Porteous’ starving cry-

But Applegarth’s an altered man—
He 1s no longer gay;

‘The thought of Porteous clings te him
Until his dying day.

203

ABSTRACT OF ACCOUNTS
for year ending 30th September, 1907.

CHARGE.
1. Arrears of Subscription recovered nc ae nes - £1 5 0
2. Annual Subscriptions, 183 at 5s, 2lat2s6d ... a3 ee On a
3. ‘‘ Transactions” sold ree ae ss ee ws oa TLIO
4, Sum uplifted from Savings Bank a -. £17 0 0
Interest thereon ... a Ses at 1 12 10
——_—— 18 12/10
5. Excess sum after paying hires from Lockerbie to Jardine
Hall ... Bee ae ti Ea oss ae Se ee Dee!)
6. Sum in Deposit Receipt, Excavation Fund te bao) CURES
7. Arrears Outstanding is oe rec A 217 6
£75 7 0
DISCHARGE.
1, Balance due Bank ... wd nck “te Ae wae sao CO 12 3
2, Rent, Taxes, and Insurances A ae a ae is 816 0
3. Printing and Stationary —
Annual Subscription for Annals of
Scottish History oe +04 soc cen UA TF
Receipt Book aed oe ms ee rae 0 7 6
J. Anderson & Son, Periodicals, ete. .., noe 2S! 2
J. Maxwell & Son, Printing and Addressing
Post-Cards Calling Meetings ret dn 812 6
“Dumfries Standard,” “ Transactions,” ete. ... 27,12 0
F ———- 39 7 8
4. Advertising Meetings ce Ee oe ane ah ne 219 6
5. Miscellaneous —
A. Turner, Chemist, Oxygen, ete. £0 9 0
Honorarium to Lecturer ... te aes AS E30
J.W.T Smart, Joiner ... es ae Ke 0 210
Janitor of Library ... S58 010 0
Cheque Book ab 0 010
Bank Commissions Ors
——_—— 2 411
6. Posts and Outlays—
Secretary ... at 5th ae a8 via £112 6
Treasurer whe a fs aise & 100
Posts of ‘‘ Transactions”... Be ie 33 0 711
—_— 3.0 5
| 7. Balance in Bank... 23 # 34 ie se eon Oniere
| Sum in Deposit Receipt 211 5
Arrears outstanding 217 6
£75 7 0

We have examined the Books and Accounts of the Dumfriesshire and
| Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society for the year ending
30th September last, and certify that the foregoing Abstract exhibits a

true and correct account of the Treasurer’s operations,

) (Sgd.) JOHN SYMONS, Auditor.
|

|

BERTRAM M‘GOWAN, Auditor.
Duntfries, 3rd October, 1907.

f ’
=)

204

EXHIBITS AND PRESENTATIONS.

OcToBER 12TH, 1906.

Mrs M‘Dowall, Cresswell Terrace—MS. of her late husband’s
(Mr M‘Dowall) “ History of Dumfries.’’—Presented.

NOVEMBER 9TH.

Mr J. G. Drummond—A large collection of Postage Stamps.

Mr James Campbell—A collection of Postage Stamps.

Mr R. Service, jun.—aA collection of Postage Stamps.

Mr H. Edgar—A collection of Postage Stamps.

Dr J. W. Martin—A number of Canadian Pamphlets, principally
on archeological subjects.

Mr R. Service—A very fine Stone Axe of the adze form, 11}
inches long, tapering from 34 in. broad at one end to 1 in.
at the other, 3 in. diameter at thickest, but tapering to an
edge at each end; shown on behalf of Mr John M. Corrie,
and found at Todstone, near Dalry, in 1880, but not pre-
viously recorded.

Mr R. Service—A Whorl, found on Mollance, Castle-Douglas,
sent by Mr J. M. Stewart, gardener, there. Of the usual
form, but with incised lines.

Mr R. Service—From Sandhills, on shore of Island of Coll, ©
Pieces of Pottery, Bronze Ring, Pin, Needle, Blue Bead,
and Small Copper Coin (a halfpenny of period of Richard
II. or Richard III.), from Mr R. Sturgeon, formerly of
Lochfoot.

The Photograph Survey Committee—A number of Photographs
of the Antiquities of the district, contributed to the Society
by a number of ladies and gentlemen.

Miss M. FEleming-Hamilton, Craiglaw—Photographs of the
Standing Stones of Laggangairn, illustrating her paper.

EXHIBITS AND PRESENTATIONS. 205

NOVEMBER 23RD.

Mr R. Service—A Photograph of the fine Group of Scotch Firs
at Shambeliie on the east side of the Newabbey road.

Mr R. Service—A Pair of Jack Snipes to record their early
appearance. These birds migrated at an early date this
season, and were first seen on October 14th, 15th, and 18th,

1906.
DECEMBER 7TH.

From Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens—A very extensive col-
lection of Specimens of Fungoid Diseases, Insect injurious
to British Forest Trees, Cones, etc. Sent through the kind-
ness of Professor Bayley Balfour.

Mr Wellwood Maxwell of Kirkennan—Specimens of Forest Trees
grown in manured and unmanured soils, with other Forestry
Exhibits.

Mr W. J. Maxwell, Terregles Banks--A Tree Measurer of his
own design and one of the usual pattern.

The President—A number of Books on Trees, etc., and Speci-
mens of Diseased Branches.

The Secretary—Books on Trees and Shrubs.

_ The Ewart Library-—Books on Forestry and Gardening.

DECEMBER 21sT.

Mr James Barbour—A Portrait of Dr Burnside, author of the
MS. “History of Dumfries,’’ in the possession of the
Society. Mr Barbour kindly presented this portrait to the
Society. Also the Original Plan of the Roman Camp at
Birrens—presented to the Society. Also a fine Engraving
of the Eastern Chancel of Holywood Abbey, drawn by John
de Wyck and engraved by P. Mazell.

Mr W. M‘Cutcheon—A number of Cards of Views in the Juras, to
illustrate his paper.

January 18TH, 1907.

The Photographic Committee—Several additional Photographs
of the Local Antiquities. .

Mr R. Service—A very fine Bronze Celt, found when some of the
piers of the Old Bridge of Dumfries were removed, and
which had been recently presented to the Observatory
Museum by Miss Fraser, Ardwyn, Dumfries.

206 EXHIBITS AND PRESENTATIONS.

Mr C. S. Robertson, Creetown—Drawing of Cist and Urn
recently found on Barholm, Creetown.

FEBRUARY IsT.

Bailie Lennox—A Photograph of the New Church, Dumfries.—
Presented to the Society by the exhibitor.

FEBRUARY 15TH.

Mr D. Halliday, Lockerbie—A number of Relics and Photo-
graphs of Italian Antiquities.

Marcu Ist.

Mr James Lennox—Lantern Slides of Dumfriesshire Towers.

Marcu 15TH.

Mr Haining, Queensberry Street—A number of Old Documents
relating to Dumfries, including an early voters’ roll of the
burgh, posters, old election addresses, etc.

Mrs M‘Quhae, Glasgow Street—Two Burgess Tickets of the
Burgh of Dumfries, which she presented to the Society.

APRIL DTH.

Mr M. H. M‘Kerrow—Pewter Candlestick, found at Castledykes ;
also Documents illustrating his paper on “ Judicial Oaths.’’

APRIL 18TH.

Mr John T. Johnstone, Moffat—Engraved Portrait of Robert
Burns, by James Chapman, published by Vernor & Hood,
1st April, 1801.

Mrs Thompson, Inveresk, Dumfries—F lower Paintings and a col-
lection of Dried Alpine Flowers.

Miss Annie Murphie, Cresswell House—A Copy of Curtis’s
“ Flora Londinensis.”’

Mr John M. Corrie, Observatory Terrace—Sword Blade of
rapier-like form of Andrea Ferrara.

i

i

wore

19.

20.

207

LIST OF EXCHANGES.

. The British Museum.
. The Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh.
. The British Natural History Department, South Kensington,

W

. The Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union, The Museum, Hull.
. The United States Department of Agriculture, Washington,

W.S-A.

. Peabody Museum of American Archeology and Ethnology,

Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.

. Meriden Scientific Society, Meriden, Connecticut, U.S.A.
. Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences, Minneapolos,

Minesota, U.S.A.

. The Hawick Archeological Society, Hawick.
. Harvard College of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, Cam-

bridge, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

. Hon. Secretary, Austral Association for Science, 5 Elizabeth

Street, Sydney, Australia.

. The Edinburgh Botanical Society, St. Andrew Square, Edin-

burgh.

. Historical Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Liverpool

Institute, Liverpool.

. New York Academy of Sciences, New York, U.S.A.
. Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,

ales Ue Seale

. Rochester Academy of Sciences, Rochester, New York,

U.S.A.

. Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences, Staten

Island, New Brighton, Borough of Richmond, New York,
S.A.

. Liverpool Institute of Commercial Research in the Tropics,

Public Museum, Liverpool.

Buenos Ayres Museo Nacional, Museo Nacional, Buenos
Ayres, Argentina.

The Librarian, Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences,
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

208 List oF EXCHANGES.

21. The Edinburgh Geological Society, Edinburgh. (D. Gloag,
India Buildings, George IV. Bridge, Edinburgh, Secre-
tary.)

22. Geological Society of Glasgow, Bath Street, Glasgow.

23. Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences, Wisconsin, U.S.A.

24. Banffshire Field Club, Banff.

25. Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, c/o Rev. J. Marshall Aitken,
Ayton, N.B.

26. Glasgow Natural History Society, Bath Street, Glasgow.

27. Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Natural History
Museum, Perth.

28. Stirling Natural History and Archeological Society, Stirling.

29. Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club, 19 Glandore Gardens, Bel-
fast, Ireland.

30. Cardiff Naturalists’ Society, Cardiff, Wales.

31. Essex Field Club, Essex County Museum of Natural His-
tory, Romford, Essex.

32. Holmesdale Natural History Club, Reigate.

33. Marlborough College of Natural History, The College,
Marlborough.

34. Nova Scotia Institute of Science, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

35. Smithsonian Institute, U.S. National Museum, Washington,

U.S.A. J

36. Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn, New
York, U.S.A.

37. Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, Davenport, Iowa,
U.S.A:

38. Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, Chapelhill, N. Carolina,
U.S.A.

39. U.S. Geological Survey, Secretary of Interior, Washington,
U.S.A;

40. U.S. Bureau of Ethnology, Washington, U.S.A.

41. J. C. Ewing, Librarian, Baillie’s Institution, Glasgow
Archeological Society, 88 West Regent Street, Glasgow.

42. The Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.

43. Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Queen Street, Edin-
burgh.

44. Bodleian Library, Oxford.

45. University Library, Cambridge.

209

LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE SOGIETY

SESSION 1906-7.

Those who joined the Society at its reorganisation on 3rd
November, 1876, are indicated by an asterisk.

LIFE MEMBERS.

Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, K.G., K.T. ...10th Jan., 1895.

Earl of Mansfield, Scone Palace, Perth..................... 10th Oct., 1897
Hise. Coles, Mdinburgh....:.2.5..0s0cescssciscwescveseesonts llth Nov., 1881.
Wm. D. Robinson Douglas, F.L.S., Orchardton...... llth Nov., 1881.
Thomas Fraser, Maxwell Knowe, Dalbeattie......... 2nd March, 1888.
Alex. Young Herries, Spottes, Dalbeattie.

J. J. Hope-Johnstone, Raehills, Lockerbie............... 38rd May, 1884.
Wn. J. Herries Maxwell, Munches..................0.0000005 1st Oct., 1886.

Sir Mark J. M‘Taggart Stewart, Bart., Southwick...7th June, 1884.

HONORARY MEMBERS.

Baker, J. G., F.R.S., F.L.S., V.M.H., 3 Cumberland

GAG WING Wi setnccecoscesa-umeman-aceescueterecsmetes sn es 2nd May, 1890.
Brown, J. Harvie, F.L.S., Dunipace House, Larbert.
Carruthers, Wm., F.R.S., British Museum.
Chinnock, E. J., LL.D., 41 Brackley Road,

@lnis wick Weve <2ccs csecetau atten serscrccsstademeedte 5th Nov., 1880.
M‘Andrew, James, 69 Spotteswoode Street, Edinburgh.
Sharp, Dr David, F.R.S., Cambridge.
Brmmley. G. Wi; Dumfries: ..:..1.:.cs.c0saecescssssecssvscees 28th Oct., 1904.
Siiisor Joss; Liverpool)...2lesccutcs--<scosesssssateseseceees 29th June, 1888.

210 List oF MEMBERS.
CORRESPONDING MEMBERS.

Anderson, Dr Joseph, LL.D., H.R.S.A., Assistant Secretary
Society of Antiquities of Scotland, Keeper of the National
Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh.

Borthwick, Dr A. W., B.Sc., Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Bryce, Professor Thos. H., M.A., M.D., F.R.S.E., F.S.A.Scot.,
Lecturer on Anatomy, Glasgow University, Member of the
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments, 2
Grantley Terrace, Glasgow.

Curle, James, W.S., F.S.A.Scot., Priorwood, Melrose.

Gregory, Professor J. W., D.Sc., F.R.S.., F.R.S.E., F.G.S.,
M.I.M.M., ete., Professor of Geology, Glasgow University.

Holmes, Professor E. M., F.L.S., F.R.B.S., Edinburgh and London,
F.R.H.S., etc., 17 Bloomsbury Square, London, W.C.

Johnstone, R. B., Hon. Secretary and Editor, Andersonian Natural-
ists’ Society, 17 Cambridge Drive, Glasgow.

Keltie, J. Scott-, LL.D., F.S.A.Scot., Secretary, Royal Geographical
Society, Hon. Member Royal Scottish Geographical Society, 1
Savile Row, Burlington Gardens, London, W.

Lewis, F. J., F.L.S., Lecturer in Geographical Botany, The
University, Liverpool.

Macdonald, Dr George, M.A., LL.D., 17 Learmonth Gardens, Edin-
burgh.

Reid, Clement, F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., 28 Jermyn Street, London,
S.W.

Rhys, Professor Sir John, M.A., D.Litt., Professor of Celtic, and
Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, Fellow of the British
Academy.

Smith, Miss Annie Lorraine, B.Sc., F.L.S., Temporary Assistant,
Botanical Department, British Museum, 20 Talgarth Road,
West Kensington, London, W.

Watt, Andrew, M.A., F.R.S.E., Secretary Scottish Meteorological
Society, 122 George Street, Edinburgh.

ORDINARY MEMBERS.

Agnew, Sir A. N., Bart., of Lochnaw, Stranraer ...... 9th Jan., 1891.
Aitken, Miss M. Carlyle, 2 Dunbar Terrace,

Dumfries. ...... Rage 2c eR eA iota eee ental mee Ist June, 1883.
Andson, Rev. W., Newall Terrace, Dumfries .....-.....- 3rd Oct., 1886.
Armstrong, T. G., Timber Merchant, 24 Rae Street,

IDS Fharid nike) esto es eeocuSndoPener oceceenoesaosancdasopnaeee: 9th Sept., 1905.
Armstrong, F., Burgh Surveyor, Dumfries...........--.. 6th Oct., 1905.

Arnott, S., F.R.H.S., Sunnymead, Maxwelltown ...... 5th Feb., 1893.

List oF MEMBERS.

Arnott, Mrs S., Sunnymead, Maxwelltown ............... 5th Jan.,
Atkinson, Mrs, The Ladies’ Club, Castle Street,

ID UNTIMTAGH BL RAAT caeteescoeces aoccnt 2 ose coon csmecaccees soseee 28th Oct.,
Barbour, James, F.S.A.Scot., St. Christopher’s,

I DKERTeILIRTI Ss)". eeade bee Hodee boddidt ROCB Ede Dace ea eB EEE aiccEreic 3rd Dec.,
Barbour, Robert, Belmont, Maxwelltown ............ 4th March,
Barbour, Robert, Solicitor, Maxwelltown ............... llth May,
Barker, John, Redlands, Dumfries........................ 23rd Sept.,
Beattie, Thos., Davington, Langholm..................... 30th May,
Bell, Richard, of Castle O’er, Langholm ............... 30th May,
Bell, T. Hope, Morrington, Dunscore ..................... 22nd Oct.,
Bennet, Thos., Knockbrex Gardens, Kirkcudbright, 5th April,
Blacklock, J. E., Solicitor, Dumfries......................4. 8th May,
Borland, John, Auchencairn, Closeburn .................. 7th Sept.,
Bowie, J. M., The Hain, Dalbeattie Road, Maxwell-

EO WR a tesa a cethas otindaes das cmanateatnael dadees saneeleee 15th Dec.,

Browne, Sir James Crichton, 61 Carlisle Place,

Mansions, Victoria Street, London, S.W. ...... 3rd Sept.,
Brown, Stephen, Boreland, Lockerbie .................. 10th June,
Brown, T. M., Closeburn, Thornhill ........................ 6th Aug.,
Bryson, Alex., Irish Street, Dumfries ..................... 6th Feb.,
Byres, J. R., Solicitor, Lockerbie ........................ 14th Sept.,
Cairns, Rev. J., Ivy Lodge, Albany, Dumfries ......... 6th Feb.,
Campbell, Rev. J. M., St. Michael’s Manse, Dum-

TUPLES) oh as ober SB AGRO a rORcRcEEOCEcee RoaTon en Ose Ene CRarEE Rename 15th Dee.,
Carmont, James, Banker, Dumfries ..................... 6th Feb.,
Clarke, Dr, Charlotte Street, Dumfries .................. 6th June,
Charlton, John, Huntingdon, Dumfries.................. 15th Dec.,
Chapman, A., Dinwiddie Lodge, Lockerbie ..................2:.02005
Chrystie, Miss, Irving Street .................:ececececeeeeees 5th Jan.,
MiGatsWiaA., Of Dalskairth <i.cn..c-ccesentesevecasenatene 18th Sept.,
Copland, Miss, The Old House, Newabbey ............... 5th July,
Cormack, J. F., Solicitor, Lockerbie ..................... 4th June,
Corrie, John, Burnbank, Moniaive ..................0.065- 6th Aug.,
Cowan, John, Glenview, Maxwelltown .................. 15th Dec.,
*Davidson, James, Summerville, Maxwelltown ......... 3rd Nov.,
Davidson, J., Hillhead, Bankend Road, Dumfries ...10th May,
Dewar, R. S., 35 George Street, Dumfries ............... 3rd Nov.,
Dickie, Wm., Merlwood, Maxwelltown ....................- 6th Oct.,
Dickson, J., Moffat Academy, Moffat..................... 14th Sept.,
*Dinwiddie, W. A., Bridgebank, Buccleuch Street,

| DinEraV gh (mrcade (UMBRO peepee ccuCed Eee is a- Cece ee ee cee 3rd Nov.,
Dinwiddie, R., Overton, Moffat Road, Dumfries ...9th Aug.,
Dods, J. W., St. Mary’s Place, Dumfries............... 2nd March,
Drummond, Bernard, Pumber, Dumfries.................. 7th Dec.,
Drummond, J. G., Sandon, Moffat Road, Dumfries, 17th Nov.,
Duncan, Jno. Bryce, of Newlands, Dumfries ......... 11th Feb.,

Dunlop, Rev. S., Irongray Manse, Dumfries ......... 10th June,

211
1906.
1904.

1880.
1887.
1889.
1905.
1896.
1896.
1897.
1907.
1896.
1895.

1905.

1892.
1899.
1891.
1891.
1907.
1891.

1905.
1891.
1889.
1905.
1907.
1906.
1896.
1890.
1893.
1887.
1905.
1876.
1895.
1905.
1882.
1907.

1876.
1905.
1883.
1888.
1905.
1898.
1905.

212 List oF MEMBERS.
Edgar, H., Ferguslea, Maxwelltown ...................5- 20th Jan.,
Edie, Rev. W., Greyfriars’ Manse, Dumfries ......... 15th Dec.,

Farish, W. R., Amisfield House, Amisfield, R.S.O....17th Nov.,

Fergusson, Rev. G. F., St. Mary’s Place, Dumfries...15th Dec.,
Gilchrist, Mrs, Linwood, Dumfries ...................-.+-- 2nd June,
Gillespie, Wm., Solicitor, Castle-Douglas ............... 14th May,
Gladstone, H. Steuart, F.Z.S., Lannhall, Thornhill, 15th July,
Gladstone, Mrs H. S., Lannhall, Thornhill ............ 13th July,
Glover, John, W.S., 1 Hill Street, Edinburgh ......... 23rd Nov.,
Glover, J. J., Hazelwood, Maxwelltown ............... 22nd Oct.,
Gooden, W. H., Glebe Terrace, Dumfries ............ 14th Sept.,
Gordon, Robert, Brockham Park, Betchworth,

Surrey. oiosescsncccge se sevesoretecec unseen wesc cussed 10th May,
Gordon, Miss, Kenmure Terrace, Dumfries ......... 14th Sept.,
Grahame, Mrs, Springburn Cottage, Kilbarchan,

RENTrEWBHITO! | ai5-cssevesesgececs ese teesctoecereceene 28th July,
Grierson, John, Town Clerk, Dumfries .................. 6th Oct.,
Grierson, R. A., Solicitor, Dumfries..................... 15th March,
Halliday, T. A., Leafield Road, Dumfries ............... 26th Jan.,
Halliday, Mrs, Leafield Road, Dumfries ............... 26th Jan.,
Halliday, W. J., Esthwaite, Lochmaben.................. 6th April,
Halliday > Wockerblerrr-cercase-:.+ eee sosaeenosensnestaeee 24th Feb.,
Hannay, Miss, Langlands, Dumfries ..................... 6th April,
Hannay, Miss J., Langlands, Dumfries .................. 6th April,
Hare, H. Leighton, Lochvale, Dumfries............... 10th June,
Hardy, Miss, Moat House, Dumfries ....................0+5 Ist Oct.,
Hastie, D. H., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ............ 24th Feb.,
Henderson, James, Solicitor, Dumfries .................. 9th Aug.,
Henderson, John, Solicitor, Dumfries .................. 5th July,
Henderson, Thos., Solicitor, Lockerbie .................. 17th Oct.,
Herries, Right Hon. Lord, Everingham Park, York-

SHINO eeaen-ricccissanme rere miscneee doameiepiancsatet aban 10th Jan.,
Hill, Edward J., Ladyfield, Dumfries .................. 25th Nov.,
Houston, James, Marchfield, Dumfries .................. 9th Aug.,
Hunter, Dr Joseph, Castle Street, Dumfries ......... 24th June,
Irving, Colonel, of Bonshaw, Annan .................5655 18th Jan.,
Irving, John, Balmacneil, Ballinluig, Perthshire ...16th Oct.,
Irving, John A., West Fell, Corbridge-on-Tyne ...... 7th Dec.,
Irving, Major, Burnfoot, Ecclefechan ................-.:.:ssseeeeee ee
Jackson, Colonel, 6 Fruid’s Park, Annan ............... 9th Aug.,
Johnson-Ferguson, Sir J. E., Bart., of Springkell,

Uferel key es\cl or he Meee sec eer aepeRROceaeac eee, 1A cacecee nas 30th May,
Johnson-Ferguson, A., Wiston Lodge, Lamington ...9th Sept.,
Johnstone, John T., Victoria House, Moffat ............ 4th April,
Johnstone, Mrs, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries............ 17th Feb.,
Johnstone, W. S., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ...... 11th Feb.,
Kidd, Rev. Thos., U.F. Manse, Moniaive ............ 29th June,
Kirkpatrick, Rev. R. S., The Manse, Govan............ 17th Feb.,

1905.
1905.
1905.
1905.
1883.
1892.
1905.
1907:

1897.

1907.

1895.

1907.

1906.

1882.
1907.

1906.

1906.

1906.
1906.

1888.

1888.

1905.
1897.

1906.

1905.

1890.
1902.

1895.
1904.

1905.

1905.
1901.
1903.
1906.
1907:
1905.

1896.
1905.
1890.
1896.
1898.
1895.
1896.

ae

List OF MEMBERS. 213

Laidlaw, John, Plasterer, Lockerbie..................... 18th Oct., 1901.
Law, Rev. James, South U.F. Manse, Dumfries ...... 2nd June, 1905.
*Lennox, Jas., F.S.A.Scot., Edenbank, Maxwelltown, 3rd Nov., 1876.
Loreburn, The Right Hon. Lord, 6 Eton Square,

ONTO SAW ie ose cee onesie knecise cuiisline dee cstineocsstelosct 9th Jan., 1891.
Malcolm, A., Redbank, Dumfries .....................000005 2nd Oct., 1894.
Malcolm, W., Lockerbie Academy, Lockerbie ...... 14th Sept., 1907.
Malcolm, Colonel, Burnfoot, Langholm .................. 138th Dece., 1895.
Mann, R. G., Cairnsmore, Marchmount Park, Dum-

PRTSS Mee seers enact cee tecer decateeceseriecaecceeess 24th Oct., 1900.
Manson, D., Acrehead, Dumfries......................5065- 16th June, 1906.
Manson, Mrs, Acrehead, Dumfries ...........-............ 16th June, 1906.
Matthews, Wm., Dunelm, Dalbeattie Road, Dum-

LTT ORME eee otha te masts oes toca nionea easier a tdencstnsevels aelevac's 28th July, 1906.
Martin, D. J. W., Newbridge, Dumfries ............... 16th Oct., 1896.
Marriot, C. W., Howliggate, Goldielea .................. 27th June, 1907.
Maxwell, Sir H., Bart., of Monreith, Wigtownshire ...7th Oct., 1892.
Maxwell, W. J., Terregles Banks, Dumfries ............ 6th Oct., 1879.
Maxwell, Wellwood, of Kirkennan, Dalbeattie ......... 5th Nov., 1886.
Maxwell, John, Tarquah, Maxwelltown.................. 20th Jan., 1905.
Milligan, J. P., Aldouran, Castle-Douglas Road, °

Micexweel GO witli. trovcde tower aeacsndstes ese rocceeseasens 17th Oct., 1905.
Milligan, Mrs, Aldouran, Castle-Douglas Road,

Mis xyrell Gower ssecas. 22s. de sscens Secs se as vessewsnes eet. 17th Oct., 1905.

Millar, F., Bank of Scotland, Annan .................. 38rd Sept., 1886.
Moffat, James, Bank of Scotland, Annan.
Mond, Miss, Aberdour House, Dumfries ............ 9th Sept., 1905.
Murdoch, F. J., Cluden Bank, Holywood ............... 21st Dec., 1906.
Murphie, Miss Annie, Cresswell House, Dumfries ...28rd Nov., 1906.
Murray, Mrs, George Street, Dumfries .................. 6th April, 1883.
Murray, Wm., Murraythwaite, Ecclefechan ............ 8th Feb., 1895.
Murray, Mrs, Murraythwaite, Ecclefechan ............ 29th July, 1905.
M‘Call, James, of Caitloch, Moniaive .................. 29th June, 1895.
M‘Cargo, James, Kirkpatrick-Durham ............... 24th April, 1896.
M‘Cormick, Andrew, Solicitor, Newton-Stewart ...... 3rd Nov., 1905.
M‘Craken, Miss, Fernbank, Lovers’ Walk ............... 9th Nov., 1906.
M‘Cutcheon, Wm., B.Sc., Inverie, Park Road, Max-

aC LUO wall tet eyecare nee enon meme tase taatechwateccct cee 18th Oct., 1901.
Macdonald, Ji. C. R., W.S.;' Dumfries ...........6....0-0-- 6th Nov., 1885.
M‘Gowan, B., Solicitor, Dumfries .....................04- 26th Oct., 1900.
M‘Jerrow, David, Town Clerk, Lockerbie ............... 22nd Feb., 1906.
Mackenzie, Colonel, of Auchenskeoch ................-. 25th Aug., 1895.
M‘Kerrow, M. H., Solicitor, Dumfries .................. 19th Jan., 1900.
M‘Kerrow, Matt. S., Boreland of Southwick ............ 9th Jan., 1890.
M‘Kie, Thos., Moat House, Dumfries...................+. 2nd Aug., 1890.

M‘Kie, John, R.N., Anchorlea, Kirkcudbright ...... 4th April, 1881.
MacKinnel, W. A., The Sheiling, Castle-Douglas
oadey Oi mMbrLesae ecosesdarascia-adsaces- se cenccos eee 22nd Feb., 1906.

214 List oF MEMBERS.

MacKinnel, Mrs, The Sheiling, Castle-Douglas Road,

DUM EPIOs Ye Pee ere uist vances seeaaroeasOenaea eee 22nd Feb., 1906.
M‘Kinnon, Rev. Albert, Lochmaben ...................+- 9th Nov., 1906.
Mi Kinnon, (Mrs Wochmaben -s.c..cscser-vesasasaee ee caren 9th Nov., 1906.
M‘Lachlan, Mrs, Dryfemount, Lockerbie ............ 26th March, 1906.
M‘Lachlan, Jas., M.D., Lockerbie ...:.............000000- 25th Oct., 1895.
Neilson, George, LL.D., Wellfield, Partidkhill Road,

GIBSG OW: Pattie comsAecssec eas aki emeer eacene eee ete 13th Dee., 1895.
Neilson, J., of Mollance, Castle-Douglas ............ 13th March, 1896.
Nicholson, J. H., Airlie, Maxwelltown .................. 9th Aug., 1904.
Ovens, Walter, of Torr, Auchencairn .................. 13th March, 1896.
ABET e TE y del Dre I abit hreeene braced eeeer see aoec OC eetccrt areca 24th Feb., 1906.
Palmer, Charles, Woodbank Hotel, Dumfries ......... 29th July, 1905.
Payne, J. W., 8 Bank Street, Annan ..................... 8th Sept., 1906.
Penman, A. C., Airlie, Moffat Road ................0..- 18th June, 1901.
‘Penman; Mrs, Airlie, Moffat Road...-¢c..0s.c0s.-sesecc-e 17th Oct., 1905.
Phyn, C. S., Procurator-Fiscal, Dumfries ............... 6th Nov., 1885.
Pickering, R. Y., of Conheath, Dumfries ............... 26th Oct., 1900.
Primrose, John, Solicitor, Dumfries......................+- 5th Dec., 1889.
Proudfoot, John, Ivy House, Moffat..................... 9th Jan., 1890.
Rae, Rev. R. Neill, The Manse, Lochmaben............ 21st Dec., 1906.
Rawson, James, Glebe Terrace, Dumfries............... 4th Oct., 1907.
Reid, James, Chemist, Dumfries.

Robertson, Dr, Ji.. M-,, Penipont:::......--csss.ec scenes <oees 3rd Feb., 1886.
Robson, John, Westbourne, Maxwelltown............... 25th May, 1895.
Robison, Jos., 2 Castle Street, Kirkcudbright...... 23rd Mar., 1907.
Rogers, Miss, The Oaks, Rotchell Park.................. 21st Dec., 1906.

Romanes, J. M., B.Sc., 6 Albany Place, Dumfries...18th Jan., 1907.
Ross, Dr J. Maxwell, Duntrune, Castle-Douglas

1 RICENG lpg Codtocc cet tar Roce Sconce CEE ROR cn are E eee llth July, 1891.
*Rutherford, J., Jardington, Dumfries......................+: Nov., 1876.
Saunders, Wm., Rosebank, Lockerbie.
Scott-Elliot, Professor G. F., F.L.S., F.R.G.S., of

Newton; sDumbriosty, c.ccenscscasdecdeedocsebeccets 4th March, 1887.
Scott, Alexander, Solicitor, Annan....................060 7th Nov., 1890.
Scott, Rev. J. Hay, F.S.A.Scot., Sanquhar ............ 6th Aug., 1887.
Scott, R. A., per Geo. Russell, Banker, Dumfries...... 1st Oct., 1890.
Scott, W.S., Redcastle, Dalbeattie...............ccs00000: 14th Jan., 1898.
Scott-Elliot, Mrs, Newton, Dumfries..................... 26th Oct., 1906.
Scott, Hart W., The Hovel, Maxwelltown........ ...... 9th Nov., 1906.
Semple, Dr., D.Sc., Airlie, Moffat Road, Dumfries...12th June, 1901.
*Service, Robert, M.B.O.U., Maxwelltown ................ceceseeeees 1876.
Service, Robert, Jun., Janefield, Maxwelltown...24th March, 1905.
Shannon, John P., Noblehill Mill, Dumfries ......... 18th Jan., 1907.
Smith, R. G. Edington-, Buccleuch Street,

PUM ERIES?: s/c ssetosasemenees vaeae oe sae a stem eae 9th Nov., 1906.

Smith, Miss, Llangarth, Maxwelltown..................... 6th Oct., 1905.
Starke, J. G. Hamilton, Troqueer Holm ............... 2nd March, 1877.

List oF MEMBERS.

Stephen, Rev. W. L., St Mary’s Manse, Moffat...... 28th June,
Stewart, William, Shambellie, Newabbey............... 21st Dec.,
*Stobie, P., Cabinetmaker, Dumifries..................... 3rd Nov.,
Street, Fev. W. J., U.F. Manse, Maxwelltown...... 17th Nov.,
Symons, John, Raval Bans. Dimtriesss...c.2-cdeas-++-ee- 2nd Feb.,
Symons, John, Solicitor, Damieics Bees ec Leedeteucenete 6th Nov.,
*Thomson, J. S., Jeweller, Dumfries..................... 3rd Nov.,
Thomson, Wm., Solicitor, Dumfries ......................6. Ist Oct.,

Thomson, Miss, c/o Miss Dunbar, Langlands, Dumfries.
Thompson, Mrs H. A., Inveresk, Castle Street, Dum-

NURSES (goes Moras GnB Es cbbeodeptn be OBB Ora oCE ae on erEE 25th Nov.,
Tocher, John, Chemist, Dumfries.......................008 19th Jan.,
Turner, Alex., Chemist; Dumfries........................ 17th Oct.,
Veitch, W. H., Factor, Hoddom.........................0. 26th Oct.,
Waddell, J. B., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries......... llth June,
Waddell, Mrs, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries............ llth June,
Wallace, M. G., Terreglestown, Dumfries............ 11th March,
Wallace, James, The Hope, Moffat......................55 18th May,
Wallace, Miss, Lochvale House, Lochmaben............ 7th Oct.,
Wallace, James Cecil, The Hope, Moffat............... 18th May,
Watt, James, Crawford Villa, Johnstone Park,

INN EGIOS, steer cee oc tence sees hntveeceeseccreceacs 7th March,
Watt, Miss, Crawford Villa, Johnstone Park,

PUNTO TOS ya hee aectchiis se dooce toe cbs oman aaenae saeey se 6th Oct.,
Watson, Thos., Castlebank, Dumfries..................... 9th Jan.,
Weatherstone, Andrew, Bank of Scotland House,

1D beahigite( te haar hendoce hrc eer Genta seemed: aon ero hane ene Ist Dec.,
White, John, Oaklands, Noblehill .........................4. 28th July,
White, Mrs, Oaklands, Noblehill........................... 28th July,
Whitelaw, J. W., Solicitor, Dumfries..................... 6th Nov.,
Whitelaw, Rev. H. A., U.F. Manse, Albany,

PO WIMETIOS. 2642 Seceaciadeetde tte setad tele scvesesw cleans 20th May,
Waehtman, Abel; Lockerbie.......:.ci...5ceccs-ec-cesners 24th Feb.,
Will, Geo., Farm Manager, Crichton Royal Institu-

GLO 9 tetova teste adcee ce eaeticeeceepiceeteeesasuncncae wes 28th July,
Wilson, John, Solicitor, Dumfries.................0.:00000+ 29th July,
Wilson, Mrs, Castledykes Cottage, Dumfries......... 24th May,
Wilson, Miss, Castledykes Cottage, Dumfries......... 24th Feb.,
yilson, J. R., Solicitor, Sanquhar .......................- 2nd Oct.,
Witham, Colonel J. K. Maxwell, C.M.G., of Kirk-

Connel aD UMLrLeEs: ccc sen seedesestiee eaters nal 7th March,
Witham, Miss Maud, Kirkconnel, Dumfries............ 6th Feb.,

Yerburgh, R. A., of Barwhillanty, Parton, R.8.0.,
per F. A. Maryiate, 25 Kensington Gore,
Mondons SAW isc acesese Bp RET ..L7th Feb.,

Ved La & SY

30 JUN 190

215

1904.
1906.
1876.
1905.
1883.
1885.
1876.
1898.

1904.
1900.
1905.
1900.
1901.
1901.
1898.
1907.
1892.
1907.

1879.

1905.
1880.

1905.
1906.
1906.
1885.

1904.
1906.

1906.
1905.
1905.
1906.
1885.

1890.
1890.

1896.

p ee x :
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Proceeding

MBER,

x

tart ie abit

LRA
op dite

N.S. Vol. XX.

THE TRANSACTIONS

Journal of Proceedings

OF THE

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY

Natural History and Antiquarian Society

FOUNDED NOVEMBER, 1862.
SEHSSION 1907-1908.

PRINTED AT THE STANDARD OFFICE, DUMFRIES, anp
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY.

1909. \e

Office-Bearers for 1908-1909.

President.
Professor G. F. Scorr-Exuiot of Newton, Dumfries, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.G.S.,
F.L.S., &e.

Honorary Vice-Presidents.
James Barsour, F.S.A.Scot., St. Christopher’s, Dumfries.
Joun F. Cormack, Solicitor, Lockerbie.
Joun M‘Kre, R.N., Anchorlee, Kirkcudbright.
Rosert Service, M.B.O.U., Janefield, Dumfries.

Vice-Presidents.
JAMES MAxweELu Ross, M.D., Duntrune, Dumfries.
J. W. Martin, M.D., Charterhall, Dumfries.
WiiitaAm Dickr1r, Merlewood, Dumfries.
Wriirt1Am M‘Curcueon, B.Se., Inverie, Dumfries.

Hon. Secretary and Hou. Editor of ‘‘ Transactions.’’

SamureL Arnott, F.R.H.S., Sunnymead, Dumfries.
Hon. Treasurer.
M. H. M‘Kerrow, Solicitor, 30 St. David Street, Dumfries.

Hon. Librarian.
Rev. Wm. Anpson, Ivy Bank, Dumfries.

Acting Librarian.
GrorcE W. SHIRLEY, Ewart Public Library, Dumfries.

Hon. Curator of Museum.
JAMES LENNOX, F.S.A.Scot., Provost of Dumfries.

Hon. Departmental Curators.
Coins and Tokens—Rev. H. A. Wuritrnaw, M.A.
Antiquities—Dr J. W. Martin.

Hon. Curators of Herbarium.

Professor Scort-Exiior.
Miss Hannay, Langlands, Dumfries.

Hon. Secretary Photographic Committee.
W. A. MackinneL, The Sheiling, Dumfries.

Members of Council.
The President ; Honorary Vice-Presidents ; Vice-Presidents ; Secretary ;
Treasurer ; Hon. Librarian ; Hon. Curator; Hon. Curators of Herbarium ;
and the following :—

Joun T. Jounstong, Millbank, Moffat.

Mrs Heten AtKrnson, Castle Street, Dumfries.

Rev. H. A. Wuiretaw, M.A., Albany Place, Dumfries.
Wm. A. Macxinnet, The Sheiling Dumfries.

J. B. WaApDpDELL, Airlie, Moffat Road, Dumfries.

JAmEs Houston, Marchfield, Dumfries.

PrrEeR StTosiE, Rae Street, Dumfries.

Wiuu1AmM Srempue, M.A., B.Sc., Ph.D., Mile Ash, Dumfries.
JAMES Davipson, F.J.A.C., Summerville, Dumfries.

J. P. Mitirean, Aldouran, Dumfries.

CO WEN eS

—0595 00 ——

SESSION 1907-8

Hop uo— —

Office-Bearers for 1908-9...
Annual Meeting ... :
Presidential Address—Notes on Winter Ree Ps yee Scott-Elliot

Marine Fisheries, The pee | Resources of Our—Wélson H.
Armistead .

Cup and Ring Mar ees aot Corrie

Clochmahon, The—Rev. R. Weill Rae.. =
Gold Mines and Gold Mining—Pr oe. J. W. Gregory .
The Woodcock—JH. Stewart Gladstone

Chapels of Knapdale, The Ancient—W. A. If tna
Trongray in the 18th Century —Rev. S. Dunlop

Weather of 1907—Rev. W. Andson :

Weather Notes at Jardington in 1907—J/. Rasttortore
Galloway Village in the Stone Age—L. M‘L. Mann
Fungi, The Local—W. M‘Cutcheon : “a
Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn, Notes on—J. Saabs
Microscope, A Night with—7’. 7’. Ovens

Brittany, Stone Remains of—/J. Glover

Claverhouse—Soldier, Judge, and Sheriff in panties ai Galen
Rev. Dr J. King Hewison

Devorgilla Baliol and the Old Bridge of eiviaseh rites: Bar que
Bird Notes—Robert Service

Dumfries and Galloway, Gleanings of Old—Dr EL. JJ. Chinnock .
Butterflies, The British— Bertram M‘Gowan

Bird Life—The Study of—C. H. Marriott

Old Mortality in Kirkeudbright—/. Robison

Limestone, Kelhead—W. M‘Pherson . ae
George Fox, An Annan Reference in the Diary of—Rev. John Cairns ...

_ Natural History Notes—J. W. Payne...

. 101

PAGE.

99

6 CONTENTS.

Annan in the last Four Decades of the 18th Century—Frank Miller = 163
Annan, the Old Burgess Roll of—James Barbour ... es . 170
Fungi, Contributions to the Study of Dumfriesshire—A. Lorrain Smith 170
Annan, Charters Granted to—Z. J. Chinnock baie Be ae page Liizi
Paul Jones, An Episode in the Life of —J. Robison... ie see oe LAD
Lapwing, The—W. Hunter... Bc ... 185
Touch Piece of Charles II., Note on the Gold—J. Davidson a8 ae) 290
Cumin, Buchanan’s Account of the Death of—Z. J. Chinnock ... wold
Field Meetings—St. Mary’s Isle sas oe A. Pe ce a AT
A Raehills oa we ee nae ae or v 201

= Cumberland ... ve ee — ue ae ... 205
Accounts, Abstract of ... ee ef ine z a0 re. ... 209
Exhibits and Presentations _... a a ms Ace Par a 210
Exchanges ... are a ae “a in Bis tye is pa 2US
Members of the Society ... Ae wii mt ee ae a in oe

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Woodcock on Nest ee ae an dc ae ... facing page 38
aS Nest and Eggs of ... at “ss ie AG a5 38
Brittany, Stone Remains of... iss =a oF, an 45 102
Annan in 1824 __... sae 5 Sa na at Be 9 168

OMISSION.

The Note by Lady Johnson-Ferguson on Ancient Tomb-
stone referred to on Page 211 has been accidentally omitted, but
will appear in next volume.—Eb.

EDIPORIAL! NOTE.

The contributors of the papers are responsible for the state-
ments and views expressed therein, and publication is not to be

held as expressing the concurrence of the Society or the Editor.

The Editor desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to the
“Dumfries and Galloway Standard,” ‘Dumfries and Galloway
Courier and Herald,” and “ Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser,” for
reports of several meetings and discussions.

TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS
OF THE

DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY

NATURAL HISTORY & ANTIQUARIAN SOGIETY.
t SESSION 1907-8.

4th October, 190%.

ANNUAL MEETING.
Chairman—Professor Scott-ELLiotT.

The Secretary and Treasurer submitted their Annual
Reports, which were approved of. An Abstract of the Accounts
appears in this issue. The Annual Report of the Photographic
Section was submitted by the Secretary, Mr W. A. MacKinnel,
and approved of.

On the nomination of the Council the Office-bearers were
elected for the session. (See p. 3, vol. xix.)

Ist November, 1907.

Chairmen—Professor Scott-Ettiot, President, and Mr R.
SERVICE, Hon. Vice-President (during the delivery of the
former’s address).

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
Notes oN WINTER Botany. By the President, Professor G. F.
Scott-Ex.tioT, M.A., F.R.G.S., &c.

A wood in spring or summer is as different from itself in
winter as a man-of-war at a royal review to the same ship cleared

10 NoTEs ON WINTER BOTANY.

for action in time of battle. The whole process by which leaves,
useless twigs, and all sorts of herbaceous material is broken up
and overcome before the next spring’s vigorous growth begins, is
of extraordinary interest. The formation of cork and the leaf
fall are well known, but the destruction of all those many her-
baceous stems that last but for one season is not so well under-
stood. Perhaps the most remarkable point about them is the
way in which they survive, often until well on in winter time, just
indeed so long as the dead, dry, withered, and yet elastic, stalk
can be of use in disseminating the fruits and seeds. When the
last spore is shed the destruction of the stalk soon follows.

Herbaceous stems consist generally of a ring of woody or
collenchymatous mechanical tissue, often raised into ribs or
flanges. Outside this there are, successively, first soft
parenchyma, and then the tough, more or less thickened
epidermis. So soon as the last seeds are definitely formed and
separated from the wall of the ovary, the drying of the stalk
begins (probably the water is no longer assisted in ascending
the stem by the demands of the ripening seeds). Then, as the
cells in the upper part of the stalk gradually die, less and less.
water ascends until they become like those of dried herbarium
specimens which may last 100 years or more if kept thoroughly
dry and free from certain insects.

But the lower part of the stalk just above the ground is kept
generally more or less moist by surrounding vegetation: in
Umbelliferze also the part just above the node is kept fresh and
humid by the remains of the vagina; similar sheathing leaf bases.
or stipules have the same effect in other plants.

It is at these spots that the first fungus attack usually begins.
They remind one of the decay of an ordinary paling stob, which
usually sets in at the neck. That part of the stob which is in air
may be quite sound* and also the basal end planted in the earth,
but just at or near the surface of the ground, where the condi-
tions frequently change from moist to dry, fungus attacks are
favoured and the stob rots through.

*The gates of Constantinople destroyed by the Turks in 1453 when
eleven centuries old of Cypress (C. sempervirens) in air and the wood
of Juniperus oxycedrus, buried in the earth in Malta, were quite sound
after respectively 1100 years and 400 years.—Boulger ‘* Wood,” 1902.

NOTES ON WINTER BOTANY. 11

The herbaceous stems are attacked in these moist and
sheltered places by such fungi as Heterosphaeria patella,
Melanomma, etc. The stalk eventually rots and is easily broken
at the base by wind or accidents of sorts. Having been felled,
the hollow centre is a neat and cosy refuge for insects and
animals, and the whole stalk is soon attacked by a variety of
fungi. A favourite position for Sphaerias is the soft tissue out-
side the mechanical cylinder, and by their agency the epidermis is
soon broken away.

As regards the breaking up of leaves, a vast number of
fungi attack dead rotting leaves when lying on the soil, but a
very large part of the work must be done by animals. A curious
fungus is Typhula Grevillei, whose minute club-like fructifica-
tions may be found between the leaves and not upright. In such
a position the spores must be distributed by worms, insects, or
other animals which probably devour the fungus or the leaf
substance, and so distribute the spores.

But the most interesting facts are those connected with the
rotting of tree stumps and the decay of fallen branches and
twigs. The first point that one notices is the indestructible
character of the cork sheet in which the woody parts are
enclosed. It is not at all unusual to find cylindrical tubes of
almost unbroken cork with the whole of the wood inside re-
duced to powder. This is the more remarkable, as the
Discomycete fungi, for instance, show extraordinary powers of
adapting themselves to the most inappropriate foods. Species
exist which grow on charcoal, leather, modelling clay, plaster,
and fir tree resin. Yet, though 133 species at least grow on
wood, those occurring on “ bark ’’ are very few, and even of these
most, like Lachnella calycina, really live on the phloem and
cambium, and only burst through the cork from the inside.

Perhaps more remarkable is the resistant power of the sawn
surface of the stump. This may remain discoloured and more
or less hard for years after the tree is felled. It is apparently
saturated with resin, and has a very scanty and difficult flora in
which blue Algae (Chroococcus, Glaeocapsa, etc.) are common.
Underneath this surface the wood may be entirely honeycombed
or crumbling, powdery, and almost destroyed. But if hypnums
or other mosses, liverworts, or lichens cover such a surface, it
is soon decayed.

12 NOTES ON WINTER BOTANY.

Both insects and the mycelia of the larger fungi generally
make their attack between the bark and wood. ‘There are the
cambium of living cells, as well as soft phloem and the youngest
wood. Having burrowed through and devoured all this material,
the most usual proceeding is for the fungus to penetrate by the
medullary rays (also full of starch, vegetable fat, and oil) so as
to reach towards the pith.*

Quite frequently the whole wood then becomes a mass of
thin papery sheets reminding one of the leaves of a book and
exceedingly thin. A favourite place for Discomycetes is the
smooth, still hard, surface of the wood covered over by the loose
shell of bark, and where worms, wood lice, centipedes, slugs,
small shells, insect larve, etc., find shelter. The shining white
translucent Lachnella Hyalina often occurs in this position.
Here also Myxomycete fungi are to be found. The plasmodia
may be often noticed, and very often the fructifications, though
these are perhaps more usual where the bark has come off.

On the other hand, many Spheriaceae grow and feed
beneath the bark, but, when mature, their little rounded black
shoulders burst up through the bark and the minute opening is ex-
posed to the air. Others, such as Nectria, Hypoxylon fuscum,
and many others, combine to form a circular or lens shaped mass
(stroma), which breaks up through the bark and so attains the
air and light ; in these the small pores may be observed, and are
obviously excellently adapted to the purpose of spore dissemina-
tion.

It is as regards the dissemination of the spores of all these
four groups (Agaricineae, Discomycetes, Sphzriaceae, and
Myxomycetes), that one finds oneself face to face with difficult
but most interesting problems.

How is it that, e.g., Arcyria Punicea occurs on dead wood in
Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, the Cape, Java and
Borneo, New Zealand, the United States, the West Indies,
Guiana, and Brazil?+ Probably that form was differentiated at
the very origin of the species of trees, and has accompanied trees
in all their migrations all over the world. More remarkable,

* ef. Lindroth Naturw. Zeits. f. Land u. Forst. Band II., 1904 (Polyporus
nigricans) Biffen, Journ. Linn. Soc., April, 1899.

+ Lister, Mycetozoa.

Notes ON WINTER BOTANY. 13

perhaps, is the specialisation shown by some of the Ascomycetes.

We find that on Vaccinium, for instance, there are 2 sp.
of Phacidium and one of Crumenula. On beechmast there grow
—Hymenoscypha 1 sp., Helotium 1 sp., and Lachnella 2 sp. ;
whilst upon Castanea cups a Lachnella has been found. These
forms have not, so far as I know, been discovered elsewhere,
except just upon those particular substances.

On the other hand, others occur on widely different plants,
on the wood of many different trees or on all sorts of herbaceous
stems. ‘There are also cases in which these saprophytic minute
fungi attack closely related plants such as Poplar and Willow.
All this resembles very closely what we find in the flowering
plants, and is most easily explained by the simple supposition that
the ancestors of any given Discomycete have, during the whole
course of the evolution of, for example, Castanea, continued to
live on Castanea, dividing from their relations on beechmast and
acorn, at the time those trees were differentiated.

The spores are in some cases certainly distributed by insects.
Take, e.g., Typhula Grevillei between dead leaves lying flat
upon one another. Surely no explanation is possible except that
insects or animals, probably worms, devour the fungus and
deposit the spores in their casts. Nor, I think, can we help the
belief that insects must generally introduce the spores of
Discomycetes under the bark of a dead twig. The exposed ring
of infectible tissue is not only very narrow but in most cases it is
vertical, and the chance falling of a spore exactly at the right
spot seems exceedingly unlikely.

On the other hand, an insect which touches a Typhula in
the dead leaves, or which is leaving beechmast or dead logs, will
very probably proceed to visit other dead leaves, beechmast or
dead twigs. The probability of infection is obviously enormously
greater than that of purely chance infection by wind. Insects
undoubtedly do visit both large and small fungi, although
observation of insect visits on very minute Lachnellas, etc., is an
exceedingly difficult matter.

I do not mean to imply that the wind is not utilised. Indeed,
special arrangements for darting out or ejaculating spores are by
no means unusual, as in the Puffball, Peziza, Barya, Ascobolus,
etc. Falk has also explained how, in the common agarics, the
spores dropping from the under surface of the hat are caught up

14 NoTEs ON WINTER BOTANY.

by draughts due to differences of temperature and may be distri-
buted to a distance of a metre from it. The higher temperature
found in fungi which are fully ripe and on the point of decay
might, as he suggests, assist in producing those draughts.

But this writer would surely agree that the insect that
laid its eggs in that agaricus and its daughter larve later on
could not avoid carrying off spores when they left the fungus!
Those spores would surely be rubbed off amongst dead leaves
or inside the bark, and have a very favourable chance of germi-
nation.

Then, again, pollen grains are for the most part insect
carried, and when we find an identical ornamentation consisting
of tiny microscopical spines on pollen grains, on spores of
Tilletia, etc., parasitic on anthers, and on Myxomycete spores
(which are often bright red or yellow), is it not most reasonable
to conclude that insects are the most important agents in their
distribution ? :

It is quite likely that birds, rabbits, and squirrels carry
spores from one plantation to another. Mr W. R. Stewart, of
Glasgow, told me that he had often seen birds attacking the
larger fungi, and both he and Mr M‘Cutcheon have observed
squirrels eating fungi.

Whether spores can survive being swallowed by animals,
and especially worms and insects, is a difficult question. Mr
Massee thinks that the Mucors and Mould fungi are swallowed
by animals, e.g., rabbits, and pass through their intestines
without injury.* The spores of Ascomycetes and Basidiomy-
cetes are said by Falk (l.c.) to be destroyed by digestion in
animals. These two opinions are scarcely reconcilable, for the
Ascospores are much better protected than those of Mucor.

Spores even of these minute fungi are both long lived and
resistant. Mr Lister found that spores of a Reticularia, which
had been dried three years before, germinated in four hours
when placed in suitable media. Even the fungi themselves are
sometimes capable of resisting both heat and, what is still more
remarkable, drowning. Polyporus Betulinus, etc., dried at a
temperature of 37 degs. C., revived afterwards when placed in
moist air.t A Discomycete fungus (Humaria oo-cardii) has been

* Massee Annals of Botany, Vol. XVI., 1902, p. 57
+ Gatin Guzewska Comptes Rendus, 12 Dec., 1904.

NOTES ON WINTER BOTANY. i)

discovered growing quite happily at a depth of eight metres

below the surface of the water.*

So a squirrel nesting in a tree infected by Polyporus Betu-
linus might produce infection on any one of the trees that it
visits during a very long time, and the spore might sleep three
or four years in a crevice of bark until it got the chance of
germination.

The air, of course, is, as we know, full of fungus spores.
Such minute dust particles as they are must be carried enormous
distances. Klebahn found thousands of rust spores deposited
on plates (12 cm. in diameter) placed in the open air, and
Saitot has carried out similar experiments.

But, on the whole, I think that insects and other small
animals have the chief part in this work of conveying those
minute destroyers of dead wood and breakers up of vegetable
matter to their appointed place for functioning.

The number of smaller fungi recorded for this district is
very small.

The following minute agents of decay have been found by
myself in Kirkcudbrightshire :—

7361 Peziza (Humaria) humosa. On refuse, by-path to river
between Hardlawbank Bridge and Lincluden, December
22nd, 1898.

360 Ascobolus viridis. Same place and date.

1322 Hymenoscypha scutula. Dead herbaceous stems, Dalry,
October, 1907.

1325 H. fructigena. Rose twigs, Dalry, October, 1907.

1328 H. coronata. Herbaceous stems, Dalry, October, 1907.

1332 H. clavata. Wet herbaceous stems, Newton, October,
1907.

1345 H. petiolorum. Exact colour of dead oak leaf, small wood
near Cluden Mills, October, 1907.

364 Lachnella calycina. Larch disease, Newton (very common),
December, 1898.

1326 Phyllachora junci. On rushes, Bogue, Dalry, October,
1907.

* Lindau, Botan. Centralblatt Band 96, p. 41.
+ The numbers refer to my herbarium (Cryptogamous).

16 Notes ON WINTER BOTANY.

1353 L. nidulus? On Spirea stems, Cluden Mills, October,
1907.

1333 Lachnea scutellata. Islesteps, October, 1907.

1321 Tapesia cesia. On dead oak leaves, Newton, October,
1907.

1344 Solenia anomala. Cluden Mills, on wood, October, 1907.

1331 Calloria leucostigma. Newton, October, 1907.

1347 C. luteorubella. On wood, Newton, October, 1907.

1337 Phacidium coronatum. Oak leaves, Dalry, October, 1907.

1342 Helotium herbarum. On nettle stalks, Cluden Mills,
October, 1907.

1343 Helotium claroflavus. On beechmast, Cluden Mills, Octo-
ber, 1907.

1349 Mollisia cinerea. On wood, October, 1907.

362 Fenestrella princeps. On hawthorn twigs, above Lin-
cluden, December, 1898.

1323 Melanomma pulvispyrius. Newton, Heracleum stalks,
October, 1907.

1327 Ceratospheria rhenana. On rose twigs, Dalry, October,
1907.

1340 Gibberella pulicaris. Barberry twigs, Newton, October,
1907.

1341 Nectria ditissima. On wood, Newton, October, 1907.

1350 Hypoxylum fuscum. Cluden Mills.

1351 Phoma complanata. Herbaceous stalks, Cluden Mills,
October, 1907.

1326 Phyllachora (late Dothidea) junci. On rushes, Dalry,
October, 1907.

1320 Comatricha obtusata. Newton, on dead branches, Octo-
ber, 1907.

1330 and 1335 Trichia varia. | Holywood and Islesteps, on
Xylaria and wood, October, 1907.

1334 Arcyria punicea. From Dr Martin, Newbridge, October,
1907.

1336 Stemonitis fusca. Islesteps, on old stump, October, 1907.

1348 Physarum nutans. Dalry, October, 1907.

1339 Typhula Grevillei. Between sodden leaves, Newton,
October, 1907.

Miss A. Lorraine Smith, a distinguished Dumfriesshire

NOTES ON WINTER BOTANY. 17

botanist and an excellent authority on fungi, has found the

following in Dumfriesshire:

Haplographium pinetum. On dead fir leaves. Remarkable for
the dark brown and rather stout stem and a head like
Penicillium. (New to Britain.)

Periconia pycnospora

Acremoniella pallida + All unusual forms on vegetable rubbish.

Gorytrichum cesium )

Gibberella cyanogena. Cabbage stalks.

Leptosphaeria acuta. Nettle stems.

Ticothecium pygmaeum. On the apothacium of a Lecanora.

Sporodina grandis, with zygospores on Agarics.

Ascophanus equinus. On dung.

Steganosporium pyriforme. On sycamore branches.

Rhytisma acerinum. On sycamore leaves.

Urocystis Anemones. On buttercup.

Melampsoridium betulinum. On birch.

Phragmidium violaceum. On Rubus.

Phragmidium subcorticatum. On Roca canina.

Puccinia graminis.

Puccinia Poarum.

Cystopus candidus. On Shepherd’s Purse.

Erysiphe Martis. On dead flies.

Leptospheria vagabunda and its attendant ;

Coniothyrium vagabundus, a new disease of gooseberries, has:
been observed at Annan and Worcester. It strips the
bushes of leaves.

15th November, 1907.
Chairman—Dr Martin, Vice-President.

THE UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF OUR MARINE FISHERIES.
By Mr Witson H. ARMISTEAD.

Although the salmon does not come entirely under the head-
ing of Marine Fisheries, no study of its life and habits is complete
without considering its existence in salt water, and before passing
on to questions which are entirely marine, I should like to say a
few words about this most important fish. The decrease of

18 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

salmon in our rivers has been the subject of much discussion for
many years, and though every now and again there comes a
season which is so much better than the preceding ones, that we
are inclined to hope things are improving, invariably there suc-
ceeds a series of seasons which destroy all hope of a permanent
improvement.

So great is the value of the salmon in our rivers that one
would think it should be a matter for national consideration, and
from time to time the Government has made very definite attempts
to improve matters, and the Fishery Boards for England, Scot-
land, and Ireland have this question very much at heart. But I
wish to show how, under existing conditions, Governments and
Fishery Boards are alike powerless to prevent things going from
bad to worse. I am fully satisfied, after carefully studying the
matter from every available point of view, that the great difficulty
in the way of real advance is the existence on all rivers of such
widely different interests, all centreing in this much valued but
most unfortunate fish.

CONFLICTING INTERESTS.

Though I wish to deal with the subject solely from a national
point of view it will be necessary to consider some of these con-
flicting interests, and for our present purpose we may divide
them into two classes—(1) Sporting interest; (2) Commercial
interest. Now it has been the custom hitherto to discover by
means of elaborate calculations which of these two interests is
the most valuable to the country, and, having decided that point,
to advocate the fostering of that particular interest with little
regard for the other. Again, another method has been adopted
which is, perhaps, even worse than the preceding one ; the foster-
ing of both interests by means of concessions to each, which have
served to embitter the feelings of both parties. If only they
could be persuaded that their interests are identical and in no
way conflicting, a very real advantage would have been gained in
the right direction. As things stand, the feeling of the fisher-
men towards the river proprietors is very bitter, and I know from
personal observation that the feeling of the river proprietors is
equally bitter against the fishermen. It is the old story of a
house divided against itself, and the inevitable result. The
fishermen claim that the salmon are worthless till they have been

UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 19

for some time in the sea, and that they, as fishermen, have a
moral right to the fish in the sea. The proprietors claim that,
but for their rivers, which contain the spawning grounds of the
salmon, and which are for two years the nursery of the young
fish before ever they go to sea at all, there would be no salmon
for the fishermen to catch. Further, they point out that they are
at considerable expense in various ways, but chiefly in providing
watchers to protect the spawning fish—and that, considering all
this, it is very hard lines that men who have done absolutely
nothing for the welfare of the salmon should have the first and
best chance of capturing them. Each of these arguments appears
to their supporters unanswerable, and each party regards the
other as defrauding it of its just rights. This is no exaggeration
of the case. Feeling runs very high, and in the fight to obtain
each its share the poor unfortunate salmon goes to the wall. As
my interests are centred entirely in the welfare of the salmon,
perhaps I may claim to take an impartial view of the matter, and
I have a very severe indictment to bring against both parties.

SPORTSMEN FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER.

First, I will deal with the sporting interest. Here I find the
camp again divided against itself. The interests on a salmon
river are so various and of such different degree, owing to the
large number of proprietors and their position on the river, that
an adjustment of the rights of each seems to be impossible.
When once a salmon is out of the sea and safely into fresh water,
he belongs legally to the owner of the land through which the
river runs. His value undergoes a change, for now he is not
regarded solely as a marketable product at so much a pound, but
as a sporting asset to any estate on which he may be found. He
is angled for with rod and line, and the value of any stretch of
salmon river is enhanced by the number of salmon which can be
taken from it in ways which are according to the accepted idea
of sport. Here we have scores, sometimes hundreds, of proprie-
tors on the same river, each with an inducement to take as many
salmon as he can from his particular stretch, and in many cases
the feeling between upper and lower proprietors is as bitter as
their feeling against the fisherman and his nets. There is more
reason for this than might appear on the surface. The most
valuable parts of a river from the salmon’s point of view are

20 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

the upper reaches and small tributaries, for here are the chief
spawning grounds, and it is the proprietor of these waters who
gets the least benefit from the salmon, because they arrive there
last. Often they do not reach the head waters until the close
time, so that the proprietor whose stretch of water is of the most
value to the river as a whole, gets absolutely no benefit from the
salmon fishing. What does he do? If he is fond of fishing he
turns his attention to trout, and sees that his water is well stocked
with these, and the result is that the spawning beds are over-
crowded with fish. Early trout eggs are rooted up by salmon,
and their eggs are in turn rooted up by the late trout. It is a
fearful state of affairs, which can only result in disaster to the
river as a whole, and the irony of it is that the unfortunate
fisherman gets the blame when salmon get scarcer. It is all very
well to say that the fisherman does nothing for the benefit of the
salmon, which, by the way, is not altogether the case, as will
be shown later, but it must also be borne in mind that neither is
he guilty of wasteful mismanagement.

How ANGLING Is HARMFUL.

Another point which I should like to emphasise strongly is
that angling for salmon with rod and line is the most harmful
manner of catching the fish in a river, and where fly fishing only
is allowed this applies equally to trout, because it is the young
and lusty fish which are caught by such lures, and these are
precisely the fish which should be allowed to remain as breeders.
Think what it must mean to any river to have the cream of its
stock taken every year, and the old and infirm left to spawn. If
you examine the fish on the spawning beds, you will find a very
large majority of old fish, particularly males, which ought, for
the benefit of the river, to have been taken out long ago. This
is one of the services the fishermen render a river—the nets catch
their fair percentage of old fish which are past being of value as
breeders. There are several important reasons why old fish
should not be allowed to become too numerous in any river :—(1)
As breeders they are inferior, producing fewer eggs for their
weight, and eggs of an inferior quality, which produce weakly
alevins. (2) Old fish spawn later than those in the prime of life,
and very frequently root up eggs already deposited in order to
lay their own. (3) Old males are quarrelsome brutes, and by

— ae

—————e

UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 21

reason of their abnormally developed lower jaw are dangerous
to younger fish, and the wounds they inflict become covered with
fungus (Saprolegnia ferax), which will eventually kill the fish if
it does not immediately return to salt water. (4) Saprolegnia,
being contagious, is a very dangerous disease to have set going
amongst a crowd of spawning fish. (5) Even where the old
males do not start it by wounding others, they are very liable to
it themselves, and so become a source of danger. From what
has been said, it will be seen how desirable it is that the breeding
stock should be young and healthy. A method of removing old
and undesirable fish will be discussed presently.

THe Upper PROPRIETORS’ GRIEVANCE.

As an illustration of the difficulty in fairly distributing the
advantages of the presence of salmon in a river, I may mention a
case in point. On a certain river there was a pretty lively state
of affairs between the conservators, the proprietors, and the
fishermen. Again and again adjustments had been tried and
bye-laws altered, but the unfortunate conservators were at their
wits end, and did not know what to do, for each move brought a
storm of abuse from one or other of the factions, and while the
uproar was at its height a letter was received from one of the
upper proprietors which threatened to make matters worse. This
gentleman stated that over 70 per cent. of the salmon in the river
spawned in his waters, but they did not arrive there till after the
close season had set in, and he asked for a week’s rod fishing to
be allowed him in consideration of the protection he and his
keepers afforded the salmon while on the spawning beds. The
request was refused, and nothing more was heard of the matter
till spawning time. Then the conservators heard that Mr
So-and-so had been blowing up the salmon on the spawning beds
with dynamite in order that he might turn his piece of river into a
well-stocked trout water. Naturally, there was a row, and
though the conservators were able to prevent him repeating the
outrage, considerable mischief had already been done, and they
were not able to prevent him erecting a trout hatchery and turn-
ing down many thousands of trout. This, of course, meant
destruction to quantities of salmon eggs on the spawning beds.

22 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

THE FISHERMEN’S CASE.

The fishermen on the coast are well aware of what goes on
up the rivers. They know what the proprietors think of them,
and they know what they think of each other. They are men
who have to earn money for a living, and they have wives and
families to maintain. They fish in the sea, which is free to all,
and they find salmon there. Salmon are of considerable value,
consequently the fishermen lay out what money they can afford
in boats and nets, and, having sunk their capital, they must make
it as productive as possible. The law, from their point of view,
harasses them considerably, but in the main they abide by it,
and, if they were the only people taking toll of the salmon, the
crop in the rivers would be in a very different state from what it
is at present. As has been pointed out, they do not take only
the cream of the breeding fish, but they catch their fair per-
centage of fish which are no longer of any use to the river owing
to their age. Where I find fault with them chiefly is their
conniving at legal practices. The majority of the fishermen are
law-abiding, but they will not interfere with the minority who
break the law. In this they make a great mistake, for they allow
their trade to become a byeword for poaching, and as a class
they are distrusted. This prejudice against their integrity will
take a long time to overcome, and it is a pity that a number of
worthy men should be dubbed rascals for the sake of the few who
really are so. Again, they have an idea (for which, it must be
confessed, there is some ground) that the river proprietors would
like to do away with all salmon netting, consequently they do
not trust strangers with information, and it is very difficult even
for their friends to get at the truth. Their grievances are many,
because they are misunderstood, but no one with a knowledge of
what goes on up the rivers can justly accuse the fishermen of
being the cause of the present scarcity of salmon. The case for
both parties at present stands thus—conflicting interests,
jealousy, distrust, and ignorance as to cause and effect. To
suggest a remedy may seem a bold thing, but there is a way out
of the difficulty, and I am inclined to think it is the only one.
Mutual interest or co-operation would place things on a very
different footing, and the result would ‘not be a thing of the
distant future, but each year would show a steady advance till a
very great improvement would be arrived at.

UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 23

A PROPOSED REMEDY.

As an outline of the plan, I would suggest the following :—
A salmon river from source to estuary, with all its tributaries,
should be taken as a complete whole. All the interests should
be ascertained, including a fixed number of fishermen’s claims in
the estuary. These interests, or holdings, should be valued,
and a small tax made on the valuation. The funds thus derived
could be utilised for the proper farming of the river so as to
make it produce its utmost. One or more hatcheries could be
built, and by means of stations erected at suitable points, every
salmon entering the river could be counted, and a complete
control over the fish exercised. Every fish past its prime could
be marketed, and suitable breeders selected for the filling of the
hatcheries with eggs. The cost of working the scheme when
ascertained could be raised by making a charge of so much per
Ib. weight for every fish caught, and in this way the take of fish
would reduce or abolish entirely the original tax on the holdings.
By means of effective co-operation, the welfare of the river as a
whole would be the desire of each one holding an interest. Asa
rough outline of what I am convinced is a thoroughly practical
idea, this may serve for the foundation of a scheme to be per-
fected by an abler head than mine. If there are difficulties to be
overcome, as indeed there are sure to be, at least tackling them
will not be so hopeless a matter as the present state of affairs.
In connection with the above, the following paragraph, which I
came across in a recent publication, may be of interest :—“ Some
years ago 5000 young salmon were released from the Clackamas
Hatchery, Oregon, after having been carefully marked by the
removal of part of the dorsal fin with a razor. No fewer than
450 of these fish were secured in the second, third, and fourth
years following their release, which means that for every thousand
young salmon released two thousand pounds of adult fish were
caught for market a few years later. The cost of producing and
turning out the young salmon worked out at about four shillings:
a thousand.’’ In concluding this subject, I may say that it is
my opinion that the only way to get a salmon river to yield its:
utmost is by co-operation and scientific farming of the water.

OYSTERS.

Passing now to a very different creature, and one which is:

O24 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

entirely marine, I should like to say a few words concerning the
oyster. This shell fish is, and has been, a considerable source of
revenue to many districts, but unfortunately there are many places
where they were once plentiful and now do not exist. This is
not always due to man’s meddlesomeness, and in many cases the
cause of their disappearance is a complete mystery. I knew a
very fine bed away up the West Highlands, north of Strome
Ferry, some years ago, which existed in a sheltered bay about
two fathoms down in beautifully clear water—they were very little
molested, and to all appearance had been established there for
generations. One fine day the building of a shooting lodge was
commenced fully a mile away on the shore, and before it was
completed the oysters had died out. No one knew why, but as
the building and destruction of the bed happened at the same
time, the natives concluded they had something to do with each
other. At anyrate, no other explanation was ever forthcoming,
but it must be admitted that other beds have disappeared with
even less apparent cause. The partial failure of the oyster crop
round our coasts, excepting in the few places where they are
cultivated, has led to a supply of foreign shell fish, often of very
inferior quality, finding its way into the English and Scottish
markets, and the buyers have become so accustomed to this
regular supply.that they will not trouble their heads about inter-
mittent consignments from our own coasts. As the result of
enquiry, I find that the buyers require—(1) Regular supplies ; (2)
Even sizes ; (3) Oysters not more than five years old. It appears
that an oyster is at its best at four years of age, and where they
are under cultivation they are despatched when they have
attained it.

SoLwaAy POSSIBILITIES.

Perhaps it is not very well known that there are consider-
able oyster beds in the Solway lying untouched. In Wigtown
Bay there is a large bed seldom, if ever, fished, and off St.
Bees Head they are lying many feet thick on the bottom, but I
was told they were not marketable. One consignment of 400
dozen sent to Manchester did not make enough to pay the rail-
Way carriage. From time to time I have examined these oysters.
They are huge fellows, well nournished, but the bulk of them
are ancient and tough. Their shells are overgrown and heavy,

B-

UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 25

and consequently they won’t sell. But there was one important
and interesting thing I noticed about them—they had young
oysters no bigger than the half of a threepenny bit sticking to
them. It was curious that all I could procure were either very
old or very young; but here, at least, were the essential facts
which proved that oysters thrive in these waters. It is interest-
ing to note that, even where oysters are under cultivation, it is
often impossible to get them to spawn, and “seed’’ has to be
procured from more favoured places, but here was the seed too.
One of the great difficulties in this part of the world which has
to be overcome in oyster cultivation is the destruction worked by
hard frost. No certain success can be relied on if an oyster bed
is allowed to dry each ebb. Consequently, we find that there
are no oysters in the Solway which can be gathered by hand at
low tide with the exception of a few small and insignificant
beds which are only accessible on very rare occasions; such as,
for instance, when there is a strong east wind and an unusually
low ebb. After a heavy south-westerly gale, I have seen the
western shore of Heston Island strewn with oyster shells, but I
have never been able to locate the bed from which they come.
It cannot be very far away, nor can it be very deep, or a rough
sea would not disturb it. There is no great difficulty about
farming oysters under water, provided the depth is not more
than a fathom or two, and in a sheltered estuary a depth of a
few inches would be sufficient to prevent even a severe frost
damaging the shellfish, for the rise and fall of the tide would
prevent any thickness of ice being formed.

DIFFICULTIES AND How to MEET THEM.

With regard to the beds already mentioned, the way to
make them productive would be to dredge up the old oysters
from a part of the bottom and collect the seed which is adhering
to them, and this should be planted again on the space cleared.
By planting a given area each year an annual crop could be
relied on, and, once the whole bed had been treated in this
way, the labour of farming the oysters would be much reduced.
Owing to the fact that the natural conditions required for suc-
cessful oyster culture are not thoroughly understood, it is much
safer to tackle an existing bed than to make fresh ones. There
“are many places where oyster farming has been tried under con-

-

26 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

ditions which seemed all that could be desired, but without '
satisfactory results, so that the presence of a natural bed is
really the only thoroughly reliable indication of the suitability
of any given piece of sea bottom. Two winters ago a smack
from Garlieston started dredging on a bed which lies close to
that town, and, after great difficulty in finding a market, an
outlet was at last found for them at the price of two shillings a
hundred. Even at this ridiculously low figure the men were
able to make good wages, but owing to the irregular size and
great age of most of the oysters procured, the market did not
hold, and after a few months the demand ceased altogether.
Here we have a valuable fishery absolutely wasted owing to:
want of proper management. The same thing applies to the
large beds lying between St. Bees Head and the Isle of Man.
Some of the Whitehaven fishermen told me they believed these
beds were fully twenty feet deep, and I saw large quantities.
which they had brought up in their trawls while fishing for flat.
fish. One great difficulty in the way of improvement is the fact
that any man or body of men who undertook the work would
have no security from outsiders, who might come. in and reap
the benefit of their labours. There are a number of people who.
are fully alive to the value of these beds if taken in hand, but
they are naturally not willing to move in the matter without some
guarantee that their interest would be protected. As _ things.
stand at present, the beds, if put in working order, might be
cleared in a few weeks by a fleet of dredgers, which would
gather the harvest, and for the sake of present gain would
destroy all prospect for the future. The Inspector of Fisheries.
for Ireland reported some years ago that on one part of the
Trish coast cne bed of oysters gave employment to 2000 fisher-
men, but so recklessly were they fished that the freight, which
once reached £1000 per week, had fallen to £300 per annum.
The French people have been very active in the development
of their oyster fisheries, and I find in an old report by Dr Henry
Lawson the following interesting note. Referring to the success.
of systematic cultivation he says:—‘ The most convincing evi-
dence of all is that afforded by the Isle of Ré. Five years since:
the shores of this island were barren and uncultivated ; now they
give employment to 3000 men, and the crop of oysters produced
in 1861 was valued at £320,000 sterling.’’ The oyster farms

a

ae

Fy

UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 27

on the island of Ré are, however, much more valuable and pro-
ductive now than at the time Dr Lawson wrote of them. It is
impossible, in so short a time, to discuss the most approved
methods of oyster farming, but perhaps enough has been said to
show that it would be worth while considering the matter, and
before leaving the subject I may mention that a conclusive
answer to those who have thought in the past that our waters
were too cold for any successful work in this direction, is the
fact that the Norwegians are successfully cultivating oysters on
their coast, and sending large quantities of “seed”’ to this
country.
LOBSTERS.

In conclusion, I should like to say something about the
lobster fisheries on our coasts. The value of this crustacean to
a large population of fishermen all round Great Britain and
Treland is considerable, and, like many other branches of the
fishing industry, it has been falling off of late years owing to
mismanagement. From Heston to the Burrow Head, wherever
the shore is rocky, lobsters are to be found, and here, too, they
seem to be very much scarcer than they used to be. This is
hardly to be wondered at when we consider the methods which
have been adopted, and are adopted at the present time, I
believe, on the Scottish shore. There appears to be no close
season whatever, and a large number of the lobsters caught are
actually carrying their eggs, almost ready for hatching. This
waste is bound to tell in time on the quantity of lobsters, and,
indeed, it would seem that the time when they will be compara-
tively rare is not far off. The hatching of lobster eggs is not a
difficult matter, and the spawn taken from underneath the
female lobster, where it will be found for some weeks prior to
hatching off, can be easily dealt with if it is carefully removed
from the parent and placed in a suitable tank. On some parts
of the coast lobster smacks used to have wells in them, to which
the fresh sea water had access, and it frequently happened that
a batch of eggs attached to a captured lobster would hatch off
and the young would be found in large quantities in the water.
From this occurrence the idea of floating receptacles for
the spawn was originated—in America, I believe—and these
were anchored over the lobster ground, and all spawn
removed from the captured lobsters and placed in them.

28 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

Though this was a very rough and ready way, it proved of con-
siderable use, for the young lobsters, immediately after hatching
out, found their way through the perforated bottom of the tanks
into the sea. A single lobster may have anything from 5000
to 100,000 eggs, so that it will be seen that the destruction of
these is a grievous waste. Many attempts have been made to
rear young lobsters, but with only partial success, for by nature
they are cannibals, and the loss from this cause when they are
kept in confinement is enormous. Some years ago I had the
opportunity of seeing the then most approved method of hatch-
ing young lobsters. The eggs were placed in glass jars, and a
current of sea water was made to flow through them from under-
neath by means of a glass tube reaching to the bottom of each
jar. When I saw them, the young lobsters had all hatched out,
and they looked like a swarm of small yellow ants. These
youngsters were to be liberated in a few days, and it was sur-
prising to see what a small space was required for the hatching
of many millions of eggs. Since then I saw in an American
fishery report that a method has been devised for rearing young
lobsters up to a stage when they are easily dealt with. The
idea is an ingenious one. By means of a small engine and
pump a rotary current is kept up, which keeps the tiny crustacea
in a continual swirl, so that they have no time for fighting and
eating each other, and in spite of this somewhat drastic treat-
ment they seem to thrive.

A NATIONAL DANGER.

Great strides have been made in the past forty years in the
development of inland fisheries owing to the benefit which is
derived by individuals undertaking this work. With marine
fisheries the case is different. Any attempt to cultivate the fish
in the sea is a matter not for individuals but for the community,
which it will ultimately benefit. Much valuable work has and
is still being done by the various Fishery Boards, but the apathy _
on the part of those to be benefited is very discouraging. The |
fishermen are not altogether to blame for this, for they, have
little time to devote to anything but the catching of fish, and
while year after year improved appliances are helping to secure
the harvest of the sea, little is being done to ensure its continu- —
ance. When a fishing ground is played out a move is made to

UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES. 29

fresh quarters, and so year after year the smacks have to go
further afield. This is particularly the case with the sole fishing
industry. It is not long since the papers were full of accounts

of a splendid sole fishing ground which had been discovered in

the Bay of Biscay. It was thought a wonderful thing that the
enterprise of fishermen and owners of trawlers should be so
great that they would go as far afield, but now we hear little of
the Biscay fishing ground, and, instead, it is the coast of
Morocco! Huge steam trawlers, fitted with every modern
appliance, including an ice-plant capable of producing two tons
of ice daily, are raking the bottom of the sea off the coast of
Africa to supply the British markets with soles. Where will
they go next? Haw long will it be before all the available
fishing grounds will have been spoiled? When this does occur
people will wake up to the necessity of doing something. The
supply of sea fish poured into this country daily is greater than
it has ever been, and consequently it is cheaper, but it would be
a great mistake to suppose that because this is the case fish in
the sea are more plentiful than ever. It simply means that the
fishing industry, instead of being carried on by sailing boats
using antiquated appliances, is now in the hands of men who
have scientifically perfected their methods of capture so that the
harvest can be reaped as clean on the sea bottom as can a field
of oats on land. Only it is all harvest, there is no seed time,
and the inevitable result must be disaster to an industry which is
of vast national importance. We are within measurable distance
of a scarcity of marine fish. This, of course, means high prices,
and thousands of people will be deprived of one of their most
valuable forms of food. So long as the present state of pros-
perity continues, people will not listen. When the result of
blind activity and enterprise is the impoverishment of our
fisheries, there will be a host of voices raised in condemnation.
The old question of “Why was not something done in time ?’’
will have to be answered, and the inevitable judgment formed
by those who suffer will be “culpable negligence.’’ It is little
good looking round to see who is responsible. The matter is
not one for private enterprise, neither are the Fishery Boards
to blame, for they would gladly do more, but they cannot.

_ Again and again their voices have been raised in warning, but

who will take heed? The Government cannot justly be blamed,

30 UNDEVELOPED RESOURCES OF MARINE FISHERIES.

for if they were to interfere at the present time with the fishing
industry such a turmoil would be raised that it might even lead
to a change of government. Immense sums of money are in-
vested in the fleet of magnificent trawlers which scour the seas
for thousands of miles to provide fish for the million, and this
financial interest is so wide that it would be as difficult to control
by legislation as the drink traffic. It seems, then, that we must
just wait until a national calamity arrives, which will demon-
strate beyond all doubt what a blind policy has been pursued
for years by those who take fish from the sea.

Cup AND Rinc MarKINGS IN WEsT KILBRIDE.
By Mr JouHn Corrie.

During a recent holiday spent at Ardrossan I had an oppor-
tunity of examining for the second time some remarkably fine
cup and ring markings which are to be found in the parish of
West Kilbride. The best defined markings occur upon an out-
crop of old red sandstone rock on the lands of Hopeton. Other
markings, similar in character, but less clearly cut, were to be
met with upon the “Diamond Craig,’’ near Fairlie. Many of
the markings take the form of cups, some solitary and some in
groups. A number of the cups are surrounded by rings, and
some have a gutter or grove running up from them. (Typical
examples of the different forms were shown on sheets, which Mr
Corrie exhibited to the meeting. One showed a cup surrounded
by two concentric rings with a groove running out from the
inner ring.) Close to the outcrop of rock at Hopeton there is
the outline of a stone circle, and near the same spot a stone
hammer and an arrow point of flint were found some years ago.
The significance of these curious sculpturings I do not propose
to touch upon. Valuable notes upon the subject will be found
in the published transactions of the Society, and Professor
Simpson’s work is probably upon the shelves of the library. I
have only to add that I have found no traces of these markings
in my own district. Possibly their absence may be explained by
the intractable nature of our Glencairn whinstone.

“THE CLOCHMABON.”’ 31
“THe CLOCHMABON.”’ By the Rev. R. Neitz Rar, Lochmaben.

This ancient landmark forms the centre of a story which
carries us back into the unknown past. The documents at our
disposal tell us of the many events which took place around the
old “Stone of Mabon.’’ But they do not help us to under-
stand the name it bears, still less can they tell us why, when,
and by whom it was erected here. In the “New Statistical
Account,’’ Dumfriesshire (published in 1845), pp. 267-7, we read
that “ Not many years ago there stood in the parish of Gretna, on
the farm of Old Gretna, a circle, oval in form, of whitish
stones, placed upright, and enclosing half-an-acre of ground.
In the process of agricultural improvement these stones had been
removed, not long before, with the exception of the largest one.”’
This is the Clochmabon, and, along with its fellows, must have
been brought from a distance of 10-12 miles. The labour
entailed may be judged from the fact that it is a granitic
boulder ; according to Dr Neilson, 6 feet or so in height and 9
or 10 in circumference; another account (Graham’s “ Loch-
maben,’’ Five Hundred Years Ago) makes it 8 it. by
et ft.; whilst. yet a third says “It measures. 118 cubic
feet and is computed to weigh 20 tons.’’ It stands
a few yards above high-water mark, close to the junc-
tion of the Sark and Kirtle with the Esk. But the one fact,
which must be closely grasped if we would understand the
importance of the Clochmabon from the earliest times, is the
circumstance that it marks the northern end of the one great
ford across the Solway. What that meant in early times may
be judged from the fact that, even within recent years, before
the Scotch and English Customs Duties were united, the district
was inhabited by several daring bands of smugglers, who doubt-
less found the ford convenient for the conveyance, “ duty free,”’
of Scotch whisky to their customers on the other side.

The stone is frequently mentioned in the records of the
Western Marches. The warden courts for the Western Marches
were held here; when prisoners were brought for ransom or ex-
change, offences against the Border laws were tried, and,
according to custom, a sort of market was held during the
_ period of the meeting; and arms were strictly forbidden within

the circle.

32 “THE CLOCHMABON.”’

In Asloan’s Manuscripts (1448) we read that the battle of
Sark was called by contemporaries the battell of Lochmaben
Stane. In Pitcairn’s Criminal Trials (vol. 1, part 1, p. 398),
it is told how on 11th May, 1557, Roger Kirkpatrick of Close-
burn, William Kirkpatrick of Kirkmichael, and Thomas Kirk-
patrick of Friars’ Carse, got remission from the Queen for
abiding from the army ordered to assemble at Lochmabenstane
on Feb. 6, “ to meet the warden before sunrise, to pass fordwart
with him to the day of Trew, for meiting of the wardane of Ing-
land.”’

On the 11th June, 1464, in the reign of James Third, com-
missioners met here to adjust the terms and conditions of a
truce ; as they did also on 6 Noy., 1398 (Foedera of that date,
Bain’s Caledonia IV., p. 512), at Clockmaban Stane to carry out
the agreement which had been made between the Duke of
Rothesay and Lancaster as to the exchange of prisoners.

Dr George Neilson, in his “ Annals of the Solway ’’ (p. 15),
shows that in the documents of an earlier period it is the ford
“apud Sulewath’’ which is mentioned. From him I quote,
reversing his arrangement of dates: “A petition was presented
to Edward II. by a person desirous to farm the toll between
Soulwad and Arthuret (Bain’s Cal., III., 51).’’ In accounts.
of the campaign of Edward I. in the 1300 it is mentioned as the
ford at Sulwath, “transitus apud Sulwath ’’ (Liber Quotidianus
Garderobac, 129). The March Laws (Acta Parl. Scot. I., 416)
refer to the driving of cattle across the Esk as an incident of the
trial in certain cases of disputed ownership. In legal proceed-
ings of date 1292 there is descriptive mention as the peculiar
West March place of justice “of a certain place called Sulwat
at the Marches of the realms.’’

The Statute of Marches (Acta Parl. Scot. I., 414, Sulwat) in
A.D. 1249 enacts that the proper tribunal for the trial of offences:
against the Border Laws was “at Sulwath.’? And Reginald,
King of the Isles, was to be met at Sulewad in a.p. 1218 (Bain’s:
Cal, Ls, 696).

All the documents quoted are those of an English-speaking
race, but prior to A.D. 1218 we have no references, the reason being
that it was a period of great unrest, when the national headship
was utterly unsettled. | From pre-Roman times till about A.D.
870-890 the population belonged to the Brythonic race of Celts,

“THE CLOCHMABON.”’ 33:

and spoke, not Gaelic, but what is now known as Welsh. Now
we find in the Ulster Annals that from A.D. 870 onwards the citadel
of Alcluith was repeatedly assailed and taken by the Northmen
until in A.D. 890 the British warriors determined to join their
kindred on the Clywdd or Cluden in North Wales. They were
forced to fight at Rouchal or Rockle or Rotchell now Rockhall on
the hills above Lochmaben, where Constantine, the last Guledig or
King of Strathclyde, was killed. One of the articles of the treaty
made on the following day was that the Anglic tongue was to be
the language of the district.

The Kingdom of Strathclyde was divided into several pro-
vinces, one of which, comprising the present Dumfriesshire,
was known as “the district of Mabon.’’ The old name passed
away with the old tongue, and now survives in Lochmaben, the
loch district of Mabon, and the Lochmabenstone, or, as it
ought to be, the Clochmabon or Stone of Mabon. But what is
Mabon?

The Welsh Dictionary tells us that Mab means a baby,
whilst Mabon is a young man, a warrior, a mighty man, or hero.
Thus we are left with the Loch of Mabon and the Cloch of
Mabon, separated from one another by many miles. The ques-
tion to be settled seems to me to be, was the Mabon spoken of
here “an individual ’’ or was it “the district?’’ I think the
latter to be the more probable, although at first I was inclined
to agree with Sir H. Maxwell in his theory (Dumfries and Gallo-
way, pp. 132-135). He says:—“We may assume that there
was at least one warrior of the name . . . towards the close
of the 6th or beginning of the 7th century.’? He quotes
Taliessin, poem 18, where the invasion of Strathclyde and the
battle of Owen, the son of Urien, are described as follows :—

“A battle, when Owen defends the cattle of his country, ,
Will meet Mabon from another country,
A battle at the ford of Alclud.”’

“A battle on this side of Llachar,
The trembling camp saw Mabon.
A shield in hand, on the fair portion of Reidol
Against the kine of Reged they engaged,
If they had wings they would have flown,
Against Mabon without corpses they would not go.
Meeting, they descend and commence a battle.
The country of Mabon is pierced with destructive slaughter.’’

34 “THE CLOCHMABON.”’

Now we have here a foray by Mabon on the territory of
Alclud, and an attack in return on the country of Mabon by
the kine or people of Reged from Dumbarton up to Lochlomond-
side. It certainly seems as if Reged and Mabon were not the
leaders but the opposing warrior tribes, called from _ their
different districts. Line 43 carries on the story :—

‘* About the ford of the boundary, about the alders his battle-
places, :
When was caused the battle of the King, Sovereign, Prince,

Very wild will the kine be before Mabon.”’

?

Here we seem to have “the ford of the boundary ”’ on the
Esk as often used in later days.

The pursuit carried so far, and, perhaps, Mabon killed as
he “kept the ford’’ for his flying followers and the stone and
circle was erected in his honour.

The idea is a pretty one, but I submit that the Clochmabon
was there long before and known by that name, and that his
sorrowing tribes-men buried their hero there, as in a hallowed
shrine, just as our heroes are laid to rest in Westminister. At
anyrate the period from A.D. 800 to a.p. 890 was too short and too
disturbed to allow of the name becoming so identified with Cloch-
mabon and Lochmabon as to hold on while all else was changed.
Dr Skene (“Celtic Scotland ’’) suggests, if he does not state
authoritatively, that Mabon was the ager publicus of the Romans
stationed at the wall, and was so called because the time-expired
legionaries were settled there and the young men drafted in to
supply their places. If so, the Cloch marked the passage into
Mabon, as the Cloch at Gourock marks the passage from the
deep sea into the Clyde. And the piety of an early age erected
the circle and stone as a sanctuary where men might offer up
their vows or return their thanksgivings as they left their homes
in Mabon, for life as soldiers at the wall, or came to settle down
after their labours at the legion. Perhaps the warriors of the
Brythons were confronted by the stone and circle when they
forced their way across the ford for the first time, and when they
saw its size, exclaimed “ Clochmabon, the stone of the mighty !”’
It may be, as suggested by Dr Neilson, that it was dedicated to
Maponus, a heathen deity equated with Apollo, who was wor-
shipped in Cumberland and Northumberland during Roman
times. But we must remember that these circles are not con-

’ “Ti CLOCHMABON.”’ 35

fined to Cymric districts, but are found also at Mull and Arran,
at Callernish near Stornoway, and at Stennis in Orkney. As to
their period we know nothing, but one peculiarity is that those
I have examined have all been of granitic stone. And I may
mention as a suggestive fact that in examining an interesting
private collection of antiquities at Kirkwall my attention was
directed to a piece of granite taken from the hole left by the fall
of one of the Stones of Stennis. This piece of granite bore
clearly the marks of polishing as if it had been used as a
polishing stone upon the upright stones.

GOLD MINEs AND GoLp Mininc. By Professor J. W. GREcoryY,
isc.,. E.Ross| ERS H., - BGS.) MOLM.M., ‘ete:,
Glasgow University.

In this lecture, which was illustrated by a number of lantern
slides, Professor Gregory gave a full description of the geology,
etc., of gold-bearing strata in Australia, etc., together with the
characteristics of the same; how the mines were operated; and
the processes employed.

20th December, 190%.

Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

THE Woopcock. By Mr Huey Stevart-GLapsTonE, M.A.,
eas. te:

The following paper being a précis of the notes on woodcock
I have from time 'to time made in my notebooks, I should
perhaps first draw your attention to a frequent error as regards
the distinguishing Latin name this bird bears. Linus spells
Rusticola r-u-s-t-i-c-o-l-a; deriving this cognomen from “ Rus ”’
and “incola,’’ that is an inhabitant of the country. Mr H. T.
Wharton, in the Ibis, 1879, p. 453, writes of this mistake, and
modern authorities agree in writing R-u-s-t-i-c-u-l-a. The word
“tusticula ’’ by Pliny is translated “a little heathcock:’’ and in
Cicero “rusticulus’’ means “a little country-man.’’ As such
—a little fellow-countryman of Dumfriesshire—I oe that
we should consider the woodcock to-night.

36 THe Woopcock.

The woodcock is found in Eastern Russia and Siberia, up
to 60 degrees N. latitude, in Western Russia to 65 degrees N.
latitude, and in Norway and Sweden up to the Arctic Circle.
The highlands of Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Himalayas,
Japan, and Eastern Siberia know it as a nesting bird, and in
winter it visits China, Burma and India and the countries of
the Mediterranean. Though never recorded from Iceland or
South Greenland, occasional stragglers have reached North
America.

It has been stated that nine-tenths of the total number of
woodcock killed annually in Great Britain are probably migrants
from Northern and Western Europe.

Migration takes place by night, the birds flying preferably
upwind, and, it is believed, at a great height and speed. They
travel singly or in pairs, but, of course, in large companies.
Migratory birds of less nocturnal habits than the woodcock
have been timed when performing this seasonal movement; and
as the grey crow has been computed to travel at the rate of one
hundred miles an hour, the suggestion does not seem unreason-
able that the woodcock should get up a pace of one hundred
and fifty miles an hour when migrating similarly. The observa-
tions by Herr Gatke concerning migratory woodcock alighting
on Heligoland are interesting. He states that they are more
numerous in the autumn migration, particularly after a stiff
north-eastern breeze. On October 28th, 1823, upwards of 1100
were killed; and one old gunner, Hans Prohl, killed 99 with a
gun made from an old Dutch infantry musket. As many as
four at one shot have been killed there, but that, of course, was
not at flying birds. The local Heligoland gunners are much
attracted by the arrival of these birds, and use weighted neis.
for their capture. These nets are from 36 to 72 feet long,
about 24 feet high, and of a 24-inch mesh. An old custom
prevailed that the “eerst snaap’’ was handed over to the
Governor of the island, who paid a dollar to the sportsman who
had been lucky enough to obtain the first ’cock. ‘The killing of
so many as 1100 woodcock in one day would seem almost in-
credible, but we must remember that migratory birds pitch on
the island of Helligoland in actual masses. Thus, we read in
Rudolph Rosenstock’s translation (p. 58) of Herr Gitke’s work,
that.no less than 1500 larks were caught in the space of but

Tue WoopDCOCK. 37

three hours on the misty night of November 6th, 1868. But to
return nearer home. Woodcock usually alight on our eastern
shores before dawn, and if they have suffered a more than severe
buffetting, may be found tamely taking advantage of any hiding-
place the shore may present, and have even been found squatting
below an overturned boat. But all being well, they arrive plump
and in sleek condition, little the worse for their journey, to rest
but a few hours before again winging their way west. Their
immigration to our islands takes place more or less regularly in
October and November, and folklore as regards the date of
their arrival varies locally. The first full moon in October is
supposed by some to be the time to keep a good look out. An
old saying, “ When Daniel gets out of the lion’s den, the ’cock
will come in here again,’’ refers to the reading in church of the
lesson from Daniel, ch. vi., which under the old lectionary
tules of the Church of England was read earlier than it is now,
and coincided somewhat aptly with the usual appearance of our
autumn visitors. In years gone by our forefathers kept a very
much more keen look out than we do now for the first woodcock
_ that came to our eastern shores. Coverts were not in those days
artificially stocked with hand-reared pheasants, but could with-
out jeopardising the “total’’ now demanded by our present

“covert-shoot ’’? be beaten time and again, so long as there was

a chance of flushing the long-billed visitor. To illustrate the

keenness with which these birds were awaited we need only tell
| the story of a parson preaching one Sunday in an East Yorkshire
.
i
:
&

—— el ee

village some hundred years ago. When in the middle of his
sermon an excited figure was seen to enter the church, who,
approaching the pulpit, said—‘ Passon, ’cock is coomed,’’ upon
which the parson speedily concluded the service, and he and his
‘congregation lost no time in going down to the beach to
take toll from among the newly-arrived ’cock. It is
believed that the numbers of these our visiting migrants
are greatly decreasing. The continental practice of shooting
birds when they are “tamed by love’’ is extended to
these birds also; and our flow of migrants consequently suffers.
It is, therefore, satisfactory to be able to record that the wood-
cock as a nesting bird in the British Isles is consistently in-
_ creasing. This undoubted increase in the number of woodcock
which nest within our British Isles is difficult to account for.

38 THE WOODCOCK.

The interest now taken in ornithology is greater than it has been
hitherto, and it is certain that many cases which formerly would

have escaped attention are now duly recorded. Of late years a

marked tendency for the more northerly-breeding ducks to come
further south to nest has been noticed, and the cause for this
change of habit is as inexplicable as the increasing numbers of
woodcock that now annually remain with us to nest. Experi-
ments have been, and are being, tried on the Duke of Northum-
berland’s estates at Alnwick, by marking young nestling wood-
cock to see how far these young birds are migratory; but the
result of these experiments have as yet led to no definite con-
clusion. That some woodcock nest and remain throughout
the year within the British Isles is certain, and it is possible
that the great migratory flow of these birds, on which sportsmen
mainly depend for their sport, may in the course of ages be
rendered trivial by the increased numbers of British-bred birds.
Willughby as long ago as 1678, in his “ Ornithology,’’ p. 290,
states “some stragglers by some accident left behind when their
fellows depart remain also in England all summer and breed
here.’’ He also states “this bird is infamous for its simplicity
or folly, so that a woodcock is proverbially used for a simple,
foolish person.’’ On estates where twenty years ago the finding
of a nest with eggs was regarded as a curiosity, it is now common
to find a nest in every covert which affords sufficient quietude
and undergrowth. We read-in 1905 of a keeper in Ireland,
whilst searching for pheasants’ nests, finding more woodcock
nests than those of pheasants. In 1903 we found a woodcock’s
nest in Dumfriesshire which, besides containing the four rightful
eggs, contained one of a pheasant; and this intrusion was pro-
bably the cause of the nest’s desertion. The nest is but a mere
depression in the ground, usually at the base of some tree, and
scantily lined with dead leaves. As the old bird sits on her nest
she affords one of the most striking examples of Nature’s pro-
tective colouration. | Her mottled back harmonises perfectly
with her surroundings of dead fern and leaves, and some
observers say she is only to be detected by her large round eye.
Others again assert that recognising that “her eyes betray her
secret ’’ she keeps them closed; but on this point, surely, it is
hard to lay a hard and fast rule. I have noticed, however, that
the woodcock I have seen on their nests in every case partially

THE WOODCOCK ON THE NEST.

THE NEST AND EGGS OF WOODCOCK.

THe Woopcock. 39

hid their long bills below the leaves or bracken. The eggs, four
in number, are not so pyriform as would be expected, and are
of a buffish cream colour, about 1.7 by 1.35 inches in measure-
ment, blotched and spotted mostly at the larger end with reddish
brown, with faint undermarkings of lilac-grey. Clutches of pure
white eggs have been found, but are extremely rare. Four such
eggs were found in Kincardineshire in May of this year: so late
a date as May may shew that previous clutches had _ been
destroyed ; that this was the third or fourth laying, and so were
colourless owing to the exhausted condition of the bird that had
laid them. The eggs are usually laid in April or even March,
and require upwards of three weeks to hatch. Two broods may
occasionally be reared in one season. ‘The nestlings are able to
run within twenty-four hours of their being hatched. They are
covered with velvety down of a rufous shade, with a broad band
of chestnut-brown down their back, and on the top of their
head, and with chestnut patches on their throat. In the months.
of April, May, and June the male woodcock may be seen at dusk
or at early dawn, flying in the open backwards and forwards.
between two coverts. At this season of the year one might almost
think that he was some different bird. He looks more like an
owl, his flight is slow and laboured, and from time to time he
utters a croak or a dissyllabic cry resembling the word
“chissick.’’ Evening after evening the woodcock will keep as
it were to his aerial pathways, which are called “cock roads,’’
while this style of flighting is termed “roading.’’ Often these
“cock roads ”’ will be down some ride or glade in a wood; but
as often alongside the covert itself. It is to be regretted that
on the continent (as we have stated) so-called sportsmen (?)
still profit by this peculiarity of “roading,’’ by lying in wait for
and shooting these birds at a season when one might justly expect
they should be left unmolested. Sometimes one may see two
or three birds met together in the air, tilting at one another
and enjoying a sort of playful warfare: very different to the
pugnacious contests they have been seen to fight on the ground
during the mating season. The female woodcock is a devoted
mother, sitting so close on her eggs as often to allow her back
to be touched with the hand. She will fly anxiously round
and round any person approaching her young; and has more
than once been seen to carry them away. How she accom-

AQ THe WOoopDCcock.

plishes this has been a matter of much comment ; but the latest
authorities would seem to agree that she carries them in her
feet. By this habit the difficulty of feeding her young is over-
come, for she nightly carries her brood to the feeding-grounds,
returning with them again to her quiet nesting-site at dawn.
It must be a relief when the young one can fly and visit the
feeding-grounds without assistance. In their first plumage they
are darker than their parents, and the outer web of the outside
primaries of the wings are as it were serrated with brown
‘coloured notches. When adult these notches disappear, leaving
the outer webs of a uniform whitish colour. This difference in
colouration of the outer primaries was long thought to denote
the two sexes, but dissection has proved that this is not the case ;
and there are at present no means of distinguishing the male
from the female woodcock by the plumage. As a general rule
the larger and heavier birds may be reckoned as females, but
from experiment we have found heavy males to equal light
females in weight, though these were exceptions: the weight test
cannot therefore be implicitly relied on. The variation in size
is often very great, but there is but one species of woodcock ;
and the species is subject to extraordinary dissimilarities, both
as regards plumage and weight. Pure white examples of wood-
cock have been met with, and partial albinoism is not uncommon.
Several years ago a table published in “The Field’ gave the
average weight of a male as 9 to 10 ozs., and of a female 12 to
14 ozs. Taking ten birds of either sex in the winter of 1902,
we found the males averaged 11 ozs. 10 drs., and the females
12 ozs. 5 drs. The heaviest on record is mentioned by Yarrell;
it weighed 27 ozs., and was shot in 1801. Another of 24 ozs.
was recorded about the same time, and some authorities are of
opinion that these birds belong to a larger and different species
now extinct. The names “ double,’’ “muff,’’ or “ muffled ’’
cock still exist, but no further evidence is forthcoming, and
now-a-days such abnormally heavy birds are not met with. The
weight of the birds, of course, is greatly influenced by the
abundance or lack of food; and it is the search for this that
causes a constant migration of these birds within our islands.
How often has some covert been noticed on Monday apparently
full of ’cock, which when beaten on Tuesday contained none!
‘The birds which had been noticed found the ground unsuitable

THe WoopDcocKk. 41

for the production of their sustenance, and have therefore moved
on. For many years it was popularly supposed that woodcock
lived by suction, and Byron wrote :—
‘‘ Ror man is a carnivorous production,
And must have meals, at least one meal a day;
He cannot live like woodcock upon suction.”’

‘This erstwhile belief is erroneous. The woodcock’s food con-
sists mainly of worms, or failing these small mollusca. It feeds
usually during the night, repairing to its sheltered covert, often
a mile or more from its feeding grounds, at earliest dawn. The
tip of the woodcock’s bill is one mass of nerves, and is therefore
sensitive in the highest degree. By burying it into the soft
ground, often right up to the nostrils, the woodcock is able to
detect the movement of any worm that may be concealed in the
oozy mud below. The tip of the upper mandible being broad
and raised and longer than the lower, enables the bird to seize
his prey with satisfactory certainty by very slightly opening the
further end. of his bill and without withdrawing it from the

ground. The “borings ’’ made by the woodcock while so feed-

ing are often noticed, and are always near water. This latter is
imperative so that the bird may be able to keep his bill free from
mud. A woodcock kept in captivity, and given fresh sods and
‘bread and milk in which to probe, was noticed to constantly
make use of a dish of water placed in his aviary, so as to keep
his bill clean. This year there has been considerable discussion
‘in the press as regards the position of the woodcock’s ear. To
Mr Whymper is due the discovery that the aperture is below

‘the level of and in front of the eye. Woodcock have been seen
‘to perch on trees, and also when on migration on the rigging of

ships. They have also been recorded as alighting on water,

‘from which after a few moments’ rest they rose again, apparently

with ease. From a “ gourmet’s’’ point of view this bird shares

with the partridge the highest place in his estimation.

Willughby, writing in 1678, quotes the couplet :—

“Tf the partridge had the woodcock’s thigh,
’Twould be the best bird that ever did fly.”

In 1903 Alexander Innes Shand, the cookery expert,
waxes almost poetical when writing of “The wedding of

‘the truffle with the woodcock.’’? The best woodcock shooting in

42 Tue WoopDcock.

our British Isles is probably obtained at Ashford, Lord
Ardilaun’s seat, on the shores of Lough Corrib, Co. Galway,
Ireland. Over 100 couple in the day have been killed there in:
1891, 1895, 1904. In 1895, when H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.
with six other guns were shooting, 181 ’cock were got, which
was 30 less than the “ record bag’’ established in 1904. As we
have already said, the woodcock is a “chancey’’ bird to get—
he is here to-day yet gone to-morrow; but the Emerald Isle
always gets more than its share of these visitors as compared
with the rest of Great Britain. Lord Claremont, shooting in Co.
Cavan a century ago, killed to his own gun (a flintlock) in one
day 102 woodcock, for a wager of 300 guineas. The west coast
of Scotland at times holds plenty of ’cock, and Norfolk is
probably the best county for ’cock in England. At Melton
Constable (in that county) fifty couples have been killed in one
day. As regards Europe, I am told that in Albania a sports-
man might reasonably expect to get fifty couple in a day to his.
own gun if (and on that if rests the whole question) he were
lucky enough to be out when the ’cock were in.

The “Irish Times,’’ publishing a few notes on “ Wood-
cock,’’ apropos of the Prince of Wales’ shoot at Ashford in
1905, said:—“ Owing to its erratic flight, the woodcock is re-
garded as being one of the most difficult birds to kill on the
wing, and rarely does the sportsman succeed in bringing down
more than two ata time.’’ To get a right and left at ’cock is a
sufficiently rare occurrence ; and it is probable that two at a shot
flying has not been got more than five or six times. Sir Francis:
Chantrey (the sculptor), shooting at Holkham in 1829, had the
luck to shoot two woodcock with one shot, and Mr Coke (his
host) thought the affair so wonderful that he arranged all the
guns and beaters in line and ordered them to take off their caps.
as Chantrey marched past. At Holkham, at the south end
of the long library, now stands a sculpture of these two wood-
cock by Chantrey’s own hand. Numerous epigrams have beem
written on this event, and one of the neatest runs :—

‘Two woodcock fall at his one shot,
The joyous Chantrey smiled to see;
Then pitying their untimely lot,
He gave them immortality.’

THE WoopDcock. 43

In the “ Field ’’ of January 16th, 1905, Mr Gilbert I. White
wrote from East Devon to say that a few days previously he had
killed two woodcock at one shot, and the editor of the “ Field ’’
in his remarks says:—“ Since Chantrey’s feat in 1829 the feat
probably has not often been repeated.’? Mr L. M. de Visme
Shaw, in the Fur and Feather Series, “ Snipe and Woodcock,”’
states, as far as he knows, the only other occurrence of this feat
since Chantrey’s performance is “that of Colonel Sands, who
killed his two ’cock with one shot on November 4th, 1853 ;”’
and it is quite possible that these are the only three occasions
when two woodcock flying have been killed with one shot.
The woodcock is always supposed to be a difficult bird to shoot,
and certainly in a thick plantation the way he zig-zags behind
the tree trunks is almost snipe-like. It has been suggested that
his powers of vision by day are not good, and that this tortuous
flight is due to his not seeing any obstacle till he is close to it,
when he suddenly sheers off, and so continues on his way. In
the open, his flight is very different and he flies far more directly.
But, as in the case of all other game-birds, the reason why he is
so often missed, probably lies in the fact that not enough allow-
ance is made for his speed; for, though he may rise sluggishly,
he is a very fast flyer when fairly on the wing. The long shots
one sees fired at woodcock are to be regretted. Some sports-
men would seem to consider that a woodcock is never out of
range, and that one stray pellet may bring it down at anything
up to a hundred yards; and because the bird happens to be
somewhat of a rarity, have no feelings at all about wounding it.
A woodcock is as hard and wiry as any bird of its size, and it
deserves as much fair play in the field as we should give to any
other sporting bird. A hundred or more years ago, when the
science of trapping and snaring was at is height, the woodcock
came in for his fair share of attention; and we read in Shake-
speare, Henry VI., part 3, act 1, scene 4, “So strives the wood-
cock with the gin.’’ The method here referred to was first to
ascertain where woodcock were feeding, then round this feeding
ground to build a small hedge or turf wall, with several gaps in
it. In these gaps were set snares, and the woodcock running
round the wall till he found an entrance to his dining-room,
paid the penalty. This mode of capture has not so very many
years ago. fallen out of usage, and it would be interesting to

44 THE WOODCOCK.

know if it is still made use of in any of the more remote parts of
Great Britain. Another method employed by our forefathers
was to place nets between trees across the open glades or rides
jn a wood, down which the woodcock would pass in their
crepuscular flight. In George Owen’s “Description of Pem-
brokeshire,’’ written in 1602, we read there was marvellous
“plentie ’’? of woodcock in that country from Michaelmas to
Christmas: where they were taken “in cock shoote tyme (as yt
ys tearmed) which is the twylight,’’ when “yt ys no strange
thinge to take a hundred or six score “in one wood in ’X Xiiij or
houres.’’ He speaks of a wood having thirteen “ cock-shots,”’
and further on states these birds “are not our countryeman
borne ;’’? so that then as now the British sportsman depended
greatly for his sport on the influx of the foreigner. Woodcock
can and do run very swiftly along the ground, their mode of
progression being in quick little “bursts,’’ like that of plovers.
I know of a wire-netting rabbit-proof fence, where on more than
one occasion a woodcock running precipitately forward, has got
his bill and head through the meshes of the netting, and has
thus been caught. In July, 1905, I found a woodcock caught
firmly round the neck in a snare set for rabbits, in which case
it is difficult to conjecture why it could not make good its escape
from so large a noose. Lighthouses (particularly on a misty
night) prove no less a death-trap to these birds, than to so many
other of our migrants; and one often finds the bodies of wood-
cock lying dead below telegraph wires against which they have
flown and been killed. Perhaps the most curious and _ least
known trait of the woodcock is its supposed capacity for surgi-
cally treating its wounds. Professor Victor Fatio, in a lecture
delivered to the Geneva Physiological Society on April 19th,
1888, gave five instances where he had shot woodcock which had
applied plasters, made of feathers and blood, to wounds in the
back and breast, and had in similar fashion in three other cases
made ligatures of feathers round broken legs. From a colonial
paper I quote the account of a similar operation, performed by
the North American woodcock (Scolopax Philohela Minor), a
first cousin of the woodcock we meet with in our British Isles.
The account runs :— One day, while sitting quietly by a brook,
a woodcock fluttered out into the open, and made his way to a
spot on a bank of light, sticky mud and clay. The bird was

THE Woopcock. 45

acting strangely in broad daylight, and our author could see him
plainly. At first he took soft clay in his bill from the edge of
the water, and seemed to be smearing it om one leg near the
knee. Then he fluttered away on one foot for a short distance,
and seemed to be pulling tiny roots and fibres of grass, which
he worked into the clay that he had already smeared on the leg.
Again he took more clay and plastered it over the fibres, putting
on more and more till the enlargement could be plainly seen,
thus working away for fully fifteen minutes. Then he stood
perfectly still for a full hour under an overhanging sod, his only
motion being an occasional rubbing and smoothing of the clay
bandage with his bill, until it hardened enough to suit him, and
then he disappeared in the thick woods. The woodcock had a
. broken leg, and had deliberately put it into a clay cast to hold
the broken bones in place until they should knit together again.
This at all events was our author’s full belief, confirmed by the
opinion of many gunners who had frequently shot birds whose
legs had at some time been broken and had healed again perfectly
straight, and he was fully confirmed a long time afterwards as to
the truthfulness of his opinion. A friend shot a woodcock,
which, on being brought in by the dog, was found to have a lump
of hard clay on one of its legs. He chipped the clay off with
his pen-knife and found a broken bone, which was then almost
healed and as straight as ever.’’ Personally, I have never seen
a woodcock with clay adhering to its leg, but the above account
is interesting, and Professor Fatio is an authority whose state-
ments deserve attention. There is something very touching in
the thought of an unhappy little bird acting as his own surgeon,
and if this story has the effect of restraining those who are in the
habit of trying “ marvellously long shots ’’ at woodcock, and by
so doing often cruelly wounding them, it will have served some
purpose.

We have already commented on the increasing tendency the
woodcock shows to nest in the British Isles, and certainly during
the past spring (1907) the number of woodcock nesting through-
out Dumfriesshire has been more than ever. The following
observations of what we noticed at Capenoch this year may
perhaps be interesting. In the months of April, May, and June,
the birds apparently kept as their headquarters the coverts where
they were hatched. But in the months of July and August, as

46 THE WOODCOCK.

the woods became more dense and the powers of flight of the
nestlings more ambitious, they were to be found in the stretches
of bracken contiguous to the woods where they were hatched.
At this season of the year, the old birds being in moult and the
young ones not fully feathered, they offered a very easy victim
for the sportsmen who came across them. By September they
were well able to look after themselves, and had developed that
deceptive tortuous art of flying which so often proves their salva-
tion. In October we saw no woodcock, and it was not until the
second week of November that we began to see them again.
These birds would be migrants coming in from the east, and the
majority will stay with us more or less (all depending on the
weather) till February, in which month there seem to be more
woodcock at Capenoch than at any other time in the year. By
the end of March most of them have gone eastward again, but
annually leaving a greater number to nest in our coverts. It
seems a great pity that under our existing legislation the shooting
of woodcock in February should be permissible, and a clause in
the “Wild Birds Protection Act,’’ extending the close time for
woodcock to March 2nd instead of February 2nd (as at present)
is to be hoped for. There are some who claim that a further
extension should be granted by extending the close time to Sep-
tember 30th instead of only to July 31st, but before acquiescing
in this desire we should like to ascertain to what extent home-
bred birds stay at home after October Ist.

DISCUSSION ON THE PAPER.

Mr J. Bryce Duncan of Newlands proposed a cordial vote
of thanks to Mr Gladstone for his interesting and valuable com-
munication, and this was seconded by Mr Matthews.

Mr Robert Service, in supporting the motion, said as yet
even among the best informed sportsmen and still better informed
naturalists the migrations of the woodcock were extremely
obscure. The dates had not been tabulated in anything like
precise order. It seemed extremely mysterious how some morn-
ing woods would hold any number of woodcocks where the
previous day not one was to be found. It was often said that
certain moonlight nights favoured these long journeys; but he
fancied that had not been clearly established yet. He had on
certain very rare occasions seen the woodcock coming in long

THE Woopcock. 47

after daylight had become full in the earliest weeks of November,
And these were invariably flying at a great height and at a
tremendous pace. But when migration took place in windy
weather they flew low down, and would be seen flying along
the hedgerows, evidently seeking for cover on which to alight.
At such times they could be picked up in very unexpected places,
in gardens, fields, and merse, away altogether from their usual
haunts. Another vexed question in connection with the wood-
cock’s history was that now it bred in this district annually in
very large numbers. Many thought this was a new thing; but
it had taken place ever since he remembered. In his earliest
days of bird-nesting and bird watching he had always found
many woodcock nests in suitable places. What was a suitable
place was not well defined. He had often thought that young
plantations, from fifteen to eighteen years of age, were their
favourite places. When the woods had attained a certain
height the woodcocks left them entirely. Not long ago he had
the pleasure of handling an egg of a woodcock that was taken
close to the foot of Criffel so long ago as 1828, so that even
at that time they had been known to breed here. But no doubt,
as Mr Gladstone had pointed out, the woodcocks were extending
their range, and probably were breeding here in greater numbers
than used to be the case a number of years ago. Many of the
northern ducks, particularly those coming from the great north-
eastern territory, extending westwards, had been found here in
greater numbers, and no doubt they were extending their range
because of some obscure climatic or other change. The curious
habits of the woodcock in the evening had been explained in a
very interesting manner indeed by Mr Gladstone. It was a
fascinating sight to see the woodcocks take these long, myste-
rious evening flights. But one year these roading lines might be
very numerously occupied, and another season the birds were
somewhere else; not a woodcock might be seen there. What
that depended upon was another obscure point. Mr Gladstone
referred to the almost unique habit that the woodcocks had of
carrying their young when danger threatened. He had only
seen that on one occasion, and it was about thirty years ago.
_ About the same period Wolff, the celebrated painter of animal
subjects, painted a curious picture showing the old bird holding
the young in its feet, just as a falcon or sparrow hawk or any

48 THE WoopDcock.

other bird of prey carried its victim. Now, so far as he saw
that was altogether wrong. They did not hang down dependent
upon their feet in any way. They were tucked up under the
abdomen and held under the thighs. It was one of the most
interesting traits in bird life that he had seen.

The President (Professor Scott-Elliot) congratulated Mr
Gladstone on his most valuable paper. He added that he
should like to know a little more about that curious question of
the woodcock curing its own wound. He confessed that since
he began to study nature he had seen so many wonderful and
almost incredible things happen around him that he was prepared
to believe it ; he would only like more proof.

ADDITIONAL NOTES BY AUTHOR.

Since I delivered this lecture I have come across one or two
interesting local records concerning the woodcock which it may
not be out of place to add. As regards the excessive rarity of
killing two woodcocks with one shot, to which I have referred
above, I was surprised to find two occurrences recorded in the
columns of the Dumfries “Courier.’’ In the issue of October
26th, 1852, we read:—“Mr John M‘Quie, gamekeeper to
Wellwood Maxwell, Esq. of Munches, while afield on Wednes-
day last (20th Oct.) brought down at one dexterous shot a
brace of woodcock.’’. . . . And on 25th November,
1851 :—“ On Tuesday last (18th November) Mr Garlies C.
Maitland, Kells Manse, when shooting on the Kenmure estate
flushed a brace of woodcock which he brought down with one
shot. An unfortunate blackbird which had flown within range
at the time also fell a victim to the same discharge.’’ Which
feat eclipses that of Chantrey’s already quoted.

The pious wish expressed above for the, extension of the
close-time for woodcock has been realised.

I am informed by Lord Henry Scott that 52 woodcocks and
other game were shot by six guns at Langholm on 15th Decem-
ber, 1908. A record bag for Dumfriesshire.

The usual complement of eggs laid is four, but Mr S.
Copland writes me from Canonbie that in 1908 he found five im
one nest.

The only local records of partial albinism in this species I
have come across, are two woodcocks each of which had six

Tue WoopDcock. 49

white feathers in each wing, shot by the gamekeeper to C. G. S.
Menteath of Closeburn in 1824.

The ornithologists of our Society have been so good in
giving me all the assistance in their power as regards my forth-
coming Book on the “ Birds of Dumfriesshire,’ that I should
like to take this opportunity of thanking them collectively, and
at the same time add how gladly I shall acknowledge any further
communications they may be able to favour me with on the
subject. The Book, it is hoped, will be published in October,
1909.

Some ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE. By Mr W. A.
MACKINNEL.

The fervent missionary enterprise of the early Keltic Church
is still borne witness to by the large number of ancient ecclesiasti-
cal ruins scattered all over the West Highlands and Islands.
Hardly an island, even the smallest and most remote, many

of which are now tenantless, save for the sea-birds, but has its.

ruined chapel, and probably half obliterated burial ground. St.
Kilda, far out on the western sea, the solitary and now deserted
North Rona in the far north, the desolate Sula Sgeir, the lonely
Shiants, and the Flannens—blessed islands of old Gaelic legend
—not to mention the more important and less remote islands, all
have their chapel ruins, more or less rude certainly, but not the
less interesting.

The absence of “modern improvements,’’ and, what is less:
satisfactory, the gradual depopulation of the Highlands, have
combined to preserve to us many of these memorials of the past
intact, save for the ravages of time and weather, and this to a
greater degree in the islands than on the mainland.

Argyllshire is naturally the western county richest in ancient
eccleciastical remains, and of its districts Knapdale contains at
least four, the chapels at Cove on Loch Caolisport, Kilmory on
the Sound of Jura, Keills at the end of the long peninsula which
separates Loch Sween from the Sound; and the most interesting
one of all, the tiny chapel of St. Carmaig on Eilean Mor, lying
a few miles S.S.W. of the mouth of Loch Sween.

In the Statistical Account of the Parish of South Knapdale,
1797, it is stated:—“ Monuments of primitive Christianity are

?

50 Some ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE.

numerous in Argyllshire, but nowhere more frequent than in
Knapdale. Of these the chapels of Cove and Islandmore seem
to bear marks of greatest antiquity.’’

Of the chapel at Cove there is now very little remaining,
and all window and door details have disappeared. Adjoining
it there is, however, a curious little cave chapel with stone
altar, a scratched cross, and a small font scooped out in the
floor, and it is possible that in this we have the first church
founded by St. Columba in Scotland.

Whether Columba’s mission to Scotland was purely a
religious one, or was connected with the disastrous defeat of
the Scots of Dalriada by the Picts two years before, he at all
events went first to the seat of the Daldriadic King, which at
that period seems to have been on the west coast of Knapdale.
As Skene remarks in his chapter on “ The Monastic Church in
Iona ’’ :—“ The curious cave chapel at Cove on Loch Caolisport,
which tradition says was Columba’s first church in Scotland,
‘before he sailed to Iona, is probably connected with his resi-
dence with King Conall.”’

That the ruins of the built chapel date from Columba’s time
is, of course, quite improbable. ‘The first monastic buildings
on Iona were of wood, and it was not until the ninth century
that they were replaced by stone structures, so it is most unlikely
that, with the exception of such rude uncemented stone buildings
as the remains on the Isle of Saints (one of the Garvelloch Isles)
and on North Rona, the early outlying Keltic churches were
constructed of stone. Stone chapels would, however, likely
replace the decaying wooden ones on the same sites, so it is
probable that the present ruined Knapdale chapels mark the
sites of still earlier erections. From the character of what
little detail they possess these existing chapels probably date
from the twelfth century.

Of the three remaining chapels at Kilmory, Keills, and on
Eilean Mor, that on Eilean Mor is unique, and is in much better
preservation than the others. Owing to its great’ strength of
construction, the most interesting portion of it has not been
materially injured by the storms that during the eight centuries
which have elapsed since its erection have swept over its site
on the lonely little island in the Sound of Jura.

Though, in the course of several small boat cruises in the

Some ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE. al

Sound of Jura, I had passed within a few miles of Eilean Mor, it
was not until this year (1907), when I undertook a cruise to the
Sound with Eilean Mor as a definite objective, that I succeeded
in realising a long-standing desire to land on the island and
examine the curious little chapel.

On a fine July forenoon a fellow-member of this society and
I reached the western end of the Crinan Canal in a little
motor and sailing cruiser, and moored in the basin at Crinan.
Crinan to the ordinary tourist is merely the end of the canal, and
is associated chiefly with speculations as to whether luggage has
been properly transhipped, but to the antiquary it is specially
interesting as the centre of a district full of early historical
associations. Within a mile or two is the ancient capital of the
Dalriadic Kingdom—“ Dun Add ’’—and hardly a mile can be
travelled in any direction without coming on a stone circle, fort,
or cairn.

In the afternoon, with the ebb tide in our favour for the
fong run down the sound, we passed through the sea loch into
Loch Crinan, and hoisted canvas to a pleasant off shore breeze.
Passing the pretty Crinan Bay and Harbour, we rounded the
bluff Ardnoe Point and entered the Sound of Jura. ;

The Sound of Jura, may, I think, lay claim to being not
only the largest but the grandest in respect of scenery of the
sounds of the West Highlands. It is also the least advertised
and tourist overrun, and is to-day one of the most solitary
stretches of water in the Hebrides. As the West Highland
steamers, on both their outward and inward passages, pass
through the sound in the middle of the night, a steamer is but
an occasional sight on its wide expanse.

Our intention being to anchor over night in the little bay
in Eilean Mor, we were in no hurry to reach the island much
before sunset, and, though the breeze did not do more at times
than give us steerage way, we had no desire to shorten the
pleasure of the run down the sound by resorting to the engine.
Through the long hot, afternoon we drew slowly southward,
along the coast of the long and narrow peninsula, on the other
side of which lies Loch Sween. Probably no part of Knapdale,
which, as a district owes its name to the striking ruggedness of
its surface, shows such a wonderful diversity of scenery as this.
For some distance south of Crinan the coast to the Sound of

62 Some ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE.

Jura is steep and rocky, with fantastically outlined hills rising
to a considerable height, separated by deep and narrow glens,
with here and there a picturesque white sheiling on the hillside.
South of Carsaig Bay, which runs inland to within half-a-mile
of Tayvallich on Loch Sween, the hills gradually become lower,
till the peninsula ends in the long, low, and very narrow pro-
montary of bare rock—Rudha na Cille.

About six o’clock in the evening we sighted the low
irregular outline of Eilean Mor lying dim in the haze to the
southward.

We were now close to Keills Bay, into which we turned to:
pay a visit to the chapel of Keills, which stands a quarter of a
mile or so away, on the shore of Loch na Kille.

Landing on the rocky shore, a short walk over the inter-
vening hillocks brought us to the ruins.

Keills chapel, which at a short distance away might easily
be mistaken for a ruined sheiling, is a rude oblong building,
externally 42 feet long and 21 feet wide. The walls and gables,
though cracked here and there, are practically entire; the side
walls being about 12 feet high, and the gables fairly steep in
pitch.

There are four windows, one in the north and two in the
south wall, all flat topped, and one, which is circle-headed, in
the middle of the east elevation. ‘The doorway is in the north
wall, and, as is common in these small Keltic churches, the west
wall is entirely blank.

The floor of the chapel is covered with carved slabs, all
comparatively modern, and surrounding the building is a small
burial ground.

The chapel at Keills is usually considered to have been
dedicated to St. Carmaig, and in the New Statistical Account
it is stated that “the whole district of Knapdale formed origi-
nally one parish called Cil mhic O’Charmaig, the burying ground
of the son of O’Carmaig. This O’Carmaig is said to have been
an Irish saint, who founded the first church in Knapdale.

T. S. Muir, however, in his book, “ Ecclesiological Notes.
on some of the Islands of Scotland,’’ considers it to have been
more probably dictated to St. Columba.

A few paces away from the chapel stands on the hillside
what is evidently a very ancient cross. I quote from T. S.

hdos *
ib

SomE ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE. 53

Muir’s sketch, “The Ferryhouse,’’ the following description
of it:—

“This cross, though not a showy specimen, is interesting
from being in its form a singular variety of the few departures
from the ordinary conventional type, which is a narrow pillar
terminating in a solid girdle or disk into or through which, as
it were, the arms of the cross are stuck. It is a simple Latin
cross with the re-entering angles of the intersections rudely
notched into semi-circles. The pillar stands in the middle of a
slightly raised causeway of circular form, and measures 7 feet
A inches in height. Overspreading its eastern face is a series of
curious sculptures, the greater part in high relief. In the
uppermost or vertical limb of the cross is St. Michael, winged,
and trampling on the ‘ Apostate Angel’ in the disguise in which
he talked over Mother Eve. Under this, and occupying the
intersection, is a central boss charged, or seeded, as it would be
termed in heraldic speech, with three minute pellets—betoken-
ing, very probably, the Trinity in Unity. On each side of the
boss is a serpent; under each serpent is a dog; and under the
dogs, and filling the uppermost portion of the shaft, is a priest
or some other ecclesiastic, whose ears the dogs are worrying,
while at the same time their chaps are being torn by the serpents.
In the division next below the priest is a kind of reticulated
work in moderate relief ; under that are two animals resembling
leopards, face to face; and, finally, a quantity of scrollings of
purely ornamental character.”’

Curiously the west face of the cross is entirely plain.

Returning to the shore at Keills Bay, we found that the
breeze had completely died away, leaving the sound a wide
glassy expanse of water shimmering in the evening light. Away
to the south-west the striking conical outlines of the three great
Paps of Jura, so poetically named the “ Mountain of Gold,’’
the “ Mountain of Sounds,’’ and the “ Sacred Mountain,’’ stood
out clear and distinct against the western sky.

It was an evening on which to realise the spell and glamour
of the west, which seems to ever brood most deeply over that
lonely silent sea, on which, as we drew away from the land, the
throbbing of the noisy little motor seemed strangely out of place.

Before us, now coming more clearly into view, lay the
“magic island’? of the sound, round which and its ancient

54 Some ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE.

hermit have gathered many strange legends. Of St. Carmaig
and his miraculous origin, the following tradition is given in the
Statistical Account of the Parish of South Knapdale, 1797 :—
“Near the west coast of Knap lie a group of small islands,
the most considerable whereof is Ellanmore-Kilvicoharmaig.
Carmaig was an ancient proprietor of this island. His whole
family consisted of a grand-daughter, who used to amuse herself
by angling on the shore, which is surrounded with currents, and
frequented, to this day, by vast crowds of fish. It happened
upon an occasion of this kind that a bone, in place of a fish,
came out with her line; she unhooked, and threw it back into
the sea. Again and again it came out in like manner.
Chagrined with disappointment, she carried it home and put
it into the fire. The whiteness of its ashes struck her fancy.
She endeavoured to preserve them, but burning her finger in
the attempt, instinctively clapt it into her mouth. By this
means she became pregnant of the saint, whose supernatural
gifts were so long to survive himself. He founded Kilvicohar-
maig, the mother-church of Knapdale, and, after a life spent in
acts of piety and devotion, was buried in his native island. His
tomb, a little oblong building, elevated three feet above the
ground, remains uninjured by time. The saint is said to resent,
with the most summary vengeance, the least indignity offered to
his monument. Near his tomb is a small chapel, built by him-
self. It is arched over and covered with flags. Within, in a
recess of the wall, is a stone coffin, in which the priests are said
to have been deposited. The coffin also, for ages back, has
served the saint as a treasury; and this perhaps might be the
purpose for which it was originally intended. Till of late, not a
stranger set foot on the island who did not conciliate his favour
by dropping a small coin into a chink between its cover and side.
Upon an eminence not far off is a pedestal with a cross;
and near to the cross is a cave possessing the wonderful power
of causing sterility in every person who dares to enter it. This
magic island, if we may believe the legendary story of the saint,
possessed many singular qualities. Nothing could be stolen
from it that did not of itself return. The master of a vessel,
conceiving a liking to the cross, carried it along with him, but,
being overtaken by a storm at the Mull of Kintyre, was obliged
to throw it overboard; it floated back to a creek of the island,

re

SomE ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE.

called from that circumstance Portnacroish, i.e., the Harbour
of the Cross.”’

Just before sunset we reached the island, and running into:
the sheltered little “ Harbour of the Cross,’’ on the north side,
we landed at what might well have been the ancient landing
place of the saint. We found that we were not to be the only
occupants that evening of the snug anchorage in the little bay,
usually so solitary, some lobster fishers having also come to:
anchor there. On landing, we naturally turned first towards
St. Carmaig’s Chapel, which stands about the centre of the
island, a short distance up from the head of the bay.

Eilean Mor itself is roughly about half-a-mile in diameter,
indented on the north by the pretty little inlet called the
“Harbour of the Cross,’’ which affords secure anchorage for a
small craft in anything but due north winds, which are not at all
frequent. Elsewhere the shores are steep and rocky, and off the
coast, especially to the south, lie a number of islets and reefs.
The highest point, 71 feet above sea level, is towards the south
of the island, and on this, on a rough stone base, stands the
mysterious cross which so miraculously floated back from the:
Mull of Kintyre. What is standing is merely the stem, about five:
feet high, the disk having been broken off. As if to give point
to the legend of its miraculous return, the disk was discovered’
on the shore by T. S. Muir on his visit in 1864, and placed
in the chapel, where it still remains. On the west face of the:
stem is carved an animal surrounded by foliage, and on the
east a now almost obliterated inscription. On one side of the
disk is a representation of the crucifixion.

Standing on this, the highest point of Eilean Mor, we had a
wonderful view of the tide race round the island. The full’
sweep of the flood tide up the sound had by this time set in, and
being broken up by the island and the reefs and islets lying off
it, cross currents and eddies were setting in all directions, their
lines clearly marked on the calm sea, while the air was filled
with a haunting subdued roar, weird and indescribable.

In the south-east of the island is a little roofless building
about eleven feet square, with very thick dry-stone walls, and’
one small opening to the south, which tradition says was St.
Carmaig’s first cell. Near it is the magic pit.

Close to the chapel itself is the supposed tomb of the saint,

56 SomE ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE.

which is now so dilapidated as to be scarcely traceable, though,
according to the writer of the Statistical Account of the parish
of Knapdale, it was intact at the close of the seventeenth century.
It is about 9 feet in length, and close to its west end is a broken
«cross, the disk of which has disappeared. This cross, as it
stands, is about six feet high, with, on its east face, some lattice
work, and a horseman. The carving on its west face is practi-
cally worn away.

The chapel itself is an oblong building, 37 feet 4 inches
Jong, and 19 feet 11 inches wide, across the east gable. It is
not strictly rectangular, there being a difference of about ten
inches in the width of the two gables. Internally, it is divided
‘into two divisions, the eastern one or chancel being a semi-
circularly vaulted cell 13 feet 3 inches long and 10 feet 9 inches
wide. In the east gable, which is over three feet thick, are two
round-headed and very deeply splayed windows. Excessively
narrow to begin with, one has been contracted still further,
evidently at a later date, with a slate slab, through which is
pierced a very narrow lancet opening. The other window was
probably similarly fitted, but the slab has disappeared, and the
window has a somewhat torn appearance. The side walls, except
where recessed, are about 4 feet 6 inches thick, and in the south
one is a very deep semi-circularly arched recess, about 4 feet 6
inches high, in which is the stone coffin mentioned in the account
I quoted. On the cover is carved the figure of a priest, of which
the head is awanting. In the north wall are two recesses, not
quite so deep as the one in the south wall, both 4 feet 3 inches
wide and 6 feet 3 inches high, semi-circularly arched. The
eastern one of these has on one side a very small window, which
originally only 9 inches wide has been contracted with a pierced
slate similar to the window in the gable, except that the opening
is slightly cusped. Below this window is a curious little recess,
extending to within a few inches of the outside face of the wall,
and about fifteen inches high. The barrel arch covering the
chapel springs at a height of about 9 feet 3 inches from the
floor, and is about 14 feet 6 inches high to the crown. The
entrance to the chancel was originally by a semi-circular arch
in the west gable, which has been filled in at a later period by
a wall about 2 feet thick, with a low and narrow flat-headed
doorway in the centre. On one side of this doorway is a small

SomME ANCIENT CHAPELS OF KNAPDALE. 57

window, and on the other to the chancel side a recess of about
the same size. Above are two other small recesses. Between
the arch and the roof is a tiny chamber, entered by a small door-
way in the west gable, which is supposed to have been a retreat
for the anchorite when danger threatened. The roof of the
chapel is formed of stone slabs, now overgrown with moss.

The western division of the building shows signs of later
alterations, probably carried out at the same time as the chancel
arch was filled in. ‘The original doorway seems to have been a
fairly large round-headed opening on the north side. This has
been built up, and a low flat-headed doorway formed in the
south wall, which has again been further contracted, and the
opening skewed. In the side walls are joist holes about 5 feet
6 inches up, and the putting in of this floor would explain the
building up of the chancel arch and the north doorway, both of
which would rise above the level of this floor. The west gable
appears to have been almost completely taken down and rebuilt
with a corbelled out fireplace, vent, and chimney head at the
level of the upper floor, and two small widely splayed windows
formed, one of which is lintelled with a part of what seems to
have been a carved tombstone.

At what period these alterations were carried out it is im-
possible to say, but, as according to Mr Howson in “ Ecclesiasti-
cal Antiquities of Argyllshire,’’ “the chief parochial minister
seems to have lived always in the cell on this island, and to have
made periodical excursions to his different ‘ preaching places,’ it
is probable that they were carried out to make the cell a more
comfortable habitation.’’

We came out from the gloom of the cell and went down
again to the harbour. After the anchor had been dropped, and
the cabin erected, we sat for long in the bow watching the moon
rise, and as it flooded with soft light the strange old ruin, while
ever there came to our ears the low roar of the tide round the
island, we felt that even in this century some of its old magic
still lingers about Eilean Mor.

58 IRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
17th January, I908.
Chairman—Dr J. W. Martin, Vice-President.

IRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. By the Rev. SAMUEL
Duntop, B.D., Minister of Kirkpatrick-Irongray.

On a former occasion I had the honour of reading a paper
before this Society on Irongray in the last ten years of the
seventeenth century.* My information was drawn from the
Session Records (June, 1691, to June, 1700). To-night I again
turn mainly to the Session Records, though they are not so full
or so interesting as the earlier ones. I have in my custody
records from 1714 to 1716, and from 1743 to 1773. I shall
stop, however, at the close of Mr Guthrie’s ministry in June,
1756. He was minister of Irongray for sixty-two years, from
September 14, 1694, to June 8, 1756.

AN ASSAULT ON TERREGLES.

In a very interesting little volume, “The Ancient Catholic
Homes of Scotland,’’ we find the first event of our story. On
Christmas Eve, 1703, the ministers of Irongray and Torthorwald
attacked Terregles House, searching for priests and Jesuits.
The Earl of Nithsdale complained to the Privy Council that they
invaded his dwelling under cover of night with guns and swords,
forced open the outer and inner gate with horrid noise and
battery, entered the house, and searched it while the Countess
was indisposed. The ministers retorted by accusing the Earl of
hearing mass and concealing thereof, resetting Jesuits and
seminary priests, and trafficking with papists. The case was
heard in Edinburgh on February 4, 1704, and a compromise was
effected between the litigants.

THE REBELLIONS.

Though our records include both the years 1715 and 1745,
they contain no teference to the two efforts of the Stuarts to
recover their ancestral throne. Yet both attempts must have
been felt in the parish. We know from the list of rebels re-

* Transactions Dumfries and Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian
Society.— Vol. xviii., p. 127.

IRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 59

turned by the supervisors of Excise (May 7, 1746) that at least
one Irongray man was out in the ’45, William Maxwell, son of
Maxwell of Barncleugh, who is returned as a prisoner. In Sir
Herbert Maxwell’s “ History of Galloway ’’ (p. 325) there is a
quotation from the journal of a neighbouring minister, Mr
George Duncan, of Lochrutton, describing how he felt when the
young chevalier entered Dumfries on his return from England,
December 22, 1745:—‘“ A melancholy day—the rebels in Dum-
fries about 4000, with the Pretender’s son at their head, in great
rage at the town for carrying off their baggage from Annandale,
.and for raising volunteers and calling out the Militia of the
county in defence of the Government ; demanded £2000 sterling
.of contributions. They were most rude in the town, pillaged
some shops, pulled shoes off gentlemen’s feet in the streets. In
‘most of the churches for some miles round no sermon. God be
thanked we had public worship. Much confusion in all the
neighbouring parishes—rebels robbing people’s tables—pillaging
some houses. They came to the border of our parish, but God
-be thanked came no further.’’ As the Barncleuch estate marches
with Lochrutton, we may be pretty sure Irongray was visited by
the Highland host.

Jeanie DEANs.

I am often asked if there is no reference to the tragedy of
Effie Deans (Tibbie Walker) in the Irongray Records. I am
-sorry to say we have no records for the year of that tragedy,
1738, and even if we had, it is improbable that any reference to
it would have been found, for it was a case for the criminal
courts, not for the ecclesiastical. All that is likely ever to be
known on the subject may be found in a very interesting article
contributed to “Scotsman,’’ May 5, 1906, by my friend, Dr
King Hewison of Rothesay. That diligent antiquarian has un-
-earthed most of the details, and corrected not a few errors of
MacDiarmid’s account, quoted in the notes to “The Heart of
Midlothian.’’ I need not refer further to this, as his article has
‘been reprinted in the local papers.

SCENES AT A FUNERAL.

The records from October 24, 1714, till February, 1716,
-are contained in a shabby little book, and are a somewhat mis-

60 TRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

cellaneous collection—accounts of the Sunday offering, proclama-
tions of marriage, baptisms, deaths, and cases of discipline—a
veritable skeleton of parish history, if one could but clothe it
with flesh and breathe life into these dead bones. During the
year 1715 there are two cases of discipline which are somewhat
interesting. On the last day of February in that year the laird
of Drumclyer was buried, and his funeral evidently was “a
grand success,’’ judging by the Session Records. It produced
three cases of drunkenness. John Stot, Joseph Welsh, and
Deborah Welsh all were cited to answer to the charge of drunken-
ness at Drumclyer’s burial. All denied the charge, but in the
case of John Stot there was too strong evidence against him ; he
wes seen to stagger to and fro, fall at the Brigghouses, walk in
the red land, William Bremner supporting him, and he had not
even taken the ordinary precaution of saying he was not well.
On April 18 he was rebuked for drunkenness. Deborah Welsh,
a sister-in-law of the late laird of Drumclyer, boldly denied that
she was drunk, and on the minister warning her to be more
circumspect said “she was not sensible of it.’ Several witnesses
testified to her being all right in the morning, but she was in
bed sick in the afternoon. Her sickness was ascribed to a tass
of brandy. The evidence against her was not conclusive, so
“the Session considering the hail affair dismissed her with an
admonition to be more cautious and watchful ’’—that is good
Scots for “not guilty, but don’t do it again.’’ Joseph Welsh,
her brother, had fortified himself with a witness to prove that
he had said he was sick before the out-going of the corpse.
Another witness was summoned, but Joseph challenged her on the
ground that she was a liar and had slandered him. Unfortu-
nately we do not know how Joseph Welsh got off. Both in his
case and in that of John Stot drunkenness was not the only cause
of offence. Both had absented themselves from sermon, and
Welsh was accused also of despising ordinances and unduly de-
laying the baptism of his child. By January 13, 1716, he had
made his peace with the session, for on that day his daughter
Mary was baptised. She did not long survive being made a
Christian ; two days later is the following entry :—“ January 15,
1716—Mary Welsh, a child, departed this life, aged one year
and some months.’’

IRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 61

An “ UGLIE’’ PERSON.

The other case of 1715 is that of the Currows (Curries).
James Currow called John a thief, a dog, and a liar, a remover
of landmarks, and worse, and John’s wife he described as a thief
and a witch. John complained to the session, but not getting
the satisfaction he hoped paid back James in his own coin—for
he called James a murderer, on the ground that he took away
his good name, and James’s wife, “a gipsie and uglie person.’’
The session records do not tell us how this case ended, but it is
hard that Mrs Currie should go down to posterity “as a gipsie
and uglie person.”’

Though the records from July, 1743, to June 25, 1756, are
much better kept than those preceding they are rather uninterest-
ing. There are few cases which can be quoted; most deal with
the filthy vices of a rural parish. ‘There are no witchcrafts, no
Sabbath breakings, only one case of slander, and that a mild

one, two cases of drunkenness, both in Shawhead in the year
1743.

Money MATTERS.

The session’s attention is mainly devoted to money’ matters
during these years, and at the meeting held on 25th June, 1756,
after Mr Guthrie’s death, a very full statement of the church
affairs is given. ‘The session had no less than eight bonds on
money lent to farmers and merchants. This was the only way
they had of investing the poor’s funds. Sometimes the invest-
ments were risky. A bond of Thomas M‘George of Auchenreoch
and John Kirk in Auchengate caused the session much anxiety.
The interest was unpaid in 1748, and 1755 they had to put the
matter into the hands of Mr Malcolm, writer in Dumfries, who

sent to Edinburgh for a “ charge of horning against the foresaid
Auchenreoch,”’ and at Mr Guthrie’s death the session “ charged
Arch. Malcolm, writer in Dumfries, to diligence thereon to
obtain payment lest the said money be lost.”’

BENEFACTIONS.

I have only been able to trace the source of two benefactions
to the poor. Among Mr Guthrie’s paper was a copy of the will
of William Welsh, surgeon and apothecary in Chelsea, in the
county of Middlesex, who left £20 to his brother, Robert Welsh,

b

62 IRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

Mr Guthrie, and Robert Ferguson of Hallhill for the relief of
the poor of Irongray. This will is dated May 15, 1748. I
strongly suspect this William Welsh was a son of old John
Welsh, the Covenanting minister of Irongray, for it» was at
Chelsea the heroic field preacher ended his days in peace.

Tue Poor’s Horm.

One benefaction still brings in £5 a year for the relief of the:
poor. Behind the church of Irongray is a meadow known as the
Poor’s Holm—formerly the Kirk Holm. This was purchased
in 1712 by Mr Guthrie from Alex. Alves, W.S., of Baltersan,
in Holywood. The money that bought it was 500 merks left by
Jean Biggar in Barbuie to Mr Guthrie and Mr John Hepburne,
minister in Urr, for behoof of the poor of Irongray. The
annual rents of this sum were to be disposed by the said ministers,
and the longest liver of the two during their lives. Guthrie long
out-lived Hepburn, and in 1751 transferred the Poor’s Holm to:
the session. It is no longer managed by the session, but has.
passed into the custody of the Parish Council.

COLLECTIONS—BapD Brass.

From time to time there is bitter wail over the quantity of
bad money in the poor’s box. In November, 1748, there is “a
considerable bulk of unpassable brass which will do little
service.’? At one collection no less than one shilling and a
penny stg. bad brass was found. At Mr Guthrie’s death the
boxmaster found “ ten shillings of brass which the elders thought
might pass, and two English pounds save one ounce of bad brass,
which was laid by in the box.’? The money taken thus, fines for
irregular marriages, etc., and the interest on the bonds, were
mainly devoted to the relief of the poor. It was distributed
twice or thrice a year, apparently at no fixed date. The sums. —
given vary from five to one shilling. The beadle was paid at the
distribution of the poor’s funds; his pay varied from Is 6d to
2s 6d. But he had other perquisites; for instance, a fee for
the use of the mortcloth. In May, 1747, the session ceased to
reckon their distribution of poor’s funds in £ Scots, and adopted
£ sterling. It certainly takes somewhat from the appearance of
the accounts, but I trust the poor had none the less money for
that reason.

IRONGRAY IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 63

CHANGE FROM OLD STYLE TO NEw.

It was in September, 1752, that the Act of Parliament
decreed that September 2nd should be followed not by Septem-
ber 3rd but September 14th. The country took the change
with very bad grace, and certainly it was hard lines losing eleven
days with nothing to show for them. The last entry in O.S.
in our records was October 22, 1752; the next entry December
15, 1752, is marked N.S. The entry of May 19th N.S. has the
alternative 8th O.S. The change in Irongray was ominous.
James Guthrie was the last of the Old Style ministers. He had
seen “the killing times,’’ if tradition is true, he was the nephew
and namesake of James Guthrie, the proto-martyr of the Cove-
nant. He had seen as a young man prelacy deposed and Presby-
terianism established. He had in the early days of his ministry
been called upon to deal with those who had fallen away in the
times of persecution. He had seen Nithsdale and disturbed the
heroic Countess Winifred’s Christmas Eve. He had heard the
Highland host retreat from England. The old romantic Scot-
land of legend and song passed away in his life-time. The new
Scotland of Edinburgh “ literati ’’ and “ moderate ’’ divines, the
Scotland of “ Jupiter,’’ Carlyle, Hume, Robertson, and Adam
Smith, had come in its stead. I wonder what thoughts passed
through the old man’s mind when he thought of all the changes.
he had witnessed. Did he say “the former days are better than
these?’ or did he console himself with King Arthur’s
philosophy >—

‘‘Old order changeth, yielding place to new,

And God fulfils Himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the earth ?”’

Mr Dunlop, in acknowledging a vote of thanks, said the
records of the parish had been fairly well kept, and certainly
very much better than those of many others in the district. He
also read Dr Hewison’s account of the trial of Isobell Walker
—the sister of “ Jeanie Deans ’’—which appeared in the “ Scots-
-man’’ on 5th May, 1906. -He had often intended, he said, to
write a history of the parish, and would be obliged to any person
who could supply him with well-authenticated facts.

64 THE WEATHER OF 1907.
THE WEATHER OF 1907. By Rev. Wm. ANDsON.

I have to report in the outset that the Dumfries station of
the Scottish Meteorological Society was visited in September last
by Mr Watt, the secretary of that society, in succession to the
late Dr Buchan; and that having compared the instruments used
with his own standard ones, he found that they retained their
usual accuracy. The weather of the past year has been peculiar
in some respects, certainly not very favourable, as will appear
when we deal with the different elements which combine to dis-
tinguish its meteorological character.

I begin first with the barometrical pressure, the variations
of which largely constitute the foundation of the changes which
fall to be recorded. The highest reading occurred in January,
when it rose to a height which has very rarely, if ever, been
reached during my 21 years of observation. On the 23rd of that
month the abnormal reading of 30.989 in., almost 31 inches,
was recorded. In contrast with this, the lowest reading occurred
in December, on the 4th of which it was found to have fallen to
28.581 in.—giving an annual range of no less than 2.408 in.
The mean pressure of the year (reduced to 32 deg. and sea-level)
was 29.805 in., which is about one-tenth of an inch below ave-
rage. There were four months in which the monthly mean was
30 inches and above it, viz., January, March, July, and Septem-
ber. These were on the whole very favourable months. The
months in which the lowest means occurred were June, October,
and December, which ranged from 29.561 in. in June to 29.648
in December. These months had an almost constant series of
cyclones, with no less than 75 days out of the 92 in which rain
fell. The months which had readings below 29 inches were
January, February, March, May, October, November, and
December ; and these depressures were usually accompanied by
more or less severe storms of wind and rain.

I now proceed to give the facts regarding the temperature
of the year; it being premised that the observations which follow
are of temperature in the shade, secured by means of the
Stevenson screen and 4 feet above the grass. The highest tem-
perature of the year occurred on the 17th of July, and amounted

to 84.8 deg. The lowest was in February, when it fell to 18

THE WEATHER OF 1907. 65

deg. twice over, on the Ist and 16th—giving an annual range of
66.8 deg. July was the only month in which temperatures in
excess of 80 deg. were recorded, and there were four of them
in succession, from the 16th to the 19th, and ranging from 81
deg. to 84.8 deg. The next highest temperature was 78.5 deg.
on the 28th September, and the next 76 deg. on the 9th of June.
The warmest month of the year was July, which had a mean of
59.7 deg., which is slightly above the average for that month.
The next warmest was August, with a mean of 56.4 deg., two
degrees below average ; but September was very little short of it
at 55.3 deg., which was a fraction of a degree above average.
Both May and June were cloudy and rainy months, with a not-
able deficiency of sunshine and consequent heat, especially June,
with a temperature no less than 4 degrees below the mean, viz.,
93.7 deg., as compared with an average of 57.7 deg. The
coldest months were February, April, and November, which
were slightly below average, but not much. The mean tem-
perature of the year was 47.4 deg., which is only slightly below
the average of the last 21 years. During these years it has
ranged from 46 deg in 1892 to 49.5 deg. in 1898; the mean of
all these years being 47.6 deg. There was a good deal of frost
in the winter months, and especially in February, which was the
coldest month of the year. January had only 9 nights on which
the thermometer fell below the freezing point, with an aggregate
of 42 deg . of frost. But February had 17 with an aggregate of
116 deg. November had 8 nights with an aggregate of 33.7 deg.,
and December had also 8 nights with an aggregate of only 23
deg. There was thus a total of 42 nights, with an aggregate of
_ 214 deg., besides a very few in the spring months of March and
April. This shows on the whole a moderate winter with the
single exception of February, which, as previously stated, was 2
degrees below the average. Hence we find that the mean tem-
perature of the year, 47.4 deg., was very little short of the
mean, only two-tenths of a degree, although we may have been
teady to suppose from the prevalence of cloudy skies and redun-
dant rainfall that the temperature would have been considerably
below the usual figure. But it is to be remembered that the
winds from the Atlantic which brings abundant rain are also
characterised by mildness of temperature, and that is the explana-

66 THE WEATHER OF 1907.

tion of the annual temperature not being lower than it is.
While I am on this part of the subject, I may mention that since
the beginning of August I have been taking observations of the
minimum temperature on the grass, and with the following re-
sults:

Mean of Mean in Lowest in

month. screen. month.
August ... si ae ae 44° ae 46°6° = 31°
September _... die 435 B11 ae 56°3° ae 26°
October ao ef Ke Bees ake 48°7° is 26°
November sae sfc ee ale a 42° aM Viz
December ae : Be lish et oer 39°5° i 20°

I now proceed to give some account of the rainfall, the
abundance of which was the special characteristic of the year.
The amount of precipitation during the year, including rain,
snow, sleet, and hail, was 43.11 inches, which fell on 218 days.
—rain on 210 days and snow or sleet on 8. As the average rain-
fall at Dumfries is about 37 inches, this is fully six inches more
than the mean, and is expressive of a wet year. It is not, how-
ever, the rainiest during my period of observation. This distinc-
tion, if I may call it so, belongs to 1903, when the amount
recorded was 50.45 inches; and there was one other year which
had an amount in excess of 1907, viz., 1900, which had 47
inches, and 1891 and 1897 were only a fraction of an inch short
of the last year’s record. But all the rest were under that record,
ranging from 30 to 50 inches. The winter months had quite
moderate amounts, and so also had the early spring months,
March and April, but May was a very wet month, with 21 days on
which it fell, and June had nearly three times its average, with
27 days on which it fell and a temperature fully 4 degs. below
the mean. This could not but be very injurious to the growth
and progress of vegetation, coming at a time when sunshine and
genial weather are so important to the productions of the farm
and garden. July was a good month, both in respect of tempera-
ture and rainfall, but, unfortunately, it was followed by a wet
August, before almost anything could be done in the harvest
field; and September was also a good month, the driest of the
year, with a rainfall of little more than half-an-inch, and only
five days on which it fell. It had also more sunshine than any
September for years past. But this advantage was largely

THe WEATHER OF 1907. 67

neutralised by the prevalence of haze and mist, and the absence
of drying winds, so that little in-gathering could be done, and
it was followed by the deluges of October, which proved to be
the wettest month of the year, with a rainfall of 7.53 inches—
more than double the average—and 25 days on which it fell.
The result was that much of the grain was destroyed, especially
in late places, and not a little so seriously damaged as to be of
little value.

The facts regarding the dry and wet bulbs are as follows :—
Mean dry bulb for the year, 47.2 degs.; mean wet bulb, 44.9
degs.; temperature of the dew-point, 41.7 degs.; relative
humidity (saturation 100), 83. It will be observed that the mean
temperature of the dry bulb for the year, ascertained from the
observations taken at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., differs by only two-
tenths of a degree from the mean temperature of the year, ascer-
tained in a different method—by the addition of the mean maxi-
mum and the mean minimum, the highest and lowest of the 24
hours, divided by 2. The one is 47.2 degs., and the other 47.4
degs.

With regard to thunderstorms, I find that I have noted 10:
days on which thunder and lightning, or, in one or two cases,
thunder only, were observed. One in February, three in April,
one in May, three in June, one in July, and one in September—
that is 10 days in all, which is rather in excess of the usual
number. Of course, there may have been others which I have
failed to notice or record, and I have noted eleven instances on
which hail showers occurred, mostly in the same months. There
was a very brilliant display of aurora borealis on the 9th of
February, and it may be worth while to observe that this was
followed on the next day by hail showers, and on the day
following that by a pretty severe thunderstorm during the night.
Whether there was any connection between these phenomena I
am not prepared to say.

As to the wind directions, the south-west, as usual, showed
the greatest number of days, viz., 78; the next was north-west,
with 61; the west, with 54; the south-east, with 50; the north-
east, with 46; the east, with 28; the north, with 22; the south,
with 17 ; besides a few more on which it was calm or variable.

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THe WEATHER OF 1907. 69

I give below a note of the rainfall at several stations in this
neighbourhood, in addition to that of Dumfries :—

Amount for No. of days on

year. which it fell.

Dumfries Je ca nite ae wt 43°11 in. 218
Lochmaben .. at ee = nae 47°78 in. 228
Cargen ... or Sas ee are aor 49°29 in. 164
Drumlanrig ... ee ne ake fe 48°14 in. 232
St. Mary’s Isle, Kirkcudbright ... se 50°49 in. _
Glenlair, first 10 months only; Castle-

Douglas (10 miles off), 2 months fia 55°93 in. —

The following is only for a part of the year :—
Arbigland, from 22nd July to 31st Dee. ... 24°68 in.

Rainfall at Glengower, Castle-Douglas, recorded by Rev.
W. Aitchison, M.A.—First 10 months at Glenlair, Dalbeattie, 10
miles from Castle-Douglas, last two months at Castle-Douglas :—
January, 2.72; February, 3.89; March, 5.03; April, 3.45; May,
4.96; June, 6.45; July, 3.04; August, 5.61; September, 1.08 ;
October, 9.12; November, 4.86; December, 5.72. Total,
55.93.

Rainfall Record at the Waterworks, Lochrutton, Kirkcud-
brightshire, contributed by Mr Nigel B. Wilson, Engineer.
Height above sea level, 272.68 feet; diameter of guage, 5 in. ;
height of rim above ground, 1 foot.—January 18th to 31st, 1907,.
-87; February, 3.47; March, 4.45; April, 2.94; May, 4.92;

June, 6.71; July, 2.23; August, 5.29; September, 1.09 ; October,

8.48; November, 4.09; December, 5.96. Total for year to
date, 49.63. Heaviest rainfall, March 16th, 1.19.

1tth January, 1908.

WEATHER NOTES AT JARDINGTON IN 1907. By Mr J.
RUTHERFORD.

January.—Rainfall, 2.45 inches. Rain fell less or more om
21 days. Barometer—The lowest reading was on the Ist, 28.9
in., the highest on the 22d, when the very remarkable height of
31.02 in. was reached. The new year was ushered in with a

“nice mild winter day. The general weather during the month

70 WEATHER NOTES AT JARDINGTON IN 1907.

vas very mild; there was no very hard frost. About an inch of
snow covered the ground during the last five days. The water
ousel was sitting on a stone singing cheerily on the 16th.

February.—Rainfall, 3.1 inches. Rain fell on 15 days.
Barometer—The lowest reading was 29.25 inches; the highest
30.6 in. Snow covered the ground for the first eight days—
about 3 inches deep. This went away with a gentle thaw on the
8th and 9th. On one or two occasions a little more snow fell,
but to amounts of no consequence. ‘There was very hard frost
during the first week, the exposed thermometer registering 20
degrees on the night of the 4th. The weather during the re-
mainder of the month was comparatively mild for February. I
heard the mavis first on the 16th. The last 5 days were like
April; the birds were singing merrily all round about. On the
evening of.the 9th there was a remarkably brilliant and beautiful
aurora.

March.—Rainfall, 3.65 inches. Rain fell on 21 days.
Barometer—The highest reading was 30.5, the lowest 29.30.
‘Tussilago came into bloom on the 29th, and anemone on the
30th. In the middle of the month there was a fortnight of
stormy, wet weather, which hindered ploughing and other out-
door work. The last week was fine and dry. There was no
east wind. :

April.—Rainfall, 2.42 inches. Barometer—The highest
reading was 30.4 in., and the lowest 29.25 in. There was a little
frost on several nights, but not much. The first ten days were
nice and genial, and the grass was looking quite fresh and green.
A cold east wind came on the 10th, and just about withered it all
up again. From the 20th to the end there was fairly good
seasonable weather. Sowing corn began on the Ist; primroses
came into bloom on the 12th, flowering currant 13th, blackthorn
(sloe) 23d, and jargonelle pear 14th. Sandmartins were first
seen on the 25th. The first swallow I saw was sitting singing on
the house-rigging at 5 p.m. on the 26th. White butterfly first
seen on the 26th, which was a fortnight later than 1906. The
sloe was ten days later, and the swallow thirteen days.

May.—Rainfall, 3.57 inches. Rain fell on 17 days. Baro-
meter—Highest, 30.4; lowest, 29.2. There was cold, stormy
wet weather during the first fortnight, which kept farm work
back. There was no frost during the month. A thunderstorm

WEATHER NOTES AT JARDINGTON IN 1907. 71

was experienced on the 12th. Blenheim orange apple came into
bloom on the 2nd. I first heard the cuckoo myself on the 5th,
but it was reported to have been heard before that time. Our
own swallows took possession of their old homes in the byre on
the 5th. The wasp was first seen on the 14th, and spotted fly-
catcher on 15th. Chestnut bloomed on the 22d. I heard the
corncrake on the 29th. Hawthorn blossom was first seen on the
31st. The chestnut blossomed eight days earlier than 1906.

June.—Rainfall, 6 inches. It rained less or more every
day. This is the heaviest rainfall for June recorded here during
the last fourteen years, 2.26 in. being the average. Barometer—
Highest, 30.2; lowest, 29.6. I began the month with a new
5-inch rain gauge, placed about one yard from the old one, which
was a 3-inch one with a float. The new one registered 5.91
inches, and the old 6.12 inches. The difficulty is now to know
which to believe, so I put it between the two, and said 6 inches.
I also got a new thermo. screen, 44 feet from the ground, with
new maximum and minimum thermometers. The highest tem-
perature recorded was 71 degrees on the 13th, and the lowest
during the night of the 25th, viz., 37 degrees. The ox-eye daisy
‘was first seen in bloom on the 6th, and wild rose on the 30th.
There was a thunderstorm on the 12th and 30th. Turnip-
Sowing was kept back with the wet weather, and there was a
lot to put in after the 15th. This month was abnormally cold
and wet.

July.—Rainfall, 2.22 inches. Rain fell on 15 days.
Barometer—Highest, 30.6; lowest, 29.6. Highest temperature
(shaded thermo.), 86 degrees on the 17th (the warmest day of
the year) ; lowest, 40 degrees, on the 2nd and 11th. Corn began
to rag on the 13th, and cutting ryegrass hay on the llth. The
first cleg was seen on the 16th; meadow brown butterfly on the
26th. The first ripe strawberries were pulled on the 11th.
Bluebell was in bloom on the 22nd; knapweed, 29th. Com-
™menced cutting meadow on the 26th (a heavy crop). The
weather during the later half of the month was very good for hay-
making, and most of the ryegrass in this neighbourhood was
secured in nice condition. July flowers were nearly three weeks
later in coming into bloom than in 1906. The meadow brown
butterfly was three weeks later in being seen.

August.—Rainfall, 4.59 inches. Rain fell on 27 days (that

72 WEATHER NOTES AT JARDINGTON IN 1907.

was the number of days on which 1-100th of an inch and over
fell). The maximum temperature was 67 degrees on two days;
minimum, 32 degrees on the 30th. Barometer—Highest, 30.3
inches ; lowest, 29.65 inches. Grass was very abundant. Apples
and pears were a light crop, and small in size. Wasps were very
scarce, owing to the cold and wet summer. Almost no meadow
hay was secured during the month, and almost none in good con-
dition. Hay-making is quite a pleasure in fine weather, but
with such persistent showers and sunless weather as prevailed in
this month, it became trying and annoying, and occasioned a
great deal of extra labour.

September.—Rainfall, 0.65 inches—fell on 7 days. Baro-
meter—Highest, 30.5 degrees; lowest, 26 degrees. Highest
temperature, 76 degrees on the 11th and 12th; the lowest on the ©
night of the 4th. The thermometer in the screen registered 27
degrees; the exposed thermometer 24 degrees. Potatoes were
frozen black, and all other plants of that class were frozen. On
the 5th and 6th, after the frost, the swallows gathered into flocks,
and numbers came into the out-houses at night. On the after-
noon of the 13th I saw a very large flock. All the telegraph
wires on the Glasgow roadside above Newbridge were covered
with them for a considerable distance. No doubt they would
take their flight that evening to a summer clime. I did not see
one at Jardington from that date till the 23rd. After that, we
had them again until the Ist of October. Began to cut corn on
the 9th, which was 58 days from the date of ragging, the average —
being about 59. Corn that was cut in the beginning of the month —
was secured in fairly good condition. This was the driest month
of the year. There was a lot of sunshine, but no good drying
winds. There was a lot of mist and fog, and corn dried very
slowly.

October.—Rainfall, 7.13 inches—fell on 29 days. The
average fall for this month for the last 14 years was 3.76 inches.
This was the wettest month of the year. Temperature—Highest, —
64 degrees ; lowest, 30 degrees ; lowest on the grass, 26 degrees.
The last swallow was seen on the Ist. This was a cold, wet
month. Almost no corn was got in, and it was much spoiled by —
standing in the stook so long, being quite black, and in some
cases growing green (sprouting). When the weather would allow,
farmers lifted potatoes, which (in late varieties) were small, owing

i

WEATHER NOTES AT JARDINGTON IN 1907. 73

to their growth having been stopped by the frost on the 4th of
September. I see a shortage of 30 per cent. is calculated.
November.—Rainfall, 3.24 inches—fell on 21 days. Baro-
meter—Highest, 30.5 in. on the 30th; lowest, 29.2 in. on the
27th. ‘lemperature—Highest, 58 degrees on the 7th; lowest, 21
degrees on the 19th; lowest on the grass, 16 degrees on the 19th.
The first eight days were more favourable for harvest work, and
the most of the corn was got in about that time. Sunday, the
3rd, was a capital day, and a great deal of corn was carted. A
great proportion of corn and straw will be of very poor quality.
December.—Rainfall, 5.10 inches—fell on 23 days. Tem-
‘perature—Highest reading 53 degrees on the 20th; lowest, 23
degrees on the Ist; lowest on the grass, 180 degrees on Ist.
_Barometer—Highest reading on the Ist, viz., 30.3 inches ; lowest
-on the evening of the 13th, 28.6 inches, with a south wind.
Although the glass fell so low, there was little storm here during
‘the night. We seem to have been in the centre of a cyclone.
‘The morning papers informed us of the very severe and disastrous
storm which had been all round the British Isles during the night.
Several shipwrecks round the coast, heavy floods in the south of

England, and a lot of damage by the wind in France. The

weather during the month was very mild for December. There
-was no severe frost, and no snow. A cold east wind continued
-during the last week.

Considering the weather as a whole during the year, it has
‘been quite abnormal, cold and wet prevailing, and a great want
of sunshine.

Total rainfall for the year 1907, 44.24 inches, being 5. 86
‘inches above the average of the last 14 years.

wth February, 1908.
Chairman—Rey. H. A. WHITELAW.

The Corresponding Members whose names appear in the list
of members of the Society were nominated by the Council in
terms of the rules and elected.

74 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

A Gattoway STONE-AGE VILLAGE. By Mr Lupovic M‘LELLAN
Mann, F.S.A.Scot., Glasgow.

The following notes are portions of a paper read to the
Society of Antiquarians of Scotland :—
Perhaps one of the most startling and valuable discoveries.

ever made in Scotland with regard to the early inhabitants was.

the disclosure recently of a row of little dwelling-places, partly
underground, in Stoneykirk Parish, Wigtownshire. Their
chronological position seems to reach back beyond the Bronze
Period, say before 1000 B.c.

The attention of Mr Beckett was attracted by a row of
depressions on the surface of a wooded area, and I was quickly
informed of the discovery, and undertook an examination of the
place. If there had been one depression only, probably no:
notice would have been taken of the place. The depressions,
however, are five in number. Some of them were dug into, and
discovered to be the tops of silted pits containing relics of an
early period and substructures of wood. Before excavation they
were shallow, basin-shaped, slightly oval in outline, but not
very clearly defined and scarcely noticeable. The greatest depth
at the centre of any one was about 1 foot, and the greatest area.
about 10 feet by 8 feet.

The sites are situated on the edge of a plateau. The ground
has apparently never been cultivated, and is covered by wild
vegetation, consisting of a few small trees of different kinds and
a growth of fern. The row of depressions almost coincides with
the 50-feet contour line. The area enclosed by the contour line
does not at any point rise more than 2 or 3 feet above the 50-feet
elevation. The sea at its nearest point is just 1000 yards distant
south-east from the sites, and the intervening stretch of country
is flat and low-lying. While portions of the surrounding country
were once marshy, the ancient settlement being on the higher
portion of the plantation could not have been surrounded by
water or swamp, nor could it have been on the edge of a water-
covered area.

The substructures revealed by the excavations at Sites Nos.
3 and 5 were oval in plan. The ovals had obtusely rounded
ends, somewhat like rectangles with rounded corners.

The compass showed that in Site No. 1 the longer axis of

ae.

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 7a

the plan of the substructure bore 30 degrees west of north; in
Site No. 3, 65 degrees west of north (or west-north-west) ; and in
Site No. 5, 49 degrees west of north. The same trend—that is,
north-west by south-east—seems to exist in the other and yet
unexamined sites. For example, in No. 4 the longer axis appears
to lie about 18 degrees west of north.

THE EXCAVATION OF SITE No. 3.

Dealing first with the excavation of Site No. 3, which proved
to be the most important station, evidence was soon obtained that
the depression on the surface was the top of a silted-up pit. The
digging work consisted at the first stages in the extraction of the
filled-in material, which was of dark vegetable matter mixed with
a little sand.

The walls of the pit were not well defined, but in pene-
trating into them the soil was found to be more dense and almost
entirely composed of sand. ‘The cutting revealed in the undis-
turbed soil round the pit a layer of superficial soil and leaf-
mould which varied in thickness from about 1 to 2 feet; below
this was about 14 feet of somewhat blackish, sandy, compact soil.
Beneath this there was about 5 feet of hard sand, sometimes.
greyish and sometimes reddish-brown, which rested upon a
deposit of about 6 inches of a wet mixture of blue clay and grey
sand. The lowest bed was of wet tough blue clay of unascer-
tained thickness. The reddish sand occurred in rather irregular
patches, and its colour varied from a reddish-brown to a dark-
brown. The deposit of superficial soil was found in various
places which were tested throughout the plantation. It rests
upon what seems to have been the surface of the ground at the
time the sites were in use.

The material accumulated upon this pre-historic surface is
not entirely of vegetable character, as it contains a very small
quantity of sand. Probably a slight sprinkling of sand would be
brought during gales from the sandy shore to the south, which
would be caught by, and retained in, the coating of vegetation.
A peculiarity in the stratification at the east side of the pit will
be dealt with when discussing supposed entrance passages.

In the pit at a depth of 7 feet were encountered the tops of
spongy, much-decayed logs of round timber more or less verti-
cally placed. Down to this depth in the digging the soil taken

76 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

out was fairly dry and was largely vegetable mould. Water and
sludge, however, began to ooze in at this depth, chiefly from the
layer of mixed clay and sand. Well down in the silted material
were got many chippings, cores, and implements of flint, and of
other stones. Traces of a bed of charcoal containing fragments
of pottery were also observed. After carefully working out the
wet soil, which was still largely vegetable mould and was some-
what loosely deposited in the spaces between the logs—an
arduous operation—the wooden substrucure revealed itself more
clearly. It was a longish oval in plan, and measured about 7
feet by 44 feet. Traces of what was conjectured to be wattle-
work occurred round the edges of the oval. Taking into account
this marginal wood-work, the dimensions were about 9 feet by
de ACee:

At the north-west end of the substructure piles were placed
in two somewhat irregular concentric rings which were in contact
with each other. The piles of the inner ring slanted inwards
and downwards, forming a hollow inverted cone. At the
opposite end the piles occupied a somewhat circular space, but
were upright. Connecting these two sets of circularly disposed
piles were somewhat irregular parallel rows of logs. These
pieces of timber, except at the periphery of the structure where
they were perpendicularly set, had a bias inwards and down-
wards and in several cases towards the north-west end. The
number of piles used was 72. Traces of what was thought to
have been an entrance passage on the east side were observed.

Tue EXCAVATION OF SITE No. 5.

The excavation of Site No. 5 revealed features practically
identical with those of Site No. 3, and strata of the subsoils
were similar, but the traces of supposed flooring and wattle-work
were indistinct. Several implements of stone and pieces of wood
charcoal were recovered, but no vestiges of pottery were seen.
At a depth of 7 feet moisture began to accumulate, and there
was revealed a longish oval wooden substructure about 7? feet
by 44 feet. The piles comprising the structure were in all
respects similar to those found at Site No. 3, but were less tightly
set together. At the north-west end they were disposed in a
roughly circular manner in two concentric rings, the outer ring
consisting of 15 and the inner ring of 12 stakes. The piles of

A GALLOway STONE-AGE VILLAGE. UE

the outer ring were almost all vertical, and were as a rule thicker
than those of the inner ring. The members of the inner ring
slanted inwards and downwards, forming an inverted hollow
cone, the top inside diameter of which was 2 feet. The apex of
the cone—that is, the point towards which the stakes of the ring
converged—lay slightly to the south of the true centre of the
circle.

One of the heaviest piles from this portion of the structure
was 8 inches in thickness and 2 feet in length. Some of them,
however, were 3 feet in length, but were of less diameter than
8 inches.

The other, or south-east, portion of the wood-work and the
middle portion formed a structure somewhat platform-like in
character, and about 4 feet in length by 4 feet in breadth. The
angles at which the piles lay were noteworthy.

Close to the rings already described, and all round the edge
of the structure, the piles were perpendicularly placed. Beyond
the rings to the south-east, with these exceptions, the piles lay at
various angles, their tops being towards the south-east end, and
their feet or tips in the opposite direction.

This position was accentuated the further the piles were
situated from the rings. Some pieces of the woodwork at the
platform-like end of Site No. 3 may have been gradually pressed
in the course of time from the original positions by the super-
incumbent material.

Several small twigs were found lying across the ring portion
of the structure. These may have been remains of a collapsed
roof or floor, or of wattle-work fallen from the walls of the pit.

The platform portion consisted of 28 piles. Adding to these
the 27 comprising the rings, the total number of piles employed
in this site was 55. Measuring from a point which was reckoned
to be the present normal surface of the plantation, that is, from
a point 1 foot higher than the centre of the surface of the de-
pressed area, to the lowest point of the substructure was 9 feet

4 inches.
THE EXCAVATION OF SITE No. 1.

This site differed materially only in one respect from its
neighbours which have been described. The wooden substruc-
ture consisted of only 23 piles (fig. 4), and appeared to have
been left half finished. The pit had been anciently excavated

78 A GALLoway STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

in the same style as the others, and was a longish, rather square-
ended oval. The soil at the bottom of the half which contained
no substructure was darker than the surrounding soil, and had
evidently been disturbed at some time.

The piles were not so securely placed in the soil as at Site
No. 3. They occupied the north-west end of the oval, and were
bluntly cut at the lower ends. At the west side of the structure
they were less substantial than those at the east or opposite side,
and were placed at various angles, while those at the east side
were perpendicular. This site was drier than its neighbours, and
the relics were scarce. The subsoils were much of the same
character as those disclosed at the other sites.

Section II.—DETAILS OF THE RESULTS OF THE EXPLORATION,
AND SUMMARIES.

Various kinds of timber were used, no doubt in an un-
seasoned condition, as the wood was probably placed in the
structure not long after it had been cut. The fresh green
appearance of the bark points to this conclusion. Moreover,
old dried timber would not have given such a fine smooth un-
cracked surface as may be observed on the cut parts. The bark
remained on the stems in many cases, and in the case of the
birch wood it gave the timber a fresh and beautiful appearance.

The diameter of the piles was usually about 3 inches, but the
diameters varied from 1 or 2 inches to 8 inches. Those of
average diameter showed about 15 annual rings. The stems
were usually straight and well grown. The wood had retained
its shape, but was soft and spongy, and under pressure of the
fingers gave way at once, exuding moisture.

It was not possible, owing to the decayed state of the timber,
to ascertain at what time of the year the wood had been felled;
in other words, whether it was Autumn or Spring felled—a piece
of information which would have thrown light upon the question
as to whether the structures were built at the beginning of the
summer or of the winter season. Many of the logs in ancient
pile-structures have a bias or lean, caused by long-continued
pressure of the surrounding matter from above or from the side.
Most of the Stoneykirk piles which were not perpendicular
seemed, however, to have been originally set in a slanting
position.

A GALLOWAY: STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 79

One of the most remarkable facts disclosed was that, in all
the cases where the direction of the growth of the tree or branch
was recognised, and this was detected in nearly every instance,
the piles had been placed upside down, or coritrary to the direc-
tion in which the timber had grown. In other words, the top end
of the branch had been pointed and dressed, and had been
placed downwards in the clay. Now it is well understood that
stakes inserted in the ground against the line of growth or “ cap
down,’’ to use the technical term, last longer than those placed
in the direction in which the timber has grown.

A knowledge of the obvious fact that the thinner end of a
stake was more easily pointed than the thicker end, would not
in this case be acted upon, for the simple reason that the logs
were short and so finely grown that one end was not appreciably
of less diameter than the other. Moreover, the craftsman had
presumably to dress both ends of the logs, though the nature of
the dressing at the upper ends is unknown, as the wood at the
higher level has vanished by decay.

Again, the twigs and branches of the supposed wattle-work
(described later), which required little, if any, sharpening, were
also as a rule inserted upside down. It seems a fair inference
that the inhabitants of Galloway at this early period had recog-
nised a fact known to most present-day foresters and farmers—
that stakes last longer when inserted in the ground upside down.

The piles seem to have been forced into the clay for only a
short distance, but a great deal of the subsoil immediately above
the clay must have been either dug out or loosened before they
were inserted, as disturbed soil was found only a few inches
above their lower ends. No pile point was recognised as having
had the surface scratched. Sztri@ would, of course, have been
good evidence that the logs had been driven. The rarity of
small pebbles and grit in the grey sand and clay may account
for the absence of striation: Though the piles pierced the clay
only a few inches, yet the substructure in each of the three ex-
plored stations was secure and immovable. This may be
accounted for by the fact that each log was in contact with its
immediate neighbour, and many were tightly jammed together.
There was no packing of the piles bystones. The spaces between
the rows had not been filled up, as the matter found there was
quite loose, silted-in material largely of a vegetable character

80 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

—hblack mud and wet vegetable mould with an abundance of
short lengths of small twigs. The outer surfaces of the logs.
round the periphery of the structure were in contact with the stiff
blue clay and the mixture of sand and clay, which gave a steady
support. These outside piles were nearly always perpendicular,
except in the case of the west side of Site No. 1. The inner
piles, on the other hand, were as a rule lying at an angle. At
some places the structures were strengthened by running from.
the edge inwards rows of closely jammed piles, as at the south-
east corner of Site No. 3. The result of this mode of construc-
tion would be a basis for a dry, solid, secure, but somewhat:
hollow flooring.

All the wood was round timber, no piece having been split,.
squared, or mortised—the sites thus differing from most other
places from which anciently cut timber has been recorded. It
was not observed that any charring of the wood had taken place
before or after the preparation of the logs. The expedient of
carbonising the outside of logs to assist the work of dressing
them was presumably not practised, the cutting tool alone having
been relied upon.

The logs which were allowed to be exposed to the air warped’
and cracked in the course of a few hours. Ten of them from
Sites 1 and 3 were placed in water immediately after they had
been dug out, and will be kept in a solution of alum and water
until sufficiently “ filled ’’ to be able to retain their original shape:
in a dry environment.

By the favour of Professor Bayley Balfour, Mr H. F. Tagg,
Museum Assistant in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, has:
kindly examined some of the logs, and reports that

“Portions of seventeen separate logs have been examined,
and of these seven prove to be birch, five are alder, and three
are hazel. One of the pieces of wood submitted is either poplar
or willow, I am not able to say which, and one small piece is:
oak. One is led to conclude that birch and alder were the
timbers chiefly used in the formation of the pile-structure.

“Fungi and other putrefactive organisms have caused the
partial dissolution of the wood elements, and this disintegration
unfortunately renders it impossible to make deductions as to the
time of year in which the timbers were felled.”

The smoothness of the cut surfaces of the piles shows that

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 8t

the axe had a finely polished surface and a clean unbrokem
cutting edge. The impression on each facet of the cut areas.
being always similar in character, testifies that only one type of
cutting tool has been used. The tool was probably fixed in a
handle, as otherwise it could not have been wielded with
sufficient force and swing to penetrate, as it has done, into the
body of the wood. The facets are each of small area, and are
all shallow concavities resembling the inner side of a flattish
spoon. They are more numerous than would occur on surfaces.
of timber operated upon in modern times.

Three styles of cutting occur. There is the long acutely-
pointed pile-end, cut away on all sides; and the obtusely ridged,
the tool having been worked from two opposite sides until the
portion of the log to be severed could be broken off at the ridge.
The pile-end in this style has the outline of the roof of a house.
The third kind of labouring was a cutting nearly straight across
the log. The cut surfaces in all three styles show a large number
of small ridges and facets, but this feature is specially prominent
in the third class.

It is apparent that this ancient carpentry work has been
carried out by means of a tool which had not been able to travel
far at one stroke. When the tool was plied inwards and across
the log, the length traversed at each blow was extremely small.
Where knots have been encountered, there has been no slicing
through the hard core, the tool having had to be worked round
the knot. After this process the harder timber was wedged off,
with the result that a good extent of the lower wood was splin-
tered. There is occasionally a blunt “ break off ’’ at the place
where the stroke has terminated, the tool when it ceased to pene-
trate having been used as a wedge, and pulled outwards or so
manipulated that it left a splintered surface adjoining the cleanly
cut area.

It would thus appear that there has been used an implement
comparatively blunt, which possessed not one but two outwardly
curving faces, the line of intersection of which formed a
slightly curved edge. Now it is precisely this class of tool
which is met with in the common polished stone axe.

It must not be overlooked, however, that the thick, socketed
axe-head of bronze might leave somewhat similar markings.
The bronze tool of this type would undoubtedly travel farther

82 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

than the thicker stone axe, if for no other reason than that the
metal tool, having a socketed handle, would be assisted (cer-
tainly in no way impeded) by such attachment, while the stone
axe might be hindered from any long sweeping action by the
necessarily bulging hafting with which the middle of the axe-
head must have been covered.

Plaster casts of the 10 pile-ends before referred to have
been made. A cast has also been taken of a bar of soap which
has been sharpened at one end by a locally found stone axe-
head simply held in the hand.

The curved hollow adze (which occurs in iron) would give
a much longer stroke than even the bulging bronze instrument,
and would not leave such decidedly spoon-shaped impressions
upon the wood as have been referred to.. The bulging bronze
axe has not, to my knowledge, been found in the neighbourhood,
whereas many specimens of the type of stone axe described have
been found there during the last twenty years.

As the same type of markings would have been left on the
timber whether the axe were wielded radially or otherwise—that
is, as an adze or as a hatchet—we have no clue as to the position
of the handle relative to that of the blade.

An inspection of the axe-work on the set of pile-ends which
have been preserved, from Sites 1 and 3, shows that the axe
has always been made to strike along the line of the length of
the log. The breadth of the facets at the widest, it is further
seen, does not exceed 2 inches.

It may be mentioned that the stone axe-head used to cut
the bar of soap imprints facets not more than 2 inches wide.
In this axe-head the lengths across and round the cutting edge
are respectively 24 and 2? inches.

These pile-ends embrace squarely cut ends and specimens
of both the acutely pointed and the obtuse or roof-shaped end.
The ridge in the last-mentioned type is seldom centrally placed.

In the case of a log of the roof-shaped type, ‘44° inches in
diameter, but the ridge of which is centrally placed, there are
traces of 15 facets in the cut surface. The ridge does not run
horizontally, and measures 74 inches in length. In another
pile-end, 34 inches thick, there are marks of 5 cuts in a length
of 33 inches; and in another specimen, 44 inches in diameter,
on an oval area, 44 inches by 33 inches, 8 jacGs may be seen.

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 83

Seven facets can be detected in a length of 4 inches on the cut
surface of another pile 3 inches thick.

Some typical and instructive specimens of acutely pointed
pile-ends have been secured. On one log, 3 facets, which
touch each other like links in a chain, show that the
blade has travelled against the wood during three successive
blows at least 4, 22, and 4 inches at the first, second, and
third strokes respectively. The length of each excision is com-
paratively great, but the cutting is shallow, the blade having
been driven along just under the bark. On one of the acutely
pointed logs there is an area 7 inches by 2 inches showing 10
cuts. The cut areas on some of these acutely pointed logs
exhibit very clearly a succession of concavities and ridges
tesembling a “choppy,’’ agitated sheet of water—a feature
which characterises the carpentry work found on the sites. The
sharpening extends in the cases of 2 piles a distance of 14 inches
from the point, but the distance varies some inches on different
sides of the same log. Indeed, the irregularity of the work and
the lop-sidedness of the pointed ends are noteworthy.

It seems undeniable that the balance of the probabilities
lies in favour of a smoothly ground and hafted stone axe with
a convex edge having been used.

From the study of these and other specimens of pre-historic
axe-work which have survived, it becomes clear that not only
can the nature of the material of the instrument employed be
discerned, but the kind of stone axe and the size of the tool
may be determined with some exactness.

SEcTION III.—INFERENCES AND CONCLUSIONS.

By considering all the purposes for which it might appear
possible that these places have been constructed, the probabilities
of the case may be arrived at. There is no trace of any inter-
ments having taken place in them; and it is not a feature of
early graves that they are marked by a hollow on the surface.
There is no evidence that these places have been graves. It
is improbable that they have been refuse pits. They were
apparently not holes such as were excavated during early times
for the extraction of clay for pottery-making, or such as were
mined in the chalk districts of England and France to obtain
flint nodules and chalk. The under-structures of timber appear

84 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

to put all these suggestions out of court. Flint nodules, more-
over, do not occur in this particular formation, but are to be
found not far distant, and in various other parts of Western
Wigtownshire, but only in the stratified gravels, at points from
30 to 200 feet above sea-level.

If the sites have been wells, why should there be more than
one, and why hearths? If they have been pitfalls to entrap
wild animals, or shelters for huntsmen, or if they have merely
been stores or crematories, how account for the presence of
workshop utensils ?

More probably they have served as workshops of some kind,
and certainly for some grinding and polishing operations and the
manufacture of flint implements. They may have been cooking
places also.

While probably stores, workshops, and cooking places,
these curious sites, bearing traces of human activity and distinct
domestic associations, may, nevertheless, have been dwellings, or
cellars beneath dwellings.

The theory, then, of dwellings is by far the most plausible.
From the dimensions of the places it may be that they were more
in the nature of shelters or sleeping places than dwellings in the
modern sense.

FLOORING.

At each end of Site No. 3 traces of what was supposed to be
flooring were noticed. It was at these points only that the
fragments of pottery were obtained. No doubt any pottery on
other and central portions of the floor would be carried down to:
the lower and very much wetter layer on the collapse of the floor,
and the ware, being soft and non-glazed, would soon resolve
itself into its original clay and pounded pebbles. At the south
end a portion of a layer of charcoal about 2 inches thick was
associated with the fragments of pottery.

Mr Richard M‘Kay has kindly examined some pieces of the
charcoal microscopically, and reports that it is of coniferous
wood, probably pine.

The heavier stone utensils were found at all the sites lying
far down between the piles. They had perhaps once rested on
the floor, and as the floor decayed they had fallen through it into
the lower zone.

é

Pa

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 85

The layer of charcoal and the pottery bed on the end margin
of No. 3 gave a valuable clue as to the height of the flooring
relative to the pre-historic surface and to the level at which the
tops of the piles appeared during the examination of the site.

Assuming, as may quite safely be done, a floor 6 inches thick
and a layer of charcoal 2 inches in depth, the floor level must
have been between 14 feet and 2 feet above the tops of the piles
—that is, the tops as discovered in the diggings.

This indicates that, owing to the comparative dryness of the
layer immediately underneath the flooring, the timber in that
zone had so decayed as to be unrecognisable among the silted
and other vegetable matter.

In other words, the logs as extracted had 18 to 24 inches of
their top portions decayed.

The perishing of the timber of the flooring, and the wood
immediately beneath the flooring, would set in, no doubt, rapidly
after desertion of the settlement, owing to the comparative
dryness and openness of the soil in that part. But this did not
take place in the still lower zones, where the wetness, the pre-
sence of clay, and the depth from the surface would all tend
practically to seal hermetically the contents, thus ensuring the
preservation of the shape and contour of all the pieces of timber.

SUPPOSED WATTLE-WorK AT SITE No. 3.

Round the walls of the pit at No. 3 Site, on the margin of
the area in which the piles occurred, and imbedded in the sand
and clay, were found twigs and small branches, some set verti-
cally and others at angles. Some modern tree-roots were en-
countered, but were not confused with the ancient wood. In no
instance were the twigs seen to be horizontally placed, but they
occasionally crossed each other. The thickness of the twigs
varied from 4 inch to 2 inches. Some of them were placed
immediately outside the wooden substructure, while others were
found 14 feet from it. They were detected in different condi-
tions of decay according to the stratum at all the levels, except
in the layer of vegetable matter at the modern surface. Con-
sidering first their condition in the deepest zone—the stratum in
which the piles were encountered—the twigs were in the same
state of preservation as the piles, spongy but unaltered in shape.
In the zone immediately above, the same pieces of wood were

*

86 _ A GALLoway STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

traced; but the timber was dark-brown, moist, and _ stringy.
The greater amount of air and the less amount of moisture in
this zone account for the difference in the condition. At a still
higher level the same twigs were visible, but the remains were in
a different state of decomposition. The decayed matter re-
sembled soft, moist, brownish-black soot mixed with sand, and
was in contrast with the surrounding lighter coloured sandy soil.
It would not have been recognised as the remains of much
decayed timber unless the lines of the branches had been traced
continuously from the lower levels. The rotundity of the twigs
and their forking at some places were also useful clues in the
identification. In the still higher stratum, and in channels which
were observed rising upwards in the same lines as the remains
just mentioned, faint traces of slightly dark-coloured sand were
detected, and this was considered to be the vestiges of the
branches which had thus been traced from point to point through
the various levels. It was the detection of well-preserved wood
in the lowest zone which led to the recognition of the identical
branches, though in different conditions, at the higher levels.
It is remarkable that these branches had been placed upside
down, a position in which the logs forming the under structure

were also found. It is conjectured that the branches were
remains of basket or wattle-work, which may have lined the walls

of the pit. As mentioned, horizontal twigs were not seen, but
these may have fallen down, leaVing the vertical standards only
as survivors.

As the surviving twigs were not very numerous, nor set very
closely together, it is probable that the exploration revealed a
portion only of the wattle-work—probably the branches which
were farthest removed from the pit and in the least disturbed
soil. The lining facing the inside of the pit would, no doubt,
be more exposed, and would more readily decay and fall into the
pit after abandonment of the place.

It was only by the careful use of a penknife that the con-
tinuity of individual stakes was traced from one level to another,
and the presence of the supposed wattle-work in the upper levels
established. It seems indeed probable that the walls of the pit
were strengthened and protected by a lining of this description
which reached from the floor level to the pre-historic surface, if
not higher. At the south end, but at the higher levels only, were

}

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 87

observed interesting vestiges of what appeared to have been
unusually large branches. One piece had many of the branches.
forking upwards from it for a distance of 2 or 3 feet. They had
been placed vertically and in the direction of the growth of

_ the tree —a direction, it will be remembered, contrary to that of

the other wood-work of the walls and of the logs of the under
structure. As none of these larger branches were found at the
level of the piles, the nature of the wood was not determinable.
At the higher levels the interior of the branches had vanished,
leaving a vacancy which was surrounded and protected by a
rather hard crust of black matter.

At this end of the site the sand has been discoloured red
and brown and hardened by the presence of ferruginous matter,
and in the vacant interiors of the branches there was a slight
sprinkling of light coloured sand not so discoloured. Probably
the white sand in the interiors gained admission through cracks.
at a time when the interior had become much decayed or had
vanished, but before the eremacausis of the bark or crust, or the
hardening and discoloration of the outside sand, had taken full
eirect.

SUPPOSED ENTRANCE PASSAGES.

In testing the ground at various points in the immediate
vicinity of the pits, it was found that the superficial black layer
was of almost uniform thickness. Beneath it was sand somewhat
dark in colour. At some places, though not in all, near the foot
of the black layer was observed a very thin layer—a mere
sprinkling—of whitish sand.

From a careful inspection of this sprinkling it was con-
jectured that the sand composing it had been carried by a gale
from the shore region, where great quantities of white sand occur,
and, as can be proved, did also occur during the later pre-historic
periods.

The drifting sand had been deposited in varying degrees of
thickness, like a slight fall of snow which has drifted over some-
what uneven ground, and in some spots it was absent.

A section of the soil at the east wall of the pit at Site No. 3
revealed the presence of the same sprinkling of white sand. It
occurred under the black layer and was several inches thick,
thinning out on each side. It was not so white nor so readily

88 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

recognisable as the sprinkling disclosed by the test diggings in
the vicinity, yet no one present failed to detect it. While the
black layer appeared horizontal at its top, its base dipped con-
siderably in the middle of the east wall, reaching to within 1}
feet of the floor level. At the lower part of the east wall, and
in a curvature coinciding with the dip of the black layer, lay the
white sand to a maximum depth of over 12 inches.

Slicing away the soil of the east wall, the dip of the strata
became less until it disappeared, and the presence of the white
‘sand became gradually less noticeable.

No similar feature was observed at the other side of the pit.
It is conjectured that the vestiges of some kind of entrance
passage or doorway had thus made themselves evident. Similar
but less pronounced traces were also seen at the east wall of Site
Noid:

No matter what type of hut may have been in vogue at these
places, the function of the wooden substructure is an interesting
problem.

The reasons for primitive man having lived in a sunken or
earth-hidden dwelling are obvious. Whether the under-surface
habitation was of stone or wood, or whether half or wholly sub-
terranean, it was warmer and less exposed to adverse weather
conditions than the ordinary surface hut, and—an important
consideration—it was not readily liable to detection by an enemy.

The sunken flooring might, however, be a serious drawback
and act merely as a hollow in which rain and ground water
would accumulate. If the subsoil were gravelly, chalky, or of .
pure sand, the dwelling would be dry and comfortable. Should
the subsoil be moisture-retaining, or overlie a bed of clay, the
great discomfort of a damp floor would arise. Now the excava-
tions revealed the presence of a bed of moist blue clay, and,
what in these circumstances might be expected, a wet stratum
immediately above it. A likely hypothesis then is that the
moisture in and above the layer of clay rendered the earthen
floor uninhabitable, and, as a means to prevent a wet floor, the
pre-historic architect hit upon the ingenious expedient of a struc-
ture of wooden piling, more or less unright, under and supporting
a horizontal flooring. The flooring would thus be insulated
against direct contact with the moisture-laden strata, and thus
render the dwelling comparatively dry and comfortable.

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. : 89

The position selected for these pit-dwellings, if such they
were, seems to have been chosen because of its comparative
dryness, the place being not lower than any of the surrounding
stretches of country, yet we find the constructors had to face the
difficulty of under-surface moisture. It has been seen how de-
sirable a half or wholly hidden under-surface dwelling would be
in primitive times, and that where the climate and the subsoil
are wet, a damp floor would result in this class of house unless
special measures were taken to overcome the difficulty. What
these measures were is now perhaps elucidated.

A common feature of pre-historic exploratory work is the
disclosure of pits. A review of some of these discoveries shows
that none are quite similar to the sites at Stoneykirk.

Portery.

As already mentioned, vestiges of pottery were observed at
Site No. 3 only. The fragments are in a poor condition, and
are portions of hand-made, non-glazed vessels of darkish coarse
paste. The paste has been mixed with pounded-up fragments
of some whitish sandy stone. When extracted, the pieces were
scarcely recognisable as pottery, being coated with soil; but
after slow natural drying the crust of soil was picked off, and by
‘the application of a soft brush the particles of charcoal, loam,

.and sand which filled the interstices were got rid of, disclosing

the original skin of the ware. The ornamentation upon the skin
is quite distinct. The fragments consist of more than one set,
Tepresenting more than one vessel. One set was found at the
north end, and the other at the south end. i
NortH END. So far as can be guessed from the appearance
of the few fragments, the feature of the vessel (or vessels) from
the north end was that the pottery had rounded, plain, raised
ridges of varying breadth which ran, more or less parallel, hori-

_zontally round the exterior of the ware. The walls were 4 inch

.

in thickness, and where mouldings occur the thickness was about
% inch greater. The average breadth of the mouldings was
about 4 inch. The intervening space between the ridges varied
from 1 to 2 inches, and had (lying approximately parallel to the
mouldings) rows of little closely-set, indented, squarish punctua-
tions, impressed as with a comb-shaped implement before the
¢lay was fired, and resembling the surface-work on some modern

90 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

granolithic pavements. It is probable that the number of these
rows in a panel varied from one to four, and some of the inter-
vening panels may have been quite plain. In one panel where
the rows are absent plain lines have been incised diagonally and
across each other. The curvature of one piece indicates an
inside diameter at the rim of about 8 inches. Another small
fragment (fig. 8), ornamented with parallel lines crossing each
other diagonally, has a ridge on the exterior apparently running
vertically.

Neither the style of the rim nor the shape of the base can be
determined from the recovered fragments.

SoutH Enp. The pieces from this end show the presence
of similar lines of small, closely-set, squarish indentations as if
made by the teeth of a comb-like implement, but the system of
decorating by raised ridges has not been adopted. The lines
have been set more or less parallel to each other, and diagonally
to the horizontal lip of the vessel. Fortunately in this group of
fragments some portions of the rim were recovered. The rim
was about # inch broad with an inwardly slanting bevel, and was.
ornamented by the same kind of rows of small indentations.
The rows on the rim were arranged almost parallel to each other,
at right angles to the edge, and equidistantly about four rows in
the space of aninch. ‘The thickness of the sides decreased from
1 inch at the rim to 4 inch at a point about 2 inches down.
This and other rim portions betray an affinity in shape and
ornamentation to the type of rim to be seen in some of the vessels.
of the Scottish Stone Age. The interior surface of the pieces.
is unadorned. The curvature shows an inside diameter at the
rim of about 8 inches. The shape of the lower portion of the
vessels is not determinable.

Some of the fragments are too much wasted for useful
description.

The sites yielded a profusion of stone implements. Sever
implements of flint and two dozen implements of other stone,
fragmentary or whole, were recovered, mostly from Site No. 3.
Two hundred and thirty-seven nodules, cores, and chippings of
flint were also found. The number of logs in the substructures.
examined was 15.

The most interesting flint implement got is a massive horse-
shoe shaped tortoise-backed scraper. ‘There were got also some

é

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 91

fine hammer stones, anvil stones, rubbing stones, pounders, and
pestles.

CHRONOLOGY.

Estimates of the age of the settlement may be based on the
shape of the hut, and on the character of the relics recovered.

The long or oval hut would scarcely have been in extensive
use in the same region and at the same period as the round hut.
In any case, in the Scottish area one type probably originated
before the other. Was then the oval hut anterior to the round
hut? It is natural to consider the oval hut the more primitive, as.
it was more easily constructed. The round hut, when it reached
a diameter of 20 or more feet, seems to have had the roof
centrally supported, as in the Glastonbury examples. There are
good grounds for believing two theories often propounded—that
the construction of the early grave-chambers was in imitation of
the architecture of dwellings, and that the long barrow of Britain
belonged to the Age of Stone, and the round barrow to the Age
of Bronze. It may be taken, therefore, as probable that the
long or oval type of dwelling is the earlier.

The presence of pottery is, of course, of great value in any
effort to fix the chronological horizon of the sites. It is, unfor-
tunately, impossible to tell whether the bases of the vessels were
rounded or flat. However, the colouring of the fragments, and
the ornamentation on the ware, and the shape of the rims, are
characteristic of the Stone Age in Scotland.

While the pottery and utensils are all archaic, yet the
absence of relics characteristic of Medizval times or of the early
Iron Age, such as objects of glass and vitreous paste or of any
of the metals, does not allow us positively to assign the remains
to a time earlier than these periods, though at present the
evidence is strongly in favour of the sites having been anterior to
the brochs, earth-houses, and the usual type of crannogs in
Scotland. The character of the axe-marks points to the same
conclusion. No vestiges of horn or lignite were noticed. Early
wrought objects in horn are extremely rare in Wigtownshire, but
not so relics of lignite, which have very frequently been found in
Wigtownshire on sites of the Bronze Age, and of later times.
While the type of oval hut in Stoneykirk has yielded no relics:
definitely characteristic of the Bronze Period or of any later age,

92 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

the various pieces of evidence point to the Stone Age as the
period during which the sites were in use.

The situation of the settlement was well chosen, as the
inhabitants could see a long distance in all directions, while the
houses could, only with difficulty, be detected from afar, more
especially as they were partly sunk under the surface and doubt-
less mound-like above.

The direction of the row of huts was also selected intelli-
gently. The row follows the crest of the plateau and is on its
sunny side.

The position of the individual houses is also noteworthy. It
would seem that the entrance passage was preferred not at the
end but in the middle of one of the sides. As shown by the
excavations, the east side seems to have been chosen. It is
natural to expect the door to be placed there, as it would be
protected from the prevailing rains and winds from the south
and west.

.Guided apparently by some such requirements, the pre-
historic architect laid down the plan of the oval foundation in
each case, so that the longer axis bore approximately north-west
and south-east, and, it would appear, arranged that the entrance
passage ran at right angles to that direction and was situated on
the east side.

The inhabitants of this group of sites were workers in the
wood of the birch, hazel, and alder, and had well shaped
domestic pottery ornamented with incised and impressed work
and work in relief. They lighted fires of some coniferous wood,
and had a variety of implements of stone—scrapers, polishers,
rubbing-stones, pounders, hammers, and anvils. They had an
effective form of axe, with a smooth surface and a finely made
edge. They carried on the manufacture of large and small
flint implements from the rough nodules. The fact that they
spent considerable time and labour in the construction of their
houses tells that the method of life was at least in some measure
settled, and not purely nomadic, and the occurrence of a group
of sites may signify that a system of village life was in vogue.

The individuals who lived there did not follow the archi-
tectural methods of the Terremare men of pre-historic North
Italy, or the Terpen dwellers of ancient Holland. They do not
appear to have been like the cranog-builders who built their

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 93

dwellings so as to have them more or less surrounded by water
or marsh. They did not construct their houses of stone half-
underground or wholly subterranean like the earth-houses or
weems, nor did they follow the methods of the hut-circle men
who lived in circular wood and wattle huts built on the surface
of the ground.

While the bottom of each pit was at some depth under the
surface, it should not be forgotten that the supposed flooring
was sufficiently near the pre-historic surface to make it necessary
to have a good proportion of the cubical contents of the chamber
above the level of the surface if the chamber were to be
habitable. There is no reason to believe that the huts were
open to the heavens, or that the excavated soil was removed
from the spot. It then follows that the upper part of the dwell-
ings was more or less mound-like in character, the heaped-up
earth from the original excavation having assisted towards this
appearance. It seems difficult to escape from such a conclusion.

The shape of the mound would naturally follow the plan,
whether round or oval, of the structure covered by the mound.
Again the structure would be in harmony necessarily with the
plan of the foundations, the flooring, and the walls, all of which
were apparently in the shape of a longish oval. It would appear
then that the mounds were somewhat long in shape, though
perhaps not so pronouncedly so as the plan of the wooden
substructures.

In considering this peculiarity of the Stoneykirk remains, it
is interesting to consider that most of the ancient British dwell-
ings, built of wood and wattle, which have been examined and
recorded, are round, and, further, that they belong to the
Bronze, the Early Iron, and later periods. The huts which
comprised the marsh village at Glastonbury, occupied a few
years before the Romans arrived in that district, were roughly
circular and about 20 feet in diameter. With the exception of
the Isle of Wight specimens, the pit-dwellings found in England
appear to have been circular, as were also the crannogs and
hut-circles.

No stones were used in the Stoneykirk structures, and stones
sufficiently large for building walls are rare in the locality. It ©
seems safe to say that the walls were of turf and wood and
wattle. If the places were roofed, it is safe to assume further

94 A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE.

that at least a small amount of some covering of vegetable fibre,
or even of soil or turf, rested upon the roof. A _ stoneless
structure, however, could not bear the weight of a large amount
of superincumbent matter; and the fact that a depression, and
not a mound, marked each site indicates that a light form of
roofing was employed. This roofing, after desertion of the
settlement, would fall in, and the hollow would gradually
become silted up.

As has been seen, the flooring arrangements were ingeni-
ously, laboriously, and substantially contrived, and admirably
adapted to the end in view. It is natural to believe that the
less difficult matter of walling and roofing should also have been
successfully met by the same men. Doubtless the whole place
of abode, while very small, would be well suited to protect the
inhabitants against the discomfort of too much sun, rain, wind,
or cold.

It would be hazardous, nevertheless, to conjecture what
exactly was the nature and appearance of the structures when
entire. They were probably single-chambered wooden dwellings
partly sunk under the surface level, and wholly, or in part,
hidden by a mound of turf and earth.

Dwellings presenting the external appearance of mounds
survived in Scotland to recent times. This type of house seems
to have existed at a very early period, and to have been copied,
though perhaps on a smaller scale, but naturally in a more sub-
stantial style, in the architecture of graves. There are thus
cairns with internal sepulchral chambers. Houses and graves of
this type were usually of stone, but it is reasonable to believe
that wood might take the place of stone in districts where stones
of the size required for building purposes were not plentiful.
Now, if it can be shown that grave-mounds with internal con-
structions of timber once existed, it is a fair inference that there
may have been dwelling-mounds with timber-built chambers, the
roof protected by turf or simply earth-covered. This link in
the chain of evidence is fortunately forthcoming, for at least two
cases in Britain have been carefully recorded of what appeared
to be grave-mounds or barrows containing timber constructions
in the interior—the Dalry mound, Ayrshire, which probably
dated from the Bronze Age; and the Wor Barrow, Dorset,
assigned to the Stone Age. In the Wor Barrow district building

A GALLOWAY STONE-AGE VILLAGE. 95

stones are scarce, and in the vicinity of the Wigtownshire sites
building stones are so difficult to procure that the fields are not
bounded by stone walls, but are either fenced, hedged, or en-
closed by earthen dykes.

As we have thus earth-hidden, stone-lined, sepulchral
chambers constructed apparently in imitation of earth-hidden,
stone-built dwellings, and also sepulchral constructions of timber
within mounds, it is an easy deduction that wood-built chambers
for the living once existed wholly or partly earth-hidden.
_Perhaps the evidence for such wood-built, earth-hidden dwell-
ings is not only presumptive, but has become direct testimony,
through the discoveries in Stoneykirk.

In the Scottish area many unique non-historic and proto-
historic archeological phenomena have been observed, especially
in the domains of art and architecture. May not the “piled
pit ’’ of Stoneykirk be another example of the ingenuity and
perseverance in overcoming difficulties which seem to have
characterised the pre-historic craftsman of North Britain?

THE Locat Funer. By Mr W. M‘Cutcueon, B.Sc.

The following is a list of eighty fungi found in and around
Dumfries in the months of September and October. A number
of them have been verified by Mr R. B. Johnstone, honorary
secretary to the Andersonian Naturalists’ Society, Glasgow. I
hope to be able to add to the number on future occasions.

HYMENOMYCETES.
AGARICINEAE.
Amanita mappa. Goldielea Tricholoma nudum. Dal-
and Conhuith Woods. skairth.
Amanita muscaria. Third Tricholoma cinerascens. Moss
wood from town on Castle- Road, Dalskairth.
Douglas Road. Marasmius urens.
Amanita rubescens. Ter- Marasmius peronatus.
raughtie Glen. Marasmius oreades. Goldielea.
Amanita vaginata. Ter- Collybia maculata. Dal-
raughtie Glen. skairth.
Armillaria mellea. Collybia butyracea.
Tricholoma murinaceum. Dal- Collybia radicata. Carruchan.
skairth. Collybia velutipes.
Tricholoma personatum. Dal- Collybia dryophila.

skairth.

96 THe Locat FuncI.

Russula nigricans. Kilnford
Wood.

Russula vesca. Kilnford Wooi.

Russula cynoxantha. Kilnford
Wood.

Russula fellea. Kilnford Wood.

Russula foetans. Conhuith
Wood.

Russula rubra.

Russula fragilis.

Russula emetica.

Lactarius torminosus.
ford Wood.

Lactarius turpis. Lochar Moss.

Kiln-

Lactarius camphoratus.
Lactarius emetica.

Lactarius trivialis.

Mycena galericulata.

Mycena polygramma.

Laccaria laccata.

Clitocybe maxima.
Hygrophorus coccineus.
Nyctalis parasitica. Goldielea.
Pholliota squarrosa.
Cortinarius cinnamomeus.
Paxillus involutus. Park Road.
Agaricus campestris.
Stropharia aeruginosa.

Lactarius blennius. Kilnford Hypholoma fascicularis.

Wood. Hypholoma sublateritium. Car-
Lactarius vellereus. ruchan.
Lactarius deliciosus. Dal- Panaeolus campanulatus.

skairth. Coprinus atramentarius.
Lactarius rufus. Coprinus comatus. Ter-
Lactarius mitissimus. raughtie, Newabbey Road.
Lactarius subdulcis.

POLYPOREAE.

Boletus luridus. Lochar Moss.

Polyporus adustus. First wood

Boletus chrysenteron. Lochar from town on Castle-Douglas

Moss. Road.
Polyporus squamosus. Polyporus abietinus. Conhuith
Polyporus picipes. Willows, Wood.

near Lochanhead. Daedalia quercina. First wood
Polyporus betulinus. from town on Castle-Douglas
Polyporus annosus. Road ; Cargen.
Polyporus versicolor.

HYDNEAE.

Hydrum repandum. Abundant

town, Castle-Douglas Road.

in October, first wood from

THELEPHOREAE.
Stereum hirsutum. Carruchan. Stereum purpureum. Car-
ruchan.
CLAVAREAE.
Clavaria amethystina. Third wood from town on Castle-
Douglas Road.
TREMELLINEAE.

Calocera cornea.

Calocera viscosa.

Tue Loca FunNcI. 97

GASTROMYCETES.

Scleroderma vulgare. Lycoperdon bovista.

Cyathus vernicosus. Geaster rufescens. Near tree

Crucibulum vulgare. roots, Pearmount, Dalbeattie

Nidularia pisiformis. Railway Road.
sleepers, Gatelawbridge Ithyphallus impudicus. Con-
Quarry line. huith Wood.

Lycoperdon pyriforme.

DISCOMYCETES.

Gyromitra esculenta. Railway, Helvella crispa. Newabbey
Thornhill to Gatelawbridge. Road, under beech trees.
Sent to Kew for identifica- Leotia lubrica. Terraughtie
tion. Only once before re- Glen.
corded for Scotland. Peziza (Cochlearia) aurantia-.

Dalskairth.

NOTES ON THE LATE TRANSIT OF MERCURY: ON JUPITER AND
SATURN. By Mr J. RUTHERFORD.

MERCURY.

In these notes Mr Rutherford detailed his observations of
the Transit of Mercury on 14th November, 1907. In the early
morning the sky was completely overcast with dense clouds.
At 10 h. 23 m. 40 s., when the Transit was expected to begin,
there was no appearance of the sun through the clouds, this
continuing until a few minutes before noon, when a little break
was noticed near the sun’s position. On directing the telescope
to the spot he was rewarded by seeing the sun through a thin
cloud. Through this his first view of Mercury on the sun’s disc
was seen. In a few seconds the cloud was cleared off, and at
noon this was seen for six or eight seconds. After this the sun
was obscured until 1.35. Then glimpses of the planet were seer
through thin cloud.

During the short time of clear vision he directed his atten-
tion to the border of the planet, which appeared to be quite
sharp, and free from any luminous or penumbral appearance.
The colour of the planet seemed a little grey.

Mr Rutherford said:—I am sure that no one has any con-
ception of the joy I felt at being privileged to see this transit,
even for such a short time. Impressions of such sights are
engraven on the mind in such an indelible way that they are

98 NOTES ON THE LATE TRANSIT OF MERCURY.

never forgotten. Another thing that strikes one as being simply
marvellous is the accuracy of the predicted time.

JUPITER.

As seen on the morning of November 30th, 1907, between
7 and 8 o’clock. On several mornings during this month I had
some very fine views of it. In fact, I think the finest I have
ever had. Previously, when looking at Jupiter in the evening,
transits of its moons and their shadows have nearly always been
seen with some doubt and difficulty, but on the morning of the
30th the moment I looked into the telescope a black spot was
seen. I looked up the Ephemeris for that day, and found that
it was the shadow of Moon I. I observed it for fully half-an-
hour. During that time it moved some distance across the disc.
There was also plainly seen a dark elliptical spot on the north
equatorial belt, nearly above the shadow of the moon.

VENUS.

I may add that the finest views of Venus I have had have
been in the morning when it was almost daylight, the horns are
then quite sharply defined, and there is not the same amount of
flare about it, which is such a drawback to good seeing of this
planet in the evening. When the morning is suitable the air
seems steadier, and a brighter and sharper image is obtained.

SATURN.

In the month of November the rings of this planet were
turned edge ways on to our line of sight; and according to the
position of the earth and sun they should have been invisible.
One evening, about the 11th or 12th, vision was fairly good. I
could plainly see the shadow belt across the ball, and tried to
trace the ring at each side on to the sky beyond. When atten-
tion was directed to the east side the eye saw at times a faint
trace of light where the ring should be on the opposite side.
This occurred several times, and when the eye was turned to that
side the light was not seen. I have read of several other
observers who have seen those flashes, and also have read of one
or two astronomers of note who say that it is an optical illusion.

Since I wrote the foregoing notes I find that a number of

other observers have seen the flashes of light on the Ansze of

i

A NIGHT WITH A MICROSCOPE. 99

Saturn’s Ring, in November last, when they should have been
(theoretically) invisible. The question naturally follows what
was the cause?

A NicHT wiTtH a Microscope. By Mr T. T. OVENS.

In his preliminary remarks Mr Ovens observed that people
were so accustomed to regard with admiration and wonder the
mighty and impressive works of nature that they were apt to
treat as insignificant her elaborations in minutiz. ‘Time would
not permit him to deal with a very large variety of subjects,
although every mote that danced in the sunbeam—every particle
of trampled dust—contained inexhaustible treasure of knowledge
and instruction. He would first centre their attention to a view
of the Flea of Man, which, though not very elegant in the
zesthetic sense, was beautifully and perfectly formed for the life
it had to lead. They would notice the length and development
of the hind legs which enabled the insect to take immense leaps.
Indeed were man endowed with the corresponding muscular
power he could without difficulty bound over Criffel in three
strides. The next specimen dealt with was a female flea, and
it was noticeable that while the female was much larger than
the male, it was by no means prettier. After mentioning the
flea‘of a mole which, he said, was different from other insects
inasmuch as it lived mostly under ground and had no eyes,
these not being necessary, Mr Ovens went on to deal with the
proboscis of the Blow Fly. They had all observed the house
fly on the edge of the sugar basin, and dipping its trunk which,
to the naked eye, looked very much like a bent bit of wire with
a pad at the end. But the organ was most complicated and
beautiful. The most wonderful thing about the organ was the
system of half rings forming a series of tubes in the substance
of the lobes and acting as connected channels, up which the
food of the fly was conveyed to the mouth. Not less interesting
was the eye of the fly. Each one of the tiny spaces was a
distinct eye in itself, but as it had only a limited range of vision
it seemed that nature had compensated the want by providing
such a number of eyes as occupied nearly all the surface of the
head. The house fly had about 4000 eye facets, but the
dragon fly had at least 24,000. | Another most remarkable part

100 A NIGHT WITH A MICROSCOPE.

of the fly was the foot, the pad of which secreted the glutinous
substance which they had observed after the insect had walked
across polished glass. After dealing with the breathing tubes
of insects, such as the spiral filament inside a caterpillar, Mr
Ovens spoke on the wing of a butterfly, pointing out that the
powdery substance which adhered to the hand that touched it
was composed of beautiful scales, each so infinitesimal that on
every square inch of wing surface the number of scales was
reckoned at 100,000. The antannz or horns of insects presented
another series of organs of endless variety, and of all conceivable
forms. In the case of ants, observation showed that by means
of their antenne communication and recognition were estab-
lished. The lecturer likened the sting of a hornet unto a fishing
hook or arrow head, but a curious point was that the possession
of stings was only enjoyed by the female. |The Ovipositers
were all highly interesting objects, but perhaps none more so
than those of the saw fly, where a pair of elaborate toothed saws
slid backwards and forwards with great rapidity. The Ticks
were characterised as wingless, degenerated parasites, which
lived on all sorts of creatures, a good example of the species
being the sheep tick, which lived on the sheep solely by suction.
The far-off date of 1670 saw the advent of the Simex lectularius
or what was commonly known as the bed bug. It had been
said that this troublesome and repulsive insect was imported in
the timber brought from America for use in rebuilding the city
of London after the great fire. At first its bites were mistaken
for plague spots; but in the middle of last century the insect
got the title of bug or goblin. Aphides or Plant Lice were next
spoken of. By a surprising departure from the common law
of nature, each female of the species of insects could alone pro-
duce many generations of offspring. Another peculiarity
about the family was the fact that females were exclusively pro-
duced in the spring, no males being found until the autumn.
Referring to the difficulty of defining the difference between
animal and vegetable life, he said, for instance, the Volvox
globator was a wonderfully endowed plant which moved about
in a wonderful manner, and in that small part of the creation
the 50th part of an inch. This plant was to be found near
Dumfries, in Babington Loch, Maxwelltown, though not in
great quantity. Ditoms were also dealt with.

STONE REMAINS OF BRITTANY. 101
21st February, 1908.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

Stone ReMAINs oF Brittany. By Mr Joun GLover, W.S.,
Edinburgh.

The special feature of Brittany which distinguishes it from
all other European countries is to be found in those remarkable
antiquities of the stone age which abound in every district, and
which are to this day held in superstitious veneration by the
simple inhabitants. The Druidical remains of Stonehenge,
though finer individually than anything to be seen elsewhere, are
but isolated examples, whereas in Brittany Celtic monuments
more or less important may be counted by thousands, especially
in the region known as the Morbihan on the borders of that
singular archipelago, which was evidently the chief centre of the
‘Celtic population. The principal monuments are :—
Puelvens—pillars of stone. They are stones varying in height

from 2 to 8 feet set upright in the ground at varying

intervals.

Menhirs are a larger description of monolith (the name means
long stone). The largest in Brittany is at Pennargal, near
Brest—it is more than 42 feet high. Another about a
mile and a half to the south-east of Dol is 30 feet high, and
one at Logmariargner, now thrown down and broken in two,
was formerly more than 60 feet high. How these huge
masses of stone were brought to their standing place or how
they were reared to their upright position is as great a
mystery as the purpose they were intended to serve. Con-
jectures have been formed that they were in some way con-
nected with the worship of the sun, but beyond conjecture
nothing is known.

Dolmens—stone tables—are what in England are called Crom-
lechs. They consist of a horizontal slab of unhewn stone
supported by two or more upright stones. In many cases
they resemble a stone table, but in others their supports are
placed side by side beneath a very large slab—often 60-80
feet high. Many examples of dolmens may be seen in the
neighbourhood of Auray.

102 STONE REMAINS OF BRITTANY.

Kistvaens are a smaller kind of Dolmen, generally closed at one
or both ends. The best example is on Goat Island, at the
mouth of the archipelago of the Morbihan.

Galgals are equivalent to what are known as cairns. They
generally contain a sepulchral chamber, the stone walls of
which are inscribed with hieroglyphics .which no one
hitherto has been able to decipher.

The country round Carnac is solemn and impressive, full of
strange Druidical monuments. Menhirs and Dolmens of
fabulous antiquity, ancient stone crosses, calvaires and carvings.
One finds intimate traces of the Middle Ages. The land is still
half cultivated and divided into small holdings: the fields are
strewn with ancient stones.

The lines of Carnac are impressive—lines of colossal
stones planted point downward, some as high as 20 feet, and
stretching away to the horizon on a space of several miles like a
gigantic army of phantoms. Originally the lines were composed
of 6000 stones, but to-day there remain only several hundreds.
They have been destroyed bit by bit and used by the peasants.

Historians and archeologists have sought in vain to find a
solution to the problem of the formation of the lines: some say
that the stones planted in the fields are temples dedicated to
the worship of the serpent: others maintain that this is a kind of
cemetery where the dead were interred after a terrible battle.
They are variously taken to be sacred monuments, symbols of
divinity, funeral piles, trophies of victory, testimonies to the
passing of a race, the remains of a Roman encampment. In-
numerable are the surmises.

The country people have in their folk-lore their own versions
of the origin of these stones.

The stones at Carnac embrace three groups of Menhirs,
those of Menec comprising 874 Menhirs in 11 rows or align-
ments, Kermario 865 in 10 rows, and Kerlescant 262 in 10 rows.

The stones at Kerlescant run from east to west in three
chief rows, being smaller and fewer to the westward and larger
and more defined to the east, where the number of rows increases
to 10, forming the boundary to an enclosure called Le Bal.

On leaving Le Bal in a south-westerly diretcion only scattered
stones are seen, but near the windmill of Kermario the same
order is repeated, the number of rows being again 10. This

STONE REMAINS OF BRITTANY. 103.

formation ends abruptly in a large dolmen, similar to those of
Stonehenge.

This singular arrangement is continued again to the south-
west, where the 10 rows again appear at Menec, terminating in
front of a round enclosure. The stones of the third group are
in some cases 18 feet in height.

Excavations at the bases of the remains have disclosed :—

1. Stone hammers, adzes, whetstones, sling stones, hand

projectiles in granite quartz, and schist.

2. Flint arrow-heads and flint chips in abundance.

3. Dice or marbles in granite.

4. Fragments of iron weapons and utensils—iron nails and

adzes.
Horse bells in bronze and horse teeth.
Bricks.
. Fragments of Celtic and Gallo Roman pottery.
. Roofing tiles.

9. Mortars and whorls in stone.

All lying in the brown earth—in many cases above a scattered
layer of charcoal or ashes.

From the majority of the remains being those of imple-
ments of war—mostly Celtic—it is obvious that between the
lines there lay a long stretch of defensive works erected by the
Celts at a period anterior to the Roman invasion, while the
bronze and iron remains and the fragments of Roman pottery
point to the Romans on their arrival having occupied some of
these, and in the more advantageous positions had constructed
other works of greater solidity.

Several of the Menhirs were used as buttresses to the
Roman camps, and there would be little doubt that many of
them were broken up to strengthen the outer wall.

The presence in the same place of Celtic and Roman
remains points to the conclusion that the inhabitants of the
country, when forced by some invasion in the troublous times
succeeding the fall of the empire, had there found a refuge for
themselves and their animals. ;

It had at one time been supposed that the Menhirs had been
brought from a distance, but this contention is destroyed by the
fact of the grain of the Menhirs being that of the granite of the
district. Others, which are of a pear-like shape, are sometimes.

104 STONE REMAINS OF BRITTANY.

set up as if balanced on their pointed end, and would seem to
be in some cases boulders, in others rolled stones from the sea
«coast, where similar ones may still be seen. In connection
with this it is to be remembered that the centuries have seen a
mighty advance by the Western Sea on the ancient coast line of
Brittany.

The fact of Menhirs having been built into walls, which
were obviously of early Roman origin, proves that the alignments
are older than the walls, and consequently anterior to the
Roman occupation. But the evidence of their being much older
comes out more decisively from the deep groovings on the
eleventh Menhir of the tenth alignment, which now lies on its
side, but at one time stood erect. It is obvious that these deep
groovings had been produced by an exposure for centuries to
atmospheric action, and that these grooves which exist on the
south end alone could not have been produced during the period
of its position on its side lengthways and covered with earth. The
conclusion, therefore, is inevitable that it must have stood erect
for many centuries before the construction of the west wall of
the Roman camp, and that period, if we could ascertain it,
would indicate the date of the alignments. The grooved weather
markings on the summit of many of the Menhirs standing erect
in the alignments are more or less deep according to the grain
of the stone. For, unfortunately, the granite of which they are
composed is not all of the same nature. If it were so the depth
of the markings would serve in some measure as a basis for
calculating their age. It is, however, impossible by this pro-
cedure to arrive at any exact result.

The names of the three alignments of Carnac would in a
measure indicate a sepulchral use. They are named Kerlescant,
corrupted probably from Kerlosquet (burnt town or town of
burning) by allusion to cremation, Kermario—village of the
dead, and le Menec, place of the stones.

It is the same for analagous monuments in other parts of
the country.

The orientation of the alignments varying from E. to

E.S.E., that is in the line of the equinox and of the solstices, is
held to indicate their having been places of assembly for sun
worship. According to Combry, the celebrated La Tour
d’ Auvergne, states in his “ Origines Altiques ’’ that the constant

CARNAC (Morbthan). — Alignement de Ker-Lescan, ensemble

STONES AT CARNAC—RERLESCANT.

iC (Morbiban). — Le Delmen de de Reriaval

STONES AT CARNAC—DOLMEN OF KERIAVAL,

STONE REMAINS OF BRITTANY. 105

tradition of the Bretons was that the alignments were the prin-
cipal temple of the Druids, and that Armorica was always re-
garded as their privileged land.

Ashes, charcoal, flint chips, pottery, and other objects
are the invariable accompaniments in the dolmens of the rites of
sepulture whether by burial or by cremation, and the numerous
excavations have shewn that the dolmens, whether covered by a
tumulus or otherwise, are sepulchral monuments. We have seen
all of these objects at the base of the menhirs: we have seen
that the names given to the menhirs and handed down from a
remote period are suggestive of sepulture, and their orientation
also is the same as that of the dolmens. We may thus conclude
regarding the destination of the alignments that they may also
have been erected as sepulchral monuments.

Turn now to examine the correlation existing between the
alignments, cromlechs and dolmens. In the head of each of
the alignments of Menec and Kerlescant the large menhirs form
a cromlech. ‘These cromlechs, from their forming an integral
part of the alignment and from their stones being of the same
composition and character, must necessarily be regarded as
having the same destination.

Many of the dolmens are covered by tumuli or cairns,
others are uncovered—everywhere they have been either explored
or destroyed. The names given to many of the dolmens are
Significant of sepulture. Very few of them, as in the case of the
dolmens, are sculptured, and then only in the rudest way, repre-
senting concentric figures, zig-zag lines, cup markings, and stone
axes.

Researches have proved that in some of the dolmens of the
Morbihan the sepulture had been by cremation, in others by
burial, and in some few cases the evidences of both rites were
found in the same dolmen. Cesar speaks of cremation, of
Magnificent funerals, and of the most cherished objects being
thrown on the funeral pyre. If it is not ascertained when the
practice of cremation commenced, there can be no doubt about
its having continued up to the introduction of Christianity, and
that there had been great difficulty afterwards in weaning the
people from this and from the worship of trees, stones, and
fountains, is shewn by the edicts against these practices. There
is another edict, so late as the eleventh century, against the

106 STonE REMAINS OF BRITTANY.

practice of burying at the roadsides—which may account for the
extraordinary number of crosses which one everywhere sees along
the roadsides in Brittany.

In considering the association of menhirs, alignments,
cromlechs, and dolmens, we come to the conclusion that
these are the mutilated remains of an immense necropolis, the
construction of which had extended over a long period, and
must necessarily have required a great amount of organised
labour and skill, but nothing is known as to the appliances used
in moving some of these huge monoliths. This must for ever
remain a mystery.

In considering the immense number of Celtic funeral monu-
ments which extend along the seaboard of the Morbihan the ques-
tion naturally arises—Why are these monuments concentrated
in this district? The abundance of blocks of granite in the
district is at once suggested as a probable cause of this result,
but we would rather look for the explanation in the Celts having
chosen this region as a terra sacra or necropolis, destined to
receive from generation to generation the ashes of their families.

6th March, 1908.

Chairman—Mr James Barzour, Vice-President.

CLAVERHOUSE—SOLDIER, JUDGE, AND SHERIFF IN DUMFRIES
AND GaALLoway. By the Rev. Dr J. Kinc HEwtson,
Rothesay.

John Graham of Claverhouse was one of the most notorious
personages connected in any way with the south-western counties
of Scotland, over which he passed like a blight, leaving a trail
and memory which nothing can now efface. John Graham was

the son of William, laird of Claverhouse, Ballargus, and Glen- :
ogilvie, who married Magdalene Carnegie, daughter of John, —

Earl of Ethie, and first Earl of Northesk. They had two sons,

7 See oe

a ee en ne

i
‘

John and David, and two daughters, Magdalene and Anne. I \

have searched five-and-twenty likely registers for the announce-

ment of John’s birth and failed to find it. He is supposed to

have been born in 1648. A similar doubt exists about the date "

CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 107

of his matriculation in St Leonard’s College, St Andrews, one
John Graham matriculating in 1658, another in 1665. What-
ever our subject learned, he did not master the spelling of the
English tongue, as his extant letters prove. In 1669 Claver
house, his father being dead and leaving him rich, as compared
with the universally bankrupt landowners of the day, with six
hundred pounds a year, appears as a Commissioner of Excise
and Justice of the Peace for Forfarshire, not long after he left
college. Like others of his class, he sought excitement in
foreign wars, and is credited with serving two years (1672-4) in
a Scots regiment in France before, in 1674, he joined Prince
William of Orange’s company of Guards. At the battle of
Seneffe he distinguished himself by extricating William from
danger and death. Becoming captain in November, 1676, he
retired from that service in December, 1677.

Probably Sir Walter Scott is correct in asserting that Arch-
bishop Sharp was his early patron. Claverhouse may have
accompanied William of Orange to England. William recom-
mended him to. James, Duke of York, who in turn recommended
Claverhouse to his kinsman, Montrose—himself appointed to a
troop in “ His Royal Highness’ Regiment of Horse,’’ raised for
service in Flanders in 1678. Montrose offered him a lieuten-
ancy, which he declined.

At this time the Scots standing army was under the com-
mand of Lord Linlithgow, and consisted of 1 regiment of Horse
Guards, 1 Foot Guards, 1 (Mar’s) Infantry, 2 companies of
Highlanders under Colonel James Menzies and the Earl of
Caithness, and 3 companies of Dragoons under Viscount King-
ston and Captains Strachan and Inglis. On 23d September,
the Earl of Airlie, the Earl of Home, and Claverhouse got
captaincies in three new troops of horse, each troop consisting
of 69 men. In December, 1678, Claverhouse with his troop
and Inglis’s company of Highlanders patrolled Dumfriesshire.
Lieutenant Andrew Bruce, an immoral and thievish fellow, was
lieutenant to Claverhouse. On 27th December they were at
Moffat, on 3d January at Castle Milk, and on 6th January at
Dumfries. The Committee for Public Affairs, considering that
the Magistrates in the south were remiss in putting down the
rebellious Covenanters, recommended the appointment of sheriff-
deputes and bailie-deputes, a course approved of by the King.

108 CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

The Earl of Queensberry was then Sheriff of Dumfries and
Annandale, and the Earl of Nithsdale of Galloway. Conse-
quently, on 27th February, 1679, Claverhouse and Bruce were
commissioned depute sheriffs for the three south-west counties,
Robert Grierson of Lag, then a young man, being also appointed
for Wigtown, and Captain John Paterson for Kirkcudbright.
Some of the letters of Claverhouse at this period are extant,
and from them we learn that he had his headquarters in Dum-
fries in January and February, from which he was wont to sally
out, in order to undertake even forty mile rides by night to
arrest the suspects. The want of spies—rather a creditable
aspect of the case—made his raids often unsuccessful. These
deputes, by instruction of the Privy Council, met at least once
a week to try conventiclers and withdrawers from worship. In
John Welsh, the ousted minister of Irongray, Claverhouse had
one of those elusive preachers who were as intangible as the
mists through which they escaped, leaving the troopers bogged
in the mosses and hills where Claverhouse was active in March
and April. He reported that Welsh was the ringleader of people
about to break “ into open rebellion.’’ The Sheriff-Depute was
in Dumfries on 21st April, and left on the 5th May to join head-
quarters. <A terrible tragedy had occurred on 3d May when
James Sharp, the Primate of Scotland, was slain in cold blood
on Magus Moor. We next find Claverhouse at Falkirk on 29th
May on the track of a great assembly of Covenanters, who were
soon to gather in front of Loudoun Hill. He was at Mugdock
Castle on the 30th, and at Glasgow on the 3lst May. Passing
through to Hamilton, he was in the saddle early on Sabbath
morning, Ist June, and by 6 a.m. he reached Strathaven. A few
hours later he was facing the foe at Drumclog—with the result
all know—that that night he was in Glasgow again without many
of his bold troopers, whom he ignominiously left to their fate.
It was no wonder that he wrote, “ Bot I am swre thes was the
warmest day I saw the yeare,’’ by no means classical termino-
logy for a ’Varsity man. He rode to Edinburgh and waited the
arrival of the new Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Buccleuch
and Monmouth, with whose force he marched to Bothwell
Bridge, where on 22nd June, another Sabbath, he slaked his
thirsty and vindictive sword, obtaining that opportunity of ful-
filling what he considered to be his heaven appointed function

CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 109

—the slaying of Whigs in order to stay the infectious plague of
Whiggery.

Doubtless with zest he followed the trail of the slayers of the
Primate, and it was probably at this time he gave cause for the
following epitaph in Galston Churchyard :—“ Here lies Andrew
Richmond, who was killed by Bloody Graham of Claverhouse,
nG79.”’

In January, 1680, he was on the southern hunt again. In
the spring and the summer he was in London on marriage busi-
ness and looking after forfeitures, remaining in London till 1681,
when he returned to Scotland with the Duke of York.

On 21st July, 1680, Claverhouse got a charter of Freuch
(Stoneykirk) as a reward for his services, but he did not enter
into possession of it for more than a year. We next find him on
the jury that tried Argyll on 12th and 13th December, 1681.
The Test wrought woeful changes in the country. Among those
who refused to take it were Sir Andrew Agnew of Lochnaw and
Viscount Kenmure, in consequence of which they forfeited their
offices as Sheriff of Wigtown and Bailie of the Regality of Tong-
land. Claverhouse was lucky successor in both posts. So that
with a new commission as Sheriff-Depute in Dumfriesshire and
Kirkcudbright he was omnipotent.

The student is fortunate in having preserved in the Drum-
lanrig charter room those letters which Claverhouse wrote at this
time to Queensberry. They are easily and cheaply accessible
in the Historical MSS. Commissioners’ Report XV., viii. Claver-
house is found writing in New-Galloway on 16th February, 1682,
informing his chief that the people at his feet were “in great
_ dreed.’’ It is not the letter either of a soldier or of a respectable
sheriff. It is the tally of a slaughter man, the report of a
cunning exterminator, who writes:—“I will threaten much, but
forbear sever exicution for a whyll, for fear people should grou
desperat and increase to too much the number of our enimy.”’
The peasantry fled his presence as if it were the plague. At
Dumfries, on 22nd February, he wrote, “I can catch nobody,
they are all so alarumed.’’ He was not to be baffled. He
invited them to meet him at church; and never had booted
apostles such overflowing congregations, gathered from several
parishes. For example, at Kirkcudbright he reported that
“some that for seven years before had never been there were

110 CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

present.’’ On Ist March he was in New-Galloway. He, how-
ever, felt the counteracting influences of the Dalrymples, who
sympathised with the persecuted; and although he could write
“This contry nou is in parfait peace,’’ referring to Kirkcud-
bright in April, and also report from Moffat on 17th April, “I
have examined every man in the Shyr, and almost all in the
Steuartry of Galouy, and fixt such a guilt upon them that they
are absolutely in the King’s reverence,’’ still, he continued
his activity in Galloway in August and September, and soon
found himself in open conflict with John Dalrymple, son of
James, first Viscount Stair, hereditary Bailie of the Regality of
Glenluce. It appears that Claverhouse had apprehended several
suspects whose cases had been already dealt with by the Bailie,
who considered that Claverhouse was overstepping his powers.
Dalrymple accordingly raised an action against the Sheriff by
presenting a Bill of Suspension, to answer which Claverhouse was.
forced to appear before the Privy Council in December. Therein
he had approvers and abettors, so that he was not only pro-
nounced guiltless, but was praised for his wariness and legal
procedure, while Dalrymple was fined and deprived of office.

It was during this case that the peppery little soldier, who
declared that there were as many crocodiles in Galloway as
there were peaceable persons, rose up in Council and boxed
Dalrymple’s ears. He himself got a more pleasant box at
Christmas in a commission promoting him Colonel of “ His
Majesty’s Regiment of Horse,’’ four troops in all, and a paid
captaincy as well. While fortune favoured the Sheriff, the
shrievalty was to receive more drastic treatment. Claverhouse
was in touch with York. He was promoted Privy Councillor om
llth May, and next day his brother David was appointed
conjunct-Sheriff of Wigtown.

Claverhouse’s connection with the Privy Council legislation
is of the first importance, more especially since hitherto it has
been the vogue of magnanimous literary men, magnanimous,
however, in face of recorded fact, to view Claverhouse merely as
the faithful soldier obedient to his superiors, and not respon-
sible for the indefensible acts of his sanguineous masters. I
have extreme satisfaction in laying bare the facts of the case.
Claverhouse took his seat in the Council on 22d May, 1683, and
attended its meetings three times that month. He attended

CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 111

?

only once in June. On that occasion the “ instructions ’’ were
given to the Commissioners of Justiciary, who were about to
perambulate the country in June, and the Sheriff of Wigtown
was instructed to attend them. Consequently he was in Dum-
fries on the 26th June with his troop guarding the judges.
He was soon in the saddle scouring the Borders in search of the
Rye House plotters, but soon again appearing in Council, 4
times in July, 6 in August, 4 in September, 1 in October, 11 in
November, and 4 in December—in all 34 times since appointed.
He was also placed on the Committee of Public Affairs on 4th
October. From that time on we may say he was up to the
elbows in the blood of his countrymen, attending the Council 53
times in 1684 and 40 times in 1685. On Tuesday, 10th June, he
married the Hon. Jean Cochrane.

Claverhouse was present when the Council authorised a
letter advising Charles that it was better to disable his enemies
than to flatter them (15th July, 1684). On 5th September he
watched Carstares, afterwards Principal, tortured in the thumb
screws for an hour. Next day he was present when “ instruc-
tions’’ regarding conventicles were given, and justices were
empowered to use fire and sword. Meantime a gallant affair had
occurred in Nithsdale. On 2d July General Dalyell was ordered
to convey from the jail in Dumfries Alexander Gordon in
Kinstuir, William Grierson of Lochurr, James Welsh of Little
Cluden, and other prisoners who had been sentenced at the
circuit court in June, and who, with all the idle and vicious
wastrels of Edinburgh, were to be handed over to Robert
Malloch and shipped to the Plantations. Claverhouse’s troop
got the string as far as the defile of Enterkin, where a successful
ambuscade was laid, so that the prisoners were released on 29th
July. Claverhouse, during his honeymoon in June, was absent
from meetings of the Council, but he attended ten times in
July, and was present on 29th and 31st July, and also on Ist
August, 1684. He was soon in the saddle again. He rode by
Douglas, Mauchline, and Thornhill. In Closeburn, on the 7th
or 8th, he caught four men, whom he haled to Dumfries, where
he was on 9th August. Three days later he was in Edinburgh
with his prisoners.

On 6th September, Queensberry, Drumlanrig, and Claver-
house were commissioned to hold justiciary courts in Dumfries,

(

112 CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

Kirkcudbright, and Wigtown shires; and on 23rd November,
Claverhouse was present in Council and signed the instructions
given to the various judges, authorising the instant execution of
all refusers of the test of allegiance. The court began its work
in Dumfries on 2nd October, sitting in the Tolbooth. The
first case was that of persons suspected of complicity in the
Enterkin Rescue. Some were fined; absentees forfeited their
bonds. In Dumfries these judges kept 23 men and women in
custody, some of whom were sentenced to banishment. They
sat in Kirkcudbright on 7th October, and called 170 suspects.
Nearly all the parish curates compeared, bringing lists of the
disorderlies in religious matters. Some were sent to the
“ Joggs;’’ others to the Repentance Stool ; others to be scourged
(two being women); others sent to prison; and a few ordered
into banishment. It was on the 17th October they had before
them a batch of 14 prisoners caught by Clavers’ men a few
days before, among them being Lady Gordon of Holm; Mr
William M‘Millan, a conventicle preacher; and James Graham,
of Crossmichael, who was afterwards hanged in Edinburgh.
The court sat in Kirkcudbright on 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th,
13th, 17th, 18th October, and at Wigtown on 14th, 16th, 17th
October. They were back in Dumfries on the 23d, and again
sat on the 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 27th October. The minute
books of these courts, with many interesting papers relative to
them, are preserved in the Register House, Edinburgh. Not
the least interesting are the long lists of suspects carefully pre-
pared by the curates, and the depositions of witnesses and
attested “tests ’’ of the persecuted for religion’s sake.

He did not return to Council till the 15th November. A
week later he voted on the question whether or not “ any persons
who ounes or does not disoune the late traiterous declarations
on oath, whether they have armes or not, should be immedi-
ately killed before two witnesses.’’ This was carried in the
affirmative, and on 23rd November Claverhouse signed the in-
structions on the subject. This was the instruction that gave
himself the authority to shoot John Brown of Priestshiel on
Mayday, 1685. He was also present in the Council on 13th
January, 1685, and signed the instructions which gave Lag and
his brother David the authority to drown the Wigtown martyrs
on the (2nd ?) 11th May. The instruction was in these terms:—

CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 113

“Tf any person oune these principles or doe not disoune them,
they must be judged by at least three, and you must immediately
give them a lybell and the names of the inqueist and witnesses ;
and they being found guilty are to be hanged immediately upon
the place, according to law. But at this time you are not to
examine any women, but such as has been active in those courses
in a signall manner. And these are to be drouned.’’

The death of the King, in February, 1685, temporarily
spoiled the fortunes of Claverhouse. He had quarrelled with
Queensberry. He was not placed on the new Council till 11th
May, and did not take his seat till 16th July. He attended, but
seldom during the rest of the year 1685. He was leaving his
indelible mark elsewhere. Although Professor Terry asserts
that the commission of Claverhouse as Sheriff expired on the
death of King Charles, yet the Council on 12th February
announced that James “allowed all his judges and officers to
act as formerly, until they receive new commissions.’’ Viscount
Kenmure was notified of this fact, and Claverhouse was at the
meeting of Council on that date.

On the 13th December, 1684, Peter Peirson, Episcopal
incumbent in Carsphairn, a man of doubtful reputation, was
shot by night in his manse by “ The Black Macmichael,’’ the
fowler of Maxwelton, and other fugitives. Claverhouse tracked
them down, and in a skirmish on Auchencloy killed four or five
of them, capturing two, who were tried and executed at Kirk-
cudbright, shortly after 18th December—the date of the fight.
Macmichael and Stewart were buried in Dalry. Claverhouse
ordered their bodies to be exhumed and exhibited on the gibbet
there.

Claverhouse was in Dumfriesshire on 10th May, and shot
Andrew Hislop at Craighaugh, in Eskdalemuir. It is his
subaltern, Andrew Bruce, who is credited with shooting James
Kirko on the White Sands of Dumfries, on 13th May, 1685.
We do not know where the Colonel was that day. But there is
a remarkable story which may link him to this very deed,
although it refers to a double execution of which we have no
trace yet. John Morrison, an engineer, and native of Terregles,
recounted to Sir Walter Scott in 1803 a story which he heard
from his father. Hitherto Claverhouse has always been
reckoned the beau ideal of a cavalier—handsome as Apollo,

114 CLAVERHOUSE IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

gallant as Bayard, faithful as Douglas. There is disillusion-
ment in hearing that he was diminutive (wearing a cuirass only
153 inches deep), not shapely, red haired, squinting fiery
tempered, fond of other people’s moveables. So Joseph
Robson, an old friend of Morrison’s father, was wont to narrate.
He saw “ Claverhouse attending the murder of two martyrs on
the sands of Dumfries. He rode his horse along the coping of
a parapet wall, built to guard off the waters of the Nith in time
of floods, and when the horse had arrived at one end, he
wheeled round on one of his hind legs as on a pivot, repeating
the same manceuvre. His arms were long, and reached to his
knees; his hair red or frizzly, and his look altogether diaboli-
cal.’’ That such really was the presentment of the persecutor I
have other evidence to show, and such a picture is the true
counterpart of the sleepless rider of the moorhags and moun-
tains, and the merciless legislator of the Privy Council.

With James as his patron he was not long in vaulting into
position again. On 20th of September he was promoted to be
Major-General, with a substantial pension, and on 12th Novem-
ber, 1688, he had the royal reward for his devotion in his eleva-
tion to the peerage of Scotland, with the title of Viscount of
Dundee and Lord Graham of Claverhouse. He fell leading
the royal army at Killiecrankie on 27th July, 1689. His widow
and only child were killed in Antwerp.. The occasion of Dun-
dee’s visit for the last time to Dumfriesshire and Galloway I have
not discovered.

20th March, 1908.
Chairman—The PRESIDENT.

DevyorcILta BALIOL AND THE OLD BRIDGE OF DUMFRIES. By
Mr’JaMEs Barbour, F.S.A.(Scot.).

The Old Bridge of Dumfries is, with the exception of cer-
tain earthworks at Castledykes, the only reputed medizval
monument in the town which has escaped entire destruction.

It has, however, come down sadly diminished and marred of its —

fair proportions. Of nine large arches of which it consisted,

na

LT a

DEVORGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DumrRiES. 115

three with their piers and east abutment, except what remains
of them under the street, have been razed and levelled, as was
also an arched culvert which passed through the abutment in
continuation of the lead or water-gang to the water wheel of
the adjoining Sandbed mill. The bridge as it now exists, not-
withstanding the repairs it has undergone and the rebuilding or
partial rebuilding of two or three arches, is still in form and
mainly in substance the original structure. Its strength is not
greatly impaired by age, and the piers remaining, being founded
on rock, if suitably cared for, may yet survive many generations
of men.

It is a structure which for several reasons is most worthy of
being guarded from further dilapidation. Its usefulness as a
footway over the river is to be considered ; the enhanced artistic
display it lends to the town; its antiquity and association with
historic events; and specially the keeping in remembrance of
the great and good lady, its reputed founder—“ A better lady,’’
says an old poet, “than scho was nane, In all the yle of Mare
Bretane.’’

Antiquaries and historians as Grose, Pennant, Chalmers,
M‘Dowall, Sir Herbert Maxwell (the eminent author of the
“History of Dumfriesshire and Galloway’’), and the latest
historian of Scotland, Dr Andrew Lang, unanimously attribute
the foundation to Devorgilla Baliol, Lady of Galloway, in the
thirteenth century, and it seems desirable, in order to promote
_ intelligent belief and induce interest in the preservation of the

structure, to broaden the grounds on which this conclusion
Tests.

With this object in view, I have put together the following
Suggestive considerations, largely from an engineering point of
view, which seem to me to have a bearing on the subject.

A brief notice of early bridge-building in this country will
tend to make more clear the position of the bridge of Dumfries.
I am indebted for information chiefly to Smiles’s “Lives of
Engineers’? and Cosmo Innes’s “Sketches of Early Scotch
History.’’

Fords and ferries, which originally served for crossing the
Tivers, were frequently impracticable during winter, and nearly
always unsafe; from the inconvenience attending them much
difficulty in travelling arose and many lives were lost ; apprehen-

116 DrvorGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DUMFRIES.

sion of danger was always present to the mind of the traveller ;
and it was customary to erect crosses at the fords, where
prayers might be offered for safety before attempting the passage
of the waters. One such cross remains in Dumfriesshire,
although possibly not exactly in its original position. It stands
at the old ford of the Nith, near the village of Thornhill.

As civilisation advanced and population and travelling in-
creased, the building of bridges became a matter of urgency,
and gradually led to their ercetion along the principal routes
throughout the country ; and so great were the advantages accru-
ing in course of time felt to be, as to lead benevolent and
pious persons, in those early days, to bequeath large sums of
money for the purpose of building and maintaining bridges.
The Church regarded bridge-building as pious work, and
Churchmen were active promoters of the movement, and fre-
quently themselves the architects of the structures.

The first known bridges in Britain cross the streams at
Dartmoor. They exhibit peculiar construction; the piers are
built of granite blocks, and the spaces between them are spanned
with great slabs of similar material, some of them fifteen feet in
length and six in breadth, which form the roadway. One of
these bridges measures thirty-seven feet in length. It is said
cyclopean bridges such as these exist nowhere else; not even in
Brittany, noted for aboriginal monuments, and probably they are
‘cceval with the building of Stonehenge.

The Romans were noted experts in the art, who built in
England bridges both of wood and stone, and fragments of the
latter yet exist.

The curious triangular bridge at Croyland is referred to, it
is said, in an ancient charter of the year 943. The architecture
of the existing structure, however, clearly proves it to belong to
the thirteenth century.

The first medizeval bridges of which authentic accounts are
preserved are a pair erected over the two branches of the river
Lea at Stratford, built between 1100 and 1118 by Matilda,
Queen-Consort of Henry I., who narrowly escaped drowning
there, and where many others had perished; she bequeathed
certain manors and a mill to the Abbess of Barking for their
maintenance and repair.

London Bridge, although by no means the longest in Eng-

DEVORGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DumrFrRIES. 117

land, probably out-weighed all others in respect to the mass of
masonry it contained. Its erection occupied thirty-three years,
the work being commenced in 1176 and finished in 1209. A
priest, Peter of Colchurch, was the architect. It consisted of
twenty arches, proportionately narrow, the piers being nearly as.
wide. The roadway was nine hundred and twenty-six feet in
length, and from end to end it was enclosed by lofty timber
houses. On the centre pier was the chapel with its tower, and
at the ends were the gate-houses, on which were stuck upon
poles the heads of traitors and unfortunate partisans, it might
be as many as thirty at one time. This old bridge carried safely
across the river the traffic of London for six hundred years.

A famous bridge, and the longest in England, spanned the:
Trent at Burton, built in the thirteenth century by Abbot
Bernard. Its length was fifteen hundred and forty-five feet,
embracing no fewer than thirty-four arches. It was only
recently removed.

Chester bridge and others in England were built about the
same period, and Scotland was not without examples, as the
following interesting and instructive passages from Cosmo
Innes’s “Sketches’’ show. Page 157:—“ When we consider
the long and united efforts required in the early state of the arts.
for throwing a bridge over any considerable river, the early
occurrence of bridges may be well admitted as one of the best
tests of civilisation and national prosperity. The bridge over the
North water (of stone) has already been mentioned. We find a
bridge existing over the Esk at Brechin, and the land of
Drumsleid appropriated for its support in the early part of the
thirteenth century. In that age there was a bridge over the Tay
at Perth; bridges over the Esk at Brechin-and Marykirk; a
bridge over the Dee at Kincardine O’Neil, probably another at
Durris, one near Aberdeen, and one at the mouth of Glenmuick ;
even a bridge over the rapid Spey at Orkill. If we reflect how
few of these survived the middle of the fourteenth century, and
how long it was and by what painful efforts before they could
be replaced in later times, we may form some idea of the great
progress in civilisation which Scotland had made during the reigm
of William and the peaceful times of the two Alexanders.’’
Page 194:—“ We are not informed of what materials the bridge
of Ettrick was constructed, for the support of which King

118 DervorcILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DUMFRIES.

Alexander II. gave the monks (of Selkirk) a grant of land, and
where the Abbot afterwards held his court of regality; but we
have a very formal transaction recorded for leave to build a
bridge across the rivulet of Blackburn, and to have passage for
carts and waggons to and fro; and we find the bridge was
designed to be of stone, in the middle of the thirteenth century.”’

It must be evident from the preceding particulars that the
thirteenth century was a period of active bridge-building, pro-
bably the chief era both in England and Scotland.

Early bridges were, of course, subject to great vicissitudes.

Generally they were well built, but their weak point was the
foundation, which, unless on rock as at Dumfries, was liable to
be undermined by the scour of the river; and improved modes of
travelling, for which they were found altogether inadequate,
necessitated in many cases their destruction, in order to be super-
seded by structures adapted to modern needs. An instance is
mentioned in Smiles’s “Lives of Engineers,’’ where a _post-
chaise was obliged to retrace its route for fourteen miles on
coming to an old bridge unfortunately too narrow by three or
four inches to enable the vehicle to pass.

I should mention that as crosses were reared at the fords,
‘so, wherever a bridge was built, a chapel appears to have been
founded, to which a priest was attached to pray for the soul of
the founder, to receive passage money, and sometimes to pray
with the passenger for the safe termination of his journey;
usually it was placed over the centre pier, which was carried up
for its support.

Returning to the bridge of Dumfries, the structure, like all
medieval work, displays some evidence of architectural art.
Even the small culvert through the abutment before mentioned
is furnished along the side walls with a neatly splayed and hewn
projecting base-course, and the top appears to have been origi-
nally closed by a pointed arch of early English form. The
piers also show a similar base-course, and the outer angles of the
soffits of the arches are neatly chamfered. Another point sug-
gestive of early work is the thinness of the arch stones. Up to
the parapets, which have evidently been rebuilt of rubble, the
masonry of the bridge is squared ashlar in courses. The
exposed parts are much weathered and patched by repairs, but
the parts underground, which were exposed some years ago,

DEVORGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DumFriEs. 119

exhibit high-class workmanship, the ashlar being finely hewn
and in regular courses eleven inches in height. One other
characteristic of an early period is revealed in the proportionally
narrow arches compared with the piers. This may be tested
by comparison with the old bridge at Ayr, built two centuries
later. In our bridge the average arch is only one and three-
quarter times the width of the pier, while the arch of the Ayr
bridge is three and a half times the width of the pier. The fol-
lowing considerations likewise enforce acceptnce of the thirteenth
century origin of the bridge -—

Of all periods the thirteenth century was the most propitious
for the accomplishment of such a work. Civilisation was ad-
vanced, the country was prosperous and at peace, and no
symptoms manifested themselves of the devastating War of Inde-
pendence which shortly emerged and which impeded building
operations in Scotland for a hundred years.

It was pre-eminently the building age. Gothic architecture
reached its full development, exhibiting the perfection of art,
and of engineering feats in securing equibilibrium of the parts of
light and airy buildings, such as had never before been seen.

Bridges had become a necessity along the main thorough-
fares, and there was no more important route than the great road
leading from England to Galloway, including all the westmost
parts of Scotland and Ireland; and the water of Nith, on
account of its width and volume and the frequency and force of
its floods, specially demanded provision for a dry passage from
bank to bank; and it is hardly conceivable that a task so vital
should be left unaccomplished.

The bridge of Dumfries was closely associated with the
Friars Minors, and it will be observed that the relative geo-
graphical situation of the Friary and the Bridge points to the
fact that the structures were parts of the same building plan.

The foregoing circumstantial evidence: establishes, I think,
a highly probable case in favour of the reputed era of the found-
ing of the bridge, and must weigh in giving support to other
proofs which it may be possible to adduce.

I come now to Charter evidence, and as a layman am
sensible of inability to give it adequate treatment. This, how-
ever, is of less consequence, as Mr Moir Bryce deals with this
aspect of the case in his book on the Grey Friars of Scotland,

120 DerEvoRGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DUMFRIES.

now in the publishers’ hands. I will only outline the evidence
under this head. Mr Moir Bryce’s book will be of great interest
here, containing as it does much new matter regarding the Dum-
fries establishment of the Friars.

Devorgilla Baliol in the thirteenth century possessed the
superiority of Galloway, which she had heired from her father
Alan. Among her other good works she founded the large and
beautiful pile of Sweetheart Abbey, compared with which any
person of ordinary skill must be satisfied that the building of the
bridge of Dumfries was of easy execution. She died in 1289,
and her family having become extinct, King David II. in the
month of September, 1367, granted and confirmed to Archibald
Douglas the Grim, for his diligent and acceptable service, all the
royal lands of Galloway, with all feudal pertinents, etc., he
(Douglas) rendering, in the name of blenche farme, a white rose
at our castle of Dumfries.*

The connection of the Douglas family with the bridge is
important. Two of their charters relative to the bridge customs
are extant. The first is dated 16th January, 1425, and the
second 27 years later, viz., the 4th January, 1452. I am
indebted to the Town Clerks and their Council for liberty to use
these charters, and the Curator of the Historical Department of
the Register House kindly furnished me with translations, the
text of which follows.

The charters were as follows :—

Grant by Margaret Duchess of Touraine, etc., of the toll
exigible at the Bridge of Nith, to the Friars-Minors, Dumfries.
Threave, 16th January, 1425-6.

To all who shall see or hear this charter, Margaret Duchess
of Touraine, Countess of Douglas, Lady of Galloway and Annan-
dale, greeting in the Lord everlasting. Know ye, that we in our
pure and simple widowhood, have given, granted, and by this our
present charter, confirmed—for the salvation of the soul of the
most serene prince, James, by the grace of God, illustrious King
of Scots, for the salvation of the soul of our late most revered
lord and spouse, Archibald Duke of Touraine, Earl of Douglas,
Lord of Galloway and Annandale, of our soul and the soul of
our late dearest son, Sir James Douglas, and for the salvation

Dr Nelson—Dumfries Society’s Transactions, 1904-5, p. 399.

DEVORGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DumFrigEs. 121

of the souls of our predecessors and ancestors, our sons and our
daughters, and the souls of all the faithful dead—to God
Almighty, the blessed Virgin Mary, St. Francis and the Warden
and Friars-Minors of Dumfries, for ever serving God there, All
and Whole that toll or custom which we and our predecessors
were accustomed to receive at the bridge-end of Nith of Dum-
fries. To be held and had the said toll or custom, with the
pertinents, to the said Warden and Friars, as freely, quietly,
wholly, honourably, well, and in peace, in all and by all, without
any contradiction or drawback, as fully, quietly, or honourably
as it was held, received or in any manner possessed by us or our
predecessors. Rendering therefor yearly, the said Warden and
Friars, the offering of holy prayers, for every other secular
service, exaction and demand, which can in any manner be

‘asked or required from the said toll or custom. And we for-

sooth, the foresaid Margaret, Douchess of Touraine, shall
warrant, acquit, and for ever defend, the above-mentioned
custom or toll, to the said Warden and Friars, as said is. In
Witness Whereof we have commanded our seal to be appended to
this our present charter. Witnesses discreet men, Master Johne
M‘Ilhauch, rector of Kirkandris, our secretary, Sir William
Jhonson, our chaplin, George Mur, and Patrick of Spens, with
many others. At the “ Treif,’’ the 16th day of January, 1425.

Charter by James (ninth and last) Earl of Douglas to the
Friars-Minors of Dumfries, of the Bridge toll, Dumfries, 4th
January, 1452-3.

To all who shall see or hear this charter James Earl of
Douglas and of Annandale, Lord of Galloway, etc., greeting in
the Lord everlasting, know ye, that we have given, granted, and
by this our present charter confirmed—for the salvation of the
souls of noble and potent lords, James and William, formerly
Earls of Douglas and Annandale and Lords of Galloway, and
our dearest father (progenitoris) and brother, as also for the
salvation of our soul, and the souls of our ancestors, and for the
salvation of the souls of all the faithful dead—to God Almighty,
the blessed Virgin Mary, St Francis and the Warden and Friars-
Minors of Dumfries, for ever serving and to serve God there,
All and Whole that toll or custom with the pertinents, which we
and our predecessors were accustomed to receive at the bridge-
end of Nith of Dumfries. To be held and had the said toll or

122 DervorGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DUMFRIES.

custom, with the pertinents, to the said Warden and Friars as
freely, quietly, fully, honourably, well and in peace, in all and
by all without any contradiction or drawback, as fully, quietly,
or honourably as it was held, received, or in any manner pos-
sessed, by us or our predecessors. Rendering therefor yearly
the foresaid Warden and Friars, the offering of holy prayers, for
every other secular service, exaction and demand, which can in
any manner be asked or required from the said toll or custom.
And we forsooth the foresaid James, Earl of Douglas, shall
warrant, acquit, and for ever defend the above-mentioned toll or
custom, to’ the foresaid Warden and Friars, as said is. In
Witness Whereof we have commanded our seal to be appended
to this our present charter. | Witnesses:—Hugh, Earl of
Ormonde, our dearest brother; Master William Croyster,
protho-notary of the Apostolic See; Sirs William Stewart and
Symore of Glendynewyn, of Dalswynton and Glendynewyn
Knights ; Master John Olyver, vicar of Kyrkleyn and Sir Thomas
Gilbagy, vicar of Tralflate, with many others. At Dumfries, 4th
day of January, 1452.

I am advised that these charters follow in form the usual
mode of confirmation peculiar to the times, and they are not
original grants.

It is made abundantly clear by the terms of these charters
that the bridge was in existence and a going concern before
1425, and that the customs had been in the possession of the
Douglas family for an indefinitely earlier period. Obviously
the bridge was a pertinent of the lordship of Galloway included
in King David’s charter, and we must search for the era of its
origin prior to the infeftment in favour of Archibald the Grim,
and in connection with the establishment of the Friars-Minors in
Dumfries, for whose benefit the customs it bore were imposed.

The Friars were established at Dumfries prior to the year
1265, say the middle of the thirteenth century. This is proved
by the Exchequer accounts of that year (1265), in which are
noted items of payment in connection with an embassage by the
Friars to the Isle of Man.* Devorgilla Baliol, as already stated,
at that time possessed the lordship of Galloway, and as superior
the duty and privilege lay with her and no one else to rear the
fabric of the bridge and, with the King’s consent, to impose the
tolls or customs. ‘There is no competing name claiming to be

DEVORGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BriIpGE OF DumFrRiEs. 123

its author, and if we reflect that at this period the country was
more civilised, prosperous, and peaceful than it was at any after
medizval time; that building in Scotland had expanded to the
utmost limit ever attained, not only as regards stately ecclesiasti-
cal edifices, but in the art of bridge-building also—a fact which
has not been appreciated, thereby leading to the antiquity of the
bridge being challenged; that a bridge over the Nith at Dum-
fries was at the time and for the convenience of the founder
imperatively needful; and that the characteristics of the fabric
itself chronologically harmonise with the reputed era of its
foundation. “The vera wrinkles Gothic in his face,’’ as Burns

says, prove, we think, that the old bridge of Dumfries, which
we still have, was reared six hundred and fifty years ago by a
lady of great bounty and unbounded beneficence.

How many and varied are the burdens this old bridge has
borne! It has rung under the hoofs of the First Edward’s
celebrated white charger, and the horsemen and footmen march-
ing to and from his Galloway wars; Baliol, Comyn, and Bruce,
and many high officers known to history trod its pavement. In
later and evil times of the Civil War the heads of the guilty,
and frequently of the innocent, were, as at London Bridge, here
exposed. The heads and right arms of John Grier and William
Welsh, fugitives from Pentland, in 1666, and in 1685 a quarter
of Richard Rumbold, alleged to be concerned in the Ryehouse
plot, of whom in Macaulay’s History there is a vigorous defence.

It is pleasant to turn from such gruesome associations to
speak a word of Robert Burns, in whose day the whole traffic of
the town continued to be borne by the old bridge, the new one
being opened only a year before his death. If Burns has not
immortalised our bridge in song he has done so by frequent
journeyings, sword-cane in hand, to and fro to the house of his
trusty friend, John Syme of Ryedale, over, as the new bridge
has it, “ your poor, narrow footpath of a street, where twa wheel-
barrows tremble when they meet.’’

Bailie Lennox, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr Barbour,
said it was of great value to have an interesting translation of
the two old Douglas charters, which bore out the tradition that
the Old Bridge was built by Devorgilla. They hoped that Mr
Barbour would long be spared to give similar interesting papers.

124 DervorGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DUMFRIES.

Mr W. A. MacKinnell, in seconding, said this was an age
in which some of the most cherished traditions were swept away,
but he thought that after hearing the paper from Mr Barbour
there could be very little doubt remaining that the association
of Devorgilla with the building of the Old Bridge had been con-
clusively proved. They were also glad to hear that the bridge
was likely to be a structure for a considerable time to come. He
thought its artistic value could not well be over-estimated, and
it would be difficult to imagine what Dumfries and the river
would be without it.

In reply to some questions by the Chairman, Mr Barbour
said whether there was a toll-house at the end of the bridge or
not he could not tell. The central pier, however, was carried 5
up, and in those days it was at this part where chapels were
erected. At the present time there was only one bridge chapel
in existence, but he did not recollect at the moment where
that was. It was quite possible there might have been a chapel
at the centre, and if there was a gate, it would be at the end,
the same as in the case of London Bridge. Comparing the Old
Bridge with Ayr Bridge, Mr Barbour pointed out that, while the
latter had four arches, the former had originally nine. At a
meeting of committee held earlier in the evening they had been
discussing the excursion to Dundrennan, and one of the reasons
for going there was to see a fine old bridge, which had scarcely
been noticed. It had been widened, but he believed that one-
half of it was co-eval with the abbey and the other half was
modern.

Mr S. Arnott said he wished to express his own personal
obligation to Mr Barbour for his most interesting and valuable
paper. He was sure that all Dumfriesians regarded the Old
Bridge with very special reverence. It was part of their lives,
and they felt a special liking for the Old Bridge, with its pic-
turesqueness and beauty. When they compared it with the Ayr
Bridge, he thought they would feel specially proud of the archi-
tecture and the construction of the Old Bridge of Dumfries.
On this occasion they owed Mr Barbour a special vote of thanks,
because he was in a sense a guardian of this bridge. On a
former occasion that society intervened with very satisfactory and
happy results, in order that the character of the Old Bridge
might not be destroyed. He believed that at that time Mr

DEVORGILLA BALIOL AND OLD BRIDGE OF DuMFRIES. 125

Barbour was one of the moving spirits, if not the moving spirit, |
in preserving the Old Bridge to them. Mr M‘Diarmid mentioned
in the course of a discussion about the builder of the Old Bridge
that Mr Cosmo Innes appeared to hold at that time the opinion
that no bridge of this kind could have been built by builders of
the period of Devorgilla. Mr M‘Diarmid, however, preferred
the old tradition, and although tradition did not count for every-
thing it counted for a good deal in a matter like this, and he
thought that the statement referred to that no builders could have
erected buildings of that kind did not carry very much weight,
in view of the character of Sweetheart Abbey and other buildings
of that period. The ancient date of the bridge was largely
borne out by various documents, which had been translated by
Dr Chinnock, and which would appear in a future volume of the
transactions. He hoped that at some future time Mr Barbour
would deal with another very interesting subject, the old streets
of Dumfries. They did not know very much of these. When
some alterations were being made at Mr Kelly’s shop in Friars’
Vennel, the workmen came on some pavements behind the shop,
which was supposed by some to be the old Friars’ Vennel. He
did know whether that was correct or not, but it would be very
interesting to clear up questions as to which were the old streets
of Dumfries. In his early days he knew many old houses
in Friars’ Vennel, and one of the oldest stood on the site of
the building at the west corner of Irish Street and Friars’
Vennel, with a projecting porch-way, and which was a butcher’s
shop in those days. There were a number of other very
old buildings, which seemed to show that that was then the
main street to the river, and the position of the old chimney of
the monastery also pointed to that.

Birp Notes. By Mr R. Service, M.B.O.U., Janefield,
Duntfries.

Mr R. Service gave an address of considerable interest on
some incidents in bird life during the past year. He said that
the season of 1907 was a very peculiar one from the meteorologi-
cal point of view. It was rare indeed that they experienced such
a long-continued period of low temperatures with extremely
humid air, and these circumstances were not without strong

126 Birp NOTES.

influence upon the birds. The first thing that they caused was a
general retardation of the vernal migration movement. Up till
the middle of April the weather was fairly normal, and the birds
shewed every indication of coming away with their usual activity.
Both in our own neighbourhood and throughout Great Britain
unusually early dates were recorded among the small birds.
That, however, soon came to a termination, and a long succes-
sion of bad weather set in about the third week of April. One
very prominent incident was the stay opposite Southerness and
Carsethorn, and along the estuary of the Nith, of a very con-
siderable flock of the bar-tailed godwits, a species which went to
the Lapland fells, and not any nearer, for nesting purposes.
They remained there through the brief summer of the northern
regions, and were back here again by the beginning of August.
That particular flock to which he referred remained on week
after week throughout the whole of last summer, and was noticed
by many of the local gunners at Carsethorn, although he did not
see them till the end of July. About two-thirds of them were in
full breeding plumage, probably a unique incident so far as this
district was concerned. Another incident which was worthy of
mention was the stay of two pairs of eider ducks on the Colvend
coast during the whole of last summer ; but whether they bred or
not was doubtful. Many times during the twenty-four hours one
or other of the sexes was absent, showing that nesting operations
were attempted. Nests must have been prepared, and probably
eggs were laid. The eider duck had gradually crept round the
Wigtownshire and Ayrshire coasts, but so far it was not recorded
that the nests had been made in the Stewartry, and the Dum-
friesshire coasts were not at all suitable. There was, however,
little doubt but that this year or next year someone would be
lucky enough to find the first eider duck nest in the Stewartry.
He also noted the stay at a certain place—not far from where
they were, but it would not be proper to mention where—of five
ruffs and reeves along the Nith margin during last season, though
they might not have attempted to nest. The ruffs had on their
beautiful and very characteristic nuptial plumage during that
time, and they carried out their sham fights to perfection. They
stayed in the neighbourhood during the summer, and were a
matter of great interest to local faunists. No doubt their stay
was caused by the unusual weather conditions which were ex-

SS

Birp NOTEs. Mare

perienced last season, and he for one would not care if he never
saw a similar one. Autumn came on, and was characterised by
extremely rapid movement of birds southwards. Birds did not
linger as they usually did, but passed on with great rapidity,
many of the species which were in the habit of staying for weeks.
passing by in a single day or night. Night was the usual time
for travelling, and in many cases their identity could only be
made out from a considerable experience of their notes. The
notes of birds travelling at night during the autumn migration
differed from these emitted during the migration northward in the
spring, and both series of notes were widely different from any
that they emitted while feeding or courting, or sitting at their
usual daily occupation in the fields, woods, or hedges. That
constituted one of the particular charms of migration, because at
night, when the birds were passing, as they always did—and he
had heard spme of them as he came along to that meeting—they
emitted notes which were of extreme interest and of considerable
value to migration data. The great bulk of these birds made no
attempt at song, but by means of their squeaking chirps or
cheeps they were able, if he might so express it, to keep in touch
with one another on their journey. An unusually large number
of birds passed the winter with us, including any number of wild
ducks, and at least four species of geese. These grand winter
visitors, the wild swans, also put in considerable appearance,
and the bird observer and others had ample employment during
the last winter to watch the different species. One instance he
might mention was rather rare, and he happened upon it by
mere chance. On the 12th of last December he was on business
along the Kirkcudbright coast, and at that time they had a long
series of stormy winds. Birds were driven off their usual feeding
grounds, and that particular day, during a calm between storms,
he was astonished to see thousands of birds in a grass field near
the Manxman’s Lake, off the ordinary shore, and well up among
the pasture lands, and not far from the hedge along the public
road. A large proportion of the birds were bar-tailed godwits,
which were extremely shy birds. He was privileged to get pretty
close to them, but they were unconscious of any intruder about.
He watched them indulging in their usual interesting habits, and
picking up worms, grubs, caterpillars, and beetles in a way one
could hardly think possible with such a long up-turned bill, all

128 Brrp NOTEs.

feeding with the utmost unconcern within half-a-gunshot of the
hedge. Although he stood up without any attempt at conceal-
ment, they went on feeding, oblivious of his presence, which was
rather an ususual thing, a similar incident having never occurred
before in his experience. He came upon another movement in
the same accidental way some weeks ago. He was on business
on the Dalbeattie road between Whiteside of Kirkgunzeon and
Lochanhead, and he passed several hours in that direction. That
was the day before the great snowfall, and a long stretch of fields
along the road was covered with birds of many different species,
such as gulls, plovers, starlings, in thousands. Probably there
would be twenty thousand of them, and they were in an ex-
tremely restless mood, fighting with each other as if they were
strangers, as no doubt they were. He thought perhaps that
an early migration movement was the explanation of their pre-
sence, but he found that he was quite mistaken in that; and that
this was entirely one of these movements caused by the bad
weather in front driving the birds back from their usual travels.
He saw them in a long stretch of fields, where they were com-
paratively sheltered from the storm. They had strong gusts of
westerly wind, driving showers of snow before it, and the birds
appeared to be in a tired state and glad indeed to get the shelter.
Such a movement as that, retarding migration, did not occur in
this country to any extent, and this was the only one of any
magnitude in the course of a long while he had seen. Ornitho-
logical literature was often taken up with descriptions of similar
things elsewhere, and especially the countries around the Baltic
Sea, where millions of birds were driven back in the same way
by some unexpected snowstorm. He wished to refer to another
subject for the purpose of voicing, he hoped, their as well as his
own great reprobation of an act that was paragraphed recently
which took place at Auchenskeoch in the shooting of a golden
eagle. He considered it a most dastardly and uncalled for act.
As a rule, he did not agree very much with the rather ignorant
sentimentalism that was sometimes expressed at the killing of
rare birds. The shooting of some of these birds was the means
sometimes of finding out many of the problems attached to the
study of bird life, and particularly the migration and distribution
of birds. But the killing of a bird such as the golden eagle
was, he thought, very reprehensible indeed, and all the more so

Birp NOTEs. 129.

as during the last few years a very successful attempt had been
made at protecting this bird—successful in respect that nesting
was brought off and hatching took place. The Duchess of
Bedford had taken a great interest in the golden eagle, and this
species had returned to Cairnsmore as a breeding place after an
absence of more than sixty years. The nest was protected day
and night for six weeks, a man never being absent all that time.
That of itself meant considerable expense, and they hoped that
the results would be satisfactory. Yet when all this care was
being taken, they had one of these eagles being shot by a mis-
guided keeper on Criffel, and he hoped they would join him in
expressing their disapprobation of such a thing taking place.
A good deal of talk had taken place among agriculturists during
the last ten or twelve years in reference to the killing of rooks,
and what, he thought, he might call a rather artificial agitation
had been carried on for the destruction of the birds in the sup-
posed interest of agriculturists. For his part he had taken a
life-long interest in rooks and their ways, and he never saw why
agriculturists, of all people under the sun, should wish to
destroy them. No doubt they did harm to farm crops, but that
could be got over with the greatest of ease. For ten months of
the year the rook was the only friend the farmer had in the bird
direction, so that it was rather a queer thing to hear farmers
being constantly asked to shoot down the rooks. This so-called
demand—an artificial demand—for the destruction of rooks was
teally in the interests of the game preservers. He did not say a
single word against game preserving ; that was a different matter
altogether; but the gamekeepers were a body who could look
after these things quite well, and destroy such rooks as they
wanted to, without asking the farmers to do it, and try to make
them believe that it was in the farmers’ interest it should be
done. The whole thing had arisen from a curious change that
took place in the habits of the rooks 28 or 30 years ago. Much
time had been spent in investigating why the rooks should have
developed the carnivorous habit of the carrion crow, but it was
a fact that this change had taken place. This had led to rooks
destroying game eggs, and even rabbits and hares in the young
stage. The game preservers ought to look after that and allow
farmers to preserve them for the purpose of looking after grubs
and other insect pests which would, in the absence of rooks,

130 Birp NOTEs.

destroy an untold amount of farm crop. An interesting dis-
cussion took place at a meeting of Dumfries Agricultural Society
the other day, at which it was advocated at the same time as
rooks were being destroyed that wood pigeons should also be
shot down or killed in some way. It was advocated that some
one should try to introduce pigeon diphtheria for the purpose of
inoculating wood pigeons here, and so lead to the diminution of
these birds. Those who talked about the destruction of pigeons
seemed to overlook a great deal of the biology of the bird.
They forgot that most of the pigeons with us during the winter
season were nearly all imports. Almost all of them came over
the North Sea in great numbers from North Germany, Sweden,
Norway, and Western Russia. So that even if they killed the
pigeons in this district of ours they would not destroy the stock to
any appreciable extent. He maintained that the proper time and
method of killing pigeons or lessening their numbers was during
the nesting season. The diphtheria of pigeons, he was sorry to
say, was to be seen in our own neighbourhood, although in small
numbers as yet. Diphtheria was an exceedingly contagious
disease, and there was no saying where it would go. Only the
other day he came upon a couple of dead pigeons, but he found
that they had had diphtheria, and he threw them down. They
would probably have been of some interest for study if he had
taken them home, but diphtheria was a very dangerous trouble
indeed, and there was no doubt that it was communicable to
human beings from the lower animals. Many people held
different views as to the origin of the diphtheria among the wild
pigeons. To him it seemed plain that the wild pigeon
diphtheria came from the domestic pigeon. For a great many
years past the sport of pigeon homing had developed in an
extremely rapid manner. Nearly every Saturday during summer
large special trains were run from various of the manufacturing
centres of England with thousands upon thousands of the ordi-
nary domestic homing pigeons. Many of these pigeons were
taken a greater distance than they could find their way home,
and they never returned. They strayed, and with no water and
not much food, diphtheria set in among them. These stray
pigeons went to the haunts of the wood pigeon, and that
accounted for the spread of diphtheria to the wild ones. For a
long period of years they had enjoyed the operation of that

Birp NOTEs. 131

beneficent Act, the Wild Birds Protection Act, originated and
largely improved in various amendments by Sir Herbert Maxwell,
and only the other day an important alteration was made.
Woodcocks were protected from the first of March to the first
of August, and by an extension recently adopted by the three
County Councils of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigtown,
they were protected till the first of October. He noticed a
communication to the “Times ’’ a few days ago by Sir Herbert,
in which he approves of the extension on the score that local
sportsmen will now get a certain amount of woodcocks bred ir
our own neighbourhood. It was a question if the baronet was:
right; he doubted very much if he was. It was the case that
our own local woodcocks went away from their breeding places as
soon as the nesting season was over, and immediately they were
strong enough to go on the wing ; and he thought that the extension
of the period would have the effect of allowing some foreigner to
have a larger share of the woodcocks than he was entitled to.

GLEANINGS OF OLD DumrrRies AND GaALLoway. ‘Translated in
the British Museum from the Register of the Great Seal of
Scotland. By Dr E. J. Cuinnocx.

Tue LoRDSHIP OF GALLOWAY.

1426. The 21st year of James I. At Edinburgh, 3rd May.

The King has granted to his sister Margaret, Duchess of
Tyrone, Countess of Douglas, Lady of Galloway and Anand-
dale, that she should hold and possess the lordship of Gallo-
way, for the whole of her life, with all the liberties, statutes,
and customs as Archibald, Duke of Tyrone, etc., the King’s
brother, or Archibald de Douglas, the said Duke’s father, held
in their times.

Tue LorpsHip OF ANNANDALE.

1427. 21st year of James I. At Edynburgh, 3rd Jan.

The King has confirmed a charter of the late Archibald,
Earl of Douglas, etc. [by which he granted to Michael de
Ramsay, for his service, the lands of Ramarskalis and Grene-
landis in the lordship of Anand-dale, which belonged to William,
the son of Henry: also he granted to the aforesaid M. de R.
and his wife Christian and to the survivor and to the heirs of

132 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

their bodies begotten from legal and mutual concubitus, the
lands of Harthwat in the forest of Daltoun, and in the lord-
ship of Anand-dale, which belonged to Roger of Lochiemos:
the said lands of Remarskalis and of Grenelandis to be held
by the said Michael and his heirs whomsoever; and the said
lands of Harthuat by the said Michal and Christian, and the
heirs of their bodies mutually begotten, in fee; but the afore-
said Mich. holding the strigils for the said Arch. once every
year during the lifetime of the said Arch., and after the death of
the said Arch. for the said Mich. and his heirs; failing whom,
the said Arch. wished that the land of Harthwal should return
to himself and his heirs. To be paid annually to the heirs of
the said A. at the castle of Lochmabane one penny of silver in
name of white farm. At Edynburgh, 10th May, 1419].

THE BARONY OF SANQUHAR.

1440. The 4th year of James II. At Edinburgh, 27th April.

The King has confirmed to Robert de Crechtoun of San-
quhare, knight, the barony of Sanquhare in the sheriffdom of
Drumfres, which the same Robert has personally resigned, to be
held by the said Robert and his male heirs lawfully begotten of
his body, failing whom, by William, Lord of Crechtoun, knight,
and his heirs, etc., failing whom, by the lawful and nearer heirs
of the said Robert whomsoever.

THE SHERIFFDOM AND BuRGH OF DuMFRIES.
1450. 13th year of James II. 6th January.

The King has granted to Ninian de Murray for the whole of
his life, 10 marks yearly, to be raised from the roads of the
Justiciary and from the dues of the court of the sheriffdom of
Drumfres and stewardship of Ananddale; if these be not sufficient
from the King’s treasury.

The King has granted to David de Murray, brother of
Ninian de Murray, for the whole of the life of the said Ninian,
10 marks a year, to be raised from the royal farm of the burgh
of Drumfrtes.

THE BARONY OF KIRKMICHAEL.

1440. 4th year of James II. At Edinburgh, 2nd March.
The King has confirmed the charter of David de Lyndesay,

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 133.

Earl of Crawfurde, and lord of the barony of Kirkmichel [by
which he granted to William, Lord de Crechtoun, Knight, and
his heirs, the lands of Dalfubil-Garvald, the town of Dalfubil,
with the mill of the same, Garvald, Mikkilholme, Achinkeash,
the Knoppis, Molinne, Rahillis, Monygep, Cronyantoun, with
the tenantries and services of the freeholders in the barony of
Kirkmichel, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, which Sir James de
Douglas, Lord of Dalketh, has personally resigned. To be
paid at Kirkmichel one pound of cinnamon on the feast of St.
Michael the Archangel (29 Sept.), in the name of white farm.
Witnesses—John, Bishop of Glasgow; John, Bishop of Murray ;
Alexander de Levingstoun, Lord of Calentare; Sir Alexander
de Setoun, the Master of Gordon, Sir James de Edmonstoun,
John de Cokburn, and William de Cranstoun, knights; Master
Thomas de Lawedre, the master of Soltre; Master Richard
Crag, Vicar of Dunde; and Thomas de Cranstoun, Provost of
Edinburgh. At Edinburgh, Feb. 26, 1439].

THE STEWARDSHIP OF ANNANDALE.

1440. 4th year of James II. At Strevelyn, 6th August.

The King has confirmed the charter of Archibald, Earl of
Douglas, Lord of Galloway and Anand-dale [by which he
granted to Sir Herbert de Maxwell, knight, Lord of Carlaverock,
for his homage and service, the office of steward of the whole
lordship of Anand-dale, to be held by the said Herbert and his
heirs for ever from the said Earl, with the power of holding
courts, punishing of offenders, and levying dues of court,
etc., and of doing all and singular the things which are known
to pertain to the office of steward. Besides he has granted that
the said Sir Herbert and his heirs may receive and levy to their
hands 20 pounds from the dues of the steward’s courts, which
they will hold; and whatever remains shall be carried to the
chamberlain of the said Earl. And also he has granted to the
said Herbert all fines of 18 shillings and below, which are made
in the said courts, to be levied and taken at his good pleasure.
at Linlythkow, 8th Feb., 1409].

Tue LorpsHip OF GALLOWAY.

1450. 13th year of James IJ. At Edinburgh, 26th Jan.

The King, after mature deliberation, etc., has granted to
William, Earl of Douglas, etc., for his service the lands of the

134 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

whole lordship and regality of Galloway, both above and below
the water of Cre, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, which the same
William has resigned in the said Parliament, and which also
Margaret, Duchess of Tyrone, the King’s aunt, in her pure
widowhood, has resigned through her agents: to be held by the
said William and his male heirs; which failing, by the lawful
and nearer heirs of the said William whosoever. To be paid
annually at the bridge of Drumfres, one red rose, on the feast of
the Nativity of the Blessed John the Baptist (24 June), in the
name of white farm.

THE LorDsHIP OF ANNANDALE.

1450. 14th year of James II. At Edinburgh, 31st March.
The King has confirmed to Robert Creichtoun of Sanch-
quhare, knight, and to his heirs and assigns, the lands of
Houthwate, Stanyris, Knokkis, Twathtwatis, 5 merks of the
lands of Wamfra, 1 merk of the lands in the village of Moffat,
in the lordship of Anand-dale, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres,
which the same Robert has personally resigned. Three cuttings
to be paid annually to the court at Lochmabane.

THE BARONY OF TIBERS.

1451. 15th year of James II. At Edinburgh, 27th Feb.
The King for the singular favour, zeal, and affection
which he has exhibited towards himself, has granted to George
de Creichtoun of Carnis, knight, the King’s Admiral, and to his
assigns, the lands of the barony of Tybris, in the sheriffdom of
Drumfres.
THE LorDsHIP OF GALLOWAY.
1451. 15th year of James IJ. At Edinburgh, 6th July.
The King, after mature deliberation and with the full
assent of the three estates of the realm in open Parliament, has
confirmed to William, Earl of Douglas, etc., for his faithful
service, etc., the lands of the lordship and regality of Galloway,
on the eastern side of the water of Cree, in the sheriffdom of
Drumfres, which the same William has personally resigned.
To be held by the said William and his male heirs; failing
whom, by the lawful and nearer heirs of the same William
whomsoever, in free regality, cum furea and fossa, etc., to-

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 135

gether with the presentations of churches belonging to the afore-
said lordship and regality, notwithstanding any statutes, etc.
To be paid one red rose at the bridge of Drumfres on the feast
of the birth of the Blessed John the Baptist in the name of

white farm.
Tue LorpDsHIP OF GALLOWAY.

1451. 15th year of James II. At Edinburgh, 6th July.

The King, after mature deliberation, etc., of the three
estates of the kingdom in open Parliament, has confirmed to
William, Earl of Douglas, etc., for his continuous and faithful
service, etc., the lands of the lordship and regality of Galloway
on the east side of the water of Cree and the lands of Butill,
in the sheriffdom of Drumfres; which the same William has
personally resigned: the said lands of the lordship and regality
of Galloway, together with the castle of the Trew, and the lands
of Butill, to be held by the said Earl, and the male heirs of his
body lawfully begotten; failing whom, by James de Douglas,
knight, full brother of the said William, and the heirs, etc. ;
failing whom, by Archibald de Douglas, Earl of Moray and his
heirs, etc.; failing whom, by Hugh de Douglas, Earl of
Ormonde and his heirs, etc. ; failing whom, by John de Douglas
of Balvany and the heirs, etc. ; failing whom, by the lawful and
nearer heirs of the said William whomsoever, in free regality,
cum furea et fossa, etc., notwithstanding any statutes, etc.,
made in any Parliament and general councils in the minority of
the King or any other premisses or any premiss will be able in
any way to be derogated in future. To be paid one red rose at
the Bridge of Drumfres on the feast of the birth of St. John
the Baptist (24 June), in name of white farm.

Tue BARONY OF TIBERS.

1451. 15th year of James II. At Edinburgh, 10th June.

The King has confirmed the charter of William Matelande
of Thrilstane [by which in zeal of brotherly love he granted
to his full brother, James Matelande, and Egidia Skrymgeoure,
his spouse, conjointly and separately the lands of Achinbrek,
Dumbine, Quhithill, Clonga, Clongare, Ferdenalane, Clauchane,
Auchinach, Braunchevil, Capilrig, and the Bagraw, in the
barony of Tybris in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, to be held by
the said James and Egidia and either of them surviving, and the

136 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

heirs lawfully begotten between the same; failing whom, again
to return to the said William and his lawful and nearest heirs
whomsoever in one free lordship. One penny of silver to b2
paid at the town of Tybris, in name of white farm. At Dunde,
3 Jany., 1450. The wards, etc., being saved to the King].

THE BARONY OF KIRKMICHAEL.
1450. 14th year of James II. At Striveline, 11th June.
The King has granted to William, Lord Creichtoune,
Chancellor, his heirs and assigns, the lands of the barony of
Kirkmichell, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, which Alexander,
Earl of Crawfurd, has resigned. One penny of silver to be
paid in name of white farm.

THE LANDS OF TERRAUCHTIE.
1457. 21st year of James II. At Linlithqw, 25th July.

The King has confirmed to John Durant the lands of
Traachty, in the lordship of Galloway, and in the Stewartry of
Kirkcudbright, which the same John has resigned: to be held
by the said John and Isabella, his wife, and either of them
surviving, and after their death by John D., their son and heir,
and by the male heirs of his body lawfully begotten; failing
whom, by the male heirs lawfully begotten between the said
John and Isabella; failing whom, by the lawful and nearer male
heirs of the said John, the father, whomsoever ; three cuttings to
be paid annually at the three chief councils in the court of the
Stewartry of Kirchcudbrycht, and the services due and customary.

Tue LANpDs oF KIRKPATRICK.
1463. 4th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 23rd August.

The King has confirmed the charter of Robert Crechtoun
of Sanquhare, knight, and lord of the lands of Kirkpatrik
[by which he granted to his son, Alexander de Crechtoune, for
his good and faithful services, etc., the lands of Kirkpatrik, in
the sheriffdom of Drumfres, excepted and reserved for himself
and his heirs one acre of land of the said lands for his chief
messuage of the same, to be held by the said Alexander and his
male heirs begotten of his body lawfully; failing whom, by
Laurence de Crechtoun, full brother of the said Alexander, and by
his heirs, etc. ; failing whom, by Thomas de C., also full brother

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 187

of the said Alex., and by the heirs, etc.; failing whom, by
Patrick de C., full brother of the said Alex., and by the heirs,
etc. ; failing whom, to return to the aforesaid Robert and his
heirs freely. Ward and relief to be paid when they occur.
Witnesses: George de Crechtoun, son of the said Robert C. ;
Alexander Cathkart, Oswald Lockharte, Pat. Forman, Rob.
Marschal, notary public. At Edinburgh, 20 Aug., 1463].
Wards, etc., being reserved for the King.

Tue LANDS OF KIRKPATRICK IRONGRAY.
1463. 4th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 15th October.
The King has granted to Robert Heris and his heirs the
lands of Kirkpatric-Grangray, within the Stewartry of Kirk-
cudbricht, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, which Joneta, lady of
Frendracht, has personally resigned.

Joun HeErRIES OF TERREGLES.
1459. 23rd year of James II. At Striveline, 24th January.

The King, because it was clearly evident to him that John
Heris of Trareches, was incompos mentis, a fool, a natural idiot,
and it is known that the royal majesty provides for such with
timely remedy, lest their lands, moveable goods, and immove-
able, be alienated, dissipated, etc., at the instance of the cousins
and friends of the said John and for his advantage and profit,
has appointed Herbert Heris, the brother of the said John, care-
taker, administrator, and governor of the person of the said
John and of the barony of Trareglis, Kirkgunzane, and half of
the barony of Urr, and of all the other lands, etc., except 40
pounds of lands for the support of David Heris, son and heir
apparent of the said John, at the ordering of the Queen; the

present to last up to the legal age of the said David, namely 25
years.

Tue LANDS oF KIRKMICHAEL.

1464. 4th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 28th January.

The King has granted to David, Earl of Craufurde, and
Lord Lindesay, and his heirs, the lands of Kirkmichel, in the

sheriffdom of Drumfres, which Margaret, Countess of Craufurde,

mother of the said David, has personally resigned; free holding

of the lands being reserved to the aforesaid Countess.

138 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

THe BARONY OF KIRKMICHAEL.
1464. 4th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 5th March.

The King has confirmed a charter of David, Earl of Crau-
furde, Lord Lindesay, and of the barony of Kirkmichel [by which
he granted to Herbert de Johnstoune of Dalebank and his heirs,
for his faithful service to the said Earl at the time when he was.
held a prisoner by James, the late Earl of Douglas, etc., and
especially for the liberation and abduction of the person of the
said Earl David from captivity and the hands of the said James,
the lands of Nese and Gleneybank, namely, 3 merks; and also
the lands of Dalerome and Cragschellis, namely other 3 merks ;
also the lands of the two Glenkillis, namely 6 merks; and also
the lands of Holehous and Ledere, namely 3 other merks, lying
in the barony of Kirkmichel, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres ; and
also the principal mill of the aforesaid barony of Kirkmichel,
together with the office of baillie of the barony itself, as in
another letter made for himself thence is more fully contained,
to be done and answered annually from all the returns revenues,
gains, and escheats of the said barony; but a fine only reserved
from Wrangis to Herbert himself and his heirs, for his fees
and services; one penny of silver to be paid at the chief
messuage of the said barony on the feast of the birth of John
the Baptist, in name of white farm. Witnesses: James, Bishop
of St. Andrews; Andrew, Lord Avandale, Chancellor of Scot-
land ; Master James Lindesay, Provost of Lincloudan and keeper
of the King’s private seal; Sir Walter Scot of Kuirkurde;
Alexander Forester of Corstorfyn, knights; Master George
Abirnethy, Provost of the Collegiate Church of Dumbertan ; and
Nicholas Grahame, vicar of Kirkpatrik, notary public. At Edin-
burgh, 26th February, 1463.] Also another charter of the said
Earl of Craufurde [by which, for his faithful service, etc. (as
before), he granted to the said Herbert de Johnstoune and his
heirs, the office of baillie of the whole barony and lordship of
Kirkmichel, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, to be done and paid
from all returns, etc. (as before): he also granted to the said
Herbert the power of holding courts, etc. At Edinburgh, 26
February, 1463].

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 139

THe LanpDs OF ELEOCK.
1464. 5th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 21st October.

The King has confirmed the charter of Robert Charteris,
Lord of Amysfield and Eleok [by which he granted to Sir Robert
Creichtoune of Sanchare, knight, to his heirs and assigns, for
his good services, etc., the lands of Eleok, in the barony of
Sanchare, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres; to be held by the said
Robert of the King; one penny of silver to be paid in name of
white farm. Witnesses: Sir David Heris, son and heir apparent
of John H., Lord of Trarikillis, knight; William de Douglas,
Lord of Drumlanrig; James de Douglas, John Menzeis of
Balveny, Luke Charteris, Master Thomas of M‘Ylhauch, rector
of Tynwald; and David Rede, notary public. At Edinburgh,
21st August, 1463].

THE BARONY OF SANQUHAR.

1464. 5th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 21st October.
The King has confirmed the charter of Robert de Creich-
toune of Sanchare, knight [by which he granted to Robert
Charteris of Amysfelde, his heirs and assigns, for his good
service, etc., an annual return of 20 pounds from the lands of
the barony of Sanchare, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres; one
penny of silver to be paid in name of white farm. Witnesses:
Sirs David Heris of Avandale, John Karlile of Torthorwald,
knights; John Maxwell, steward of Anand, Arch. Stewart of

Castelmylk ; David Kirkpatrik, Thos. Unthank, notary public.

THE SHERIFF OF DUMFRIES.
1464. 4th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 23rd April.

The King has confirmed a charter of King James II. [by
which he granted to Robert de Creichtoun of Sanchare, knight,
the office of Sheriff of Drumfres, to be held by the said Robert
and the male heirs of his body lawfully begotten; failing whom,
any lawful and nearer heirs of the said Robert, with the fees
and profits of the same; and with the power of holding courts,
etc. Witnesses: William, Bishop of Glasgow; John, Bishop of
Dunkeld; William, Lord Creichtoun, Chancellor; Thomas,
Lord Erskin; Patrick, Lord le Graham ; Alexander, Lord Monte-
gomery ; Andrew, Lord le Gray, Master of the King’s House-
hold. At Strivelin, 6th November, 1452].

140 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

THE LANDS OF DRYFESDALE.

1464. 4th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 23rd April.

The King has confirmed a charter of James II., King of
Scots [in which he confirmed to William, Lord de Creichtoune,
knight, the lands of the holdings of Drivisdale and of Turmore,
in the lordship of Anand-dale, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres,
which the same William personally resigned: to be held by the
said William and his male heirs lawfully begotten of his body,
by Robert de Creichtoune of Sanchquhare, knight, his heirs,
etc. ; failing whom, by any lawful and nearer heirs of the said
William whomsoever. Witnesses: John, Bishop of Glasgow ;
David, Abbot of the Monastery of Cambuskuneth ; Walter, Abbot
of the Monastery of the Island of St. Columba; Alexander de
Levingstoune of Calentar; John de Cokburn, knights and
masters William Trumbule, Keeper of the Privy Seal; John
Scheves, Clerk of the Rolls and Register; Nicholas de
Schoriswod, Clerk of the King. At Striveling, 19th August,
1441}.

THE CORONATOR OF NITHSDALE.

1469. 9th year of James III. At Linlithqw, 8th January.

The King has granted to Robert de Crechtoun of Sanchare,
knight, and to his heirs, the office of Coronator of Nythisdale,
in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, which Alex. M‘Math of Dalpedar
has resigned.

THE LANDS OF KIRKENNAN.
1464. 4th year of James III. At Aberdeen, 17th July.

The King has granted to William, Lord Monepenny and
his heirs, the lands of Kirkennane and the barony of Torstra-
chane, with its tenants and tenancies, in the lordship of Galloway
and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbricht, which Lord Hammyltoune
and Eufamia, Countess of Douglas, his wife, have resigned at
the Monastery of Aberbrothok.

LAnpDs oF Mapre, &c.
1468. 8th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 18th June.

The King has confirmed the deed of William M‘Coulloch
of Kirkmabrik [by which he sold and alienated to Robert
Heris of Kirkpatrick Yrnegray, his heirs and assigns, the lands

a eee eEEeEEaeEeGOn7ne—eeeeeeee

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 141

of Doularg, Sanctbridesholme, the Crukis, half of the lands of
Maby, Dalchene, and Cragvile, half of the lands of Machrewin,
in the lordship of Galloway, the stewartry of Kirkcudbricht, for
a certain sum of money paid by hand, to be held by the said
William from the King, one red rose to be paid to the King in
name of white farm, upon the Bridge of Drumfres. Witnesses:
Gilbert M‘Culloch of Cardennes, Rolland Elwald, George of
Wardelaw, Donald of Law, John Bell, public notary. At Kirk-
cudbricht, 8th July, 1466].

THE BARONY OF CLOSEBURN.
1470. 11th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 15th October.

The King has confirmed to Thomas de Kilpatrik of Close-
berne and Mary Maxwell, his spouse, the lands of the barony of
Closeberne and of the barony of Birdburgh and the lands of
Achinlek and Sundrum, in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, which
the same Thomas has resigned, to be held by the said Thomas
and Mary, or either of them surviving, and the heirs lawfully
begotten between themselves; failing whom, by the lawful and
nearer heirs of the said’: Thomas whomsoever.

Lanps OF MOFFATDALE.
1473. 14th year of James III. 3rd September.

The King has confirmed in greater form the charter of con-
firmation of James de Douglas, Lord of Dalkeith, made to
Henry Douglas, son of the said late James, and to the late
Mergarete de Douglas, wife of the said Henry, and to either
of them surviving, and to the heirs legally begotten between
them, of the lands of Moffatdale in the lordship of Anand-
dale in the sheriffdom of Drumfres, namely of the lands of Core-
hede, Grauntone, Moffet, with the mill and all their perti-
nencies.

THe Lanps or Masir, &c.

1473. 14th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 15th October.

The King has granted to George Heris, son and heir
apparent of Rob. H. of Kirkpatrik Irnegray and Mariot de
Murray, his wife, the lands called the Krukis, Saintbridisholme,
Dowlarg, Dalchane, Cragwill, with half of the lands of Maby
and Machroune in the Stewartry of Kirkcudbrycht in the sheriff-

142 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

dom of Drumfres, which the said Robert has resigned, to be
held by the said Geo. and Mar. and either of them surviving,
and by the heirs lawfully begotten between them; failing whom,
by the lawful and nearer heirs of the said Robert whomsoever.
The free holding being reserved to the said Robert.

Tue LorpDsHIP OF GALLOWAY.

1473. 14th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 11th October.

The King, after mature deliberation and with the advice
and consent of the three Estates of the Realm in Parliament, has
granted to the Lady Mergaret, Queen of Scotland, in substitution
for a third part of the property of the Realm, and for the
revenues of the property of the same kingdom, otherwise to his
said wife promised and appointed, on account of the marriage con-
tracted between his ambassadors on the one side and Christian,
King of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, of the Goths and Sclavs,
father of the said Mergaret, on the other side, the Lordship of
Galloway, both on this side the water of Cree and beyond, with
the customs and burgh farms of the burghs of Kirkcudbryght
and Wigtoun, with the castle of Treif, in the same Lordship of
Galloway, and the Lordship of the forest of Ettrick, with the
tower and manor of Newerk in the said forest; the Lordship
of Strivelingschir and Tulicultre, with the castle of Striveling
and with the great customs and burgh farms of Striveling; and
the Lordship of Strathern, with the great customs of the burgh
of Perth; the Lordship of Menteith, Strogartnay, and Buch-
quhidder, with the castle of Doune in Menteith; the Lordship
of Kincleven, the Lordship of Methvene, with the castle of
Methvene; the Lordship of Linlithqwschir, with the palace of
Linlithqw, and with the great. customs and burgh farms of the
burgh of Linlithqw, to be held by the said Mergaret during the
whole time of her life, if the King should happen to close the
last day before the same dearest wife; and the King has granted
the aforesaid lordship, etc., with tenants, tenancies, and services
of freeholders, in testimony of which thing the Great Seal has
been appended, with the seals of divers prelates, chiefmen,
earls, barons, and commissaries of burghs assembled in the
aforesaid Parliament, representing the three Estates of the
Realm, in sign of their consent and assent.

GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY. 143

THe LANDS OF TERRAUCHTIE.
1477. 18th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 29th October.

The King has confirmed the charter of John Durant of
Trarachty [by which, for the payment of a certain sum of money,
he sold and alienated to George Heris, son and heir apparent
of Rob. H. of Kirkpatrik Imegray and to his heirs, the lands of
Trarachty within the Lordship of Galloway and the Stewartry
of Kirkcudbrycht, to be held of the King in fee, three cuttings
to be paid to the King at the three chief councils in the Stewartry
of Kirkcudbrycht, and the other services due and customary.
Witnesses: Herbert Ascloane of Garehauch; John Ascloane, his
brother; Rob. Blak, David Blak, John Cammok, Gilbert
Cammok, John Durant. At the Manor of Trarachty, 18th July,
1477]. The wards, etc., being preserved to the King.

THE BARONY OF CARLAVEROCK.
1478. 18th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 14th February.

The King has granted to John de Maxwell, son and heir
apparent of Robert, Lord Maxwell, and to his heirs, the lands
of the barony of Maxwell, in the sheriffdom of Roxburgh, the
lands of the barony of Carlaverok in the sheriffdom of Drumfres,
the lands of Mernys in the sheriffdom of Renfrew, which the
said Robert has personally resigned, free tenement of the said
lands of the barony of Carlaverok being reserved to the said
Robert and a reasonable third of the same to his wife, Joneta,
when it occurs.

JouNn HERRIES OF TERREGLES.

1478. 18th year of James III. At Edinburgh, 24th April.

The King, though at another time he appointed David
Heris of Traregles, knight, the curator of his father John Heris
of T., who was imcompos mentis, a fool and natural idiot, and
the administrator of the lands and property of the said John,
nevertheless, because it has been discovered by the King’s
advisers that he has neglected the execution of the said office,
and has been incompetent to enjoy the said office, he has
telieved the said David from the said office, and has appointed
John, Lord Carlile, and Herbert Heris, son and heir apparent
of the said David, jointly and separately curators of the

144 GLEANINGS OF OLD DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY.

said John and administrators of the lands and_ possessions,
always and until the most high God disposes of the health of
the said John or of the death of the same, with the power of
ruling his person and managing his lands, etc.

THE BARONY OF AMISFIELD.
1480. 21st year of James III. At Edinburgh, 26th January.

The King has confirmed the charter of Robert Charteris of
Amysfeld [by which he sold and alienated to Sir John, Lord
Carlile, his heirs and assigns, an annual return of 10 pounds.
from his lands of the barony of Amysfeld in the sheriffdom of
Drumfres for a certain sum of money paid before, to be held
of the King in fee. At Edinburgh, 16th January, 1480].

ord April, 1908.

Chairman—Mr James Barsour, Vice-President.

THE BriTIsH BuTTERFLIES. By Mr Bertram M‘Gowan,
Dumfries.

A most interesting description of British butterflies was giver
by Mr M‘Gowan, who also exhibited a valuable collection of the
68 species to be found in Britain. Altogether, said Mr
M‘Gowan, there were probably over twelve thousand different
species in the world. In Europe they were much more numerous
than in Britain, and on the Continent there were probably over
300 different kinds. The specimens of British butterflies shown
by Mr M‘Gowan were extremely beautiful and varied, and alto-
gether the lecture was very interesting. One of the specimens
shown—the Melitaea didyma—had not been found in this
country for forty years, and the only record of its having been
captured was given by the late Mr Lennon, who had caught it at
Dalscairth. He (Mr M‘Gowan), however, thought that Mr
Lennon must have made an error in regard to that specimen.

Mr M‘Cutcheon moved a vote of thanks to Mr M‘Gowan,
and Mr Robert Service, in seconding, said that many of Mr
M‘Gowan’s notes brought to him some old and pleasant recollec-
tions. He was particularly pleased to note that Mr M‘Gowan

Tue BriTIsH BUTTERFLIES. 145

mentioned Mr Lennon’s very interesting capture. He (Mr
Service) still maintained that it was captured at Dalscairth, and
he thought there could be no doubt of the bona fides of Mr
Lennon. Continuing, Mr Service referred to the fact that Mr
Lennon was a very careful collector, and to the fact that he
never had any Continental butterflies, so that it must have been
a bona fide capture.

THe Stupy or Birp Lire. By Mr Cuas. H. Marriott, M.A.

Its DIFFICULTIES.

The first difficulty presents itself in the shape of time. I
am supposing such an ornithologist as I am speaking of to have
not only some knowledge of the birds more generally distributed
throughout the country, but a desire to investigate further. And
I am also supposing that he, like the great majority of people,
has to find time as best he can outside of the time he is
occupied with the various matters of life. With one whose
time is all his own I am not concerned. If such a one cannot
become at least a fairly competent authority, it is simply because
he has no wish for more than the mere dilettante’s knowledge ;
and that knowledge, of course, in ornithology as in any other
science, only survives in its brilliant plumage till it meets with
the eagle of solid knowledge, when it is apt to fly out of the
way as quickly as possible—if it can.

In the first place, then, time must be practically no object.
To say that half-an-hour or an hour in such-and-such a copse
or lane in pursuit of the less common birds is all he can spare
is in nine cases out of ten equivalent to saying he has no time
to spare at all. And in nine cases out of ten it would be better
to spend the time in doing something else. He must have
practically unlimited time if he wishes to investigate the habits
and history of any bird. (And by unlimited time, I mean
unlimited only on the special occasions on which he can afford
to indulge in some special ornithological pursuit.) If he has
seen the bird, or thinks he has, hour after hour may pass away
without his being able to get near enough to it to observe it, and
in the end he may find that he is practically no further advanced.
This means that he must return again and again with practically
the same amount of unlimited time, and must continue till he

146 Tue Stupy oF Birp LiFe.

has noted all he can—flight, song, call-note, where feeding
and on what, nest, eggs, and what not—and afterwards he must
compare with some good standard work what he has found. If
the standard work does not agree with his observations, he must
begin again, and see whether he was mistaken, though if he finds
the same results he need not conclude that he is necessarily
wrong and the book right. Both may be right in generals, but
in details no ornithological work can give all information, and
his own laboriously-collected information may sooner or later
be corroborated, and if not, he can keep it as special infor-
mation to be certified or otherwise by frequent noticing of the
same bird at odd times.

If the ornithologist knows when and where to find the bird
he wants, he is far advanced, and these remarks about time do
not apply so much to him. But it must be remembered that it
took even him many weary days and hours before he arrived at
such a state of perfection. He takes a friend with him and
shows the bird he wants and thinks nothing of it, forgetting
how long it was before he could locate it himself; but his eager
and anxious friend is filled with wonder and admiration, and
rightly too, for birds are not inanimate things, and are not
accustomed to remain always in one place at one period of the
day even to suit the pleasure of those who are most intimately
acquainted with that time and place. At times they will do so
—hbut it is to suit themselves.

But all this, someone may say, takes an unconscionably
long time, and is very laborious. Quite true; but no real know-
ledge of birds will be gained that is not so gained. If I may
give one personal experience, I may say that I went every day
for over three months to one locality to find out the exact call
and warning notes of the Marsh Tit. Around Dumfries the
Marsh Tit is nowhere particularly common, and it took me some
time to find the bird and to be sure of its regular habitat. When
I had found it, it was not at home every day at the particular
time I went, and when at last I did hear its note and wrote it
down as best I could, the next day I wanted to be a little more
certain, and the next quite certain, and the next to be able to
describe it to others, and so more than three months passed
away before I was perfectly satisfied. Whenever that note is
heard again, and wherever, I can be absolutely certain that it is

Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE. 147

a Marsh Tit, and have no need to spend time in waiting to see
it. And so with other birds.

When the ornithologist knows something about the more
ordinary birds, and is at least able to recognise them when he
sees them, this unlimited time I speak of will only be necessary
when he is looking for others, such as the Lesser Whitethroat
in the Solway district, the Green Woodpecker in Cumberland,
the Dartford Warbler on Ranmore, or the Woodlark on Sutton
Common, and so on.

Before going on to the next difficulty, the opinion may be
hazarded that it will save a vast amount of time if the ornitho-
logist will make up his mind before he starts as to what bird
he is going to look for and where, and find out from some good
source the zatural habitat of the bird, and also its habitat at
different seasons and at different times of the day, and so save
himself the trouble of looking for a Nightingale on the seashore
or an Oystercatcher in a plantation; or a Willow Warbler in
winter or a Fieldfare in summer; or a Tawny Owl in the middle
of the day; or a Swallow in the middle of the night ; and having
done all this if he will adhere to both the bird and place and
time, not allowing himself to be distracted by this bird or that
which he fancies he has not seen before, or this spot or that
which allures him by presenting fewer difficulties in exploring.

The next difficulty concerns itself with the question as to
wether he should go alone or not. Of walking tours R. L.
Stevenson says somewhere, “To be properly enjoyed a walking
tour should be gone upon alone. If you go in a company, or
even in pairs, it is no longer a walking tour in anything but name;
it is something else and more in the nature of a picnic. <A walk-
ing tour should be gone on alone, because freedom is of the
essence ; because you should be able to stop and go on, and
follow this way or that, as the freak takes you; and because you
must have your own pace, and neither trot alongside a champion
walker or mince in time with a girl.’’

All this, I think, is equally applicable to the ornithologist.
More than one, I think, is a hindrance. Many people object to
being alone or going anywhere alone, but in this pursuit a man
is never really alone and after a little time the most recalcitrant
will find it so.

If “a poet could not but be gay in such a jocund company

148 THE Stupy oF Birp LIFE.

as that of the daffodils’? how much more gay ought he or any
other man indeed to be in the company of the birds.

All the same this going alone is felt by many to be a fatal
objection, and where it is so it is better for two or three to go
than not to go at all, but they must not expect the same results.

It is quite useless for him to try and explain to critics the
object of his daily seeming waste of time and eyesight. They
seldom understand, unless he is prepared to draw the long bow
and shoot at them the arrow of pecuniary profit. Then they do.

Those who have little idea of the absurd notions enter-
tained by people in the country about field-ornithologists will do
well to turn to the “Scottish Reminiscences of Sir Archibald
Geikie,’’? and read what he says about field-geologists, and
apply it to ornithologists.

The really great objection to two or more is that it is seldom
two people have the same temperament. If, therefore, one wants
to keep still in one place for some time the other does not or
cannot, and so on. And where difficulty in keeping quiet is
unavoidable the chances are always greatly in favour of one.

But there is no need to dilate on the many advantages in
being alone. “Two heads are better than one ’’ does not apply
in this case, as seldom can two heads be brought to bear on the
same living and often moving object in the same position, and
under similar circumstances. As the ornithologist will often
have to wait comparatively idle he can pick up by the way some
knowledge of bgtany, entomology, or whatever else is useful to
his science, taking care that what he does pick up is merely
for use as the servant of his own particular science and not as
its master. To my great sorrow, I know of one case in which
botany in this way became the master, and ornithology not even
the servant.

Some years ago now, I filled a note-book with bird poetry
taken from all the best authors, so that I was able to turn to
it in enforced idleness. I believe such a book can now be
bought, but it is not the same thing. Each man has his own
favourite odes or sonnets or what not, and the book he buys is
sure to leave these out.

The third difficulty consists in getting over the land and
water he wants to explore. It is pretty certain that the very
copse, field, or pool he cannot frequent is the very one the

————— Eee —~<CSO:t;té‘—‘—ét;:;f

Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE. 149

ornithologist is most anxious to explore, although it must be said
that in many cases when he is able to explore either the one or
the other, it turns out of little or no value in comparison with
others which he has liberty to explore whenever he likes, and
which for that very reason he leaves, for the most part, unex-
plored. But this peculiarity applies to other things besides
ornithology.

As a general rule, it will save an immense amount of trouble
and anxiety if permission is asked, and it will not be often
refused. And here again the advantage of going alone comes
in, as it is easier to get permission for one than for two or more.
‘Common sense will guide anyone as to the possible damage he
may do to game—the main obstacle to permission—and indeed
it would be useless and almost an impertinence for an ornitho-
logist to go over any preserved land if he were not at least fairly
well acquainted with all that comes under the head “ game,”’
the living thing itself, its haunts and habits, and so on. Other-
wise he might.not only do much real damage, but what is almost
as bad from another point of view he might bring his science into
contempt.

It is pretty safe to say that when a man wants to go in
pursuit of ornithology, he will find himself able to go, and it is
also pretty safe to say that where he goes without permission he
will do much less good for himself, as every rustle behind him,
every bark of a distant dog, and every other sound which might
denote the coming of the owner or of a keeper will so distract his
attention that he will be looking round at the very time he ought
to be looking forward, or listening for notes very different from
those of birds, or thinking of anything rather than the business
in hand.

If the ornithologist is accidentally on land where no notices
are posted, civility and a certain amount of modesty will go far
jn turning away the wrath of the owner or keeper, and a little

gentleness in pacifying even the dogs.

It may not be out of place in this connection to call to mind

‘the advice of a late naturalist to those who find themselves in a

part of the country new to them, and which they wish to explore.

ii as this:—

1. Get ordnance maps or sheets of the district to be visited.
2. Read all about the district to be visited, its features,

150 Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE.

products, geological formation, animal, vegetable, and
mineral products, the habits and personal appearance
of the people cultivating the soil, state of cultivation,
etc., before starting out.

3. Trace out especially, where possible, the various water-
sheds which go to form the “catchment basins ’’ of the
rivers.

4. Watch and observe the living animals, birds, etc., when
you begin your investigations, and their ways, and do
not destroy them or take eggs unnecessarily.

The fourth difficulty is that of getting assistance in the
identification of- his finds. This as a great difficulty, though
not so great as it once was. I refer to the identification of both
dead and living birds.

It may sound absurd to say that many very well-known:
ornithologists are very little known, but it is so.

Comparatively few know any expert to whom they can send
in case of doubt, and if they do, they rightly or wrongly—for the
most part rightly—believe he is too great a man to be bothered
with their small matters (unless he knows something of their
qualifications previously), and thus, though that expert may be
well-known, the knowledge of him is purely academic.

In such a case the enquirer must proceed as best he can by
stages—by men older than himself in experience though they
may have no claim to be experts, by papers, and by books;
but before being perfectly satisfied an expert’s decision must be-
obtained, however long he has to wait.

For the ornithologist must remember that in his science
there must be no “I think,’’ “I’m almost sure,’’ in the matter
of saying what any particular bird is. Facts and facts only are
wanted. There can be only “It is.’”? The same applies to what:
he thinks he has heard. It will satisfy him very well, perhaps,

22

but no one else. “I got a yellowish bird to-day,’’ says one.
“Tt must be a golden oriole;’’ in fact, after looking at the
coloured plates, I’m quite sure it is.’’ But I’ll send it to so-
and-so who’s supposed to be an expert.’’ By-and-by comes the:
reply, “A Yellow Hammer!’’ And so ad libitum.

All this comes from the wish to discover rarities or strange
occurrencies, and, although it is the business of the expert to

make a special point, among other things, of doing so, it will be:

Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE. 15h

a long time before the ordinary ornithologist has arrived at the
requisite knowledge of the life-history of the birds around him
to warrant him in going further afield. Perhaps this is, or
appears to be, a greater failing in the earlier stages of the

-ornithologist’s career than later on.

For variety there is ample room for “I think’’ in such
speculations as to why an old rook’s bill is bare of feathers at
the base (if it always is) and such like. Several opinions he can
find already expressed. Or why the middle claw of the Nightjar
is serrated and so on. In all such “TI think”’ is all that the
greatest expert very often can say absolutely and definitely,
though undoubtedly he can give good reasons or apparently good
ones for the faith that is in him, whereas the other cannot.

I think it right to add the truism that no man ought to give
an opinion about anything unless he can give some valid reason
for holding that opinion. “It is so because iit is so’ is a method.
of argument which is the prerogative of the fair sex only.

The ornithologist then must not remain satisfied until by
some means or other an expert has given his pronouncement.
He must never mind risking everything by getting the opinion of
an expert finally; risking the unkind remarks of his. friends who
have given him information which he has not accepted ; the cold
scorn of the pages of the well-marked book; the idle complaints.
of the self-styled ornithologist when he hears that expert’s
opinion and finds it totally contrary to all he has said.

In nearly every case the utmost he can hope for is the
identification of that which is lifeless. Should he know an
expert, however, to whom he can show his bird alive in its
natural haunts, then, when it is identified, the identification is of
far greater value (to him), as he has its flight, song, perhaps,
call-notes, habits, and various other aids to help him in im-
pressing it on his mind.

A “dead bird’’ expert is practically useless in this latter
case, since he knows the bird when dead only and apart from
their lives, ways, and habits, except in so far as he has read
about them, and thus he is in much the same position with
regard to them when alive as a man who has only read how to:
ride is with regard to the horse he would mount.

All this applies to the birds difficult of identification only.
Many he will be able to identify from good drawings, not neces-

aly? Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE.

sarily coloured, and so forth. There is no space here to refer
to the identification of eggs, nests, and so on.

It is only right to add that ornithologists in the Solway
district have an exceptionally kind and considerate authority
always ready to give them the benefit of his wide experience and
great knowledge, either in the actual haunts of the birds—where
possible—or in the house. The one found righteous among so
many not so, has done much, unwittingly it may be, to redeem
the rest. I speak for myself personally in this matter of redemp-
tion, after a considerable experience in many counties. I miss
more than I care to say the many pleasant hours I have spent in
his company.

The fifth difficulty is connected with the local names of
birds. This is undoubtedly a great difficulty to many.

As a general rule it will be best for the ornithologist to take
no notice whatever of anything he is told about any bird, name,
or anything else, until he has seen it himself. The local names
may so mislead him and waste so much time that it is better to
go his own way and ask no questions except from capable
people. It is not at all that the people do not know the birds he
wants when they see them. They do, and a great deal about
them too, but they only know them by names useless to any but
themselves and those of their particular locality.

This great frequency of local names is a much more serious
matter to ornithologists than to botanists, as the former have to
look for moving things. Of course all this applies mainly to
those whose experience is not great in birds. A man with a
certain amount of experience will take no notice of any name
but the recognised one, or the scientific one.

As instances of the difficulties in which beginners find them-
selves—and even those further advanced—I give the following
out of numerous others.

In one county a certain bird is termed a Yellow Hammer,
in another the Goldfinch. In getting a countryman or ordinary
individual to describe either he does so in a way that might
apply to each bird, in ignorance, of course, for it is a difficult
matter to give a good and even fairly accurate description of
anything whatever. Now as the Yellow Hammer is very common
and the Goldfinch is not (save in a few localities) the ornitho-
logist may spend a whole day in some places looking for the

eae eae

Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE. 153

latter before he finds that the former is the bird as to which he
has been misled.

And so with the Common Linnet, the male of which in some
localities is termed a Red Linnet, while in others the term Red
Linnet is applied to the Goldfinch.

Again, in many parts if you ask about the Flycatcher you
will be told it is common enough. If you ask to be shown one
you will have pointed out to you a few specimens, including a
Willow Wren, a Whitethroat, anything that looks like a bird
catching flies, and, perhaps, a genuine Flycatcher, though the
latter will not be at all. distinguishable from any of the others
by your informant.

The Little Cole Tit with its black crown is often called a
Blackcap, and this leads to much trouble by confusion with the
Blackcap Warbler, the male of which has also a black crown.
Asking for the latter and omitting the word warbler you will be
told there are lots of them about. This would be enough as a
rule to save you further trouble; the very fact that there were
lots of them showing you they were not the birds you wanted.

Confusing the Marsh Tit with the Cole Tit is not likely to
happen often, because as the one has a black head and the
other almost a black head, the two birds are to most people one
and the same bird, and no arguments will convince them other-
wise unless you have a specimen of each in your hand to shew
them.

Again, the Black-headed Bunting is a rare bird, but the so-
called Black-headed Bunting, which is properly the Reed
Bunting, is fairly common. The confusion is due to the black
head, but in this case the confusion is not quite so bad, as both
belong to the same sub-family.

To confuse the Cormorant with the Shag is natural enough,
and to settle the matter, as regards inland waters at any rate, it
needs only care in remembering that the Shag rarely frequents
them, and so what is named to you as a Shag away from the sea
is almost certainly a Cormorant.

But these few examples must suffice.

As to actual local names the number is so very great. that
there is no space here to allude to them even briefly. I may,
perhaps, be allowed to give a few instances in a single sentence.

In certain districts in England, on enquiry as-to the birds, a

154 Tue Stupy or Birp LIFE.

man might possibly be‘told that the district contained Huck-
mucks (Long-Tailed Tits), Wynkernels (Waterhens), Yafflers
(Green Woodpeckers), Yoldrings (Yellow Hammers), Shrites
(Missel Thrushes), Shepsters (Starlings), Horniwinks (Lap
Wings), Puckeridges (Nightjars), and Chauciders (Spotted Fly-
catchers), all common birds with names simple enough, no doubt,
if one only took the trouble to find out their derivations and a
few other details employed in their manufacture, but names
which in themselves would leave the enquirer no wiser than
before.

For the second time I venture to give a personal instance.
In Surrey, not far from Boxhill, I wanted to find the nest of the
Red-backed Shrike. No countryman knew of such a bird. I
could not find the bird myself for some time, and when I did
find it and happened to shew it to one of them saying it was a
Red-backed Shrike—* Not it,’’ said he, “it’s a Jack-baker,
there are lots about a mile from here.’’ I could see he didn’t
think much of my knowledge as I could not tell a Red-backed
Shrike (whatever that represented to him) from a Jack-baker, and
I, for once, kept my thoughts to myself.

I have put down these few names at random out of a pretty
complete list of local (English) names of British birds I have got
together in one county and another and they are fairly typical
examples. What the local names may be in some parts of Scot-
land I have never yet even dared to imagine.

The last difficulty but one is that of distinguishing the notes
of birds. Nothing but constant practice can get over this. It
is not the song that is so important. It is the call-notes and the
warning-notes. No one who has heard the warning note of the
nightingale will be likely to forget it, nor will he forget that of
the Blackbird or the Sparrow or the Great Tit and many
others, but it would be quite excusable for anyone to forget—
unless he saw the bird—the warning note or the call-note of the
Golden-crested Wren, or the Tree Creeper, or the Marsh Tit, or
a host of others. The various call-notes used by birds to indi-
cate to one another their whereabouts must not be confused with
the notes of warning when enemies are supposed to be about.
And neither must be confused with the song, so that in this
alone there is plenty of room for observation.

And it must be remembered again that in many cases a bird

THE Stupy oF Birp LIFE. 155

can be identified by these notes at a considerable distance, and
thus much time is saved when all we want to know about it at
the particular time is whether it is such and such a locality
or not.

I may, perhaps, again be allowed to digress a little and to
say that great attention also ought to be paid to the flight of
birds—another difficult matter, and one requiring much time—
for by a good knowledge of this the lolloping flight of the Green
Woodpecker in the distance would serve to distinguish it for
certain from any other bird, whilst the quick hurried flight of the
Starling, the dipping flight of the Wagtails, the measured flapping
of the Rook, the quicker one of the Jackdaw, the zig-zag flight
of the Snipe, and so on, would tell you at once what each
bird was.

I may mention also the difficulties connected with oology
and caliology, but they are too many and too intricate, and too
much beyond the scope of my personal knowledge in their higher
details for me to do more than mention them.

In concluding this part I cannot help alluding also to
another difficulty in ornithology which needs a great amount of
attention, labour, and observation, and which is one that has, as
it seems to me, been somewhat neglected. It is that of the
pairing of birds. It will be sufficient to say here in this limited
paper that all birds can be divided into three classes with respect
to this. Those which pair for life, those which pair each year,
and those which never pair, but are polygamous. It will be
easily seen that there is plenty of room for close observation
here. I have no intention of attempting to shew how the classes
can be separated. ‘There is certainly a broad general rule, but
all I have to do to-night is to call attention to a very interesting
difficulty with the purpose of giving some idea of another of the
many difficulties of the ornithologist in his study of bird life,
and to shew what an amount of delightful work the field
ornithologist has which the cabinet ornithologist has not and
never can have till he comes out into the open.

The final difficulty with which I have space to deal is that
the ornithologist finds it very difficult to get anyone in his
Vicinity to appreciate his labours. Everyone, if he confesses the
truth, likes to have his labours appreciated and likes to find that
someone takes an interest in his work and its results. The dis-

156 THe Stupy or Birp LIFE.

covery of anything interesting or strange or new loses half its
charm for the discoverer if he has no one to whom he can
impart it.

The ornithologist in reality has seldom much to show. He
cannot talk to the uninitiated about strange things he has met
with because he will be quietly put down as a “ De Rougemont,’
however good his reputation may have been previously to his
turning ornithologist. He will have to keep his notes and his
observations and his successes and failures all to himself until he
meets with some kindred spirit. It may be years before that
happens, although it is more easy now than some years ago.

But he can practically have that kindred spirit always near
him, if he keeps good notes, for as he passes from month to
month and year to year and compares this one with that and so
on his notes will serve him as a friend, and a friend too who
will, without prejudice, criticise him, and who will, without
complaint, submit to correction or emendation.

His notes, too, even if he finds by comparing them with the
notes of other observers that they contain nothing whatever
new, will give him many a summer day in winter and will call up
old associations and pleasant places over which he can linger
with often as great pleasure as he derived from the actual things
themselves.

And, perhaps, I may add in reference to this, that it is
very questionable to me at anyrate whether the majority of
people ever delight in what they see in nature simply for itself
and in itself so much as they delight in it on account of the
associations connected with it.

“The sensation of pleasure we experience on seeing natural
objects depends much upon association of ideas with their uses,
their novelty, or their history,’’ wrote a great naturalist. “ What
causes the sensations we feel on gazing upon a waving field of
golden corn? Wot the mere beauty of the sight, but the associa-
tions we connect with it,’? and so on. But this is too great a
subject to do more than allude to here and so I pass on.

To make up then for this want of sympathy the ornithologist
has his science ever before him, always showing something new,
in small or great degree. He can pursue it in frost and snow,
in heat or rain, always expecting, and more often than not, re-
ceiving something. He has no need to strain after rarities: The

Tue Stupy oF Birp LIFE. 157

very commonest birds are really little understood, and some new
habit of the sparrow or the starling or other common bird on the
high road to becoming a permanent habit is often just as valuable
knowledge as the discovery of some rare bird or of some bird in
a place not frequented by it before.

And so the ornithologist can always appreciate his own
work without too much self-satisfaction and without undue bias,
and in time, if he altogether fails to meet with a spirit like his
own, he will make the best of it.

“Oxtp Morrtatity’”’ In KirKcUDBRIGHT. By Mr JosEPH
Rosison, Kirkcudbright.

A short paper was then read by the Secretary from Mr J.-
Robison, Kirkcudbright, which detailed some incidents in the
life of Robert Paterson, supposed to be “ Old Mortality.”’ The
first incident was Paterson’s petitioning the St. Cuthbert’s Lodge
of Freemasons for reception and admission into their Order,
and the second referred to a decree granted against Paterson for
6s in favour of a Kirkcudbright shoemaker, for the hire of a
mare for ten days five years previously.

25th April, 1908.

SPECIAL DISTRICT MEETING.
Town Hatt, ANNAN.

Chairman—Mr H. Steuart GLapsTone, Yr. of Capenoch.

KELHEAD LIMESTONE.

Mr W. M‘Pherson, F.G.S., submitted a paper on a section
of the carboniferous limestone found at the quarry at Kelhead,
and also showed numerous specimens of fossils. Mr M‘Pherson
stated that the quarry was situated about four miles from Annan,
on the upper Dumfries road, opposite to Kinmount House. It
had been worked for nearly one hundred years. The old works,
nearly half-a-mile in length, were quite covered by fallen debris
from the alluvial deposits above. He had been unable to find

158 KELHEAD LIMESTONE.

any previous record of its geological strata, and he submitted
it as follows :—

2 to 15 feet Glacial Deposits.

10 feet Purple Limestone.

8 feet Grey Marl, unfossiliferous.

10 feet Purple Limestone.

6 inches Brown Shale.

2 feet Calcined Limestone.

11 feet Brown Marl.

1. 30 feet compact Mountain Limestone.

QUATERNARY
PERMIAN

CARBONIFEROUS

Pe PAA %

After describing the conditions under which the various
strata were deposited, and referring to Annan as situated at the
bottom of the great and widely distributed carboniferous ocean,
and gradually rising to the glacial deposits of the present alluvial
surface, he drew attention to the great gap in the strata where
No. 5, the Permian strata, rests on the lower carboniferous lime-
stone, where the series of coal measures must have been denuded.
Notice was also taken of frequent patches of the mountain lime-
stone calcined by volcanic action, No. 3 being completely altered
by heat, showing by analysis 16 per cent. more impurities than
No. 1. The latter is almost pure carbonate of lime (96 per
cent.). He placed Nos. 5, 6, and 7 as Permian marine lime-
stone, a determination that may require further confirmation
during the summer, when the deposits will be more accessible by
further openings during excavation. The fossils, which are
abundant and characteristic of the Scotch lower carboniferous
limestone, were then described, particularly those selected for
presentation and accepted by the British Museum.

An ANNAN REFERENCE IN THE D1ARY OF GEORGE Fox. By
Rev. JOHN Cairns, M.A.

The Journal of George Fox, shoemaker, apostle, and
founder of the Society of Friends, is one of the great religious
classics of the world—the extraordinary book of an extraordinary
man. In it he gives an account of his spiritual experiences and
of his wanderings, his preachings, his stripes and imprisonments.
There is much that is confused in the narrative, and much that is
provokingly indefinite ; but it is a real man who speaks to us from
its pages, with a view and a message of his own, and what he
tells us is, therefore, always worth attending to. But it is not

ANNAN REFERENCE IN DiIARY OF GEORGE Fox. 159

with the Journal as a whole, or even with any considerable part
of it, that we have now to deal. We shall confine ourselves to
the elucidation of one comparatively small point.

In 1657, a year before the death of Oliver Cromwell, George
Fox visited Scotland. He entered the country from Cumberland,
accompanied by a number of friends, including Captain William
Osborne, who had gone over the Border to meet him, and Robert
Widders, “a thundering man against hypocrisy, deceit, and the
rottenness of the priests ’’ (i.e., of the Presbyterian ministers).

Then Fox goes on to say:—* The first night we came into
Scotland we lodged at an inn. The innkeeper told us an Earl
lived about a quarter of a mile off who had a desire to see me;
and had left word at his house that if ever I came into Scotland
I should send him word. He told us there were three draw-
bridges to his house, and that it would be nine o’clock before
the third bridge was drawn. Finding we had time in the evening,
we walked to his house. He received us very lovingly ; and said
he would have gone with us on our journey, but he was previously
engaged to go to a funeral. After we had spent some time with
him we parted very friendly and returned to our inn. Next morn-
ing we travelled on, and passing through Dumfries, came to
Douglas, where we met with some friends; and then passed to
the Heads, where we had a blessed meeting in the name of Jesus
and left Him in the midst ’’ (Journal, Vol. I., pp. 393-4).

Who was this unnamed Earl, and where was his house ?
Supposing Fox to have come by the ordinary road from Carlisle
to Dumfries, this inquiry is confined within manageable limits.
Dr Hodgkin, the well-known Quaker historian and the author of
an admirable biography of Fox, suggests that the Earl may have
been the Earl of Nithsdale, and his residence Caerlaverock
Castle. No doubt the mention of the three drawbridges does
seem to indicate some such moated fortress as Caerlaverock was.
But it was at that time quite a common thing for the residences
of the nobility and gentry to be surrounded with moats. Thus
Mr Barbour informs me that in carrying out the restoration of
Comlongon Castle some years ago the remains of a fosse, 40 feet
wide and 20 feet deep, had to be dealt with. And there are at
least two reasons which compel us to reject the suggestion of Dr
Hodgkin. In the first place, the Earl of Nithsdale of this period
—Robert, second Earl, known as “the philosopher,’’ from his

160 ANNAN REFERENCE IN DIARY OF GEORGE Fox.

dabblings in astrology—was, like all the other members of his
house, a Roman Catholic, and therefore not lkely to interest
himself in the way here described in a Quaker sectary. Further,
and more especially, Caerlaverock had been so seriously injured
in the siege of 1640 that it had then ceased to be the residence
of the Earls of Nithsdale, and was now, twenty-seven years later, .
in a dismantled and ruinous condition. There were, however, at
this time two other Scottish Earls whose mansions were in the
neighbourhood of the Carlisle and Dumfries road. The first of
these was James Murray, second Earl of Annandale, whose seat
was at Comlongon Castle, already referred to. This nobleman,
the head of the family of Murray of Cockpool, succeeded his
father in 1641, and died without issue in 1658, when his Annan-
dale title became extinct and his second title of Viscount Stor-
mont passed to his kinsman, David, second Lord Balvaird, the
ancestor of the Earl of Mansfield, the present owner of his estates
in Dumfriesshire. The Earl of Annandale was thus alive when
George Fox visited Scotland, but for twelve years—ever since
the overthrow of Montrose, of whom he had been an adherent—
he had lived privately in England, where he died a year later.
We are thus by a process of exclusion brought to the only
remaining Scottish Earl connected with this district at the time
with which we are dealing. This was James, second Earl of
Hartfell, the chief of the house of Johnstone, whose principal
residence was at Newbie, near Annan. His father, the first Earl,
had been a Covenanter; but, like his neighbour, the Earl of
Annandale, had gone over to the Royalist side under Montrose,
after whose defeat he had endured several terms of imprisonment,
and had even lain for a time under sentence of death. The
second Earl, then Lord Johnstone, had for a time been im-
prisoned along with his father, but had during the Protectorate
acquiesced in the existing state of things, and was now in this
very year, 1657, using his best endeavour to secure a favour from
the Government. This was to have an alteration made in the
destination of his titles. These had in the grant to his father
been limited to heirs-male; but the Earl, having now been
married for twelve years and having as yet no sons, and his only
brother having recently died, there appeared to be a probability
of the honours expiring with him. Accordingly, he had resigned
all his titles in the hope of getting a grant of new ones, which

ANNAN REFERENCE IN DIARY OF GEORGE Fox. 161

might pass on his decease to his daughters. This new grant was.
not made until after the Restoration, when Charles II., in
acknowledgment of the Earl’s loyalty to the royal house, not only
gave him back all his old titles without the old limitations, but
added to them, under similar conditions, the titles of Earl of
Annandale and Viscount Annan, which had become extinct on
the death of the last Earl of the Murray line, who had died in
1658. These titles were inherited on his death in 1673 by the
eldest of four sons, who were ultimately born to him, and this
nobleman at a later date became the first Marquis of Annandale.
Let us now see how far the description given by Fox fits the
character and circumstances of the Earl of Hartfell. No doubt
Newbie is a good deal further than a quarter of a mile from
Annan ; but it will be remembered that Fox does not say that the
inn in which he lodged was in a town. There were, indeed, in
former times a great many inns on the main roads. On this very
road between Annan and Dumfries I am. informed that there
were, so lately as fifty or sixty years ago, no fewer than twenty
inns. That at which Fox put up was no doubt of a very humble
kind. Further, he does not even say that the Earl’s house was a
quarter of a mile from the road, but about a quarter of a mile
from the inn; so that there is nothing in his description, so far as
this note of distance is concerned, to exclude Newbie. Whether
there are still indications on the site of the old Newbie mansion-
house of the existence of a moat or moats, or whether any pic-
ture of the old house (which was burned down in 1682) is in
existence to confirm or disagree with Fox’s description of the
three drawbridges, I have not been able to ascertain. But, as I
have already said, the existence of such moats round the better-
class houses in Scotland at that ‘period was quite common, and
there is nothing unlikely in the supposition that Newbie may have
been thus defended. As to Lord Hartfell himself, he was no
doubt a royalist, and after the Restoration he took a pretty
decided stand on the side of the persecutors of the Covenanters.
But this need not lead us to suppose that he would be unfavour-
ably disposed at this particular time to Fox and the Quakers.
The Quakers experienced very little toleration at the hands of the
still dominant Presbyterians, between whom and Lord Hartfell
there was probably very little love lost, and he may have been
interested in Fox on other grounds. Amongst the places in

162 ANNAN REFERENCE IN Diary OF GEORGE Fox.

Scotland where Quakerism at that time had made considerable
progress, Principal Robert Bailie, of Glasgow, in one of his
letters specially mentions Douglas, and it will be remembered
that Fox was on his way to Douglas when he had this very inter-
view. Now, Lord Hartfell’s wife was a daughter of the first
Marquis of Douglas, and it may quite well have happened that
on one of his visits to Douglas Castle he had heard of this strange
new sect that had so many quaint usages, that took literally
Christ’s precept to “resist not evil,’’ and that set forth such a
high and beautiful standard of Christian living, and that, owing
to his interest having thus been aroused, he was eager to see and
talk with its founder.

Those considerations are, I admit, by no means conclusive,
and they are only offered by way of suggestion. But until a
better solution offers itself, I think we are entitled to say that
there is a considerable degree of probability in the identification
of the Earl with whom George Fox had this interview with James,
second Earl of Hartfell, and of the house where it took place
with the old Tower of Newbie.

NATURAL History NOTES.

Mr J. W. Payne submitted some notes on the natural history
of the Annan district. | One of the most important discoveries of
recent years, he said, was the finding in the sand of the Solway
of a handsome specimen of the antlers of the large red deer which
existed in the country about a thousand years ago, and was now,
of course, extinct. |The specimen belonged to Mr Rutherford,
Scott’s Street, Annan. He also shewed another specimen, hardly
so fine as the first, belonging to Mr Watson, Greencroft, Annan.
The antlers, he said, showed what a handsome animal the red
deer had been. He also gave a few notes on the birds of the
locality. |Last year he saw an interesting early nesting of the
short-eared owl. This season a friend and he had found an
early nest of the grey wagtail. He then showed various speci-
mens of butterflies and moths, taken by Mr Douglas Watson,
Greencroft. Included in the collection was a specimen of the
convolvulus hawk moth, which had been caught in the neigh-
bourhood of Annan during the year. He had received anony-
mously from Australia a box containing one of the famous stick

ANNAN IN Last Four DecabEs or 18TH CENTURY. 163

insects of Australia; and from America he received a specimen
of the butterfly known as the monarch. ‘Two rather interesting
birds had been shot during the winter—the bernicle and the
bean goose.

ANNAN IN THE LAST Four DECADES OF THE 18TH CENTURY.
By Mr Frank MILLER, Annan.

In August, 1764, Annan was visited by Thomas Gray,
whose “ Elegy in a Country Churchyard ’’ was already univer-
sally popular. He does not appear to have been favour-
ably impressed, for he declares that the inn where he dined
was bad, and describes the dwellings of the people as “ huts of
mud with no chimneys.’’ Probably if the poet had found more
solid comfort at the hostelry he would have presented a more
flattering picture of Annan. But it cannot be denied that in the
seventh decade of the eighteenth century the town was un-
attractive in appearance. Every vestige of the old castle had
disappeared, with the exception of the inscribed stone that
attracted Pennant’s notice in 1769. The Town Hall was desti-
tute of architectural merit, though it possessed a steeple of which
the untravelled burgesses were proud. The church was a barn-
like erection at the west end of the town, where the dismal grave-
yard that was connected with it may still be seen. In the kirk-
yard, under the shadow of sepulchral yews, the schoolhouse had
stood prior to 1739 ; but happily the children of the parish were
now taught and whipped in a building that, if scarcely less
humble than the one it superseded, was undoubtedly situated in
a healthier locality. The principal inn was the homely King’s
Arms—afterwards known as the Buck Inn—where Bonnie Prince
Charlie on a bleak December day in 1745 had found shelter.
In the front wall of the inn was a sun dial, a public timekeeper
which is preserved and exhibited in the new Buck Hotel. At the
time of Gray’s visit to Annan the High Street extended from
Kilncloss to Bridge-end, a distance of about a quarter of a mile;
and it was lined on each side with small houses, too many of
which were of the type referred to by the poet. As yet “the
high town street’’ was unpaved, but it had been cleared of
“peat stacks’’ by the vigorous action of the Town Council.
Butts Street, or “The Butts,’’ as I have often heard it called, was

164 ANNAN IN Last Four DEcADEs oF 18TH CENTURY.

then the favourite residential part of the town. As evidence of
-its former dignity I might point to a beautiful eighteenth century
iron gate within a stone-throw of the house where Edward Irving
was born. ‘Two or three families dwelt in Wilkin’s Wynd, which
ran parallel with Butts Street; and in Pott’s Wynd or Green-
croft Wynd the town had an extension southward. Bank Street
was not yet in existence ; and, standing on the spot now occupied
by the Post Office, Gray may have watched a soaring lark, and
repeated his own divine words :—
** But chief the sky-lark warbles high

His trembling, thrilling ecstasy,

And, lessening from the dazzled sight,

Melts into air and liquid light.’’

In the last forty years of the century the trade of Annan
made substantial progress. About 1770 an extensive business
in wine was carried on, as some old merchants’ books which I
have seen attest; and bushels of corn were exported annually.
At the close of the century the town had a good and increasing
shipping trade. West India produce and timber were imported ;
while the exports consisted chiefly of grain, malt, and bacon. In
1774 the Magistrates and Council, hoping to attract a new and
important industry to Annan, made several attempts to obtain
coal in the neighbourhood of the town. Their efforts were un-
successful ; but the failure which attended them was attributed by
many to the fact that the Council did not bore to any great depth.
A copy of the minute which authorised operations may be
acceptable :—

“23rd April, 1774.—The which day the Magistrates and
Council in council convened, having taken into their considera-
tion a representation given in to them upon the 29th day of
December last by George Bell, in Fleamby (in the county of
Cumberland), setting forth that he had at the desire of Mr Currie
Carlyle, of Bridekirk, the Magistrates and Council of Annan, and
some other gentlemen, examined different places in the neigh-
bourhood for coal, and particularly many places within the
Burrow roods of Annan, where, in his opinion, there is the
greatest probability of success, the Magistrates and Council,
sensible of the great utility of coals for the country in general
and this burgh in particular, are of opinion that a proper trial
should be made within the Burrow roods, and for that purpose

ANNAN IN LAst Four DECADES oF 18TH CENTURY. 165

hereby empower and authorise the Provost and Bailies to contract
with the above designed George Bell on such terms as to them
may seem meet for making such trials. And also empower and
authorise the said Magistrates to draw upon the Treasurer from
time to time for such sums of money as may be necessary for
making the said trials, providing always the said sums drawn for
do not exceed the sum of £80 sterling.’’

While the majority of the burgesses were engaged solely in
legitimate trade, a not inconsiderable minority devoted their
energies to smuggling. A large contraband trade was carried on
with the Isle of Man, and Powfoot—well-known at the present
time as a summer resort—was one of the places where goods
were landed. Some of the Annan smugglers, or “ free traders,’’
as they preferred to be called, were respectable-looking men,
who could quote Scripture like the revered elders of the Kirk,
and “never broke the Sabbath but for gain.’? Depend upon it,
old Tom Trumbull, the hypocritical Annan smuggler in “ Red-
gauntlet,’’ is no mere fancy sketch! During the last few years of
his life Burns had frequently occasion to visit the town in the
discharge of his duties as an officer of the Inland Revenue. No
doubt the Trumbulls of the place found him sharp enough; but
according to local tradition he always displayed leniency in his
dealings with the less hardened offenders. The poet’s tenderness
of heart is well illustrated in “The Smuggler’s Ruse,’’ an in-
teresting tale of the Solway by Mr Walter Hawkins, which
appeared in the “ Annandale Observer ’’ a year or two ago.

When the town became fairly prosperous the burgesses
boldly resolved to build a new church, the accommodation
afforded by the old place of worship near the bridge having long
been out-grown. A minute of Council relative to the building of
our present parish church may have for you a certain interest :—

lst June, 1789.

“Tn a meeting of the Magistrates and Council held this day
within the Council House, the Provost represented that, in conse-
quence of the Act of Council of the second of October last, he
and the other Magistrates had attended different meetings of the
Presbytery and Heritors in order to fix upon a situation for build-
ing a new church, upon receiving plans and estimates from
tradesmen, and finally settling with the Heritors what proportion
of the new church should be sett off to the Burgh—when, after

166 ANNAN IN Last Four DECADEs oF 18TH CENTURY.

examining the different situations proposed for building the
church upon, with the plans and estimates given in, the Presby-
tery and Heritors fixed upon Kilncloss as the most proper situa-
tion ; adopted the plans and estimates given in by James Beattie
and John Oliver, joiners, and John Hannah, mason, all in
Annan; and agreed that the town and community of Annan
should have right to one-half of the said new church.’’

Though the church bears the date 1789, the well-propor-
tioned steeple, which is the principal feature of the building,
was added some years later. The finely-toned bell of the kirk
is said to have been appropriated, not bought. Mr J. H.
Wilkinson, Annan, writes:—“I have been informed by old
residents that the bell was made for some steeple in England,
but being sent by mistake to Annan was there annexed, its
value being recognised by the burgesses. It appears to have
been brought from London to Leith by sea, and then carted to
this town.’”’

The minister of Annan in 1789 was the Rev. William Hardie
Moncrieff, whose father had held the living from 1754 to 1783.
When the younger Moncrieff, after a long ministry, passed away,
Susannah Hawkins, “the Annandale poetess,’’ as she styled
herself, paid a tribute to his memory :—

“By all he knew he was beloved—
He unto all was kind;
For virtues good, and charity
How few like him we find.”

Towards the close of the eighteenth century Congregational-
ism made great progress in Scotland, owing to the missionary
enterprise of the Haldanes. The distinctive principle of Congre-
gational polity commended itself to many in Annan, and the
Independents erected a chapel at Closehead. Hope of perma-
nent success was soon abandoned by the devout men who
honoured Haldane’s name; and early in the nineteenth century
their chapel was sold to the Secession Church. Few ecclesiasti-
cal buildings in the district have so strange a history as the old
“meeting-house’’ at the head of the town. Built by the
Independents, it was afterwards bought by Scottish Seceders,
and eventually it became the property of the Roman Catholic
Church. Excepting the Parish Church and St. Columba’s, all
the existing places of worship were built later than 1801.

ANNAN IN LAst Four DECADES oF 18TH CENTURY. 167

In 1790, a year after the erection of the new Parish Church,
there died in Edinburgh a distinguished man who had wielded
the schoolmaster’s rod in this town. At a meeting of Annan
Town Council held as far back as 11th June, 1739, the Provost
reported that he had “contracted and agreed with Robert
Hendrie, schoolmaster, to teach the school of Annan for
the year commencing upon the 9th day of April last, and
in name of the said burgh had engaged to pay to the
said Robert Hendrie the sum of ten pounds sterling in name of
salary the said year, and that the inhabitants of the burgh and
territories thereof who sent their children to the said school
should pay to the said master the school wages following, viz. :—
“For teaching English, one shilling sterling per quarter; for
teaching English, writing, and arithmetic, one shilling and six-
pence sterling per quarter; and for teaching Latin and writing,
two shillings sterling per quarter.’’ I have been able to identify
the “ Robert Hendrie ’’ of the minute quoted with the Rev. Dr
Henry, moderator of the General Assembly in 1774, and author
of a “ History of Great Britain’’ that excited the curiosity of
Samuel Johnson and won generous praise from David Hume.
It is strange to reflect that a historian whose monumental work
cleared for him £3300 should at the outset of his career have
been glad to accept £10 a year and some paltry fees for teaching
a few dull children in a border town!

Dr Henry’s death was followed by that of another well-
known Edinburgh author connected with Annan—Dr Blacklock.
As the productions of a poet who, to use his own words, “ never
saw light,’’ the descriptive passages of Blacklock excited much
attention in his own day. Dr Johnson declares that they are
“but combinations of what he remembered of the works of other
writers who could see.’? No doubt Dr Blacklock’s familiarity
with the English poets accounts for his command of poetical
language ; but as Henry Mackenzie, his biographer, points out,
this does not completely solve the difficulty, for “it throws no light
on his early passion for reading poetry, and poetry of a-kind,
too, which lies very much within the province of sight.’’ Not
having much intrinsic value, Blacklock’s poetry is seldom read
now ; but as the friend of Burns he has a secure title to remem-
brance.

168 ANNAN IN LAst Four DecabDEs or 18TH CENTURY.

Probably the ablest man resident in Annan at the date of
Blacklock’s death was Dr Clapperton, father of Hugh Clapper-
ton, the African explorer. He was an enthusiastic collector of
“antient ballads ;’’ but, as Kirkpatrick Sharpe says, he “ some-
times cheated in his responses.’’ By the kindness of a relative
of his, I was enabled, many years ago, to exhibit to the society
the doctor’s ticket of admission as a burgess of the royal burgh.

Among Dr Clapperton’s neighbours in Butts Street was
Gavin Irving, tanner, father of the illustrious man whose statue
is the chief ornament of our town. He held the office of bailie—
a distinction the greatness of which may be inferred from the fact
that an Annan bailie once found it necessary to remind his towns-
men that after all he was “a mere man.’’ Under the boughs
of some stately elm trees that stood in the space called Gracie’s
Banking the future traveller and the future orator often played
together.

At the close of the eighteenth century Annan was a prosper-
ous little town, with many dignified associations. In twenty
years the population had increased from about six hundred to
sixteen or seventeen hundred. The census roll of 1801 does not
state the population of the burgh separately, but it shews that at
the opening of last century the parish contained 2570 inhabitants,
who occupied 465 houses. Annan Public Library is fortunate
enough to possess an old MS. copy of the roll, evidently written
by the compiler, Richard Forrest, schoolmaster. Sir John
Sinclair, in his “ Old Statistical Account of Scotland,’’ published
in 1797, gives some curious information about the Annan of the
last decade of the century :—

“ Annan contains within the town and upon the burgh roods
1620 souls out of the whole population of the parish. It
possesses very extensive burgh roods, which are in great part very
imperfectly cultivated. There is a vast common, open to all the
inhabitants for pasture, peats, and ‘ divots.’ The revenue of the
town is about £300 sterling a year, arising from tolls, fisheries,
and feu duties. . . . . The town has in it four writers, one
surgeon, a schoolmaster. The fisheries are let at the annual
rental of £210. Such farm houses as have been lately built are
good and commodious, and of one or two storeys. Servants
and master eat commonly at the same table. The farmers’

‘VZgI NI NVNNV

ANNAN IN Last Four DEcADEs oF 18TH CENTURY. 169

Sunday clothes are of English cloth. Epidemical fevers are un-
known. Consumption and ague are rare. There is on the river
a cotton work, about which 100 to 130 men, women, and children
are commonly employed.’’

The common referred to by Sinclair consisted of 1800 acres
of moorland, lying north of the Carlisle road. In 1801 it was
divided among the burgesses and those landward heritors who
enjoyed the right of servitude over it, the whole being burdened
with the annual feu rent of £200. The poorer inhabitants of the
town strongly disapproved of the action of the Council in dis-
posing of land which could not fail to rise greatly in value; and
expression was given to their indignation by a poetaster named
James Fisher, who wrote :—

“Tt made us welcome, ane an’ a’,
Our horse an’ kye on it to ca’—
But now it seems they’ve made a law
An’ will the same fulfil,
To tak’ this commonty awa’
In spite 0’ a’ our will.

An’ it divide amang the lairds

By akers, ruids, an’ fa’s, an’ yardes,
In just proportion as regards

Their houses, rents, an’ lan’s;

Sae weel they ken to play their cards
To ane anither’s han’s.’’

We must not forget that Annan Academy, famous as the
Hinterschlag Gymnasium of “ Sartor Resartus,’’ came into exist-
ence through an endowment set apart when the great moor was
divided. If the burgh had retained its broad acres, Annan
would have had no Academy at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, and some other town would have had the glory of
educating Thomas Carlyle.

In illustration of the foregoing paper, Mr Miller exhibited
an old painting of Annan, which had been lent by Mr Mac-
dougall, banker, Annan. It bears the date 1824; but, as Mr
Miller remarked, the town in its exterior semblance did not alter
greatly during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The
photograph here inserted is given by permission of the owner of
the painting.

170 CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FUNGI.

THE O_p BurcEss ROLL oF ANNAN. By Mr JAMEs BARBOUR,
F.S.A.Scot.

Mr Barbour made a number of interesting remarks based on
the Old Burgess Roll of Annan from 1682 to 1705, in which mnay
details regarding the burgesses admitted were given.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FuNGI. By
Miss A. Lorrain Situ, F.L.S.

Dumfriesshire has been well provided with a flora of seed-
plants, owing to the ungrudging labours of our President and of
those associated with him, but the spore-plants, and more especi-
ally the fungi, have been somewhat neglected. I therefore
venture to send this small contribution to mycology, hoping to
supply some blanks in our knowledge of the county flora. Fora
number of years I have been making observations, but as my
stay in the county has been limited and often too early for the
autumn growths, my list has grown very slowly, and there are
great gaps that might easily be filled by anyone on the spot.
There should be a rich fungus-flora in a county of such varied
conditions of lowland and moorland as we find in Dumfriesshire.
The rather abundant rainfall that it shares with other western
districts accounts for the rivers that have formed the great dales,
and these are supplemented by the many waters and burns that
have cut into the land and formed miniature dales and glens
often beautifully wooded. It is in such places that we find the
broken branches, the stumps, and the humus, with the moist
atmosphere, that are so peculiarly advantageous to fungoid
growths. There are no forests of large extent or of great
antiquity, but there are many bits of old woodland, and they
provide happy hunting ground for the mycologist.

Fungi are somewhat fickle in their occurrence ; and much de-
pends on the season. A warm summer followed by heavy rains
seems to be the most favourable weather for this crop; but even
with good seasons the species do not recur as one would expect
them to do. I found one autumn a beautiful growth of Psathyrella
disseminata covering a large stump, but though I looked again
year after year I did not see a single specimen. Tricholoma
terreum grew abundantly in a field near a wood, one season
only. As far as I could judge it seemed to have died out; and

CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE Funci. 171

so with other forms. There are, however, certain species such
as Inocybe rimosa, Collybia radicata, Coprinus atramentarius,

etc.,

that have come up several years in succession in the same

locality. The subject is one of much interest, and I can assure
any botanist that mycology will prove a study of never-failing
enjoyment.

BASIDIOMYCETES.

1. Scleroderma vulgare Hornem. On the ground, common.

. Sphaerobolus stellatus Tode. On very damp sticks, Half-

Morton.

. Crucibulum vulgare Tul. On posts, Annan, river banks.

Ithyphallus impudicus Fisch. In woods, near Annan.
Dacryomyces stillatus Nees. On paling, common.

. Tremella viscosa Berk. On moist wood, Half-Morton.

. Calocera viscosa Fr. On moist timber, in woods.

. Clavaria cinerea Bull. On the ground, Annan, river banks.

. Clavaria fusiformis Sow. On the ground, Annan, river banks.
. Clavaria vermicularis Scop. On the ground, Half-Morton.

. Clavaria cristata Pers. On the ground, Hoddom.

. Pistillaria quisquiliaris Fr. On herbaceous stalks, in damp

woods.

. Thelephora laciniata Pers.

. Soppittiella sebacea Mass. On the ground, Hoddom.

. Soppittiella caesia Mass. On sticks, Hoddom.

. Peniophora quercina Cooke. On sticks, Hoddom.

. Hymenochaete rubiginosa Lév. On dead branches, Half-

Morton.

. Stereum hirsutum Fr. On dead branches, common.

. Stereum sanguinolentum Fr. On dead branches, near Annan.
. Solenia anomala Fr. On branches (dead), near Annan.

. Hydnum repandum L. On the ground, Canonbie.

. Grandinia granulosa Fr. On dead wood, Hoddom Bridge.

. Merulius lacrymans Fr. In houses.

. Daedalea quercina Pers.

. Trametes gibbosa Fr.

. Poria vaporaria Fr. On dead wood, common.

. Polystictus veriscolor Fr. On dead wood, common.

. Polystictus abietinus Cooke. On pine wood.

. Polystictus velutinus Cooke. On dead wood.

. Fomes annosus Cooke. On roots of stumps, Annan.

. Fomes ferruginosus Mass. On fallen branches.

. Polyporus squamosus Fr. On stumps, Annan.

. Polyporus sulphureus Fr. On decaying trees.

. Polyporus adustus Fr.
- Boletus luteus L. Ground, Annan, river banks (in woods).

. Boletus flavus With. Ground, Annan, river banks (in woods).

172

37.

38.

39.
40.

41.
42.
43.
44,
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

bl.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
HAL.
72.
73.
74,
75.
76.
tik
78.
79.

CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FUNGI.

Boletus chrysenteron Fr. Ground, Annan, river banks (in open

fields).
Boletus piperatus Bull. Ground, Annan, river banks (in open

fields).
Boletus badius Fr. Ground, Annan, river banks (in woods).
Boletus luridus Scheeff. Ground, Annan, river banks (in
woods).

Boletus scaber Fr. Ground, Annan, river banks (in woods).

Boletus edulis Bull. Road sides, Annan.

Coprinus comatus Fr.

Coprinus atramentarius Fr. Base of tree, near Annan.

Coprinus micaceus Fr. Near stumps, Annan.

Coprinus plicatilis Fr. On dung in fields.

Anellaria separata Karst. On dung, road sides.

Panaeolus campanulatus L. On manured land, Annan.

Panaeolus phalaenarum Fr. On manured land, Annan.

Psathyrella disseminata Pers. On a stump in great abundance
(only once), Annan.

Psilocybe semilanceata Fr. In fields, common.

Psilocybe cernua Vahl. In fields, common.

Psilocybe spadicea Fr. In woods.

Psilocybe foenisecii Pers. Among grass, near Annan.

Psilocybe coprophila Bull. On dung in pasture.

Hypholoma fasciculare Huds. On stumps, common.

Hypholoma sublateritium Scheff. On stumps in woods.

Stropharia aeruginosa Curt. Among grass, common.

Stropharia squamosa Fr. In woods, near Annan.

Stropharia stercoraria Fr. On roadsides (on dung).

Stropharia semiglobata Batch. On dung in pastures.

Stropharia inuncta Fr. In wood among grass.

Agaricus campestris L. Among gross.

Agaricus arvensis Scheff. Among grass.

Paxillus involutus Fr. Annan, river banks (woods).

Cortinarius elatior Fr. Annan, river banks (woods).

Cortinarius cinnamomeus Fr.

Tubaria furfuracea Pers. Among grass, common.

Flammula alnicola Fr. In clusters on a thorn near Annan.

Flammula flavida Pers. On a beech trunk, near Annan.

Galera tenera Scheff. Among grass, common.

Galera spartea Fr. Among grass.

Galera hypnorum Batsch. Among moss, etc., common.

Galera rubiginosa Pers. Among moss, common.

Hebeloma mesophaeum Fr.

Tnocybe rimosa Bull. Among grass, side of walk, Annan.

Inocybe geophylla Sow. Among grass, near Annan.

Inocybe margarispora Berk. Among grass, near Annan.

Pholiota spectablis Fr. On stumps, near Annan and near
Cummertrees.

CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FUNGI.

. Pholiota squarrosa Mull. On stumps.

. Clitopilus prunulus Scop.

. Nolanea pascua Pers. In fields.

. Nolanea mammosa L. In fields.

. Pluteus cervinus Scheff.

. Lenzites betulina Fr.

. Lentinus cochleatus Fr. On stumps, Hoddom.

. Cantharellus cibarius Fr. Annan river bank.

. Cantharellus aurantiacus Fr. Wood, Fairy Row.

. Nyctalis asterophora Fr. Hoddom.

. Hygrophorus coccineus Fr. Meadows, Annan river.
. Hygrophorus puniceus Fr. Meadows, Annan river.

Hygrophorus conicus Fr. Meadows, Annan river.

. Hygrophorus psittacinus Fr. Meadows, Annan river.
. Hygrophorus virgineus Fr. Meadows, Annan river.
. Omphalia pyxidata Bull.

. Omphalia fibula Bull.

. Clitocybe claoipes Pers.

. Clitocybe odora Bull.

. Clitocybe infundibuliformis Scheff.

. Clitocybe (Laccaria) laccata Scop.

. Lactarius scrobiculatus Fr.

. Lactarius controversus Fr. Woods, Annan river bank.
. Lactarius blennius Fr. Woods, Annan river bank.
. Lactarius piperatus Fr. Woods, Annan river bank.
. Lactarius deliciosus Fr.

. Lactarius pallidus Fr.

. Lactarius quietus Fr.

. Lactarius aurantiacus Fr.

. Lactarius rufus Fr.

. Lactarius serifluus Fr.

. Lactarius subdulcis Fr.

. Lactarius mitissimus Fr.

. Russula alutacea Fr.

- Russula coerulea Fr. Open turfy ground.

. Russula nigricans Fr. Hoddom.

. Russula adusta Fr. Hoddom.

. Russula fureata Fr.

- Russula fellea Fr. Wood near Annan.

. Russula drimeia Cooke.

. Russula ochracea Fr. Wood near Annan.

- Russula ochroleuca Fr. Wood near Annan.

. Russula foetens Fr. Woods, Hoddom.

. Russula emetica Fr. Woods, Hoddom.

. Russula fragilis Fr. Woods, Hoddom.

. Russula integra Fr.

. Russula sanguinea Fr.

. Russula cyanoxantha Fr.

173

174 CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FUNGI.

128. Mycena epipterygia Scop.

129. Mycena galopoda Pers.

180. Mycena alcalina Fr.

131. Mycena rugosa Fr.

182. Mycena pura Pers.

133. Collybia radicata Relh. Near Annan.

134. Collybia platyphylla Fr. Wood, Half-Morton.
135. Collybia maculata A. and S. In woods, near Annan.
136. Collybia distorta Fr. Half-Morton.

187. Collybia butyracea Bull. Hoddom.

138. Collybia confluens Pers. Wood, near Annan.

139. Collybia conigena Pers. Wood, near Annan.
140. Collybia dryophila Bull. Wood, near Annan.
141. Marasmius peronatus Fr. Hoddom, etc.

142. Marasmius oreades Fr. Among grass.

143. Marasmius ramealis Fr. On sticks, near Annan.
144, Marasmius rotula Fr. On sticks, near Annan.
145. Marasmius androsaceus Fr. On decaying grass, in woods.
146. Tricholoma rutilans Scheff. Open turfy ground.
147. Tricholoma terreum Scheff. Field near wood.
148. Tricholoma nudum Bull. Roadsides, near Annan.
149. Armillaria mellea Vahl. On stumps.

150. Lepiota procera Scop.

151. Lepiota rachodes Vitt.

152. Lepiota cristata A. and S.

153. Lepiota granulosa Batsch.

154. Amanita phalloides Fr. Roadsides, near Annan.
155. Amanita mappa Fr. Woods, Annan river bank.
156. Amanita muscaria L. Woods, Annan.

157. Amanita rubescens Fr. Woods, Annan.

158. Amanita vaginata Cooke. Woods, Annan.

HyPHOMYCETES.

159. Fusidium griseum Link. On oak leaves, common.

160. Monilia Koningii Oud. On herbaceous stalks, rare.

161. Oedocephalum roseum Cooke. Common on vegetation.

162. Aspergillus glaucus Link. Common.

163. Trichoderma lignorun Harz. On sticks, etc., common.

164. Penicillium glaucum Link. Common.

165. Botrytis cinerea Pers.

166. Botrytis cinerea var. sclerotiophila Sacc. On sclerotia formed
on herb stems.

167. Sepedonium chrysospermum Fr. Common on Boletus.

168. Acrostalagmus cinnabarinus Corda. On dead vegetation,
common.

169. Tricothecium roseum Link. On dead vegetation, common.

170. Acremoniella pallida Cooke and Mass. On herbaceous stalks.

171. Torula herbarum Link. On herbaceous stalks.

CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FuNncI. 175

. Bispora monilioides Corda. On beech stumps.

. Haplographium finitimum Sace. On fir leaves, Half-Morton.
. Cladosporium herbarum Link.

. Fumago vagans Pers.

. Helminthosporium fusiforme Corda.

. Triposporium elegans Corda.

. Stemphylium alternariae Sacc. On damp wall paper.

. Tubercularia vulgaris Tode.

. Cylindrocolla Urticae Bon. On nettle stems.

DiIscOMYCETES.

. Dichaena quercina Fr. Common on oak branches.

. Dichaena faginea Fr. On young beech, Annan river banks.
. Rhytisma acerinum Fr. Common on sycamore leaves.
. Bulgaria polymorpha Wettst. On logs, Hoddom.

. Ascobolus furfuraceus Pers. On dung, fields near Annan.
. Ascophanus equinus Mass. On dung, fields.

. Ascophanus cinereus Boud. On dung, fields.

. Saccobolus neglectus Boud. On dung, fields.

. Mollisia cinerea Karst. Common.

. Helotium virgultorum Karst. Common.

. Helotium cyathoideum Karst.

. Helotium citrinum. Fr.

. Dasyscypha virginea Fuck.

. Dasyscypha barbata Mass.

. Lachnea scutellata.

- Humaria melaloma Mass.

- Humaria granulata Bull.

. Otidea onotica Fuck.

. Acetabula vulgaris Fuck.

. Helvella crispa Fr. In wood on Dumfries road.

. Spathularia clavata Sace. Hoddom.

. Mitrula viridis Karst. Hoddom.

- Morchella esculenta Pers. Hoddom.

PYRENOMYCETES.

. Epichloe typhina Tul. On grass by the sea, Annan.
. Cordyceps capitata Link. On the ground in wood on Dum-

fries road.

. Claviceps purpurea Tul. Abundant in various grasses.
. Nectria coccinea Fr.

. Nectria cinnabarina Fr.

. Gibberella cyanogena Sace. On cabbage stalks.

. Erysiphe graminis DC.

. Erysiphe martii Lév. On cultivated peas.

. Erysiphe Umbelliferarum de Bary. On hemlock.

. Microsphaera Berberidis Lévy. On Barberry.

CONTRIBUTION TO STUDY OF DUMFRIESSHIRE FUNGI.

. Myxotrichum chartarum Kunze.
. Ticothecium pygmaeum Koerb. On fruits of Lecanora sp.
. Rosellinia aquila De Not. On decaying wood.

. Pleospora herbarum Rabenh. On herbaceous stalks.

. Melanomma pulvis pyrius Fuck. Hoddom.

. Leptosphaeria vagabunda Sacc. On gooseberry shoots.
. Leptosphaeria doliolum Ces. and de Not. On herbaceous stalks.
. Leptosphaeria acuta Karst. On nettle stalks.
. Trichosphaeria minima Wint.

. Diatrypella quercina Nitschke.

. Rhopographus Pteridis Wint. On bracken.

5. Hypoxylon concentricum Grev. Hoddom.

. Hypoxylon coccineum Fuck. Hoddom.

. Hypoxylon fuscum Fr. Hoddom.

. Xylaria polymorpha Wint. Hoddom.

. Xylaria Hypoxylon Grev. Common on stumps.

SPHAEROPSIDEAE.

. Steganosporium pyriforme Sacc. On sycamore.
. Coniothyrium vagabundum Sacec. On gooseberry.

PHYCOMYCETES.

. Peronospora leptosperma de Bary. On Compositae.

. Mortierella nigrescens Van Tiegh. On decaying grass.
. Pilobolus crystallinus Tode. On dung.

. Sporodinia aspergillus Schrét. On Russula.

. Cystopus candidus Lév. On Shepherd’s purse.

UREDINEAE.

. Uromyces Ficariae Lévy.

. Uromyces Poae Rabenh.

. Puccinia Magnusiana Kérn. On Ranunculus.

. Puccinia Adoxae DC.

. Puccinia suaveolens Wint. On thistle, Hardgrave.
. Puccinia galii Schwein.

. Puccinia Poarum Nielsen.

. Puccinia Menthae Pers.

. Puccinia Malvacearum Mont.

. Puccinia Violae Wint.

. Puccinia Pimpinellae Strauss.

. Puccinia Pringsheimiana Kleb. On gooseberry.
. Phragmidium fragariastri Plowr.

. Phragmidium subcorticium Wint. On roses.

. Phragmidium violaceum Wint. On bramble.

. Melampsora Helioscopiae Wint. On Euphorbia.
. Melampsora farinosa Schrét. On willows.

. Coleosporium Euphrasiae Wint.

5. Coleosporium Campanulae Lévy. Hardgrave.

CHARTERS GRANTED TO ANNAN. 177

256. Ustilago Tragopogi Schrot.
257. Ustilago segetum Wint.
258. Urocystis anemones Schrét. Wood near Annan.

Where the locality is not indicated the specimens were
collected in the immediate neighbourhood of Annan.

CHARTERS GRANTED TO ANNAN BY KINGS JAMES V. AND
James VI. Extracted from the Register of the Great Seal
of Scotland, and Translated by E. J. Cuinnocx, LL.D.

26th of James V. At Edinburgh, lst March, 1539.

The King, because the town and burgh of Annand, situated
upon the western borders and near adjacent to the Kingdom of
England, had frequently been burned and destroyed, and the
burgesses and inhabitants had been plundered and slain by the
English, in protection of the Kingdom of Scotland, in the
times both of peace and war, and they had always been faithful
and just Scots to his crown, and because the ancient charters of
the foundation and infeofment of the said burgh, made by the
King’s ancestors had been destroyed and burnt through the
siege and burning and otherwise by the enemies of the said King,
whence the practise of trades had ceased among them; therefore
he has enfeoffed anew to the said burgesses and community the
burgh ‘and town of Annand as a free burgh for ever, with all
the lands, yearly rents, and possessions, and fishings whatso-
ever belonging to the same, viz., beginning at the Sandy-pule of
Kirkbank Bencherbek and ascending to the height of Holingbog,
bordering ‘between Dunbertane and Wrmanbe to Robgillistrand
to the carne of Cragkow, and then to the height of Ragil-
schawis, and thence to the three stones of Sandygile, and from
these to the Southwod, and thence before the mor of Grekane to
the Merebek running into the sea, and from this to the Altare-
stane within the water of Sulway, and thence to the foot of
Annand-water, scare and schand ; and so that the Northburnfute,
with fishing nets from the river as far as the sea, with power
of breaking up and cultivating the common land and of making
mills besides, mill lands and water-courses, the dammis to their
greatest advantage and profit; of electing annually bailies, etc.,
and swearing them in, of having a market-cross and a market
day weekly on the Sabbath-day, and a market day called the

178 CHARTERS GRANTED TO ANNAN.

fare-day annually on the day of the Ascension called Alhallow
Thurisday, and through the week of the same, with a town-hall,
etc., with power of buying and selling, etc., burgh farms, etc.,
to be paid.

45th of James VI. At Edinburgh, 10th July, 1612.

The King, understanding that the town and burgh of
Annand, then situated in the Middil schyrs of the Kingdom of
Great Britain, has very often been destroyed, and calling to
mind that King James V. had erected the said town into a free
burgh by a charter, in which, through the ignorance of those
who obtained it, no certain yearly rent was fixed to be paid to
the King, but he was referred to the old custom of payment ;
whence it came to pass that it was uncertain what it had been
the custom to pay; because the old charters had been destroyed ;
he has ratified the said charter and the others granted to the
said burgh. Moreover he has again erected the said town into
a free royal burgh, with all its lands, yearly rents, and fishings
within the bounds specified, with salmon and other fishings by
boats, nets, and the Aaljfis and coupis; and from the Alterstane
in Silway at the foot of Annand-water, with power to the bur-
gesses of breaking up and filling the common lands, and of
making mills, mill lands, and damis upon them; also of electing
annually a provost, bailies, etc., with power of the pack and
peill, of buying and selling, etc., also building a town-hall,
prison, and market-cross and of holding a market on Thursday
and Friday in each week, with free fairs twice a year, namely,
on Ascension-day, called Allhallow Thurisday, and on St
Michael’s day, 29th of September, and through the weeks of
the same, with customs, etc. 40 shillings to be paid, with the
usual burghal service.

WATER OF ANNAN.
22nd of James V. At Striveling, 7th March, 1535.

The King has granted to John Kennedy, son and heir
apparent of John Kennedy of Halleaths and to his heirs, 10
mercats of land of ancient extent of Halleaths, with the fishing
of the same above the water of Annand between the church of
Apilgarth and the King’s lands and the lands of Lochmabane,
in the parish of Lochmabane, stewartry of Annanderdale,

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE oF PAUL JONES. 179

sheriffdom of Drumfres, which the said John the elder has
resigned the rights and services due and customary to be per-
formed; free tenement being reserved to the said John the
elder.

Note on James V.’s Charter to Annan.—Before the time of
the Reformation Saturday was called the Sabbath Day and
Sunday the Lord’s Day. Sabbati dies (Saturday) and Dies
Dominicalis (Sunday). So Annan market day was on Saturday.

1ISth May, 1908.
Chairman—Dr Martin, Vice-President.

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PAUL Jones. By Mr JosEPH
RoBIsoN.

Among the many incidents in the life of John Paul, or, as
he is better known, Paul Jones, the father of the American
Navy, none is more mysterious than his arrest at Kirkcudbright
on a charge of being concerned in the death of one Mungo
Maxwell, a native of Clonyards, Buittle. Jones followed the
calling of the sea at an early age, and had made voyages to
the States and West Indies. In 1766, although only 19 years of
age, he was appointed chief mate of the brig Two Friends, a
vessel engaged in the Slave Trade. Disgusted with the diabolli-
cal cruelties of that trade, he abandoned it on this account.
This we may well believe, as wanton cruelty, so far as we can
make out, was never one of the attributes of Jones. He took
passage home to his native county of Kirkcudbright in the “ John
of Kirkcudbright ’’ of and to that port, which appears to have
been then in a much more flourishing condition than it is now.
Captain M‘Adam was the commander, and both he and his mate
died of fever on the voyage. The qualities of Jones as a seaman
came into requisition, as there was no one else on board capable
of navigating the vessel home. He assumed the command and
brought her safely to port, and, in recognition of his services the
owners, Currie, Beck & Company, appointed him master and
supercargo. So long as he remained in command he retained
the confidence of his owners, and appears to have made several

180 AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PAUL JONES.

voyages to the West Indies before the incident of Mungo Max-
well. In the beginning of October, 1769, we find a petition by
Robert Maxwell, father of Mungo Maxwell, and residing at
Clonyards, stating that “ Mungo Maxwell was hired or engaged
by John Beck, merchant in Kirkcudbright, who is one of the
owners of the ship or brigantine, called the ‘ John of Kirkcud-
bright,’ to go on board the said vessel, which was then about to
sail for Jamaica and other parts of the West Indies, and to act
on board the same as a carpenter until she should return to the
port of Kirkcudbright.’’ He goes on to say that his son accord-
ingly entered on board the vessel, of which Paul Jones was
master, and soon after the vessel sailed from Kirkcudbright.
The “John’’ did not return to Kirkcudbright till Saturday, the
3rd November following, and the next day Robert Maxwell,
having got notice of her arrival, went to Kirkcudbright to visit
his son. He, however, was informed of his son’s death, and
the petition proceeds :—“ While in the West Indies, and on board
the said vessel, he (Mungo Maxwell) was most unmercifully, by
the said John Paul, with a great cudgel or batton, beat, bled,
and bruised, and wounded upon his back and other parts of his
body, and of which wounds and bruises, he soon afterwards
died on board the Barcelona packet of London, then in the West
Indies, and lying near to the place where the said other vessel
was. That the informer cannot learn the particular time or
place, when and where his said son received the aforesaid
death wounds, nor the particular time or place when and where
he died ; but he is well satisfied that the men and other sailors on
board the said brigantine, upon examination before your lord-
ships, will clear up the matter, and show that the said Mungo
Maxwell was beat, bled, and wounded, and died in the manner
before set forth. May it therefore please your lordships to pre-
cognose the whole sailors or mariners on board the said vessel
or brigantine ‘John,’ and in the meantime to grant warrant to
search for and apprehend the said John Paul, and to incarcerate
his person in the Tolbooth of Kirkcudbright, or some other sure
warding place, therein to remain to and while he be tried for the
aforesaid crime, and be liberated in due course of law, accord-
ing to justice, and the informer shall ever pray.’’ The petition
is addressed to the Right Honourable William Earl of March
and Ruglen, Vice-Admiral of Scotland, and John Goldie,

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PaAuL JONES. 181

Esquire of Craigmuie, his lordship’s deputy for the bounds.
betwixt the south side of the water of Cree in Galloway, and
the Border of England, and his substitute, offices long since
fallen into desuetude.

His lordship or his deputies acted with great promptitude,
and warrant was granted to Messengers-at-Arms, Officer of the
Vice-Admiralty, Steward Officers, and Constables of the Stew-
artry of Kirkcudbright, and all officers of the law to search for
and apprehend Jones wherever he can be found within the
bounds of the jurisdiction. On being apprehended it was
ordained that he should be imprisoned in the Toolbooth of
Dumfries or Kirkcudbright, whichever of them happened to be
nearest. The Magistrates of both burghs and the Keepers of
the Tolbooths were required and warranted to receive and detain
Jones, and further warrant was granted to summon the whole of
the sailors and other persons on board the “ John,’’ whenever the
vessel arrived at Kirkcudbright, before John Kirkpatrick of
Raebury (afterwards Provost of the Burgh), William Gordon of
Campbelton (another Provost), and James Laurie of Barnsoul.
Warrant is also granted to the Magistrates to examine these
persons on oath in relation to what they knew concerning the
crime with which Jones was charged; that before he was
imprisoned, he was to be carried before the three Justices for
examination, and his declaration set down and signed by him
and them. The warrant is given at Dumfries, dated 10th
November, 1770, and signed John Goldie.

In the next paper Robert Maxwell acknowledges that the
warrant has been granted and duly executed by James Fowler,
Admiral Officer. No date is given as to when the apprehension
took place, but it was at Kirkcudbright, as he had been delivered
to the Magistrates there, along with the principal application
and warrant. It being therefore necessary to have the “samen ’’
returned to the Admiral Depute along with precognition of
witnesses taken upon that subject, and the Magistrates affirming
that the application and warrant was the only authority they had
for the detaining of Jones, declined delivering the same to him
without his granting the obligation underwritten. Maxwell
therefore not only acknowledged the receipt of the principal
obligation or warrant, but also obliged himself “to make the
samen or a notorial copie thereof furthcoming to the Magistrates

182 AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PAUL JONES.

whenever found necessary for their defence in case they shall
ever be quarrelled for delivering the same to him in the penalty
of £10 sterling in case he failed therein.’’ This was subscribed
at Kirkcudbright on 13th November, and was witnessed by John
‘Thomson, clerk to William Gordon, and James M‘Gowan, shoe-
maker, Kirkcudbright. On 15th November, 1770, a petition was
presented by Jones to the Earl of March, in which he states that
at present he is incarcerated in the Tolbooth of Kirkcudbright in
virtue of a warrant issued by his lordship’s deputy on Maxwell’s
information. He proceeds to say that he is conscious of his
innocence, and that there is not the least cause or reason for
harassing him or detaining him in prison upon the complaint, as
the same is absolutely false and groundless; that from the pre-
cognition taken in the affair under his lordship’s warrant there is
not the least evidence or presumption that Mungo Maxwell died
of any abuse received from the petitioner, nor was there any
proof brought of his being actually dead. In these circum-
stances he applied to his lordship to be liberated on bail to
stand trial for the alleged crime. That bail he says he is ready
to find, whether by himself or by the help of his friends he does
not say. He confidently anticipated liberation, as he does not
entertain a doubt of his lordship complying with the request, and
his argument that there was not the smallest presumption of his
guilt was of itself sufficient to entitle him to be liberated.
Further, his health and fortune and a valuable ship and cargo
entrusted by his employers to his care were all at stake, and must
suffer considerably if he is not immediately set at a liberty.
Besides all this, he had good reason to believe that Robert
Maxwell, the informer, would consent to his being liberated
upon bail to stand trial. In respect of all this he appealed to
his lordship to order the Magistrates of Kirkcudbright and their
jailer to set him at liberty upon his finding sufficient caution to
stand trial. The petition is signed by Thomas Stothart. Then
follows the deliverance, in which the Vice-Admiral Deputy
states he has considered the petition, and in respect of the
consent of the informer, Robert Maxwell, finds that the crime
charged against Jones was bailable, and grants warrant to the
Magistrates to set him at liberty “furth of their Tolbooth upon
his finding sufficient caution, and that he should appear and
answer to any indictment or criminal libel that might be brought

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 183

against him in any competent court in Scotland within the space
of six months under the penalty of 1000 merks Scots, and that
he shall attend the whole diets of court, and not depart without
leave of the same. ‘The warrant is signed by John Goldie, and
witnessed by Samuel Clark, clerk to the Court of Vice-
Admiralty,’’ kept at Dumfries in the bounds betwixt the Water
of Cree and Galloway and the Borders of England.’’

Jones was set at liberty, and twelve days later presented
his famous petition to the members of Lodge St. Bernard, Kirk-
cudbright, for admission to the Lodge. ‘The petition (now in
the possession of Mr Andrew Montgomery of Netherhall, Kirk-
cudbrightshire) is in the following terms :—

To the Worshipfull Master Wardens and Remanent Brethren

of Free Accepted Masons of the Lodge of St. Bernard
held at Kirkcudbright.

The Petition of John Paul, Commander of the “John of
Kirkcudbright.”’

Humbly Sheweth,—That your Petitioner for a considerable

time by past hath Entertained a strong and sincere Regaird

for your most noble Honourable and Ancient society of free
and Accepted Masons. But Hitherto not meeting with an
seasonable opportunity Do now most Humbly Crave the

Benefits of Receiving and Admitting me Into your fraternity

as an Entered Apprentice promising assuring and Engaidg-

ing to you That I shall on all Rules and Orders of your

Lodge be most obsequient and observiant. That I shall in

all things Deport behave and act answerable to the Laws

and Instructions of the Lodge, and in every thing to which

I may be made Lyable, promising faithful obedience.

The Complyance of your Right Worshipfull wardens
and rest of the Brethren will singularly oblidge and
very much Honour Right Worshipfull your most
Humble Petitioner and most Humble servant.

JNO. PAUL.

I do attest the Petitioner to be a Good man and a person
whom I have no doubt will in due time become a
worthy Brother.

JAMES SMITH.

From the above it will be seen that the brethren at any
rate had sufficient confidence in the integrity of Jones, and that he

184 AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PAUL JONES.

would be able to meet the charge hanging over him. He was
duly admitted a member, and at the end of the entry is, “ Paul
Jones entered.’”’ This latter seems to dispose of the statement
that it was in 1773, after inheriting his elder brother’s property
in Virginia, that he changed his name from John Paul to Paul
Jones. It would therefore be extremely interesting to know what
his reason really was for doing so. Could it be that he was so
much scandalised by a charge of which he knew himself to be
innocent? It is all the more strange in view of the fact that on
Ist April, 1771, his employers, Currie, Beck & Co., gave him a
testimonial stating that on two voyages of the “John’’ to the
Indies he had acted as master, and had approved himself in
every way qualified for the post. The firm had been dissolved,
and the vessel sold, and the certificate goes on to say that all
accounts between him and the owners had been amicably settled.
They at anyrate had seemingly every confidence in him. The
Lodge minutes give scanty information as to Jones. He was
admitted on 27th November, and attended meetings on 29th
and 30th of the same month. On Ist February, 1771, he was
admitted to the 2nd degree, and the last time he was present
was on 9th April. The latter was the occasion on which Jones
marched with the brethren to the laying of the foundation stone
of what is now known as Old Bank House, presently occupied
by Sheriff Napier, and standing near the site of the Meikle Yett.
The house built by Mr Freeland, a magistrate of the burgh, was
that day named Castle Cannon, and it is curious to note how, in
the process of time, the name in part has been transferred to the
adjoining building, known as Cannonwalls.

The records are silent as to whether any further proceedings
were taken against Jones in regard to the charge or whether they
were quietly dropped. In any case, his innocence was manifested
in an affidavit sworn at the Mansion House, London, on 30th
January, 1773, by James Eastment, just about the date when
Jones visited Virginia in connection with his brother’s property.
Eastment swore that Mungo Maxwell, in good health, came on
board his vessel, the Barcelona packet, then lying in Great
Rockley Bay, in the island of Tobago, about the middle of
June, 1770, and in his capacity of carpenter. He was in perfect
health for some days after he came on board, after which he was
afflicted with fever and lowness of spirits. This continued for

AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF PAUL JONES. 185

four or five days, when he died on the passage from Tobago
to Antigua. He never heard Maxwell complain of having
received any ill-usage from John Paul, and he believed that his
death was occasioned by fever and lowness of spirits. This
should be sufficient to dispose of the charge, and one is glad to
know that the fame of the “Father of the American Navy’’ is
not besmirched by such a scandal. Whether it was his treat-
ment at this period, or whether it was the result of honest con-
viction, one would like to know, but within another four years
he had cast in his lot with the revolted Colonies and had offered
his services to Congress. In April, 1778, he made his celebrated
raid on these coasts in the “ Ranger,’’ 18 guns, and performed
some daring exploits, which do not come within the scope of
this paper, unless it be the descent on St Mary’s Isle, when he
carried off Lord Selkirk’s plate, to restore it six years later. The
wonder is that he did not come up the river to the town in whose
Tolbooth he had been incarcerated on a serious charge. In
Mackenzie’s “ History of Galloway’’ the curious may read a
circumstantial account of the state of terror and excitement into
which the inhabitants were thrown, and which was contributed
by Malcolmson, the correspondent of Sir Walter Scott, the
Ettrick Shepherd, and Joseph Train.

THE Lapwinc. By the Late Mr Wm. Hunter, Carlaverock.

Everyone must be acquainted with the habits of the familiar
lapwing, the bright and attractive form of which adorns almost
every landscape. It is the most common of the plover family,
and, during the daytime in the autumn and winter months, after
its paternal and maternal duties are o’er, it is to be found
scattered over the country, usually in large flocks, sometimes on
pasture and marshy land, but more often on fallow land and
land where root crops have been raised in search of worms, slugs,
and other food. It is not easily seen on the latter ground as it
runs to and fro, but whenever the birds take flight their bright,
white under parts are then plainly visible. On pasture land,
however, it is a very interesting bird to watch. How coolly does
it go about all its movements too! After running a few feet
over the surface of the ground, its head is lowered, and almost
immediately its alert eye has caught sight of some unfortunate

186 Tue LAPWING.

worm, which, alarmed by the noise above his home, has come out
of his hiding place to investigate matters, thinking the cause due
to the action of his enemy the mole. Needless to relate, he is
soon disposed of, while the lapwing goes on a fresh search,
making, perhaps, several other short runs before he comes across
any more. The lapwing procures a great deal of its food during
the night-time, and as the shades of the silent evening hour are
setting in, it is often observed in small flocks going through the
air at a great rate, its wings then making a kind of rushing sound
which is distinctly audible. Its cry is often heard at dusk either
when flying overhead or emanating from some fallow or pasture
land. It is especially noisy on clear moonlight evenings. After
the frosts and snows of winter have gone the lapwing pairs, when
it is very pleasant to listen to its breeding call, more especially
when darkness has settled over the still country. Everything
appears enshrouded in a solemn silence; bird songsters have -
retired to roost amongst the trees, shrubs, etc., and the last
thrush has stopped its evening lullaby until the advent of a new
day, when the love song of the lapwing is heard from the fallow
fields, where it is searching a place suitable for it and its mate
to nest. If the night be calm its notes can be heard throughout
the whole evening, but as daylight breaks it begins to get more
silent, and its place is taken by some early thrush or blackbird,
the songs of which seem to drown all other sounds. The notes
during the breeding season somewhat resemble the words who-c
wee, who-o-wee, who we, who we, whoo-we-e, the wee being pro-
nounced like the French “ oui.’? The lapwing rises a short dis-
tance in the air when uttering these notes, tumbling over several
times when going downward, before it again returns to land. Its
other notes at this time resemble “ pee-weet,’’ or “ peesweep,’’
whence the bird derives one of its names. It utters these usually
when anyone is in the neighbourhood of its nest, the first syllable
being prolonged, with a plaintive accent. At other times it
seems to have a variety of calls, often first a shrill single note.

Tue NESTING SEASON.

This is among the first of birds to nest, which is usually a
round hole scraped on fallow, pasture, moor, or marshy land,
lined at times with dead grass, small pieces of straw, or rushes,
but often this is reduced to a minimum, especially on fallow land,

THE LAPwING. 187
in which the bird lays its pyriform eggs. These are usually four
in number, although I have heard of an instance where five has
been found. This seems to be a very rare occurrence though, as
I have noted from various works on ornithology. If the first
clutch be taken the bird often lays no more than three next time,
and it will not forsake the nest if one egg be left, which it will sit
on and hatch. In going over the breeding haunts a great many
empty nests may often be come across, seemingly just scraped in
the soil. These are “false ’’ nests which the male makes when
showing off to its mate. The eggs vary a great deal in marking,
being dark olive green in ground colour, spotted and blotched
with shades of black and blackish brown. The nest is often
found in some depression of the ground, like the- footprints made
by horses or cattle. The lapwing is a very close sitter, and soon
after the last egg of the clutch is laid is very attentive over its
brooding duties, when it places the eggs points inwards. Before
that, however, when incubation has hardly commenced, they are
often found sideways in the nest, and that is thought to be a sign
that all are fresh. How zealously it guards the eggs, which are
often very difficult to find owing to their being so like the ground
around them! Should an intruder be seen at some distance off,
if he be a close observer, he will notice the lapwing stealing away
from its eggs in several short runs, and after going a certain
length, it will rise straight up into the air, but should he be in
hiding behind a bank or hedge and then suddenly spring up into
full view of the breeding ground, all he has to do is to watch for
the lapwing, which rises into the air, and then make for the
spot from where the bird has flown, when he will likely
be rewarded by a find, which otherwise he might have taken
hours to accomplish. At times the bird adopts a great many
tactics to entice its enemy from its breeding ground, such as
wheeling around him with angry cries, even occasionally coming
Within reach of his head, often trailing itself on the ground in
front of him pretending it has got a broken wing. ‘The latter
device is usually resorted to after the young are hatched, about
which the parent birds show the greatest anxiety and concern.
How closely do these harmonise with the vegetation around them
too, where they will remain squatted until all danger is past, but
when once “ spotted ’’ and made to run they will do so with the
utmost rapidity, swimming across any shallow which may come

188 THE LAPWING.

before them, when they will try to hide in any opening which may
present itself, the old birds all the while giving vent to cries of
woe, as they wheel around the intruder in the air above. The
young run directly they leave the shell. The lapwing begins
laying towards the end of March, and onwards to April, May, and
June.

ENEMIES AND OTHER DISADVANTAGES TO CONTEND WITH.

The hungry carrion crow is one of its greatest enemies, being
most persistent in its search for the eggs. He usually glides
quietly over some bank or other barrier next the breeding place,
with beak pointed downwards, eagerly scanning the ground below
him, which he does with the utmost precision, quartering every
foot, with the result that not an egg escapes his observant eye.
At last he sees a nest, and is up with an egg in his bill before the
lapwings have realised what is going on. With speedy wing and
cries of distress the parent birds make after the persecutor, but
as the latter has obtained a start he serenely steers his course
for the nearest refuge and there devours his ill-gotten gain.
After his meal is finished, and when he thinks the course is again
clear, once more he makes for the nesting ground, but the old
birds are not to be caught napping this time, and before he has
reached the desired object are giving him a much-needed lesson.
They buffet him with their hard wings time after time, and,
having been joined by all the lapwings in the neighbourhood, the
crow is enjoying anything but a happy time—a piteous caw, caw
being heard time and again, showing the effect of the punish-
ment on him. Not until he has been thoroughly chased from
their domain will the lapwings give up the hunt. Once more the
noise subsides and the birds return to their haunts, happy in the
thought that their hated enemy has been so disastrously beaten
and discomfited. Needless to say that crow does not often
return to the same place a third time on a like errand.

Partridges are often wont to stray near the nest, and no.

sooner does the lapwing see this than it endeavours to chase them
off with its wings. The former, having no evil designs on the
eggs, rather resent this unceremonious treatment, and there is.
often a short combat between the birds, which usually ends in
favour of the peewit.

The eggs in some cases being laid rather early are often

THE LAPWING. 189

apt to suffer through late frosts and snows, which always suspend
further nesting operations. Then, too, a great many are
destroyed when preparing the fallow fields for crop.

Large tides also occasionally account for the destruction of
not a few when the nesting ground is submerged. Notwith-
standing that, however, the lapwings always come back and nest
close to the sea. In stating that fact, I can recall an occasion
when a pair of landrails nested on marshy ground covered with
rushes. I was unable to find the eggs, but after a very stormy
evening, when the place was swept by a heavy tide, I came across
several on the tide mark. As far as I can recollect, the landrails
never again returned to breed after that trying experience.

Then, again, the eggs are collected up to a certain time in
each year as a table delicacy, after which the birds are allowed
to hatch them.

Many a lonely moor would be dismal indeed if it were not
brightened up during the breeding season by the picturesque
figure of the lapwing. Its wild notes and tumbling flight seem
to add a charm to the solemn grandeur surrounding it, which is
greatly increased if the day be a little stormy.

The lapwing is often found breeding in company with the
redshank, and on several occasions I have found the nests of the
two birds within a few yards of each other. There thus appears
to be a kind of mutual understanding between them, the redshank
ably performing the duties of a sentinel, which it does to per-
fection with its shrill, piping notes on the slightest approach of
danger, and the lapwing undertaking the duties of a policeman
by driving all bird robbers from the nesting ground. According
to Mr Howard Saunders, “ it is the male which indulges in such
frantic swoops and twirls, accompanied by noisy cries, though
when the young are hatched both parents practise every artifice
to allure man or dog from their broods.’’

How pretty it is to watch the movements of the lapwing
during the colder months! Perhaps a large flock, in close
' formation, may be seen flying in a certain direction and then
suddenly change their minds. The close formation is broken
up and a turning movement is performed, which makes the
birds appear in a long, struggling line directing their course
to quite a different destination. In this manner they go another
short distance, the large flock being in the interval often split

190 THe LAPWING.

up into several smaller companies, which after a while usually
rejoin the main body. Perhaps this time they may make a fallow
field their destination, and on arriving there swoop down close to
the ground with an apparent intention of settling, but no—the
flock is up in the air once more, going through a great many
evolutions in like manner, after which they finally make in another
direction. Against the dark background of “red’’ Jand the
birds are seen to great advantage, one second appearing in a nice
black coat with narrow strip of white at tail, and the next in a
vivid white and black.

As an edible bird, the lapwing is inferior to the golden
plover, but nevertheless is not to be despised. The wings of the
lapwing, it will be noticed, are not pointed as in other plovers,
but are rounded instead, and consequently have a much slower
and heavier mode of flight.

The lapwing is one of the best friends the agriculturist has
got, as it destroys a very large number of worms, caterpillars,
and other injurious insects, which might do a great deal of harm
if left undisturbed, and it should therefore be accorded a greater
degree of protection than that at present afforded to it. Not-
withstanding its merits, however, it is shot at wherever found by
gunners whose sole object is to make up a bag. Luckily the
birds get extremely wary, and are not easily got at by the
ordinary gun, but a very large quantity must fall victims annually
to the deadly punt gun with its raking charge of shot.

The cunning reynard, too, it may be mentioned, does not
object to a lapwing for supper, as many a feather-strewn patch
in some quiet nook plainly testifies. The lapwing is said to
make a very nice garden pet, when it will prove itself of the
greatest possible use in destroying all worms, slugs, and noxious
insects found there.

Note on Gotp Toucu Piece or Cuaries II. Exhibited by Mr
Jas. Davipson, Summerville. By Mr Davipson.

I exhibit a Gold Touch Piece of Charles II., which may be
of interest to the members.

The English Sovereigns, according to the ancient custom
of “Touching for the King’s evil ’’ or scrofula, by which it was

supposed that persons afflicted by that malady could be healed

|
:

THE Goitp ToucH PIECE oF CHARLEs II. 191

by his touch, distributed to their patients the current gold coin
called the Angel, which was hung round the neck of the afflicted
person as a charm against further attacks of the disease.

Angels continued to be struck until the end of the reign
of Charles I. After the Restoration, Charles II. substituted
small gold medallets somewhat similar in type, which were known
as Touch Pieces. The practice of touching was scorned by
William III. Anne, however, continued to dispense the Royal
Gift of Healing. One child she touched was Dr Samuel
Johnson, whose Golden Touch Piece may be seen in the British
Museum. The Touch Piece enclosed is one of the above
medallets, and would be given to the sufferer.by His Majesty
King Charles. It would be suspended round the neck by means
of a white silk ribbon.

On the obverse is a frigate of so many guns, with the
legend, Car II, DG. M.B.FR.ET.HI.REX.

On the reverse side is St. Michael and the Dragon, with
the motto—Soli Deo Gloria.

BuCHANAN’s ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF CumIN. By Dr E. J.
CHINNOCK.

George Buchanan’s History of Scotland was published in
1582. I have translated his account of the death of Cumin, not
because it is of any historic value in itself but because it gives a
different account of the “mak’ siccar’’ incident from that
generally received.

Book VIII., Chapter 28.—“ On the same night he set out
with two companions, and men and horses being much fatigued,
at last on the seventh day he arrived at his castle near the lake
Maben. There he found his brother David and Robert Fleming,
and taking them with him he explained to them the cause of his
flight. He fell in with a courier, who was carrying a letter from
Cuming to England. In this it was written that Robert must be
removed as soon as possible ; for that there was danger in delay,
lest the man noble and popular, with equal wisdom and daring,
might stir up a revolution. Having received this proof of
Cumin’s treachery, Robert, inflamed with wrath, proceeded
straightway to Drumfries. For he learnt that his enemy was
there. He found Johninthe church of the Franciscan friars, and

192 BuCHANAN’S ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF CUMIN.

producing the letter he accused him. But as he shamelessly
denied that the letter was his, Robert could not restrain his
wrath, and driving his dagger into his belly, he left him lying as
if dead. As he was mounting the horse James Lindesey, a
“kinsman of his, and Roger Kirkpatrick, an old friend, perceiving
from his countenance fhat his mind was perturbed, asked him the
reason. Having briefly explained, he added that he thought
Cuming was dead. “What,”’ said Lindesey, “have you then left
so important a thing in doubt?’’ and with the word he entered
the church and finished not only him but also Robert Cumin,
who tried to protect his kinsman. This murder was committed
in the year 1305, on the 10th of February.”’

Here Buchanan relates that Lindesey finished the deed com-
menced by Bruce, and gives Kirkpatrick the position of an
accessory only. He calls him “ Roger from the cell of Patrick.”
Like all legends this one took a long time in growing to maturity.

ee”

a

193

Pivtiaeeiiera. [IN GS,

6th June, 1908.
AT TIBBERS AND DRUMLANRIG.

Ideal weather conditions favoured the first field meeting for
the session of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History
and Antiquarian Society, which took place on June 6 to Drum-
lanrig Castle and the ruins of Tibbers Castle. For the student
of Scottish history this locality has many interesting associations,
while the lover of nature is delighted by the picturesque scenery
of the Nith valley; and needless to say a thoroughly enjoyable
and interesting afternoon was spent. The party numbered over
twenty, including half-a-dozen ladies. Having reached Thorn-
hill by train, they had a pleasant drive of over two miles to
Tibbers Castle, which is situated at the influx of Mar Burn to the
river Nith, opposite the little village of Carronbridge. The re-
mains of the castle are now very slight; but, standing as it does
on ground rising from all sides, it is clear that it must have
been a veritable stronghold. Its origin is uncertain, but accord-
ing to one theory it was built by the Romans and named in
honour of Tiberius Czesar, the name being corrupted to Tibbers.
On the other hand, there may be reason for believing it to have
been of Norman architecture. Nothing certain is known of the
history of the castle till near the end of the thirteenth century.
In 1292 it was probably occupied by Sir Richard Siward on
behalf of Edward I., shortly before being handed over to John
Baliol. In 1297, as chronicled by Harry the Minstrel, the patriot
Wallace, after overpowering the English at Stirling Bridge, rode
through Durisdeer with three hundred picked men, lightly
mounted, and drove the English before him to the Solway. In
1298, however, occupation was resumed by the English, and Sir
Richard Siward again became Edward’s Warden of Nithsdale and
owner of Tibbers Castle, which he rebuilt or repaired, the King
ordering payment of £100 due to him so that the work should

194 FieLtp MEETINGS.

not be hindered. For eight years the castle remained in posses-
sion of the English, but in 1306 Bruce, after killing Comyn and
taking the Castle of Dumfries, captured Tibbers, in which he im-
prisoned Siward. The castle was held for a few weeks on behalf
of Bruce by Sir John de Seton, but it was re-captured by the
English, and Seton was sentenced to be drawn and_ hanged.
According to the indictment he was “taken in Richard Siward’s
castle of Tibbers, which he, John, was holding against the King,
for Robert de Bruce, a traitor, and for aiding the said Robert in
killing John Comyn in the Church of the Friars’ Minors of Dum-
fries.’’ Such is the first chapter in the known history of the
castle. About 1380 it was occupied by the Earl of March, and
afterwards by the Maitlands of Lethington. In 1509 the barony
of Tibbers was conveyed to the sixth baron of Drumlanrig, but
the castle mote had been reserved by the Earl of March. In
1544, James, seventh baron of Drumlanrig, acquired the castle,
mote of Tibbers, and two acres of land belonging thereto from
John Maitland of Auchengassel.

Except for a space in the centre, the site of the castle is now
overgrown by trees. In the open space there is a well in a good
state of preservation, judged to be nearly fifty feet in depth.
The remaining foundations of the castle show that it has been of
considerable extent, embracing a central court and surrounding
buildings, and having round towers at three of the angles, and a
similar tower on either side of the entrance.

Those of the party interested in botany found a variety of
flowers at Tibbers. There is any quantity of the common blue-
bell, as well as wood loosestrife, wild parsley, and the early
purple orchis. Less common flowers are the burnet saxifrage and
the wood cranesbill, but the latter was found in rather unusual
quantity.

The party afterwards drove to the gardens at Drumlanrig,
which are situated on lower ground than the castle and nearer
the Nith, and were there shown round by Mr George Angus.
The walled-in garden extends to about four acres, and in it and
the grounds and flower-beds at the castle forty men are employed.
The whole length of one end of the enclosure is occupied by
glass houses for the cultivation of fruit. One-half of these are
devoted to peaches, the greater part of the other half to plums,
and the rest to pears and figs. At the opposite end of the garden

TT Ii—=-_ si

ON i i

Fietp MEETINGS. 195

a similar amount of space is taken up with vineries and hothouse
flowers, tomato houses, and so forth. The houses, or most of
them, are heated by underground furnaces, and the smoke is
carried through a flue to a point in the woods a quarter of a mile
away, where it escapes through a chimney. Most of the space in
the garden is, of course, given over to the raising of kitchen
produce and outdoor fruit, but the borders are very tastefully laid
out with herbaceous flowering plants. The garden, which is kept
in splendid order, was looking its best, there being a fine
show of outdoor flowers in bloom, while vegetation was in an
advanced stage of growth. It may be mentioned that straw-
berries and red currants give promise of an excellent crop this
season. Gooseberries, however, will be rather thin, and black
currants do not seem to be a success. The crop of
apples should be satisfactory. The apple trees, which are
numerous, are all under sixteen years old, the old ones
having been removed some time ago. The hothouse flowers and
fruit commanded a good deal of attention and admiration.
There were two houses with a grand show of schizanthi and
calceolarias, and another with a very fine show of miltonia-
orchids, while there was a good deal of odontoglossum, but these
were past their best. In one house there is a large mass of
Malmaison carnations, but they were only beginning to come into
flower. The vineries are looking very well indeed, some bearing
better bunches than they have produced for years. The two
varieties principally cultivated are the Black Hamburgh and le
Gros Colman, the vines of these varieties being about thirty years
old. One variety named the Duke of Buccleuch is also culti-
vated. It is a fine kind, but requires more than the usual care in
management. On leaving the garden attention was directed to a
very good example of the fern-leafed beech. Branches bearing
the ordinary type of leaf appeared among the others, but getting
too strong and numerous, they were cut away.

The stately castle of Drumlanrig was next visited, and
although members of the party were able to form a very good
idea of its characteristics, time proved all too short to permit of a
thorough examination. The building, which is four storeys high,
forms a hollow square, and is surmounted with corner turrets.
There is such an array of windows that, according to a common
saying, there is one for every day in the year. In front there is a

196 FIELD MEETINGS.

fine stairway in the form of a horseshoe ascending to the entrance,
and the walls are richly ornamented, the architraves of windows
and doors being profusely adorned with armorial bearings.
Owing perhaps to its resemblance to Heriot’s Hospital, the build-
ing has been ascribed to Inigo Jones, but this has been shown to
be wrong. ‘The present castle took ten years in building, and
was finished in 1689, the year after the Revolution. Inside there
is a wealth of tapestry and carving, with a large number of
portraits, mostly by Lely and Kneller. One of these—a portrait
of William III.—bears marks of Highland dirks, inflicted by
some of Prince Charlie’s men on their retreat from Derby in
1745. Among the other portraits is one of “Old Q,’’ a noted
patron of the turf and sport, who wrought havoc in the woods at
the end of the eighteenth century, leaving the hills bleak and
bare, though they continued so only for a short time, as a suc-
cessor commenced the work of restoration in 1827. Among the
features of the interior of the castle are the chapel, part of which,
notably the doorway, is of very old architecture ; the dining-room,
with carving by Grinling Gibbons ; and the drawing-room, in which
there is very fine carving over both doorways, as well as a large
extent of walls covered by tapestry on which are represented
scenes, mostly of a martial character. In an ante-drawing-room,
and in the smoking-room also, part of the walls are covered with
tapestry. Family portraits are conspicuous in the dining and
drawing-rooms, and especially in the entrance hall, in which there
are also a number of antlers and other trophies of the chase.
The outlook from some of the windows is magnificent. In one
case the foreground is occupied by what is known as the American
garden, and in another by finely laid out grounds with flower-
beds of brilliant colours, called “The Paisley Shawl.’’ There
are very few trees more than eighty years old standing in the
grounds, apart from the lime-tree avenue of 1754; but from the
North Avenue, along which the party passed on returning, a
splendid view is obtained of the woods which encircle the castle,
adding much to the dignity of Drumlanrig.

FIELD MEETINGs. 197
4th July, 1908.
AT si. MARY'S ISLE.
(From the Kirkcudbrightshire Advertiser.)

On Saturday, about thirty ladies and gentlemen, members
of the Dumfriesshire and Galloway Natural History and Anti-
quarian Society, held a field day at St. Mary’s Isle, by the kind
permission of Captain Hope, R.N. The party were met at
Kirkcudbright by Mr John M‘Kie, R.N., ex-Provost M‘Ewen,
and Mr Robison, hon. secretary to the local Museum Associa-
tion, and conducted to some of the interesting places in the
town. A start was made with the Old Church School, con-
taining the M‘Lellan tomb, on the latter of which Mr Barbour,
architect, offered some observations. Part of the tomb, in his
opinion, dated back to the 12th century, the remainder being
clearly of other dates. A work was at present in progress in
regard to the greyfriars of Scotland, including those of Kirk-
cudbright, and perhaps some information might be gleaned re-
garding the church, which stood on the site of the school.
Other places pointed out were the old Tolbooth and Mercat
Cross, the site of the Meikle Yett and the Museum, with which
the visitors were much interested. Later on, the party were
conducted over the Isle grounds by Mr Jeffrey, head gardener,
who was a most courteous guide. Entering by the north lodge,
they traversed the main avenue for some distance, admiring on
the way the many fine trees in the policies, and, turning to the
right, followed the paths by the shore, where Professor Scott-
. Elliot observed several uncommon native plants. The heronry
was also inspected, but, unfortunately, the nesting season was
over, and only one or two herons were seen. Continuing the
walk, Paul Jones’s point was reached; before passing to the
garden through the old and picturesque orchard, near which a
singular specimen of Robinia pseudacacia of great age, which
had been blown down and had rooted at various points, was
seen. There are many noble trees of various kinds throughout
the policies, and Professor Scott-Elliot remarked upon these.
Great interest was manifested in an ancient font at the mansion
house.

A considerable time was enjoyably spent in viewing the

198 FIELD MEETINGS.

beautiful gardens, noted for their arrangement and for the
variety and beauty of the plants they contain, these including
many shrubs and herbaceous plants, not generally hardy in
Scotland, but thriving under the genial conditions of St. Mary’s
Isle. The gardens were found in perfect order, and the visitors
were much delighted by their appearance and the wealth of
bloom. Roses form a special feature of the gardens, and con-
stant additions of the best of the new varieties are being made,
while the most satisfactory of the older are retained. They
are cultivated in various ways, especially beautiful being the
pillar roses, those on the walls, and the weeping roses near the
gardener’s cottage. In the beds of dwarf roses there were many
perfect flowers, worthy of being exhibited at any rose show.
Much notice was taken of the stately giant lily, Lilium
giganteum, from China, of which some fine specimens were
seen—one being about 10 feet high. The borders contain a
great variety of herbaceous plants, and many of these were in
bloom, such as campanulas, delphiniums, hardy geraniums, the
fine blue Lactuca Plumieri, a good French honeysuckle, poppies,
irises, pyrethrums, pzonias, spireas, and a host of others.
Some extremely fine specimens of Phormium tenax, the New
Zealand flax, were much admired. There are many shrubs and
trees, including New Zealand shrubby Veronicas, a good
collection of bamboos, which flourish at St. Mary’s Isle,
fine examples of the orange-ball tree, Buddleia globosa,
and the Mexican orange, Choisya ternata, and a_ vast
number of others, such as tree peonias, clematises, smilax, and
many more. The spacious conservatory and other ranges of
glass houses were also inspected, the company viewing with
admiration the flowers in the first-mentioned, where are splendid
carnations, bougainvilleas, pelargoniums, and other tender
plants. In the fernery some exceptionally fine gloxinias were
much admired. The other plant houses were full of flowers
and fruit in various stages of growth, displaying the cultural skill
of Mr Jeffrey, the head gardener, and his staff. A new vinery,
constructed a short time ago, is full of promising vines and
other plants; while the out-door fruit and vegetable depart-
ments were found in a most promising condition. In the
rockeries and borders adjoining the houses were to be seen some
rare plants, and those of the party interested in flowers were

FieLtp MEETINGS. 199

gratified to see crinums and agapanthuses flourishing in the
open air. The mansion house is covered with roses and other
climbing plants, and these were in perfect condition.

Captain and Mrs Hope and their family take keen interest
in the gardens, and to the taste and interest they display, their
beauty is due.

The company having again gathered together, Mr Barbour
made a few remarks regarding the foundation of the ancient
Priory. St. Mary’s Isle, he said, was originally called the
Island of Trayl, upon which Fergus, Lord of Galloway, built
the Priory, and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary in 1129. It
was founded in the reign of David I. by Fergus, to regain the
favour of the King, whom he had offended. He appeared in
the habit of a canon regular, and was introduced to the King by
the Abbot of Holyrood in full chapter. The Priory held the
churches of Galtway, Anwoth, and Kirkandrews. The site of
the precinct-gate is called the Great Cross, and Little Cross
denotes the place of the court gate. Fergus granted the Isle of
Trayl, with the Priory founded on it to the monks of Holyrood,
where he died in 1161. The Prior was a Lord of Parliament,
and at the Reformation it came into the hands of the Lidder-
dales. The charter of the foundation is a characteristic
medieval story, taken from Gordon’s “ Monasticon ’’ :—“ This
is the history of the foundation of the Priory of the Island of
Trail, and how Fergus, Great Lord of Galloway, the founder
thereof, obtained pardon from King David, and gave that island
and other possessions to the Monastery of Holyrood, and how,
having become one of the religious, he was buried therein.
When the fabric of the Monastery of Holyrood, near Edin-
burgh, was progressing under St. David, a most happy monarch,
it happened that Fergus, Earl and Great Lord of Galloway,
failed in his duty to his Majesty, and committed a grievous
fault, at which the King, evidently very angry, determined to
put the law in force rigorously against him. This Fergus,
being very much devoted to God, and notwithstanding his acci-
dental fault, always faithful to the King, knowing that the King
was most determined in the execution of justice, was very much
afraid, and in many ways and by various means was endeavour-
ing to regain the King’s favour. At length, being inspired by
Divine counsel, in a change of habit, and in the most secret

200 Fretp MEETINGS.

manner, he repaired to Alwyn, Abbot of the Monastery of Holy-
rood, the King’s confessor and confidential secretary, for advice
and assistance. The Abbot therefore, compassionating the afore-
said penitent, Lord Fergus, prayed to God and obtained the
Royal favour for him; and because he well knew in this case
that the King’s determination for the execution of justice was
inflexible, he was afraid incautiously to intercede in his behalf.
At last, by the ingenuity of both Fergus and the Abbot, it was
contrived that the said Lord Fergus should assume the cloister
habit of a canon regular, and thus, God directing, should obtain,
along with his brethren, the King’s favour, and at the same
time the pardon of this offence, though supplication under a
religious habit. Leaving to God their purpose, they wait for a
convenient day and hour, with the intention of the Abbot speak-
ing to the King on this matter. One day, as usual, when the
King was visiting the builders of this monastery, the Abbot, at a
seasonable moment, thus addressed him:—‘O, most gracious.
Prince and founder, though unworthy petitioners and conventual
chaplains, by reason of the wounds of our transgressions, to be
cured only by a spiritual remedy, beg to have often the presence
of your Highness in chapter.’ At this the merciful Prince,
highly pleased, enters the Chapter House, in order at the hour
of meeting, sits down in the middle, the brethren prostrating
themselves to the ground at the entrance. The Abbot thus.
speaks:—‘O, most gracious Prince, we, the petitioners of your
Highness, confessing our faults that we are guilty and trans-
gressors, most humbly beseech thee, in the bowels of Jesus
Christ, that your most Benignant Highness would condescend to:
pardon us, every fault and offence committed against your
Majesty, with a single unfeigned heart, and at the same time
bestow upon us your blessing, in order that, for the future, we
may be deserving to meditate and pray for the safety of your
kingdom more holily and devotedly, and that your most merciful
Highness would be pleased, in token of this gracious pardon, to
bestow upon everyone of us the kiss of peace.’ The King,
with a most placid countenance, replied:—‘ Dearly beloved
brethren, I forgive you all charges, and commend myself to
your prayers ;’ and immediately rising from his seat, and taking
the Abbot by the hand, kissed him saying— Peace be to thee,
brother, with the Divine benediction.’ ”’

Fietp MEETINGs. 201

Mr S. Arnott, Sunnymead, Maxwelltown, hon. secretary to
the Society, proposed the following as members:—Rev. A.
Angus, U.F. Manse, Ruthwell ; Dr Scott, Ruthwell; Mr S. H.
were unanimously elected, the President, Professor Scott-Elliot,
Scott, Dumfries; and Mr D. Paterson, solicitor, Thornhill, who
expressing his gratification at this accession.

Professor Scott-Elliot proposed a vote of thanks to Captain
Hope for so kindly allowing them to go over his beautiful
grounds. It had been a most interesting day in every respect,
not merely in regard to the wild flowers along the seashore, of
which many interesting varieties had been detected. They
ought also to express their gratitude to Mrs Jeffrey for having
forwarded a list of the wild flowers, especially of the rarer
forms. It was a very large list—233—and showed conclusively
what comparatively favourable climate and soil there were in
that part of the country, and was very good indeed for such a
small district as that. He thought he had never seen such
quantities of roses. Each bush seemed to have been carefully
consulted as to its individual requirements, and they had re-
sponded most satisfactorilyrin giving the greatest possible amount
of bloom in order to show their gratitude for the care bestowed
upon them. The trees also were very interesting, and especi-
ally from the fact that, although they grew within a few yards of
the seashore, it would be dificult to find anywhere more
magnificent specimens of forest timber. Round about Kirkcud-
bright was, perhaps, for climate and soil, one of the most
favoured spots that existed in the South of Scotland.

Mr Arnott then Proposed votes of thanks to ex-Provost
M‘Ewen, Mr Jeffrey, and Mr Robison, which were heartily
awarded and acknowledged.

IS5th August, 1908.
AT RAEHILLS.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard. )

On Saturday members of the Antiquarian Society, together
with a few friends, spent a very enjoyable afternoon at Raehills,
by the kind permission of Mr J. J. Hope-Johnstone of Annan-

202 Fretp MEETINGS,

dale. The weather, fortunately, was of an ideal description for
such an outing. The party from Dumfries and Maxwelltown,
which numbered twenty, assembled at Burns’ Statue at one
o’clock and drove in a char-a-banc provided by Mr Irving,
King’s Arms Hotel, the route being along the Moffat road,
passing Locharbriggs and Amisfield, then across “the moor,’’
over the AZ water, and onwards to St Ann’s Bridge, where a turn
to the left was made to Raehills, the distance in all being about
fourteen miles. The drive was a very pleasant one, passing as
it did through undulating and nicely-wooded country, with the
fast-ripening crops making pleasing contrast with the still fresh
green of the trees. A smaller contingent of visitors from Moffat
and Lockerbie drove from the latter town, and arrived at Rae-
hills some short time before their Dumfries friends. The party
was cordially received by Mr Hope-Johnstone, who, after show-
ing his visitors a number of fine family portraits in the hall and
dining-room, also conducting them through the library, invited
them to view the policies, which they did after partaking of tea
on the lawn. The architectural beauties of the house received
attention, while the extensive ground’ which surround the house
were the object of much admiration. The party, however, did
not go any further afield, as their drive was a long one, and
there was not much more than a couple of hours to spare. Had
time permitted a visit to Raehills Glen or to the ruined tower
of Lochwood, which is some two miles distant, would no doubt
have been very interesting.

The mansion of Raehills was built in 1786 by James, third
Earl of Hopetoun, and received a large addition in 1834. The
Earl and his Countess, in the course of their visits abroad, were
so pleased with a mansion house which they found there that
they formed the idea of having a similar mansion on the lands
of Raehills. Many plans were made of the proposed mansion,
and much consideration was given to the subject between the
years 1782 and 1786, during which portions of the building were
proceeded with annually. The designers were Robert and James
Adam, who studied in Italy and were prominent architects in
their day. The Edinburgh University and the Register House
at the east end of Princes Street, Edinburgh, are perhaps the
best-known examples of their work. At one time it was pro-
posed that the mansion at Raehills should be completed by a

FIELD MEETINGs. 203

great dome like that of the Register House, which had recently
before been built. This scheme was, however, abandoned, as
there was a belief that the dome of the Register House was the
cause of so much smoke as to hinder tHe clerks in their work.
The old part of Raehills mansion is of the Italian style of
architecture, and includes two fine balconies supported by pillars
of white stone believed to be quarried at Cove, near Annan.
The modern part of the building is in a style resembling the
Scottish baronial, but there is a freedom in the architecture which
gives it charm. It is built of red Corncockle stone, and the
architect was Burn, of Burn & Billings, Edinburgh. This
addition added greatly to the accommodation of the house and
made it one of the most imposing mansions in the south of
Scotland.

Raehills is very prominently and picturesquely situated in
the valley of the Kinnel, which it dominates from its command-
ing position. The lands of Raehills, as the name indicates,
lay in a bleak, hilly country, and the higher portions of it were
frequently used as sporting ground for wild fowl. The Earl of
Hopetoun, who in 1792 inherited the estates from his grand-
uncle, the third Marquis of Annandale, made great improvements
on them. He planted extensive woods, including some very fine
trees on Gallowhill, while the policies of Raehills were laid out
on an extensive scale, and were adorned by gardens, conserva-
tories, and lakes. Previous to the time that the Earl of Hope-
toun undertook the formation of Raehills a popular idea pre-
vailed that the whole district did not contain a single tree in
which even a “cat could have been hanged.’’ The scene that
now meets the eye is entirely different. The whole valley is laid
out to the greatest advantage with numerous kinds of trees and
shrubs, which include many fine specimens of firs, beeches, and
oaks. Round about the mansion one of the most striking
features is the fine display of rhododendron shrubs. These are
very large and densely-foliaged, and when in bloom must pre-
sent a very imposing appearance. The visitors on Saturday, who
strolled along the walks in groups, found much to admire in the
grounds. After passing a lake in which a pair of swans and
their brood were disporting themselves, they went on to the
garden, which is situated in a sheltered position on the lower
ground, and is surrounded by walls. It is not extensive, and

204 FirLtD MEETINGS.

there is quite a small area under glass. It is, however, well
laid out, though from a utilitarian point of view, the flower dis-
play not being specially prominent.

The connection of the Johnstone family with the lands of
Raehills commences so early as the reign of King David the
Bruce, from whom a member of the family whose history has not
been traced obtained a charter of certain lands in the barony of
Kirkmichael. But these lands passed out of his hands in the
beginning of the following century, and though they reverted to
a branch of the family for the few years between 1605 and
1612, it was not till 1659 that they resumed undisturbed posses-
sion. The owner at this time was the second Earl of Hartfell,.
afterwards created first Earl of Annandale, who married Lady
Henrietta Douglas. His son, William, who was a famous
statesman, is described as the greatest of all the long line of his.
family. He lived in the reign of six sovereigns, and played
various parts, taking a hand in the Revolution of 1688, though
he was afterwards restored to royal favour and was created
Marquis of Annandale in 1701. He was succeeded by two of
his sons, neither of whom had issue—so that the marquisate
became dormant in 1792—and one of his daughters married
the Earl of Hopetoun, who adopted Raehills as his principal
Annandale residence. Their great-grand-daughter, Anne, mar-
ried Sir William Johnstone Hope, who served with distinction in
the time of Nelson, being attached to the Bellerophon. A pic-
ture of the Admiral and Lady Anne and their family occupies
a prominent position in the dining-room at Raehills, and there
is a half-length portrait of the Admiral in the Court-house,
Dumfries. Their eldest son, Mr John James Hope-Johnstone,
was for long convener of the county, and there is a full-length
portrait of him in the Court-house. In 1825 he claimed the title
of Earl of Annandale, but this was repelled by the House of
Lords, who again in 1879 adhered to their resolution. His
grandson, Mr John James Hope-Johnstone of Annandale, who
was M.P. for the county in 1874-1880, is the present laird of
Raehills. It may be mentioned that the famous Ben Jonson
was really not a Jonson, but a Johnstone, a descendant of the
Annandale Johnstones.

Before leaving, Mr James Barbour, architect, Dumfries,
in a few appropriate words voiced the visitors’ appreciation of

FIELD MEETINGs. 205

the beauties of Raehills, of the privilege of inspecting the seat
of such an ancient family as the Johnstones, and of the hospi-
tality of their host. Mr John F. Cormack, solicitor, Locker-
bie, seconded the vote of thanks. Mr Hope-Johnstone, in reply,
said he had great pleasure in receiving the party and giving them
an opportunity of viewing the place. — It being a fine day, they
had had a_ pleasant drive, and that, he thought, was_ half
the battle. He would be glad to see them back at Rae-
hills on a future occasion. Mr Arnott, the secretary, pro-
posed the election of Mr and Mrs Thomson, George Street, as
members of the society. He said it had been greatly to the
advantage of the society to come to Raehills, and he was sure
they would be glad to avail themselves of Mr Hope-Johnstone’s
kind invitation at another date. The two parties then took
their seats in the brakes, hearty cheers being raised as they
made their departure homewards.

I3th September, 1908.
IN CUMBERLAND.
(From the Dumfries and Galloway Standard.)

A party of twenty-two members of the Dumfries and Gallo-
way Natural History and Antiquarian Society crossed the Solway
on Saturday and paid a visit to the villages of Bowness and
Burgh-by-Sands. As they steamed across the Viaduct, shortly
before noon, a strong tide was flowing up the firth, under a
brilliant sun. Alighting on the English shore, they turned their
attention first to vestiges of the Roman Wall, which had its
eastern end here and its western end seventy-two miles distant, at
Wallsend, on Tyne. The remains are scanty, for the village,
its church, the farm buildings and farm fences of the district,
have all been built out of the quarry which the wall itself and
the camp or station at Bowness furnished. Houses built within
the last fifty years were pointed out for which the stones had
been taken from the wall. Large part of the village sits within
the space which the camp had occupied; and the fosse which
marked its western boundary and part of a rampart at the north-
eastern angle are still apparent, the latter being a mound in a

206 Titty MEETINGS.

back garden overlooking the firth. A small altar stone, dedi-
cated to Jupiter, has been built into the front wall of a stable
adjoining the King’s Arms Hotel. The inscription is now much
weathered. ‘The line of the wall itself can be traced pretty
continuously in the fields between Bowness and Port Carlisle.
At no point does it now rise much above the level of the sur-
rounding land; but at some places—where it slopes towards a
water course, for example—the masonry can be detected. It
was a herculean work, one of the many wonderful products of
mechanical skill and vast labour which the Romans scattered
over the lands which they held temporarily in their grip. A
massive structure, twelve to fifteen feet high, and some eight
feet broad, it was faced on both sides with squared freestone,
conveyed often from distant quarries, and filled inside with
rubble, bound together with strong mortar. At every mile there
was a guard house, or “ mile-castle;’’ every few miles a fully
equipped station for a body of troops. And a deep fosse was.
excavated alongside the wall, on its northern side, as an addi-
tional defence. About fifteen thousand men, the late Dr Bruce
has calculated, would be required to garrison the wall. The
same authority estimates that the stone wall and the earthen
rampart, or “vallum,’’ which crossed the same belt of country
and was roughly parallel with it, would engage the labour of
ten thousand men for two years, and represent an outlay of more
than a million pounds of our currency. MHadrian’s Wall is the
name popularly applied to the stone structure; and Dr Bruce
regards it and the vallum as contemporary works, and ascribes
them both to that Emperor, who visited Britain in 119. But it
is open to question whether it was not simply the vallum that was.
the work of Hadrian, and the wall itself was erected during the
later reign of Severus, when it had been resolved to give up the
attempt to conquer Scotland, and to fix the line from Tyne to
Solway as the boundary of the Roman Empire.

The Solway at Bowness presents at full tide a sheet of water
two miles in breadth; but when the tide recedes its sands are
left bare to such an extent that it is fordable by those who know
how to avoid the dangers of the course; and until the building
of the railway viaduct brought the opposite shores into closer
contact, a carrier at Dornock Brow used to act as ferryman, if
we may use the word. A board displayed as a signal on the

FirLtp MEETINGS. 207

English side brought him across with his cart for the conveyance
of passengers or goods.

The parish church of Bowness, which is said to date from
about the year 1300, is a building remarkable for the unusual
size and strength of buttresses supporting it, on the south side
and at the east and west ends. Doubtless a stone roof at one
time added to the weight resting on the walls. The bells are
hung in a belfry of peculiar flattened shape. Within a porch are
placed two disused bells, one of them bearing the date 1616,
the other without any date or inscription, which are known as.
“the stolen bells of Bowness.’’ The story is that they were
carried off by a party of English raiders from the churches of
Middlebie and Dornock, and that the Scotsmen by way of
reprisal came over the Solway and took with them those of
Bowness. These must have been sportive expeditions. It is
said of the mosstroopers of earlier date that they would carry off
anything which was neither too hot nor too heavy; but they
generally, we fancy, sought something more utilitarian and less.
unwieldy than church bells. The church was restored some
nineteen years ago; but its fine old architectural features have
been preserved, alongside the elegance of modern equipment.
The baptismal font is a massive and curious piece of antique
carving, which had lain neglected for generations in a village
garden.

Driving from Bowness to Burgh (which the Cumbrian pro-
nounces Bruff), the way lay for some distance close to the Solway
and along a road still wet from having been overflowed by the
21-feet tide of the previous night. At Port Carlisle, a mile
from Bowness, is another tiny altar stone, built into the wall of
the Steam Packet Inn. The name of the inn and the island
remanant of a stout stone pier belong to a period when this was.
a busy shipping centre; but Silloth has long since superseded
it as the port of Carlisle, and the barrier interposed by the Sol-
way Viaduct prevents any ships from now reaching it. The
“ dandy railway,’’ along which a one-horse car runs in the track
of the old canal, links the stranded village on to the locomotive
railway system at Drumburgh. At the latter place (three miles
and three-quarters from Bowness) was a small military station
of the Romans; and there is, in good preservation and serving
as a farmhouse, a castle or fortified manor house of the Lords

208 FIELD MEETINGS.

Dacre of the north. In the further course of the drive (extend-
ing to about eight miles in all) several pleasant and quaint-
looking little villages were passed, and some farmhouses, at one
of which a flock of white turkeys was observed. Burgh-by-
Sands, the objective of the journey, is a long village, bright with
flower gardens, with an air of ease and comfort, and a pleasant
flavour of the antique in its architecture. Its chief object of
interest is the church. Erected somewhere between 1080 to
1150, it has been well cared for, and the work of restoration
recently carried out has been judiciously restrained ; so that the
fine old pillars and arches are fully preserved. Attached to the
church, and forming with it one building, is a massive square
tower intended as a place of strength, and with seven-feet thick
walls loopholed for the purpose of firing on assailants. The
vaulted chamber which forms the basement is entered from the
nave of the church by a doorway in which the iron grill remains
in situ. A narrow winding stair gives access to the upper
chambers and to the belfry. The Rev. J. Baker, vicar of the
church, who met the party and kindly acted as their guide, re-
marked that in all probability the same bell which tolled from
that tower on the death of Queen Victoria tolled also the
requiem for Edward I., when he died in his tent on Burgh March
601 years ago. Train arrangements did not permit of time to
visit the modern monument which marks that spot, and which
was seen in the distance.

On the return to Bowness a business meeting was held,
under the presidency of Dr Maxwell Ross, and the following
new members were admitted to the Society:—Mr W. Common,
Gracefield, Dumfries; Mr Maitland-Heriot of Whitecroft; Mr
R. Pairman Miller, 50 Queen Street, Edinburgh; Mr J. J.
Carruthers, Sunderland; Mrs R. S. Dewar, George Street,
Dumfries; Mr Bell, Schoolhouse, Parton; Mr R. W. Miln,
Annandale Estate Office, Hillside, Lockerbie.

209

&

Soot tk Or ACCOUNTS
For Year ending 30th September, 1908.

CHARGE.

Balance from last year... S56 £617 4
Annual Subscriptions, 307 at os, 21 at Qs 6d, 8 Arrears,

1 Life Member... : 6

Lo

~—

Transactions sold . ae! ae: ae Ss tes
Interest on Deposit. Receipt 558 ae ss as ist (
Arrears of Subscriptions ... ae as at Be :

i

1

Sue oo
to
Ore bo Cr
or ano

1

£75 4 9

=I
co

DISCHARGE.

]. Rent, Taxes, and Insurances ... <r £8 16 0

2. Books bought and Transactions printed and issued—
Subscription for Periodicals _... foe a £20 2,
Books bought... ods 5 10
Dumfries Standard ‘for printing Transactions 24 0
Aberdeen Free Press for Blocks zs se 0 18
Posts and Delivery of Transactions, &c. ... 5 12

Nocory

eo
wo
to
i

Note.—This item includes the expense of posts of most of
the last two issues of the Transactions.
3. Stationery, Advertising—
J. Swan... eee ack SOE spo) 0)
Advertising 1 Meetings 50 2
J. Maxwell & Son, Printing and Addressing
Post Cards calling Meetings 9

—— 1115 9
4, Miscellaneous—
A. Turner, Chemist, Oxygen, &c. ...
Rae Brothers, Photographic Dealers
Commission on Cheques : se
Gratuities ...
Cabs as
Secretary’s Outlays
Treasurer’s Do.

th
ee Coe OOO
fs pet

=
SOW W - w
Coroncreco

5. Cash on Deposit Reeth! Life Member’s Sub-
scription : :
On hand

ee |
eo
co

8 4 0
Arrears outstanding Ee me be oo . AS 215 0

£75 4 9

We have examined the Books and Accounts of the Dumfriesshire and
Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society for the year ending
30th September last, and certify that the foregoing Abstract exhibits a
true and correct account of the Treasurer’s operations.

(Sgd.) JOHN SYMONS, Auditor.
BERTRAM M‘GOWAN, Auditor.
Dumfries, 3rd October, 1908.

210

EXHIBITS AND PRESENTATIONS
TO THE. SOCIETY:

StS So .LON 190"*7-S.

4TH OcToBER, 1907.

Mr James Barbour—Photograph of Roman helmet found at
Newstead Camp, Melrose.

Dr J. W. Martin—Natural history specimens.

Professor Scott-Elliot—Haloragia and Abelia.

Mr Samuel Arnott—Acaena burs, Tolmeia Menziesii.

lst NOVEMBER.

Mr Wellwood Maxwell—A number of specimens of tree diseases.

Professor Scott-Elliot—A number of specimens illustrating his
presidential address.

Mr William M‘Cutcheon—Specimens of local fungi, including
one of Gyromita esculenta, found near Thornhill, and said
at Kew to be the second recorded from Scotland.

Mr R. H. Hunter—Specimens of Black Currant Mite, specimens
of Spruce Gall attacking Larch—from Capenoch, Thornhill.

Mr Robert Service—Red Necked Phalarope, taken at Powfoot
on September 8th, 1907; Stone Whorl of large size and
beautifully incised pattern, sent to him by Mr John Hill,
found at Bowerhouses, Ruthwell.

15TH NOVEMBER.

Mr John Corrie, Moniaive—Stone Hammer, found near Auchen-
stroan, Glencairn, 24th May, 1907, by, and the property
of, Mr Hyslop; curious old Knife, found near Lorg, Dalry,
the property of Mr Thomas Kerr, Holmhead.

Dr J. W. Martin—Old Property Receipt Book for rents, etc.,
paid.

EXHIBITS AND PRESENTATIONS. 211

6TH DECEMBER.

Mr John M. Corrie—Stone Axe.

Lady Johnson-Ferguson—Photograph of Ancient Tombstone,
recently found in Kirkconnell Old Churchyard, with an
interesting note thereon (vide Proceedings at Meeting of
December 6th). The Photograph presented.

20TH DECEMBER.

Mr John T. Johnstone, Moffat—MS. Catalogue of the Library of
the Marquis of Annandale.

Mr Andrew Watt, M.A.—Block showing Rainfall at Cargen
from 1866 to 1905. Presented to the Society.

17TH January.

Mr Thomas Fraser—Old Account Book, which belonged to the
Carruthers’ Family of Rammerscales. Presented.

Provost Nicholson—Old Book, printed in Glasgow in 1772 “for
E. Wilson, Bookseller in Dumfries.’

Miss Hearder—Copy of Bewick’s “ Birds’’ and Old Indian
Teapot.

6TH Marcu.

Mrs Bryce Duncan, on behalf of Mr Henderson, Logan—A very

fine collection of about 1600 Church Tokens.

20TH Marcu.

Mr Geddes—A number of Micro-Photographs by his brother,
Mr Geddes, London.

Mr Bertram M‘Gowan—British Butterflies, illustrating his
lecture.

25TH APRIL.

At the District Meeting at Annan Colonel Jackson and others
exhibited a large number of interesting Curios and
Antiquities together with Natural History Specimens, the
most interesting of which were a stone hammer head found
in a field near Rigg-of-Gretna ; a number of coins of the
time of Robert I., Edward I., and William the Lion ;
Burmese knife ; Afghan sword, with which several murders.
had been committed ; Burmese comb, Burmese dice box,
Burmese spoons, opium pipe, two old monastery seals,
brooch of a Roman soldier; brooch worn by a Royalist in

212 EXHIBITS AND PRESENTATIONS.

the time of Charles I., containing two cameo portraits.
Other exhibits were :—Ticket admitting Andrew Glendinning
to the freedom of the burgh of Annan in 1802; Bible 275
years old, with genealogical tree from Adam to Christ, and
“Psalms of Spiritual Songs,’’ with music, etc.

18TH May.

Professor Scott-Elliot—A number of interesting Plants.

Dr J. W. Martin—Stone Coral from the Arbigland Reef and
other Specimens and Curios.

Rev. H. A. Whitelaw—A Coin of Claudius, struck to commemo-
rate the Conquest of Great Britain by the Romans.

Mr Robert Rawson-—A number of specimens of Wool and other
Textile Raw Material. (Mr Rawson gave an interesting

explanation of the materials and their values and uses.)

Miss A. Murphie—An Old Edition of “ Peden’s Prophecies.’’

213

itea On xX CHANGES:

. The British Museum.

. The Advocates’ Library, Edinburgh.

. Bodleian Library, Oxford.

. University Library, Cambridge.

. The British Natural History Department, South Kensington.
. The Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union; The Museum, Hull.

. The United States Department of Agriculture, Washington,

U.S.A.

. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.
. Meriden Scientific Society, Meriden, Connecticut, U.S.A.
. Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences, Minneapolos,

Minnesota, U.S.A.

. The Hawick Archeological Society, Hawick.

Harvard College of Comparative Zoology, Harvard, Cam-
bridge, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

. Austral Association for Science, 5 Elizabeth Street, Sydney,

Australia.

. The Edinburgh Botanical Society, Royal Botanical Gardens,

Edinburgh.

- New York Academy of Sciences, New York, U.S.A.
. Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia,

Pas, U.S.A.

. Rochester Academy of Sciences, Rochester, New York,

U.S.A.

. Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences, Staten Island,

New Brighton, Borough of Richmond, New York, U.S.A.

. Liverpool Institute of Commercial Research in the Tropics,

Public Museum, Liverpool.
Buenos Ayres Museo Nacional, Museo Nacional, Buenos
Ayres, Argentina.

. Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn, New

York, U.S.A.

. The Edinburgh Geological Society, Edinburgh. (D. Gloag,

214

23.
24.

25.
26.

27.
28.

29.
30.
ol.
32.

33.
34,

35.
36.

37.
38.
39.
AO.
41.

42.
43.

44,

Ad.

List OF EXCHANGES.

India Buildings, George IV. Bridge, Edinburgh, Secre-
tary.)

Geological Society of Glasgow, Bath Street, Glasgow.

Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences, Madison,
Wisconsin, U.S.A.

Banffshire Field Club, Banff.

Berwickshire Naturalists’ Club, c/o Rev. J. Marshall Aitken,
Ayton, N.B.

Glasgow Natural History Society, Bath Street, Glasgow.

Perthshire Society of Natural Science, Natural History
Museum, Tay Street, Perth.

Stirling Natural History and Archeological Society, Stirling.

Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club, Belfast, Ireland.

Cardiff Naturalists’ Society, Cardiff, Wales.

Essex Field Club, Essex County Museum of Natural His-
tory, Romford, Essex.

Holmesdale Natural History Club, Reigate.

Marlborough College of Natural History, The College,
Marlborough.

Nova Scotia Institute of Science, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Smithsonian Institute, U.S. National Museum, Washington,
ss. A.

Davenport Academy of Natural Sciences, Davenport, Iowa,
U.S.A.

Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, Chapelhill, N. Carolina,
U.S:A.

U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, U.S.A.

U.S. Bureau of Ethnology, Washington, U.S.A.

Glasgow Archeological Society, 88 West Regent Street,
Glasgow.

The Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Queen Strs=. Edin-
burgh.

British Association for the Advancement of Sciexze, Burling-
ton House, London, W.

Canadian Institute, 198 College Street, Toronto.

LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE SOGIETY.

SESSION 1907-8.

Those who joined the Society at its reorganisation on 3rd
November, 1876, are indicated by an asterisk.

LIFE MEMBERS.
Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, KG. j-KA. 410th Jan., 1895.

Earl of Mansfield, Scone Palace, Perth............... 18th Noy., 1907.
F. R. Coles, Paliehavely re ens t ot llth Nov., 1881.
Wm. D. Robinson Douglas, F.L.S., Orchardton...... lith Noy., 1881.
Thomas Fraser, Maxwell Knowe, Dalbeattie ......... 2nd March, 1888.
Alex. Young Herries, Spottes, Dalbeattie.

ends Hope-Johnstone, Raehills, Lockerbie ............ 3rd May, 1884.
Wm. J. Herries Maxwell, “Munches) ..0...0.0.-<.ccec:cs... Ist Oct., 1886.

Sir Mark J. M‘Taggart Stewart, Bart., Southwick...7th June, 1884.

HONORARY MEMBERS.

Baker, J. G., F.R.S., F.L.S., V.M.H., 3 Cumberland

Ld CE ees ele 2nd May, 1890.
Brown, J. Harvie, F.L.S., Dunipace House, Larbert.
Carruthers, Wnm., F.R.S., British Museum.
Chinnock, KE. Js ED: - 44 Brackley Road,

ELIT 0 AO oe a 5th Nov., 1880.
M‘Andrew, James, 69 Spotteswoode Street, Edinburgh.
Sharp, Dr David, F.R.S., Cambridge.
Shirley, G. W., UCU cee 28th Oct., 1904.
Wilson, Jos., Loi F270 (SAE are 29th June, 1888.

CORRESPONDING MEMBERS.

Anderson, Dr Joseph, LL.D., H.R.S.A., Assistant Secretary
Society of Antiquities of Scotland, Keeper of the National
Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh.

Borthwick, Dr A. W., B.Sc., Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

216 List oF MEMBERS.

Bryce, Professor Thos. H., M.A., M.D., F.R.S.E., F.S.A.Scot., ©
Lecturer on Anatomy, Glasgow University, Member of the
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments, 2
Grantley Terrace, Glasgow. ‘

Curle, James, W.S., F.S.A.Scot., Priorwood, Melrose.

Gregory, Professor J. W., D.Se., F.R.S., F.R.S.E., F.G.S.,
M.1I.M.M., etc., Professor of Geology, Glasgow University.

Holmes, Professor E. M., F.L.S., F.R.B.S., Edinburgh and London,
F.R.H.S., etc., 17 Bloomsbury Square, London, W.C.

Johnstone, R. B., Hon. Secretary and Editor, Andersonian Natural-
ists’ Society, 17 Cambridge Drive, Glasgow.

Keltie, J. Scott-, LL.D., F.S.A.Scot., Secretary, Royal Geographical
Society, Hon. Member Royal Scottish Geographical Society, 1
Savile Row, Burlington Gardens, London, W.

Lewis, F. J., F.L.S., Lecturer in Geographical Botany, The
University, Liverpool.

Macdonald, Dr George, M.A., LL.D., 17 Learmonth Gardens, Edin-
burgh.

Reid, Clement, F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., 28 Jermyn Street, London,
S.W.

Rhys, Professor Sir John, M.A., D.Litt., Professor of Celtic, and
Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, Fellow of the Britis’
Academy.

Smith, Miss Annie Lorraine, B.Sc., F.L.S., Temporary Assistant,
Botanical Department, British Museum, 20 Talgarth Road,
West Kensington, London, W.

Watt, Andrew, M.A., F.R.S.E., Secretary Scottish Meteorological
Society, 122 George Street, Edinburgh.

ORDINARY MEMBERS.

Affleck, James, Castle-Douglas ............,.......055- 23rd March, 1907.
Agnew, Sir A. N., Bart., of Lochnaw, Stranraer ...... 9th Jan., 1891.
Aitken, Miss M. Carlyle, 2 Dunbar Terrace,

PD UTMGIOS CA Mick Jaebeioseeis see eet Ortahbineen ee nero eet Ist June, 1883.
Andson, Rev. W., Newall Terrace, Dumfries ......... 3rd Oct., 1886.
Amps Reyna, Luubhwelll ...ocnesecsosecemecsreatoaman: 4th July, 1908.
Armstrong, T. G., Timber Merchant, 24 Rae Street,

Dumillries. | sea Alecicctasiaeudssekesunemendieec ante sto senes 9th Sept., 1905.
Armstrong, F., Burgh Surveyor, Dumfries ............ 6th Oct., 1905.

Arnott, S., F.R.H.S., Sunnymead, Maxwelltown ...... 5th Feb., 1893.
Armistead, W. H., Kippford, Dalbeattie.
Atkinson, Mrs, The Ladies’ Club, Castle Street,

DV UWMENIOS',«) 6 Ges Pass s web schnid ce cheendamoeseseen seca oe 28th Oct., 1904.
Aitchison, Rev. Wm., M.A., Glendower, Castle-

Bo apes | steric aaa tsa tet Saas sys A Sethe ae aie ie 19th Jan., 1908.

List or MEMBERS.

Barbour, James, F.S.A.Scot., St. Christopher’s,

ID NMI ee toéothoopkige dosedee CBUNeSUCO cnc OnerE care 3rd Dec.,
Barbour, Robert, Belmont, Maxwelltown ............ 4th March,
Barbour, Robert, Solicitor, Maxwelltown ............... llth May,
Barker, John, Redlands, Dumfries ..................... 23rd Sept.,
Beattie, Thos., Davington, Langholm .................. 30th May,
Bedford, His Grace the Duke of ....................:00006 7th Feb.,
Bedford, Her Grace the Duchess of ..................0.005 7th Feb.,
Bell, Richard, of Castle O’er, Langholm ............... 30th May,
Bell, T. Hope, Morrington, Dunscore .................. 22nd Oct.,

Bell, James, Schoolhouse, Parton.

Bennet, Thos., Knockbrex Gardens, Kirkcudbright, 5th April,
Blacklock, J. E., Solicitor, Dumfries ..................... 8th May,
Borland, John, Auchencairn, Closeburn ............... 7th Sépt.,
Bowie, J. M., The Hain, Dalbeattie Road, Maxwell-

DEVIL, Sea pisls eles sursaiisr thccicraidenustelds oven tiran iat. Pemonae ees 15th Dec.,
Brodie, D., Ravenscraig, Rotchell Road, Dumfries, 23rd Dec.,
Browne, Sir James Crichton, 61 Carlisle Place,

Mansions, Victoria Street, London, 8.W. ...... 3rd Sept.,

Brown, Stephen, Borland, Lockerbie .................. 10th June,
Brown, 2. M.,Closeburn, ‘Thornhill +..........-.-006.-.: 6th Aug.,
Bryson, Alex., Irish Street, Dumfries .................. 6th Feb.,
Byers, J. R., Solicitor, Lockerbie ........................ 14th Sept.,
Cairns, Rev. J., Rotchell Park, Dumfries ............... 6th Feb.,
Carns, Re D.. (Selmar, Dumiries ..cysicsdsco.cscsewes os 20th Dec.,
Campbell, Rev. J. Montgomery, St. Michael’s Manse,
DIN EP TOS es | cee race asteaec mse eo sae esas aastere SeeseAndube 15th Dec.,
Campbell, Rev. J. Marjoribanks, Torthorwald ...... 21st Nov.,
Carmont, James, Castledykes, Dumfries .................. 6th Feb.,
Carruthers, J. J., Park House, Southwick-on-Weir,
SUT LON AIC MMe Ae a enn foie Macs absciseumccdoese ss ste Oct.,
Clarke, Dr, Charlotte Street, Dumfries ............... 6th June,
Charlton, John, Huntingdon, Dumfries ............... 15th Dec.,
Chapman, A., Dinwiddie Lodge, Lockerbie ................2...000006
Crichton, Douglas, F.S.A.Scot., London ............... 7th Feb.,
DOA mW WAL Ob. Dalslcaimbhn pyese tess sisceceseces occas sss 18th Sept.,
Common, W. Bell, Gracefield, Dumfries ............... 14th Sept.,
Copland, Miss, The Old House, Newabbey ............ 5th July,
Cormack, J. F., Solicitor, Lockerbie...................:- 4th June,
Corrie) Jos:, Millbank Maxwoelltown .......000.s.s00c0.0sseecteseeers
Corrie, John, Burnbank, Moniaive ...................5 6th Aug.,
Corrie, John M., St. Michael’s Street ................5- 4th Oct.,
Cowan, John, Glenview, Maxwelltown ................-. 15th Dec.,
Cossar, Thos., Craignee, Maxwelltown ............... 23rd Oct.,
*Davidson, James, Summerville, Maxwelltown ...... 3rd Noyv.,
Davidson, J., Hillhead, Bankend Road, Dumfries...10th May,
Dewar, R. S., 35 George Street, Dumfries ........... ard Nov.,

Dickie, Wm., Merlewood, Maxwelltown .................. 6th Oct.,

218 List OF MEMBERS.

Dickson, G. S., Moffat Academy, Moffat ............... 14th Sept.,
*Dinwiddie, W. A., Bridgebank, Buccleuch Street,

DamMEPISs its tac: . dahemcanuarin concrete onseaecee esc 3rd Nov.,
Dinwiddie Rey. da L.. evutbiwelll.ccnsesct.ssaecever econ 18th May,
Dinwiddie, R., Overton, Moffat Road, Dumfries...9th March,
Dods, J. W., St. Mary’s Place, Dumfries ............ 2nd March,
Drummond, Bernard, Plumber, Dumfries ............... 7th Dec.,
Drummond, J. G., Stewart Hall, Dumfries ............ 17th Nov.,
Duncan, Jno. Bryce, of Newlands, Dumfries ......... llth Feb.,
Duncan, Mrs, of Newlands, Dumfries .................. 20th Dec.,
Dunlop, Rev. S., Irongray Manse, Dumfries ......... 10th June,
Easterbrook, Dr, Crichton House, Dumfries ...... 20th March,
Edie, Rev. W., Greyfriars’ Manse, Dumfries ......... 15th Dec.,
Foster, Wm., Nunholm, Dumfries ........................ 20th Oct.,
Fergusson, Rev. G. F., St. Mary’s Place, Dumfries...15th Dec.,
Forbes, Rey. Ji. M., Kirkmahoe ...................---- 21st Nov.,
Gillespie, Wm., Solicitor, Castle-Douglas ............... 14th May,
Gladstone, H. Stewart, F.Z.S., Lannhall, Thornhill, 15th July,
Gladstone, Mrs H. S., Lannhall, Thornhill ............ 13th July,
Gladstone, J. B., Architect, Lockerbie .................. 15th Feb.,
Glover, John, W.S., 1 Hill Street, Edinburgh ......... 23rd Nov.,
Gooden, W. H., Glebe Terrace, Dumfries ............ 14th Sept.,
Gordon, Robert, Brockham Park, Betchworth,

SUMTEV AU Ussececes' sc or steeue vrac Mev more ee 10th May,
Gordon, Miss, Kenmure Terrace, Dumfries ......... 14th Sept.,
Grahame, Mrs, Springburn Cottage, Kilbarchan,

Rentrewsahinon acc. ecm iresce arora cee ee 28th July,
Grierson, John, Town Clerk, Dumfries .................. 6th Oct.,
Grierson, R. A., Town Clerk, Dumfries ............... 15th March,
Haining, John M., Solicitor, Dumfries ............... 21st Nov.,
Halliday, T. A., Leafield Road, Dumfries ............ 26th Jan.,
Halliday, Mrs, Leafield Road, Dumfries ............ 26th Jan.,
Halliday, W. J., Esthwaite, Lochmaben ............ 6th April,
Evalliday.n D> aliockerbie, <srceccd suse eee eneeee 24th Feb.,
Hannay, Miss, Langlands, Dumfries .................. 6th April,
Hannay, Miss J., Langlands, Dumfries ............... 6th April,
Hare, H. Leighton, Lochvale, Dumfries ............ 10th June,
Hastie, D. H., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ......... 24th Feb.,
Henderson, Mrs, Logan, Cumnock ...................0- 18th Dec.,
Henderson, James, Solicitor, Dumfries ............... 9th Aug.,
Henderson, John, Solicitor, Dumfries .................. 5th July,
Henderson, Thos., Solicitor, Lockerbie ............... 17th Oct.,
Herries, Right Hon. Lord, Everingham Park, York-

SMG oh. Spats ca teu awesia vs.c season ea aeeece eee tue 10th Jan.,
Heriot, W. Maitland, Whitecroft ..................66 14th Sept.,
Hill, Edward J., Ladyfield, Dumfries ............... 25th Nov.,

Houston, James, Marchfield, Dumfries
Hughes, Rev. G. D., Dumfries ...........ss0eccsesereeees 25th April,

1907.

1876.
1908.
1883.
1883.
1888.
1905.
1898.
1907.
1905.
1908.
1905.
1908.
1905.
1908.
1892.
1905.
1907.
1907.
1906.
1907.

1895.
1907.

1906.
1882.
1907.
1908.
1906.
1906.
1906.
1906.
1888.
1888.
1905.
1906.
1908.
1905.
1890.
1902.

1895.
1908.
1904.
1905.
1908.

List OF MEMBERS.

Hughes, Mrs, Dumfries .................+5,

Behe ceo 25th April,

Hunter, Dr Joseph, Castle Street, Dumfries .........
Irving, Colonel, of Bonshaw, Annan ..................... 18th Jan.,
Irving, John B., Balmacneil, Ballinluig, Perthshire 16th Oct.,

Irving, John A., West Fell, Corbridge
Irving, H. C., Burnfoot, Heclefechan

-on-Tyne ....

24th June,

..7th Dec.,

Irvine, Wm. Ferguson, F.S.A.Scot., Birkenhead ...7th Feb.,
Jackson, Colonel, 6 Fruid’s Park, Annan ...........
Johnson-Ferguson, Sir J. E., Bart., of Springkell,

Weclefechaids scrtcaeetece eee

Johnstone, John T., Victoria House, Moffat ......... 4th April,
Johnstone, T. F., Balvaig, Maxwelltown ............ 12th Sept.,
Johnstone, Mrs, Victoria Terrace, Dumfries ......... 17th Feb.,
Johnstone, W. S8., Victoria Terrace, Dumfiies ...... 11th Feb.,
Johnstone, T. 8., Victoria Terrace, Dumfries.

pawn Corde veiay Ot, Mabie (sistem ceoren ttecigscenetecniate ss 6th March,
Kidd, Rev. Thos., U.F. Manse, Moniaive ......... 29th June,
Kirkpatrick, Rev. R. S., The Manse, Govan ......... 17th Feb.,
Laidlaw, John, Plasterer, Lockerbie ..................... 18th Oct.,

Law, Rev. James, South U.F. Manse, Dumfries ...2nd June,
Little, Thos., Buccleuch Street, Dumfries ............

*Lennox, Jas., F.S.A.Scot., Edenbank, Maxwelltown, 3rd Noyv.,

Loreburn, The Right Hon. Lord, 6 Eton Square,
OTGONIN AAW 3 caudecscra dec teen ea ieee cose cr osce cect 9th Jan.,

Lowrie, Rev. W. J., Manse of Stoneykirk, Wigtown-

See Unie nandesias 2nd March,

BOUIN! 2 Sipe eer sce seiacucen saeteaecaaen ace
Lusk, Hugh D., Larch Villa, Annan .
Malcolm, A., George Street, Dumfries

Malcolm, W., Lockerbie Academy, Lockerbie ...... 14th Sept.,
Maloney, Miss Lily, Benedictine Convent, Dumfries, 4th Dec.,
Mann, R. G., Cairnsmore, Marchmount Park, Dum-

HT AR Meee ees Uta ectcis he ce ceiaesucinme Sema eats Fon GthED sateen 24th Oct.,
Manson, D., Maryfield, Dumfries ......................-- 16th June,
Manson, Mrs, Maryfield, Dumfries ..................... 16th June,
Matthews, Wm., Dunelm, Maxwelltown ............ 28th July,

Matthews, Mrs, Dunelm, Maxwelltown ...............
Martin, Dr J. W., Newbridge, Dumfries ..............
Marriot, C. W., 21 Burnbank Gardens, Glasgow ...27th June,
Maxwell, Sir H., Bart., of Monreith, Wigtownshire...7th Oct.,
Maxwell, W. J., Terregles Banks, Dumfries .......
Maxwell, Wellwood, of Kirkennan, Dalbeattie .....
Maxwell, John, Tarquah, Maxwelltown ...............

Miln, R. W., Hillside, Lockerbie .....
Milligan, J. P., Aldouran, Maxwellto

Wh wc cece eeeees

Milligan, Mrs, Aldouran, Maxwelltown ...............
Mihaltsek, Miss Kathe, Benedictine Convent .......

Millar, F., Bank of Scotland, Annan

20th Jan.,

219

1908.
1905.
1901.
1903.
1906.
1907.
1908.
1905.

1896.
1905.
1890.
1908.
1896.
1898.

1908.
1895.
1896.
1901.
1905.
1907.
1876.

1891.

1908.
1908.
1894.
1907.
1908.

1900.
1906.
1906.
1906.
1906.

., 1896.

1907.
1892.
1879.
1886.
1905.
1908.
1905.
1905.
1908.
1886.

220 List OF MEMBERS

Millar, R. Pairman, S.S.C., 50 Queen Street, Edin-

[Ror ot Wie ea NR ee er Ree oer 14th Sept.,
Mond, Miss, Aberdour House, Dumfries ............ 9th Sept.,
Murdoch, F. J., Cluden Bank, Holywood ............... 21st Dec.,
Murphie, Miss Annie, Cresswell House, Dumfries...23rd Nov.,
Murray, G. Rigby, Parton House, Parton ............... 4th Dec.,
Murray, Wm., Murraythwaite, Ecclefechan ......... 8th Feb.,
Murray, Mrs, Murraythwaite, Kcclefechan ......... 29th July,
M‘Burnie, John, Castle Brae, Dumfries ............... 2lst Nov.,
M‘Call, James, of Caitloch, Moniaive ............... 29th June,
M‘Cargo, James, Kirkpatrick-Durham ............... 24th April,
M‘Cormick, Andrew, Solicitor, Newton-Stewart ...... 3rd Nov.,
M‘Cormick, Rev. F., F.S.A.Scot., Wellington, Salop 4th Oct.,
M‘Cracken, Miss, Fernbank, Lovers’ Walk ............ 9th Nov.,
M‘Cutcheon, Wm., B.Sc., Inverie, Park Road, Max-

PILES WHE to ee UR Es eee ae 18th Oct.,
Macdonald, J. C. R., W.S., Dumfries .................. 6th Nov.,
M‘Dowall, Rev. W., U.F. Manse, Kirkmahoe ...... 20th March,
M‘Evoy, Miss May, Benedictine Convent ............... 4th Dec.,
M‘Gowan, B., Solicitor, Dumfries ........................ 26th Oct.,
M‘Jerrow, David, Town Clerk, Lockerbie ............... 22nd Feb.,
Mackenzie, Colonel, of Auchenskeoch .................. 25th Aug.,
M‘Kerrow, M. H., Solicitor, Dumfries ............... 19th Jan.,
M‘Kerrow, Matt. S., Boreland of Southwick ............ 9th Jan.,
M‘Kie, John, R.N., Anchorlea, Kirkcudbright ...... 4th April,
MacKinnel, W. A., The Sheiling, Maxwelltown ...22nd Feb.,
MacKinnel, Mrs, The Sheiling, Maxwelltown ...... 22nd Feb.,
M‘Lachlan, Mrs Dryfemount, Lockerbie ............ 26th March,
MSpachlan, Jas,, M:D:., Lockerbie. <...::.-72.4.. 4. 25th Oct.,
Neilson, George, LL.D., Wellfield, Partickhill Road,

Glan Owils Stbecien sso, isk ocssscuee ted toe sosete acces 13th Dec.,
Neilson, J., of Mollance, Castle-Douglas ............ 13th March,
Nicholson, J. H., Airlie, Maxwelltown .................. 9th Aug.,
Ovens, Walter, of Torr, Auchencairn ............... 13th March,
‘Paismans Drs) Mofiat) sci.0.5.5.5-.cdebendsesttneeSacsenere! 24th Feb.,
Palmer, Charles, Woodbank Hotel, Dumfries ......... 29th July,
Paton, Rev. Henry, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh ...... 21st Nov.,
Payne, J. W., 8 Bank Street, Annan ..................... 8th Sept.,
Paterson, D., Solicitor, Thornhill .........................5- 4th July,
Paterson, John, 7 Holmend, Moffat ........................ 4th Dec.,
Pattie, R., Buccleuch Street, Dumfries ............... 23rd Oct
Penman, A. C., Mile Ash, Dumfries ..................... 18th June,
Penman, Mrs, Mile Ash, Dumfries ........................ 17th Oct.,
Phyn, C. S., Procurator-Fiscal, Dumfries ............ 6th Noyv.,
Pickering, R. Y., of Conheath, Dumfries ............ 26th Oct
Primrose, John, Solicitor, Dumfries ..................... 5th Dec.,
Proudfoot, John, Ivy House, Moffat ..................... 9th Jan.,

Rae, Rey. R. Neill, The Manse, Lochmaben

1908.
1905.

-» 1906.

1906.
1908.
1895.
1905.
1908.
1895.
1896.
1905.
1907.
1906.

1901.
1885.
1908.
1908.
1900.
1906.
1895.
1900.

-» 1890.

1881.
1906.
1906.
1906.
1895.

1895.
1896.
1904.
1896.
1906.
1905.
1908.

-, 1906.

1908.
1908.

, 1908.

1901.

-» 1905.
-» 1885.
-» 1900.

1889.
1890.
1906.

List OF MEMBERS.
. Rawson, Robert, Glebe Street, Dumfries ............... 4th Oct.,
Reid, James, Chemist, Dumfries.
Retdwukea@s, of Mouswald Rlacen... 3. ..0000.5>.0s0e00s- 18th Nov.,
oparusonee Or J. Mic, Pemponitsn-:-2-centscssostecesess i. 3rd Feb.,
Robson, John, Westbourne, Maxwelltown ............ 25th May,
Robson, Dr J. D., Maxwelltown 22.20.0005 icsccs0-s00 6th March,
Robertson, Rev. G. Philip, Sandhead U.F. Manse,
WiptownsbirGrs (yeeeteo tecste. oc ses es sacha csieci 20th March,

Romanes, J. M., B.Sc., 6 Albany Place, Dumfries...18th Jan.,
Ross, Dr J. Maxwell, Duntrune, Castle-Douglas

Ri@adlp 0 tacedeneta ate ce deeascdasselesscvarsaedessesstesss Ilth July,
“Rutherford, .J.,.cardineton, Damiries. 22.65... 0. -ecemse +. Nov.,
Saunders, Mrs, Rosebank, Lockerbie.
Scott-Elliot, G. F., F.L.S., F.R.G.S., of Newton,

IDIrienibares) | te AsnacrtenccodereceopOnee archon ee nea ce eoree 4th March,
Scott-Elliot, Mrs, Newton, Dumfries ..................... 26th Oct.,
Scott, Alexander, Solicitor, Annan ..................... 7th Nov.,
Scott, Rev. J. Hay, F.S.A.Scot., Sanquhar ............ 6th Aug.,
Scott, R. A., per Geo. Russell, Banker, Dumfries...... Ist Oct.,
Scott, S. H., Glebe Terrace, Dumfries .................. 4th July,
Scott, W. 8S., Redcastle, Dalbeattie ...................:. 14th Jan.,
Scott, W. Hart, The Hovel, Maxwelltown ............... 9th Nov.,
coun mre Wie. Clareneotield (....ctccn.c-.con sects oee nesonce 4th July,
Semple, Dr, D.Sc., Mile Ash, Dumfries ............... 12th June,

*Service, Robert, M.B.O.U., Maxwelltown

Service, Robert, Jun., Janefield, Maxwelltown...24th March,
Shannon, John P., Noblehill Mill, Dumfries ......... 18th Jan.,
Sinclair, James, Langlands, Dumfries ............... 20th March,
Smith, Miss, Llangarth, Maxwelltown .................. 6th Oct.,
Stark, Rev. W. <A., The Manse, Kirkpatrick-

IDA RETA Disses nace ene metiar cs BOL eG aa eE et aee 23rd Oct.,
Bimart, J. L. W., Catherine Strecet.:.:.....0...-<cs00s.00- 18th Dec.,
Stephen, Rev. W. L., St. Mary’s Manse, Moffat...... 28th June,
Stewart, William, Shambellie, Newabbey ............... 21st Dec.,
*Stobie, P., Cabinetmaker, Dumfries ..................... 3rd Nov.,

Swan, J., Stationer, Dumfries.

Symons, John Royal Bank, Dumfries .................. 2nd Feb.,
Symons, John, Solicitor, Dumfries ........................ 6th Nov.,
avlon pCaptatn Willtam, s.<s.s.cassedeisesssee os <aseete 20th March,
thomson, J. S-. Jeweller, Dumfries ...2....0+........-.- 3rd Nov.,
Thomson, Miss, c/o Miss Dunbar, Langlands, Dumfries.

Thomson, Mrs, George Street, Dumfries ............... 4th July,

Thomson, G. Ramsay, George Street, Dumfries ...... 4th July,
Thompson, Mrs H. A., Inveresk, Castle Street, Dum-

ELIOS UY Mey ee eee RE aoe stetiscicackccaticcatsesrs ....20th Nov.,
Todd, George Eyre, 7 Oakfield Terrace, Hillhead,
Glas owe ee Sis Peas Mice suhacsassaseeakt 6th Dec.,

Murner, Alex: Chemist, Wumiries ..26cs J. ceresa0sc2ces0 17th Oct.,

221

1907.

1907.
1886.
1895.
1908.

1908.
1907.

1891.
1876.

1887.
1906.
1890.
1887.
1890.

1908.
1908.
1904.
1906.
1876.

1883.
1885.
1908.
1876.

1908.
1908.

1904.

1902.
1905.

222 List OF MEMBERS.

Veitch, W. H., Factor, Hoddom ....................0: 26th Oct., 1900.
Waddell, 3. Bz, Airlie: Dutmiries <.2:.c2+--ee-ee-seeesee llth June, 1901.
Wallace, M. G., Terreglestown, Dumfries ............ lith March, 1898.
Wallace, James, The Hope, Moffat ......................5. 18th May, 1907.
Wallace, James Cecil, The Hope, Moffat ............ 18th May, 1907.
Wallace, Miss, Lochvale House, Lochmaben ............ 7th Oct., 1892.
Wallace, Robert, Durham Villa, Dumfries ............ 6th Nov., 1908.
Watt, James, Crawford Villa, Johnstone Park,

DiamMEriess py sevsccsattcascaseces anceendeacewedossont 7th March, 1879.
Watt, Miss, Crawford Villa, Johnstone Park,

Dumifrires: 7 hs. Mecscn-ccncsGastece so oeeee eee 6th Oct., 1905.
Watson, Thos., Castlebank, Dumfries ................... 9th Jan., 1880.
Weatherstone, Andrew, Bank of Scotland House,

DMM TES PAY danke vey taateroen ceca asaca te sateen Delsarte Ist Dec., 1905.
White, John, Oaklands, Noblehill ..................... 28th July, 1906.
White, Mrs, Oaklands, Noblehill ....................20.. 28th July, 1906.
Whitelaw, J. W., Solicitor, Dumfries ..................... 6th Nov., 1885.
Whitelaw, Rev. H. A., U.F. Manse, Albany,

Dinanifers 68). pdaitss eeissic gs Ret voidiee seat taaweaeegaecehee 20th May, 1904.
Wightman, Ji.; Post Office, Dumfries ...:::...........- 18th Nov., 1907.
Will, Geo., Farm Manager, Crichton Royal Institu-

THO! Ty Sau aer pease mean son achrince vacseaatoucoepeaqubsbesda. 28th July, 1906.
Wilson, Mrs, Castledykes Cottage, Dumfries ......... 24th May, 1905.
Wilson, Miss, Castledykes Cottage, Dumfries......... 24th Feb., 1906.
Wailsons Ji Riz, Solicitor, Sangubar gn...csaeteceeeseecees 2nd Oct., 1885.
Witham, Colonel J. K. Maxwell, C.M.G., of Kirk-

counel S| Diumiiries te crccarsacse.seseeceeconetectrcneet 7th March, 1890.
Witham, Miss Maud, Kirkconnel, Dumfries ............ 6th Feb., 1890.

Yerburgh, R. A., of Barwhillanty, Parton, R.S.O.,
per R. Powell, 25 Kensington Gore, London,
Wien beascatecsventsacewaccan seacueunntacanwcntuantmaaee 17th Feb., 1896.

PRESENTED
14 SEP 1909

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