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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at |http: //books .google .com/I ^ He N 5^ THE NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF SCOTLAND. VOL. III. THE NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OP SCOTLAND BY THE MINISTERS OF THE RESPECTIVE PARISHES, UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF A COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIETY FOR Td£ BENEFIT OF THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE CLERGY. VOL. III. ROXBURGH-PERBLKS-SELKIRK. WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON. MDCCCXLV. ROXBURGH. CONTENTS. ANCRUM, • PAGE 241 ASHKIRK, 268 BBDRULB, • 279 BOWDEN, 34 CASTLETOWN, • 440 CATERS, 425 CRAILINO, • 177 ECKPORD, 220 BDNAM, • 419 HAWICK, 379 HOBKIRK, • 208 HOUNAM, 188 JEDBURGH, • 1 KELSO, 298 KIRKTOWN, • 377 LBSSUDDEN, 104 LILLIBSLEAF, • 24 LINTON, 145 MAKERSTON, • 137 MAXTON, 115 MELROSE, • 51 MIMTO, 352 MOBBBATTLB AND MOW, 447 OXNAM, • • 252 ROBBRTON, • 87, ROXBURGH, • • 127 ST B08WBLL8, • 104 SMALHOLM, • • 141 80UTHDBAN, • 98 SPROUSTON, • • 235 STITCHBLL AND HUME, 456 WILTON, • • 76 TRTBOLM, • 159 f • » -k «•• PARISH OF JEDBURGH. PRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDilLE, THE REV. JOHN PURVES, MINISTER, I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The name of this parish appears to have been at a for- mer period indiscriminately written, Gedworde, Jedworth, Jedwood, and Jedburgh. The name of the river, which is the only essential part of these compounds, being anciently written Ged, and per- haps Gad, has given rise to the probable conjecture, that this was the principal seat of the Gadeni, a tribe who inhabited the district between the river Tiviot and Northumberland. Extent^ Sfc. — The parish consists of two detached portions, which are in figure exceedingly irregular. The first or lower division, (in which is situate the town of Jedburgh in Long. W 10'' W. in time, and Lat 55° 2d' 45" N.) is in some places seven miles long and five broad ; and the second, or higher division, is five miles long and four broad. The whole parish contains 38 square miles. It is bounded by the parishes of Ancrum and Crailing on the north; by Oxnam and Eckford on the east ; by Bedrule and Southdean on the west ; and by the county of Northumberland on the south. It is intersected by Oxnam and Southdean. Topographical Appearances, — The surface is greatly diversified, presenting an agreeable variety of hills and valleys. Through its centre runs the deep sinuous valley of the Jed ; whilst the higher ground on either side, indented by numerous ravines, rises by an undulating ascent to the height of nearly 300 feet above the level of the river. The highest hill in the neighbourhood of Jedburgh is the Dunian, which is 1 120 feet above the level of the sea ; but its summit is in the parish of Bedrule. In the higher part of the parish, there are several beautiful green hills of a conical form, two of which are upwards of 1 100 feet above the sea ; but, being situate near the Carter Fell, a mountain of the Cheviot range, the height of which is 2020 feet, their elevation is not conspicuous. Climate. — The climate varies considerably. In Jedburgh and ROXBURGH. A 2 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the valley, which are sheltered by the banks of the river, it is mild and temperate ; whilst in the higher and more exposed parts it is colder. The mean temperature is Al^ of Fahrenheit The mean pressure of the atmosphere is 29.3 inches. The greatest extremes during the last twenty years were 1821, December 25, 27.85 inches, and 1825, January 9, 30.55 inches. The town of Jed- burgh is remarkably healthy, being subject to fewer epidemical diseases than either of the neighbouring towns of Kelso and Hawick. Cholera, which, in the year 1832, visited both these places, never entered this parish, although it twice approached its very bounda- ries. As might be expected from the salubrity of the climate, there are numerous instances of longevity. At present, five or six per- sons are above ninety, and one has completed his hundredth year. At a Reform dinner which took place in 1832, the united ages of three women, including the chairwoman, amounted to 264. She occupied a chair which was made in the year 1674, and on which the Pretender had sat when he passed through Jedburgh in 1745, and her gown had seen 100 summers. Hydrography, — This parish possesses abundance of excellent pe- rennial springs, with a mean temperature of AT Fahrenheit. At Tudhope, about half a mile from Jedburgh, there is a spring strongly impregnated with sulphur and iron, which has long been resorted to for the cure of scorbutic disorders. There are several chalybeate springs, in various parts of the parish, and at GilUestongues there is a petrifying spring. The Jed, which flows through nearly the whole length of the parish, rises on the north side of the Carlin Tooth, one of the Cheviot mountains, in the parish of Southdean, at the distance of about fourteen miles from Jedburgh, and joins the Tiviot about two and a half miles below the town. It receives many tributary streamlets ; and rushing over a rocky channel, betwixt woody banks and lofty scars, fringed with shrubs, and crowned with the oak, the beech, and the weeping birch, presents in its course a suc- cession of highly picturesque and romantic scenes. Its general di- rection is from south to north. Its waters are pure and salubrious. Its breadth is about twenty yards ; and, having a fall of thirty feet per mile, its velocity is considerable. The eastern part of the pa- rish is watered by the Oxnam, and through the north of it flows the Tiviot, winding beautifully through its wide and fertile vale. Geology and Mineralogy. — The nature and position of the rocks afford abundant materials for the speculations of the geologist. At V JEDBURGH. 3 a quarter of a mile to the south of Jedburgh is the remarkable precipice of which Dr Hutton has given a drawing in his Theory of the Earth. There, both the primary and secondary formations are seen at one view. The strata of the primary rocks are vertical, and in many places their irregularity seems to indicate the effects of some great convulsion. These strata, at their junction with the secondary formation, are interspersed with thin layers of lime- stone. The strata of the secondary formation are horizontal, con- sisting of red freestone dent, alternating with soft sandstone of the same colour. This latter stratification is beautifully exempli- fied in the lofty precipitous banks of the Jed, throughout the lower part of its course. With the red are frequently combined thin strata of a pale yellow and of a bluish-gray. The strata are in ge- neral exceedingly regular, but there is no uniform dip. In some places there are remarkable breaks, as at Sunnybrae, where the general direction of the strata is suddenly interrupted, and they fall down in a direction nearly opposite ; and at Hundalee Mill, where they are curiously broken and bent into curves. At Kers- heugh the Jed is crossed by a dike of primary rocks, through which it appears to have forced its way with diflSculty. A similar dike occurs at Roughly-nook Hill, and runs in an easterly direction up Edgerston Rigg. Above the red there is abundance of excellent white sandstone, which may be found in all the more elevated si- tuations throughout the parish. Some of the hills, however, con- sist of whin reposing on the sandstone. At the Carter Fell, which forms the southern boundary of the parish, there is great plenty of excellent limestone ; and at Hunthill, about two miles from Jed- burgh, there are six strata ranged at different distances above each other, the thickest of which is nine inches. A temporary kiln was erected there about sixty years ago, but was soon abandoned on account of the expense of coal. In the glen near Hunthill House there are considerable appearances of coal formation ; and at a short distance from this, various trials had been made for coal, as appears from the council-records of Jedburgh, so early as the year 1660. In the year 1798 a bore was sunk, nine feet distant from an old pit, at the expense of the county of Roxburgh, to the depth of forty-five fathoms. At the depth of thirty-five fathoms, a hard bluish-gray freestone had just been pierced through, when the rods suddenly sunk four feet without any pressure. This ap- peared to some to confirm the current belief, that coals had been formerly found there ; and they explained the sudden descent of 4 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the rods on the supposition, that they had already been extracted in that direction. When forty-five fathoms had been reached without success, the directors ordered the old pit to be opened ; and when the workmen had proceeded to the depth of eight fathoms, they found the remains of a horse gin with an axle of oak, the iron part of which was much worn. They were unable to descend far- ther without machinery to draw off the water, and the funds being exhausted, the undertaking was relinquished. In digging amongst the rubbish thrown out of the old pit, a hard gray stone was found, with a piece of well-formed coal attached to one of its sides. The only ore hitherto found in the parish is that of iron, which occurs in a bed of about three feet thickness, at a short distance from Jedburgh, near the precipice already mentioned. It lies be- twixt the primitive and secondary formations. A quantity of vitri- fied matter was lately dug up on Howdean Moor, resembling what is found at vitrified forts. It was comprised, however, within the space of six feet. The soil did not appear to have been exposed to the action of fire. In draining bogs at Scarsburgh and Hunt- hill, hazelnuts, together with a few remnants of black oak, were found at the depth of ten feet Oak-trees of great dimensions are occasionally found in the alluvial soil at the side of the Tiviot. As might be expected from the extent of the parish, and the inequality of the surface, the soil is various, consisting of clay, of a mixture of clay and sand or gravel in various proportions, and in the neighbourhood of Jedburgh chiefly of loam. Zoology. — The squirrel is found in the parish. The horned-owl, the fern-owl, and the kingsfisher, are frequently found on the banks of the Jed ; and in the more elevated parts of the parish, the plover, the dotterel, and fieldfare, are common. The starling, which for many years had disappeared, has again returned, and be- come common. The following are a few of the rare insects : — Bembidium impressunij Tetratoma fungorum^ Nitidida punctatis- sima^ N. grisect^ Telephorus cyaneus^ Ptinus imperialism Rhynchites cylindrictUj Spfiaeriestes immcLculatus, Lophyrus pini, Hipparchia blandina. Sphinx ligustri^ Chironomus elegansy and Sargus Reau- muri, * Botany. — The botany of this parish has not yet been sufficient- ly investigated. The whole extent of it was anciently covered with natural wood, and was known by the name of Jed Forest, which also included Southdean and part of the neighbouring parishes. * llde Stephens' Entomology. JEDBURGH. 5 The remains of the ancient forest, amounting to many hundred acres, were rapaciously cut down during the last century ; but the trees which have sprung from the old stocks, together with the plantations which have since reached maturity, still render this a well-wooded district A few patches of the ancient forest may still be seen in the neighbourhood of Femihirst, consisting chiefly of birch. In lower situations every species of forest trees grow luxu- riantly ; and in higher, Scotch fir and larch are most common. The Scotch fir at Stewartfield has attained a great age and size, and is much esteemed in carpentry, being thought little inferior to American fir. The ancient forest still possesses two venerable re- presentatives in the " King of the Wood," and the " Capon-tree," oaks situate near the Newcastle road, at the distance of one mile from Jedburgh. The " King of the Wood," towering above the surrounding trees, rises to the height of 99 feet, the circumference of its trunk, at three feet from the ground, being 14 feet. The <^ Capon-tree," which stands alone in a haugh opposite Hundalee Mill, has a more aged and gnarled appearance than the monarch, and, dividing into a multiplicity of boughs, is much admired for the fantastic twisting of its wide-spreading branches. The circum- ference of its trunk at three feet from the ground is 21 feet. The soil and situation of Jedburgh are peculiarly congenial to the growth of fruit trees, and of this the intelligent ecclesiastics who inhabited the monastery appear to have taken due advantage, as many pear-trees still exist, which, from their size and the slow progress of their growth, are thought to be at least three hundred years old. The oldest are of the following kinds : the Longueville, the summer Bon Chretien, the Ludd, the autumn Bergamot, the Pound pear, the Red honey, the White Warden, the Gray Warden, and the Gray Good-wife. Of a great age, but not quite so old as these, are the Gray Auchan, the Red Auchan, the Worry Carl, the Buchanan, the Drummond, the Golden Knop, the Lamias, and the Pitfirran. One of the largest of the red honey pear trees has been known to produce in one season sixty imperial bushels. Of the Longueville, there is a fine specimen in Friars gardens, which, though much decayed through age, continues to produce excellent crops. In the " Lady's Yards," or convent garden, a very old white warden pear-tree was blown down, which measured eight feet in circumference near the ground. In the orchard adjoining the house which was inhabited by Queen Mary during her illness at Jedburgh, there is a group of trees of the same kind, said by tra- 6 ROXBURGHSHIRE. dition to have been branches of a large tree whicli was blown down by a tempest on the night when King James VL crossed the bor- der to take possession of his English dominions. The tree being allowed to lie on its side, and buried in the earth, the branches became each a separate tree. Two of the oldest of the gray war- den pear-trees have been known to bear in one season, the one 53 imperial bushels, and the other 56. The pears which are most esteemed, and to which Jedburgh is chiefly indebted for its cele- brity for fruit, are the Longueville, the summer Bon Chretien, the autumn Bergamot, theLudd, the red and the gray Auchan. The old apple-trees are much inferior to those cultivated in modern times. The soil is a rich black loam, and this, combined with the delightful sheltered situation, enables gardeners to succeed in rear- ing delicate trees, which scarcely grow in other parts of the coun- try. As a proof of this, it may be mentioned, that Coe's imperial plum succeeds admirably as a standard, and produces fruit equal in quality to what grows on walls in gardens two miles distant from Jedburgh. In the garden of Mr Deans, the miller grape has se- veral times ripened in the open air without any species of covering. II. — Civil History. Historical Notices. — The two Jed worths are the most ancient parochial divisions in Scotland. Various notices of their history are to be found in books devoted to ecclesiastical antiquities, and the annals of border warfare. The magnificence of its ecclesias- tical establishments, the fastnesses of its forest, which was fre- quently the rendezvous of armies, — its castles, and the number of its fortified houses, rendered this parish at a former period of much more consequence than it has been since the Reformation and the union. From its proximity to the border, it was the continual scene of war and of lawless violence, from the time when Donald V. here defeated the confederate princes of Northumberland and Cumberland, to the year 1575, when the "Raid of the Reid Swire," which took place on its southern boundary, terminated the hostile feuds between the two kingdoms. Since these troublous times, few events have occurred worthy of being recorded. The alarm produced by the arrival of the Pretender with his Highlanders in 1745, is still remembered by a very few of the oldest inhabitants. The dengmination of dissenters termed Relief originated here un- der Mr Boston in the year 1 754. Historical Documents. — A curious manuscript account of the va- rious proceedings relative to the origin of the Relief, drawn up by the JEDBURGH. 7 kirk-session at that period, is in the possession of Mr Renwick, bookseller, Jedburgh. The only other documents illustrative of the history of the parish, are the charters and council-records of the borough of Jedburgh. The ancient charters all perished during the English wars, the town having been frequently reduced to ashes. They were all, however, renewed and confirmed by Queen Mary in the year 1556, when the magistrates were invested with the power of apprehending and committing criminals, of putting them to the knowledge of an assize, and of administering justice even unto death. Another charter was granted by King James VI. in the year 1569, conferring upon the provost, magistrates, and com- munity, all the property and revenues within the parish belonging to the Abbey of Jedburgh, for the purpose of erecting hospitals, supporting the poor and infirm, and for other pious uses. This charter was ratified in Parliament, December 19, 1597, butnoin- feftment appears to have been taken upon it, and there is no trace of any particular subject having been taken possession of under it. Another charter was granted by King Charles II. in the year 1641. The council-records have been preserved only from the year 1619. Eminent Characters. — A considerable number of eminent cha- racters have been connected with this parish at various periods of its history. St Kennock, who is said, by his effectual intercessions, to have preserved peace between the two kingdoms for the space of ten years, was Abbot of Jedburgh in the year 1000. To him succeeded a long line of abbots, many of whom, from being em- ployed in embassies, and other important political transactions, ap- pear to have been men of distinguished learning and prudence. — Sir William Stewart of Jedworth, who was taken prisoner with his relative Douglas at Homildon, and, by the lawless orders of Hot- spur, drawn and quartered, was remarkable both as a warrior and as a statesman, being honoured with the confidence of his sovereign, and frequently employed to represent the interests of his country. — In the Convent of Carmelites, which was founded by the inhabit- ants of Jedburgh, lived and died Adam Bell, author of Rota Tern- porunij a history of Scotland from the earliest times to the year 1535. — At a period somewhat later, Jedburgh had the honour of giving birth to John Rutherford, Principal of St Salvator's College, St Andrews, author of a book on the art of reasoning.* — The ce- lebrated Samuel Rutherford,f Principal of St Mary's College, St Andrews, was born in the adjoining parish of Nisbet, now annexed • Fide M'Crie's Life of Melville. f Vide Murray's Life of RwX.Vvw'vw^, 8 ROXBURGHSHIRE. to' Crailing, and is generally thought to have received his education at the grammar-school of Jedburgh. — Andrew Young, Regent of Philosophy in the University of Edinburgh, under whom Ruther- ford studied, was bom of poor parents near Jedburgh. — Andrew Rutherford, master of the grammar-school of Jedburgh, was pro- moted to the rectorship of the High School of Edinburgh in 1669. — Here Gabriel Semple found a resting-place after the many troubles which he sustained during the Episcopal persecution. — At the grammar-school of Jedburgh, the poet Thomson, whose father was minister of Southdean, received the rudiments of his education. — This parish enjoyed for three years the ministrations of the cele- brated Dr Macknight ; and the long incumbency of the venerable Dr Somerville, historian of Queen Anne, &c who had attained the ninetieth year of his age, and the sixty-third of his ministry, ter- minated in the year 1830. He was admitted minister of Jedburgh in 1773, and when he died, was father of the Church of Scotland. — Jedburgh was the native place, and long the residence of the dis- tinguished land-surveyor John Ainslie ; and it has had the honour of giving birth to one of the most illustrious of living philosophers. Sir David Brewster. Chief Land-otoners. — The chief land-owners are the Marquis of Lothian, Mr Rutherfurd of Edgerston, Mr Miller of Stewartfield, the Earl of Minto, Mr Jerdon of Bonjedward, Mr Ormiston of Glenburnhall, Mr Fair of Langlee, &c Parochial Registers. — The date of the earliest entry in the pa- rochial registers is February 14, 1639. They are not voluminous, and it is to be regretted that they have been somewhat carelessly kept Antiquities, — At Old Jedworth, about four miles above the pre- sent town, are the ruins of a chapel which was founded by Ecgred, bishop of Lindisfarn, who died a. d. 845. It is situate amidst a clump of trees, in a level field at the side of the river. Its walls have crumbled into mounds, and the tombstones in its church-yard are scarcely visible above t)M grass. Interesting as is this sacred spot, it has attracted little attention in comparison of the more pro- minent and magnificent remains of the abbey of Jedburgh. This venerable structure »tands on the south side of the town, on the declining bank of the rr?er, which winds past it in front, washing some remnants of its outworks. The chapter-house, cloisters, and other appendages have perished, and nothing remains but the church, which, in the form of a cross, extends from east to west JEDBURGH. 9 230 feet The choir is much dilapidated, bearing marks of great antiquity. The two lower stories consist of massive pillars and se- micircular arches, with the diagonal or zigzag mouldings of Saxon architecture, whilst the upper windows, and some other parts are Gothic, evidently added at a more recent period. The north transept is entire, presenting traceried Gothic windows, especially one of great size and beauty. The south transept has disappeared. Above the intersection of the transepts with the nave and choir, a large square tower rises on four pillars to the height of 100 feet, surmomited by a projecting battlement, and crowned with turrets and pinnacles. The nave, measuring 130 feet long, presents on each side three tiers of arches ; the first, opening into the aisle, consists of pointed arches deeply recessed, and richly moulded, supported by* clustered columns with sculptured capitals ; the se* cond, which opened into the galleries, consists of beautifully mould- ed semicircular arches, with two pointed arches inserted in each ; and the third of elegant pointed windows. The lofty western gable possesses a Norman door of uncommon beauty, the archway exhi- biting a profusion of ornamented mouldings, supported by slender pillars to the depth of 7^ feet. Above it is a large window with a semicircular arch, flanked by small blank pointed arches on long slender shafts, and this is surmounted by a beautiful St Catherine's wheel* On the south side of the choir there is a chapel, which was once appropriated to the use of the grammar-school, and in which the poet Thomson received his education. But the chief object of architectural interest in this abbey is the Norman door, which formed the southern entrance to the church from the clois- ters. This, for the elegance of its workmanship, and the symmetry of its proportions, is unrivalled in Scotland. Its sculptured mould- ings springing from slender shafts, with capitals richly wreathed, exhibit the representations of flowers, men, and various animals, executed with surprising minuteness and delicacy. " This venerable pile," says the late Archibald Elliot, architect, in his report to the heritors respecting some of its projected re- pairs, ^^ in my opiuion, is the most perfect and beautiful example of the Saxon and early Gothic in Scotland." Its grand appear- ance is imposing, and admirably accords with the scenery of the romantic valley in which it is situate. There is a discrepance in the accounts of historians relative to the time of its foundation as an abbey. Some refer it to a. d. 11 18» and others to a. d. 1147. The probability is, considering the antique remains of the choir^ and that St Kennoch is said to have been ^\iO\. ol ^e^\«\^ v:^ 10 ROXBURGHSHIRE. early as the year 1000, that it was an abbey prior to the time of David I., and, instead of being founded, that it was rebuilt and en- larged by that munificent monarch. It frequently suffered during the English wars, particularly by the invasions of Edward L It was burned and pillaged by the Earl of Surrey at the storming of Jedburgh in the year 1523, and it was subsequently reduced to a state of dilapidation by the Earl of Hertford in 1545. Its walls still exhibit the traces of the flames, as they had burst through its arches. Considerable portions of it, including two beautiful doors and several aisles, were demolished in more recent times by the direc- tion of persons of whom the reverse might have been expected; but a better taste now prevails, and it lately underwent some practical repairs. The substructions of its buildings have been occasional- ly found at a great distance from the remaining fabric- The burial- ground attached to it was very extensive. In constructing the present road, which passes through its ancient limits, two tiers of coffins were removed, fonned of stone slabs. Of the Convent of Carmelites, and of the Maison Dieu, no traces remain, but the names of various places in the town still in- dicate the prevalence of ecclesiastical institutions. The chapel of Scarsburgh and the church of Upper Crailing (an ancient parish now attached to this) have likewise disappeared. This parish possessed two castles, Jedburgh and Fernihirst. The name of Jedburgh Castle appears in the earliest Scottish re- cords, but it does not appear by whom it was founded. It was a royal residence, and for ages continued a place of great strength, the object of eager dispute to the contending kingdoms. It was the favourite abode of the amiable Malcolm IV., who died there A. D. 1165. It was frequently honoured with the presence of William the Lion, and of Alexander II. To Alexander III. was born in Jedburgh Castle a son, a. d. 1263, who was named Alex- ander ; and this, the same sovereign, after he had lost all his child- ren, thought a fitting scene for the unusual pomp which attended his marriage with Jolande, daughter of the Count de Dreux. It was in the possession of the English from the battle of Durham till the year ]409, when it was taken by the Scots and demolish- ed with great labour and at great expense, as is evident from the proposal which was made to defray it by a tax of two pennies up- on every hearth in Scotland. A small portion of its remaining walls was removed a few years ago, and on levelling its site for the erection of the present structure, charred beams of oak were found mixed with rubbish of stone and lime. A few coins were also JEDBURGH. II found, together with a number of globular stones, from seven inches to one foot in diameter, which appear to have been the cope stones of its turrets. Femihirst was the stronghold of the ancestors of the Marquis of Lothian, and is situate on the eastern bank of the Jed, nearly two miles above Jedburgh. It was taken by Surrey in 1523, and re- covered by the Scots with the assistance of the French auxiUaries then stationed at Jedburgh, after a desperate conflict, in 1549. Here the Earl of Westmoreland took refuge from the vengeance of Elizabeth in 1569. In the following year the castle was taken and demolished by the Earl of Sussex and Sir John Foster, in con- sequence of an incursion which Ker * had made with other border chiefs into the north of England. It was rebuilt in the year 1598, and its gray turrets are still seen peering above the tall venerable trees which surround it. Besides these fortresses, the parish was thickly studded with towers and peels. Those at Hundalee and Hunthill, ancient seats of the Rutherfurds, and at Bonjedward, a seat of the Douglases, were places of great strength, but they were, along with many others, destroyed during the last century. A tower still remains at Lanton, and the ruins of Timpandean, at a short distance from it, still remind us of warlike times. Of the six towers by which Jedburgh was defended after the destruction of the castle, there are no remains. A tower used as the gaol, which stood in the centre of the street not far from the cross, was removed during the last century, as also the ruins of Abbot's Tower, the site of which is now occupied by the Dispensary. The house which was inha- bited by Queen Mary during her illness at Jedburgh is still entire. It is a large building with small windows, and walls of great thick- ness. A broad stone stair ascends to the second story, and a narrow winding stair leads to the third, and the apartment of Queen Mary, which is a small room with two windows. Some of the an- cient tapestry which adorned it is still preserved. This is styled in the Privy- Council Record " the house of the Lord Composi- tor." It was purchased by the late Dr Lindsay from the family of Scott of Ancrum. One of Claverhouse's pistols, presented by him to an ancestor of Dr Lindsay's, was formerly suspended in the dining-room, but this is now at Abbotsford. Traces of ancient camps exist at Howdean, Swinnie, Fernihirst, * Ker of Fernihirst, along with Ker of Cessford, Scott of Buccleuch, and several others, received the honour of knighthood from the Regent Arran, when David Panter, in presence of a great assemblage of nobility, was cor\s«ci«X»^ '^v^ 1550 300 Amount of stipend, L. 180 L.200 L.80* Besides the amount of stipend stated, the ministers of the Se- cession have each an excellent dwelling-house and garden. The taxes of the minister of the first congregation are paid, and the mi- nister of the second congregation is allowed L. 22, 10s. per annum, for sacramental and travelling expenses. The stipends are derived from the seat rents. Divine service, both at the Established church and at the meet- ing-houses, is much better attended than it was some years ago ; but still it is to be regretted, that a great number, especially among the higher and the lower ranks, either forsake the assembling of themselves altogether, or attend to that duty with great irregularity. Religious Societies. — There are two religious societies, one for educational purposes, and another for the diffusion of religious knowledge in general. The probable average amount of their yearly collections is L. 40. Education, — The total number of schools in the parish is 14, of which three are parochial, and one is endowed by the Marquis of Lothian. The total number of scholars is 950, being about one- fifth of the population ; but of these 87 attend night schools, and 63 female schools. The grammar-school of Jedburgh had attained con- siderable eminence, even so early as the commencement of the seventeenth century. The heritors, and especially the magistrates, as appears from the records of the borough, have always been at- tentive to its interests, and scrupulous in the choice of its rectors, and their care has been amply rewarded by the character which it has long possessed and still maintains. In the year 1804, the grammar-school and the EngUsh school of the borough were unit- ed, and their union has been found advantageous. The total num- ber attending the school at present is 170 ; — of these 45 are taught • The Dissenters come not merely from this parish, but from t\\t\e ot \jwv swttomxv^- ing parishes. The difference between the sitters and commumcaivVA uv vVe %c«X cotv- gregation of Seceden is remarkable ; the numbers were g>\eTV V>7 \\\e «ealA«;W^x wv^ minister. 20 R0XBURQH8HIRE. Latin and Gk'eek. All of a certain standing, amounting at pres- sent to 100, are taught English grammar; all of a certain stand- ing, amounting at present to 56, are taught geography ; all of a certain standing, amounting at present to 110, are taught arith- metic. There are besides classes for geometry, algebra, practical mathematics, and French. The rector receives from the borough, L. 261, 18s. Scots, or L. 21, 6s. 6d. Sterling, for the English school, L. 12, on account of which he is bound to keep an assistant, and from the heritors, L. 8, 6s. 8d. amounting in all, to L. 42, 3s. 4d. The aVerage amount of school fees is L. 170. Candlemas offerings amount to betwixt L. 40 and L. 50. The parochial schoolmasters at Rink and Lanton receive 100 merks each. No increase of the salaries of the teachers took place in 1831, in consequence of a difference of opinion as to the sources from which the rector's salary is derived. The teachers have the legal accommodations. The rector has an extensive establishment for boarders. The general expense of education per annum is, for classical scholars, L.2, and for English, 10s. The general average is L. 1. Literature. — There are several excellent public libraries in Jed- burgh. The " Company's Library" is an extensive and valuable collection of books, though the more recent additions to it bespeak a decline of taste. There are two smaller libraries, containing judicious selections, and one circulating library. By the aid of a liberal donation, and of a few subscriptions, itinerating libraries were lately established in the parish. Five divisions have been procured, consisting of fifty volumes each, which are placed at different sta- tions in the town and in the country. There is a reading society among the higher classes, for the purchase of new publications, which, after being perused, are sold, and the product, together with annual subscriptions, is appropriated to the purchase of others. There are libraries connected with the congregation and Sabbath evening schools of the first congregation of Seceders, and with the Sabbath evening schools of the second congregation and of the Relief. There are two public reading-rooms in Jedbui^h. Charitable Institutions. — A dispensary was established in Jed- burgh chiefly by donations from the family of Lothian, in the year 1807. It has since been supported by annual contributions. In 1622, the late Marquis of Lothian, at his own expense, erected a commodious house with baths and other accommodations. Patients are received from the parishes of Jedburgh, Ancrum, Bedrule, Southdea^, Hobkirk, Minto, Oxnam, and Crailing. The funds have hitherto been found sufficient. The irnmbeT ot ^atvetits upon JEDBURGH. 21 ihe books averages at 215 annually. Several members of a family, however, receive medicine and attendance on the same letter of re^ commendation. There are two widows' schemes, and three friendly societies. The general impression respecting them seems to be, that they are productive of little advantage. Savings Bank. — The savings bank for the district of Jedburgh, consisting of the above-mentioned parishes, was established in 1815, chiefly by the exertions of Mr Rutherfurd of Edgerston. An auxi- liary fund for defraying the expense of management was raised by subscription. In the first year, the number of depositors was 123, and the sum deposited, L. 1440, and up to July 1832, the number of depositors has increased to 400, and the sum deposited to L. 6290, three-fourths of the depositors being females* The in- stitution has proved of signal advantage to the working classes, and is in a most flourishing condition. Poor and' Parochial iFVfii sviXs^r^a^ a boixi, making over all their effects to the Yienlots^ m ot^et \» 22 ROXBURGHSHIRE. prevent the concealment of property, and the abuse of public cha- rity. The poor of the borough are provided for in a similar way. Assessors are appointed in different parts of the town; who meet before Whitsunday, and having examined the number and circum- stances of the poor, fix the assessment for the next quarter. The sum requisite for the other three quarters is fixed by the magis- trates. The sum to be paid by each individual is proportioned not merely to his ostensible property, but to the supposed profits of his trade and other apparent advantages. Both in the town and in the country, an interim supply is given in case of diseases or temporary distress. The distribution of parochial charity has un- doubtedly been productive of injurious effects, diminishing the spi- rit of independence, and repressing the feelings of natural affec- tion and gratitude. The assessments last year for the country poor amounted to L. 462, 9s. ; for the town poor to L. 430 ; in all. Prisons. — The following is a statement of the number of per- sons confined in the gaol and bridewell, during the year 1831, and of the offences for which they were confined. Goal. Bridewell, Forgery, - - 1 Assault) ... 4 Theft, . ... 9 Contravening act of Parliament, 9 Breach of service, . - 1 Drunkenness and riot, - 4 Assault and rape, - - 2 Exposing a child, . . i Murder, ... 1 Horse-stealing, . . I Swindling, . . • d Breach of peace, - - 2 Total, 38 Total, 141 The gaol and bridewell are both well secured, being surround- ed with high walls surmounted by chevaux defnse. The prison- ers are divided into classes. Those convicted are kept separate from those confined previous to trial, males from females, and young offenders from old, and to each class a particular division of the gaol is appropriated. There are spacious courts, which afford the means of obtaining air and exercise, and proper attention is paid to the diet, cleanliness, and health of the prisoners. There is not, indeed, a more comfortable place of confinement in Scotland. The gaol and bridewellare superintended by a gaoler and a turnkey, under the inspection of the sheriff and of the magistrates of the borough. Fairs. — The royal charters of the town of Jedburgh entitle it to ho)A [out annual fairs, the first on the first Tuesday after Whit- sunday; the second, or Lady-day, on tlie second Tw^^^.^ ot ^.vi- Vagrants, - - .97 Riot and assault, - - 15 Theft, . - - 20 Breach of Excise laws, - 3 Breach of peace, . . 2 Harbouring vagrants, - 1 Snaring hares, - - 1 Falsehood and wilful imposition. 2 JEDBURGH. 23 giist (O. S.) ; the third, or Rood-fair, on the 25th of September, or the first Tuesday after, if the 25th is Saturday, Sunday, or Monday ; and the fourth, or St Leonard's, on the first Tuesday of November ( O. S.). These fairs are for horses and cattle. There are hiring markets for servants at Whitsunday and Martinmas. In the year 1828, monthly markets were established for sheep and cattle at the request of the farmers' club. To encourage the de- sign, the magistrates dispensed with the exaction of custom, and the markets have succeeded beyond expectation. They are held on the third Saturday of every month, commencing with January and ending with May. There is besides in this parish a great fair for sheep, which is held at Rink, about seven miles from Jedburgh, on July 12, and October 1 5. This fair is attended by a great concourse* of farmers, and dealers in wool, both from Scotland and England. Inns and Alehouses. — There are sixteen inns in Jedburgh, and forty-seven alehouses, and in the country part of the parish three alehouses; but the road trustees having resolved to grant a licence to toll-keepers, there will be in the country an increase of the num- ber of alehouses, and it is to be feared of dissipation. FueL — The fuel chiefly used is coal, which is procured from the north of England at the expense of from d^d. to lOd. per cwt. Coals were lately found at Whitelee, about twelve miles distant from Jedburgh, but only in sufficient quantities for supplying the lime-kilns. VI. — Miscellaneous Observations. Since the period when the last Statistical Account was written, the state of the parish has been much improved, — various kinds of manufactures have been introduced which were then unknown in this district, — farms which were entirely pastoral now bear luxuriant crops, — the fields have been neatly enclosed with hedges, — waste ground has been planted — the style of dwelling-houses, both in the town and in the country, is now vastly superior, — the means of commu* nicationhave been greatly enlarged, — the population has been near- ly doubled, — and all classes seem to enjoy a large share of the com- forts of civilized society. The direct line from London to Edinburgh passes through this parish, and, as the commercial relations of Scotland render rapi- dity of communication every day more desirable, it is to be hoped that those local and private interests, which have hitherto oppos- ed the establishment of this as the line of the London mail, will soon yield to the exigencies and advantage of the public October 1834. PARISH OF LILLIESLEAF. PRESBYTERY OF SELKIRK, SYNOD OF MEIISE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. DAVID BAXTER, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The origin of the name of the parish is unknown. Ac- xording to Chalmers (Caledonia, Vol. ii.) it is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon word " c/j^" (littus vel ripa) which signifies a haugh or bank. The name appears to have been differently written at different times. Thus in 11 16, Lillescliva and Lillesclive ; in 1 186, Lillesclif. — Chart Glasgow ; in 1696, Liliesleafe ; in 1748, Lil- lies-leafe ; in 1750, Lilliesleafe ; in 1768, Lilliesleaf. Extent and Boundaries. — The parish is in length about five and three-fourths, and in breadth, two and one-half English itiiles, — comprehending upwards of 7000 acres English measure. Its form is quite irregular. It is bounded on the north by the parishes of Selkirk and Bowden ; on the west by those of Ashkirk and Wil- ton ; on the south and west, by that of Minto, where the three last parishes, and that of Lilliesleaf meet nearly at a point ; and on the east by the parish of Ancrum. ^The river Ale, after run- ning upwards of a mile in the parish, may be regarded as the na- tural boundary, for about two miles farther in its eastern course, towards the Tiviot, into which it falls. Topographical Appearances. — There are several elongated emi- nences, which generally run from east to west^ a considerable dis- tance, in the form of ridges ; on one of which the only village in the parish is situated. The declivities on the sides of these ridgy eminences are fertile and well cultivated. Again, there are rich valleys, and gently sloping banks, interspersed with thriving plan- tations and hedge-rows, which present in their combination a most agreeable aspect to the traveller. All this variety of ornament has been owing to the good taste of the proprietors. SoiU Climate^ Sfc. — The soils are loam, gravel, and clay, resting upon a whinstone tilly bottom ; -and the climate is good in the east of the parish, but somewhat colder in the west. LILLIESLEAF. &5 About forty years ago, ague was prevalent in the village^ — pro- bably owing to the efBuvia of a considerable morass and pool, or rather loch, which stood on the low-lying mossy ground to the south, and in part also to the stagnant water that collected upon bad roads. Upon the draining of that loch, accordingly, this distemper in a great degree disappeared. It may be noticed, that the morass here alluded to was formerly the resort of sea-gulls or mews, in such vast numbers, that they are said to have fertilized a portion of an adjoining park still called Pick Maw Hill. The eggs of these fowls were then much sought after by the villagers. 11. — Civil History. Antiquities. — This parish seems to have had its full share in the predatory warfare of the borders, from which it is distant at the nearest point about twelve miles. Of this, the number of fortalices, forts, or towers, which had been erected, bear ample evidence. Various in- dividuals of great age, who died within the last seventeen years, stated that, in their recollection, fourteen of these towers or forts ex- isted, the far greater part of which were situated in the village. But the largest tower or fort was at the eastern extremity, and seems to have been the strongest and the principal defence of the place. It was situated on the highest part of the ridge upon which the village stands, and, from its being two stories in height, must have commanded a very extensive view. Its defence would also be assisted by the large pool and morass on the south, by the river Ale, and the steep ascent on the north, — ^while the lairds of Riddell and th^ir retainers would furnish support on the west. Of this largest tower, the only remains about twenty-six years ago, con- sisted of a part of one side, which was of great thickness and strength, and of stones, which shewed that its form had rather been an oblong than a perfect square. It might have easily contained 100 men within its walls. There was also a fortalice or tower at Chapel, about a mile eastward, which was taken down about six years ago, situated in a convenient station for watching and ward- ing, and furnished with loop-holes for guns, arrows, or missiles ; — ^which narrowed to the inside, and gradually widened outwards.-* The other towers in the village seem to have been peels (the com- mon houses of the inhabitants in these times) which were towers of a small size, the remains of two of which still exist. This pecu- liar construction of houses, in the form of towers, seems to have • There is • tradition that this tower was inhabited about eighty years ago by a witch, at whose death there happened a dreadful storm. 26 ROXBURGHSHIRE. been dictated by necessity to the wealthy and to the poor, for when " the English advanced from Berwick to Jedburgh, in September 1521, with 10,000 men, there were six strong towers within the town, which continued their defence after the walls were surmount- ed. These were the residences of persons of rank, walled round, and capable of strong resistance." * Conventicles, — During the persecutions in the reign of Charles XL, when ministers and their people were prohibited by law, the one from preaching, and the other from hearing, the word of God, the moors in Lilliesleaf parish, from their retired situation, were fre- quently the resort of numerous conventicles; and for this offence, numbers in this parish appear to have been punished with death, imprisonment, or banishment f Land-owners, — The chief land-owners are, Mark Sprot, Esq. of Riddell, and William Currie, Esq. of Linthill. The parochial registers were regularly kept so far back as 1648; but having been allowed to get wet, apparently from lying in a damp situation, they are now partly illegible from decay. They appear to contain no- thing of public interest. Family of Riddell, — " The family of Riddell have been very long in possession of the barony called Riddell, or Ryedale, part ■ Talcs of a Grandfather, by Sir Walter Scott. f In 1670, '* His Miyesty, understanding that divers disall^tcd persons have been so maliciously wicked and desperate as to convocate his Migc8ty*s subjects to open meet- ings in the fields, and considering that these meetings are the rendezvous of rebellion, and tend in a high degree to the disturbance of the public peace, doth therefore statute and declare, that whosoever, without license and authority, shall preach, expound scrip- ture, or pray at any of these meetings in the field, or in any house where there be more persons than the house contains, so as some of them be without doors, or who shall convocate any number of people to these meetings, shall be punished with death and confiscation of goods." Severe penalties are then denounced against the persons attending such conventicles ; rewards are offered to informers ; and to stimulate the activity of the magistrates, the heavy fines exacted upon conviction are awarded to them. — Cook's History of the Church of Scotland, Vol. iii. p. 326. " In 1678, William Tumbul, brother to Walter Turnbul, in BewHc, appeared be- fore the council for being present at house and field conventicles, and, refusing to de- pone upon the circumstances of them, is banished to the plantations." — Wodrow, Vol. i. p. 525. " In 1679, nUmy ministers were put to trouble for conventicles, several were im- prisoned, among whom Mr Archibald Riddel, brother to the laird of Riddel.**— .Wod* row. Vol. ii. p. 124. Mr Riddel was eminently distinguished for piety and devotion to the service of God, bv preaching in these troublous times, to the people of various conventicles, in different places, as well as Mr Blackader. ** Some time before the communion at east Nisbet, Mr Blackader kept a very great conventicle at Lilsly (Lilliesleaf) moor in Forest- shire. They had knowledge that the sheriff and some of the Lifeguards were ranging Lilsly moors, on the fore part of the day, upon which the meeting shifted their ground within Selkirkshire, thinking themselves safe, being out of his bounds,** whither they were followed by the sheriff and his soldiers, whose ardour, however, was cooled by the firm deportment of the multitude, their fidelity and care of the minister, and the courage of the sheriff*s sister, who was present, and had been an attentive hearer of the word preached. 3 LILLIESLEAF. 27 of which still bears the latter name. Tradition carries their an- tiquity to a point extremely remote, and is in some degree sano tioned by the discovery of two stone coffins ; one containing an earthen pot filled with ashes and arms, bearing a legible date, a. d. 727, the other dated 936, and filled with the bones of a man of gigantic size. These coffins were discovered in the foundations of what was, but has long ceased to be, the chapel of Riddell, and, as it was argued with plausibility that they contained the remains of some ancestors of the family, they were deposited in the mo- dem place of sepulture, comparatively so termed, though built in 1 1 10."— Lay of the Last Minstrel, Note 20, by Sir W. Scott, Bart* The aforesaid estates and lands of Riddell, &c. are now the property of Mark Sprot, Esq. to whom they were sold about 1823. in. — Population. The population of Liliesleaf parish according to Dr Webster's return in 1755, was ......... 521 In 1793 by Mr Campbell's Statistical Account, - - - 630 June 1801 by Parliamentary return, ..... 673 1811 by do. - - - - - 755 1821 by do. - - ... . 779 1831 by do. males 376, females 405, - - , - 781 In 1819-20 the population was 847» viz. In the coimtry, 463, and in the village, 384, =» ... 847 Upon the death of Sir John B. Riddell, Bart, of Riddell, in April 1819, who farmed the greatest part of his estate, the lands were immediately laid out in grass. Such a rapid change com- pelled those who had been employed in cultivating his extensive domains to seek a livelihood elsewhere, and hence the immediate declension of the population in the next succeeding year was 68. These lands have almost wholly continued in grass ever since. Several families and individuals have emigrated to British America and the United States, at various periods during the last ten years. Under fifteen years, the number of persons is 279; from fifteen to thirty, country part, 112, village, 73 = 185; from thirty to * Sir Walter adds, that ** the following curious and authentic documents warrant roofft coticlusively the epithet of * Ancient RiddelL' 1st, A charter of David 1. to Walter Rydale, sheriff of Roxburgh, confirming all the estates of Lilies-cUve, &c. of which his father, Genrasius de Rydale, died possessed. 2d, A bull of Pope Adrian IV. confirming the will of Widter de Ridale, Knight, in fiiTour of his brother Anschittil de Ridale, dated 8th April 1155. a/, A bull of Pope Alexander III. confirming the said will of Walter de Ridale, bequeathing to his brother Anschittil the lands of LiUesclive, Whittunes, &c. and ratifying the bargains betwixt Anschittil and Huctredus concerning the church of LiliescliTe, in consequence of the mediation of Malcolm II., and confirmed by a charter from that monarch. This bull is dated . i7th June 1 160. 4th, A bull of the same Pope, confirming the will of Sir Anschittil de Ridale, in favour of his son Walter, conveying the said lands of Liliesdivc, and others, dated lOth March 1120. It is remarkable that LiUesclive, otherwise Rydale or Riddell, and the Whittunes, have -descended through along train of ancestors without ever passing into a collateral line, to the person of Sir John Buchanan Rid- deU, the lineal descendant and representative of Sir Anschiivil.** 28 ROXBURGHSHIRE. fifty, country part^ 92, Yillage^ 86, ir 178; from fifty to seventy, 111; above seventy,* 28; total in parish, 78L There are 8 unmarried men above fifty years, and 10 widowers ditto; and there are 18 unmarried women above forty-five years; and 5 resident heritors having above L. 50 of annual rent Seven are non-resident, besides about a dozen feuars, most of whom are resident In December 1831, the population of the village was 380, and of the country, 425. It may be proper to observe, that the popu- lation of this parish is about 30 generally in the winter half-year, above what it is in the summer half. The chief cause of this dif- ference seems to arise from the temptation of service in summer, when the wages to a female-servant are from L. 4 to L. 5, 10s. and the temptation, to come home in winter, when the wages are from L. 1, 5s. to L. 2. A number of boys also get service in summer, who cannot obtain employment during winter, f Character of the People, — They are in general industrious in their calling, and respectable in their station. They are also regu- lar in their attendance on the institutions of religion, and possess a good knowledge of its doctrines and precepts. There are many who have treasured up these in their minds as principles for me- ditation and rules of conduct. IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — The number of English acres now in tillage is about 2600; uncultivated and chiefly mossy ground, 50 acres. There are about 2000 acres of high-lying land formerly cultivated, but now in grass for pasture, which should not be again brought into tillage, unless the prices of grain rise higher than they have been for many years past. There might be 1000 acres on the estate of Riddell added to the cultivated land in the parish with great advantage. This land having been let in grass parks during many years, there can be no doubt that capital would yield a profitable return by being laid out in its cultivation. The quantity in undivided common does not ex- ceed two or three acres. The plantations, &c of forest trees amount to about 600 acres, consisting of larch and Scotch firs, * A few of the last class above eighty. •^ f It ma^rbe noticed, that the great number of beggars who trarerse Scotland hav- ing no fixed residence, have not been reckoned in the population returns. In this parish, for a great number of years past, about fifteen, upon an average, have daily passed through it. A similar number may be found in many other parishes. They fi»rm no less than a fiftv-second part of the population of these places, and are there- fore a considerable omission in the Government returns. 4 LILLIESLEAF. 29 with a proportion of oak, ash, and elm, and are in general well- managed. There is scarcely any natural wood. Rent of Land. — The average rent of the arable farms is not easily ascertained, varying as it does from 10s. to L. 1, 15s. per acre, English. Leases of farms, granted four or five years ago, being too high, must fall at their expiry, unless the prices of agri- cultural produce shall have advanced. Village acres, of which there are many, have lately let at L. 3 per acre. About twenty years ago they were let at L. 5 per acre. The average price of grazing a cow upon arable land during the season, L. 5. A full- grown ox do., L. 4; and a full-grown sheep for one year 12s. But upon the 2000 acres of high-lying land, one-half of the above rates is enough. Prices of Provisions. — Butcher-meat is about 1 Jd. per lb. dearer than in Edinburgh ; good fowls from Is. 4d. to Is. 6d. each ; cheese about 6d. per lb. of 16 oz. ; butter, 8d. to lOd. per lb. ditto. Improvements. — The greatest improvement in the parish would be to lime the lands kept in tillage ; but the distance being twenty- eight or thirty miles from the lime-kiln, and the expense so great, not less than L. 5 per English acre, it is doubtful whether the laying on of lime would defray to the former the expense of his outlay. On dry land, perhaps, it might repay ; but not on clay soils. Se- veral farmers have for some years past applied lime to their lands, and one has extended it, though in a defective quantity, over his whole farm, consisting of about 170 or 180 acres: and, from the superior crops consequent thereon, it will certainly amply repay the expense of outlay. Produce, — The average amount of raw produce raised in the parish cannot be accurately ascertained. The following statement may, however, afford an approximation. Taking all the arable land presently in tillage at 2600 acres, and the four-course shift for the data, the amount may be thus stated : 1900 English acres in corn erop, of all the differeDt kinds, at L. 5 per acre, - ^ - L. 6500 150 do. hay, at L. 3 per do. - - - - . - 450 500 do. in pasture grasn, at L. 1 per do. * - - 500 250 do. in turnip, at L. 3 per do. - - - - 750 860 do. in clean fellow. ^^^ 1000 do. in Riddell estate, good land let in grass parks, say L. 1 per do. 1000 2000 do. high-lying pasture land at 5s. per do. - - 500 40 do. potatoes at L. 5 per do. ... - 200 Thinnings of plantations, - - - - - S2n Produce of orchards and gardens, - - - - 50 L. 10030 A saw-mill driven by water has been erected se^^t^V ^f April and beginning of May, cold and occasionally frosty winds prevail from the east, which are injurious to vegetation, and are ready to bring disease on fruit-trees. Our climate is high and rather cold. It appears, from the notice of climate in the former Statistical Account of this parish, that it has improved considerably since 1794. Tliis may be owing to the draining of land and mosses, to the general use of lime for land, to the raising of plantations of firs and other trees, as well as to other less obvious causes. In connection with this improvement of climate we may remark, that consumptions and fevers, which thirty or forty years ago were very prevalent in this parish, are now com- paratively little known. Geology and Mineralogy, — The rock on the south side of the parish runs from east to west, inclining to the south-west and north- east. It is conmionly found in thin layers or strata, with occa- sional seams of dent between the strata. The rock dips to the south, at an angle of from 40 to 60 degrees. It consists generally of whinstone. On Bowden moor it is clay porphyry, and is largely made use of for road metal, for which it is very excellent The only object of note, however, in the parish of a geological descrip- tion is the Eildon Hills. They stand upon a level plain of con- siderable extent, a little to the south of Melrose. They are, at the base, about seven miles in compass. The rocks of which they con- sist are felspar, and felspar porphyry. In the south-west point of these hills a quarry has been cut, in which the rock is found to con- sist of regular pentagonal prisms, about fifteen inches in diame- ter. The pillars are extremely elegant and beautiful, and sharper in their angles than most basaltic columns, and of a pale flesh- colour. The height of the pillars, as yet laid bare, is about twenty feet ; but, when farther cleared, they will probably be found to reach the schistose formation on which the mountains reiyose. 30 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Botany. — Tlie plants not frequently found elsewhere, and com- mon in the vicinity of Bowden, are the following: — Osmunda crispa, small flowering stone-fern, on the eastern side of the north-east peak; Lycopodium clavatum^ common wolfs-claw; and Lycopodium cdpinumj cypress wolf's-claw, on the south-west hill among the dwarfish heath ; Sanguisorha officinalis^ Burnet ; and Peucedanum Silausy yellow sulphur-wort, all around the base of the hills ; Pri- muia verisj cowslip, is not found growing naturally in the course of the Tweed, or its western tributaries, until the junction of Bowden Bum ; but after this it is plentiful, and likewise on everj- dry bank and rocky knoll to the southward of the village of Bowden, and for several miles towards the Tiviot ; Plantayo media is likewise a rare plant to the westward and northward. It is not found in Sel- kirkshire, but plentifully on the southern base of the Eildon Hills, and on ever}- bank around the village. Plants rare in the vicinity. Hypericum quadranyulum^ St Peter's wort, in the rill from a spring on the north side of Bowden moor; Geranium lucidum^ lately grew on the walls of the old castle of Holydean ; Salix repens^ on a hedge-bank to the north of the farm- house of Prieston. The highest peak of the Eildons is covered so closely for about two acres with Vaccinium myrtillus (by no means plentiful else- where in the neighbourhood) as almost to exclude any other plant, and also Digitalis purpurea and alba, and henbane. ' Trees of different kinds, particularly oak,'ash, and fir, have been found in the mosses while digging for peat and marl. These are sometimes of large dimensions, and are found at a considerable depth in the moss ; but, in so far as is known, none of them have been in a petrified state. Soil, Sfc. — The soil of the parish is of a varied character. The north, and part of the west side, are chiefly a stiff clay, from seven to twelve inches deep, upon a damp, hard, tilly subsoil. The southern part of the parish is generally lighter, particularly on the ridges, which run from west to east, where the cultivated soil, though thin, is dry and friable, producing good turnips and other crops. Betwixt these ridges there is a good loamy soil. There are considerable quantities of moss and shell marl in the parish ; the marl is under the moss. Below the marl is a layer of tine blue clay, and under the clay there is generally whinstone rock. II. — Civil History. Antiquities. — Holydean, a farm in this parish, was, in ancient BOWDEN. 37 times, the occasional residence of the Roxburghe family. A plan of this place was sketched a few years ago, and presented to His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe. In that plan, the site of the build- ings is delineated, as far as that could be correctly ascertained, by inspecting the foundations, and the portions of the walls still stand- ing, and by information received from old individuals resident near the place. The plan is believed to be correct in its proportions. The house and lands of Holydean were included in the grant made by David I. to the monks of Selkirk, and were confirmed to them, by renewed charters, after their translation to Kelso. At this place they had a grange or farm for feeding cows and sheep, and raising corn. In the sixteenth century, the lands of Holydean were be- stowed by royal grant upon Sir Walter Kerr of Cessford, ancestor of the ducal house of Roxburghe, as a reward for border services. Different opinions are entertained as to the year in which this took place. In Douglas's Scottish Peerage, and. Chalmers' Caledonia, it is said to have been in 1569, while by others we are informed that it was in 1530; and we consider it a very strong circumstance in favour of the latter opinion, that there is still to be seen at the place a stone, of which we shall by^and-by make more particular mention, having on it, together with the arms of the house of Ker, the date 1530. " Holydean," says the former Account, " was, not long ago, a strong fortification of its kind. The court-yard, containing about three-fourths of an acre, was surrounded by a strong stone and lime wall, four feet thick, and sixteen feet high, with slanting holes between five free-stones, about thirty feet from each other, from which an arrow or a musket could have been point- ed in different directions. Upon an arched gateway in the front, there was a strong iron gate. Within the court stood two 'strong towers, the one of three, the other of five stories, consisting of eight or ten lodgeable rooms, besides porters' lodges, servants' hall, vault- ed cellars, bake-houses, &c." The walls of these towers were four feet thick, and their roofs and floors were of the strongest oak. They were both perfectly entire, and in excellent condition, at no distant date. About seventy-four years ago, the commissioner to John, the third Duke of Roxburghe, his Grace being then in his minority and abroad, ordered the buildings to be mostly pulled down, for the sake of getting the freestones in them to build a large farm-house and appurtenances. One of the large vaults still remains in good repair, and is used by the tenant for sheltering carts and other agricultural implements. There is also 38 ROXBURGHSHIRE. a portion of the court wall standing on the south side, but it is now in a ruinous state, and appears to have decayed much since 1795, when, according to the former Account, there were about 160 feet of it perfectly entire. However, the fragment that re- mains is sufficient to give a clear idea of the former strength and magnificence of the place, and to make us regret deeply the de- molition of a building that was so stately and ornamental, and also so venerable for its antiquity. A stone, to which we have already alluded, preserved from the ruins, and now a lintel to the door of the old farm-house at Holydean, has in the middle a unicorn's head and three stars, with this inscription on either side ; ^^ Feer God. Flee from sin. Mak for the lyfe everlasting to the end. Dem Isobel Ker, 1530." A few yards to the north-east of the portion of the wall already mentioned, is the ancient well belonging to the house. It is still in good order, and affords to the family, now living at Holydean, an abundant supply of excellent water. This well was built in the eastern wall of the court, and was about ten feet from the door of the eastern tower. About 140 yards north-west from the principal house, on the top of a precipice overhanging a deep dell or dean, called Ringan's Dean, there was a chapel or place of worship, with a burying- ground, as clearly appears, not only from traditionary report, but also from the foundations of the building, which have been traced, and from grave-stones, handles of coffins, and human bones, which have been dug up in that place ; and hence has probably arisen the name Holydean or Haliedean. The greatest curiosity of its kind in this quarter, and perhaps of a similar nature anywhere else, is a stone dike or wall built without lime or cement of any kind, which encloses about 500 acres of the farm of Holydean, and has stood upwards of 300 years, and is still a tolerably good fence. It had, at first, been six* or seven feet high, with cope stones. In an old tack or lease this enclosure is called " the Great Deer Park of Haliedean." Beneath the east end of the parish church is a vault, the bury- ing-place of the noble family of Roxburghe. It contains twenty-one coffins ranged along the sides of the apartment. In that number are included the coffins of the five previous dukes. The remains of a military road, with circular stations or camps, at the distance of from two to three miles from each other, supposed to be Roman, can be traced across the centre of the parish, in a BOWDEN. 39 line from south-east to north-west. In some places all vestiges of it are destroyed by the plough, but in other places it can be easily traced in the form of a large ditch, about twenty feet wide, and in a few spots, of two ditches of that width, and about fifty feet dis- tant from each other. The camps or stations are all on eminences in view of each other; and warlike instruments of various descrip- tions have been dug up by people ploughing and ditching around them, as well as in the adjacent mosses. There is an old cross in the centre of the village of Bowden, but the date of its erection is unknown. There were also within the last twenty years, several peels or square towers in the village, con- taining in the under part an apartment for cattle, and, in the upper part, one or two small apartments for the accommodation of the family, and to which they got access by an outer stone stair. The remains of one or two of these peels are still to be seen. Land-Hnoners. — The principal land-owners in the parish are. His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe ; John Seton Karr, Esq. of Kippi- law ; the Misses Henderson of Eildon Hall ; Captain Riddel Carre of Cavers ; Mark Sprott, Esq. of Riddel ; Colonel Sibbald of Whiterig ; William Currie, Esq. of Linthill ; Nicol Mill, Esq. of Faldon Side ; Dr Scott of Eastfield ; Peter Pennycook, Esq. of Newhall; Andrew Buckum, Esq. of Temple Hall; Andrew Amot, Esq. of Milridge Hall ; and the Royal Infirmary of Edin- burgh. Besides these, there are about fifty small proprietors. Parochial Registers. — A parochial register of births and mar- riages, begun in the year 1697, is kept by the schoolmaster as session-clerk ; but, we regret to say, is not so complete as could be wished, owing to the carelessness of parents in getting the births of their children entered. Buildings. — Except the handsome and commodious mansion- houses of Cavers Carre, Linthill, and Kippilaw, there are no modern buildings in the parish worthy of special notice, unless, in- deed, we speak of several farm-houses, which have been lately built in a superior style, and a remarkably neat and comfortable school- room, erected last season in the village of Bowden upon an ap- proved plan, which reflects the highest credit on the liberality of the heritors. III. — Population. The population of this parish in 1755 was 672 ; in 1794 it was 860; and at present it is 1010. The increase of population may be ascribed, partly to the improvements in agriculture, and partly 40 ROXBURGHSHIRE. to the greater number of labourers that have of late been employed on the roads. Though not closely connected ^ith thi& branch of the subject, we may here remark, that the roads afford a mo^t be- neficial source of employment to the labourer. Having a long time to fulfil his contract, he has recourse to them when all other jobs fail, and in frosty weather, when he can work at nothing else. The population residing in villages is . . . 478 in the country, ... 532 The average of biiths for the last seven years is • - • 15 deaths,* ..... 10 marriages, - - ... 4 The average number of persons under 15 years of ago is . . 312 betwiit 15 and 30, - - 2S8 30 and 50, . - 300 50 and 70, - . 90 above 70, - - - 20 The number of proprietors of land, of the yearly value of L. 50 and upwards, is 13 unmarried men, bachelors and widowers, upwards of 50 years of age, b . - • • --10 unnuuried women and widows, upwards of 45 years of age, is 32 The average number of children in each family is . . . 3 The people are not remarkable for strength, size, complexion, or any other personal qualities. The number of insane persons is 1 ; fatuous, 5 ; blind, 1 ; deaf and dumb, 2. Number of fiunilies in the parish, • . - . 1 96 chiefly employed in agriculture, . . 94 in trade, manufactures, and handicraft, 32 HabitSy Character y ^c. of the People. — The habits of the people are fast improving in regard to cleanliness ; and their style and manner of dress are modest, neat, and substantial. The people enjoy, in a great degree, the comforts and advan- tages of society, and, upon the whole, may be said to be contented with their situation and circumstances. They are, in general, well informed upon religious and other subjects, and deserve to be highly commended for their honesty, sobriety, and industry, and a strict regard to moral rectitude in their ordinary demeanour. Neither smuggling nor pawnbroking are. known in the parish, and poachers are very seldom heard of. IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy, — The number of acres in the parish, which are either under regular rotation of arable culture, or are occasionally broken up from grass for that purpose, extends to about 3460. The lands which have not been broken up and cul- tivated within the last sixty years, and are not likely to be again • No register of deaths is kept ; l)ut it is believed the average given is near the truth. ^ The register of births and marriages being incomplete, the above remark must, in port, be apidicd to the averages tiken from it. BOWDEN. 41 I broken up to any great extent, may be stated at about 2531 acres. Taking into consideration the coldness of the climate and other .local impediments, it is a matter of doubt, whether the extent of land kept under arable culture could be increased with advantage. Two or three hundred acres may, however, be advantageously taken out of grass, cleaned and cultivated, and then laid down again in an improved state for permanent pasture ; and a conside- rable quantity more might be improved by draining and top-dres- sing without breaking up. Thefeuars of Bowden and Midlem have thirty acres of undivid- ed common grass land, the pasturage of which is let annually for a small sum by the feuars, while all the inhabitants of the villages have the privilege of cutting turfs, peats, and divots on it. The commons are partly overrun with whins, and being surrounded by arable fields, present rather an unseemly appearance. Wood. — Around the residences of several of the proprietors, there are some fine old trees, and in the Duke of Roxburghe's ancient park at Holydean, there is a natural wood about forty acres in extent, chiefly old birch trees. Around the church-yard of Bowden there are several remarkably large sycamore and ash trees ; the latter, indeed, are considered the oldest and largest of the kind in this district. There are also in the parish a consider- able number of plantations of more recent growth, chiefly planted within the last forty years. The most extensive and conspicuous of these is on the southern side of the Eildon Hills. The others consist principally of sheltering and ornamental belts of various sizes and shapes. Taken altogether, the land under wood may ex- tend to somewhat above 260 acres. Although much has been done of late in the way of planting, there is still great room for improvement. This remark is particularly applicable to the west and north-west sides of the parish, where there is, comparatively, but little wood, and where the greatest advantage, both as to orna- ment and shelter, would be obtained by planting on a large scale. In other parts of the parish, where shelter is not so much requir- ed, various pieces of waste land, which cannot be profitably culti- vated, and several of which are to^be found in patches within cul- tivated fields, might be beneficially planted. It may further be observed, that when shelter is the principal object, plantations are frequently made too narrow to be effective. By increasing their width, additional shelter would not only be obtained, but the growth 42 ROXBURGHSHIRE. of the trees promoted, and success secured in exposed situations where trees are liable to die prematurely. The trees planted are oak, ash, elm, birch, beech, sycamore, Scotch, larch, spruce and silver firs : and alder and willows are planted in marshy places. Oak, elm, and sycamore thrive well, even upon cold, clay land, and in exposed situations in this parish, and it is to be regretted a larger proportion of these varieties has not been planted. Shelter has been the principal object in stripe or belt plantings, and too large a proportion of the fir tribe has ge- nerally been set in them. It has been observed that the spruce firs, which had been set in those plantings, throve well while young, but they soon began to dwindle, and do not now appear likely to arrive at maturity, while the few silver firs, which have been plant- ed, continue to thrive well, and are likely to become fine timber. In cases where a fair proportion of deciduous forest trees have been planted, particularly of oak, elm, and sycamore, they have, as'beforc observed, thriven well even upon cold land and in exposed situa- tions. Where the fir trees have been removed gradually and in due time, the hardwood timber trees are likely to become ulti- mately not only a source of great profit to the proprietors, but also beneficial to the occupiers, by giving permanent shelter in place of the fir trees, which soon lose their side branches and cease to give effective shelter. The hardwood trees will likewise become more ornamental than the fir. Injury has in a few instances been done to deciduous forest trees by pruning their side branches close oflf from their stems. In the opinion of men of experience, timber trees thrive best, either when they have not been pruned in any way, or when being pruned, the branches have been shortened at a distance from the stems, and above there are secondary branches springing from the larger side branches. Bent^ Sfc. — The average rent of arable land in the parish is about 17s. 6d. per acre; the charge for summering a cow is L.3, 5s. ; a three year old, L. 2, 15s. ; a two year old, L. 1, 17s. ; a one year old, L. 1, 10s. ; for wintering a cow on straw, with a little hay or turnip in spring, L. 2, 5s. ; a three year old, on straw without tur- nip L. 1, 10s. ; a two year old, L. 1, 5s. ; a one year old, L. 1. The charge for keeping a ewe of the Leicester breed on improv- ed land is L. 1 per annum, and for a young sheep of the same kind 12s. The above rates for sheep include turnip in spring. The charge for keeping a Cheviot ewe on outfield or inferior land BOWDEN. 43 is 6s. 6d. per annum, and for a young sheep of the same breed 5s., without turnip in both cases. Rate of Wages. — The wages of principal ploughmen are from L.9toL.10, 10s. per annmn, with board ; of maid-senrants, for the summer half-year, from L. 4 to L. 5, and for the winter half- year from L, 1, 12s. to L. 2, with board ; married men-servants, or hinds, get 100 stones oatmeal ; 15 bushels of barley ; 6 bushels of pease ; from L. 2 to L. 3 of money ; a cow kept ; 1200 yards of drill, lineal measure, for potatoes ; a cap of lint sown ; and a house and garden, for which they furnish a shearer, who receives meat from the employer, but no wages. This is the usual prac- tice ; but sometimes they have a cow's milk allowed them, or a cow of their own kept, potatoes as before described, 52 stones of oat- meal, a free house, and from L. 9 to L. 10 of money. In both cases the servant gets 48 cwt of coals, for which he pays the charge at the coal-hill, and the master brings them home to him, paying every other charge. A rood of mason work, furnishing all materials, costs from L. 5 to L. 6, 10s. according to circumstances ; for labour only, from L. 1, 14s. to L. 2, 4s. The rood contains 36 square yards, from 18 inches to 2 feet thick. Full-grown fir wood costs from 9d. to Is. 2d. per cubic foot; hardwood from 1^. 6d. to 2s. ; wood work of a plough 17s. ; of a cart L. 2, 4s. ; of a pair of harrows 14s. ; of a pair of cart wheels L. 2, 3s. ; paling of two bars made from full-grown fir wood, with four stakes to the rood, of six yards, costs Is. 6d. per rood, and, when made from young wood, Is. per rood. The above prices are for the wood when sawn and ready to be rcr moved from the plantation. The charge for sawing such timber is 4d. per rood for full-grown, and 3d. for young wood, and for putting it up and furnishing nails, 2d. per rood. Blacksmiths, fur- nishing iron, receive for shoeing a pair of horses, and keeping every thing connected with them, including carts, plough, and har- rows, in repair, L. 3 per annum. Breeds of Stock. — The breeds of sheep reared in the parish are the Leicester and Cheviot, and sometimes a cross between them. The rearing of sheep has met with considerable attention, and is now in a fair state of improvement The cross breed is rather on the increase. The only breed of cattle reared by tenant far- mers is the short-horned. The small fcuars and married farm- servants have frequently a mixed breed of milk cows, such as a cross between the Ayrshire and short-horned, or the Galloway and 44 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Highland breeds. A considerable number of small Highland cat- tle are annually wintered in the parish, and fattened the succeed- ing summer, and sold to the butchers. Htubandry, — The land in tillage is usually managed either in the four or five-shift rotation of cropping. In the four-shift rotation, the order is as follows : \st^ oats after grass ; 2r.— rExcept the ordinary church collections, and L. 900 Scots, mortified by a member of the Roxburghe family for pious purposes, there is no other provision for the poor but the legal as- sessment, which is at the rate, on an average of ten years, of 3s, 4d. per L. 100 Scots. The yearly amount of the assessments is about L. 123. The average number of poor on the roll for the same period is 17, and the weekly allowance of each 2s. 4id. Ge- nerally speaking, the poor of this parish are slow in seeking paro- chial relief; yet, when once upon the roll, it is not observed that they consider the circumstance degrading. Instances to the con- trary, highly honourable to individuals, are now and then met with ; but these, it must be confessed, are of rare occurrence. Alehouses, — There are three alehouses in the parish; one of these is in the village of Bowden, and the other two in Midlem. The community would sufier no loss by their number being lessened. FueL — The fuel used in this parish consists of coal brought from Mid- Lothian, at the rate of from Is. Id. to Is. 3d. per cwt. on deli- very, — also of peat, and the thinnings of plantations. The former costs at Midlem 2s. 3d., and at Bowden 4s. per single horse cart-load, including carriage ; and the latter from 3s. 6d. to 7s. per cart-load, including carriage, according to the size of the wood, and its dis- tance from the villages. October ia*M. PARISH OF MELROSE. PRESBYTERY OF SELKIRK, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. GEORGE THOMSON, MINISTER. Mull or I. — Topography and Natural History. Name, — In the old orthography the name is written xtx«ij vi Mailross, Mull or Moel signifying in Gaelic hare, and ross a pro- montory. ITie name is applicable to the peninsula formed by the Tweed, which is still called Old Melrose, and which, although in its present state one of the most delightful residences imaginable, might well be termed the bare promontory, when divested of its present advantages. The religious Culdees who settled in this spot from lona, so early as the beginning of the seventh century, may have given the name to this place, if it had not been bestowed earlier by the Celtic population. When the religious community of Old Melrose had fallen into decay, and a great monastery was founded in a more favourable situation farther up the river, the name of Mel- rose, interesting from the sacred associations connected with it, was givPH to the more recent religious establishments Subsequently it was translernjA v- ♦Uo ndioining village, and to the parish in which it stends. This etymology is Q^uv.^, . - ^-forv of the most au- *l'^!r,:nln--The parish of Melrose is one of the rnost «xttnsK in the county. Its length, from the top of the middle- ^3 Eildon Hills to Upper Blainslie, is 10 miles. Itsbrendth, ^ the banks of the Gala to those of the Leader, is upon an aTelre 4*. Its superficial extent is 45 square mdes. Its boun- Ta^^arefsouth, the parishes of St Boswel and Bowden; north, thTpaS of Lauder; east, the parishes of Mertoun and Earls- the parisn .eoarated by the Tweed and Leader; and ::Z '::ZTGjL^e7TsJ. from which it is separated by r rllT Its figure is an irregular oblong, rounded at us northern xtremt, ItTii is widest,%nd forming an excrescence at the „d in the front "f '^c town-hoj^. there are the bgur ^^^ ^^^^^^ K^ ^^^ '^."t^ov/triS ortLTlli'i' i'u orthography, fron, MuUross to Mel- rof»e. 52 ROXBURGHSHIRE. north-west angle of Roxburghshire, where that county separates Selkirkshire from Berwickshire, and inarches with Mid-Lothian. Topographical Appearances, — The principal high-grounds are Ihe Eildon Hills on the south border of the parish, at the foot of which the village of Melrose is beautifully situated. Rising with a triple summit, and an abrupt irregular acclivity on the right bank of the Tweed, they are finely contrasted with the smooth surface, and uniform height of the Gattonside Hills, which, with their con- tinuation on the Langlee and Ladhope heights, form a ridge ex- tending from the Leader to the Gala. To the north of this long ridge, the parish, for about two-thirds of its extent, and compre- hending all the hilly country between these rivers, maintains a con- siderable elevation above the level of the sea, and of the Melrose valley. It is from the north that the Eildon Hills are seen to most advantage, where the two principal summits only being visible, their proportions appear most beautiful, and their elevation above the level of the country, magnificent : and in winter, when the sun rises immediately behind them, one of the most splendid of moun- tain phenomena may be scon in perfection in the neighbourhood of Melrose, — the black opaque mass of the hills cutting against the bright gleaming sky. On the south, their elevation appears less considerable, but the three hills are seen in a line, — their bare' summits contrasting with the richness of the surrounding country. The view from the top of the Eildons is crowded with interesting objects. To The north dxo^eGn^^ejiifln^^^^ through jJji^JW'Al. j' ' -^^-^-^Tmlrlrfl with villas and villages, fraHh front of the abbey distinctly and beautifully appearing amid imbosommg wood, and the long mountain ridge which bound! the valley on the north, flanked, on the one hand, by the Meiglot, and, on the other hand, by the Coldigknow,-beyond which the view IS prolonged in pastoral wildness to the distant heights of Lam- mermoor, Soltr^ and Yarrow braes. To the south, the whole level expanse of richly cultivated, but thinly wooded Tiviotdale! s spread out before the eye, and bounding the view appears the long blue ine of the Cheviots, losing itself in distance toward the west, and having at ,ts eastern extremity three small conical emi- nences, one of which is Flodden Hill Geoloffy.-ln the Eildon.s clinkstone appears in many places • and in some p aces, where uncovered by vegetable mould, they seem to consist of huge heaps of small thin oblongular splinters without any cohesion, and free from sand or any eanhy mixture. On tl MELROSE. 53 side of one of them, but within ijie parish of Bowden, a beautiful columnar porphyry has lately been disclosed. West from Mel- rose is the Quarry Hill, a huge mass of a kind of conglomerate rock, having much clay imbedded in it, on which the frost has great influence. Being durable and easily wrought, it is much used in building. Over all the northern and western part of the parish greywacke prevails, dipping toward the north-east. Abbotsford is built of this kind of stone, and it is found in the bed of the Tweed, throughout the whole course of the Allan, and in all the detached rocks which appear at intervals in the hilly country. To the south-east of the Eildons, the Dryburgh sandstone begins. It is first disposed in thin layers of a coarse red colour ; and these are found to overlay other sandstone strata of greater breadth, and of a finer colour. The soil of the parish, as described in the last Statistical Ac- count, is various. In the south it is generally a strong clay, excel- lently adapted for wheat. The banks of the Tweed are a fine light dry soil, fit for all kinds of grain. In the northern parts of the parish the soil is of three kinds, 1^^, a light earth mixed with sand upon a gravelly bottom ; 2e//y, a strong clay upon a till full of springs, and very wet; d(//y, moss. The moss is frequently found to overlay marl of the finest quality. Hydrography. — There are four considerable streams in this pa- rish. Th© Tweed, and three tributaries which it receives from the north ; the Gala, the Allan, and the Leader. The Gala at the western, and the Leader at the eastern, extremity of the parish, are five miles distant where they join the Tweed. Two miles below the Gala, the Allan issues from a fine opening in the Langlee heights, dividing the Long mountain ridge which forms the south- ern boundary of the hilly country. It is a beautiful httle stream, nearly concealed in many places by overhanging woods, and its course, five miles in length, is all within the parish. The Tweed enters the parish at Gala foot, having formed its boundary with the Galashiels parish for two miles higher up. After receiving the Leader, it becomes its boundary with the parish of Mertoun, as far as Dryburgh. The valley of Melrose must have been a noble lake at some re- mote period, the Tweed entering it by a narrow inlet, across which Melrose Bridge is thrown, and leaving it by a narrow outlet at Tweedwood, before the formation of which, the whole space in- closed by the Eildon and Gatton$ide Hills must have been a con- 54 UOXBrRGHSHlRE. tinued sheet of water. A substratum of water sand, dense or pene- trable by the spade, pure or gravelly, is always met with in digging a few feet below the surface. At a comparatively recent period, less than two centuries ago, the course of the Tweed seems to have been on the south side of the valley. A fine rich flat, now on the south side of the river, is called Gattonside-haugh, and its feu- dal tenures shew that it once actually formed a part of the Gat- tonside lands, which are on the north side of the river. In these tenures a right is retained to an ancient church-way, severed by the Tweed, along which the inhabitants used to pjiss of old to the Catholic service in the abbey. Near the village of Nowstead, the old channel of the river is beautifully marked ; and what was for- merly a deep pool and perilous eddy, across which Claverhouse is said to have been ferried, is now a fine meadow, but still continues to be called the " wheel." The change in the course of the Tweed seems to have been aided by human industry, as a strong embankment is necessary to prevent it from resuming its old do- main. Meteorology. — The most remarkable feature in the meteorology of this part of the country is its fogs, which frequently occur in beau- tifully picturesque forms. Sometimes they are seen lying in inde- pendent fleeces upon the sides of the uplands, — sometimes creep- ing up the channel of the Tweed, and slowly dividing into the di- verging valleys. Viewed from the south side of the Eildons, the whole surface of Tiviotdale appears one continued sheet of fog, above which is seen the top of Ruberslaw, and the long stalk of the Waterloo pillar, — while a clear sky is overhead, and a bright sun il- luminating the surface of the sea. In the valley of Melrose, sheltered as it is by the surrounding high grounds, the climate is singularly mild. The upland parts of the parish are in winter swept by tremendous northern gales, against which they have no natural shelter. But in every place, both in the high and low ground, the parish is healthy, and free from every kind of unwholesome miasma. The ague, which was formerly very prevalent, owing to the damp exhalations of undrain- ed marsh, hjis entirely disappeared,— not. a single instance of this malady is met with by any medical practitioner. Epidemic fe- vers of the typhus kind sometimes occur in the villages, but they are rare, and not very destructive. The most common distempers of this district seem to be rheumatism and consumption. MELROSE. 55 II. — Civil History. Accounts of the Parish. — The ancient accounts of the history of the parish are, the Chronicle of Mailross, which was kept in the monastery, in monkish Latin, and which, beginning with the year 735, ends in 1270 ; the first part being only an abridgement of previous history, intended to serve as an introduction to the chro- nicle, properly so called ; — the Chartulary of Melrose, compre- hending the munificent grants and benefactions, royal and private^ with which the abbey was from time to time enriched ; — and the accounts of various monkish historians, of whom Bede is the chief. The modern accounts are Redpath's Border History ; Morton's Monastic Annals of Tiviotdale ; a history of the parish of Mel- rose by Milne, one of its former ministers, and another by Bower, the present custodier of the abbey.* Parochial Registers. — The only manuscript accounts of the his- tory of the parish known to the writer are contained in the paro- chial registers, which begin in 1630, and are continued down to the present day, with a single break of four years between 1686-90. This interval, corresponding with the years of persecution, seems to indicate the troubles of the time, of which, however, there b no ^ mention made, f The number of persons who appear by the list of penitents to have incurred church censure in that age is incredible, — far ex- ceeding the average of the present day, when the population is nearly trebled. How is this to be accounted for and reconciled • Milne, though a man of respectable talent and research, seems to have had the Ibible of mistaking for Roman encampments old sheep fields, e. g. his two Cattra eX" ploratorum. What he calls a Roman encampment on the top of the Eildons, may easily have been a border fastness, to which the cattle of the neighbourhood might be driven on the approach of the enemy ; for there are no distinct indications observable from which it can be inferred that it was Roman, and his Roman road across Bowden moor is proven, by a curious old charter lately discovered, to have been a boundary line between the adjoining properties of tlie Kelso and the Melrose monastery. f The oldest part of these registers records veiy particularly the transactions of each week, giving both the preacher's name and the su!)ject on which he spoke, with enormous weekly lists of penitents who were subjected to the presbyterian penance. The oldest part of them also contains many curious notices of the public events of the period, which are highly interesting and worthy of attention, as they serve to shew the impression which historical events of importance made upon the public mind at the time they occurred. For example, an attempt of a detachment of the army of Charles the First upon the insurgent de^jot at Dunse in the course of that monarch's second Scottish campaign, with the Subsequent blowing up of Dunglass House, Is thus noticed 30M August, 1640 «* Mr William Wilkie preached, but, being interrupt- ed at midd sermon, because of the Inglishmen that came from Berwick to Dunse, thinking to carrie away our cannon, powder, and lead with them ; but, blessed be God, they got the foyle and returned with shame, being beat back with a few. But upon the same night ane pityfuU accident there was at Dunglass, where my Lord Had- dington of worthie memorie, with many others, was betrayed with powder, so that the house was blown up, and they were smoored in the close ; the lyke whereof was never heard in Scotland." 56 ROXBURGHSHIRE. with the zeal and piety of our forefathers, unless by supposing that the age in general was greatly less enlightened and less moral than the present. It is more easy to fight and die for God, than to live a well regulated life in obedience to His law. * Historical Notices. — The history of this parish is coeval with the first introduction of Christianity among the Saxon population of this part of the country in 640. It is related by Bede, who lived in Northumberland, and during the seventh century, that Oswald, the Saxon King of Northumberland, whose dominions comprehend- ed the whole of the eastern part of Scotland south of the Forth, was converted to Christianity by Culdees, from lona, whom he met with when an exile from his country, among the Picts north of the Forth; that, on being restored to his country, and eventually raised to the throne, he became anxious to Christianize his subjects, and with this view prevailed on a number of Culdees to visit his king- dom as missionaries, one of whom, named Aidan, he made bishop of Lindisfarne, — and that he built churches and planted mis- sions at Old Melrose in this parish, and in various other places of his dominions. Old Melrose, a peninsula nearly surround- ed by the Tweed, which is overhung on the farther side by its lofty precipitous banks, is strongly guarded by natural defences, on every quarter except the south, where it has an easy communi- cation with the country, and where a wall, seen by Milne, was drawn across the narrow isthmus. It is a most delightful place of residence. The limited central space of the peninsula is high raised above the encircling river, and keeps the general level of the adjoining country, the ground descending all round with a steep but smooth unbroken declivity, finely contrasting with the abrupt- ness of the opposite banks, to a circular grassy plain of pleasing seclusion, — the scene, perhaps, of the devout meditations of St Cuthbert, and of the shivering penances of Drjthelme. Uniting, therefore, the advantages of easy defence and delightful retire- ment, it seems to have been judiciously chosen for the residence of a religious community in a barbarous age. The religious com- * It deserves to be mentioned as a curious trait of the manners of the period in question, that it was then common for people of the lowest rank to appear with m sword at their side when in full dress,— «nd it is related by an aged person, whose grandfiithcr was present on the occasion, that Mr Wilson, who was ordained minister of this parish in 1690, on the removal of the English curate, and whose memory is still revered, began his first diet of examination, by seizing on these weapons and breaking them, maintaining, that the unnecessary appearance of them in the house of God was a profanation. The number of swords which the people still have in their pos- session, covered with rust, and each having " eaten of its sheath two handful,'* u im- mense. — Pereant nibiginc. MELROSE. 57 munity of Old Melrose, at the head of which was placed one of Aidan's twelve Saxon pupils, seems to have remained unmolest- ed for about 200 years ; during which period it produced many who figured as saints in the Roman calendar, among whom oc- cur the names of St Cuthbert and St Boswell. Of these, the former, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne, was really eminent; the latter is chiefly interesting to us from his having given his name to the neighbouring parish of St Boswells, the public worship of which continued to be carried on after the Reformation in a chapel dedicated to this saint, until the stones of its principal quadrangle were employed in the building of the present parish church, which seems to have been the general practice after the overthrow of po- pery; for almost all the old and unrenewed parish churches in this part of the country seem to be the identical places of worship which were used in Catholic times. And from architectural indi- cations which they still exhibit, they appear to have consisted of a large oblong quadrangle, communicating through an ornamented archway with a smaller apartment called the Queer, which pro- jected from one of its ends, and which was probably used, like the continental baptistry, for marriages, baptisms, petite masses, &c. when a small concourse of people would attend.* After the Refor- mation, the queer generally became the burial aisle of the principal proprietor, the communication with the interior being built up ; or it was demolished, leaving traces of its ornamented archway ; or it dis- appeared entirely, the church having been elongated in the direc- tion of where it stood, in which case nothing is observable but the coarse recent addition. The queer of the demolished chapel of St Boswells remained standing vrithin the last forty years. These excursive remarks, derived from a personal observation of many parishes, must be forgiven. In the year 839, when the Scottish power gained a permanent ascendancy over the Saxon, and the country was wasted as far south as the Tweed, the peninsula of Old Melrose was taken by Kenneth II., and the buildings of the monastery destroyed. From this disaster it never seems to have recovered. It afterwards became the temporary residence of a small party of monks from Girwy, but it eventually dwindled down into a chapel dedicated to St Cuthbert, which had the privilege of a sanctuary ; and a road- way leading to it, still called (either from Girwy or Girth, a sanc- • The people have an old saying illustrative of, and alluding to this, " If the kirk be over big, sing mass in the queer.*" 58 ROXBURGHSHIRE. tuary,) the Girthgate, may be traced over the moorlands, in which stand the ruined towers of ColmsHe and Hillslop. It appears from tradition, that, during the long interval between the decline of the Old Melrose and the rise of the New, there was another sacred ediBce erected midway between them in a field which still retains the name of the Red Abbey Stead. It was pro- bably called the Red Abbey from the colour of the stone with which it was built, which, specimens that have been dug up seem to identify with the narrow upper strata of the Dryburgh sandstone, which are of a coarse red colour, every way inferior to the fine broad sandstone strata which they overlay, and out of which was built the famous Abbey of Melrose, now in ruins. The buildings of the one abbey seems to have led to the discovery of finer ma- terials for the building of the other ; and the geologj' of the country thus enables us to ascertain the relative antiquity of the two edi- fices, — of the former of which no records whatever remain. Could we suppose that it was a rebuilding on a new site of the chapel of St Cuthbert, it would account for the^ name of the neighbouring village of Newstead. Melrose Abbey. — In 1136, 500 years after the foundation, and 300 years after the destruction of the Old Melrose, the famous abbey and monastery, which is still admired in ruins hard by the present village of Melrose, is said to have been founded by David L Becoming the residence of a community of Cistertian monks who were brought from Rievalle, and whose Order was then first intro- duced into Scotland, it was, according to the general practice of Cistertians, dedicated to their patron saint the Virgin Mary. The site of this more recent establishment, to which the name of Melrose, venerable from its sacred antiquity, was transferred, is three miles further west than the river peninsula on which the old and original Melrose stood, near the foot of the Eildons, and about a quarter of a mile south of the Tweed, — occupying the finest part of the lovely valley which is inclosed between the Eildon and Gat- tonside heights. It is stated by Milne, that the adjoining village existed before the building of the abbey, and that it had the name of Fordle ; and it is worthy of remark, that the whole of the old tenements above what is still called the Bow, the south entrance gate to the monastery ground, are described in their title-deeds as belonging to the village of Little Fordle. The original name of the previously existing village, therefore, must have been Little Fordle, which seems to be a Saxon diminutive, derived, in all like- 3 MELROSE. 59 lihood, from the passage of a small brook flowing across the road at the eastern entrance of the village, and contrasting with the neighbouring ford of larger dimensions in the Tweed. Of the ruins of Melrose Abbey, which have been so frequently and so well described, both in poetry and prose, it is unnecessary to say much. The ground plan, according to the general Ro- mish practice, is in the form of a rectangular cross. The nave, which Hes due east and west, is in length 258 feet, and in breadth 79 feet ; and at the distance of 50 feet from the eastern extremity, it is intersected at right angles by the transept, which is in length 130 feet, and in breadth 44. To the west of the transept there are two magnificent rows of pillars ranged along the north and south side of the nave, which form two passages leading into the interior, where it is most spacious, the intersection of the transept and nave. The passage on the north side is bounded by a blind wall ; that on the south, which is broader and more magnificent, opens into a long series of aisles, intended, perhaps, to serve as con- fessionals, private chapels, baptistries, or queers, each highly or- namented, and terminated by a splendid Gothic window. Upon the north side of the building, indications are observable on the outer wall, of a large quadrangular cloister which, beginning at the transept, had extended 150 feet west, and also of a spacious ar- cade or piazza, with which it had been surrounded. The habita- tions of the monks, as is said and confirmed by architectural indi- cations and foundations which have been dug up, were ranged along the east, west, and north walls of the cloister, completely secluded from the outer world, and concealed behind their splendid southern screen, the majestic pile of the abbey, which might have ex- tended as far beyond the quadrangle in the west as it does in the east. Such seems to have been the general outlines of this famous building, so far as they can be traced in its present dismantled state. The architecture is the finest Gothic, belonging evidently to an age when the art, in all its departments, and that style of building in particular, had arrived at the highest perfection. In the magnitude of its proportions, Melrose Abbey is inferior to many works of its kind, — the dimensions of York Minster being nearly double ; but it has seldom been surpassed, or even equalled, in the fineness of the sculpture, the exquisite finishing of its most minute embellishments, and the majestic beauty so suitable to a sacred edifice, which appears in the whole. How came so fine a building, 60 ROXBURGHSHIRE. it is natural to inquire, to be erected in such a site, and in an age so early and so rude as the twelfth century ? David was a " sore saint to the crown," rather from his enormous grants of land than from the amount of pecuniary capital which he had it in his power to sink unproductively ; and why should he have chosen to place the finest building of which the nation has ever had to boast so far from the heart of his kingdom^ and so near a hostile frontier ? It is also worthy of remark, that the style of the architecture is ascer- tained to belong to a later age than that of David ; that the build- ings which David did erect on this site are said to have been finish- ed in ten years ; and that there are architectural indications which distinctly show that the Abbey, the main building now existing in ruins, was unfinished when destroyed 500 years after his day. There are appearances of temporary finishing, that the work might be afterwards resumed and carried forward towards completion. The character of the monastic orders in general, and that of the Cis- tertians in particular, seem to afford the best explanation of the ilifficulty which can be given. The Cistertians, besides being strict in their monastic discipline, had the wisdom to inculcate industry upon their brethren as a virtue, and as a preservative from vice ; on which account, they were also great patrons and promoters of learning and the fine arts. Is it not probable, then, that multi- tudes of the resident monks would employ themselves in what might be deemed the pious work of rearing and embelUshing so sacred an edifice ; that the masterly pieces of sculpture which adorn its windows, walls, pinnacles, capitals, keystones, Jcc were executed by their own hands ; and that the whole work, instead of being produced by a single effort of David, which would have been be- yond his means and the architectural talent which he could have commanded, however ample his means had been, was the result of a long-continued effort of the religious community which he esta- blished, aided by the princely revenues with which it was endowed, the munificent benefactions it was continually receiving, and the architectural talent of the whole Romish church which would be at his command. The monastic orders are known to have been ambitious of adorning their habitations with great architectural works, which were frequently begun on a scale of magnificence vastly beyond their means, and which the labours of several gene* rations were required to complete. The Scottish monarch, in 1 136, seems to have merely founded and endowed the monaster)', build- ing suitable accommodations for its inmates, and a humbler edifice, MELROSE. 61 perhaps, for their worship. The magnificent pile of building which came in time to cover the south front of the monastic quadrangle, may justly be regarded asasubsequent addition, — as the fruit of the zeal, industry, and genius of the indefatigable Cistertians, exerted during a period of five centuries. Antiquities, — As might have been expected in the vicinity of such an establishment, there are memorials of the Catholic times in every quarter. There is a cross in the centre of the village of Melrose, near the south entrance of the monastery, which has a quarter of an acre of land to maintain it called the " Corse Rig." The Popish emblem on the top, however, was supplanted by the crest of the Haddington arms so early as 1604. The name of the High Cross marks the site of another, which stood near the Darn- wick road, half a mile west, where the pinnacles of St Mary's cen- tral tower first become visible. There are in the lintels, or ap- pearing in the plaster of the walls of some of the houses, stones sculptured with the interlacing, (i. ii. s. Jesus Hominum Salvator,) and other Popish devices. There are such names of places as Priors* Wood, Cloister Close, Abbots and Monks' Ford ; and our principal springs still retain the names of Romish saints, such ns St Mary's, St William's, St Helen's, and St Dunstan's. The in- habitants are such zealous Protestants, that many of them com- plained that they " could neither get a night's rest nor day's ease with the passing of the Catholic bill," so that it may truly be said, every thing around us is Catholic, " save the spirit of man." The tumulus upon the side of the Eildons mentioned by Milne, and called by the people the Bourjo, is worthy of attention. It is evidently artificial, of great magnitude, and by tradition the site of a pagan altar. The road leading to it is called the Haxalgate, and the ravine through which it passes the Haxalgate-heugh. Compare with this the following passage from the thirteenth chap- ter of the third volume of the Pirate : " If the belief of those is true," says the author while speaking of a Druidical circle, " who assign these singular monuments exclusively to the Druids, Minna might have seemed the Haxa or high priestess of the order." It is at least a striking circumstance, that the name of this pagan official should be found in the way leading to a reputed pagan altar. The place is still regarded by the people with interest ; and they have been in the habit of pointing out to each succeeding minister as the identical spot where their forefathers " were wont to bow the 62 ROXBURGHSHIRE. knee to Baal, and to put their sacrifices into earthem vessels," the tradition mingling with the knowledge of a better faith. A stone with a Latin inscription, which was lately dug up in this parish, and which is now in the possession of the family of Drygrange, seems to have formed a part of a Roman altar. In the inscription it is dedicated to the god Silvanus by Curius Domi- tianus of the Twentieth Legion, " pro salute sua et suorum." The Romans having never been so far north before Domitian nor after Severus, the inscription must belong to the second century. The country must have been a forest, else why the dedication to Silvanus ? and unhealthy, else why the expression " pro salute sua et subrum." * Modem Buildings. — In the vicinity of the Tweed, and within the bounds of this parish, there are about fifteen villas and consi- derable mansion-houses, of which Abbotsford in the west is not less famous for its present, than, in the east. Old Melrose is for its ancient glory. The materials employed in building are sandstone from Dryburgh, Belses, and Sprouston, the coarse puddingstone of the neighbouring quarry-hill, and the Greywacke, which is wide- ly diffused over the country. There are within the parish four corn mills ; of these the two principal are upon a lead said to be of monastic antiquity, which, leaving the Tweed above Melrose, returns to it below Newstead, insulating a rich flat called the Ana. III. — Population. There are no accounts of the state of the population of this pa- rish before the census of 1801. There are in the parochial re- gisters some tables of births of an earlier date ; but the result is so surprisingly irregular, that it affords no certain data for drawing an inference. The amount of the population was found to be In 1801, . . 2654 1811, - 3132 1821, - - 3525 At the time of the census in 1831, the amount of the popu- * The high and exposed situation of the place where the stone wtfs discovered seems to indicate that at the time at which such a spot was chosen for a Roman mi- litary post, the surface of the country must have been very difTerent from what it now is, when many a better station might be found not commanded from the neigh- bouring heights by any weapon used in ancient warfare. Was the vale of Melrose a lake in the second century, as hydrographical appearances show that it must have been before the formation of the narrow outlet at Tweedwood ; or an unwholesome swampy forest, like those of the American wastes, where the Roman soldier would sink in mud to the knee whilst forcing his way through the loathsome underwood, and the ague, the once prevailing disease of the country, would subdue his strength and quench his ardour ? With this hypothetical, it is curious to compare the actual state of the country, richly cultivated, healthful, and populous, covered over with villas, villages, and com fields, the effect of human industry and time. MELROSE. 63 lation was found to have increased to 4339, of which number 2096 were males, and 2243 females. This great increase of po- pulation is to be ascribed to three causes, — agricultural improve- ments, and the extensive breaking up of the waste grounds which followed the great rise in the price of grain during the war ; the great increase of the manufacturing population upon the Gala ; and the numerous families having independent fortunes that have chosen the neighbourhood for a place of residence, attracted by the amenity of the situation. The manufactures of Galashiels have been con- tinually upon the increase, notwithstanding the pressure of the times; and this, along with the increased amount of the resident wealth, more than counterbalances the diminution of the population by emi- gration, which has of late years been uncommonly great. The number of the population who reside in towns is - - 2764 the country, <> - 1593 Tlie yearly average for the las( seven years of recorded births 19 • 64 burials, - 37 marriages, - - 374 N. B. — Every marriage is recorded, the parties being anxious, from a regard to decorum, to pay a scrupulous attention to all ob- servances ; but in the registration of the births and deaths there is great irregularity. The number of individuals and of families of independent for- tune, at present residing in the parish, is 18. The number of pro- prietors of land, of the yearly value of L. 50 and upwards, is 50. The number of families is 906 ; and it appears that the proportion of recorded births to the recorded marriages is only 64 to 37, — giving If children to each family. This is to be ascribed to the fact above stated, that every marriage is recorded, but that many of the births are not. 1. The number of inhabited houses is - - - - 728 houses uninhabited or building is . - 26 2. Number of families chiefly employed in agriculture, - 250 trade, manufactures, and handicraft, 361 3. The number of males employed in agriculture, as farmers and farm^servants, above the age of twenty years, is - - - 327 The number of males employed in manufactories, or in manufacturing machinery, 1 43 the retail trade, or in handicraft work, 317 professional persons and educated men, - - 67 persons employed as labourers by the three last classes, - 71 retired tradesmen, superannuated labourers, and ipales diseased in body or in mind, ... 60 Characters^ Habits^ Sfc. of the People. — The people, without beuig distinguished from their countrymen by any personal peculiarities, may be described as being generally a stout, muscular, well-formed race, hardy and patient of fatigue, having among them many in- stances of great stature and strength. In so numerous a popula- 64 * ROXBURGHSHIRE. tion, there are only 2 persons insane ; 3 fatuous; 2 blind ; and 1 deaf and dumb. The dialect spoken is distinguishable, although it does not differ much, from that of the west coast used by Burns. The finest specimens of it in spirit, characteristic features, and idiom, are to be found in the dialogue of those of the Waverley Novels, where the scene is laid at or near the Scottish border. There are in- stances in which that author admits an old word, not at present in general use ; and the reading habits of the people have insensibly led them to incorporate with their conversational style much of the classical language of the country. The dress of the common people, from which every peculiarity has long ago disappeared, is always becoming, and in good repair ; and on particular .occasions, when they appear in their " Sunday's best,'' it differs little from that of the upper classes. For some years past, they seem to have been rather in straitened circum- stances, owing to the low rate of wages, and the scarcity of work ; but by industry, temperate habits, and frugal management, they make a shift to maintain themselves and their families comfortably ; and there are few of them who have not saved a sum of money, upon which they can draw in any emergency. It may be truly said, that they are an intellectual, moral, and religious people ; and that, through the excellent education which they universally receive, and their natural capabilities, they are becoming more so every day. Smuggling and pawnbroking are unknown. The game laws, to the credit of the proprietors be it spoken, are very leniently en- forced. The parties seem to be upon honour with each other, — the one not poaching beyond a certain extent ; the other not push- ing the enforcement of the law so far as persecution. IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — To the north of the Tweed there are in this parish about 11,500 acres, either cultivated, or occasionally in tillage ; and about 7600, which remain continually in pasture. The land to the south of the Tweed, which amounts to about a third part of the whole parish, is all cultivated, except the wide base of the Eildon Hills, and a stripe of moorland stretch- ing from them towards the west There are distinct traces of an- cient culture upon the sides of the Eildons, and in the adjoining moorland, in ground which at present none would think of subject- ing to the plough. Are we to conclude that the soil of these places was different in ancient times from what it is at present ? MELROSE. 65 It is more probable that the good soils^ mismanaged by husband- men ignorant of the principles of agriculture, and exhausted by incessant cropping, would be found less productive than the worst land when new broken up ; and that, in the dreadful famines to which Scotland in " its warrior day " was liable, the culture of grain, under the most unfavourable circumstances, would pay. The number of acres which at present might be added with advantage to the cultivated land cannot be ascertained ; but whenever, in the wild country, the farmer has a long lease, he generally makes dis- coveries of pieces of good soil, by the culture of which he is well repaid. Much of the land subjected to the plough during the war prices of the grain has been thrown back into pasture ; and much that was eveu then feft in pasture has since been broken up, so that, through the judicious enterprise of able agriculturists, the parish seems in the way of being brought into the best possible state for profitably employing and drawing forth the virtues of the different soils. An undivided common, we may add, is unknown. A por- tion of ground in this neighbourhood, of about seven acres, well worthy of this name, after having been for ages an ugly morass, was lately drained, cultivated, and sold for L. 700, which was dis- tributed among the different tenementors who had claims upon it in sums of L. 30 each. The draining cost them 10s. a-head, and was at first pronounced " a haver." Of this spirited undertaking Sir Walter Scott was the first suggester. The number of acres under wood is not less than 1200, and there is no natural wood except a few straggling trees, chiefly birches, at Torwoodlee and Colmslie Hill. A few years ago, the custom was to plant a proportion of oak, ash, elm, sycamore, and beech ; but at present larch and oak are the rage, and a slight ad- mixture of other trees. In twenty years, the thinnings of the larch defray the whole expense of plantation, — the value of the ground for pasture is doubled, — and the hard-wood with the standing larches far exceeds the value of the ground on which it grows. With respect to the management of the trees, it is only necessary to state, that the greatest attention is paid to thinning, felling, and pruning ; and that in these, and all the other operations of plant- ing, the most approved modes are followed. Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land in the parish is 15s. per acre ; some lands being above L. 4, and others not ex- ceeding 5s. The average rent of grazing is L. 4 a-year per ox or cow ; of pasturing, 7s. a-year per ewe or full-grown sheep. ROXBURGH. E 66 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Rate of Wages. — The rate of labour, winter and summer, for the different kinds of farm-labourers and country artisans, is upon an average, 10s. per weeL Superior workmen in the carpenter line receive 2s. 6d. per day, — in the smith line, 14s. per week. The rate of masonry, the best work, and the standard thickness of two feet, is L. 6 per square rood. Breeds of Stock. — The common breeds of sheep in the parish are Leicester, Cheviot, half-bred and black-faced. The common breeds of cattle are the Teeswater, Ayrshire, and Highland kyloe, with a small admixture of other breeds which a farmer may meet with, and be led to purchase at market The farm-buildings of the parish are generally spacious, com- modious, and substantial. The inclosures are, for the infield and arable land, thorn quick hedges, — for the outfield and pastoral, stone dikes. Fisheries, — The fisheries of the Tweed, which ought to abound in salmon, have dwindled down into nothing in this neighbourhood. The few salmon which escape from the Berwick nettings are late in the season before they arrive, when they have in a great mea- sure lost their value, and the close-time has set in. At this, the inhabitants on the banks of the Tweed and its tributaries feel much aggrieved. They complain that their fine rivers are made a mere preserve for the Berwick fisheries ; and they seem to have reason. Produce. — The produce of this parish consists entirely of grain, of stock, and of potatoes, turnips, and hay. The yearly value of each of these separately cannot be procured; but the general value of the raw produce yearly raised has been estimated at L. 50,000, being nearly 2J of the rental. Manufactures. — The only great manufacturing establishments in this parish are upon the Gala in Darling's-haugh, and Buckholm- side ; and, as they form a part of the commercial body of Gala- shiels, being divided from it by nothing but the parochial boundary line, which, crossing the Gala, and passing along the side of the lead which drives the machinery, intersects, without disuniting that village, a particular account of them more properly forms a part of the statistics of Galashiels parish. As to the Melrose-land- linens, a manufacture mentioned in the last Statistical as being so much on the decline that apprehensions were beginning to be en- tertained that the place would lose the name and business, the business and its very name have indeed departed long ago, — the bleachfield has become a grazing field, — and the fathers and mothers of the present race still speak with regret of the linen trade, and MELROSE. 67 the profits they could realize in their youth by the labours of the spinning-wheeL Coeval with, and perhaps contributing to, the fall of this manufacture, was the introduction of cotton weaving from Glasgow, which at one time employed hundreds of hands, many of whom went to country work when required, and were profitably employed in weaving during the intervals in which no country work could be procured* This resource, which was a great benefit to the people, in compensating the irregularity of the demand for rural labour, which requires many hands at one season, and compara- tively few at another, ceased with the diminished demand for weav- ing in Glasgow, from which no work has been sent to this place for many years. The population being, nevertheless, greatly upon the increase, owing to causes stated in the last head, we have ^^ the still loom and silent wheel," without the other woful feature in the poetic image of desolation, " the cold hearth." As for the wool- len manufacture, it has not left the country, but only withdrawn a few miles west to the banks of the Gala. V, — Parochial Economy. Market'Taum, Sfc. — Melrose is a market-town, and has 689 in- habitants, who are chiefly employed as retailers, handicrafts, and labourers. As to the police of the place, it was a Burgh of Rega- lity before the abolition of the hereditary jurisdictions ; and under the present system, it is the head of its district, having a fiscal act- ing under the Justices of the Peace, who hold a court in its town- house on the first Saturday of every month. The people fre- quently settle their differences among themselves by arbitration, which is called " referring them to men," or " setting men on them." There were formerly magistrates called Birly men, who used to hold what was called a Birly court ; but this, a relic per- haps of some old Saxon or feudal institution, has fallen into dis- use, and all cases not carried before the higher courts are now- settled either by a reference to men, or by the decision of the justices. There are six other villages in the parish, Darnwick, Gattonside, and Newstead, each about a mile distant from Melrose, and in the same valley, having severally a population of 297, 290, and 230 ; Newtown, three miles td the south-east, having a population of 161 ; and upon Gala water, four miles to the west, Darling's-haugh, which has 762 inhabitants, and Buckholmside, which has 317, both ap- pendages of Galashiels. Means of Communication. — The means of communicatvow ^yv- joyed by the parish are ample. There is a posl-offiie^'vci^^To^^^ 68 ROXBURGHSHIRE. with drop posts to all the neighbouring places of importance; and, besides numerous excellent parish and statute-labour roads, which afford access wherever it is required, there are two spacious turn- pikes, the Leader and Gala w^ater roads, which pass, the one along the northern, and the other alonor the southern boundary of the parish. The Gala water road, from Newtown, where it enters to Caitha-toll, where it leaves the parish, is twelve miles in length ; and the Leader water road, after diverging from the other about a mile south from Newtown, continues in the parish for nine miles. On the former, two four-horse coaches, which travel at the rate of seven and eight miles an hour, have succeeded the famous old fly, which, with its venerable pair, would continue from twelve to six- teen hours between Jedburgh and Edinburgh. There are two stone bridges over the Tweed, one a mile above, and another two miles below Melrose, both in the old fashion, narrow and high- raised in the centre, but in perfect repair. Between them, there is a handsome suspension bridge for foot passengers and single horses. A little above the upper stone bridge, there was un an- cient bridge of singular construction, having a residence for the pontage-keeper in the centre, and a draw-bridge on each side, which he could lower and elevate at pleasure. The central pillar, or rather tower, which contained the keeper's residence, was of Gothic architecture, and bore the arms of the Pringles of Gala, to whom the right of salmon-flshing in the Tweed was formerly given by royal charter, burdened with the charge of keeping up the pontage communications over the river, k gave name to Bridge-end, which is deemed too small to appear in the enumera- tion of the villages of the parish. Ecclesiastical State. — There have been eleven Protestant clergy- men since the Reformation. The second of the series was the nephew of John Knox, and had the same name. His immediate successor, a person of the name of Forrester, was deposed for po- pish tendencies, and is said to have used liturgy consisting of dog- grel rhymes of his own composition, and containing such expres- sions as these : " From the knock-down race of Knoxes, good Lord, deliver us." Fletcher, who became Bishop of Argyle, was much respected during his ministry in this parish for his benigni- ty, public spirit, and attention to the education of the people. But this did not prevent them from rejoicing heartily at the re- moval of his curate in 1689, and the accession of Mr Wilson, the first Presbyterian clergyman after the revolution, who is still spoken of and regarded with veneration. The school-house was built with MELROSE. 69 funds bequeathed by Bishop Fletcher, as is commemorated by a Latin inscription on the walL The parish church, which was removed in 1810 from the Abbey ruins, where it had been since the Reformation, is on the top of the Wearhill, a few hundred yards west from Melrose. Its exposed situation renders it cold in winter, but it is conveniently situated for the greatest part of the population, being nearly equidistant from the villages of Damwick, Grattonside, and Newstead. It is three miles distant from the south-western extremity of the parish ; from the north-western not less than eight. The sittings are thought to be all free. They were divided at first among the dif- ferent proprietors, in proportions corresponding with the amount of their assessments, but, excepting such portions as they reserve for the accommodation of their own families and those of their servants, or are pleased to assign to whose who apply for them, the whole church is supposed to be free to the whole parish. The manse, which was built in 1813^ is in perfect repair. The glebe is four Scotch acres of poor land, and not worth L. 4 a-year. The sti- pend is sixteen chalders of victual There are no chapels of ease in the parish ; but one is required in the west, where there is a po- pulation of 1000, four miles distant from the parish church. There are no Roman Catholics in this part of the country. There are occasionally a few Episcopalian families who attend the parish church, — the nearest Episcopalian congregation being in Kelso. An attempt was made to establish a congregation of Methodists, but it failed, and a chapel built by that sect has been lately sold and pulled down. Almost the whole of the Dissenters in this part of the country belong to the United Associate Synod, and they have two meeting-houses in this parish — one in Melrose, and another in Newtown, romantically situated in the spacious dell through which the Bowden burn flows into the Tweed. The living of the former is L. 95, that of the latter is L. 100, which has also a hand- some house and garden for the minister. The Seceders of this part of the country are to a man favourable to an Established church. They disapprove of patronage, but seem to be abundant- ly sensible of the expediency of a national provision being made for teaching the doctrine of our Lord. They would rather receive in- struction gratis than pay, and they would rather pay, than not have a minister of their own choice. A great part of the congregation of Newtown is derived from the neighbouring parishes, but a con- siderable proportion of the population, who reside on the banks ot 70 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the Leader and Gala, belong to dissenting congregations in Galar shiels, Stow, Lauder, and Earlston ; so that the number of Dissen- ters residing within the bounds of this parish cannot be estimated at more than 700. Tliose who adhere to the Established church are 3400 ; the number of families about 600 ; the number of com- municants 800. Both in the Establishment and among the Dis- senters, divine service is well attended. Religious Societies, — There are two missionary societies in the parish ; the amount of their contributions is about L. 12 each ; and there is an annual collection for their behoof, which has frequent- ly exceeded L. 20, and sometimes fallen so low as L. 6. Education, — Besides the parish school held in Melrose, there are six considerable schools in the villages, for each of which a comfortable school-house has been built. There is a small school at Langshaw, with a salary of L. 3 a-year, derived from a mortifi- cation, which is the only endowed school in the parish ; and there are numerous other small schools among the remote onsteads and cottage groups, sometimes established by the teacher himself on a speculation, and sometimes by a number of families, who unite to- gether and agree to hire a teacher, the usual rate being his board and lodging free, and his chance of scholars. He is comfortably lodged with the principal person in the cottage group, to whom he is an agreeable companion, and to whose children he privately gives additional attention, and his school fees may amount to L. 15 per annum. He is generally some pious old intelligent person in decayed circumstances, or a young aspirant after a higher school, who is gradually acquiring habits and attainments *to fit him for more extensive usefulness. The whole system is working exceed- ingly well, and no additional schools are required. If any were, such is the importance the people attach to the education of their children that they would not be long wanting. We may venture to say, that there are none in the parish above six who cannot read, and none above fifteen who cannot write, and that the people universally are alive to the benefits of education. In the side schools there is little required but English, writing, arithmetic, with geography and history. In the parochial school, the highest branches of education are taught admirably well. The- teacher is thoroughly versed in Latin, Greek, French, mathematics, with their application to the arts and sciences. His salary is L. 30, — L. 4, 4s. less than the maximum, but he has the legal accommo- dation. The school fees are 2s. a quarter for English, and for MELROSE. 71 the higher branches of education 6s. 6d. and ds. The number of scholars is about 70 or 80. Of the children only a small pro- portion can be benefited by the parochial school, which is three miles distant from one extremity of the parish and eight from another; but it is extremely useful, and in high estimation as an upper seminary, to which the young people can be sent when farther advanced, as they are, from the distance of several miles. Since the facilities of education were increased, a most decided change in the morals of the people in this part of the country has become visible. The number of delinquencies requiring church censure which occur has, as the old compared with recent re- cords of the Court of Session shew, diminished from seven and ten a-week to three in the year. This is a strong and well ascer- tained fact ; and it may be added, that the people universally have become more steady in their habits, more mild in their man- ners and dispositions, and more exemplary in their general cha- racter, moral and religious. Education in this part of the coun- try has enabled the people to find in reading a cheap and inno • cent amusement at their own fire-sides, increasing the comforts of home. It has brought them more under the influence of all the motives to good conduct ; it has rendered them less liable to be deluded by those false and extravagant views of things which are the main source of " sedition, heresy, and schism :" and, accord- ingly, in this part of the country, there is no sect whose doctrine dif- fers materially from that of the Established church. The people at present, in consequence of education, both live, lodge, and dress in a far superior style to what they enjoyed forty or fifty years ago ; they also save more money now than they did then; and yet the rate of wages, compared with the state of the markets, was at that period double what it is at present. To what can this be owing ? To nothing but the good management, judicious economy, and orderly habits which have been produced by the improved intelligence of the people. It would appear, therefore, that education, besides its other high advantages, really enables the people to live more com- fortably at a cheaper rate, which is exactly the reverse of what some speculators are inclined to maintain. Literature. — There is a Subscription Libr?iry in Melrose, with small religious libraries among the principal villages, which admit of general literature, also ; and it may be truly said, that there is not a cottage which does not possess a small store of books. Tlicre are no periodical publications of any kind printed within the bounds of the parish, but it is illustrated by works of aV\\g\vet otdi^x^ viNxvda 72 ROXBURGHSHIRE. have proceeded from Abbotsford, Chiefswood, and Allerly; the re- sidences of Scott, of Lockhart, and Hamilton, and of Brewster. Institutions. — There are three Friendly Societies in the parish, the Friendly Society of Melrose established in 1790, the Society of St John's Lodge established in 1797, and that of the Free Gardeners established in 1821. That such institutions are benefi- cial cannot be doubted. They act as an insurance in alleviating the wants of individuals from the contributions of numbers ; and the members, by paying in the small sum of Is. a quarter, receive from 3s. to 5s. a week, when sick, aged, or infirm. But, besides that they are continually apt to break or to become unable to make good their engagements, the necessary calculations being generally too difficult for their establishers, and their basis too narrow for an. In- surance Company to rest on, they are, it is obvious, in their best state, and with every advantage of which their nature admits, vastly inferior to the savings banks, in utility and in the incitement to in- dustry which they afford. Savings Bank. — There is a savings bank in the parish and vil- lage of Melrose, which is intended for the behoof of the lower classes of the people only, and in which the sums deposited amount annually to L. 300, and the sums withdrawn to L. 250. As it is a regulation, that the sums deposited should be withdrawn whenever they have attained to such an amount, that they can bo conveniently transferred to a regular bank, the cash actually in the savings bank, which is more than L. 1500, is but a small part of what actually has been accumulated by the lower orders of this neighbourhood. One thing is evident, that their savings for seve- ral years back have not been less than L. 300 per annum. At the extremities of the parish, the people make their deposits else- where. We speak only of the savings bank of Melrose, and of the deposits made in the neighbourhood of that village. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The average number of persons who are upon the poor's roll does not exceed seventy. The sum allotted to each is Is., Is. 6d., and 2s. per week, amounting on an average to about L. 4, 16s. per annum. The funds for the main- tenance of these, the enrolled and permanent poor, are raised by an assessment of L. 84 per quarter, upon the landed proprietors of the parish, which is imposed and distributed by the heritors them- selves, at quarterly meetings which they hold. Besides the assess- ment, there are the church collections, small funeral ones of various amount^ and private donations which are from time to time received from the opulent families who reside in the neighbourhood. Ac- MELROSE. 73 cording to the old system, which has lately been resumed, the management of these funds is committed to the minister and elders; and they are not so much intended for the regular maintenance of the permanent poor as to afford relief to persons in temporary distress. To the enrolled poor also, relief is continually given out of the same funds, particularly at the beginning of winter, or in times of sickness, when what they receive from the heritors is more than usually inade- quate. And it may be observed in general, that whatever is given by the kirk-session is received as a benefaction, and that what is re- ceived from the heritors after a statement of their case, is claimed as a right. This right, however, the people have universally a great reluctance to exercise at first : but when once their names are on the roll, there is never a possibility of getting them off. The kirk-session, therefore, besides the good which it does in increasing the comforts, alleviating the distresses, and soothing the feelings of the poor, is highly useful in an economical point of view. By pre- venting the people from applying for public aid when in temporary distress, and thereby fostering the spirit of independence, or at least preventing it from being crushed prematurely, it diminishes the number of importunate poor, incites people to strive to maintain themselves as long as possible, giving them occasional aid under difficulties, which would otherwise be insurmountable ; and thus it tends to lessen the amount of the legal assessment. In former times, the heritors used to make advances to the kirk-session out of their own funds, sensible that their money could not be more use- fully employed in any other way, and there is evidently much wis- dom in making the people receive their relief from the hands of the same persons to whom is committed the power of moral disci- pline, control, and rebuke, which will tend to strengthen their au- thority, and to mitigate the ill will to which the exercise of that dangerous but salutary power may render them liable. The elders are also, by their knowledge of, and access to, individuals, of great service, in making a suitable distribution of the funds. This, the true old Scottish mode of providing for the poor, in- troduced, perhaps, so early as the Reformation, and recommend- ed by its own benignity, as well as the experience of ages, was in- terfered with in this place about twelve years ago with some view to improvement. From a strange misconception of the system of Dr Chalmers, according to whom the relief of the poor ought to be committed entirely to private charity, aided and directed by such an order of men as the elders, — the heritors took to them- selves the sole management of the poor, after which the church 74 ROXBURGHSHIRE. collections were made in their name, and for their behoof, and all distinction between the public and private relief, — the permanent and the occasional poor, was lost On the effects of this inju- dicious measure it is unnecessary to enlarge. But it is proper to state, that its evil effects were mitigated by this, that the heri- tors could not claim, nor the elders give up, the management of the private donations which they continued to receive from time to time, — that after a trial of twelve years the new system has been abandoned, — and that the kirk-session is now restored to the full exercise of its old functions. The amount of the church collec- tions has in consequence greatly increased ; and it is not impos- sible that'the legal assessment may in time be brought down nearly to what it formerly was. The legal assessment ought on no account to be abolished, both because it enables parishes to derive aid from the non-resident pro- prietors, and for the sake of distinction between the public and pri- vate distribution of charitable relief. The kirk-session ought not to have the power of assessing the heritors, or the elders of Scotland, hitherto characterized by humble piety and unassuming worth, might come to degenerate into the arrogant and oppressive churchwarden.* But neither ought this excellent and most useful court to be inter- fered with in the exercise of its own proper functions. Under this system the poor do not apply for aid, — they are sought out, — they receive a friendly visit from the elder of the district, who inquires kindly into their circumstances, and speaks comfortably to them, giving them a little aid from time to time ; and if at length the circumstances of any shall have gone down into irrecoverable pau- perism, he states their case to the heritors, and applies for them. The old Presbyterian kirk-session, wherever it exists in perfection, as it really does in this parish, may be truly described as one of the best institutions that ever was devised by the wisdom and be- nignity of man, for relieving the distresses, and soothing the feel- ings of the poor. Prisons. — There are no prisons in the parish, except a single cell, seldom or never used, similar to, and similarly situated, with another for receiving the feudal grain of the Duke of Buccleuch, which seems to have been built chiefly for the sake of uniformity. Fairs. — There are three fairs held in this place, the May fair, named from the old style, and held in the beginning of June ; the • The evils with which the English poor-laws are attended seem wholly owing to this, that Uic proprietors do not, .as in Scotland, assess thcmseWes, otherwise there would have been no danger that toe assessment would rise too high. MELROSE. 75 Lammas fair, and the Martinmas fair. They are all cattle-mar- kets ; and the Lammas fair has of late years risen into such high importance as a sheep-market, as to rival the great fair of St Bos- wells. There used to be a small market in the spring called the scarce Thursday fair, a corruption for Kier or Holy Thursday, which is said to have been in high repute as a village carnival in Catholic times. Inns^ Alehotisesy Sfc. — There are no less than thirty of these in the parish, of which the e£fects on the morals of the people are most pernicious. Fuel — The chief fuel in this part of the country is coal driven from the Lothians over the Soltra, and from Northumberland over the Carter, which sells at Is. 3d. per cv^rt. The thinnings of the neighbouring plantations are also much used, and peats from the moss bogs of Blainslie, of which one sells at Is. 6d. the other at ds. for the cart load, exclusive of carriage. Miscellaneous Observations. The chief circumstance in which the present differs from the past state of the parish, is the general enlargement of the farms. Except in the case of a carrier or miller, who rents a few acres to furnish fodder for, and to give regular employment to his horses, a small farm is nearly unknown. The displacing of the old small tenants, distinguished as they were by a primitive simplicity of manners, was at first viewed with deep regret ; that an entire ba- rony should be committed to one man, was exclaimed against as a public grievance. But the introduction of a better and more spi- rited style of agriculture which immediately followed, the rapid im- provement of the country, which in a limited period has raised the rental of this parish from L. 4000 nearly to L. 20,000 a-year, be- sides the improved condition of the agricultural labourers, seem to show that it was a change for the better. The land is divided into a limited number of great farms ; and the tenants, men of capital and high* intelligence, are enabled to give the best effect to the virtues of the soil ; and the great body of the people live quietly under them as farm-servants and hired labourers, having no care but to do their work and receive their wages. The influence of the master over the people whom he employs is immense, and not the less that it is not perceived. The great farms, the valuable men at the head of them, and a resident proprietary, may be re- garded as among the chief causes of the prosperity and tranquil- lity for which this part of the country is so greatly distinguished. November 1834. PARISH OF WILTON. PRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE, THE REV. DAVID STEVENSON, MINISTER. L — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The modern orthography of the parish is Wilton, — obviously an abbreviation of Wiltown, in which form it appears in almost all the old records. In several ancient documents it is referred to under the designation of Walltown and Willis-town ; but the precise origin of the name cannot now be ascertained. Boundaries^ Sfc — The parish of Wilton is bounded by Ashkirk and Roberton on the west ; by Hawick on the south ; by Cavers on the east ; and by Minto and Lilliesleaf on the north. Its ex- tent along the banks of the Ttviot is about 5 miles ; average breadth 3^; and contents 17^ square miles. Its figure is nearly that of a parallelogram, The principal river in this district, which may be called the Upper Ward of Roxburghshire, is the Tiviot. It takes its rise at a place called Tiviot-stone, about 16 miles south-west of this parish, and runs in a north-easterly direction, until it joins the Tweed at Kelso, — a distance of 36 miles. The Borthwick, a con- siderable tributary stream, falls into the Tiviot near the southern extremity of the parish, and the Slitridge or Slitrig joins it at Hawick. 11. — Civil History. From the proximity of Wilton to Hawick, considerable notice has been taken of this parish in the History of Hawick, by Mr Ro- bert Wilson, shoemaker in Hawick, published a few years ago. This is not only an amusing work, but contains much valuable lo- cal information, and is very creditable to the talents of its author. Eminent Men. — No eminent literary characters appear to have been connected with this parish by birth. It may be noticed, how- ever, that Mr Crawfurd, minister of Wilton, who flourished about the year 1713, was a gentleman of considerable literary attain- ments; and in his « Dying Thoughts" left a monument of his piety WILTON. 77 behind him. Dr Charters, minister of the parish, was also a cler- gyman of no common pulpit eminence, and the author of Sermons, which, in simplicity of language, elevation of sentiment, and excel- lent practical morality, have few to excel them among the modern publications of this kind. Land-otoners. — His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch and Queens- berry is patron, and principal heritor in the parish. He is also Titular of the teinds, and his property is rated in the cess-books of the county at nearly one-half of the valued rent Besides his Grace, there are ten or eleven landed proprietors, whose interest in the parish is, individually, from L. 100 to L. 1000 Scots ; also a considerable number of minor heritors. Parochial Registers — The Session records commence in 1694. They are voluminous and well-kept. The minute-book of the heritors, also a well-kept record, extends from 1723 to the present time, and contains an account of transactions relating to the poor, and the economics of the parish. The only remaining register is that of births; but, as in many other parishes in Scotland, it ex- hibits nothing like a punctual or regular registration, — parents often disregarding every admonition to record the nativity of their children.* There is in this parish no register of deaths, and nothing in the shape of a record of marriages, excepting only a record of the names of those who have had proclamation of banns in the church. III. — Population. According to the former Account, the population in 1755 amounted to 936. The average number of marriages for the three years immediately preceding the date of that Account was 13; of baptisms, 20, and of deaths 8. " But these numbers," adds the writer, " cannot be accounted precisely accurate, as all are not re- corded." In 1801, by census, - - - 1307 In 1811, ... - 1527 In 1821, - - - . . - . ^^^^ In 1826, the date of the present minister's connection with the parish, 1712 In 1831, ... - 1870 Of marriages, or rather proclamations, the average number for the last seven years amounts to 114. • The expense of registration is so trifling, and the benefit which results from it is often so great, that it is surprising to find such universal negligence in this matter. Nt^doubt there are statutes in force to compel this obserrance, but it is an invidious task, and not worth the session-clerk's while to enforce them ; and, unless the power of registration be lodged elsewhere, it is much to be feared that the present irregular practice will not soon be corrected. 78 ROXBURHSHIRE. There are at present in the parish 2 persons insane ; 1 fatuous ; and 1 blind. Language. — The language generally spoken by the lower or- ders, throughout this district, contains many provincialisms, but these are becoming gradually obsolete. Two diphthongal sounds, however, seem still to maintain their ground, namely, those re- sembling the Greek ei, and the on?, as in the English words, cow, sow, how, now, — e. g. the common people generally pronounce, tree, trei ; tea, M ; knee, knei ; me, md ; and, instead of the diph- thongal sound of 00 in the pronoun you, the pronunciation is al- most invariably you?, as in now. Poaching in game is carried to a very considerable extent in this district ; and, so long as the present game laws continue, there is very little prospect of any material diminution. Unqualified per- sons are to be met with, in bands, in open day, equipped in all the habiliments of the licensed sportsman. This is an employment prejudicial in a high degree to the morals and industry of the com- munity ; and it would render an essential service to many poor families, were the law efficient enough to suppress poaching alto- gether, or make it an employment not worth the prosecuting. * IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — About two-thirds of the pa- rish are in tillage. But there is very little land that has not at some period been cultivated, as appears by the high ridges that may be obsen^ed in all old pastures. A great part of the out- field land in the parish, however, has not been ploughed within the memory of the oldest inhabitants. There is no land which could with profit be added to the cultivated land in the parish ; but, on the contrary, perhaps a part of what is at present cultivat- ed might be more profitable if left in permanent pasture. The number of acres under wood is about 100. The kinds of trees commonly planted are, oak, ash, elm, and beech, with larch, Scotch, spruce, and silver firs to nurse. The proportions are, about one-fourth of hard- wood and three-fourths of fir. Considerable attention is paid to the management of wood, by yearly thinning, pruning, &c. Rent of Land. — It is difficult to ascertain the exact rent of arable land, but, at a rough guess, it may be stated on an average at about L. 1, Is. per acre. The average rent of grazing may be at the • In consequence of the establishment of an active constable in the town of Ha- wick, poaching, within these last two years, has very much decreased. WILTON. 79 rate of L. 5 for an ox or cow, kept for a year, and 6s. for a ewe or fulUgrown sheep, upon unimproved land. The real rent of the parish in 1827 was somewhat more than L. 6000. Rate of Wages. — Married farm-servants are hired for the year, and their wages, which are paid chiefly in kind, may be valued at from L. 25 to L. 28. Single servants are hired by the half year, and receive from L. 6 to L. 7 in summer, and from L. 4 to L. 5 in winter, besides board. Day-labourers receive 2s. per day in summer, and Is. 6d. in winter; women, lOd. in summer, and 8d. in winter for out-door labour. Masons and carpenters, by the day, are paid a little more than common labourers. Mason-^rk, per contract, may be done for 368. to 40s. per rood, for workmanship only ; or from L. 5 to L. 7, according to circumstances, materials being furnished. Roofing with house timber is about Is. per square yard for workmanship. Joisting and flooring. Is. 6d. per square yard. A farm cart costs about L. 9, with all furnishings ; a wooden plough, (now seldom used) about L. 3. Country smiths are generally paid in stated sums (about I/. 3) a-year for each pair of horses kept upon a farm. This includes shoeing and repairing plough irons and harrows. Husbandry. — The system of husbandry generally pursued is the four or five-shift rotation; but it is thought the land is gradually dete- riorated by this mode of cropping, and would require to rest longer in grass. Turnips are generally sown for a fallow crop, except on wet lands, when clean fallow, succeeded by a crop of wheat, is pre- ferred. Some attempts have lately been made to raise spring wheat in the lower part of the parish, but the success has not been such as to encourage that practice, except in the most sheltered situations. The greatest part of the wet land in the parish has been drained, but in such a superficial manner, that in many cases the drains require to be renewed. A better system, however, has now been introduced, and is generally practised. A good deal of expense has been incurred in embanking the river Tiviot, but much still requires to be done.* The duration of leases is generally fifteen or nineteen years, — except upon the Duke of Buccleuch's estate, where it is only nine, but the leases are usually renewed at the end of that period. The farm-buildings in the parish are mostly old, and, in many cases, insufficient for the accommodation of the farm. The land is all inclosed, and the arable land subdivided chiefly by thorn hedges, which are well kept, and thriving. 80 ROXBURGHSHIRE. It has been found impracticable to ascertain the average gross amount and value of raw produce yearly raised in the parish. Manufactures. — jThere are engaged in manufactures about 240 male adults resident in this parish, of whom five are masters. There are five mills employed in spinning wool in the parish. Of the five Firms to which they belong, three have their counting- rooms, warehouses, and considerable branches of their business, such as are not immediately connected with mill-machinery, in the neighbouring town of Hawick. Exclusive of these, there are about 600 men, women, and children, employed in manufactories in the parish. Wool Manufactures. — The ma^ifactories of the parish are of various descriptions of goods made from wool, — such as lambs' wool yarn and hosiery, blankets, plaidings, flannels, tartan shawls, and other goods of a similar nature. The whole mills contain fifty teazing, scribbling, and carding engines, (most of the two latter being what are called double engines,) which prepare as much wool as keeps in motion 9578 spindles in slaubing, spinning, and doubling yarn. The quantity of wool consumed weekly, as nearly as can be estimated, is, upon an average, about 11,500 lb, and gives employment to about 230 slaubers, spinners, &c — men and lads, who have the care of machinery, — and women, who supply wool to the carding and scribbling engines, — and oliildren, who are employed by the former as piecers, — 240 stocking-makers, 75 weavers, and about 40 people in milling, scouring, dyeing, and finishing goods. Those employed in the mills generally work from six o'clock in the morning till seven o'clock in the evening, — two hours being al- lowed for meals. Stocking-makers, weavers, &c. begin the day at six in the morning, and cease working at eight o'clock in the even- ing ; but the work-hours of the latter are not regular. It may be noticed, that some of the manufacturers have of late worked part of their machinery night and day, i. e. from one o'clock Monday morning till eleven o'clock Saturday night. Where this is done, two sets of work-people are employed, and each set takes the night-work every alternate week. Very few children are employed before nine years of age. The work they are put to is of a very light description ; and, from the quantity of vegetable oil used in preparing the wool, and the fac- tories being well-aired, they are generally very healthy and thriv- ing. They have all been taught to read previously to their enter- ing a factory, and most of them attend one or other of the Sunday WILTON. 81 schools of Hawick. Their situation is fully as comfortable as that of their class in general, though, it must be granted, that manufac- tories are commonly not the best schools of moraUty for youth. In many instances, however, fathers who are slaubers or spinners employ their own children as piecers ; and the good conduct of many children under the restraining influence of a parent's eye, has, without doubt^ a beneficial effect on others who have not the same advantages. Since the introduction of the woollen manufactories into this part of the country, the quantity of wool consumed has been gra- dually and regularly increasing. In the year ending December 31, 1828, there were manufactured in Hawick and Wilton parishes, 1,038,641 slips of yam, and 432,201 pairs of hose ; in the year ending December 31, 1829, 1,010,641 slips of yarn, and 465,823 pairsof hose; and in the yearending December31, 1830, 1,102,865 slips of yam, and 488,487 pairs of hose ; and there is annually, besides, a large quantity of yam manufactured into blankets, plaidings, and flannels. V. — Parochial Economy. Market-Town, Sfc. — There is no market-town in the parish. Wilton may be called the suburbs of Hawick, and is scarcely dis- joined from it ; nay, a small section of the parish actually forms a part of the town of Hawick. The grammar-school lately erected there, an excellent building, but very incommodiously situated, is in the parish of Wilton. Villages J S'c. — There are three villages, or rather hamlets, in the parish, — viz. Appletree Hall, towards the north ; Langlands Dean, in jthe south ; and what may be called the village of Wilton. Means of Communication, — The nearest post-ofiGce is at Hawick, and an excellent communication has lately been formed with that town from the north by a new bridge of four arches across the Tiviot. This new approach runs through a small part of the glebe between the church and the manse, and joins the present Edinburgh road, at what is called Dovemount Well. Ecclesiastical State. — The parish church is almost equidistant from either extremity of the parish. None of the church-going po- pulation reside at more than two miles and a-half from the church ; and the Dissenters consider it as no inconvenience to travel half a- mile farther to their respective places of worship at Hawick. The present parish church was built in 1762, and very lately under- went a considerable internal repair, and was handsomely painted. BOXBURGH. F ( 82 ROXBURGHSHIRE. It affords accommodation for about 600 persons, and all the sit- tings are free. A considerable number of years ago, an additional gallery was built in front of the pulpit, at the joint expense of the Duke of Buccleuch, the late venerable Dr Charters, and Wil- liam Oliver, Esq. aided by a few small subscriptions. This sec- tion of the church is open to sitters of almost every description, and differs from the rest of the accommodation, which was originally allocated to the heritors, according to their respective valuations. The lower part of the aisle or gallery referred to, was reserved for a cemetery to the family of Dr Charters ; and there the ashes of that eminent servant of God repose, with a plain inscription upon a neat marble tablet, from the pen of his intimate friend, the late excellent and venerable Dr Thomas Somerville of Jedburgh. The manse was built about fifty years ago, is a substantial edi- fice, and kept in good repair by the heritors. It is upon a scale much smaller than modern houses of the same description, and quite inadequate to the comfortable accommodation of a large family. The stipend is six chalders of victual, half meal and half barley, with L. 36 and odds in money. " The glebe," says Dr Charters, " is large and valuable ;" and it is much to be regretted that for- mer incumbents, who lived nearer the source of information, did not think it proper, for the benefit of their successors, to give a more ample account of it. The glebe, properly so called, is alto- gether an anomaly in the Church of Scotland. What may be de- nominated in-Jield^ and lying around the manse, consists of about eighty English acres of excellent land, all arable, and has been in possession of the minister from time immemorial. There is no document or record in existence to show how this land came into the hands of the church, and every search to discover its history has been altogether in vain. All that can be said in this respect is, that the land is in the possession of the minister, and no person can say with certainty how it came. There is no proof that this extra quantity of land was ever designed as a glebe, or actually given out of the lands of the heritors, by any special appropri- ation. In an account of his stipend and emoluments, given by the Rev. Mr Simpson, one of the former incumbents, in 1765, he says, " that there is a glebe, and certain lands called the Mains of Wil- ton, belonging to the minister of Wilton, which lie contiguous, and the respective bounds of which are not known, but in conjunction, they are bounded as follows," &c But there is a tradition in the WILTON. 83 parish and neighbourhood, respecting the acquisition of this land to the benefice, which, though not supported by any existing docu- ment, must have had its origin in fact. It appears from the records of the presbytery of Jedburgh, that a Mr John Langlands was minister of Wilton in 1641, and that the presentation to the parish at that time belonged to the Buc- cleuch family, and to the Langlands of Langlands, per vices. The Mains of Wilton, which lie contiguous to the church and manse, and formed a boundary to the estate of Langlands, are said by this traditionary account to have been given by the Laird of Langlands to his relative, then minister of the parish ; and, if any deed of con- veyance accompanied the grant, it has long since been lost. The tradition, however, from the remotest periods, has universally been, that the benefice obtained the lands in the manner now mentioned from the Langlands family. Yet, notwithstanding the uncertainty as to the origin of the glebe, and although it could not be shown that the Mains of Wilton had ever been designed by the heritors in lieu of any portion of the stipend, the Court of Teinds in 1827 held the lands to be the old glebe lands of the Popish incumbents, forming part of the original endowments of the benefice. Previous to 1649, the sti- pend was 12 bolls of meal and bear, Tiviotdale measure, and 540 merks Scots. An augmentation was then obtained, although the decree of locality is now lost, which Tnade the stipend amount to 3 chalders, Linlithgow measure, and L. 560 Scots, exclusive of the glebe, and this continued to be the value of the living for the pe- riod of 178 years. During this long interval no process of aug- mentation, so far as it is known, was brought forward ; and, while other churches were gradually rising in the scale of emolument, the heritors of Wilton, through the apathy or timidity of its in- cumbents, were suffered to retain in their pockets the augment- ed stipend which might have been obtained. Besides the lands which lie contiguous to the manse, there are also belonging to this church about sixteen English acres, which were acquired in the division of Wilton common in 1765. This out-field is two miles west from the church, and, although nearly all arable, yet, being in a high and exposed situation, it is much inferior in value to that part of the glebe formerly mentioned. There are no chapels of ease, nor dissenting congregations of any description in this parish. The Seceders, as at the period when Dr Charters gave in his report, are numerous, although they have 84 ROXBURGHSHIRE. not increased in proportion to the increase of population. Divine service*at the Established church is well attended, and the average number of communicants is about 400. The average yearly amount of church collections for the last seven years is L. 16. As in many other parishes, there are here two funds for the support or assistance of the poor, namely, the heri- tors' fund, and the collections, with other monies belonging to the kirk-session. The session funds are appropriated chiefly to thie relief of incidental distress, and operate powerfully in keeping paupers from the heritors' fund.* The school-fees for a conside- rable number of poor children are also paid from this fund ; and books are occasionally furnished from it for those whose parents are not able to supply them. Education. — Besides the parish school, there are two unendowed schools, well taught. Although the parish is not large, it is much to be regretted that the heritors, when the schoolmasters' salaries were recently augmented, did not, as in many parishes, allow ap ad- ditional chalder for the benefit of t)iese unendowed schools. They have been long in existence, and are of great benefit to the inha- bitants of those sections of the parish where they are situated. Men who devote their time and talents to the instruction of youth ought certainly to have a decent remuneration, which, however, in many cases, cannot be obtained, even where the attendance is nu- merous, in consequence of the low rate of fees. The parochial schoolmaster has the maximum salary. Neither the school-house nor dwelling-house are commodious, and he has not the legal quantity of ground for a garden, but receives a com- pensation for the deficiency. The teaching apartment is not good, and is by far too small to accommodate comfortably the very con- siderable number of scholars who attend the school. All the branches of education commonly taught in parish schools are taught here successfully, by an able, experienced, and indefatigable teacher* His fees may probably amount to L. 50 per annum. * A few years ago, several of the minor heritors, into whose hands the business o£ the parish had fallen, in consequence of the non-attnndance of many whose interest in the parish is greater, endeavoured to avail themselves of that clause in the poors* act which authorizes them to take from the kirk-session the half of all collections and other monies. This was not the resolution of any thing like a m^ority of the he- ritors ; and the consequence was, that the collections in a short time dwindled down to notiiing, — insomuch, that collecting fur several Sabbatlis ceased altogether. The people would not contribute when they knew that the half of the collections was to be diverted from their original object, and applied to assist the heritors in the mainte- nance of the ordinary poor. A return to the old system soon followed, by the reso- lution of a great majority of the heritors, and the collections are now nearly as ample as Ix^fore. WILTON. 85 No instance is known of any person, who has arrived at the age of fifteen years, being unable to read or write. The people are alive to the benefits of education, and send their children early to school. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The average number of persons receiving parochial aid for the last seven years, including a few who receive an occasional supply, is 55; and the average sum allowed to each individual is 2s. 2d. per week. The annual average amount of contributions levied by assessment upon the heritors and tenants for the same period is L. 308. As the church collections derive no benefit from the principal and several other heritors who are non-resident, this fund would go but a very short way in relieving the necessities of the poor. The present mode of assessment is certainly the best, because all are compelled to contribute in pro- portion to their interest in the parish ; whereas were the principle of voluntary contribution adopted, many, it is to be feared, from a parsimonious spirit, would give with a sparing hand. No doubt, the maintenance of the poor is a burden, but it is one of those burdens which must be borne; and there is no other way of doing it, but by a legal provision or individual benevolence. In large towns, where many are wealthy and disposed to charity, the poor may find in some degree a precarious subsistence; but it is altogether impracticable in country parishes, where many of their neighbours are nearly as necessitous as themselves, and of consequence have little to spare. Nothing can be more preposterous, than the idea of maintaining 50 or 60 paupers by spontaneous benevolence, where not only the means are awanting, but where even the benevolent themselves have frequently little time to devote to the business of finding out and relieving the wants of the poor. Much has also been said about the rapid increase of pauperism, but it will be found in this, as in many other parishes, that the number of poor has not increased with the increase of the population. There were between 30 and 40 paupers when the population was 900, and the average number for the last seven years is only 55, though the population in that time has been more than doubled. The expense of maintenance has also been loudly complained of; but it seldom occurs to those who make this complaint, that not only the value of produce has been much enhanced, but also that neither the number of the poor, nor their weekly aliment, has borne any thing like a proportion to the increase of rents within these last fifty years ; and it ought, moreover, to be considered, that even the poor l\iem^\N^^ wcvVxv- 86 ROXBURGHSHIRE. bute materially to heighten the value of produce, and thus a reci- procity or interchange of advantage actually occurs to those by whom the poor are maintained. PueL — The expense of fuel is great in this district The nearest coal is brought from Red Water, Northumberland, a distance of 28 or 30 miles, and is generally sold by the cart load of five bags, containing about ten cwt. at from 13s. to 14s. Coal is also brought from Berwickshire via Kelso, and sold by the cwt. The average price during the year is about 14d«, although after harvest, and occasionally at other times, it can be bought at lid. and is. per cwt. Of late years, in consequence of more competi- tion, coal is brought to Hawick much cheaper than formerly. Dur- ing a long-continued storm, it has been sold so high as 2s. 2d. and 2s. 4d. per cwt. Miscellaneous Observations. In closing this report, I have only farther to remark, that the inland situation of this district, which is nearly equidistant from the Solway, the Forth at Leith and the sea at Berwick, is certainly not favourable to the extension of manufactures, as the land carriage of articles for exportation adds so considerably to the prime cost ; and the want of facilities for internal communication by canals and rail- roads, is a desideratum that will not easily be supplied, on account of the altitude and uneven surface of the country. Yet, notwith- standing these local disadvantages, commerce, trade, and agricul- ture are in a flourishing condition ; and the whole of the manu- factories which have been described above, have sprung up in this parish since the date of the last report. Were coal more easily procured, it would undoubtedly add materially both to the comfort of the inhabitants, and to the extension of trade. And were such of the labouring classes as spend their earnings injudiciously, — and not a few of these are to be found everywhere — to abjure the im- moderate use of whisky, they would be better clad and better fed, and promote at least the temporal comfort of themselves and families. November 1834. PARISH OF ROBERTON. PRESBYTERY OF SELKIRK, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. ALEXANDER NIVISON, MINISTER. ♦ L — Topography and Natural History. Extent, Boundaries. — The extent of Roberton parish in length is about 13 miles, and in breadth about 5. It contains about 48 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the parishes of Et- trick, Yarrow, Ashkirk, and Selkirk ; on the east, by Ashkirk and Wilton; on the south, by Hawick, and Cavers; and on the west by Eskdalemoor, and Ettrick. Topographical Appearances. — The parish is hilly; but no single hill rises nearly to the height of the Ettrick ones on the north, or those of Liddesdale on the south. The most elevated is the range to the west of the parish, upon the boundaries of Dumfries-shire, containing the hiUs of Craickmoor, the Culm or Coom, (evidently from the Latin culmen), and one of a rather conical figure, called the Criblaw of Craick. None of these, it is thought, much ex- ceeds 1300 feet above the level of the sea. This range of hills lies north and south. The acclivities are in some places precipi- tous, but generally moderate, and the summits are flat. Two other ranges of hills, of less elevation, fall from the above, in an eastern direction ; and between these is the water and vale of Borthwick. The one range rises on the south of Borthwick water, and declines again towards Trviot river ; the other rises on the north side and declines a little towards Ale-water. The vale of Borthwick is ge- nerally narrow. Meteorology. — The situation of the parish, at nearly equal dis- tances from the east and west seas, determines in a great degree the temperature and climate. It has been ascertained that nearly one-third more rain falls in this neighbourhood than in the neigh- bourhood of Edinburgh. July and August are the warmest and driest months in the year, though in these we have sometimes • Drawn up by Mr Andrew Hogg, formerly schoolmaster of Roberton, now schoolmaster df Wilton. 88 ROXBURGHSHIRE. terrible thunder storms, accompanied with heavy falls of rain. Rheumatism among the labouring classes, especially in the decline of life, is still a general complaint here ; but considerably less so since the introduction of surface draining. The weather in Sep- tember and October is very variable. Tlie following tables, the one taken from the Transactions of the Royal Society, Edinburgh, and the other from Dr Douglas's " View of the Agriculture of Roxburgh and Selkirkshire," will furnish the best information con- nected with the temperature and climate. Comparative table of the rain that fell at Branxholm and Wool or Wall.* Branxholm. Wool. 1773, . 32.652 34.022 1774, - 29.250 30.688 1775, . 3a573 39.177 1766, - 26.295 27.579 Abstract of the medium state of the barometer , thermometer, and rain, for the year 1780. Branxholm. Wool or Wall. Bar. Ther. Rain. Frost. Bar. Ther. Rain. January, - 29.160 25.605 1.250 29.380 29.020 1.120 February - 29.000 32.290 2.950 28.050 32.370 1.210 March, 29.000 42.613 2.5U0 28.820 43.000 2.780 April, 28.900 40.700 4.025 28.720 40.880 4.085 May, 29 090 50.226 2.100 28.920 51 .020 a5do June, 29.213 55.000 2.050 29.090 52.500 1.860 July, 29.280 58.355 0.250 29.995 60.050 1.630 August, - 29.430 59.000 a350 29.310 63.000 0.500 September, - 29.000 54.900 4.700 28.630 56.140 4.415 October, - 29J230 44.260 1.975 2a710 45.050 4.060 November, 28.180 34.600 0.350 28.250 36.850 1.440 December, - 29.530 35.700 29.440 35.025 0.540 25.500 27.170 Hydrography — There are several lakes in the parish. — That of Alemoor is a pretty circular sheet of water, about two miles in cir- cumference, of considerable depth ; in some places it has been as- certained to be thirty fathoms. From it, flows Ale-water. Hell- moor lake, partly in the parish, and treble the extent of Alemoor, is more shallow. The scenery around both is in the summer sea- son pleasant, but rather tame. The lake of Moodlaw, to the west of the parish, is said to be equally divided among the three pa- rishes of Roberton, Eskdalemoor, and Ettrick ; and each parish in its respective county, Roxburgh, Dumfries and Selkirk. • Thus three parishes and three counties meet in the centre of this lake. * Branxholm is situated about three miles nearly south of Roberton, but consider* ably lower in elevation ; and Wool is about five miles nearly north, and nearly as high Jn situation. ROBERTON. 89 The water of Borthwick flows from the range of hills on the west of the parish. Its direction is eastward, its course rapid, and length about thirteen miles. It falls into the river Teviot about two miles west of Hawick. Geology and Mineralogy — The prevalent rocks are of the grey- wacke series. A seam of very excellent ironstone crosses the parish. The alluvial deposits covering these rocks are generally gravel, sand, clay, marl, and peat. There are many mosses in the parish, in some of which are found excellent shell-marl and peat. De- cayed trees are often found imbedded in these mosses, as also horns of the deer species and of other animals, which, from the size of the bones, seem to have been of a species distinct from any of those of the present day. The soil in the vale of Borthwick is of good quality. Upon the ascents on each side of the water it becomes thinner, gravelly, and dry. Towards the summits of the hills, it is wet and boggy, — es- pecially in the western part of the parish. Zoology — In most of the lakes are found abundance of perch, pike, and eel, and where the pike is not found, there is abundance of excellent trout. During the spawning season, great quantities of sea trout, grilse, or young salmon come up the Borthwick and Ale. The spawning season in the Tweed is perhaps more early than that of its tributary streams ; but this may be owing to the shallowness of the latter. It is during the autumnal floods that the greatest quantities of fish come up. They commence their run upwards about the end of October, and continue coming and going with the floods during the winter season ; and some lingering ones are caught so late as April ; but these are in a very exhausted state, and not good for food. A certain grub has of late years done considerable damage both to crops and pasture in this neighbourhood. As an instance, it may be noticed that about ten acres of pasture were destroyed by it upon the farm of Todshawhaugh. This pasture first lost its verdure, and then became quite brown. On pulling up a handful of the wither- ed grass or moss, a number of these insects were seen. They were of a dirty whitish-colour, of the shape of the common caterpillar, but rather thicker and shorter. The crows at last discovered them, and made great havoc amongst them, — literally pulling up every stem of grass, in order to reach them. Latterly the appearance of the ground was almost that of ploughed land covered with withered grass. go ROXBURGHSHIRE. Botany^ — Medicinal Plants. — Acorus calamus ; carminative and stomachic. Adiantum capillus veneris ; used for preparing the syrup called Capillaire. Agrimonia Eupatoria; slightly styptic and astrin- gent. Artemisia vidgaris ; anthelmintic, stimulant, detergent, and sudorific Cynoglossum officinale ; astringent, inspissant. Digitalis purpurea; sedative and diuretic Rubus chamcemorus; refrige- rant, antiscorbutic Vaccinium MyrtiUus; refrigerant, astringent Vaccinium Oxycoccus ; refrigerant. Vaccinium Vitis Idea ; refri- gerant, antiseptic There are a number of thriving plantations in the parish. The kinds of timber which predominate at present are the larch, spruce, and Scotch fir; but considerable quantities of these are, by the annual thinnings sold off, and the hard-wood, such as oak, ash, elm, plane, and beech, are gaining the ascendancy. In many places, the firs are nearly thinned out, and the hard-wood trees are shooting up beautiful trunks. There is also a considerable quantity of old timber in the parish, especially at Borthwickbrae. Most of the plantations are upon the estates of Borthwickbrae, Chisholme, Borthwickshiels, Hoscoat, and Harden. Upon the Duke of Buccleuch's estate, which forms half the parish, there are scarcely any plantations. II. — Civil History. Land-owners. — The land-owners are, the Duke of Buccleuch; R. Chisholme, Esq. of Chisholme ; Allan Eliott Lockhart, Esq. of Borthwickbrae ; Hugh Scott, Esq. of Harden ; George Pott, Esq. of Borthwickshiels ; Thomas Stavert, Esq. of Hoscoat ; Archibald Scott, Esq. of Howcleuch ; James Johnstone, Esq. of Alva ; Robert Pringle, Esq. of Clifton, M. P. ; and Charles Rid- dell, Esq. of Muselee. Parochial Registers. — There are some registers which go back as far as the year 1680, but they are neither voluminous nor regu- larly kept. They have also suffered much from decay and from damp. One small record of the births and marriages of Hassen- dean parish is still preserved. Antiquities. — There are a number of ancient camps in the pa- rish, — some of these of a square, — others of an oval shape. One of them is situated upon the farm of Highchesters This camp, as the name indicates, is on an elevated piece of ground, and com- mands an extensive view. The largest and most complete camp is upon the farm of Broadlee, to the west of the parish. There are two others upon the farm of Todshawhill, one upon the farm of 4 ROBERTON. 91 Todshawhaugh ; and another upon the lands of Borthwickshiels called Camp Castle. The name generally given to these camps by the common people is that of the Picfs or Peoch*s works. A ball of about one and a-half pound weight was lately found near one of these, and in another some daggers in a very decayed state. The old mansion-house of Harden, the ancient abode of the Scotts of Harden, is a place which still excites considerable cu- riosity. The carved stucco work upon the ceiling of the old hall is well worth attention. The lobby is paved with marble, and the mantel-piece of one of the rooms is surmounted with an Earl's co- ronet, and the letters W. E. T. wreathed together, signifying " Wal- ter Earl of Tarras,** — a title borne in former times by the house of Harden. Tliis mansion-house was formerly fortified by art, and is still so, in some parts, by nature. In front of the house, there is adeep glen, very precipitous on both sides, but both sides are covered with beautiful trees. Into this glen, it is said, that Wat of Harden, a well-known border chieftain, used to drive the cattle which he had carried off in his nightly raids. From one of these excursions, an infant was brought home. He was fostered by Mary Scott, at that time Lady of Harden, and a descendant of the lady of that name commonly called the Flower of Yarrow. This unknown child is supposed to have been the author of many of the border songs. * — SeeLeyden's " Scenes of Infancy," and " Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border." * Dr Lejden aUudes to this tradition in the following beautiful lines, from ** The Secnci of Infiuicy.** « What fair half-vail'd leans from her lattic'd hall. Where red the waving gleams of torch light &11 ? *Tis Yarrow's flower, who thro' the gloom, Looks wishful for her lover's dancing plume. Amid the piles of spoil that strew'd the ground. Her ear all anxious caught a wailing sound ; With trembling haste the lovely nymph then flew, And from the plunder'd heaps an m&nt drew ! Scar'd at the light, his feeble hands he flung Around her neck, and to her bosom clung ; While beauteous Mary sooth'd in accents mild His fluttering soul, and kissed her foster child. Of milder mood the gentle captive grew, Nor lov'd the scenes that scar'd his infant view ; In vales remote from camps and castles far, He shunn'd the cruel scenes of strife and war. Content the loves of aimple swains to sing. Or wake to fiune the harp's heroic string ; He liv'd o'er Yarrow's fairest flower to shed a tear. And strew the holly leaves o'er Ilarden's bier ; But none was fbund above the minstrel's tomb. Emblem of peace, to bid the daisy bloom ; He, nameleas as the race from whence he sprung. Sung other names, and left his own unsung." 92 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Modem Buildings. — The mansion-houses of Berth wickbrae, ChishoUne, Borthwickshiels, and Hoscoat, are excellent modern buildings : and some of the farm-houses are little inferior. In- deed, none of the late improvements is more striking than the ex- cellent farm-houses that have been erected. Almost all of them are new, or have undergone a thorough repair since the former Sta- tistical Account was written. The manse underwent a thorough re- . pair four years ago. The church is old, but in good repair, and well accommodated to its purposes. It bears the inscription of 1659. Roberton was erected into a parish about that date. Has- sendean, the old parish, about nine miles lower down the country, was annexed to Minto and Wilton. Roberton was erected from parts of the parishes of Hawick, Selkirk, Wilton, and Hassendean. * The remains of two chapels can still be traced, — one of these upon the farm of Chapelhill, where curates from Hassendean used to officiate ; the other, said to have belonged to the diocese of Galloway, is at Borthwickbrae, where the chief burial-place of the parish still is. The families of the Potts and Grieves are buried here. IIL — Population. The population by the return to Dr Webster was, in 1755, 651 In 1791 and 11^1, . . 6*29 IBll, - - - 558 1821, - - - 674 1831, males 360, females, 370 730 There is one village which has sprung up within these few years, called Deanburnhaugh, in which there are 100 inhabitants. The average number of births for the last 7 years, - . ]3 deaths, - - . . 7 marriages, • - .7 The average number of i>ersons, in 1831, under 15 years of age, was . 275 betwixt 15 and 30, - . 232 80and5<>, - - 124 50 and 70, . . 81 upwards of 70, - - 18 • From the inscription on the church bell, at appears to have belonged to Melrose tolbooth. Tradition says, that when the church was removed from Hassendean, the people in that quarter were highly incensed, and made great opposition to the mea- sure. The first of the workmen who mounted the ladder to unroof the old church was struck with a stone, which killed him. The ladies also showed mucli zeal in de- fending the kirk ; and there is an old ditty, wliich arose out of the transaction, still sung in the neighbourhood. There are three wives in Hassendean, And three in Briery-yards, They are a' away to Hassendeanburn, .And left both wheel and cards, &c. Whilst the parishioners of Roberton were moving off with all that was portable of the old church, the Hassendean people followed, and a scuffle ensued at a place cal- led Hornshole, about two Iniles below Hawick. Here the enraged Hassendean folk seized upon the church bell, and cast it into the pool, where it still remains. 3 ROBERTON. 93 The number of families of independent fortune residing in the parish, - 4 proprietors of land of the yearly value of L. 50 and upwards, 9 unmarried men, bachelors, and widowers, upwards of 50 years of age>, - - - - 9 unmarried women upwards of 45 years of age, . 21 families, .... 13] The average number of members in each family, - -54 The numl^ of inhabited houses, - . . 121 uninhabited houses, . - - 2 Curling has become a very prevalent amusement here ; as also coursing the hare, both with the greyhound and harriers. Character , Sfc. of the People. — The character of the inhabitants is generally moral and religious, and their habits cleanly. The ge- neral appearance of the cottages does not correspond to that of the farm-houses ; but a better style in erecting these is yearly gaining ground, and there is a considerable ambition amongst the peasantry to have neat houses. Their ordinary food is barley, and a small portion of wheaten bread, oat-meal porridge, broth and butcher- meat occasionally, fish, butter, cheese, potatoes, milk, and tea. Poaching was lately carried on to a great excess in this parish and neighbourhood, not, indeed, by the peoJ)le resident in the pa- rish, but very generally by the operatives of the manufacturing towns, especially when trade was slack. Formerly, the poachers used singly to seek the game, and generally fled when they saw any person approaching them, or at least walked off* the ground when desired. But of late years they banded together, and dar- ingly set the keepers at defiance. The farmer and his shepherd were often insulted, and sometimes the gun was cocked in their faces; but it fared much worse with the gamekeepers, as they seldom returned home without personal injury. Bands of these modem freebooters, for they were generally the very scum of so- ciety, would sometimes take up their residence in some outhouse or fold in the moors, and continue there for weeks at a time, — living on such provisions as could be had. Instances are known of their taking and roasting sheep. About two years ago, when matters were at the worst, the landed proprietors, along with some farmers, their servants, and a few energetic constables, attacked them. Upon one occasion, in particular, about twenty of these poachers were congregrated round a corn field, then recently cut, where they killed the game in great abundance. In this situation, the con- stables and farm-servants set upon them, and took them all prison- ers. A few of the more notorious of these poachers, against whom warrants had been obtained, were pinioned and carried off to jail. Since that time there has not been much poaching. 94 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Of late years there has not been much killing of fish. The gentlemen certainly do not countenance it ; neither do they punish it, unless when the trespassers are brought before them in a Justice of Peace court Indeed, their too scrupulously protecting the fish in our highland streams would only be conferring a bounty on the good citizens of Berwick, ai the expense of depriving their own peasantry of a very savoury morsel to their often scanty potato sup- per on winter evenings. IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — The number of acres, im- perial measure, in the parish, either cultivated or occasionally in tillage, is about 2000 ; but a much greater quantity than that has been formerly cultivated. The number of acres uncultivated, and which form the sheep-walks, is very great, — perhaps about 28,000. All the land that can with a profitable application of capital be cul- tivated has been so already. Indeed, it may be questioned whether a quantity of that at present in tillage might not be more profit- ably untilled. The number of acres under plantation is about 550; and great care is taken in the management of the plantations. Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land is about 15s. per acre ; and the average rate of grazing, at the rate of L.4, or L. 4, 10s. per ox or cow, and 7s. per ewe. Rate of Wages. — The daily rate of labour in summer is about 2s. and 2s. 6d., and in winter Is. 8d. or Is. lOd. Women in sum- mer receive lOd., except in harvest, when their wages are nearly equal to those of men. The wages of a ploughman, who receives his victuals in his master's house, are from L. 8 to L. 10, 10s., and those of a servant girl from L. 6 to L. 7, 10s. Stock. — The common breed of cattle is the short-homed; and the number of cattle, including Highland kyloes, not bred in the parish, is about 700 ; of horses, old and young, 130. There are about 19,000 sheep in the parish, which produce about 2800 stones of wool, Troy weight. The common breeds of sheep are the Cheviot, more or less crossed with the Leicester ram, and a few hirsels of the black-faced kind. Great attention is paid to their improvement It is a very prevalent and profitable custom to cross the Cheviot ewe with the bred ram. The mixed offspring is a very heavy lamb, — much heavier for the English butcher mar- kets than the pure Cheviot one. The wool is also much improved both in weight and quality. Some farmers have of late years al- lowed their flocks to go partially unsalved; but the unsalved wool, ROBERTON. 95 though higher in price, is considerably reduced in quantity and weight These circumstances, and the risk of the sheep catching a prevalent disorder, perhaps nearly overbalance the profit. The fanners who follow this practice engage in it with misgivings and a suspicion in their own minds as to its propriety ; and certainly their neighbours, who do not follow the custom, have a great jealousy against it Of late years, a considerable number of kyloes, bought at the Falkirk trysts, have been wintered in the parish. It is considered by some, that the putting of a certain number of cattle upon the sheep pastures is not only profitable, but also advantageous to the sheep. The experiment seems at least a reasonable one, as one species of stock may feed, in a great measure, upon the herbage and grasses which another passes over. However, there are different opinions on the subject, and the real sheep-breeders do not seem much to relish the custom. Htubandry. — The general character of the husbandry pursued is the five-shift rotation. The duration of leases is generally 7, 9, and 1 1 years. The farm-buildings are good. The enclosures are generally hedges near the water side, and dry-stone dikes in the higher grounds ; but several of the sheep-farms have, as yet, no ring fences. Among the principal improvements, that have been recently made, are the introduction of lime and bone dust ; but the greatest is certainly the sheep drains. These are mostly surface drains. They have the eflfect of drying the meadows and marshy land, — by which means the grass becomes much finer and thicker. They have likewise been the means of curing several disorders among the sheep, such as rot. The disorder which commits the greatest depredations in this neighbourhood, is the louping ill. This disorder has as yet baffled all skill : and it often commits great havoc among the sheep in the spring season. What renders it still more formidable is, that it does not carry off the weaker sheep, but very generally seizes the best The shepherd often passes, on his morning round, a fine healthy ewe, and in the evening finds her a victim to this mischie- vous disorder. Upon a farm of between forty and fifty score, sometimes there will be deaths to the amount of seven or eight score. The disorder has all the appearance of a palsy, only, that that disorder amongst the human species is generally incident to age, whereas among sheep the disorder in question seems to carr}- 700 1200 9000 70 60 2800 SOO 96 ROXBURGHSHIRE. off old and young indiscriminately. There are a number of other disorders incident to the sheep and stock in this part of the coun- try, but none of these are of a very deadly nature. The Pastoral Society of Selkirkshire has had considerable in^ fluence in improving the breeds of both cattle and sheep. Many of the farmers of this parish are members of it. Produce. — The average gross amount of raw produce raised in ther parish, as nearly as can be ascertained, is as follows : Produce of irrain of all kinds, whether cultivated for food of man or domestic ani- mals, - - - - - L.2000 Of potatoes, -turnips, &c. - - - - Of hay, meadow and cultivated, ... Of land in pasture, rating it at L. 4 per cow, or full-grown ox, grazed, and 78. per ewe pastured for year, - - - Ofgardenft, - - ... Thinnings of plantations, annual, . . . Wool, 2800 stones at L. 1, - Miscellaneous, not enumerated in the above heads. Total yearly value of raw produce,* L. 16,130 The old valued rent of the parish is L. 10,654, 10s. lOd. The real rental at present is about L. 6500. V. — Parochial Economy. Means of Communication. — Hawick, at a distance of three miles from the lower, and fifteen, from the higher parts of the parish, is the nearest market-town ; and there is a daily communication by carriers. The length of turnpike roads in the parish is nearly twenty miles. Ecclesiastical State. — The church, situated in the lower part of the parish, which is most populous, is perhaps scarcely so convenient to the population as another spot, that might have been chosen ; but no person who is willing to go to the house of God has much reason to complain. It is three miles from the lower, and ten from the higher extremities of the parish, and nearly in the centre of the bulk of the population. It was probably built, as the inscription upon it imports, in 1659. It affords accommodation to about 250 persons. The manse was repaired in 1827. The extent of the glebe is 16 acres, and its value about L.20 per annum. The boundary betwixt Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire divides the glebe in such a manner, as to entitle the minister to a vote in each county. The amount of stipend is 14 chalders, a considerable part of which is paid from lands lying in the parishes of Wilton and Minto. It is twenty years since any augmentation was obtained* * The above estimate is given with much doubt ; and it is thought that, if there be any error, it will be in making the amount too great. ROBERTON. 97 The number of families which attend the Established church is about 112; and of individuals, old and young, about 626. The number of Dissenting families is about 19 ; and of individuals, old and young, about 104. Divine service is well attended. The average number of communicants is about 200. There is a Mis- sionary society in the parish ; but it is rather in a languishing state. Its yearly contributions may be about L. 3. Education. — There is one parochial school. The branches taught are, reading, at 8s. per annum ; reading and writing, 10s. ; arithmetic, 12s. ; mensuration, &c. ; Latin. The salary is the maxi- mum , and the yearly amount of fees received may be L. 24. The teacher has the legal accommodations ; but the school has been for ten years by far too small. A splendid new school- house and schoolmaster's house are nearly finished About one-third of the parish is so situated that children cannot attend the parish school. These are at a distance of five and eight miles. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The average number of persons receiving parochial aid is 15, and their annual average pay L. 5, 4s. The amount raised by assessment — one-half upon the heritors, and the other half upon the tenants — is about L. 100 ; and that col- lected in church is about L. 10. There are individual cases where considerable reluctance is shown in the asking of aid ; but this laud- able spirit, it is feared, is on the decline. Alehouse. — There is one alehouse in the parish. Formerly there were two ; but one of them was suppressed, as it gave en- couragement to tippling, and harboured poachers. Fuel. — The common fuel is peat, which can be obtained in abundance at about 5s. 6d. a cart load, and coals at about 15s. per cart load of 11 and 12 cwt. November 1834. Roxburgh. ^ PARISH OF SOUTHDEAN. PRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. JOHN RICHMOND, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The parish is called indiscriminately Southdean or Charters. The upper district js more properly than the other parts called Southdean, — a name supposed to be derived from its having been the south valley or dean of the once celebrated Jed Forest. Extent, Boundaries^ Sfc. — The extent of the parish is about 13 miles in length, and 7 in breadth. It is bounded on the S. by Nor- thumberland, and partly by Liddesdale ; S. W. and W. by the pa- rishes of Hobkirk and Bedrule ; N. E. and E. by Jedburgh and Oxnam. In a parish of so great extent, it may well be expected that there will be a considerable diversity of soil. The lower parts consist ge- nerally of gravel, light black earth, and in some parts a strong clay. Along the river Jed, gravel prevails, inclining to heath. Towards the hills, and upon them, light earth, moss, and strong clay are preva- lent The arable part of the parish is now considerably extended. Climate^ Sfc, — The climate varies greatly. While the upper part of the parish is cold and stormy, the lower is sheltered and mild. It is, however, throughout its whole extent remarkably heal- thy. There is at present one person upon the pauper list, consider- ably above ninety. One also above that age died only a few months ago ; and there are several others above eighty. Diseases formerly prevalent in this district are now greatly mi- tigated, if not entirely removed. Those arising from dampness of climate, such as ague and rheumatism, have almost disappeared, owing, no doubt, to the extensive draining of sheep pasture, as well as the more general use of flannel. Typhus fever and inflamma- tory complaints have, however, proportionally increased. Mineralogy. — In regard to minerals, it may be observed, that a seam of antimony was discovered many years ago on the estate of Abbotrule, but after several attempts to work it, it was ultimately SOUTIIDEAN. 99 abandoned. Coal has also been searched for on this side of the border hills, but hitherto without success. Strong symptoms have indeed been discovered of coal being at no great distance, yet they were not such as to warrant expensive experiments. Fresh attempts are at present making to procure coal on the lands of Lord Doug- las, and I believe with some hope of success, though the result IS not yet ascertained. Trees, ^-c— There is a hawthorn tree in a garden here, which, oil account of its great size, connected with other circumstances, is worthy of notice. The proportions of it are as follows :— Root, 5 feet, -pi inches; centre, 4 feet, 7^ inches; below branches, 6 feet, 2 inches; mean erirth, 5 feet^ 4 inches : rrmo;^^! u- -i — , first branch, 2 feet, 11 inches; second branch, 2 feet, 10 inches; mean girth, 5 feet, 9 inches. One reason for mentioning this hawthorn tree is the very strong presumption that it existed in the days of James Thomson, the poet, who, as we have observed, spent on this spot a considerable period of childhood and of youth. This wc are led to conclude from the very slow growth of the hawthorn, and the many days and years which must have passed before it could reach the size we have described. It therefore carries us back in imagination to the early days of the poet of Nature. The remains of the ancient and extensive Jed forest are still vbible in large oak trees laid bare by the action of the streams, and in the digging of deep ditches on various farms. One partly discovered in a water-course at the head of the Jed, was 3i feet in diameter. What is further remarkable in this is, that it was found high up among the moors, where scarcely a shrub of the hardiest kind could now be expected to thrive. II. — Civil History. * Under this head, it mav be remarked, that the Rev. Mr Veitch and Mr Bryson, as related by Dr M'Crie, found shelter among the " In this country it is universally believed, that the original of Dandy Dininont ▼as the late Mr James Davidson, farmer of Hyndlee, whose enthusiastic love of the diace was so well known. Mr Davidson's terriers were designated by the names of Pepper and Mustard, long previous to the publication of the novel. The farm of Hyndlee, too, is situated in the pass which leads into Liddesdale to the wastes of Nor- thumberland and Cumberland, through the latter of which Dandy and his young friend had to find their way from Carlisle, and in which they had so serious a ren- counter. Indeed, part of the present road from and to Liddesdale is called Note o' the Gate, the very spot specified by Sir Walter as having been passetl over on their way to Dandy Dinmont's. Again, not many miles from Hyndlec, one of the farms •t the head of Liddesdale is called to this day Tliorleshope, evidently a corruption of Cbarlieshope, mentioned in Guy Mannering as the residence of Dandy. All tht-se cireumstances, with his known character combined, leave no doubt Uiat Mr David- ton was the original, in the eye of Sir Walter, in drawing the character of Dandy. 100 llOXBUUGHSUIRE, fastnesses at one of the extremities of this parish ; and no place could be so well adapted for this purpose in the perilous and bloody times of the persecution of our church. Antiquities. — Tumuli or cairns, formerly prevalent in this parish, have now almost disappeared. There are still the ruins (and some of these to a considerable extent) of ancient strongholds, or peels^ as they are called. There remain, too, the sites of ancient en- campments ; which are of a circular form. Eminent Men. — James Thomson, author of the Seasons, spent much of his childhood and youth in this parish. His father was ministe r of Ednam, near Kelso, at the time of the poet's birth, but WIU] uaiijiuii.a ^ _i^^h^l^5an_±wn years after that event. His tombstone is still in this churchyard. HI. — Population. Since the beginning of last centurj, the population has greatly decreased, owing to the land being let in more extensive farms. „ , . Males, Females. Total. Population in 1801, - 343 554 897 1811, - 382 425 807 1821, - 406 431 837 1831, - 410 429 839 Number of fain ilies in 1801, - 146 1811, - 146 1821, - 147 1831, . 142 The average number of persons under 15 years of age is . 346 betwixt 15 and 30, . . 201 .^ and 50, - . 170 50 and 70, - . 99 upwards of 70, - . 28 'ITie number of families chiefly employed in afn"iculture, - - 64 trade, manufactures, and handicraft, 12 There are only four heritors in the parish, all of whom reside in it except Lord Douglas, the principal heritor, who keeps a re- sident factor on his property here. James Elliot, Esq. of Wolf- lee, and Robert Henderson, Esq. of Abbotsrule, are heritors to a pretty considerable extent, and both men of independent fortune Character, ^c. of the People.— 'Hie character of the people is peceable and religious. They are not given to poaching nor smug- glmg; but large and lawless bands of poachers have infested our moors for two years past. Our people are generally stout, healthy, and active. ^ IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Sural Economy.— Al\ kinds of grain are culti- vated to a much greater extent than at the time of the last Sta- tistical Account. From appearances, however, cultivation seems to have been more, general in the higher parts of the parish, in SOUTHDEAN. 101 times long past, than even at present. This may have been ow- ing to the lower ground having been more wooded and marshy, which would naturally constrain the people to cultivate the higher districts. The number of acres under cultivation at this time may be reck- oned at 3000. There are 500 acres under wood, natural and planted, principally pine. Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land, per acre, is about 18s. The average rent of grazing, per ox or cow, 30s., and for ewe or full-grown sheep, 5s., pastured for the year. Valued rent of the parish is L. 6362; real, L. 6690, 9s. 6d. There are twenty larger and eighteen small tenants. Hiubandry* — The general duration of lewises are from five to nineteen years. A good deal of wood has been planted of late, and considerable improvement has been made in fann-houscs and the building of stone fences. Wheat is now pretty generally sown, especially in the lower parts of the parish ; and turnip husbandry has been greatly extended since the beginning of this century. It has of late years been much injured by a disease, which throws out excrescences from the root, which entirely destroy the turnip. No effectual remedy has hitherto been discovered. Live-Stock, — Since the close of the last century, considerable improvement has been made in the management of sheep. The land has been drained ; plantations and tills have been reared for shelter, whilst farmers have vied with one another in selecting the best ewes and rams from their own flocks, or from those of their neigh- bours, from which they may breed. About twenty-eight years ago, a few long-wooUed sheep were brought into the parish. They have increased with the extension of tillage, and now amount to at least 1600. There are about 15,100 of Cheviot sheep. In the year 1810, the current price of laid wool was L. 2, 6s. per stone of 24 lbs* One large clip was sold at L. 2, 10s. ; the same parcel has seve- ral times since been sold at less than one- fourth of that sum. Dur- ing the war, well salved wool was of as much value as white ; — of course, all the Cheviot sheep were then smeared. With the peace, a change took place, and almost every person left off smearing till two years ago, when the demand for laid wool reviving, induced various individuals to have again recourse to tar and butter. W^ool was much in request in 1831. White brought from L. 1, 3s. to L. 1, 7s., and laid from 18s. 6d. to L. 1, Is. per stone, which was nearly double the price obtained for the latter sort in 1830. A large proportion of the wool grown in this quarter is now u\a\\u(^v* . 102 KOXBURGHSHIRE. tured at Hawick, Galashiels, and Jedburgh; formerly it went mostly to Yorkshire. Within the last twenty years, black-cattle have been much bet- ter kept than used to be the case, — which, with the introduction of short-horned bulls from the south, has improved the breed in no ordinary degree. The cattle in the parish may be estimated at 390, and the horses at 145. Quarries. — These consist, and in abundance, of red and white sandstone, the last of which is admirably adapted for ornamental buildings. Produce. — The average gross amount and value of raw produce yearly raised in the parish, (exclusive of pasture,) as nearly as can be ascertained, is as follows : Corn, - - L. 3600 Turnips, 400 acres, at L. 4, 1(300 Potatoes, 80 acres, at L. 7, 560 Natural or bog hay, - 340 Sown grass, - - 200 L.6300 V. — Parochial EcoNOMy. Market^Towns^Sfc. — Jedburgh, our nearest post-town, is distant ten miles. The inconvenience, however, is lessened by the recent improvement in the roads. The road passing between Hawick and Newcastle, is a great accommodation to this part of the country, {IS well as that between Jedburgh and Newcastle, both of which meet at the extremity of the parish. The coach, Chevy Chace, passes and repasses through Jedburgh between Edinburgh and Newcastle every day. It enters England at the Carter Bar. There is perhaps no entrance to Scotland more picturesque than the one of which we now speak. In this road from England, the border hills rise to a considerable height ; and, as the first glimpse that is caught of Roxburghshire is from the top of the Carter, there is suddenly opened to the eye an extensive and beautiful landscape. In this landscape is comprehended, not only Roxburghshire, lying more immediately before us, with all its hills and dales, but also, though in the distance, many parts of Selkirkshire and Berwick- shire. As the road descends, the view is naturally more limited, but not less beautiful. It varies along the banks of the Jed with every turning and winding of the stream. Its high and precipitous banks are everywhere clothed with wood, of oak, pine, and weep- ing birch. These, with dwelling after dwelling imbedded in its more sheltered nooks, present to the delighted traveller a rich va- riety of scenery. This view is no doubt greatly enhanced by the SOirXUDEAxN. 103 uninteresting country which must be traversed before entering into Scotland.* Ecclesiastical State. — The patronage of the parish is partly in- vested in the Crown, and partly in Lord Douglas. By a question raised at the death of the late incumbent, it is understood that his Lordship enjoys two returns in succession ; the Crown one. This is owing to his Lordship having been patron of Southdean pre- vious to the annexation of a portion of Abbotsrule, which was sup- pressed above fifty years ago, and of which the Crown was patron. The stipend consists of 16 chalders of victual, half meal and half barley. There is a sum of L. 9, 14s. 6d. allotted for the provision of communion elements. The glebe is 40 acres in ex- tent, and may be rented at L. 40 per annum. The church was built in the year 1690; it has, since that period, undergone many repairs, and it is now in excellent condition. The present manse was erected on the site of the old one in 1795. A considerable addition has been just completed, which renders it in every way a most excellent and commodious dwelling. There are about 30 families of Dissenters in the parish. Education, — The school-room is in a tolerable state of repair. The schoolmaster is accommodated with a house and garden, and the salary is the maximum. His fees may amount to about L. 16 a-year. The average number of scholars is 67, the greater pro- portion of .whom only attend reading, writing, and the more sim- ple rules of arithmetic There is no other school in the parish ; but those who are too distant to attend here, are conveniently enough situated for attending schools in other parishes. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The number of paupers is 25. The whole rates amount to L. 160, — chiefly from assessment, but partly from church collections. Inns. — There is but one alehouse in this parish, and that at the extremity of it, at the Carter toll-bar. Fuel. — Coal is the principal fuel now in use. The nearest pit 16 fifteen miles distant. They are 7dt a bag, four and a-half of which make a cart load. The carriage to this place costs 6s. 6d. Peats are not so generally used as they once were, and turf is scarcely ever made use of now for fuel. * It may be proper here to mention, as relating to thi.s parish, that the scene of Reidtwire, the last border battle, lieB along the range of the Cl'arter-hills, near the Carter Bar. These hills, by the last measurement, are computed to be 2U20 feet 4iovc the level of the sea. The raid of Ueidswire has l)een too often related to re- miire ■njr acoount of it here. It may be sufficient to refer to the description in the Dorder M inttrclsy, VoL iii. p. 1.34. Revised December 1834. PARISH OF ST BOSWELL'S OR LESSUDDEN. PRESBYTERY OF SELKIRK, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. GEORGE RITCHIE, MINISTER. ♦ I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — In ecclesiastical records, this parish is generally design- ed St Boswell's, but elsewhere it is more usually named Lessud- den. In point of fact, the one is the name of the parish, the other of a village, which occasionally gives its name to the parish, as con- taining the great bulk of the population. The church is suppos- ed to derive its name from Boisel, a monk of Melrose, and subse- quently Prior of the monastery, — the pious master of the cele- brated St Cuthbert, — and, if not the founder, at least one of the earliest religious functionaries, of the parish. The saint lent his name to a village also, which seems to have been of considerable extent in its day, but of which now scarcely one stone remains on another. Extent^ Boundaries. — This parish is of small dimensions, being 3 miles in length by 1^ in breadth, and forming an area of 4^ square miles, of an oblong figure : it is bounded on the north by the river Tweed; on the east by the parish of Maxton; on the south by Ancrum ; and on the west by Bowden and Melrose. Topographical Appearances. — The surface in the upper por- tion of the parish is undulating, rising into ridges or small emi- nences, with hollows or flats intervening. The lower grounds, however, approaching the Tweed, are more free from inequali- ties. The banks of the riter, with the exception of the north- east boundary, are bold, precipitous, and well-wooded. To the north of the village of Lessudden, there is an elevated ridge over- looking the Abbey of Drjburgh, embosomed in wood, and en- circled by the Tweed, where the prospect in every direction em- braces a variety of objects that can scarcely be rivalled in beauty and grandeur. Although this eminence is immediately adjoining " Drawn up l>y the late Rev. Peter Craw, Minister of this parish. ST boswell's. 105 to the village, yet, from the sudden acclivity of the ground, there are scarcely any of the houses in sight, with the exception of Les- suden Place, — an old border strength belonging to the Scotts of Raebum, which forms an appropriate accompaniment of the scene. From the range of hills and mountains both on the north and south, the climate is comparatively dry, and consequently healthy. He clouds coming either from the east or west, (and here the wind seldom blows directly from the north or the south,) range along the higher grounds, and pass over the intermediate flat lands in a rarer state. In dry seasons, this is often felt to an inconve- nient degree. The high grounds in the neighbourhood are, on such occasions, plentifully watered, while our fields are parched, and our crops languish. Hydrography, — The Tweed is the only stream worthy of notice connected with this parish, of which it forms the boundary for up- wards of two miles on the north and east. — The springs are all perennial, — so far intermittent, however, that many of them, in dry seasons, cease about the beginning of autumn. Near the village of Lessudden, where the soil is of a retentive nature, incumbent on what is here called ftV/, gravel imbedded in clay, — springs are scarce, and the water indifferent. All the other parts of the parish are plentifully supplied with water of the purest quality. Around the glebe, in particular, to the east and south, there is an immense profusion of springs of the finest quality. The springs issue from a seam of gravel incumbent on freestone rock of a reddish colour : and many of them are strongly impregnated with lime, to which they owe their petrifying quality, which is common to all along the east bank, and to some in a very remarkable degree. There is also ** the well brae wall," a chalybeate that has attracted some notice, from its reputed virtues in scorbutic complaints. From the south bank, again, issues the Hier, or sacred well, vulgarly called the Hare well. This well also still bears the name of the siiint, and is situated farther to the west, on the same side of the ravine through which flows St Boswell's burn, receiving, in its progress to the Tweed, contributions from the " well brae." Geology and Mineralogy. — On this head, it may be only re- marked, that the soil in'general consists of a stifl'clay; in the neigh- bourhood of the church, of a black loam ; and in the haughs adjoin- ing the Tweed, it is alluvial. The soil rests upon a mass of clay mixed with boulders of whinstone and gravel of considerable thick- ness, indicating the presence of some great current. 106 ROXBURGHSHIRE. The predominating rock is red sandstone, a good building stone. From the section of a quarry in the parish, it seems to rest upon a bed of whitish sandstone of some thickness. This variety pos- sesses considerable hardness, and is much impregnated with iron pyrites, as it assumes a dingy yellow colour after a short exposure to the atmosphere. There are several appearances of trap tuffa in the parish. An attempt was made several years ago to find coal, but without success. Zoology. — As there is nothing peculiar to the parish under this head, it may be only remarked, that the fruit trees, which suffer more or less every season, were last spring almost wholly stripped of their foliage by the caterpillar (the Tortrix padeUa^) for the ra- vages of which no practical remedy has hitherto been applied. The soil seems well adapted to all the ordinary kinds of forest trees. On the estate of Ellieston, there are some of the finest larch trees in the south of Scotland; none, however, of a very uncommon size. II. — Civil History. Land^otmiers, — The chief land-owners, in the order of the rates of their valued rents, are, Robert Tulloch, Esq. of Ellies- ton ; Alexander Kay, Esq. of Charlesfield ; Thomas W. Ramsay, Esq. of Maxton ; William Scott, Esq. of Raeburn ; Captain Rid- dell Carr, of Camieston ; His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch ; Adam White, Esq. of Fens ; and Sir David Erskine of Dryburgh Abbey ; and eight other proprietors, all having landed properties of the yearly value of L. 50 and upwards. Parochial Registers. — The earliest parochial register commences in 1691 ; but the registers are neither voluminous, nor regularly kept. Modem Buildings. — His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch has re- cently erected a very handsome hunting establishment to the north of St Boswell's Green, which forms the only modem building of a public nature (with the exception of the church) deserving to find a place in this description. IIL — Population. There is every reason to believe that the population of this pa- rish is at present greater than ever it was at any former period. This opinion is fully borne out by the following statement : Population in 1755, - d()9 1791, . 500 1801, - 497 1831, . 701 ST boswell's. 107 The increase of population is chiefly to be ascribed to agricul- tural improvements, producing an increased demand for labourers ; and these in their turn requiring additional artisans for domestic manufactures. The hunting establishment of the Duke of Buccleuch, which has not yet had time to produce its full effect, will in all likelihood have a favourable influence on the population, from an increased circulation of money. Already the benefits arising from this estab- lishment have begun to be felt in the increased facility which it pre- sents to the agriculturists of selling their disposable produce in corn and hay. These causes combined, have raised the number of in- habitants residing in the village to 403, leaving for the country 268. Avenge number of births registered, - - 14 deaths, - - 8 marriages, - .9 persons under 15 years of age, 249 betwixt 15 and 30,-208 do and 50, 115 50 and 70, - 116 upwards of 70, - 13 unmarried men, bachelors, & widowers, 18 women above 45, - 17 Character of the People. — The habits of the people, in regard to cleanliness, are decidedly and greatly improved, and, with a few exceptions, little seems to be wanting in that respect. At church there is generally an appearance of neatness and comfort ; and, in some instances, a display of finery that would do Httle discredit to persons occupying a higher sphere in society. They enjoy in no common degree the comforts of social life ; and never were the la- bourers and artisans in this parish better provided for than at pre- sent. The people are, generally speaking, sensible and shrewd, hav- ing few means of acquiring, and little occasion for exhibiting, any remarkable degree of intellectual attainment. There are instances, however, that go to prove, that it is the want of time and oppor- tunities of acquiring distinction in intellectual pursuits, and not the want of natural ability, that prevents a more striking developement of their mental powers. They may be morally characterized as sober, industrious, friendly and obliging in their manners, peaceable in their behavour, and honest in their dealings. Offences against the law, either in poaching or smuggling, are scarcely known among us. IV. — Industry. Agriculture. — The whole land in the parish amounts to 2600 108 ROXBURGHSHIRE. acres imperial, all arable, or capable of being made so, with the exception of about 25 acres of precipitous banks on Tweed, and the rivulets that run into it : and it is all occasionally under the plough, except St Boswell's Green, a divided common of about 40 acres, — the lord of the manor retaining the right of holding a fair annually over the whole of the common. The land under plantation ex- tends to 175 acres. The trees generally planted are the Scotch fir, larch, spruce, and silver-fir : the hard-wood, oak, ash, elm, birch, plane, and horse-chestnut. As the plantations advance, the Scotch fir is first taken out, then the spruce, and lastly, the larch, to make room for the hard-wood. On the Ellieston estate, where the greatest ex- tent of plantation is found, the greater part of the Scotch firs have been displaced, and the oaks, constituting a large proportion of the hard-woods, being of seventy years growth, affords an abun- dant supply of excellent timber, and of a size fit for any use to which this species is usually applied. On the estate of Camieston also, there is a considerable extent of plantation, and wood of ex- cellent quality and considerable dimensions. The wood on that paVt of the Maxton estate included in this parish, planted twenty- two years ago, has made the most rapid progress, and forms the chief ornament of the lower division of the parish around the church and manse. It is a difiicult matter to ascertain, with any degree of accuracy, the annual amount of sales of wood, from the ever- varying state of supply and demand. As nearly as can be ascer- tained, the sales amount to L. 150 per annum. Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land is L. 1, 4s. 2d. per imperial acre. The grazing of a full-grown cow or ox is L. 3, 3s. for the summer; and for winter keep on straw and turnips, L.2, 2s. The general rate for a ewe or full-grown sheep grazed for the year, is 14s. Husbandry. — The general system of husbandry pursued in the parish is the four shift. \st^ Fallow, turnips or potatoes ; 2d^ wheat, barley, or oats ; 3rf, grass either cut for hay or pastured for one year ; 4/^, generally oats. On the land of better quality near the village, there is sometimes a deviation from this routine: and it is not uncommon to take a crop of drilled beans or pease after the oats and apply manure, followed by wheat or barley. In some of the leases lately entered into, the five-shift rotation is prescribed, re- quiring two successive years in grass. * This is certainly more fa- vourable for the land, and perhaps little disadvantageous to the ST boswell's. 109 occupier, the former system requiring the application of more dung than can be readily procured : and lime, from its great distance, en- tails always a heavy and sometimes a ruinous expense on the tenant. TTiese reasons have led, for the two last seasons, to the application of bone-manure to turnips, and this substitute has been found on the whole to be attended by a very favourable result, although it is alleged that it does not succeed so well on wet soils when the season is damp. The use of this manure, if it shall be found ul- timately to realize the expectations which are now entertained of its efficacy, will be of great advantage to agriculture in this part of the country, from the comparatively trifling expense at which it can be laid down on the land, (22s. 6d. a quarter,) and the small (|uan- tity required per acre, (two quarters being the usual allowance to the imperial acre). As a great proportion of the land in the parish is a stiff clay on a retentive bottom, draining is an improve- ment of the first importance. Much has already been done in this way, and more would be done if proprietors were a little more liberal in their encouragement to the skilful and industrious tenant. Little has been done in the way of embanking. Two embank- ments, however, of considerable extent, along the Tweed, have been constructed during the last season ; the one on Mr White's farm of Fens, and the other on Mr Riimsay's farm of St Boswell's. The general duration of leases is for nineteen years. The farm-houses and steadings on the larger farms are in ge- neral good and commodious ; on the smaller, both are very indifle- rent, and no way suitable to the farms. The fences in the parish (which is all enclosed) consist of thorn hedges, in general well kept. The chief obstacle to the improvement of land here is, the great distance from lime, — not less than twenty-six miles. A riogle horse cartful, containing twelve bushels, costs, when laid down on the land. Ids. which, at the rate of eight cartfuls, the quantity usually applied to the acre, occasions an expense of L.5, 48. This heavy expense can only be alleviated by in- creased facilities for land-carriage. A rail-road either from Dal- keith to Galashiels, or from Berwick to St Boswell's Green, both of which lines have been surveyed and favourably reported of, would greatly tend to the improvement of land, the increase of manufactures, and the ris^ of rents. Another obstacle to the im- provement of land, greatly, and, we believe, justly, complained of is, the practice but too common of advertising and letting land to 110 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the highest offerer, without due regard being had to his circum- stances, provided he agree to an extravagant rent, which a man that has little or nothing to lose will not scniple to offer. The working of this system is extremely injurious to the proprietor, and to honest men of some capital, who really intend to pay the rent for which they stipulate. The tenant enters on possession, and perhaps struggles on for a year or two, applies for a reduction of rent, which must be conceded, or the farm again brought into the market in a deteriorated state. If the reduction is sufficiently great to enable him to exist, he may languish on to the end of the lease, if not, he must relinquish the lease after he has ruined the land, and, in either case, the farm must be re-let at a rent far in- ferior to what a good substantial tenant would have originally pro- mised and paid during the currency of a long lease. Produce — The average amount of raw produce raised in the parish annually may be as follows. Wheat crop, .... L. 2,847 13 7^ Barley, - - - - 1,298 5 Beans and pesise, - - - 862 5 Oats, - - - - 2,5j1 10 Clover hay, - - - 364 10 Pasture land, valuing the ox or cow*s and sheep's grass as formerly stated, 516 Potatoes and turnips, . . . 924 Gardens and orchards, - . . . 76 Produce of timfier and annual thinning of plantations, . 150 Total amount, - L. 9589 19 0^ V. — Parochial Economy. Market-Town. — The nearest market-town is Melrose, distant nearly five miles. Villages. — The plough occasionally turns up the hearth or foun- dation stones of the ancient village of St Boswell's, which long since, like the hands that raised it, has crumbled into dust, with scarcely a memorial of its former existence. The village of Les- sudden lies about three quarters of a mile to the north-west, and can boast of considerable antiquity. But, what is of much greater consequence to the present generation, nothing can exceed the amenity of its situation, and the salubrity of its air. It derives its name from Edwin, the celebrated sovereign of Northumber- land, or more probably from some earlier prince of the same name, who had formed a settlement here and built a fortlet In the former Statistical Account, the name is said to have been given to this village by Bishop Aidan, whose place. Less or Lis^ it was. But the chartularies of the twelfth, and the two following centuries, as cited by Chalmers, (Caledonia, Vol. ii. 3 ST BOSWELL's. Ill p. 180,) all spell the name of the village Lessedwin, Lessadwin, or Lessedewyn, i. e, the manor place of Edwin. During the reign of William the Lion, Rohert de Loudonia, the lord of the manor, granted to the monks of Dryburgh the church of Lessedwin, for the safety of the souls of his king, of his father, Richard de Lou- donia, and his mother, Matildis de Ferrers.* In 1221, Lessedwin was settled by Alexander IL on Johanna, his queen, as part of her jointure. Robert L granted to the monks of Melrose the lands of Lessedwin. The English of the middle march, on the 5th of No- vember 1544, burnt Lessedwin, wherein was sixteen strong bastel houses, slew several of the owners, and destroyed much corn. Means of Communication, — Tlie means of communication are most abundant; the post-office communicating with Kelso and Melrose once a-day ; a daily coach from Newcastle to Edinburgh ; a coach every alternate day from Jedburgh to Edinburgh, (except Sundays) ; a daily coach during the summer and autumn, and in winter thrice a-week, from Kelso to Glasgow ; two carriers weekly to Kelso and Selkirk, and one to Edinburgh weekly. The length of turnpike-roads is inconsiderable : the Jedburgh turnpike 1^, Kelso 1^, and Selkirk 2^ miles. Tlie bridges are four, on a small scale, but in excellent repair. Ecclesiastical State, — The church is situated near the eastern boundary of the parish, and consequently three miles distant from the population residing at the other extremity : but as the population there is scanty, and the great bulk of the inhabitants reside in the village of Lessudden, or in the immediate vicinity of the church, it cannot be said to be inconveniently situated for the great body of the people. From a stone in the front, it would appear that the present church, (which is situated a little to the west of the site, still dis- cernible, of a more ancient fabric,) was built in 1652; although it is possible this stone may have belonged to the former place of worship. The present building was thoroughly repaired in 1791, enlarged in 1824, and now forms a commodious place of worship. It is understood to accommodate about 300 persons. There are not more than half a dozen of free sittings, — by which are meant sit- tings set apart for the poor. In a certain sense they arc all free, seat-rent being wholly unknown. Number of families belonging to the Established church, 1 18 ; of persons, 615 ; of Dissenters, 86, including children. The number of communicants ranges from • Chron. Dryburgh, No, 39-41 .—Ry. i. 252, Rob. Index Bord. Hist. Cited hf Chfllmert. 1 1 2 ROXBURGHSHIRE. 220 to 234. Average amount of collections, L. 17, Os. 10^.: occasional donations L. 9, 18s. 4€l.; proclamations, lis. O^d.; and mortcloth money 16s. ; total, L. 28, 7s. There are only two in- stances on record of important benefactions, and both by the same individual, Robert Scott, Esq. late of Penang. 1^^, A donation of L. 100 Sterling, the interest of which is to be applied for the relief of indigent persons belonging to the parish : the trustees are his brother, the present laird of Raeburn, and the minister of the parish. 2cf, Mr Scott last year invested the pro- perty of a field in the vicinity of the village, amounting to about 5 acres, in the heritors of the parish possessed of L. 100 Scots valuation, and the minister, — the proceeds to be applied to the re- lief of indigent persons not on the poor's roll. The manse and offices were built in 1791 ; but as the work had been executed in a very superficial manner, and on a defective plan, the heritors laid out a very considerable sum on repairs and additions in 181 1. The whole is now in good condition. ITie ex- tent of the glebe is 7 acres imperial ; and the quality of the soil ex- cellent ; value L. 2, 10s. per acre. The stipend amounts to 15 chal- ders meal and barley, in equal portions, with L. 6> 6s. 8d. for com- munion elements. Education. — There is but one school, in which the following branches are taught : English 2s. per quarter ; writing 3s. ; arith- metic, 4s. ; book-keeping and practical mathematics, 5s. : Latin, Greek, and French, 6s. per quarter. The schoolmaster has the legal accommodation, and the minimum salary; the school fees ave- rage about L. 40 a-year. Library, — A subscription library, instituted in 1799, under the patronage of Sir David Erskine, of Dryburgh Abbey, and now amounting to 1000 volumes, forms the only literary estabUshment in the parish. Poor^ 8fc. — Average number receiving aid 14, including children! Sum allowed to each per week, from 3s. 9d. to Is. 6d. Average annual assessment for the poor, L. 62, 19s. 4d. Collections, &c with occasional donations, L. 28, 7s. That spirit of honest pride and independence which formerly characterized our Scottish pea- santry is rapidly diminishing, and the discredit once attached to pauperism has, in these times, been wiped away, as one of those antiquated prejudices that never had any rational foundation. There arej however, still some lingering remains of a better spirit. Fair. — St Boswell's fair is the only one held in this parish : ST DOSWELi/s. 113 it takes place on the 18th of July annually, or on the following Monday, if the 18th fall on a Sunday. Wlien held on a Mon- day it is justly thought to occasion a most offensive desecration of the Lord's day; nor is this disgusting profanation at all diminished when the fair holds on a Saturday. This evil, so justly complain- ed of, might be easily corrected by holding the fair on the third Wednesday or Thursday of the month. This fair is looked for- ward to with much excitement among the youthful population, and an immense concourse of people assemble from all quarters for business or amusement : and if the day is fine, St Boswell's Green presents on this occasion a very gay and animated scene. The whole space being planted with tents, covered with a profusion of goods, consisting of Scotch and Irish linen, hardware, toys, croc- kery, shoes, books, &c. or crowded \^th sheep, lambs, horses, and homed cattle. My predecessor estimates the amount of the money transactions of the day from L. 8,000 to L. 10,000, and the toll or custom, which belongs to the Duke of Buccleuch, at L. 38 on an average. This is probably not far from the truth, though it has been thought that this great fair has not of late been so numerously attended as in former years, owing to the number of other markets that have recently been established elsewhere for the sale of stock. Fuel. — Coal is almost the only species of fuel used in this pa- rish. There are no peats. Wood is scarce, and consequently high-priced. And when it is considered that we are equidistant from the Scotch and English collieries, it is manifest that the price of fuel must be high. Our coal is brought either from the neigh- bourhood of Dalkeith, or the collieries in Northumberland. The price, however, has for some years been greatly reduced. Coals from Vogrie, the species in highest estimation, used to cost from I8d. to 20d. a cwt. (the writer has paid as high as Is. lOd.) but can now be bought for Is. a-cwt. Lothian coals, and for lOd. a-cwt. from the English collieries. /itiu.— There are no fewer than six inns or alehouses in the pa- rish, and without doubt, however well regulated, they present far too great a facility to dissipation ; and unquestionably the num- ber ought to be diminished. Miscellaneous Observations. The first most striking fact that occurs on comparing the former with the present Statistical Account of this parish, is the increase of the population, which has been considerably more than one- t]iird in less than forty years. A second point of comparison, ROXBURGH. H 1 14 ROXBURGHSHIRE. scarcely less striking, is the amount of production, and the increas- ed rental. The rental, including the annual sale of wood, (L. 150,) amounts to L. 3080", 4s, 2d. : in 1794, it is supposed to have been L. 1700, — there bemg thus a difference of L. 1380, 4s. 2d. When it is considered that prices are fully lower at present than they were then, the whole of the increased rental and production must be ascribed to improved cultivation. The only other point of comparison disserving to be noticed is suggested by the great increase of the amount of money raised for support of the poor. The number of paupers has increased in a greater ratio than the population. The number on the roll in 1794 is stated to be only three; this, however, was the actual number enrolled for that year, and said to be' fewer than usual. At present the number is fourteen, being nearly five to one. The amount of assessment, collections, &c taken together, give L. 18, 12s. expended for the support of the poor at the former period. Now, the whole aggregate sum is L.91, 6s. 4d. being nearly in the same ratio. These facts place in a striking point of view the strong tendency to increase which pauperism manifests wherever a legal assessnaent has been established. It would, however, be unfair to suppress some mitigating circumstances which tend to diminish the apparent difference between the former and present state of our parochial funds. In 1831 and 1832, the general ave- rage was greatly raised by an extraordinary expenditure, occasioned by the measures adopted to guard against the introduction of cho- lera. The precautions for these two years incurred an expense of not less than L. 60 for increased allowance, for food, fuel, and clothing, — medicine, and cleaning the village, and intercepting va- grants. The increased funds, arising from collections, donations, &C. have induced us to extend our aid beyond the range of actual pauperism, by a supply of coals, and occasional small donations to industrious families in distress, as well as to the enrolled poor. And the great bulk of the session funds is expended in this way annually. Revised November 1834. PARISH OF MAXTON. PRESBYTERY OF SELKIRK, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TXVIOTDALE, THE REV. JOHN THOMSON, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — Maccus was a person of some note in the reign of Da- vid L betwixt the years 1116 and 1147. His tUn or manor was called Maccus-ton, afterwards Mackiston, and now Maxton. Extent, Boundaries, Sfc. — The parish of Maxton is in figure nearly an oblong. Its extreme length is about 4 miles, and its greatest breadth nearly 3; but its square contents do not much ex- ceed 7 miles. It lies on the south bank of the Tweed, and is one gentle slope towards that river, which runs ^ miles along its north- em boundary. The parish of St Bosweirs bounds it on the north- west, the parish of Ancrum on the west, and Roxburgh on the south and east Hydrography. — Except the Tweed there is not a stream in the parish; but there is no want of fine perennial springs, — though the inhabitants have not hitherto profited much by this circumstance, their habitations being in no instance placed within reach of them. The water commonly used is drawn from wells from fifteen to thir- ty feet deep ; and having percolated through clay, the water is al- ways very hard. The Tweed mns here on a bed of reddish sandstone, which also makes its appearance in the steep banks, and serves for building, though much of it does not stand well exposure to the weather. Masses of whinstone rise in three or four places on the banks of the river; and in the southern parts of the parish, this stone abounds, both as rock and in rolled blocks on the surface, which make ex- cellent road-metal, being excessively hard, and binding well when broken small. SaiL — On many acres in the southern and highest part of the pa- rish, the soil is thin, wet, and unproductive. The sub-soil is a stiff retentive till, mixed with stones. The northern, and by far the largest part, is of a much better quality, and bears heavy crops of 1 16 ROXBURGHSHIRE. wheat, barley, oats, pease^ beans, clover, turnips, and potatoes. In the western half of this division, the soil is a rich clay-loam on a till bottom ; in the eastern, it is light, sharp, and dry, on a free- stone or gravel bed. Zoology. — About eighteen or twenty years ago, a small fly was first noticed in this part of the country very like the common house- fly, but somewhat lighter in the colour, and nimbler in its motions, and furnished with a long sharp proboscis, which it darts into the skin of men and animals in a moment, causing considerable pain. A silk or worsted stocking is no protection from its attacks. But troublesome as this little animal sometimes is, it is innocence itself compared with another, to whose insidious ravages we have now been exposed for several seasons, from about the middle of August till the end of harvest. This enemy is very small : when viewed by the microscope, it appears of a red colour, and resembles a spider in its form ; but nobody can go among long grass or bushes after it comes, without being stung all over the body, particularly in those places where the clothes sit close to the person, so as to stop the creatures progress under them. Its wounds are not felt at the time they are inflicted, but the part soon becomes exces- sively itchy, swells to the size of a pea or bean, and continues to tor- ment the victim for several days, or perhaps weeks. It is curious that there are some fields and districts in the neighbourhood where, it is said, this plague is not felt, though no plausible reason can be assigned for the fact. II. — Civil History. The civil history of Maxton presents little that is interesting. Its origin may be traced to the beginning of the twelfth cen- tury. Towards the end of that century the monks of Melrose obtained from Robert de Berkely and his spouse " a caracute of land" in this parish, with certain privileges of pasture on the common, and fuel both from the peataria and the wood, " for the safety of many souls." As a composition for the tithes of this land, the monks agreed to pay to the parson of Makiston four merks of silver yearly. Hugh de Normanville married Alice, the daughter and heiress of Robert de Berkely, and the line of the Normanvilles was continued through the thirteenth century. At a later period, the barony of Makiston, having been forfeited by William Soulis, was given by Robert L to Walter, the steward of Scotland, who granted the patronage of his church, with five acres of arable land contiguous to the church, to the monks of MAXTON. 117 Dryburgh ; and from that time to the dissolution of their society at the Jleformation, the parish continued to be a dependency of that monastery in spiritual matters. Robert II. granted the manor of Makiston to Sir Duncan Wallace and Eleanor de Brueys, the Count€ss of Carrick. When Scotland was a separate kingdom, the village of Maxton seems to have contained a very considerable population, — being able, is is said, to turn out 1000 fighting men. If it really ever was a place of such magnitude, it seems probable that the people subsisted, like many other communities of the same kind on the border, by alternately plundering and smuggling in the richer kingdom of England. Both these sources of wealth were speed- ily dried up, however, by the union of the Scotch ahd English crowns, — an event which introduced law and regular industry among the border clans, and soon reduced their numbers to a correspondence with their honest means of subsistence. The vil- lage of Maxton is now reduced to a few miserable cottages. The only marks of its former consequence that remain, are the founda- tions of its houses, which are still occasionally turned up by the plough in several of the neighbouring fields, and the shaft of its ancient cross, which is yet standing in front of a few hovels, that mark the place where its principal street once was. Land-cwners. — I have not heard of any person connected with Maxton whose name is known to fame. There are no ancient fa- milies in the place. The present proprietors are : Sir Edmund Antrobus; Hugh Scott, Esq. of Harden; the Duchess of Rox- burghe ; Adam Walker, Esq. of Muirhouselaw ; and Thomas Wil- liamson Ramsay, Esq. of Maxton. All these, or their families, except the Duchess of Roxburghe, bought their properties in (his parish within the last fifty years. None of them reside, or have a man- sion-house in it, though the smallest proprietor, the Duchess of Roxburghe, has a rental in the parish of L. 250. Parochial Registers. — There is a " session-record" in existence, and a ** register of births, marriages, and deaths ;" both of which begin more than a hundred years back, but they have been very irregularly kept Among a small rural population of simple man- ners, there have been few events requiring to be noticed in the former volume; and the latter is necessarily very imperfect, in con- sequence of Seceders and others declining to register. Antiquities. — In the north -east corner of the parish, is a rocky cliff hanging over the Tweed, on which there are distinct traces . 118 ROXBURGHSHIRE. of an ancient fort called, probably from its figure, Ringly Hall ; but whether this fortification is to be regarded as of British or Ro- man origin, is disputed by antiquaries. It is nearly in the form of a circle, with a diameter of about 160 feet, defended on the north by the precipitous rock on which it stands, and the Tweed which washes its base ; and on the other sides it is secured by two deep ditches, and ramparts of earth dug out of them. There ap- pears to have been a gate on the east side, which faces a tumulus at no great distance, in the parish of Roxburgh, with which it was probably connected. The whole is now planted over with trees, which will no doubt have the effect of preserving this memorial of former times, for a while longer, from the ravages of the plough. There is a tradition, that in one of the wars so frequently car- ried on by the sister kingdoms of Scotland and England, (but in which of them it is not said,) the English army occupied this sta- tion for several days, while the Scots lay on the opposite side of the river in a ravine, thence called " Scots Hole." The English at length, being superior in number, resolved to cross over to the enemy at a ford a little above this spot; and the Scots having attack- ed them on a rising ground, (which is yet called the " Plea-brae,") and while part of the army was still entangled in the stream, an obstinate battle ensued, in which the English were beaten, and many of them slain. Their bodies were buried in consecrated ground at a place on the south bank, thence called Rutherford, be- cause the Scots said their enemies had there been made to nie- their-ford. This must be an old story, for Rutherford was a con- siderable village, and went by this name at least several centuries ago. Long before the Reformation this place, and the territory around it, formed a distinct parish, which had a church and an hospital of its own. Of these buildings there are now no remains ; but the church- yard, which had long ceased to be a burying-place, was ploughed up only about twenty-five years ago, and the grave-stones were broken and thrown into drains by an improving farmer. The patronage of Rutherford, which at one time belonged to the Earls of Douglas, was granted before the year 1483, by James Rutherford of that Ilk ; but the church being afterwards suffered to go to ruin, the parish was united to Maxton, and the advowson fell into oblivion. The hospital was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, and destined " for receiving strangers, and maintaining poor and infirm people." It was restored " to the master" by Edward I. in the year 1296, 4 MAXTON. 119 and granted by Robert I. to the canons of Jedburgh, and this grant was confirmed by Robert II. in 1395. About a mile to the west of the place where the village of Ru- therford formerly was, stand the ruins of Littledean Tower, beau* tifully situated on a high bank of the river, and once a place of some strength. It was long the residence of the Kerrs of Little- dean, — a family of some note on the borders ; but it was finally deserted by them about a century ago, since which time it has fal- len into complete decay. On a high ridge between the parishes of Maxton and Ancrum was fought the battle of Ancrum muir, in which the Scots, under the Earb of Arran and Angus, obtained a great victory over the forces of Henry VIIL, commanded by Sir Ralph Rivers and Sir Bryan Laiton. A young female, called Lilliard, fought on the side of the Scots, like another Joan of Arc, and fell in this battle. She was buried on the spot, and a stone erected over her remains, which is yet standing, and in homely rhymes commemorates her desperate valour and untimely fate. The place yet retains the name of Lilliard's Edge. On the declivity of the hill, and near this place, are the vesti- ges of a Roman camp ; and close by the west side of it, there passes a Roman road, which crosses the Tiviot near the mouth of Jed water, and the Tweed near Melrose. This road goes along the whole western boundary of the parish, and in one part of its course is very ^ntire, and planted over with trees, though in another it is now nearly, or rather altogether, obliterated by the operations of « agriculture. III. — Population. It appears by the return made to Dr Webster in 1755, that the whole parish then contained only 397 souls. Twenty-seven years after, the number was reduced to 3*26. In 1801, the Parliamen- ' tary census states it at 368; in 1811, it was 438; in 1821, it had risen to 463; and in 1831, it was 461. As there are no towns, vil- lages, manufactories, or emplo}inent of any kind but on the several fiarmf, the increase of population after 1782 must have been owing to the improved and more extended cultivation of the soil which took place after that time, and particularly to the introduction of the tur- nip husbandry, which requires the assistance of more hands than were wanted on the old system. In 1831, of the 461 inhabitants of the parish, there were. 120 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Under 15 years, - - - - 187 Betwixt 15 and 30, - - - 135 30 and 50, - - - 88 Betwixt 50 and 70, - - - 40 70 and 80, - - - 8 Above 80, - . - - 8 UnmarricMi bachelors and widowers upwards of 50 years, 9 women upwards of 45, • ^ Conununicants of the Establishment, - - 158 The number of children under 15 being 187, and the number of families in which these are, being 59, the number of children to each family is 3^ nearly. There is one person in the parish, insane, a pauper. The number of families in the parish is, - - - 89 chiefly employed in agriculture, - - 52 chiefly employed in trade, manufactures, or handicraft, 16 Character^ 8fc. of the People. — The people in general are simple in their manners, sober, industrious, satisfied with their condition, and attentive to their religious and other duties. They have, however, no religious, literary, economical, or political association among thenfi. They are strangers to combination for any purpose whatever. They seem willing and pleased to do their duty, without waiting for the example or direction of the active stirring manager of some benevo- lent institution. If a good act may be done to a neighbour, the op- portunity of doing it is seldom neglected. If any one has been un- fortunate, or has fallen into distress, he is sure of the sympathy and active aid of those around him, and often to a greater extent than they can well afford. It is pleasing to see these kindly feelings continually showing themselves where there is evidently no motive but a desire to do to their brother as they verily believe, and could wish that, he would do to them. Among such a people, where luxury is unknown, and religion, in a great measure, performs the part of human institutions, many things are wanting which are thought indispensable in other places. Here, for example, they have no lawyer, no justice of the peace, not even a constable, no medical man, no exciseman, no pavni- broker, no post-office, no Seceder meeting-house, no tradesmen of any kind but two smiths, two wrights, two tailors, two fishermen, and one miller, all of whom are absolutely necessary to keep the ma- chinery of society in motion. There are, however, two public houses, which are certainly not of so indispensable a character. They are not wanted for the accommodation of travellers, and thev cannot MAXTON. 121 but have a pernicious influence on the morals of those who are within the sphere of their influence. Satisfied of this, the mini- ster and every tenant in the parish presented a respectful petition to the justices of the district, praying that the licenses might no longer be renewed ; but their request was not attended to. It is not easy to see on what ground of expediency this refusal, on the part of our magistracy, can be justified. Smuggling is not known in the parish; neithej* is there much ground for complaint in regard to poaching. IV. — Industry. The parish contains 4514 acres. Of these 3827 are divided into convenient fields, substantially enclosed with thorn-hedges, and under a regular course of cropping, some portions in the four- shift husbandry, some in the five, and some in the six, according to the quality of the soil. 668 acres are planted. About 10 acres are an irreclaimable bog ; and 9 is a fine pasture field, never ploughed, because sometimes it is flooded by the river. There are no commons, and no wastes. The plantations are all thriving, well attended to, and judiciously managed. Many sorts of timber are mixed up in them ; but the ash, the elm, the larch, and the oak, predominate, and seem to thrive best. The Scotch fir grows very well for a time, and serves as a nurse, but it does not attain to a great size. Thi» is probably owing to a spurious kind (not the tme Scotch fir) having been planted, rather than to any unfitness in the soil or climate for its growth. Rent of Land, — The rental of the parish cannot be exactly ascer- tained, because nearly 1000 acres, besides the plantations, are in the natural possession of proprietors. But supposing the arable part all let, the rent of the whole might be about L.3700, or 19s. 3^d. per acre. If we value the wood at the same rate, and add L. 30 more for the salmon fishings, we shall have a total rental of L4374. Livestock. — The cattle raised are for the most part of the short- homed breed, or crosses of them. The sheep are chiefly Lciccs- ters ; but there are also a few Cheviots, or crosses betwixt the two kinds. Much attention is paid to this part of fanning, especially to the breeding and management of sheep. The keep of a cow per annum is valued at L. 6 or L. 7 ; of a sheep, at from 13s. to LI. Husbandry. — Much has been done of late years, and is now doing by all the tenants' in the way of deep dra\mi\g, vi\vve\v\% ^\.- 122 ROXBURGHSHIRE. tended with wonderful success, and seems to be the best foundation for every other improvement. A good deal of lime is annually driven, and bone-dust is coming every year into greater repute as a manure. The farmers are active, intelligent, enterprising, and industrious; and their exertions for the improvement of their farms have, in ge- neral, been liberally encouraged by their landlords. Their houses and steadings are substantial and convenient The farmers have all thrashing mills, except one. Three of these are driven by a water power, and one is now erecting on Rutherford to go by steam. The leases are all for 19 years, — which is thought a short enough period when any improvement is intended to be made. The only subject of complaint among the tenants is the ruinously low price of corn, which makes it difficult for them to pay the rents which th^y promised only a few years ago, without encroaching on their capital. Rate of fVoffes. — The rate of labour, when it is not done by the piece, is 9s. or 10s. per week for men, without victuals. In harvest, a shearer has from 12s. to 14s. and victuals. A hind or ploughman is paid mostly in kind ; he has a house and a small garden, for which his wife, daughter, or servant shear in harvest ; 10 bolls (60 bushels) of oats ; 3^ bolls of barley, (or 2^ bolls of barley, and 1 boll of pease); from L.3 to L.4of sheep money; a cow's grass, (or, when he is not rich enough to buy a cow, L. 7 in lieu of it) ; 5 or 6 single cart loads of coals, at the coal-hill price, (4s. or 4s. 6d.) ; 1000 yards of potatoes planted on the farm; and 7 hens kept. A bondager, or female cottar, shears for her house and garden ; has 1000 yards of potatoes planted; 3 single cart-load of coals at the coal-hill price, and 7 hens kept It is understood that she is to work to the farmer when required, at the ordinary rate of wages, viz. lOd. a-day in summer, and 8d. in winter. A carpenter's wage is 14s. a-week over the year. A mason has 15s. in summer, and Us. in winter. A smith has L. 2, 15s. or L. 3, and a single cart- load of coals, at the coal-hill price, for shoeing a pair of horses, and keeping a cart, plough, harrows, and harness in repair for a year. A tailor has Is. 6d. a-day and his victuals. Produce. — It is difficult to estimate precisely the amount of raw produce raised in any particular district, and more difficult still to ascertain its value. One very intelligent gentleman, to whom I applied for information on this point, and who himself farms be- tween fourteen and fifteen hundred acres "in the parish, valued his MAXTON. 123 produce of grain on an average at L. 3000 a-year, and of other things at L. 2000 more. Estimating the produce of the other farms at this rate, it cannot be set down at less than L. 7000, — making the total vahie of produce in the parish, L. 12,000, without including gardens, woods, or fishings. V. — Parochial Economy. Means of Communication.^^The parish of Maxton is situated at an equal distance from the three market-towns, Kelso, Jedburgh, and Melrose, — the middle of it being about seven miles from each. The turnpike betwixt Kelso and Melrose runs through the heart of the parish along its whole length; and the Edinburgh and Lon- don road by Jedburgh bounds the west end of it. Besides these, there are some cross roads, chiefly for the convenience of the seve- ral farm-steadings, and kept in tolerably good repair by the sta- tute-labour. One daily London and Edinburgh coach, by Jed- burgh, passes this parish ; and another, three times a-week, be- tween Edinburgh and Jedburgh. There is also a coach from Kelso to Glasgow by Melrose, Inverleithen, and Peebles, every day in summer, and three times a-week in winter. Ecclesiastical State, — The church is an old building, or rather a small fragment of an old building, which was dedicated to St Cuthbert. The date of its erection, or even of its dilapidation, is unknown. The family of the Maxwells of Pollok were origi- nally from the parish of Maxton. Their ancestors were once possessed of considerable property in this district, and appear to have been sheriffs of the county in the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries. Mention is made of a donationary foun- dation by one of them, Herbert Maccuswell, in 1158, — which is by some supposed to be the church of Maxton ; and, no doubt, the building, from its appearance, may well be of that age : but the name of the founder would rather lead one to think that his ^ft was the church of Maxwell, which has long since gone to de- cay, — the parish thereof having been united to that of Kelso or Koxburgh. The church of Maxton is beautifully situated on a high bank cf the Tweed, on the north-west verge of the parish, rather where the population once was than where it is now. Few of the inha- bitants, however, are more than three miles distant. This edifice was long suffered to continue in a very wretched state. Before 1792, it was thatched with broom, and its interior was not unsuitable to its outward appearance. In 1812 it was mo- 124 ROXBURGHSHIRE. dernised and thoroughly repaired ; and though no great taste was displayed in its improvement, it is now a comfortable place of worship to the little congregation that resorts to it It is seated to hold about 150, but accommodation might easily be made for fifty more if there were occasion for it. The manse was built about twenty-seven years ago, and is not unsuitable to the living, which is 14 chalders, half meal, half bar- ley, with a small sum for vicarage tithes and communion elements. The glebe is about 1 1 acres, which might be let, perhaps, for L. 18 or L. 20. The ordinary church collections, with mortcloth and proclama- tion fees, and the interest of L. 72, which was mortified by Mr Smith, a former incumbent, may average about L. 8 per annum, which is all exp^ded on parochial purposes. We have no extra- ordinary collections for foreign objects, — the money of the people being too much required at home ; yet I know they would not be backward in giving their mite, if called on to do so. I have been twenty-three years their minister, and never called on them for an extraordinary collection but once, (for the Assembly's Highland schools,) when I expected to get, perhaps, between L. 1, 10s. and L. 2 to shew our good-will to that benevolent scheme ; but was surprised to receive upwards of L. 6. Not only the members of my own congregation, but the Seceders in the parish who could , not attend on the occasion, sent their shillings and half-crowns. In 1831, there were 90 families in the parish; of these 21 were Seceders, and the rest belonged to the Establishment But many of these families of both classes were divided among themselves, — part going to the church, and part to the meeting-house. Education. — The parochial school is the only one in the place. It is set down in a central situation, where all have easy access to it, and it is well attended. The children are all taught to read, write, and count ; there is none in the parish, old or young, who have not had this advantage; and yet, the general poverty of the parents obliges them to put their children soon to work, so that these useful accomplishments are often not so perfectly ac- quired as might be wished. The schoolmaster is an infirm old man, who retired from the school twenty-five years ago, retaining his house and garden, and a salary of L. 25, Ids. S^d. His assistant and successor has a house and salary of L. 20, 6s. 8^d. from the heritors, and the schpol-fees averaging L. 20, Is. 5^d. during the last three years. He has also L. 4, 4s. as clerk to the heritors, and MAXTON. 125 L. 1, Is. as session-clerk. He teaches English grammatically, writing, arithmetic, book-keeping, practical mathematics, Latin, Greek, &c. There is no public library in the parish ; but several families are connected with one in the neighbouring village of Lessudden. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The poor are maintained by regu- lar half-yearly assessments. The average number on the roll dur- ing the last four years is ten ; and the average yearly sum allotted to each is L. 5, 15s. lO^d., — making in all L. 57, 19s. 9d., raised by assessment. There is, besides, a small sum from church col- lections, &c after paying precentor and kirk oflBcers' fees,-7-the account of which may stand thus : from church collections, L. 4, 6s. lOd.; alms or legacies, L. 6, 19s. 7|d. ; proclamations, 6nes, &C. 12s. 7id. ; interest of mortified money, L.2, 18s. S^d. = L. 14, 17s. 5|d. The deductions from this sum for precentor, beadle, &c^ may amount to L. 6, 5s. 6d. The honourable pride of the Scotch peasantry, which so long made them shrink from any appeal to public charity till compelled by stern necessity, is fast wearing out as legal assessments gain ground. An application for aid is no longer a sure indication of want on the part of the applicant. FueL — One of the greatest evils with which the poor have to struggle in this place is the expense of fuel. Except a few sticks from the young plantations, coals are the only material used for this purpose ; and these are brought for the most part from Nor- thumberland, burdened with a land-carriage of between twenty and thirty miles. They cost at present about lOd. per cwt. which, in consequence of the improvements in roads, &c. is not more than half their price twenty years ago. Miscellaneous Observations. In 1794 the Kelso turnpike road was made, which laid the foun- dation for all the subsequent improvements of this place. So late, however, as 1807 or 1808, there were very few inclosures in the pa- rish. By much the greater part of it was a bleak open waste, — in many places, covered with heath and large stones, with scarcely a tree to be seen, — and the tracks called roads, scarcely passable in wet weather. Now it is all inclosed with substantial and thriving hedges ; the stones that deformed its surface have been blown with gunpowder, and buried in drains or broken into road-metal ; the fields are all under the plough, and adorned and sheltered with clumps and broad stripes of thriving plantations in spots judiciously selected for the purpose, and communications opened up in every 1 26 ROXBURGHSHIRE. direction by excellent roads. So sudden, so complete, and so be- neficial a change in the aspect of a whole parish, has seldom hap- pened. Landlord and tenant most liberally combined their efforts to bring it about. But it is painful to think that their exertions have been so poorly rewarded. Owing to the sad depression of agricultural produce on the return of peace, the farmers never re- covered the capital which they had so liberally laid out on their improvements. Most of them were ruined and tamed out of their farms ; some were put on the poor^s roll ; and others sent to clear the wastes in Canada. The proprietors, instead of receiving the advances of rent from the new cultivators which they had reason to expect, were obliged to be content with a diminished rental, and are still, from time to time, constrained to submit with the best grace they can, to reductions in one shape or another, which are not less mortifying to the receiver than to the giver. The chief bar to farther improvement in this district is the great distance of sea-ports and markets: The farmer has not only to bring his own and his servants' coals from a distant pit, but his lime also has to be carried thirty miles or more : his groceries, fish, timber, iron, slates, bone-dust, and almost everything that he may want, have to be brought from Berwick or Leith, or places equally remote. Nor is the sale of his produce attended with much less trouble and expense. His fat stock, beef, mutton, and pork, have to be driven to Morpeth or Edinburgh : his young cattle are sent south to the English market : his com carried to Dalkeith or Ber- wick : his poultry, eggs, butter, and cheese, conveyed to Berwick or Edinburgh. It is tme, he may often effect his sales in the county market-towns, or at his own house : but in that case, he must submit to a reduction of price, sufficient, at least, to carry his produce to its ultimate destination. The only remedy for this evil seems to be an improved communication with the sea-port of Ber- wick, and the coal and lime districts in Northumberland by means of a railway. This, accordingly, has long been talked of. Revised November 1834. PARISH OF ROXBURGH. PRESBYTERY OF KELSO, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. JAiMES HOPE, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — One conjecture as to the origin of the name of this parish is, that Roxburgh is a contraction for Royiie^s burgh ; ano- ther, that it is a contraction for Rose burgh ; and for each, a special reason is alleged, viz. the character of its ancient inhabitants, and the beauty of its situation. Another conjecture is, that the name may be derived from Rox^ a Saxon word, signifying strength : and another from the circumstance that, by Lord Hailes and others, it has been spelled Rokeshur^ and Roches-burg. From the simi- larity of Rokes and Roches to Rok and Roch, (a saint, it would seem, in the Romish calendar,) the burgh of Roxburgh may have originally been dedicated to saint Rok or Roch, — whence the name may have come. Extent, Boundaries^ 8fc. — The parish extends about 8 miles in length, and in breadth varies from 1 to 5 miles. From the ex- tent thus given, a much larger number of square miles of surface might be inferred than it will be found to contain. There does not appear to be more than fourteen square miles. This circum- stance is accounted for by the irregular and peninsular form of the parish. The parish is bounded by Maxton, Ancrum, and Crailing on the west ; by Eckford on the south ; by Kelso* on the east ; and by Kelso and Makerstoun on the north. * In the former Statistical Account of the parish of Kelso, it is mentioned, that Kdio parish conaiited at one time of the parishes of Kelso, Maxi^ell, and St James*. Thb statement has frequently been repeated. (Vide Haig, Morton, &c.) It ap|>ears to me* on the contrary, highly probable that neither the whole nor any considerable part o€ St James' was added to Kelso and Maxwell. From what 1 can learn, St James' was oonBned to the space betwixt the rivers of Tweed and Tiviot, and must hare extended considerably westward, and embraced several fivms which were made to constitute a part of Roxburgh parish. 'At all events, what now belongs to Kelso parish is limited to about thirty acres, forming a triangle above the junction of the rirers. The western boundary of this triangle is a line, extending from river to river, liy the Trysting Tree and the foot of St James' Green. Tliis portion of land (conimcmly called the Kelso lands,) is not under entail to his Grace the Duke of Roxburghc, and k not comprehended in the luirony of Roxburgh. That the statement here given is 128 ROXBURGHSHIRE. The figure of the parish is extremely irregular, and has been compared to a spread eagle, with its head to the north, and its wings shadowing eastward and westward. Topographical Appearances, — The parish may in general be described as flat and low lying ; at the same time, there is a con- siderable unevenness or undulation of surface, which is occasioned by the Tiviot intersecting it from south-west to north-east, and the Tweed bounding it for several miles on the north. At the south- west end of the parish, there are two eminences or hills, supposed to be each about 500 feet above the level of the sea. The one is called Dunse-law, or Doun-law, in this parish ; and the other, im- mediately adjoining in Crailing parish, called Penel-heugh. From these eminences, two ridges gently slope to the eastward for seve- ral miles, and thereby exhibit an appearance as if formed by a current of water flowing parallel to the channel of the Tiviot. There are three caves in the parish, — at Sunlaws. The time when, and the purposes for which, these were excavated are not ascertained ; but, from their appearance, they indicate a date not less than 1000 years ago, when incursions into this country were conducted with much desolation, rapine, and barbarity. Meteorology^ Sfc, — The climate of this district is equal, if not su- perior, to that of any inland part of Scotland. Its remarkable excellence depends on the fact, that there is less moisture than generally obtains in other districts. The cause of this appears to be, that the clouds, driven by the west winds which prevail, besides being exhausted in passing from the west to the east side of the island, are attracted by two ranges of hills, the Cheviot and Lam- mermoor, which, from a common point or centre, stretch to the east and north, and leave the large vale of Merse and Tiviotdale with comparatively little moisture. The heaviest rains are always from the east. It is probable, from the particular dryness of the atmosphere here, that it is warmer than in many other places of the same elevation, especially in wet seasons. Hydrography. — There are many excellent springs in the pa- rish, of which several have been found to be of a slightly petrify- ing quality. The rivers Tweed and Tiviot flow through part of it, and are its greatest ornaments. The quantity of water in the founded on fact, is proved by the cess.book of the county, which bears that the whole barony of Roxburgh belongs to the parish of Roxburgh, and by the circumstance, tliat all the public burdens, such as statute labour, poor rates, stipend, &c. arc charged for the parish of lioxburgh upon the whole barony and entailed lands thereof. KOXBURGH. 129 Tiviot appears to be not more than one-fourth of that of the Tvieed. Geology and Mineralogy, — The rocks found here are of the se- condary sandstone formation. Besides sandstone, there are va- rious trap rocks, such as basalt, greenstone, and wacke, &c. The alluvial parts of the parish abound with large blocks of stone, which seem to have been rolled down from the two eminences, for- merly noticed, at the south-west end of the parish. Tiie dip or inclination of the stratified rocks which have been obser\'ed is chief- ly towards the north and east. An appearance is observed on the north side of the parish worthy of notice. Underlying, and con- formable to a series of sandstone strata, there is a verv thick mass of rock (probably wacke) called the Trow Craigs, extending in breadth to not less than 150 yards, and forming in the Tweed an immense dam, over and through which, in the course of time, the water has forced its way. Owing to this circumstance, the chan- nel of the river here is extremely abrupt and irregular. The de- scent measures sixteen feet, and in it are various rapids and eddies, where the violence of the water, especially when flooded, becomes an object of interest Among alluvial deposits, are found gravel, sand, and loam, beside the rivers ; and elsewhere, marl and peat. The soils vary from what may be called mossy, sandy, or gravelly, to fine loam. Botany. — There are numerous plantations in the parish, con- sbting of various kinds of pine, oak, ash, elm, birch, beech, &c Though the plantations are in general thriving and good, the trees in general do not appear to be of any remarkable age, — except the Trysting Tree, the age of which is not known, but it appears to have weathered the storm for at least two centuries. There have been at various times, portions extracted from its trunk, which the skill of the cabinet-maker has rendered highly ornamental for the draw - ing-room. Tliis remarkable elm has for some time ceased to flourish, and is now apparently dead. All the cultivated grasses thrive here remarkably well ; and, what is rather uncommon even in the south of Scotland, the red or broad clover seed is occasion- ally and very successfully raised from the second crop of sown grass seed. Such red clover seed has been repeatedly sown, and in every instance has proved superior to any foreign seed of the same year. A sample of red clover seed, raised here six years ago, was exhibited at the meeting of the Highland Society at Glasgow, and very favourable notice was taken of it by that body. ROXBURGH. I 130 ROXBURGHSHIRE. II. — Civil History. Chief Land-ovmers. — The chief land-owner is His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe, who is also patron of the parish. He posses- ses somewhat more than one-half of the valued rent The other chief land-owners are, William Scott Kerr, Esq. of Chatto ; the Merchant Maiden Hospital ; Sir John James Scott Douglas, Bart of Springwood Park; Charles Rutherford, Esq. of Fairnington. They are here enumerated in the order of their respective valua- tions. Parochial Registers. — There are three volumes of parochial re- gisters belonging to the parish. The earliest entry is of date 1624, and the whole have been kept up to this time with more or less accuracy. Antiquities. — The ancient town of Roxburgh, which is stated to have been the fourth town in Scotland in point of importance and population, was situated at the eastern extremity of the parish. In history, it is said to have been twice taken and burned, viz. in the years 1369 and 1460 ; and from the circumstance that the town was altogether constructed of wood, hardly any vestiges of it exist. A little to the west of the site of the old town, appear the ruins of the celebrated castle of Roxburgh, " of which there remains now only as much shattered wall as suggests the former prodigi- ous strength and singular magnificence of the fortress. The south wall of the castle impended over the Tiviot, — a part of whose waters was directed by a dam thrown obliquely across the stream at the west end of the castle into a deep fosse, which defended the fortress on the west and north, emptying itself into the river at the east end thereof. Over this moat, at the gate-way from the town, was thrown a draw -bridge, the remains of which were but lately re- moved." — (Vide former Account.) At different times, various remains of antiquity have been dug up at or near the castle, which are believed to be in the posses- sion of His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe. With regard to the history of the castle, — it was twice stormed, taken, and demolished, first by Robert Bruce in 1312, next in 1460, when James 11. was killed by the bursting of a cannon. A yew tree, planted by His Grace the present Duke of Roxburghe, marks the spot where the king fell. Upon his death, the queen assumed the command in the name of her son, and urged the Scottish chieftains to testify the regard they had to their sovereign, by completing the enter- prize in which he had fallen. Her example and exhortation had ROXBURGH. 131 the desired effect, and the place which had been a centre of rapine and violence for many ages, was reduced to a heap of ruins. Sub- sequently, in the year 1547, the Duke of Somerset, having occasion to remain with his army for some time in the neighbourhood, and observing the ruined fortress to be a convenient situation, repaired it, so as to make it capable of receiving an English garrison. Traces of these repairs still appear among the ruins, which are now co- vered with trees. The mighty change the castle has undergone, while it reminds of former times, conveys a lesson of the instabi- lity of worldly greatness. There is adjoining to the village, and near the river, the ruin of a fort or tower, of which there were nianv in the border districts. It is denominated Roxburgh Tower, Wallace Tower, and also Sunlaw^s Tower,* and evidently formed part of a chain of com- mwiication between the castle of Roxburgh and other towers on the rivers Kale, Jed, &c It appears from history, that these towers had at various times received injuries from the incursions of the English mauraders, but were finally demolished, and re- duced to ruin in the reign of Mary Queen of Scots, and in the year 1545, by an army under the command of Hertford, after- wards the Duke of Somerset. Nothing remains of this tower but the ground apartments, strongly arched over, and used, in all probability, as places of security for cattle. Concerning this tower, there are various traditional stories ; but, as the truth of most of them is open to suspicion, and as all of them are much exaggerated, they are withheld from this Account. About midway between Roxburgh Tower and Ormiston Tower, situated about two miles up the river Tiviot, and on a considerable eminence, are the remains of a camp, probably formed for the pro- tection of the towers of Roxburgh and Ormiston. The great Roman road, from the Frith of Forth to York, &c runs through the south-west corner of this parish, along which, till lately, cattle purchased at the Scottish markets were driven into England* III. — Population. Population in 1782, by former Account, 1100 1791, ... 900 1811, - - - 946 • 1821, ... 926 1831, - - - 962 • Vide Monastic Annals, p. 98. 132 ROXBURGHSHIRE. The number of families in the parish is . - « - 200 of families chiefly employed in agriculture, - - 110 in trade, manufactures, or handicraft, 18 In the village of Roxburgh and Hieton the population amounts to about 400, and in the country to 562. With regard to the yearly average of births, deaths, and marriages, for the last seven years, no accurate information can be given, in as much as registration in the parish registers has not been made compulsory by law. There is only one family of independent fortune which resides occasionally in the parish. There are nine proprietors of land of the yearly value of L. 50 and upwards. For several years bygone, there have been exactly 200 families, and 196 inhabited houses, and 15 uninhabited. Character of the People. — The general character of the people is intellectual, moral, and religious. In proof of this, it may be stated, that hardly anything of the nature of crime occurs, and the people are almost all in communion with the Established church or the Secession. The temptation of poaching is very considerable, because of the abundance of game ; and, in consequence, this offence has occa- sionally occurred. During the last three years, there may have been 8 or 10 ille- gitimate births in the parish. IV. — Industry. Agriculture, — There are 5617 imperial acres cultivated or oc- casionally in tillage; 1735 acres in pasture; 221 under wood. Rent of Land. — The average value of cultivated land is L. 1, 9s. per acre. Average rent for ox or cow, L. 2, 10s. ; and 9s. for ewe or full-grown sheep. The real rent of the parish is about L. 9000. Husbandry. — The husbandry pursued is commonly denominated the turnip system of husbandry ; by which is to be understood, that a fourth or fifth part of a farm cultivated in this way is yearly made to grow turnips, of which about one-half is eaten on the ground by sheep ; the other half is carted to the farm-steading for the horned cattle. In this way, the ground is manured by the sheep for subsequent crops, and the straw which is the produce of the farm is broken down in the curtains or yards by cattle, and is thus converted into manure for another crop of turnips. The order of cropping is, after turnips, wheat or barley, with an under crop of grass, which comes to maturity the following year, and is generally eaten with sheep. The ground remains frequently one year only, sometimes two, in grass, and is then ploughed up and sown with 3 ROXBURGH. 133 oats; which is succeeded by turnips, — a succession of crops thus tak- ing place of four or five years, according as the ground is allowed to remain one or two years in pasture. These are called the systems of four and five-break husbandry. Such a method of husbandry has been found well fitted for the climate of this country and highly profitable. One difficulty, and that a very formidable one, has occurred in pursuing it Allusion is made to what is called the bad-root among the turnips. Various conjectures have been form- ed as to the cause or causes of this evil, the principal of which seems to consist in a constant repetition, within a limited time, of a turnip crop. It may be observed, however, that the evil has abated considerably by the use of lime, and attention to a proper change of rotation. The general duration of leases is from fifteen to twenty-one years. The state of farm-buildings is creditable to landholders and tenants. The pasture land of the parish is well inclosed, and the arable part well subdivided and inclosed. Quarries and Mines. — There are various sandstone rocks in the parish, but none of them of great value for building, and none of them regularly wrought. No mines as yet have been discovered in the parish. Fisheries. — On both rivers, the Tweed and the Tiviot, are sta- tions for fishing. The quantity of fish, though an article of com- merce, has been 'for some years very inconsiderable. The rent of the whole fishings does not exceed L. 60 per annum. Produce. — The average gross amount of raw produce raised in the parish, as nearly as that can be ascertained, is as follows : Produce of grain of all kinds, cultivated for food of man or the domestic animals, . . . L. 14,2R0 Of potatoes, turnips, and other plants, cultivated in the fields for foodi 2,910 Of bay, meadow and cultivated, - - 1,200 Of land in pasture, rating it at L. 2, lOs. per cow or full-grown ox grased for the season, and 9s. per full-grown ewe or sheep pastured for the year, . - - - 3,578 Of Gardens and orchards, - - - 240 Of river fisheries per year, - - - - 60 Total yearly value of raw produce raised, - L, 22,266 V. — Parochial Economy. There is no market-town in the parish ; but there are two si- tuated at a very convenient distance, viz. Kelso and Jedburgh. The former is about four miles distant from the village, and the latter seven miles. There are two villages in the parish, viz. Roxburgh and Hieton. Means of Communication. — Two public roads run through the 134 ROXBURGHSHIRE. parish, — the one, leading from Kelso to Jedburgh on the south side of the Tiviot, extends about three miles ; the other, leading from Kelso to Melrose, &c. in the immediate vicinity of the south bank of the Tweed, and at every point commanding a view of this noble river, and of a rich and beautiful country, extends about four miles. Tiviot Bridge is on this road, and unites this parish to Kelso. This bridge is of excellent structure, and durable material. Ecclesiastical State. — The parish church is situated in the village of Roxburgh, and its situation is nearly centrical, but not very con- venient for a considerable part of the population, because of the Ti- viot which flows near it, and which when flooded cuts off about one- third of the population lying on the south side of the river. The distance from the western extremity of the parish is five miles, and from the eastern, three. The church was built in the year 1752, was repaired in 1828, and is in a good state at present It affords accommodation for about 500 sitters. The manse was built in the year 1820. The extent of the glebe is ten imperial acres, of value L. 20. The amount of the stipend is 15 chalders, the one-half of which is oat-meal, and the other barley, with L. 8, 6s. 8d. for communion elements. It may also be stated, that there belongs to the minister a servitude for turf from His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe, which has been commuted into the sum of L. 1, 10s. yearly. The number of families attending the Established church is about 130, and the average number of communicants 240. The yearly amount of church collections is about h, 7. The smallness of the amount may be accounted for by the circumstance, that there has been a regular assessment for the poor of the parish for the last ninety-seven years. Education, — There are two schools in the parish ; both of these are parochial. The branches taught in both are, reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, and occasionally practical geometry; book-keeping, surveying, and Latin. ITie salary of the school- master of Roxburgh is L.34, 4s. 4id., and of Hieton L. 17, 2s.2id. The amount of school-fees received by each is from L. 12 to L. 15 yearly, and each of the schoolmasters has the accommoda- tion of school-room, school-house, and garden. So far as is known, there are none between the ages of six and fifteen or upwards in the parish who cannot read and write. The people are in general alive to the benefits of getting their children properly educated. ITiere is a part of the {mrish, viz. Fairningtou, ROXBURGH. 135 SO distant as to prevent attendance at the parish school ; but at- tendance is given at the parish schools of Maxton and Ancrum, which are much nearer. There has occasionally been a private school in this part of the parish, and an additional school here would be beneficial. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The average number of persons receiving parochial aid varies from 25 to 30. The average sum allotted to each is 2s. Id. per week in summer, and 2s. l^d. in winter. The annual amount of expenditure varies from L. 140 to L. 180, and arises chiefly from assessment levied, one-half from the heritors, and the other half from the tenants. This has been the regular mode of providing for the poor since the year 1737, and has been found to prove successful, and, under proper manage- ment, in the absence of residing heritors, appears to be by far the most just and equitable method of provision. No doubt, the feel- ing of reluctance and degradation at receiving parochial aid is dimi- nished by assessment, and also the disposition on the part of the people to contribute to church collections ; but these evils may be counterbalanced by proper management ; and the opposite evils of want, and unequal distribution, are more formidable. jFair*.— There is an annual fair held in the parish, on St James' Green, on the 5th of August, for the purposes of merchandize, hiring shearers, and horse and cattle-dealing. Considerable sales of wool are made at this fair, by the farmers in the surrounding districts. The wool is generally disposed of to English buyers. Alehouses. — There are three alehouses in the parish. Two of them are in the village of Hieton, for the benefit of those passing on the turnpike road leading from Kelso to Jedburgh, Hawick, &c. The other is near the village of Roxburgh, at the ferry over the Tiviot. Fuel. — The ordinary fuel is coal, which is procured from Nor- thumberland ; the distance is about eighteen or twenty miles. To the tenants and others having carts and horses, the expense of a single cart load at the coal-hill is from 6s. to 7s. (tolls inclusive) for sixteen cwt. Others, not having the same means of carting, obtain them for lis. 6d. There is also abundance of peat in the western part of the parish. Miscellaneous Observations. The most striking variation betwixt the present and former state of the parish is in consequence of the introduction of the turnip system of husbandry already noticed. A further improve- I 136 ROXBURGHSHIRE. - ment is likely to take place in this respect, by the introduction of bone manure, which is found highly suitable for raising turnips, and of which not less than 500 quarters were used in the year 1832. There may' be a little difference of appearance in the parish, from the greater space occupied by crop now than for- merly. Such occupation, however, is not believed to be consider- able, and has in some instances after trial been abandoned. The number of sheep reared renders pasture valuable, so that land which might be cropped with a certain degree of profit is found to be more profitable when in pasture, especially after an occa- sional tillage with improvement. It is perhaps worthy of reniark, that the crops now raised are, beyond all doubt, much more pro- ductive and profitable than formerly. The facilities of internal communication are, however, limited, and form the greatest barrier to improvement. This may. be in- ferred from the fact, that while the land in this county is better than in most other counties, the climate good, and the husbandry highly improved, nevertheless the fiars prices for grain are amon^ the very lowest in Scotland. This fact cannot be accounted for by the inferior quality of the grain, (for the reverse is the truth,) but by the great quantity produced above what is necessary for hoq[ie consumption. This is carted chiefly to Berwick for the London market The price of such carriage is regularly de- ducted from the returns given in by the witnesses on the fiars, and hence the low fiars price of corn. For the purpose of afford- ing increased facilities of internal communication, it has been pro- posed to form a railway from this district to Berwick, and consider- able progress has been made towards its accomplishment. Revised November 1834. PARISH OF MAKERSTOUN. PRESBYTERY OF KELSO, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. DAVID HOGARTH, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — According to Chalmers in his " Caledonia," the ori- ginal Dame of this parish signifies the town of Machar or Machir, who is supposed to have possessed that portion of country which forms the parish of Makerstoun. Extent and Boundaries. — It is hounded on the west by the parish of Mertoun ; on the north by that of Smailhohn ; on the east by that of Kelso ; and on the south by the river Tweed, which sepa- rates it from the parish of Roxburgh. It extends in length, from east to west, between 3 and 4 miles, and ilt breadth, from north to south, between 2 and 3. The ground rises gradually from the bank of the river to the northern extremity of the parish. The soil near the river is a rich dry loam upon a bottom of gravel or sandstone ; but the northern part is of much inferior quality, being a thin clay upon a retentive subsoil. II. — Civil History. Lcaid-^wners. — Nine-tenths of the land belong to Sir Tliomas and Lady Makdougal Brisbane, and the remainder (with the ex- ception of two cottages and a small garden) is the property of the Duke of Roxburghe. Parochial Registers, — These extend from 1692, with little in- terruption, to the present time. III. — Population. There appears no reason for believing that the population amounted to 1000, at a period so recent as fifty years before the date of the last Statistical Account ; for in the same account, it is stated that the number of souls in this parish was 165 at the time when the population was ascertained by Dr Webster. The distance between these two periods is only twelve years ; and, as during that interval there was no material change in the circum- 138 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Stances of the parish, the alleged diminution canpot be suppos- ed to have taken place. In 1801 the population was 24a In that and the following year, one-half of the parish was let in farms of a larger size, and a superior mode of husbandry was in- troduced. The consequence was, that the population, by the census of 1811, was found to have risen to 352, being an in- crease of nearly one-third in ten years. The population dimi- nished in 1821 to 345, and in 1831 to 326. But, as nme-tenths of the inhabitants are farm or house-servants, and liable to be re- moved every year, and as there is still the same number of inhabit- ed houses, this toifling diminution may be regarded as accidental, and not likely to be permanent. Numberof families in the parish, - - - - 59 chiefly employed in agriculture» - - 48 in trade, manufacture, or handicraft, 5 The greater part of the population of this parish is extremely fluctuating. All the families, with the exception of nine, being the families either of farm-servants, or of tradesmen employed by the farmers, are liable to be removed every year. From this circum- stance nothing can bS said respecting the general character of the inhabitants. IV. — Industry. The number of acres in the parish is 2854 : of these 2774 are cultivated or occasionally in tillage ; and 80 are planted. Rent — The rental of the parish is about L. 4000. The ave- rage value per acre of the parish may be from L. 1, 5s. to L. 1, 10s. At the time of the last Statistical Account there were eighteen ploughs in the parish. The number is now thirty. Proditce. — The produce per acre of the different kinds of grain varies according to the quality of the soil, and favourable or unfavour- able character of the season, being of wheat and pease, from fifteen to thirty, and of barley and oats, from twenty to fifty imperial bush- els. There are annually about 400 acres in turnips and potatoes. The following state shows the average gross amount and value of the raw produce as nearly as can be ascertained : Gram, . - - - - L. 6,172 Potatoes and turnips, - - . 1,600 Hay cultivated, .... 439 Land in pasture, - - . 2,158 Fisheries, - . - . 13 Total yearly value of raw produce raised, L. 10,423 MA&BMTOUN. 139 v.— Parochial Economy. The turnpike road from Kelso to Edinburgh by Smailholm pas- ses through the eastern extremity of the parish. There is a coach daily from Edinburgh to Kelso by this road. Ecclesiastical State. — The church and manse were built on a new site in 1807, near the centre of the parish. An excambion of the glebe took place at the same time ; the extent is twenty- two acres, and the value may be about L. 1. 5s. per acre. The stipend is fifteen chalders of barley and oat-meal, in equal parts, with L. 8, 6s. Sd. as an allowance for communion elements. The church may hold about 200 persons. The number of communi- cants for the last seven years has varied from 105 to 115. There are 58 fanoilies, 38 of which, either in whole or in part, belong to the Established church. Education. — There is only one school in the parish ; the paro- chial. The salary of the schoolmaster is L. 34, 4s. 4^d. and the average amount of school fees for the last seven years is L. 17 per annuoL ^There are none in the parish above five years of age who cannot read. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The number of persons on the poors' roll for the last seven years has varied from two to five, and the sum allotted has been from Is. 6d. to 2s. 6d. per week. The annual amount of church collections for the same period has va- ried from L. 4 to L. 7. An assessment of from one farthing to three farthings per pound, on the rental of the parish, has been made half-yearly, as circumstances have required : and the average yearly amount raised from this source has been L. 5, 17s. There is a legacy of L. 27, the interest of which is for women above the age of seventy. There is another sum of L. 20, the interest of which is employed in the maintenance of the poor ; but there is no record to ascertain for what purpose the sum was left. The amount of these interests is L. 1, 3s. 5d. Fuelj S^c. — There is no alehouse in the parish. Coal is the only fiiel used, and costs from 8d. to Is. per cwt Revised November 1834. PARISH OF SMALHOLM. PRESBYTERY OF LAUDER^ SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. THOMAS CLEGHORN, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name, — The name of this parish is in ancient charters written Smalham and Smalhame; and in modern times Smalholm and Smailholm. Its etymology, as stated in the former Statistical Ac- count, is uncertain. Extent^ Boundaries. — It extends in length about 4 miles, and in breadth rather more than 3 miles, and contains more than 6 square miles. It is situated in the north-eastern extremity of the county of Roxbdrgh ; is bounded by the parishes of Mertoun on the west ; Earlston on the north ; and Nenthom on the east ; aiiS^ on the south by the parishes of Kelso and Makerstown. Topographical Appearances^ Sfc. — The figure of the parish is irregular, and there is a variety of flat and rising grounds. It is about 500 feet above the level of the sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed. The air is pure, and the climate is considered peculiarly favourable to the health of the inhabitants, among whom no particular dis^ temper can be said to prevail. Many of them live to a good old age. Limestone has been found in the parish, but it has never been burned, owing to the great distance from coal. On the south side of the^ parish there is an abundant supply of hard whinstone rock, to which the road trustees have access .for making and keeping in repair the turnpike-roads in the district ; and a considerable quan- tity of what is called rotten rock is found in various parts of the parish, which is used for making and repairing country and farm roads. II. — Civil History. Land'Owners, — The chief land -owners in the parish are, George Baillie, Esq. of Jerviswood ; Hugh Scott, Esq. of Harden ; and his Grace the Duke of Roxburghe. Parochial Registers, — The earliest date of the parochial regis- SMALHOLM. 141 ters is 1642. They have been regularly kept, and are in a pretty good state of preservation. Antiquities. — On the south-west corner of the parish, in the farm of Sandyknow, the property of Mr Scott of Harden, among a cluster of rocks, stands " Smalholm Tower," a large square building, supposed to have been a " border keep" before the union of the kingdoms. This tower has long been in a ruinous condition, but; has acquired an interest in modern times, from the author of Waverley having spent part of his infancy in its vi- cmity, and from his having ascribed, in a great measure, to that circumstance the peculiar character of his poetry. In the Min- strelsy of the Scottish Border, Sir Walter Scott, in a note pre- fixed* to " The Eve of St John," says, nt was in order to celebrate Smalholm Tower and its vicinity, which had been the residence of his infancy, that he had written that border tale ; and in the intro- duction to the third canto of Marmion, while describing the influ- ence of that early residence on his style of poetry, he alludes to the tower and the surrounding crags.* III. — Population. The former Statistical Account savs, " In 1700, the number of inhabitants was 600; in 1743 the examination-roll was 457; in 1790 it decreased more than 100; in Dr Webster's report the number of souls is stated at 551." By the census taken in May 1831, the population of the parish is 628, being an increase of 128 since 1821. In the three divisions of which the village consists, there are 860 person, which leaves for the country part of the parish 268. The yearly average of births for the last seven years is - 10 deaths, between - - 7 and 8 marriages, between - - 2 and 3 The average number of persons under 1 5 years of age is - 256 betwixt 15 and 30, - 136 30 and 50, - 124 50 and 70, . - 94 upwards of 70, - - 18 There are 3 proprietors of land in the parish having properties of the yearly value of L. 50 and upwards, but none of them reside in it There are about 12 unmarried men, bachelors, and widowers above fifty years of age, and about 21 unmarried women upwards of forty-five. The average number of children in each family, taking those families only in which there are children, is nearly 4. • The farm of Sandyknow was possessed by the paternal grandfather of Sir Walter Scott. 142 ROXBURGHSHIRE. The number of families in the parish is - - - 127 chiefly employed in agriculture, - - 55 trade, manufiu^ures, or handicraft, 32 During the last three years there have been 2 itlegitimate births in the parish. IV. — Indcstry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — In the parish there are 3450 acres of land cultivated or occasionally in tillage ; 457 acres which never have been cultivated, but which remain constantly in pasture; and there are none in a state of undivided common. About 60 acres are under wood, planted with firs, and hard-wood of various kinds, which are properly managed by thinning, pruning, &c. Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land in the parish is L. 1 per English acre. The average rent of grazing per ox or cow is L. 3; and per ewe or full-grown sheep 10s. pastured for the year. The real rent of the parish is about L. 4000. Htisbandry, — The. duration of leases is from fifteen to twenty- one years. The farm-buildings are substantial and commodious, and the whole parish is subdivided into suitable enclosures by stone and thorn hedge fences. Great improvements have been, and are still making, by draining, liming, &c. Produce. — The average gross amount of raw produce raised in the parish as near as can be ascertained, is as follows : — Produce ofgrain of all kinds, - - L.58a0 Of potatoes, turnips, &c. ... ]450 Of land in pasture, .... )560 Thinning of woods, &c. • - - - 40 Total yearly value of raw produce, L. 8850 V. — Parochial Economy. In the parish there is one village, which consists of three divi- sions, East Third, West Third, and Overtown. The turnpike road, from Lauder to the March-Burn, passes through the East Third, in which the church, manse, and school-house are situated. Kelso, which is at six miles distance, is the nearest market-town, to which a carrier goes weekly on Friday, the market day. Means of Communication. — The parish enjoys ample means of communication in all directions. The turnpike road runs through the parish from north to south for more than three miles, and there is a branch of road leading westward from the village for about two miles towards Drygrange Bridge, on the Jedburgh road. The Tweedside coach betwixt Kelso and Edinburgh passes through the village every lawful day at nine o'clock in the morning, going worth, and at two o'clock p. wr. going south. An Earlstown car- 4 SMALHOLM. 143 rier to Edinburgh regularly attends at Smalholm on Monday af- ternoon, for the purpose of procuring eggs, butter, poultry, &c for the Edinburgh market; which is of great advantage to the vil- lage and neighbourhood. Ecclesiastical State, — The parish church is very conveniently situated for the whole population ; none of the inhabitants being more than two miles distant from the church ; the greater part of them are within five minutes walk of it From an inscription ( Soli Deo gloria 1 632) found on a triangular stone, which was taken down fmn the top of one of the doors when the church was under re- pair, it appears to have been built in 1632. The church has been frequently repaired partially; in 1820 and 1821 it was completely new seated, and otherwise much improved ; and is now one of the neatest and most comfortable places of worship in the district. It can easily accommodate 282 persons, but may hold 300. All the sittings in the church are free, the area being divided among the heritors according to their valued rents, for the accommoda- tion of their tenantry, who are in general amply provided for, — while too little space is left for the inhabitants of the village ; an in- convenience which is felt very generally in country churches, and which requires to be remedied. There is also a private gallery in the west end of the church, for the accommodation of the familv of George Baillie, Esq. who is patron of the church and parish, but whose residence of Mellerstain is in Earlstoun parish. The manse, which is upon a small scale, but neat and comfortable, was built in 1803 and 1804. The glebe, including the stance of the maDse, offices, garden, and hedge enclosures, consists of 12 Eng- lish acres, which may be valued at L. 1, 10s. per acre. The sti- pend, as modified in 1823, amounts to fourteen chalders of victual, half barley and half oat-meal. There are about 100 families be- longing to the Established church, and the average number of per- sons of all ages attending it is about 220, — the remaining families, who do not belong to the Establishment, attend public worship in the Seceding meeting-houses chapels at Kelso, Earlstoun, and StitcheL The average number of communicants is 240. In se- veral families, while the parents still adhere to the Secession, the children almost all belong to the Establishment. Education. — In the parochial school, the branches of instruc- tion taught are, English, grammar, writing, arithmetic, geography, practical mathematics, and Latin. The parochial teacher has the legal accommodation and the maximum salary; and his school fees 144 ROXBURGHSHIRE. may amount to L. 28 or L. 30 a-year. Besides the parish school, there is a school at the farm-house of Sandyknow, which is sup- ported by the tenant of that farm, who gives board and lodging to the teacher for educating his own children, and also by the school fees of his other pupils. There, the same branches are taught as at the parish school, and the quarterly fees are the same. All the young persons in the parish, between six and fifteen years of age, can read and write, or are learning to do so ; and it is not known that there is any person upwards of fifteen who cannot read or write. The total number of scholars attending both schools is about 100. Savings Bank, — A savings bank was established some years ago in the parish, but was discontinued at Whitsunday 1830, as the di- rectors did not think it was answering the purpose for which it was established. Poor and Parochial Funds, — There are twelve enrolled poor in the parish ; who have at an average about 2s. per week, with oc- casional supplies of coal, meal, &c. from the session funds. The annual amount of the church collections is about L. 12, and the half-yearly assessment about L. 35. There seems to be no dispo- - sition among the poor, when reduced by necessity, to refrain from seeking parochial relief, neither do they in general appear then to consider it as degrading. Inns^ Sfc. — There are an inn and an alehouse in the village. Their effect on the morals of the people is decidedly unfavourable. The fuel consists of wood and coal ; the wood is procured from the neighbourhood ; and the coals cost from 14d. to 16d. per cwt. when brought from Lothian, and lOd. to lid. from Northumber- land. Miscellaneous Observations. Since the time of the last Statistical Account, four shops have been established, where almost every necessary article of either soft or hardware may be obtained, and there has been for a considerable time a baker in the village. The parish is not susceptible of much greater improvement, as the system of husbandry now practised by an intelligent and re- spectable tenantry is of the most approved kind. Revised November 1834. PARISH OF LINTON. PRESBYTERY OF KELSO, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. WILLIAM FAICHNEY, MINISTER.* I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The name of the parish is derived from Lynn^ whicli in the British language signifies a pool, or lake, as well as a cataract, and from the Saxon word ton or toun^ which denotes a dwelling- place. Linton thus means the dwelling at the lake. The ancient Tillage of Linton, of which there are now scarcely any vestiges, was situated near the borders of a lake still called Linton Loch, — which lies in a south-eastern direction from the parish church. Extent and Boundaries. — The length of this parish, extending west to east as far as the English border, is 6 miles: its breadth, 2 miles. It is bounded on the north and north-west by the pa- rishes of ^rouston and Eckford ; on the west by Eckford ; on the south and south-west by Morbattle and Yetholm; and on the east by Northumberland. Its western extremity forms part of a beautiful valley watered by the Kale, a stream which descends from the Cheviot range. Topographical Appearances. — From this valley the land rises in a somewhat undulating ascent, till it reaches its highest elevation on the summit of Linton hill. Its surface eastward is varied and uneven, and sometimes intersected by small hills, which connect those of the Cheviot with the fertile plain which extends along the southern bank of the Tweed, in the parishes of Kelso and Sproaston. If, in former times, the inhabitants of Britain chose the summits of hills as the places for judicial proceedings, or the purposes of legislation, the small hills in this parish appear, from their names, Kiplaw, Hoselaw, Blakelaw, to have been the scene of such proceedings. The hills now mentioned extend along the northern boundary. Between these and Linton, and the Graden hills, which skirt the southerR extremity, a considerable tract of low land intervenes, which again is sometimes indented into valleys. The greater part * Drawn up by the Rev. James Brothcrston, Assistant to tlie Minister of the parish. ROXBURGH. K 146 ROXBURGHSHIRE. of this tract is richly cultivated. Though in some places it is marshy and interspersed with mosses, yet almost the whole of it b susceptible of cultivation. With the exception of Linton hill, the higher parts of which are still waste, the plough has reached the , summit of the highest eminences. The valley on the western ex- tremity, and of which 300 acres belong to this parish, is bounded on the north and north-east by the church of Linton, and Clifton Park, a seat of Mr Pringle of Clifton, M. P. surrounded by a fine old plantation ; on the west^ by Marlefield, formerly the residence of Sir William Bennet of Grubbet, the well-known patron of Allan Ramsay, and of whose hospitable mansion, Thomson, the author of the Seasons, is said to have frequently been an inmate ; on the east, by Wideopen, the paternal inheritance of Thomson ; and on the south and south-west, by the village of Morbattle and Cessford, the massive remains of whose baronial fortress, once the residence of the ancestors of the noble family of Roxburghe, still frown in an- cient dignity on the adjacent territory. This valley, both on ac- count of its delightful scenery and local associations, has been often surveved with no small interest. Meteorology. — The climate, which, in the western and most po- pulous portion of the parish is peculiarly mild, in the eastern and central district undergoes a considerable change for the worse. Here the increased coldness of the atmosphere, the greater poverty of the soil, the absence of plantations, and the greater elevation of the ground, all combine to render the aspect of the fields bleaker and more barren. The winds likewise vary in the eastern and western dis- tricts; while the east and north winds chiefly prevail in the former, and prove in no small degree hurtful to vegetation, — in the latter, these winds are little felt ; while gales from the south-west blow across the valley, and strike the rising ground opposite to it with considerable violence. Severe blasts not unfrequently range from the Cheviot on the south-east, assail this portion of the parish. The wind always blows from that direction in a severe storm. — The climate of this parish has always been deemed, upon the whole, peculiarly healthy. At one period, agues were not unfrequent ; but, since the djraining of the lakes and marshy lands, these have totally ceased ; and in the parish there are several individuals who have reached a very advanced age. Hydrography and Geology. — There are two lakes in the parish. Linton Loch is nearly circular in form, and contains fifty acres. It occupies a natural basin formed by hills of considerable height. LINTON. 147 surrounding it on the north, east, and south, and cultivated al- most to their summits. Towards the west, it opens into the valley of the Kale, into which, by a copious stream, it discharges its waters. The whole of the surface of these fifty acres was formerly covered with water; it is now partially drained, and it exhibits the appearance of a verdant morass, interspersed with three or four pools of water, in which are found excellent trout, closely resembling those of Lochleven. The surface of the lake or morass, to a considerable depth, consists of moss, under which there is excellent marl. Of the moss, there are three different kinds : the first stratum consists of vegetable roots of a more recent and less complete decomposi- tion. Its depth is from four to five feet. The second stratum is from two to three feet deep, of a lighter colour, and more decom- posed ; when long exposed to the air, it becomes nearly as white as marl ; and when dried, it is quite hard. The lowest stratum is nearly four feet thick, and entirely composed of wood of various sorts; but principally of birch and hazel. In this stratum were found large quantities of hazel-nuts, heaped in large masses, as if collected by the impulse of a current of water. When ex- posed to the air, they appeared quite fresh ; they were broken even by a slight touch, and were found to be full of water. The moss in the centre of the loch is of extraordinary depth; sixty-five feet of iron rod could not fathom it, — as was found from a recent ex- periment made in search of marl. About eight years ago, it was attempted to dig the marl found beneath the moss ; but, though it was of the finest quality, the expense of digging it was so great, in consequence of the annoyance arising from the great abundance of water, that the enterprise was abandoned. From an accurate measurement, so far .is this was practicable, it appeared that the marl amounted to one million of cubic yards. Its seam varied in thickness from two to eighteen feet. It was sometimes blended with a seam of sand from two to three feet in thickness. The colour of the marl is varied ; the greatest part of it being white as lime ; and a considerable quantity of it black as moss ; and there are por- tions of it which partake of both colours, mingled in various propor- tions. The black marl was, upon trial, found equally efficacious as the white. Viewed through a microscope, though fine as flour, it presented the appearance of decomposed shells. The black was generally separated from the white marl, and in different layers. A deer's horns, of an extraordinary size, and supposed to be 148 ROXBURGHSHIRE. those of the rein-deer, were found imbedded in the marl four- teen feet below its surface, — above which there were ten feet of moss. These are now in the possession of Mr Pringle of Clifton, the proprietor. They measured 3 feet in length, and 3 feet 10 inches between each horn. Besides these, several skeletons, amounting to twenty, of animals of dijOferent species, and of various sizes, were discovered in the space of less than an acre. The bones of one of these in magnitude exceeded those of a horse. Some of them were much decayed ; and when affected by the air, mouldered into dust. The moss also abounded with large and thick oaks ; it contain- ed wood from the smallest twig to the tree of two feet diameter, which was usually quite soft and spongy, — so that these trees were saturat- ed with moisture, and the soil or vegetable roots amid which they were imbedded. In the bottom of the lake, also, a very strong and copious mineral spring was found to issue from the sand beneath the seams of marl after it was dug. There are obvious traces of this lake, enlarged by the waters of the Kale once flowing into it, and by the rills and torrents descending from the adjacent hills, having formerly covered the whole expanse of the valley formerly men- tioned, and extending to 1000 acres,, — thus forming a uniform and magnificent sheet of water. The whole of this space abounds with copious springs of the purest water, whose origin is traced to the Kale, and which rise through veins of sand. The other lake, called Hoselaw Loch, is situated near the eastern extremity of the parish. Its surface extends to thirty acres ; it is of an oblong form, and is three-quarters of a mile in circumference. It abounds with perch and eels of the silver kind. The perch which it contains were only recently introduced to it from a neighbouring lake : and the fishing of these affords amusement to parties of pleasure dur- ing sununer. Sometimes, during the most sultry period of sum- mer, shoals of perches are, from some cause unknown, cast out dead upon the margin of the lake. The greatest depth of the lake does not exceed at any time fifteen feet : in summer it greatly de- creases. It forms an entire sheet of water : ^nd is terminated on the west by a moss of great extent and depth, — which, from the difficulty of access to it, and the indifferent quality of the peat, is little dug. There is another moss, about a mile westward from this, on the farm of Greenlees, which also is of considerable ex- tent and depth. Its peats are of a better quality : and marl has been found beneath the moss ;. but neither have been used to any extent. LINTON. 149 Besides the mineral spring already mentioned, there are several others in the parish, — one of which, on the farm of Bankhead, appears, from tradition, to have been frequently used for scor- butic complaints. It is still occasionally employed in these dis- orders. Sailj Sfc. — The soil of the greater portion of the western district consists of loam, gravel, sand, and clay, mixed in various propor- tions ; 300 acres adjoining Kale water are of a stiff retentive clay, resting on a wet channel bottom ; but the soil of part of this tract is a deep loam, reposing on sand and gravel. The whole of this fine strath would be much improved by deepening the course of a mill- dam which flows through it, and by draining. In the eastern and cen- tral district, where the land is higher, the soil is light There are fre- quent instances of the soil having been carried by the rain from the higher, and deposited in the lower lands. This, though sometimes beneficial, also proves occasionally injurious to the latter, as in draining, the good soil has been discovered buried beneath a lighter soil, which had been thus borne down from the hills. Most of the rocks are whinstone, which, when broken, has been fre- quently found to contain rock crystals. In one quarry, there is a laige seam of the latter interwoven with the whinstone ; the course of which seam can be readily traced by the eye. On the farm of Frogden, there is a quarry of freestone, which, notwithstanding the good quality of the stone, has been little wrought Large pieces of jasper of all kinds are frequently dug up by the plough, and lie scattered over the surface of the ground. The fir, the oak, the ash, and the elm, here find a congenial soil The principal plan- tation IS that of Clifton Park, which covers an extent of thirty acres* Several years ago, a small seam of coal was discovered on the farm of Greenlees, but the working of it was not proceeded in to any extent, and was speedily abandoned as unprofitable. II. — Civil History. The earliest notice of this parish appears in connection with the donation * of the church of Linton to the monks of Kelso, by Sir Richard Cumin, for the salvation of the soul of Prince Henry, eldest son of David I. This Sir Richard Cumin was the ancestor of the Cumins of Badenoch, and of the famous John Cumin who aspired to the Scottish crown. At the period of the gift, he ap- pears to have held one of the highest ofiices of the state; but whe- ther or not he possessed property in the parish is uncertain. • See Chartulary of Kelso. 150 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Family of Somerville. — Soon after this period, it appears that a considerable portion of the lands of Linton were obtained by Wil- liam de Somerville, ancestor of Lord Somerville, as a reward for having killed a monstrous serpent, wolf, or boar, which infested the neighbourhood, and seems to have committed great devastation. * This gift is stated to have been made by William the Lion, King of Scotland, in the year 1174 :+ and the property thus acquired seems to have remained, during a considerable period, in the pos- session of the Somerville family, — some of whose representatives are recorded, at different periods, to have granted lands in the pa- rish to the monks of Glasgow and Melrose. X The name of the above William de Somerville appears in the list of witnesses appended to a charter of confirmation granted to the monks of Kelso by King Malcolm IV. He was the son of Roger de Somerville, Baron of Whichnour, in England, and after performing the exploit for which he was rewarded with the barony of Linton, he was invested with the office of principal Falconer to the King of Scotland, and also with that of the sheriffdom of Rox- burghshire. He built the tower of Linton, which continued to be the residence of his family till near the end of the fourteenth cen- tury, when they removed to the castle of Cowthally in Carnwath. A portion of Linton church then called the choir, too, was their or- dinary burial-place, till about the year 1424. In this place the remains of the above William, the founder of his family in Scotland, were interred.§ When the barons of England, who extorted the Magna Charta from their reluctant king, were afterwards subdued, and when many of their castles and possessions were reduced to ruin, Roger, his father, who was one of them, sought refuge with his • See Douglas* Baronage of Scotland, and History of the Family of Somerville. t The den of this animal is still pointed out under the name of " the worm's hole;** and the field in which it is situated receives tlie name of Wormington. In the southern wall of the parish church, an ancient stone, which exhibits the effigy of a man on horseback, with a long lance or spear in hb hand, and thrust into the mouth of an animal resembling a dragon, is thought to illustrate the tradition ; and the history of the noble family of Somerville, lately published, gives a detailed account of the transaction. It is also said that the stone once contained the follow- ing inscription : «« The wode Laird of Lariestone, Slew the wode worm of Wormicston» And won all Linton paroshine." The memorial of this event is still preserved on the crest of Lord Somerville*s arms, which retains, among other allusions to it, the following inscription, " The wode laird.'* i See Chartularies of the above monasteries. To these religious donations, probably, arc to be ascribed the names still in use of certain fields and houses, — such as the " Prior Ilow,** and the " Priory Meadow.'* § At tlie period of his death, he must have been upwards of eighty years of age. 4 LINTON. 151 son in Scotland, and shortly after died at Linton tower, and was buried in the choir of Linton church. Some of the representatives of this house, while they resided in their barony of Linton, were renowned for their patriotism. Walter de Somerville, the third Baron of Linton, magnanimously maintained the rights of his coun- try against the aggressions of Edward: L He was one of the few barons who supported Wallace, and seconded his efforts to recover hb country's freedom. Under Wallace he commanded the third brigade of cavalry at the battle of Biggar. He also appears to have been among the first who joined the standard of Bruce, * to whom previous to his death, he solemnly entreated his son to remain a Eadthful adherent. The latter, accordingly, John de Somerville, was not disobedient to his father's injunctions, and steadily maintained the interests of the house of Bruce till his death. His remains were consigned to the tomb of his ancestors in Linton church, f Antiquities. — The ancient fortalice or tower of Linton, of which there are now scarcely any vestiges, and which was formerly the resi- dence of this famUy, stood on an eminence now covered with trees, near the church, which overlooks it. About twenty years ago, a large iron door was dug out of the cavity, which still remains to mark the site of the dungeon. It appears to have been surrounded by a fosse, the water of which was supplied from an adjoining rivulet. It shared in the devastations common to similar fastnesses in the borders ; for during the reign of Henry VIII. the warden of the Englisli marches, in a hostile invasion of the Scottish territory, besieged and set fire to it; and Surrey, in a letter to the same sovereign on a similar occasion, mentions his having razed it to the grouHd.":|: The Kerrs of Graden in this parish were distinguished in border warfare. Graden Place, their residence, still manifests the traces of an ancient fortress, surrounded by a moat. During the border feuds and depredations, while the two kingdoms were separated, this parish suffered in common with the adjacent country. Occupying part of what was formerly called the " dry marches," it formed one of the principal thoroughfares betwixt the two kingdoms. A narrow aperture between two hills along the verge of Linton loch appears to have been regarded as an important pass^ and there are still obvious marks of its having been once closely guarded. The small eminence on which the church is built seems to have af- • See Tytler's History of Scotland. + We also find him mentioned among tlic prisoners taken by the English, after tiie Bruce wai defeated at Methvin. t See Cotton Manuscript, and Monastic Annals of TiviutiluWi p. i9. 152 ROXBURGHSHIRE. forded a favourable position for defending it : and this eminence is generally believed to have been artificial. A hollow in the neighbourhood is still shown, whence the soil which forms it was conveyed. In a field on the farm of Frogden, five or six upright stones, form- ing a circle, were designated the " tryst," — from their being a ren- dezvous where predatory hordes projecting an incursion into Nor- thumberland were wont to meet. The whole of the district abounds with memorials of ancient border warfare. From its contiguity to the fortresses of Werk and Roxburgh, it must occasionally have been the scene of the more important struggles between the two kingdoms. Accordingly, on the summits of the small hills, there are remains of circular en- campments; and from the surface of the ground arise numerous small tumuli, which, when excavated, are found to contain human bones inclosed in circular earthen urns, of various dimensions. Some of these are obviously of Roman construction. In one place, these tumuli are so numerous as almost to resemble a burying-ground, or at least they render it probable that tlie ground which they oc- cupy had been once a field of battle. Most of these bones, as well as the urns containing them, when exposed to the air, dissolve into dust About fifty years ago, during the repairing of the church, a large grave was discovered, in which were fifty skulls ; all were equally decayed, and many of them bore marks of Wolence. It is conjectuVcd that they belonged to individuals who had fallen at Flodden Field ; the remains of many of whom, as is well known> were consigned to a common grave in the cemeteries of the nearest border parishes. A few years ago, a brazen Roman spear was found in a mossy soil, three feet below the surface, near the mouth of a well, and is now in the possession of Mr Pringle of Clifton, M. P. A chapel belonging to the Established church appears to have been formerly at Hoselaw, for the benefit of the inhabitants of the eastern district, which was then, as at present, at an inconvenient distance from the parish church. The remains of this chapel and of a small burying-ground attached to it were visible till lately, when, by the operations of the plough, they were wholly efiaced. Land'Oioners. — Robert Pringle, Esq. of Clifton and Haining, Member of Parliament for Selkirkshire, is the principal proprietor and the patron of the church; nearly two-thirds of the lands be- long to him. This gentleman maintains the same high reputation for public spirit, generosity, and interest in the welfare of his LINTON. 153 tenants, which liave distinguished his ancestors. Tlie tenantry are prosperous and happy, and hold him in the highest estima- tion. They avoid either extreme of extravagance or parsimony. Their industry, dihgencc, and zeal in executing those improvements which experience has proved to be advantageous, are highly com- mendable; and all of them reside on their farms, each of which is of sufficient magnitude to occupy the attention of a resident tenant. The other proprietors are Mr Wauchope of Niddrie-Marishall ; Mr Dawson of Graden ; Mr Oliver of Blakelaw, and Mr David- son of Hoselawmains. None of these are resident. Eminent Persons, — The late Mr Dawson, while farmer at Frog- den, was the first who introduced into Scotland some of the most important agricultural improvements, such as the turnip husbandry, and drill system, the laying down of the lime, and harrowing it in on the land when laid down in pasture, and tlie sowing of artifi- cial grasses. Mr Thomas Pringle, author of a small volume of poems, and of several other useful and interesting publications ; and Dr Clarke, who long enjoyed celebrity as the first physician in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, were both natives of this parish. Parochial Registers. — The registers of births have been pretty regularly kept; and the date of their earliest entry is 1732. III. — Population. Though there are now no remains of the once considerable vil- lages of Hoselaw and Linton, yet the number of the inhabitants of the parish has rather increased. This is entirely to be attributed to the improvements in agriculture, requiring a corresponding in- crease of labour. The population is spread over a rural tract among the various farms or hamlets, and is almost exclusively confined to agricultural employments. Population in 1811, - - 462 18-21, . 458 1831, - - 462 Of the 462 inhabitants at the time of the last census, only 6 arc employed in trade or manufactures. The average number of mar- riages, births, and burials is at present nearly the same as that which was stated in the former Statistical Account ; it may be computed at 5 marriages, 10 births, and 6 burials annually. It has been remarked that, 'of late years, there are even fewer bu- rials than formerly, in consequence of the hinds being less sta- tionary in a parish of this kind than in those which have villages, into which they retire when disabled by age or infirmity. On all the farms, amounting to fifteen, (with the exception of five,) the tenants reside ; but of the residing farmers only (out ate Tuatnedi. 154 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Character of the People. — The peasantry possess all the qualities which have long characterized the same class in Scotland. They are distinguished for intelligence, and, for the most part, are exem- plary in their habits. No ardent spirits are sold in the parish, and therefore they are seldom tempted to deviate from their ordinary sobriety. The tenantry and their hinds or farm-ser- vants generally follow the occupations of their fathers, and with " sober wishes" they pursue " the noiseless tenor of their way," unseduced by the allurements that are usually found in a crowd- ed population. The cottages of the poor in general present inter- nally an appearance of the utmost cleanliness. Their dress at church or at market approaches to elegance. Most of them pos- sess abundance of solid and wholesome food ; and there are few cases of real privation. They seldom change masters, and on some farms most of the servants have remained during the currency of more than one lease. There have been two illegitimate births during the last three years. The number of families in the parish is 84. IV. — Industry. Agriculture, — This parish contains 6500 acres of land ; 4750 of these are cultivated; and the remaining 1750 are waste, where- of about 80 acres are covered with wood. Husbandry, — Two or three of the farmers have long enjoyed celebrity as improvers and breeders of stock of all descriptions. The stock principally consists of cattle of the improved short- homed breed, and of the Leicester and Cheviot breed of sheep. The cultivated land, too, has been highly improved.. Much waste ground has been reclaimed, and the benefits derived from this source have been such, that the present tenants can keep as much stock as those of former times, and have, besides, all the addi- tional grain yielded by the improved land. A considerable por- tion of the remaining waste land (probably 450 acres) is suscep- tible of cultivation, and is fitted either to produce crops, or to be laid down in pasture. The crops raised are, oats, barley, and wheat, — of which the two latter are the most prevalent. The turnips were, at an early period, infested by the bad root ; the only remedy for which that has yet, been discovered is abundant liming; and even this has been but partially successful In not a few instances, like every other expedient, it has failed to revive the sinking hopes of the husbandman, doomed to witness the baneful effects of this desolating scourge. The duration of leases is. nineteen years. LINTON. 155 The rent of a few farms is paid in part according to the Jiars^ — which mode of payment is deemed the most equitable. The ac- commodations granted to the tenant, both as regards building and enclosing, are generally of the best description. Draining, though practised to a great extent, is still very im- perfectly carried on, and presents a large field for exertion, and for the application of capital. One field only, extending to 20 acres, has been irrigated. The experiment, however, was successful, and afforded abundant compensation for the labour and expense. Considerable embankments have been made on Kale Water, and on a small stream called the Lake, whose course at one period ap- pears to have been deepened for the purpose of emptying the stagnant waters of a lake or morass in its vicinity, of which there are still some remains. These embankments have proved very beneficial. Produce. — The average gross amount and value of raw produce yearly raised in the parish, as nearly as can be ascertained, is as follows : 838 boUs of wheat, imperial measure, - - L. 1452 10 10 8560 do. barley, .... 3204 6700 do. oats, .... 3C57 10 756 acres turnips, ... . 3032 32 potatoes, - ^ - - - 320 230 cultivated hay, - - - - 805 Land in pasture, rating it at L. 3 per cow or full-grown ox, and at 10s. per ewe or full-grown sheep, ... 1904 L. 14,375 10 V. — Paiiochial Economy. Kelso, which is six miles distant, is the nearest market-town. The farmers occasionally frequent also the market of Jedburgh, which is at least eight miles distant. They deal extensively with the corn-merchants of Berwick, with whom they bargain to con- vey thither the grain that has been purchased, and they usually return home with a load of coal or lime from Northumberland ; hence the advantages which they would reap from the execution of the long projected rail-road between Kelso and Berwick. They generally drive their stock and fat cattle to the markets of Edin- burgh and Morpeth, but principally to that of the latter place. They are almost equidistant from both. Means of Communication. — Kelso is also the nearest post-town ; — ^with which, exclusively of the market-day, there is a regular communication twice in the week. Most of the roads are good, tnd kepi in good repair. The fences are in general good, and . chiefly consist of hedge-rows of thorn, interspersed ml\v Vc^e^. 156 ROXBURGHSHIRE. These, besides improving the aspect of the country, by giving to it a finely wooded appearance, are attended with other advantages previously stated, which amply compensate for the failure of vege- tation in their neighbourhood. Ecclesiastical State. — A more delightful and sequestered situa- tion than that which is occupied by the church and manse can scarcely be conceived ; — the church crowning the summit of a cir- cular little hill; the manse about 100 yards distant froin it, embo- somed amid fine old fruit trees, and agreeably sheltered and ap- proached by an avenue lined with tall trees, — present a scene whose peculiar charms uniformly arrest the attention of the spectator. As the church is placed nearly at the western extremity of the parish, a distaifce of almost six miles intervenes between it and the remotest part of the eastern district. To the inhabitants of the latter, therefore, its situation is inconvenient. As it is easily accessible, however, to by far the most populous part of the parish, its pre- sent position, which, as regards climate, soil, and the cultivation of the land contiguous to it, has superior advantages, is upon the whole the best and most eligible; and few, if any, have expres- sed a serious desire for its removal. • From the thickness and strength of its walls, and the depth to which they have sunk in the soil, the church exhibits marks of con- siderable antiquity. It was repaired about forty-five years ago, and contracted within its original dimensions. It affords accom- modation for 180 persons, and is sufficient for the inhabitants of the parish. The above number rather exceeds that of the average attendance ; but on ordinary Sabbaths it is still well attended. The average number of communicants of late years has been 170. There are no Dissenting chapels in the parish ; they abound, however, in the neighbourhood, and are attended by twelve fa- milies in this parish, who chiefly belong to the Seceders of the United Associate Synod. The manse was built about fifty years ago ; it has since received scarcely any repair ; and both it and the office-houses are in a good condition. The glebe contains ten acres of arable land of the best quality, and the stipend consists of sixteen chalders of grain. In the manse garden, there are two fine old pear trees, the price of one year's produce of which amount- ed to L. 10. Education. — The parochial school is the only seminary in the parish ; the branches of education taught at whjch are reading, writing, arithmetic, algebra, and mathematics. For instruction in reading, writings and arithmetic, the average sum paid for each LINTON. 157 pupil is 3s. per quarter. The teacher is authorized by the heri- tors to exercise his own discretion with regard to the fees to be exacted from those who are taught algebra and mathematics. The accommodation of the schoolmaster is good, and somewhat ex- ceeds the legal allowance. He possesses the maximum salary. The remotest part of the parish is at least five miles distant from the school ; but, as this part is thinly inhabited, the inconvenience of the distance is not much felt, and is not so great as to render the erection of another school necessary ; 40 is the average attend- ance. The school fees may amount to L. 20 a-year. It is pleas- ing to witness the solicitude of the poorest persons resi)ecting the education of their children in the ordinary branches of in- struction. Rather than forego this advantage, which they deem inestimable, they will submit to no small privations ; and they cheerfully devote to its attainment a portion of their scanty and hard-earned gains. The history of the poor in this, as well as in other districts, unfolds many cases of endurance borne with alacrity, in order that they may procure not only the quarter's fees, but shoes and clothing, to enable their children to make as decent an appearance at school as those of their neighbours. Such has been the influence of the system of moral and religious instruction peculiar to our ecclesiastical establishment and paro- chial schools, that all vestiges of predatory habits have long disap- peared from the borders, — whose inhabitants are now as remark- able as those of any part of Scotland for intelligence, persever- ing industry, and ardent piety. The total number of scholars at schools in the parish is 55. Poor and Parochial Funds, — The average number of persons who annually obtain parochial aid is 12 ; each of whom receives nearly 2s. per week, or an yearly allowance of L. 5. The funds required for this purpose are supplied by legal assessment, of which the average annual amount is L. 60. That of the church collection is L. 6, and affords the means of relieving occasional in- digence. The receiving of parochial aid is here reckoned no de- gradation. Most seem to demand it as that to which they have a legal claim; and instances are not uncommon of active and Tigorous young men who do not think it incumbent on them to minister to the necessities of their aged parents, but who, without scruple or any sense of impropriety, consign them to the. support of the parish. Such sentiments, common to the inhabitants of all the border parishes, have, not without reason, been ascribed to their contiguity to England. 158 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Pueh — Almost the only fuel used is coal, which is 14 miles dis- tant, and brought from Northumberland. Though the peat, with the exception of that of Graden moss, is of a good quality, yet the mosses mentioned above are little dug. Coals can be procur- ed at nearly as cheap a rate as peat ; the cost of the former, includ- ing carriage and all other expenses, being about 7d. per cwt. Miscellaneous Observations. Since the period of the last Statistical Account, the population, in consequence of agricultural improvements and the extension of cultivated land, has somewhat increased. The number of inhabited houses, which was then 55, is now 79. The number of ploughs, which was then 30, is now 50, — to each of which a pair of horses be- longs. The rent of the parish, which was formerly L. 21 13, is now L. 5514, 6s. 8d.; that of the largest farm, which was formerly L.400, is now nearly L. 800. The improved system of husbandry which has since that time been introduced, as well as the reclaiming of waste land, have thus obviously augmented the quantity of la- bour, and compensated for its anticipated diminution by the use of thrashing machines. Sources of industry have thus been multi- plied, and what was lost in one department has been gained in another, no less subservient to the welfare of the conmiunity. The much greater demand for stock of all descriptions than for- merly has prompted the farmers, for the purpose of rearing them, to subject to the agency of the plough much of their ground which they once deemed inadequate to remunerate them for the labour and expense of cultivation. Whether the general comfort and happiness of those who follow agricultural employments have also been advanced is doubtfuL Their habits and intelligence, in no small degree, have kept pace with the spirit and improvements of the age. They are now better educated than formerly ; books are more accessible to them, and not a few avail themselves of these sources of mental enjoyment Still, their increased thirst of know- ledge creates wants, for the supply of which their scanty means are incompetent, and thus gives rise to discontentment and fretful- ness. A small augmentation of their wages would do much to improve their condition. To these sources, is to be traced that very ge- neral desire of emigration to Canada which of late years the class of hinds has manifested ; and the children of those whom no worldly motive could have torn from their native hills and valleys, now, without a tear, nay, with a sort of exultation, leave the land of their fathers. December J 834. PARISH OF YETHOLM. PRESBYTERY OF KELSO, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. JOHN BAIRD, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — Yetholm is sometimes written Zetholm, Zettin, Yet- tam, and Yetham ; which last is probably the original name of the parish. It seems to be derived from the Scoto- Saxon word " Yet^*^ or " Gatey^' signifying a gate or road, and obviously con- nected with the Anglo-Saxon word Zeat, Zete, Zate, porta. Yet- holm is a border parish, and the villages of Town and Kirk Vet- holm are separated from England by a valley one mile in length, and about a quarter of a mile in breadth, which, in former times, must have presented a very easy access or entrance from the one country to the othef ; so that Yetholm or Yetham may signify the hamlet or dwelling upon the great entrance from England, or the adjoining part of Northumberland, into Scotland. Extent — Boundaries. — The extent of the parish is 2 miles from nearly north-east to south-west, and 4 miles from north-west to M>nth-ea8t« It marches with England for a distance of about six miles, and no part of the parish is distant more than two miles from the border. Topographical Appearances. — The general aspect and outline of the parish is hilly, though none of the hills are of any great ele- vation ; the highest probably not exceeding 700 or 800 feet above the level of the sea. The lower hills are cultivated; and the higher, which are a portion of the Cheviot range, are clothed with a rich green sward to their summits, affording excellent pasture to many thousands of sheep. Several peaceful and romantic little valleys lie embosomed amid these hills ; and the vale of the Bow- mont itself, in which nine-tenths of the inhabitants of the parish reside, is only a larger vale of the same description. That part of this vale which lies in the parish of Yetholm is two miles long, and from a quarter to nearly half a mile in breadth, and appears 160 ROXBURGHSHIRE. encircled on every side by hills, except on the east, where it opens into England. The sides of the hills immediately bounding the vale are all under tillage, and covered generally with a rich and light soil resting on gravel and rock. Towards the middle of this vale, and near the village of Town Yetholm, another valley, or tract of low level ground, the opposite sides of which rise to a con- siderable elevation, branches oflF in a westerly direction towards Yetholm Loch. The climate of Yetholm is remarkably clear and healthy, and the temperature much milder than might be expected. Hydrography. — Yetholm Loch, sometimes also called Primside Loch, is a sheet of water nearly a mile and a half in circumference: it abounds with pike and perch : and is frequented by a great va- riety of water-fowl ; of which the rarer species are the wild swan, the goosander, and the Siberian goose ; but these only appear in severe winters. Bowmont Water, in some very old charters, is also written Bol-bent and Bow-bent, and is probably so named from the curvature of its course. It has its source in the Cocklaw, and, af- ter mingling with the College, it joins the Till, a tributary of the Tweed. The Bowmont is stocked with abundance of fine trout, and before the erection of a mill-dam or call on the Till at Etal, salmon-grilses and sea-trout were frequently caught The course of the Bowmont is extremely rapid, and, from its vicinity to the hills, it is exposed to frequent high floods, which sometimes do in- credible mischief to the haughs and meadow pasture, tearing up and carrying away the rich deep soil on its banks, and occasional- ly burying whole acres under a bed of unproductive sand and gra- vel. The practicability of embanking this river is an important subject of consideration to the proprietors ; and those who have resided longest upon its banks are generally of opinion that this may be done, and at an expense which, when compared with the importance of the object, might be called inconsiderable. Geology and Mineralogy. — The rocks composing the. hills in this parish belong to the transition series, and are the compact felspar-porphyry and the pitchstone-porphyry, — the latter of which affords very excellent specimens. The felspar-porphyry is by im the most abundant rock, not only of the Yetholm Hills, but of the whole Cheviot range. Numerous nodules of agate and common jasper are met with in this rock ; and these are also dispersed in abundance over the surrounding plains, and are very frequent in the gravel of the Bowmont Water and other streams. It is by no 3 YETHOLM. IGl means easy to ascertain in what manner the rock above described as the pitchstone-porphyry, occurs in this parish. Apparently it is in the form of an irregular bed, or in detached masses subordi- nate to the felspar-porphyry. Possibly it may be connected with the great dike of this rock, which is described as crossing the Che- viot range some miles to the west of this, in a direction nearly east and west Subordinate, ^Iso, to the felspar-porphyrj', is the quartz rock which occupies the summit of Thirlestane hill, where both rocks are much intermixed with white steatite. On t4ie same hill are quarries of the compact felspar rock, containing amygdaloidal crystals of calcareous spar, probably only a variety of the porphyry, which here occurs of every sort of colour and structure. The most remarkable rock on this hill, perhaps, is a partial deposit of the new red sandstone in thin strata of a grey and reddish-brown co- lour, hard and compact, but unable for any long period to resist the action of the weather. This rock, as you descend from the higher ground of Yetholm, towards the north and west, into the vale of the Tweed, soon becomes the prevailing formation, and where it first occurs, it is found resting on the felspar-porphyry. There is no appearance of metals of any kind in these rocks, farther than a considerable abundance of the sulphate of barytes and white steatite, in a rocky and romantic little glen on the top of Yetholm Law, called the " Tod Craigs," may seem to indiciite the probable neighbourhood of copper or lead. From the cir- cumstances stated, there seems little probability that coal, or even lime, wiU be discovered in this parish. The bed of the Bowmont affords the finest sharp sand for build- ing. The natural embankments of the river are all composed of graveL The soil on the lower parts of the parish, which is some- times of considerable depth, rests also on gravel. Hence in dry summers the crops are apt to be burnt up ; and in moist seasons they succeed best. In the vale of Cherrytrees are probably an hundred acres of moss, which, however, have been drained, and are now under cul- tivation. The average depth of the moss is eight feet, in some places fourteen feet. Trunks of various trees, as willows, birches, but especially oaks of a black colour, and extremely hard, were discovered in it Botany. — There are but few rare plants in the parish ; and the whole range of the Cheviots, indeed, disappoints very much the expectations of the botanist. In the vale of Bowmont are the ROXBURGH. 1> 162 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Teesdalia nudicauJis^ Trifolium striatum^ T. scahrum^ Sedum 7V- lephium, Dianthus deltoides in great luxuriance and abundance, Ciclwrium Intyhns^ Carduus nutans^ Anchusa sempervirens ; and in the dry channel of the river Thlaspi arvense. On the hills are the Rvhus Cham(Bmoru^i Cistus Helianthemiim^ Vaccinium Vitis- IdcBa^i Tormentilla reptans^ Empetnmi nigrum, Hieracium pulmo- riarium^ Cornus Suecica (perhaps on the borders of the parish only, not in it.) In and on the margin of Yetholm Loch, and in other moist situations, are the Cicuta virosa, Vaccinium oxycoccus (abun- dant in Hoselaw Loch, on the borders of the parish,) Patamogeton compressum, P, pectinatum, Scutellaria galericulata^ and Lycopus EuropcBus (abundant at Linton Loch,) Typha latifolia^ Ranuncu- lus Lingua, Hippuris vulgaris, Solanum Dulcamara, TroUius Eu- ropcBus, Leontodon palustre, Nuphar lutea, Gymnadenia viridis, Ly thrum Salicaria, Eriophorum vaginatum, Valeriana dioica^ V. officinalis, Listera ovata, Sinm angustifolium, Pamassia palus- tris, &c. ; a remarkable and dwarfish variety of the Ranunculus au- ricomus in a boggy situation among the hills, without any calyx, and claws or pores at the termination of the petals, and correspond- ing in its general characters with the Anemone ranunculoides, for which it was at first mistaken. II. — Civil History. It is said that^ " in 1304, Edward the First came to Yetham on his return from his northern expedition ;" ( Caledonia, Vol. li. p. 198.) There is a tradition that the Douglas appointed Yetholm kirk as the place of rendezvous for the Scottish army, before marching to the celebrated battle of Otterburn. It is also said, and perhaps with more truth, that after the battle of Flodden Field, the scene of which is situated about six miles to the east of the parish, the bodies of the Scottish nobles who fell in that engagement were brought and buried in the church and churchyard of Yetholm, as the nearest consecrated ground in Scotland to the field of battle. It is a better known fact, though traditional, I believe, like the others, that, in 1745, a small party of Scotch Highlanders, who followed the fortunes of Prince Charles, marched from the south through the parish and village of Yetholm, up the Bowmont Water, to receive some supplies of money, which had been re- mitted from France, and entrusted to the care of a Northumber- land gentleman, Charles Selby, Esq. of Earl. An old man, lately deceased, in Town Yetholm, distinctly remembered having seen these Highlanders passing his father's house. EminerU Cliaracters, — Dr Scott, one of the lairds of Tbirlestaney YETHOLM. 103 a small property in this parish, (now in the possession of Adam R Boyd, Esq. of Cherry trees,) and one of the physicians of Charles IL, seems to have been a chemist of some celebrity in his day. In the old mansion-house of Thirlcstane, lately pulled down, a room, which he had probably used as his laboratory, con- tinued to retain the name of the " warlock's room." * ( See Note to the 11th chapter of Waverley, Vol. i. regarding the ancient fa- mily of Scott of Thirlestane in this parish.) jintiqiiities, — Yetholm churchyard has probably been the buri- al place of many an ancient border chief. About two or three years ago, a stone coffin was discovered nearly six feet below the surface, and unfortunately was broken before it could be as- certained what it was. The stone in which the body lay was an entire mass. It contained a skeleton of unusual size. Still more lately, in the same churchyard, was discovered a square erection, consisting of four rough stones, set at right angles, and covered by a flat stone above, in which was found only a skull, which crumbled into dust when exposed for a short time to the air. On the borders of the parish, at Primside mill, under a large flat stone in the middle of the road, was found some years ago an urn, of very rude workmanship, and containing ashes. It was lately in the possession of Mr Oliphant at Marlefield. There are two British forts in the parish, one situated on the top of Castlelaw, a hill on the farm of Vencheon ; the other on the summit of a higher hill, called the Camp Hill, on the farm of Halterbum. They are fortified with two fosses and ramparts, are probably two or three hundred yards in diameter, and from their situation must have been very strong, almost impregnable fortifications. — On the top of Yetholm Law, there are the remains of a very extensive and singular fortification, the general form of which is square, but very irregular, — its irregularity, perhaps, occa- sioned by the inequality of the ground. It has been supposed to * The celebrated Jean Gordon, and her grandaughter Madge or Majory Gor- don, were both inhabitants of this parish ; the former well known as '* the prototype of the character of Meg Mcrrilees." the latter prol>ah1y having " sat to the author of Guy Mannering as the representative of her person." (See Blackwood's Mag. for April, May, Mid Sept. 1817.) Madge was married to a man of the name of Young, and is stiU remembered by many in Kirk Yetholm, — a woman of remarkable stature and striking appearance. I find that most, or perhaps all, her children arc registered in the teinon t^cord of baptisms. From the same record it appears, tliat in her latter days she bod been in very destitute circumstances. For several years the sum of Is. Gd. seems to have been allowed almost weekly by the kirk-session of Yetholm to ** Madge** or ** Majory Gordon." I may also mention concerning the fhmily of Will I^ long king of the gipsies in the south of Scotland, (Ibid.) that they were all, to the number of twenty-two or twenty-four, baptized in Yetholm kirk, and many of them are registered. Several of his family still reside in Yetholm. IVissviw*^^ \\\\\ Paa** has succeeded to his father in the title at least of ^* kin^." 164 ROXBURGHSHIRE. be a Roman camp, and the Romans were undoubtedly in this im- mediate neighbourhood. — On the fiirm of Mindrum, in Northum- berland, on the very borders of the parish, was lately ploughed up a vase or bottle of brass containing 500 Roman silver coins. — On a little spot of ground, now a peninsula, but at one time probably an island of Yetholm Loch, there formerly stood one of those old towers or castles so frequent in the south of Scotland. It was the baronial residence of the Kers of Lochtower, a branch, probably, of the Kers of Cessford, or the Roxburgh family. This ancient tower and the surrounding scenery suggested to the author of Wa- verley the picture he draws of Avenel Castle in the Monastery, (See Note at the end of the 7th chapter. Vol. ii.) Land-owners. — The number of heritors or proprietors in this parish is five. Of these, Mr Wauchope of Niddrie possesses nearly one-half of the parish, and is patron also of the church. The Marquis of Tweeddale is the second heritor, and now pos- sesses what was formerly the property of Sir William Bennet of Grubbet, the friend and patron of the poet of Ednam and of Allan Ramsay, whose " Gentle Shepherd" has sometimes been ascrib- ed to Sir William Bennet, and sometimes regarded as a juvenile production of Thomson. It is unfortunate that there is only one heritor who resides in the parish, and therefore only one mansion-house. The grounds of Cherrytrees are very tastefully ornamented with wood. The house is a small, modern, but handsome building. Parochial Registers, — The earliest parochial registers extant are from 1690, and from that period to the present they have been kept with considerable regularity. There is little doubt but earlier registers did exist ; and there is a report that, accidentally 1 suppose, they were destroyed by the family of one of the former ministers of the parish. They consist of three large folio volumes completed, and a fourth is now adding to their number. There is nothing particularly interesting in them. III. — Population. In the former Statistical Account, the parish is supposed to have doubled its population during last century ; and the cause of this rapid increase is stated to be the destruction of several villages in the neighbouring parishes of Hownam, Morbattle and Linton, the inhabitants of which had withdrawn to the two villages of Yet- holm, encouraged, perhaps, by the easy rate at which the proprie- tors of these villages had granted themfeus. Another probable cause might be the practice of uniting many small farms into one large one. YETHOLM. 1C5 In 1755, the population was 699 In 1811, . 1 138 1786, 1070 1821, . 1280 1801 1011 1831, . 1289 The increase of population in the country parts of the parish is owing entirely, of course, to the great improvements in the system of agriculture, and the consequent greater demand for labourers : the quantity of land now under cultivation Tn the parish being much more than doubled since the end of last century. The same cause has also affected the population of the two villages, the greater part of which depends for employment on the farmers. Other subordinate causes might be mentioned, as the great temp- tation to, and prevalence of, smuggling, from the vicinity of the villages to England, — an occupation from which a fifth or sixth of the population some years ago derived their means of subsistence ; and the facility of persons in decayed circumstances procuring a room or lodging in the villages, where, after a residence of three years, they very frequently become burdens on the parish. The average number of children in a family is 3^ or 4 ; but among the gipsies not less than 6 or 6^. 1 have no means of as- certaining the average number of births, deaths, and marriages for the last seven years; the registration of baptisms having been much neglected, and no registry of deaths being kept at all. Character^ S^c, of the People, — The people, in general, enjoy re- markably good health. About the middle of last year ( 1829,) there were sixteen persons between eighty and ninety years of age; and in the churchyard every sixth or seventh person whose memory is record- ed seems to have died betwixt seventy and ninety years of age. With a few exceptions, the labouring classes seem, in genera), to be in tolerably comfortable circumstances. The villages alone give em- ployment to two or three butchers, and four bakers. As by fer the greater part of the population, however, derive their sub- sistence from their employment by the farmers, whatever depresses the agricultural interest must tend more or less to injure them, by throwing them out of employment. Accordingly, during the last two years which have been so trying to farmers in general, the relief required to be extended to the poor has been much increased. The illegal practice of smuggling, till lately so prevalent in this neighbourhood, and so openly practised, must no doubt have had a very demoralizing influence upon a considerable portion of the population ; otherwise I am disposed to regard them, in general, as a quiet and well disposed people. Gipsies. — Kirk Yetholm has long been known and somewhat celebrated as the residence of the largest colony \i\ &coV\wt\dL^ \ 166 ROXBURGHSHIRE. believe, of that singular and interesting race of people, the Gip- sies, whose origin is involved in so much uncertainty and doubt I am indeed far from regarding the ^^ muggers and tinkers" of Kirk Yetholm as the pure unmingled gipsy race, whose forefa- thers emigrated or were driven into Europe from Hindostan or Egypt. They are much less distinguishable as a peculiar race now than they appear to have been formerly. Still their language, their predatory and erratic propensities, and, in general, their dark or dusky complexion, black piercing eyes, and Hindoo features, sufficiently betray the original of this despised and neglected race. At what period they first arrived and settled in Kirk Yetholm I have not been able with any accuracy to ascertain. The family of the Faa's seem to have been the first who settled there, and pro- bably about the beginning of last century.* Their number in 1797, according to the former Statistical Account, was 50. In 1816, ac- cording to the late Bailie Smith of Kelso (whose interesting ac- count of the Kirk Yetholm gipsies was published in Blackwood's Magazine for May 1817), the number was 109. At present there are about 100. Of these, one gipsy female is married to a trades- man in the village ; and one woman not belonging to the tribe is married to a gipsy, whom she accompanies in his wanderings. That the gipsies of Kirk Yetholm have a peculiar language is fully credited by most of the other inhabitants of the village, many of whom have not only heard them converse with each other in this janguage, but also understand a number of the words. It was my intention to have given a list of such of these words as I have been able to collect; but I shall at present merely mention this gene- ral fact regarding them, that, on comparing this list withthe spe- cimens furnished by Hoyland from Grellman, I find that the lan- guage spoken by the Kirk Yetholm clans corresponds very nearly with that spoken by the English and Turkish gipsies, and that most of these also have been traced to an Indian origin. On this subject, however, they observe a profound secresy. Their occupations are various. There are two who manufac- ture horn into spoons : one tinker ; and most or all of the rest are " muggers," or, as they prefer being called, " potters," or " travel- lers," who carry earthen-ware about the country for sale. These last also frequently employ themselves in making besoms and baskets. The gipsy, in general, enjoys but few of the comforts of home, — with the exception of the spoon-manufucturer, who must remain sta- tionary to fabricate his wares, which the females usually dispose * See Blackwood's Magnmc, Nos. I. and II. YETHOLM. 167 of at neighbouring markets, and in the surrounding country. The horn-spoons, or " cutties," are very generally used by the peasan- try, and before harvest are purchased for the use of the reapers. Most readers are probably familiar with the appearance of a gip- sy tent. It is generally situated in the least frequented parts of the country, probably beside some plantation, which supplies it at once with shelter and with fuel. The women carry about their oiaDuGsu^tured articles for sale ; while the men either remain with the ca^t, or occupy themselves in fishing and poaching, in both of which they are generally expert. The children accompany the females, or collect decayed wood for fuel. At night the whole fa- mily sleep under the tent, the covering of which is generally wool- len cloth, and is the same usually that covers their cart during the day. Occasionally two or more families travel together. A dog, chained under the cart, protects their property, and at night gives warning of danger. Each family generally travels a particular district, seldom remaining more than a few days in one place. This is their mode of life, even in the coldest and wettest weather of spring, or the beginning of winter ; and some- times the tents are but scantily provided with warm and comfort- able clothing. The ground, from which, while they sleep, they are separated only byablanket or slight mattress laid on some straw, must frequently, of course, be completely saturated with rain ; nevertheless I have never understood that these people are, even so much as others, troubled with colds and rheumatisms, to which this mode of life seems almost imavoidably to expose them. In- deed, both at home and abroad, they enjoy the best health. In cases of sickness they are usually unwilling to call in a me- dical practitioner. Before autumn all return who are able and willing to hire themselves as reapers. After harvest work is over, they set pff once more to the country, where they continue until the severity of winter drives them home. At home they are usually quiet and peaceable. Their quarrels, which do not . often take place, and are only among themselves, are very violent while they continue : and the subject or ground of (juarrel is scl- dem known but to themselves. On these occasions they are much addicted to profane swearing, and but too much so at other times. I think it deserving of remark, that most of the murders for which gipsies have been condemned seem to have been committed upon persons of their own tribe, in the heat and violence of passion, the consequence of some old family foud, or upon strangers of other dans for invading what they regard as their terf\lovv> ot \\\e vWr*- 168 ROXBURGHSHIRE. trict thej lia>ce been wont to travel. Their character for truth and honesty is certainly not high. Their pilfering' and plundering habits, practised chiefly when from home, are pretty generally known. Their money debts, however, they discharge, I believe, as punctually as others ; and there is a species of honour among them, that, if trusted, they will not deceive, and a principle of gratitude, that, if treated kindly, they will not injure. Numerous instances can be referred to of the grateful sense they entertain of favours bestowed on them, and of the length of time they vyill re- member a kindness done either to themselves or their relatives. A deep spirit of revenge is the darkest trait in their character. Yet may most of the savage features of the gipsy character be referred to their loose, wandering, and disorderly life; to their lamentable ignorance of the duties which they owe both to God and man, and their total want of restraint by any consideration, moral or religious. I am not aware that they are much addicted to ardent spirits, or that there is any habitual drunkard belonging to their tribe. Most of the tribe are able to read, though very indifferently. They seem alive to the advantages of education, and speak of it as the only legacy which a poor man can leave to his children ; but the migratory habits of the people prevent their children from re- maining long enough at school ever to make much progress. The children are generally remarked as clever. One large family of children have been taught to read by their mother at home ; and I have known a father (when he was able) who gave a lesson every day to his two children, in the course of their migrations. I may mention, as a proof of the anxiety of parents on this subject, that most of them have again and again professed their willingness to leave their children at home throughout the year for instruction, could they only afibrd it, and entrust them to the charge of some prudent person. This is a great step to their improvement, con- sidering how extremely attached the gipsy parent generally is to his children'; — that attachment to their offspring being one of those traits or features of character which distinguishes the tribe where- cver they are found. Most of the younger children have attended the Sabbath school, when at home ; and not only do the parents willingly send them, but even the children themselves seem de- lighted to attend. I have remarked in most of these children^ what may account in some degree for this desire on their parts, a spirit of emulation, and strong desire to please those who will take the trouble to notice them. Even a few of the adults have attend-* YETHOLM. 169 ed the Sabbath school ; but many are kept back bj; the shame of appearing more deficient than others of their own age. A great majority of the children have been baptized ; and there are probably not so many illegitimate children among them as among the lower ranks of society in general. They almost always intermarry in their own tribe, and are generally dissatisfied when this is not the case. Of late, the greater number of the tribe have attended church occasionally, and some with exemplary regularity. Their ideas on the subject of religion, however, are extremely limited, and er- roneous. Nor can they well be otherwise, considering their unset- tled way of life, and their defective education. Yet they profess a general respect for religion ; and, when absent from church, excuse themselves on the ground that they have no suitable or decent clothing. I have not been able to ascertain whether they entertain any peculiar sentiments on the subject of religion. Like most ig- norant persons, they are very superstitious.* All of them profess to belong to the Established church ; and there are no Dissen- ters among them. Eight or nine of them are communicants. Most of them possess Bibles, which have been purchased, how- ever, rather for the use of their children, when at school, than for any other purpose. Those who have not Bibles, would pur- chase them, they say, could they afford it. Most of them arc indeed very poor, if w^e may judge from their apparel and their household accommodations, all of which are inferior to those pos- sessed by the common class of labourers in the country, f It is a fact not very creditable to the wisdom of Britain, that, while so much has been done for the heathen, no attempt has yet been made in Scotland, to civilize and enlighten those wandering tribes, who during three-fourths of the year, in pursuing the avoca- tions, from which they derive their subsistence, have no pastor, no church, no school, no home, and are deprived of the means and opportunities of acquiring every kind of instruction. The attempt, if properly made, would, I am persuaded, be in numerous in- stances successful. Society would be the principal gainers by the success of any such scheme. They would render their own homes, persons, and property more secure ; while they would dis- charge a long-neglected duty to a considerable number of their * Sec Blackwood's Magazine, Nos. I. mu\ II. f Since writing the al>ove, I have received a grant of nibles ami Testaments from the Edinburgh Bible Society, so that every poor gipsy family is now supplied nvviVv a eopjr of the scriptures. 170 ROXBURGHSHIRE. fellow creatures and fellow subjects, and rescue an interesting race from infamy, ignorance^and vice. IV. — Industry. Agriculture, — There are nearly 6000 (probably 5700) acres in the parish : of these more than 2600 are arable, and more than 3000 remain in permanent pasture. There is a common of 200 acres, called Yetholm Common, on which the inhabitants of Kirk Yetholm have the privilege of cutting turf and grazing their cattle : it is a wild moorish piece of ground, upon the borders, claim- ed, I believe, by both kingdoms. On the estates of Cherrytrees and Thirlestane, and on some small spots on the barony of Loch- tower, there may be about 100 acres altogether, planted in wood. As remarked in the last Statistical Account, with one or two ex- ceptions, " the proprietors seem but little disposed to plant, though there is abundance of land fit for no other purpose." The planting of a few hundred acres, besides the beauty and ornament it would add to the parish, would greatly improve and increase the value of the remainder of the land, and afford, what is so much re- quired in the more exposed parts of the parish, shelter to the far- mers' stock. Husbandry, — There are about 450 acres round the villages of Town and Kirk Yetholm, farmed by the inhabitants in lots, vary* ing from 2 to 30 acres. These fields are held from year to year ; but, so long as the occupiers are able to pay their rents, they are very rarely disturbed. The rents they bring are from L. 2 to L.3, 10s. an acre; and, considering the nature of the soil, and the situation of the country, this is regarded as extremely high. Many of the occupiers of these fields are industrious trades- men and day-labourers, who, at their leisure hours, or when not otherwise engaged, employ themselves in the cultivation of their little farms, or retain them only for the convenience of a cow's pasture. The other small tenants, who farm a greater number of acres, are occupied more exclusively in their cultivation. Tlvey keep, for this purpose, one or two horses, with which they also drive coals to the other inhabitants of the villages, or to Jedburgh, where they obtain a higher price for them ; or drive lime to the farmers, who usually prefer hiring to driving with their own horses the ma- nure of this description which they require. The other farms in this parish are from about 400 to 1800 acres. The larger farms consist more than one-half of sheep pasture. The duration of the leases is from sixteen to twenty-one years. The older cultivated lands are enclosed with hedges ; the more lately enclosed lands, 4 . YKTHOLM. 171 with dry stone walls ; and the sheep pastures, with what is called a " ring-fence," or " march-fence ;" u e. a dry stone dike or wall surrounding the farm. The mode of cultivation adopted in this parish is usually what is called the four and five-shift rotation ; the former being practised on the village lands, the latter on the larger farms. This mode of husbandry consists in taking a crop of tur- nips the first year ; a crop of wheat or barley, sown off with grass, the second year ; a crop of hay the third year ; and a crop of oats the fourth year. According to the five-shift rotation, the ground is allowed to lie in pasture the fourth year, and on the fifth it is ploughed up and sown with oats. In some cases the ground re- mains in pasture two years, which is called the sixth-shift hus- bandry. There is no bare fallow in the parish, or extremely little. One-fifth nearly of the arable land of the parish is annually sown off with turnips. Probably one-third of the oats, and nearly two-thirds of the bariey grown in the parish, may be sold and exported. All the wheat, and probably more than is grown in the parish, is consumed in it : all the other crops, as of hay, turnips, potatoes, &c. are con- sumed at home. Tha manure usually employed is common manure and lime, which latter is driven a distance of ten miles, and costs lOd. per boll, or 3s. 4d. a cart-load, a single horse drawing four bolls. Forty bolls of lime are usually given to the acre. Bone ma- nure^ which is brought from Berwick, a distance of twenty miles, has been extensively used of late years in the parish, and is found to succeed remarkably well : it is used for turnips^ 2 quarters or 16 bolls being required per acre. Live-Stock. — The farmers depend less upon the agricultural produce of the land than upon their sheep. The sheep usually preferred for the higher parts of the parish, or hilly pastures, are the Cheviot The Leicester, or long-woolled sheep, are preferred for the lower and cultivated parts of the parish ; and on farms partly arable and partly hill pasture, a cross between the Cheviot and Leicester is found to answer very well. The number of sheep in the parish may be about 4800 : of these about 1800 may be Leicester, 1000 Cheviot, and 2000 half-bred, or a cross be- tween the other two. Few or no lambs are sold. The cattle usually preferred, and, indeed, the only breed of cattle in the pa- rish, are the short-horned or Teesdale, both for giving milk and for fattening. Rmt and Price of Land, — In the former Statistical Account, a proof of the fine- ness of the soil and mildness of climate is furnished, which is worth preserving. It appears that about that time (forty years ago) an attempt was made to cultivate tobacco in Scotland. ^^ In one sea- son a tenant in this district drew L. 115 for tobacco plants, and af- terwards raised a crop on 12 or 13 acres, which he sold upon the ground for L. 320 : but an act of Parliament intervening, the pur- chaser was unable to fulfil his bargain, and the farmer was com- pelled to dispose of his tobacco to Grovernment at only 4d. per pound, at which rate it brought him only L. 104." The soil of this parish is peculiarly dry and favourable to health, * This monument is a cylindrical column, with a spiral staircase. Its height is 150 feet. It stands on an ample base, and was built in a very substantial way fhmi whinstone quarried on the spot. It bears the following inscription :.— To the Duke of Wellington and the British Army, William Kerr VI. Marquis of Lothian and his Tenantry dedicate this monument, XXX June MDCCCXV. ^ CRAILING. 179 nor are there any particular diseases which prevail amongst us. 1 know not whether it be worth while to state, that during one season two or three fatal instances of croup occurred among the children at Nisbet. As this afflictive malady is apt to be induced by humi- dity, it is just possible that the vicinity of the Tiviot in a wet season may be ranked among the exciting causes. IL — Civil History. Parochial Registers. — The parish registers do not reach farther back than the beginning of last century, nor do they contain any facts worthy of notice. Eminent Men, — This parish, however, is not unconnected with events well calculated to invest it with historical interest. The circumstance of its having been the scene of the ministry of Cal- derwood, the church historian, and the birth-place of Samuel Rutherford, is sufficient to render it a spot hallowed by associa- tions dear to all true-hearted Scotchmen, nay, to every lover of pure religion and rational liberty. Both these facts are well ascertained. The evidence in respect to the latter, t. e. the birth of Rutherford, is not so circumstantial as could be wished ; and one cannot help regretting that no local iocideDts have been preserved connected with the early days of that great and good man, who bore so conspicuous a part in the struggles maintained by our church against the assaults of regal and spirit- ual domination. Yet the claims of Nisbet to the honour of his birth-plac^ rest on grounds amounting to highest probability. Wodrow mentions, that '^ he was born of mean but honest parents in Tiviotdale." The tradition of his birth at Nisbet was so gene- ral, that within these few years the house in which he was born Was pointed out, or at least a house situated on the same spot ; and Rutherford himself, in a letter, written in 1655, to the Rev. John Scott, minister of Oxnam, a neighbouring parish, says, while megretting his being unable to pay a visit to that quarter, and speak- ing of the state of religion there, " My soul's desire is, that the "^idldemess, and that place to which I owe my first breathing, may lilossom as the rose." He was born most probably in the year l600, although the date cannot be precisely determined.* Of Calderwood's connection with this parish the information is more abundant. He was settled as minister in 1604. From his <»wn history we find, that, in 1608^ he, along with George John- itOD, minister at Ancrum, declined the authority of Law, then * See AecouDt of the Life of Rutherford, by Thomas Murray, F. A, S. F.. 180 UOXBURGHSHIRE. ^^ « Bishop of Orkney, afterwards of Glasgow, as visitor to the pres- byteries of Merse and Tiviotdale. This resistance had nearly brought down on them signal punishment; but, by "earnest deal- insr of the Earl of Lothian and the Earl of Dunbar in favour of the said Mr David, their punishment resolved into a confinement within their own parishes." In the course of time, however, a relaxation of this sentence was obtained, although liberty was re- fused Calderwood to compear at presbyteries or synods, where his independent spirit and great influence rendered him a formidable opponent to Episcopal measures. But he seems eagerly to have watched over the liberties and purity of the church ; for in 1617 we find him at Edinburgh, joining in a protestation against the as- sumption of a power on the part of the King to devise and con- clude matters relating to the external policy of the kirk, without special advice and determination of the General Assembly. The part he took in this matter proved the cause of his banishment. He was summoned to compear before the High Court of Com- missioners at St Andrew's, on the 8th July. King James, who had lately before this come to visit his native dominion, presided in person on this occasion, and questioned Calderwood as to his resistance and non-conformity. A particular account of the whole examination and answers has been handed down, and is interest- ing, inasmuch as it aflbrds a tnie specimen of the difficulties with which the faithful Presbyterians had to struggle, and of the vehe- mence with which their spiritual liberty was assailed. The spirit of this venerable man sustained him to testify that he would yield " a passive but not an active obedience" to the King's commands, when he regarded them as infringing on the privileges of the church, i, e. that he would patiently suffer rather than comply. The result was, that the King became incensed, and Calderwood^ after being detained in ward in the tolbooth of St Andrew's, was ordained to be banished from his Majesty'^s dominions. In conse- quence of this sentence he went to Holland, and there published his famous work Altare Damascenum, which is said to have caused inexpressible vexation to King James. On the death of James in 1625 he returned to his native country; but was not again con- nected with this parish. He was afterwards minister of Pencait- land, and his name appears in the proceedings of the celebrated Assembly at Glasgow of 1638. In 1651 he terminated his mortal career at Jedburgh, in the neighbourhood of the scene of his early labours. Of these labours, in so far as regards the discharge of CRAILING. 181 the great though unostentatious duties of a parish minister, no notices are preserved. Yet the excellence of his principles, and activity of his character, leave no room for doubt that '^ they till an ample page in that book of the Divine remembrance, from which DO work of faith, no labour of love, is obliterated." One indirect, yet strong proof of the estimation in which he seems to have been held among his people is furnished in the fact, that Lord Cran- stoun, the proprietor of Crailing, who, from the vicinity of hi> mansion, must have had the best opportunities of knowing his pri- vate worth and public usefulness, used the most strenuous exer- tions to procure the remission of his sientence, and the continuance of his labours amongst them. The son of this nobleman, in pre- sence of the Lords of Secret Council at Glasgow, 27th July, en- tered into an obligation of 500 merks for Calderwood's leaving the country before Michaelmas, and thus obtained his liberty in the intervaL Lord Cranstoun himself accompanied his pastor to Car- lisle, and there presented to the King a petition in his favour, that he might be confined within his own parish. But this was not granted ; and, in like manner, other exertions which he made were frustrated, through the malignant interference of the bishops, par- ticularly through the underhand agency of Mr John Abernethie, •* who,'* as Calderwood states it, " being minister at Jedburgh, a town in the south, and Bishop of Caithness, a diocese in the re- motest part of the north, thought he could not be at ease in Jed- burgh if Mr David was suffered to stay at home at Crailing, — a village distant but two miles from Jedburgh." Landrowners. — The Marquis of Lothian is sole proprietor of Nisbet side,* which comprises more than one-half of the parish. The property lies most beautifully, stretching from west to east on the north bank of the Tiviot. The family residence, which is called Monteviot, f is at the western extremity. The old house is an extremely plain building, and affords but small accommoda- tion ; but one wing of a new and splendid mansion is already com- pleted* It is intended to consist of three parallelograms, the plan being of an irregular but picturesque character, in the Gothic style of the later period. * This aatertion has to be quaUfieeator}a extending to some hundred acres. 2Iw>fojy. — The parish has long been remarkable for its improved breed of sheep,* which are all or nearly all Cheviots ; and only a few crossies of Cheviots and Leicester, on some of the farms in the lower districts. They are much esteemed for the delicacy of their mutton ; and the fleece is remarkably soft, and sometimes very fine. The only animals certainly existing in the parish in former times, and which have now disappeared are, Lutra vulgaris^ Sciurus vulga^ ruj and a species of deerwhich frequented the upper districts. Ursus melesj and Mustela putoriusy have only disappeared from the parish at a comparatively recent period. M. vulgaris and Vipera com" munis are still to be met with. Vulpes vulgaris is no stranger here, and is destructive to lambs and poultry. The parish is not distinguished by many of the rarer species of birds. We may enumerate the following : Gallinula chloropusy Tetrao te~ trix^ r. Scoticusy Numenius arquata^ Buteo nisusy Fringilla carduelisj F. Knarioj Tardus meruloy T, musiaiSy T. torquatusy T. viscivtH ruSf Stumus vulgaris. Ardea cinerea. Anas boschasy and Larus ca- HMMj are occasional visitants to the waters. Charadrius pluvialis and Vanellus cristatus breed in the upper districts, but draw towards the coast, and spend the winter on the low lands that border the sea. Scolapax rusticolA and S, gallinago make their appearance in flocks about the month of November, and remain with us for a few days on their way south. The latter breeds here, but not numerously. MotacillaReguluSy (one of the Sglviadce) sometimes visit us in flocks. Alcedo ispida is also an occasional visitant to the waters. Black and red game, with partridges, are all abundant. Trouts of various sizes and of peculiar excellence are produced in the Kale, which has been long the resort of the fisher. Its tributary streams abound in trout of rather an inferior flavour. Leueiscus phoxinusy Gasterosteus aculeatus, Cohitis harbatulay An^ guitta tmlgarisy are all abundant. Petromyzon marinus is to be found on the sides of sandy banks. The only fish which now seems ex- tinct, and which used to be very plentiful, till of late years, is the parr. In the floods of October and November, great quantities of * Tbeparuii U chiefly indebted for its Improved breed of shee]) to the late Messrs Charleiand John Robion, while they were in possession of Chitto and Philogar farms. ROXBURGH. N 194 ROXBURGHSHIRE. salmon and sea-trout ascend the Kale for the purpose of spawning. Only a very few of the lesser migratory sort find their way up the stream at the season when they are at all valuable. Botany. — Besides the more common species of plants, there are to be found in this parish the following : — Euonymus EuroptBus^ a rare plant in Scotland, grows among the rocks in Shoreden-cleugh ; Asperula odorata^ Hedera Helix^ Hyacinthus non^scriptuSj are to be met with in Chatto-cleugh ; Dianthus deltoides, Saxijraga gra^ nuiatoj Sedum acre^ in great abundance on the porphyry rocks; 5. villosum, Menyanthes trifoliata^ Empetrum nigrum^ Rvhus char nuBmorus^ Vaccinium oxycoccos^ on the heaths and mossy grounds ; V. myrtillus^ V, Vitis-idcBa^ Lycopodium clavatum^ Lh alpinum^ on the north and north-west declivity of Hounam-law, and else- where ; Digitalis purpurea^ Solidago virgaurea^ on the sandy grounds by the side of the waters ; Rubus fruticosus^ on the glebe lands; Anthoxanthum odoratum, abundant in our meadows. In other parts of the parish, we meet with Papaver Argemane^ Cen* taurea scabiosuy Iris pseud-acoruSi Trichonema Bulbocastanumj Ox- alisacetosella, Veronica beccabungay Cistus Hflianthetnum, Parnassia palustrisy Trifolium striatuniy Sedum Telephium, Thla^i arveme^ Tormentilla reptans^ Cicuta virosa^ Hippuris vulgaris^ Leonicdon palttstrcy Eriophorum vaginatum^ Valeriana dioica, V, officinalis^ Gnaphalium dioicum^ Drosera vulgaris^ HydrocotyU vulgaris^ Co^ marum palustre^ and various species of Orchis* The broom, the whin, fern or braken, rushes, and corn chamo* mile are all abundant The cultivated crops of corn are barleyy and the best varieties of common and early oats, llie com*cock1e and wild mustard prevail to a considerable extent in some of the cultivated lands, and are pernicious to the growing crops. A considerable portion of the parish was at one period richly wooded ; and the remains of a very extensive forest of hazels, {Corylus avellana^) having the appearance of great antiquity, are to be met with on Chatto-crags. On the low-lying lands of Kirk- row, are still a number of trees of great beauty, aud of extreme luxu- nance both in foliage and ramification. Philogar used to be much admired for its woody banks ; but the greater part of the wood is now cutting down by the proprietor. Boughtrigand the two Granges also present a few clumps of trees. A number of full-grown elms and plane trees, of considerable age and size, surround the church and burying-ground, which are reported to have been planted by a former minister of the parish. HOUNAM. 195 The trees planted by the Messrs Douglas on their property of Chester House have succeeded well, and are now arrived at con- iriderable maturity. More recent plantations of various sorts of fo- rest trees and shrubbery have been executed on a considerable scale in the neighbourhood of, and around the Duke of Roxburghe's villa of Greenhiil, which are in a thriving state ; and new and^ ornament- al phuitations are rising on part of Mr Dickson's property, which will tend much to beautify the scenery around the village. The hedge-rows are usually interspersed with oak, ash, and elm. The swl seems congenial to ash, elm, beech, Scotch and larch fir, plane- trees, and various species of ornamental trees. Those that grow spontaneously are the hazel, the birch, the alder, the oak, and the mountain-ash. IL — Civil History. Higtorieal Events. — Of the early history of this parish little or nothing is known. Situated on the frontier of Scotland, and bor- dering for a number of miles on England, the parish and neigh- bourhood, in former times, was undoubtedly a perpetual scene of border warfare. The sites of several ancient forts are still dis- cernible. Before the Reformation, the church was in the diocese of the Bishop of Glasgow, and was conferred on the Abbey of Jedburgh at the end of the twelfth century. (MS. Adv. Lib. Hounam, sh. Roxburgh, alias Teviotdale Di. Glasgow, Pr. Jedburgh, &c,) When the Bishop of Glasgow and the Abbot settled their disputes in 1220, (as noted by Chalmers, Cal. Vol. ii. p. 166,) it was agreed that the whole tithes of corn within the parish of Hounam should be appropriated to the use of the canons ; the vicar receiving L. 10, or the altarages, in his option.* The lands of Kirkrow, Kirk- hope, and Steeple-side, are reported to have formed part of the pa- trimony and spirituality of this church, during the reign of the Ro- man Catholic religion. The Reformation restored the independence of the parish. The patronage of the church belonged for a consi- derable period to the lands of Kirkrow, but was lately sold separate from these lands, and is now held by Sir George Warrender. Zjond^ouyners. — The chief land-owner is the Duke of Roxburghe, a minor. His property, including the farms of Hounam-mains, Main-side, Greenhill, Bearhope, West Grange, Weary Streams, * ** Chart. Glaigow : In this particular settlement there was a reservation to the canonif (vluch shews the practice of the age,) that they should have in this parish an ma% of buidt ** ad reponendum bladum suum in loco competenti.** 196 ROXBURGHSHIRE. and South Cote, embraces nearly a third of the whole parish, and rather more than a third of the whole valued rent of the parish. The property of Walter Dickson, Esq. including the farms of Ne- ther Chatto, Sharplaw, and Kirkrow, stands next in extent and value, and comprises nearly a fourth of the valued rent. Thomas. Turnbull, Esq. is the only resident heritor, and his property of Howgate, which he holds in his own possession, amounts to about a sixtieth part of the whole valued rental of the parish. The remaining landed property in the parish is very much di- vided. The names of the other land-owners, taken in the order of their rentals, are as under, viz. William Oliver Rutherford, Esq. Boughtrig ; William Scott Ker, Over Chatto ; Sir George War- render, West Side Over Whitton, and Heatherlands ; Thomas Stavert, Philogar ; James Ainslie, East Side Over Whitton, and East Grange ; Robert Boyd, a minor, Capehope ; James, Alex- ander, and Pringle Home Douglas, Chester House. Parochial Registers, — The earliest date of our parish or sessional records, comprising entries of the proclamations of the banns of marriage, baptisms, discipline, division of poors' money, and the proceedings of the kirk-session, is 1690. The records from this date to the year 1728 are very imperfect. Since the latter period, they have been better attended to, and are in general pretty ac- curately kept. From 1772 to November 1775, there is an entire blank in the minutes of session. Since 1775, they have been kept with considerable care, and the entries are regular as far as relates to the minutes. No accurate account can be given of deaths and burials, from the imperfection of the registers ; and even the births and baptisms are not regularly recorded.* Antiquities. — The traces of ancient camps and other remains of antiquity are discovered here in a variety of situations. The ancient Roman Iter, commonly called the " Street," and which can be traced to the south as far as Borough Bridge in Yorkshire, tra- verses this parish. After passing a hamlet, which is named from it Street-house, it crosses the Kale water near to Pennymuir. It afterwards proceeds to the Tweed by St Boswell's Green, whence * It may be worth mentioning, that there are belonging to the kirk-session three folio volumes, in a state of excellent preservation, of the Acts of Assembly, commem cing 16th day of October 1690, with the following inscription in front of the title-page of volume first : ** Tliis and other two volumes of Acts of Assembly, comprehending all their acts to the year 1753, inclusive, arc to belong to the session of Hounam. ... Delivered by James Carmicliacl to the session, at the death of Mr John Rogers, minister of Hounam, the Donor, tliis 15th August 1774." HOUNAM. 197 it bends its course towards the Lothians. Vestiges of encamp- ments and semicircular entrenchments may still be traced on some of the rising grounds in the line of this old Roman way. The most conspicuous of these encampments is discovered on the sum- mit of Wooden-law. The largest and most complete camp is upon Hounam-law.* There are also visible remains of some other smaller encampments on several of the lesser hills. There is nothing in the shape of a ruin worthy of notice in this parish, with the exception of a vaulted building, the only existing remains of the original structure, which, in all probability, was one of those fortresses or border keeps, erected by the border chief- tains for the defence of the country from the incursions of the Eng- lish borderers; or it may indicate the site of one of the strong chain of fortifications erected by the Romans. It occupies a situation on a rising ground, which overlooks a beautiful bend of the water, at a short distance north from the village, and gives the name of Ches- ter House to the property on which it stands. It is bounded on the north by a deep narrow ravine. Tradition gives no account of it, but it was certainly built as a place of security in the days of vio- lence. — Another ruin, in some respects similar to the one above- mentioned, is to be seen at Heatherlands, towards the north-west extremity of the parish. On the farm of Hounam-mains, south-eastward from Hounam, are distinct traces of a very extensive fortification called, probably from its figure, the Rings. In this parish and neighbourhood, there are the remains of several cairns or barrows, the tombs of ancient warriors. Two eminences, called moats, exist in this parish. Situated on elevated ground to the eastward of, and at no great dis- tance from, the village, is a semicircle composed of a number of up- right stones. There is a tradition which bears that these stones were, at a remote period, human beings, who, for reaping on the Sabbath, were metamorphosed into so many stones. They are to this day cal- led the eleven shearers. There is every probability that they indi- cate the site of a Druidical circle or oratory. There are many single stones of large dimensions scattered over the parish, said to be of Druidical origin.f • Within these few years a large iron gate, taken down from the top of Hounam- law, was to be seen at Cessford Castle, belonging to the Duke of Roxburghc — Vide former Stat. Report. f In the MS. are noticed some other of the minor antiquities of the parl&h, coins, quemsy tombatones, &c. 198 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Modem Buildings. — These are constructed of stone and lime^ and covered with roof slate. The hewn work is of red freestone, from a quarry belonging to the Duke of Roxburghe, in the parish of EckfordL Hounam, the only village in the parish, occupies a pleasant situation on the eastern bank of the Kale, in the neigh* bourhood of the parish church, and at the base of a gently rising ground, which, gradually retiring, terminates in hills of consider* able height. It is a place of considerable antiquity, and is in the course of being considerably improved and enlarged. A very sub- stantial house for an inn, with stabling, and two other dwelling houses of two stories each, have been lately erected ; and some others have been projected. A range of houses, called, from the circum- stance of their having originally belonged to a tailor. Thimble-row, is so nearly adjoining to Hounam on the north, that a stranger would think it a continuance of the same village. This range of houses, to- gether with all the other buildings in the village, excepting the school and school-house, are feus upon the lands of Kirkrow, the property of Walter Dickson, Esq. Very commodious and substantial farm- buildings have lately been erected at a considerable expense, and on a liberal and well arranged plan, by this gentleman, and by the Duke of Roxburghe. Several new and substantial bridges have been erected within these few vears. There is no other mansion- bouse in the parish, except that of Greenhill, a seat of the £aimily of Roxburghe. It is deservedly admired for the amenity of its si- tuation. It is a favourite resort of the Duke, and much attention and expense have been bestowed upon it. The buildings are re- markably neat, and the surrounding grounds tastefully laid out. Its elevation is about 610 feet above the sea. III. — Population. The population appears to have been anciently much greater than it is at present. Whole families, besides single individuals, have, within these few years, emigrated to America. The farmers^ paying more attention to their sheep walks than formerly, hard- ly allow a single house to stand on any part of their farm, excepting such as are necessary for their shepherd's accommodation ; and landlords themselves do not encourage the erection of more cot- tages than are absolutely necessary. The decrease of popula- tion previous to the year 1791 is attributed in the former Statisti- cal Report to ^^ the mode of agriculture almost universally adopt* ed in the parish about that period, of converting the arable into HOUNAM. 199 ptttare land*'* The decrease since that period, may be chiefly ascribed to non-residence, emigration, razing of cottar houses, the resorting of the poor and of operatives to towns, where they meet with more employment, and to the too general system adopted by landlords, of uniting a number of small farms into one, * and allow- ing a single individual tenant, not only to rent several of these farms in one parish, but to have a number of farms united in this manner in different parishes. Such a system is, indeed, as has been else- where expressed, ** the bane of the comfort, happiness, and inde- pendence of the lower classes.'' Population io 1755, - 632 1791, - 865 1801, - 872 1811, - 373 1821, . 827 1881, . 260 Tbe populatum residing in Hounam . . . 4| the country part of the parish, - . 219 Number of persons under 15 years of age, - - 91 betwixt 15 and 80, - - 88 80 and 50,-43 50 and 70, - - - 32 upwards of 70, - - 11 Hie number of unmarried men, bachelors, and widowers, upwards of 50 years of age, 7 unmarried women upwards of 45, - - 6 fiuniJies iu tbe parish is, - - 49 chiefly employed in agriculture, as occupiers, labourers, or shepherds, - • 38 iu retail trade, manufiicture, or handicraft. other fkmilies, ...... 2 The average number of children in each &mily, - - - - 9 Number of inhabited houses, ... 41 of unfioished bouses, . .... .1 There is but one proprietor of land resident in the parish : the rental of his estate^ which he holds in his own possession, exceeds L.50. Character and Habits of the People. — If any of our people do fall into bad habits it is chiefly from the cheapness of whisky. The style of living and of dress has been much improved during the last thirty years; and in no class more than among servants. Oatmeal porridge, used with milk, or with beer made from treacle, is the ordi* nary breakfast of the working classes, and of the younger branches of every family. Barley and pease-meal bannocks and potatoes are principal articles of food, which, with the produce of a small garden, and occasionally a little bacon or salted mutton, occupy a chief * One tenant at present rents no fewer than five different fjrms in the parish, all btfcwging to different landlords, and is non-resident. Another tenant rents a single imn» which used to give employment to seren tenants and their families. 200 UOXBURGUSHIRE. place both at dinner and supper. Coffee and tea are daily becom- ing more general among all classes ; and few of our tenantry now breakfast without one or other of them, or dine without animal food. The people are generally intelligent, moral, and exemplary in their attendance on religious ordinances. The writer is sorry, however, to say, that poaching in game prev&ils to a considerable extent; but chiefly by persons not resident in the parish. Daring bands of these modern freebooters from the English borders have lately traversed the hills, making great havoc among the game. The waters have recently been fished to great excess, and not by the most legitimate means of capture. The Kale and all its tributary streams are poached without interruption during the season of spawning. Smuggling in whisky holds out strong temptations to illicit trafiic, and lawless gangs of smugglers from the English bor- ders have long infested this neighbourhood. IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — ^fhe number of acres stand- ard imperial measure in the parish is 14,458, roads, fences, &c included. The real rent of land is about L. 5000 ; of which are paid from sheep, L. 3973, and from corn and cattle, L. 1 027. The sheep walks comprehend about - - ld>590 acres. Of these there are about of heath and of mossy pasture, from which the inhabitants are supplied with peat, - . 1500 The land in cultivatiou or occasionally in tillage, or in meadow, about 766 Under wood, natural or planted, • . 102 In all, 14458 There are no lands in a state of undivided common. Rent ofLandj Sfc, — The average rent of land per acre* may be about 7s. The average yearly rent of grazing may be at the rate of about L. 5, 10s. for an ox or cow, if fed in winter with fodder. The year's grazing for full-grown hill-fed sheep may be from 6s. 6d. to 7s. Rate of Waff es^ Sfc. — Full-grown farm-servants maintained in the family are commonly hired by the half year. Men-servants, be- sides board, are paid from L. 5, 5s. to L. 6, 6s. for the summer, and from L. 4, 4s. to L. 5, 5s. for the winter half year. Female servants receive from L. 4, 10s. to L.5, 5s. for the summer, and from L. 1, 15s. to L. 2, 2s. for the winter half year, with board. Married men-servants, or hinds, besides being paid L. 3 of money^ • The lands are seldom let at any certain amount per acre. The formers calculate the value by the number of sheep the lands are known or supposed to keep. HOUNAM. 201 receive 5 loads of oatmeal, 3 bolls of barley, 6 bushels of pease, from 1000 to 1200 yards of drill, lineal measure, for potatoes; 4 caps of lint-seed sown ; 3 or 4 double cart-load of coals, by pay- ing the coal-hill price ; a cow kept ; a free house and garden, for which they furnish a female bondager for shearing in harvest, and other out-door work, who is paid by the tenant at the rate of lOd. per day in summer, and in winter somewhat less. A shepherd's wage consbts of 2 cows, and from 40 to 45 sheep, to graze on the .farm to which he belongs; — coals and potatoes as above described, and a free house and garden. The general rate of a day-labour- er's wage, without victuals, is, for men during summer. Is. dd. per day, and for women Is. ; and during winter for men from Is. 4d. to Is. 6d., and for women lOd., sometimes less. In harvest, the wages rise to from 13s. to 14s. for men, and for women from 12s. to 13s. per week, with victuals. Doing work by the piece is very general ; such as mowing and ditching. Mowing costs from 2s. 6d. to 3s. the acre ; and the general rate of a mower's wage is about 2s. 6d. per day without victuals. Masons and carpenters have each from 2s. 2d. to 2s. 6d. in summer, and about 2s. in winter, without victuals. A tailor has Is. 6d. a-day and his victuals. Blacksmiths, furnishing the necessary iron, are paid at the rate of L. 3 per an- num for each pair of horses kept upon the farm. This includes shoeing, and repairing plough irons and harrows ; and for every riding* horse shoeing L. 1. Prices* — Coal carried and delivered here costs, per cwt,, about 8jd. ; peats, per cart load, 3s. ; average price of wool per stone of 24 lbs. for the last three years, L. 1, 12s. ; artificial hay, from 7d. to 9d. Potatoes sell at the average rate of 5s. 6d. per boll of six imperial bushels. A pound weight of the best butter costs from 7d. to 8d; cheese from 12s. to 14s. per stone of 24 lbs. ; average price of eggs about 4s. 2d. per hundred ; chickens from 7d. to 9d. each. Stock. — The common breed of cattle are the short-horned, to the improvement of which great attention has been paid. The number of cows kept in the parish is 65; young cattle, 110. The best sorts of the Cheviot breed of sheep, which are found to thrive remarkably in every part of the parish, constitute the stock on the hill pasture ; while, on the lower and arable lands, it has been found of late to answer a good purpose to cross a part of the ewes with Leicester rams. The wool is thereby much improved both in weight and quality. The number of sheep kept through 202 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the year is ISOOO, which produce about 1600 stones of wool, 24 Ik to the stone. The horses employed and bred here are almost all farm work-horses of a middle size, either of the English or of the Lanarkshire breed. The number of horses kept is 38 ; young horses bred yearly by the farmers, 13. Swine are reared by al- most every cottager and farm-servant who is married, but do not constitute a part of the farmer's stock, as an article for the mar- ket. The small breed is chiefly preferred, and the number bred and fattened yearly is 25. Poultry and bees yield a small profit. Husbandry. — At an early period, the farms in this parish were much more subdivided, and occupied by a number of small te- nants, who extended the cultivation on the hill grounds to some hundreds of acres more than is now even occasionally in tillage. The appearances of cultivation can still be traced on many of the hills, where no grain can now be produced ; and regular ridges and furrows are in many places very distinct. Since the middle of the last century, these farms have been converted into extensive sheep walks, occupied each by one tenant. The approved course of husbandry now pursued in the parish has nothing in it of a peculiar nature. The crops to which most attention is paid are barleyt oats, and turnips. A crop of turnips is thQAiost valuable that is raised. Barley alone can be considered as an article for the mar- ket. Some of the best grazing farms in the district are to be found in this parish. They vary in extent from 180 to 2900 acres. Leases are in some cases of seven, in others nineteen and twenty-one years' endurance. Generally, the new tenant enters at Whitsunday to the grass and green crop lands, while the old tenant has the white crop then upon the ground. By means of draining, burning of moors, liming, &c. which are carried on to a considerable extent, the land has of late years been rendered doubly valuable. The Duke of Roxburghe and Walter Dickson, Esq. have judiciously spared no expense in erecting neat, commodious, and substantial farm stead- ings of stone and lime, with slate roofs, in place of the former old clay cottages ; and in other respects have given great encourage- ment to their tenants to carry on their operations with energy and spirit. Great improvements are observable in making and keeping in repair the parish roads. Produce. — The average amount and value of raw produce raised yearly in the parish may be as follows : — HOUNAM. 203 Pjrodace(^grimofallkiods,&e. - . L.11SM potatoei, titniips, and other plants, cultivated in the fielda tar food, 633 land in pasture, ... 5887 bay, m^ulow, and cultivated, - - 980 Vinrj produce, poultry, &c. ... 621 produce, - - - 90 Total yearly value of raw produce, - L. 9335 Laiffe quantities of butter and ewe milk cheese, of the very best qualities, have long been produced in this parish.* Poultry and eggs are weekly collected by persons who make a trade of transport- ing such articles to the diSerent market-towns. V. — Parochial Economy. Markets and Means of Communication, — The village of Hou- nam has no post-office; but letters, newspapers, and parcels are regularly brought to it. The nearest market-town is Jed- buigli, which lies upon the west of, and is distant about nine miles from, the centre of the parish. A carrier goes and returns from Jedburgh weekly. Kelso, our post and principal market- town, lies upon the north of, and is distant about twelve miles from, the centre of the parish. With Kelso, we have regular communica- tion by carriers. The rate of carriage is Is. 4d. per cwt. — The pa- rish is intersected by upwards of thirteen miles of good parish roads, which are kept up from the statute-labour funds. These and the district roads are well supplied with substantial bridges, and are mostly in a tolerable state of repair. Ecclesiastical State. — The parish church occupies a situation within the precincts of the glebe, and, like many other of our pa- rish churches, might be more centrical to the population, though it is not more than about four and a-half miles distant from the re- motest of the inhabitants, being about two and a-half miles from the north-east extremity of the parish, and between five and six miles from its south-west extremity. It is a very ancient building, and was originally in the form of a passion-cross, of great extent, and from end to end a burying-place ; but is now a plain rectangular hou?e of 50 feet in length by 1 9 feet in breadth within the walls, 10 feet having been taken off its length in 1752. This edifice is but indifferently seated, and in a state of bad repair, and so ex- ceedingly cold in winter as to prevent many a well-disposed person * Hence the old proverbial distich, ** There*8 as gude cheese at Chatto as e'er was chcw'd wi* chads, Tbere% as gude butter at Philogar as e*er was weighed wi* weights.*' 204 ROXBURGHSHIRE. from giving a regular attendance on the public duties of the Sab- bath. The want of a legal division of the church seats is also felt to be an evil, and the apportioning anew the seats would tend much to promote the comfort and convenience of the congregation. It affords accommodation for 225 persons, allowing 1^ feet to each ; and the sittings are all free. The manse was built in 1776, but is placed too near the river, and consequently in a damp situation. It was never very sufficiently built. It underwent a repair in the year 1832, when an addition of two rooms was made to it, which have rendered it a tolerably con- venient house. The extent of the glebe, exclusive of garden ground, with policy attached to the manse, is about six and a-quarter acres arable, and two and a-half acres pasture, fences, &c. which are in very bad repair, included. Its yearly value in rent may be about L. 1 1 Sterling, which is considerably below the average value of the other glebes in the presbytery. The stipend, from the Revolution to 1791, amounted to L. 75, 5s. lOd. in money, including L.d, 6s. 8d. for communion elements, and 21 bolls of victual. In 1791 the victual stipend was augment- ed to 63 bolls, Tiviotdale measure. ' In 1805, the victual stipend was fixed at 3 chalders meal, and 3 chalders, bear, Linlithgow mea- sure, together with the above L. 75, 5s. lOd. money stipend By the last augmentation, commencing with crop and year 1820, the stipend, as then modified, amounts to 14 chalders, half barley, half oatmeal, Linlithgow measure, payable at the rate of the county fiars, and L. 8, 6s. 8d. is given for communion elements. On an average of the last seven years the stipend amounts toj^L.204, ls.2^d. Sterling. It may also be stated, that there belongs to the minister a servitude for turf and peats from Mainside-fell. There are no chapels or dissenting meeting-houses of any kind here, though there are eleven families of dissenters connected with the United Secession, who attend public worship in the seceding meeting-house chapel at Morebattle. The parish church is, upon the whole, pretty well frequented and attended by the greater part of the inhabitants. A few families are divided among themselves, — part going to the church and part to the meeting-house. The sacrament is dispensed once in the year, and usually to about 47 communicants, not including strangers from other congregations who join in that ordinance. No societies for religious purposes exist in the parish. The average yearly amount of ordinary church collections for the last HOUNAM. 205 seven years is L. 1, 16s. 7d. Sterling. This includes the extra collections made at the celebration of the holy sacrament. Education. — There is in the parish only one established school, — the parochial. The yearly salary of the schoolmaster is the maxi- mum, viz. L.34,4s. 4^d. with legal accommodations. The emolu- ments of the schoolmaster as session-clerk are Ids., — as clerk to the heritors, L. 6 per annum. The children of paupers are taught gratis ; and the number of scholars attending the school is in winter about 27, and in summer about 17. The yearly amount of school fees received by the teacher does not much exceed L. 9. Children are commonly sent to school about six years of age, and there are none upwards of seven years who cannot read, and few above the age of ten or twelve that can- not write. Poor and Parochial Funds. — There is no other provision for the poor in the parish but what arises from the weekly collections at the church, fees for proclamations, the use of the mortcloth, and the legal quarterly assessments laid on the landholders and their tenants, — the landholders paying one-half, and the tenant the other half, — which yield at an average about L. 38^ ds. per annum. In former times, the heritors used voluntarily to assess themselves to a certain amount over and above the legal assessment. The sum thus assessedfor was called the surplus fund, and was appropriated by the kirk-session to the relief of incidental distress. This wholesome prac- tice^ which operated powerfully in keeping paupers from the poors' roll, has of late years been discontinued. The average number of poor on the roll is 8 ; and the yearly sum allotted to each varies from L. 3 to L. 5. Some individuals who are incapable of doing anything for themselves receive as high as L. 6. Several persons not on the poors' roll get an occasional supply. A practice pre- vails in the parish of raising a small sum for the relief of a poor family by means of a charity ball, or some other amusement. Such is the feeling of independence on the part of the people generally that it is with considerable reluctance they are induced to apply for relief. Fairs. — Pennymuir Border Tryst is held twice every year on the Oxnam side of the south-west boundary of the parish, and close upon the old Roman road which divides the two parishes of Hou- nam and Oxnam. It takes place on the 31st day of July and 15th day of October, and is one of the principal marts for the sale of lambs and draft ewes in the south of Scotland. The customs of 206 ROXBURGHSHIRE. this fair belong to the Duke of Roxburghe. Capehope fair, which in former times was a market of considerable resort, has for a num- ber of years ceased to be held. Inn^^ Alehotisesj Sfc, — There are two inns or public-houses in Hounam village, besides one on the Oxnam side of Pennymuir, on the very boundaries of this parish. One-half of the number in Hounam would be quite sufficient for the parish. FueL — The nearest coal field to which there is access by a road is that of Etal, in the county of Northumberland, a distance of twenty miles from the centre of the parish. The fuel generally used by the poorer classes in the upper districts of the parish is peat, of which the high grounds afford an almost interminable supply. It is of tolerable quality, and the expense consists solely in cutting, winning, and leading home. The average labour and carriage may probably cost about Is. 6d. per cart load, when stacked up for use ; or about I^ 2 per annum for each householder. The price of a cart load of coals is from Ids. to 14s. per ton of 20 cwt. including carriage. Miscellaneous Observations. It is stated in the former Statistical Report, that no fewer than nine houses, with cottagers in them, at Mainside, all of whom the writer visited on his admission in the year 1775, were thrown down to make way for a single farm-house and its appendages ; and that " the lands were formerly parcelled out into four times at least the present number of farms, and there was also much of these farms in tillage. So late as the year 1756, there were no fewer than seven tenants, with large families, on the farm of Hounam- Mains, now all rented by one tenant, who employs one shepherd. There were also several small, but proud lairds in the parish, whose lands are now lost in the large farms, and of whose man- sions there are now no remains." That report states the num- ber of inhabited houses to have been 66, and the number of corn-mills and kilns to have been 3 ; the number of houses at present is 49, and there is no corn-mill or kiln now in existence. A great part of the lands have changed owners ; and the number of landholders has increased since the publication of the last Statistical Account, from 8 to 10. The land rents have risen from L* 2720, to nearly L. 5000, and were a few years ago between L. 6000 and L. 7000 per annum. A large extent of stone fences has been erect- ed, and many of the farms have been better enclosed and subdivided with hedges and other fences. The management of the land is more judicious, and the mode of cultivation greatly improved, as eyiooed HOUNAM. 207 by the superior cleanness and condition of the land on most of the (arms. Much of the surface water has been removed by draining, and the soil is in consequence improved. In the cultivation of the arable soils, the greatest improvement which has taken place is the intro- duction of the culture of turnips, a crop to which the soil is emi- nently adapted. The mode of husbandry having been altered and improved, prices of labour and raw produce of every description have undergone a proportional alteration. The breed of cows and cattle and other stock has been very much improved, and the sheep stock even more so. The writer is doubtful whether much im- provement can now be made on the general system of our husban- dry,— except only in subjecting the land to a less severe crop- ping, and in creating additional shelter by more extended planta- tion. Were the same taste and spirit displayed in this respect by the other land-holders as by the Duke of Roxburghe and Mr Dickson of Cbatto, Hounam, from the nature of its surface and localities, the salubrity of the atmosphere, and beauty and variety of the scen- ery, might be one of the most attractive of our border parishes. A very superior coal, and not inferior in quality to any in Scot- land, might be had at a very moderate price from Reed water in the neighbourhood of Birdhopecrag ; but it is much to be regret- ted that the road leading from Pennymuir to the lime and coal- works there, so far as it extends through Oxnam parish, is but partially made. If this line of road were to be completed, and supported out of the general funds of the district to which it be- longs, which, in all probability it will be the case ere long, it would be of incalculable benefit not only to this parish, but to the dis- trict generally, as it would open an easy intercourse to the west- ward in Scotland, as well as into England. March 1836. PARISH OF HOBKIRK OR HOPEKIRK. TRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. JOHN EWEN, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History, Name, — In the more ancient records, the name of this parish is written Hopkirk, undoubtedly an abbreviation of Hope-kirk or kirk of the Hope.* Extent, Figure, Boundaries, 8fc, — The parish extends in length from north to south, about 1 1 miles, and in breadth from east to west, about 3 miles, widening to something more at the top or south end, and contracting to little more than one mile at the northera extremity. Its figure is not unlike the naked impression of the left foot, the heel being turned to the north. The whole superficies may be estimated at 30 square miles.f On the south, it is bound- ed by Castleton parish ; on the west by Cavers and Kirkton ; on the north by Cavers and Bedrule ; on the east by Southdean, and a small part of Castleton. By the one or other of these two last-mentioned, it is separated about six miles from the English border. Topographical Appearances, 8fc. — The hills in the southern ex- tremity appear to be a continuation of the Carter or Cheviot range. The principal summits are Fanna and Windbrugh, which attain an elevation of about 1600 feet. At the opposite or northern extre- mity, Rubberslaw rears, to a height of 1420 feet, its dark rug- ged and heath-covered form, part of which only is in this parish, the remainder in Cavers and Kirkton. On the other side the Rule, and somewhat south, is the beautiful round-shouldered and grassy hill of Bonchester, rising to a height of about 1260 feet. The flat lands or haughs lie all within the valley through which the Rule flows from south to north, and are scarcely a quarter of a * A hi^ means a small valley or glen opening into a larger ralley, generally At the confluence of a mountain rill with a larger stream. -f- Stobie*s map errs in assigning the whole of the suppressed parish of Abbotrule to Hopekirk, whereas it was divided equally between Hopekirk and Southdean. 4 IIOBKIUK. 209 mile in breadth. On each side, the ground rises with a conside- rable acclivity, to the ea8tern and western borders of the parish. On approaching Hobkirk either from the east, west, or south, the temperature feels obviously augmented as we descend into the valley of the Rule ; but it must be confessed, that the borders of the parish in these directions are particularly exposed ; and this circumstance, doubtless, renders the change more perceptible, and more grateful to the traveller. Upon the mountain range to the south, clouds condense and precipitate themselves in copious rains. These sometimes fall so heavy as to resemble water-spouts. The inhabitants of this parish, as well as of the neighbouring town of Hawick, preserve the remembrance of a water-spout which broke upon ^ndbrugh, some seventy years ago, and unexpectedly swelled the streams of Rule and Slitterick to a tremendous height. In the traditions of the good town, this event is still celebrated under the appellation of Hawick flood, and several anecdotes connected with it may be found in Wilson's History of Hawick. An alhision to the same event occurs in Leyden's Scenes of Infancy, where, with poetic license, the poet ascribes the sudden inundation to the ven- geance of the affronted nymph of Windbrugh Lake. The climate is upon the whole damp, the heights swampy, and often overhung with moist fogs, vernacularly termed drows, or Liddes^ dale draws. Hydrography, — In the upper part of the parish, there are numerous salubrious springs flowing from the grey wacke formation ; in the lower parts, where the sandstone prevails, there are com- paratively fewer. Several marshes or bogs occur, but nothing which can properly be called a lake ; that which is so termed and is celebrated by Leyden, on the top of Windbrugh, is in reality a peat moss. There is but one stream of any consequence in the parish, viz. the Rule, — which, rising from the range of hills on the south, flows nearly due north throughout the whole length of the parish, and, about two miles beyond its northern extremity, falls into the river Teviot. Its whole course, therefore, must be about thirteen miles. Like all mountain torrents, its declivity is considerable, and its velocity proportionally great. From this circumstance, combined with the extensive drainage of the hills, its swellings and subsidings are extremely sudden. About a mile south from the church, the name is first applied to the union of three branches, which gather their waters from the alpine range above-mentioned. Two or three small burns join it farther down, ROXBURGH* O 210 ROXBURGHSHIRE. all originating within the parish- The south-western comer, how- ever, includes a small portion of Langburn, the principal feeder of the Slitterick, which flows northward, and joins the Teviot at Hawick, seven miles above the confluence of the Rule. Geology mid Mineralogy. — The parish may geologically be di- vided into two districts. The rocks, from the northern extremity to a mile and a half above the church, are mostly sandstone; thence, southward and westward, the greywacke predominates. On the south, occur likewise extensive masses of limestone, and red sand- stone of a different species from that above noticed. The lime- stone is found at Limekilnedge, south of Windbrugh, where it has long been burnt for use. Here also are symptoms of a coal forma- tion, which is not likely to prove beneficial. Windbrugh itself shows a gritty sandstone, more akin to the Northumberland formation. That in the north end of the parish has sometimes a red, and some- times a white colour ; and both kinds are employed for building. In fact, the upper strata generally consist of the white, which, ac- cordingly, crops out three miles before the red. Both kinds are extensively wrought for public use in the adjoining parish of Ca- vers, at Denholm-hill quarry. The dip of the sandstone is to the north or north-east The greywacke has generally a westerly course, varying somewhat to the south, and stands nearly vertical, with a slight overhanging to the north. The limestone, (suppos- ed to be mountain limestone,) dips to the east like the Northum- berland rocks, and probably the sandstone found in this upper dis- trict maintains the same position. Besides the rocks above-mentioned, there appear on the top of Bonchester, Rubberslaw, and Windbrugh, caps of trap, greenstone, or probably a species of basalt, though not, unless in this latter site, assuming the basaltic form. A singular dike, varying from two to six yards wide, crosses the lower part of the parish from east to west, and continues its course through the greywacke as well as through the sandstone. Its material is greenstone, or some* thing analogous, with a considerable proportion of iron, which is oxidized whenever it lies in contact with the air or penetrable soil. This dike is clearly shown at Hallrule mill ; thence it extends io a westerly direction to Hawick, — making its appearance at the Gleo, at Kirkton, Miller's Knowe, and other places on the line, where it is wrought for metalling the roads. It may also be traced east- wards across the Jed near Edgerston. Other troubles of lesser HOBKIRK. 211 note may be observed in the red sandstone, by which the strata are heaved up and otheniv'ise deranged. At Robertslin, near Limckilnedge, occurs a stratum of agate or coarse jasper, which has frequently been employed for seals and other ornaments. Its prevailing colour is reddish, clouded and streaked with blue, crimson, and yellow, generally presenting but little transparency. Portions of fossil wood are found in the water- course, brought down from the hills ; but none have been discover- ed in situ. The soil over the sandstone is a reddish clay, among which are numerous large rounded stones, commonly blue, more rarely black, rolled from the greywacke and basaltic rocks. These, mixed with red sandstone, form the channel of the river. Moreover, there occur frequently smaller stones, of two or three pounds weight, of an oval shape, sometimes of a flesh colour, sometimes of a white quartzy look, such as occur in coarse conglomerate. Of this, in fact, a mass is exposed by the Catlie Burn near Wauchope garden, where the sandstone formation terminates. Zoology, — Judging from the names of places in the neighbour- hood, it would appear that the hart, the hind, the wolf, &c. were formerly natives of this district. Thus, we have Hartshaugh, Hindlee, Wolflee, Swanshicl, Ernescleugh, &c Foxes still com- mit nightly depredations upon the poultry-yard, and otters have been discovered on the banks of the stream about Wells. There, also, among the lofty trees, herons build their nests ; and squirrels latterly have been seen in the woods. The Rule abounds with excellent trout, and is esteemed an cx« cellent stream for angling ; but some dexterity is required, from its being shallow, and in many places fringed with alders. Few sal- mon or sea-trout visit its waters, and that never but in spawning season, when they are killed without any regard to prohibitory statutes. It is to be regretted that the small streams are so gene- rally swept with nets, which not only diminish the angler's legiti- mate sport, but destroy much of the salmon fry ere they reach the The sides of the valley are plentifully and beautifully wooded, — ^in a manner scarcely equalled in this part of the country. Birch, hazel, alder, and ash, are of natural growth. Oak, beech, elm, and the different kinds of fir, seem most congenial to the soil, and attain to a state of great perfection. 212 ROXBURGHSHIRE. II. — Civil History, There is no event in our knowledge that deserves to be noticed under this head. The abbey of Jedburgh possessed lands in the parish ; and probably some facts in its history might be learned from monkish records. The remains of numerous fortifications testify that this, like other border districts, had been the scene of frequent conflicts. Queen Mary traversed this parish on her way from Jedburgh to Hermitage Castle, when, a little beyond its ex- tremity, she got entangled in the Queen's Mire. The Rev. Robert Riccalton, minister of the parish from 1725 to 1769, was a man of considerable talent, an independent thinker, and an author of two volumes of essays and sermons. With him the poet Thomson spent part of his early life, and is said here to have formed the plan of his Seasons, and taken many of his descrip- tions from scenes in the neighbourhood. Land-owners. — The chief land-owners are, Sir W. F. Elliot, Bart, of Stobs and Wells ; Robert K. Elliot, Esq. of Harwood ; Walter Scott, Esq. of Wauchope; Hon. J. Sinclair of Green- river; and James Elliot, Esq. of Wolflee. Altogether there are but nine heritors in the parish. Antiquities. — On Bonchester Hill, there are remains of a citadel, with numerous encampments, both round and square; and in some places, modern circumvallations may be observed intersecting the more ancient. The situation is commanding, and seems to have been regarded as a place of great strength and convenience. The estimation in which it was held by the Romans no doubt procured it the appellation Bonchester, i. e. Bona Castroj or the good camp. Hand mill-stones, arrow-heads, and other implements of former times, have been found in the vicinity. On Rubberslaw, at Wau- chope, and in several other places, there are likewise vestiges of encampments or fortifications. In digging, some time ago, at Lang- raw, a quantity of ashes and partly- consumed bones were exposed mihm a circular area about eighteen feet diameter. On these being removed, four holes drilled in the dent or sandstone shale were dis- covered, in which posts had been secured by small stones crammed in from above. Whether these posts had supported a canopy or a funeral pile, or what had been the purpose of the erection, we are unable to determine. Several urns have been dug up in different situations. Two cairns have been removed within the memory of the present generation ; one on the east side of Rub* HOBKIRK. 213 berslaw, the other at Fodderlee, near to a place where tradition says a battle had been fought. IIL — Population. Population in 1801, - 760 1811, - - 709 1821, - - 662 1831, - - 676 The enlargement of farms has been the principal cause of the late decrease of population, — conjoined with emigration to luanu- facturing towns, and even to foreign countries. There is no town, and nothing that can properlj be called a vil- lage, within the parish. The annual average of births during the last seven years, may be - 14 deaths, .... . . 9 marriages, - . .... 3 The average number of persons under 15 years of age, - 271 between 15 and 30, - 128 30 and 50, - 187 50 and 70, - 72 above 70, ... 18 The number of unnuurried men, bachelors, and widowers, upwards of 50, - 1 6 of unmarried females upwards of 45, 23 of fiunilies in the parish, ...... 121 chiefly employed in agriculture, ... 53 in trade, manufiicturc-, or handicraft, 27 The average number of children in each £unily may be ... 4 Number of inhabited houses, .... 122 uninhabited, do. . « . . - 2 During the last three years there have been six illegitimate births in the parish. Poaching, especially the snaring of game, prevails to a conside- rable extent Smuggling and illicit distilling arc not now practised. IV. — Industry. The estimate hazarded above gives about 19,000 acres for the area of the parish ; of these, 3400 are in tillage or laid out in grass parks. There may be 860 acres in plantations, mostly in a very thriving condition. Those towards the upper part are suffi- ciently thinned and regularly tended; those in the lower part are sadly neglected, though in many places excellent timber might be felled with great advantage to the remainder. We have already mentioned that firs, beeches, and oaks, succeed best in this soil. Admirable specimens of these may be seen at Wells, Weens, and Greenriver. More recently, ash, elm, birch, &c. have been mingled; but few of these have as yet attained great value. Bentj Sfc. — The average rent of land may be 15s., and none is let so high as L. 2 per acre. The average sum paid for grazing a three year-old ox or cow L. 6 ; a two-year old L. 4 ; a hill sheep 5s. 6d., infield do. 12s. I. 214 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Rate ofWages^ 8fc. — Labourers earn about Is, 9d. a day through- out the year ; artisans, 2s. or 2s. 3d. ; men-servants get about L. 10 a year ; women L. 4 or L. 4, 10s. during the summer, and L. 2 in winter. A hind is sometimes paid in the following manner : A free house worth probably L. 2 ; 10 bolls oats ; 2 do. barley ; 1 do. of pease ; 4 carts of coals ; 1000 yards of potatoes, a capful of lint- seed or a bushel of barley sown, — the master preparing and ma- nuring the ground. Bondage work is general in the district, that is to say, every cottage is bound to furnish the farmer with a field worker, paid at the rate of lOd. a-day. Lime costs 8s. 6d. a single cart load ; good stable-dung, 3s. Bone manure may be purchased, ten miles distant, at L. 1, Is. a quarter. Turnips 3d. a week per sheep. Hay 8d. a stone of 22 lbs. Stocky Sfc. — The common breed of sheep is the Cheviot, crossed more or less with the Leicester. One gentleman has for some years kept a few merinos. The cattle are mostly of the short- hom- ed breed. There may be 9500 sheep in the parish, 300 cattle, and about 80 horses. The annual quantity of wool sold may be gues- sed at 2000 stones of 24 lbs. each, which in price might average last year L. 1, 6s., counting the white L. 1, 10s., and the laid wool, L. 1, per stone. . The duration of leases varies from nine to nineteen years ; but, of late, from the uncertainty of the times, short periods have ge- nerally been adopted. Husbandry, — Considerable attention has been paid to farming, both as regards the improvement of stock, and the melioration of the soil. There is no want of capital for profitable enterprise. Five out of the nine heritors farm all or great part of their estates. The system of husbandry is good, and calculated directly to enrich the country. Draining and liming have been executed with ma- nifest advantage. Much heath, too, has been reclaimed within these forty years. Perhaps more land has been brought under the plough than will yield a profitable return, unless it be after- wards laid down permanently in grass. The older farm-buildings are very indifferent ; the newer ones are good, and afford ample conveniences. Enclosures. — The enclosures are improving. Feal or turf dikes are now seldom employed. Stone walls and hedges are generally in use. The former are the most effectual ; but they are like- HOBKIRK. 215 wise the most expensive. A good five-feet wrall may be erect- ed for 6s. to lis. per rood of eighteen feet, according to the distance from quarries. The building costs about 2s., the quarrying 2s. or Ss., and the leading makes up the remainder. Two kinds of hedges are employed for enclosures. Ist^ That of thorn, which is here apt to moss up and canker, from the dampness of the cli- mate. 2^, That of whin or furze, which has been lately introduced with apparently great advantage. It is at once cheaper than thorn, more easily reared, and sooner available as a fence. As this is a subject of importance to farmers, the following comparative view may be acceptable : — Thorn. Making ditch per rood, lOd. ; thorns at lOd., 64 to a rood, including transport, 8d. ; fencing with stake and rice, Is. O^d.; total, 2s. 6^d. This, in order to be a compe- tent hedge, will require six or seven years of incessant care, and at least one renewal of the protecting fence. — TVJiin. Making bed, 3d.; ditch if required, dd.; seed at Is. per lb. Id.; fencing Is. OJd. ; total, Is. 7^d. In four, or at most five years, this will be an effi- cient fence without any renewal of the temporary protection. The calculation of the stake and rice stands thus : Rice at Is. per cart, Sd. per rood ; stakes, eight to the rood, 6d. ; carting, 2d. , putting up, 1^. ; total. Is. O^d. Three bar pailing will run thus: Wood, say 2s. 5d. ; sawing, 4^d. ; nails, eleven to the rood, at lOd., Id.; labour, l^d. ; carting, 2d. ; total, ds. 2d. Pailing is certainly preferable on the score of cleanliness ; for a stake and rice fence harbours weeds. But this latter, besides being cheaper, turns to use an article, which would otherwise be in a great measure lost, viz. the thinnings of plantations. The seed of the whin is sown in April, and the plants, if kept from rotting by too much wetness, shoot away rapidly in the course of the season. The hedge being evergreen, presents a warm and beautiful appear- ance throughout the year ; but regular pruning or switching up is necessary in order to prevent decay in the heart, and seeding. From this latter source, indeed, is anticipated the greatest objection to this kind of fence ; for unless carefully watched, the furze will soon usurp the whole field. Produce. — The following may be regarded as an approach to the value of raw produce yearly raised in the parish : Of the 3400*acres under tillage, Uierc may be 1500 in grain, ^ oats, 1 wheitt, barley, &c at say L. 3, lOs. per acre, - - L. 5250 2BU Turnips, L. 4, - .... U20 70 Potatoes, L. 7, - - - 490 990 GraM and hay, at L. 2, 1900 Q 216 ROXBURGHSHIRE. 148(K) Pasture, at m. say, 12 acres garden, say Woods should give. 3700 100 240 L. 12800 The valued rent of the parish is L. 4152 ; the actual rent in 1821 was L. 7095. V. — Parochial Economy. Hawick and Jedburgh, at the distance of eight miles, are the nearest market-towns. The latter has been usually reckoned the post-town ; but a post-office in connection with Hawick has just been established at Bonchester Bridge. This will afford great accommodation to the inhabitants, and gain a day or two upon the transmission of replies to letters from London and Edinburgh. The turnpike road from Hawick to Newcastle crosses the parish, from east to west, for about three miles and a-half, and that from Jedburgh to Castleton, north and south, for about ten miles. There are, besides, several statute-labour roads kept in tolerable repair. Altogether, their length may be upwards of twenty miles. Across the Rule are three stone-bridges, besides wooden ones, and others across burns or small torrents, in various directions. Ecclesiastical State, — The church is very centrically placed, though at a considerable tlistance from the extremities of the parish. It was built towards the beginning of last century, and since 1777 has undergone no repairs of any consequence. Its present condition is far from comfortable. The earthen floor is two steps below the level of the churchyard. The roof is nevertheless so low, that in the galleries there is not room at the sides to stand upright. The seating is in bad repair. The whole is dark, damp, and dirty. The interior, if properly laid out, might contain 400 sitters. The manse was built seventy years ago, and has just undergone some inadequate repairs. The extent of the glebe around the manse may be 15 acres; and half of Abbotrule glebe 24 acres: value of the whole about L. 40. The stipend modified in victual is ] 5 chalders, one-half meal, and one-half barley. There are 28 families in the parish attending the chapels of dissenters or Seceders. Education. — The parochial school is situated by the churchyard wall, and is well attended, though its distance from the extremities, of the parish is too great for young children. The number of scho- lars may average 60 throughout the year. They are taught read- ing, writing, and arithmetic. The master's salary is L. 31, IDs. per ^nnvm, including an equivalent for a garden : his fees may amount HO.BKIRK. 217 to L. 22 per annum. A juvenile school is taught by a mistress in the lower part of the parish. The benefits of education are duly appreciated and universally acquired. Library » — A subscription library has just been commenced, and is likely to be of considerable advantage. SavinffS'Banh. — There is no Savings bank in the parish ; but lodgments are made, chiefly by servants, in that of Jedburgh or of HawicL Poor and Parochial Funds, — The average number of paupers de- riving aid from parochial assessment is 20, at the rate of ll 4each per annum. A few receive temponiry assistance from the session fund It is gratifying to remark, that the genuine Scottish independence is not quite gone in this district ; several individuals in real need, have manifested great reluctance to accept any parish relief. The total amount of assessment is about L. 80 per annum ; and of church collections about L. 12. There is a benefaction of L. 100 left by Lady Yester, the interest of which is annually divided between the heritors and the schoolmaster. Inns. — There is but one inn or public-house within the parish, viz. at Bonchester Bridge on the Newcastle road. The effects of such establishments on the morals of the people are never good; yet there is less drunkenness now than once prevailed. The practice of giv- ing licence to the keepers of the toll-gates, stubbornly maintained by road trustees, is much to be deprecated. K refreshment be ne- OBBsary) the license might at least be restricted to ale, and thus probably one-half of the evil would be removed. ffaf2. — Peat, turf, and wood, are burnt in the cottars' houses, but the fuel principally used is coal, which is brought from Northum- berland, a distance of about twenty miles. It may be purchased at 9d. or lOd. a cwt Coals could be procured both nearer and bet- ter at Tynehead, if the Duke of Northumberland would allow a road to be made in that quarter. There, a level and easy com- munication across the border might be obtained at no great ex- pense; and it is much to be lamented that His Grace should deny the neighbourhood so great a benefit, merely through a dislike to break up the privacy of Keildar Castle. Miscellaneous Observations. The parish, within these last forty years, has been vastly improv- ed in its general aspect ; and here an acknowledgment is due to the late Mr Wilson of Hallrule, and especially to Mr Elliot of Wolflee. Much waste land has been reclaimed and brought into 218 ROXBURGHSHIRE. a proper state of cultivation. The quantity under tillage has been more than doubled. Many plantations have been formed, and pre- sent a thriving appearance. The value of the district generally has been immensely increased. There is, however, still room in the western or south-western skirts of the parish for additional plan- tations to beautify and improve the ground. The following improvements in husbandry may be submitted as occurring in this parish. 1. Deep Ploughing. — This has of late been introduced with very beneficial results. In certain soils, particularly in lands reclaimed from moor, there exists, not much below the surface, a stiff, dense and sterile clay, which denies all passage to moisture, as well as to the roots of plants. This stratum, commonly denominated muir^ bandj in some places only a few inches thick, may be readily pierced and broken, by using a plough without mould-boards, fol- lowing in the furrow made by a common plough. This, drawn by three horses, or better still by oxen, will penetrate to a depth of sixteen or eighteen inches, and even raise stones of a considerable weight. The advantage of this procedure is, that the disturbed stra- tum will either deepen the soil generally, or act as a drain for super- fluous moisture in wet lands ; while in dry lands, it will serve as a re- servoir to the plants when the superincumbent moisture is ex- hausted. 2. Selection of Grasses Jbr cultivation, — Very seldom is any other kind than rye-grass with red and white clover sown. Yet it is al- lowed, that these are not equally adapted to every soil, whether wet or dry, rich or poor, moor or loam. It is to be regretted that far- mers who have some knowledge of botany have not directed their attention to this most legitimate and beneficial purpose. The fit- ting soils for wheat, for barley, and for oats, have been long ascer- tained, and why might not experience be as successfully employed to discover the most congenial kinds of grasses and clovers ? Ita- lian rye-grass has been lately introduced into Galloway with much promise of advantage. It might be tried on the banks of the Rule. 3. Top-Dressing of Grass Lands, — The improvement of pastu- rage is of vital importance ; and in general grass thrives well in this district. Its growth might be farther promoted by applying com- post or short dung to the surface. Such a practice, with sufficient draining, will be found to yield a profitable return. It is the fault of the damp climate more than the soil, when the grain crops fail ; HOBKIRK. 21.9 and as that will not affect lands in grass, the return from them is always certain. It might be farther noticed, that the disease called ^/z^er-ararf- toes is occasionally very hurtful to the turnip crop. Lime has been regarded as the most successful remedy, and bone manure has been thought favourable. Amongst live-stock, the hup- ing-ill is a severe scourge, the loss by it ranging from five to ten, and even twenty per cent. This disease, as yet little understood, is attended with curious and very peculiar circumstances. It is attached to particular soils, most commonly to those where the greywacke predominates; and it may be remarked, that stock brought from a distance is more liable to it than what has been reared on the ground. It usually makes its appearance towards the middle of April, with the withering east winds of that period, and leaves the flock, (with the exception of a few irregular cases,) about the middle of June. It attacks sheep, cattle, and swine. It resembles paralysis affecting the limbs, sometimes the head or neck, and occasionally the back. Wherever it occurs, the ver- min called ticks are found to accompany it. Severe bleeding at an early stage of the disease has been practised with advantage ; but no infallible mode of treatment has been discovered for its cure. By plentifully liming the soil, it has been eradicated from certain farms. Burning would probably have the like effect, as it is pre- sumable the disease may be occasioned by the puncture of the in- sects, with which it is always attended. These, it is well known, are bred in the earth, and get upon the sheep either by their legs or by their muzzle when feeding. Hence the parts usually affect- ed are the limbs or the neck. This interesting subject is well worth the serious attention of farmers. As a general improvement, perhaps, the opening of a road into Tynehead would be the greatest of which the parish is susceptible. By this means, abundance of coal might be procured at a cheap rate for the poor, and likewise for burning the limestone, which might be more extensively wrought at Limekilnedge and in Castle* ton. It would likewise furnish an ample and less expensive supply for the manufacturing town of Hawick and the neighbouring dis- tricts. The attention of proprietors and tenants has been more than once directed to this object; and it is deeply to be regretted, that neither the prospect of an increased revenue, nor the desire of conferring a great public boon on the west of Roxburghshire, in- duces the Duke of Northumberland to countenance the scheme. March 1836. PARISH OF ECKFORD. PRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TIVIOTDALE. THE REV. JOSEPH YAIR, A. M. MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The name of this parish is compounded of aec, an oak, Bxidfordy a passage over a river, — referring to the oaks which an- ciently prevailed in the district, and to a ford in the Teviot, with- in a short distance of the village, which bears the name of the parish. * It is probable that to this village the appellation Eck- ford was primarily confined ; but that in process of time it came to be applied to the whole parish. Extent and Boundaries, — The parish is nearly of a triangular form, with its base towards the east : and is about 6 miles at its greatest length, and 4^ at its greatest breadth. It is bounded, on the north, by Roxburgh and projecting portions of Kelso and Sprouston ; on the east by Linton, Morebattle, and Hounam ; on the south, by Jedburgh ; and on the west, by Crailing. Topographical Appearances. — This parish presents throughout an undulating appearance, gradually rising as it extends towards the south, and occasionally swelling into elevations, which com- mand an extensive view of the circumjacent country. There are no remarkable heights in the parish, but the chief eminences are Woodenhill and CavertonhilL From Woodenhill, the spectator looking towards the west, may survey, for the space of many miles, the vale of the Teviot, with the tortuous course of that classic stream, — the neatly enclosed and highly fertile fields which stretch along its banks — the well kept and thriving plantations which here and there extend to the river's edge, and which, together with Peniel- heugh, Minto-hill, Minto-crag, and Ruberslaw in the distance, * This ford was anciently called the ford at the aec». In the bed of the river near the ford, oaks of considerable dimensions have occasionaUv been seen. Within these thirty years, a tree of this kind, about 2^ feet in diameter, was dragged out by Mr Mather of Kalemouth, and immediately on its removal he perceived another lying directly under it. About three miles farther up the river, in a deep pocrf, an oak is said to have been seen, so very large that its trunk in some places amount* ed to about 4 feet 4 inches in diameter. ECKFORD. 221 form a landscape peculiarly picturesque and delightful. But not less striking is the valley of the Kale, which embraces a narrower track of country, and which, from various points of the parish, may be viewed to great advantage. This valley is interesting in a high degree, and more especially where it begins to open up in the di- rection of Marleiield on the west, and Linton on the east Whether firom the historical associations with which it is invested, or from the natural character of the scenery, or the beautiful range of hills which form its back ground on the south and east, it cannot be contemplated by the intelligent observer but with delight. Climate. — The atmosphere here is for the most part mild and salubrious. The winds which chiefly prevail are from the west, but gales in severe storms, in general, blow from the south-east Ague, once an epidemic in the district, is now quite unknown. Its disappearance may be traced to the improved system of drain- age, which is now so successfully pursued in this quarter, and to the consequent diminution of those noxious exhalations which were wont occasionally to issue from the lower grounds. Hydrography, — There are two rivers which flow through this parish, the Teviot and the Kale : the Teviot takes its rise among the heights which separate Dumfries-shire from Roxburghshire, and after running in a north-easterly direction about thirty-nine miles, in the course of which it is augmented by a vast number of tributary streams, it disembogues itself into the Tweed near Kelso. This river, immediately on entering the parish, proceeds in a north- erly direction, and leaves the ancient Barony of Ormiston, consist- ing of 680 acres, on its northern extremity. The Kale issues from among the Cheviots in the county of Northumberland, and, after arapid course of eighteen miles, it discharges its waters into the Teviot somewhat to the north of Eckford church. This is a much smal- ler stream than the Teviot, but more impetuous in its current It runs through the parish in a north-westerly direction, and divides it nearly into two equal parts. In some places, its banks are bold and romantic in a high degree, and beautifully overhung with wood. Both these rivers are occasionally subject to sudden inundations, which, by breaking down embankments occasion considerable detri- ment — There is one small lake in the parish, measuring about 13 acres in extent It lies at the bottom of Woodenhill, a little to the south of the village of Eckford moss, and forms the bed of a marl- pit, which was once wrought in the district It is in some places 222 ROXBURGHSHIRE. about 30 feet in depth, and when seen at a distance constitutes a beautiful object Geology. — The rocks that predominate in the parish are of the sandstone and trap formation : the fonner occupies the lower, and the latter the higher parts of the district Of these rocks there are several quarries, some of them of excellent quality. Many years ago, a small seam of coal was discovered at Caverton edge, in this parish ; but the investigation was not carried &r enough to be followed up with any beneficial result Both peat and marl once existed in the district, — the one mostly incumbent on the other ; and imbedded in these, animal and vegetable remains have been found. " In wester moss, nuts, roots, pieces of large oak and other trees have been dug up, also the scull of a bison, and the horns of a red-deer very large." These horns, which at present are in the possession of Mr Robert Church, farmer. Moss-tower, have seven branches, and are supposed to be in weight about two stones. At what distance from the surface these remains were discovered, it is impossible now to determine. Soil, — The soil in the parish is various : that on the lower grounds towards the Teviot is a light mould, while that on the higher grounds towards the south partakes more of a clayey character. On the same farm, however, there is often a great variety of soil ; but the crops which it yields are for the mostj^art rich and abundant Zoology. — This parish presents to the zoologist no rare species of animals. In the rivers, salmon and trout are in great abundance, and of excellent quality. The trout of the Kale is peculiarly deli- cious in lis flavour. Hares, rabbits, partridges, and pheasants abound in the district, and on Ceesford moor the heathcock is oc- casionally seen. The starling, that most tractable of birds, visits the parish yearly, and often nestles among the rocky cliffs that overhang the Kale. Within these few years, a cuckow was disco- vered in this place, in the nest of a small bird. With great care it was fed for some weeks on small pieces of flesh, and on these it seemed to thrive well. It was extremely voracious, and, so far from being discontented with its situation, always appeared quite at home. Botany, — The parish presents, upon the whole, a wooded {q)pear- ance. Almost all kinds of forest trees flourish here, and appear to be quite congenial to the soil. The most common species, however, is the fir tribe, of which there is a forest consisting of 360 acres ECKFORD. 223 on Caverton edge, where the Kelso races were formerly held. * There are three aged yew trees in the churchyard, but at what time they were planted it is difficult to say. Close to the ancient mansion-house of Hall of Haughhead, stands a stately ash tree, un* der whose shade the children of that noted individual are reported by tradition to have been baptized. . 11. — Civil History. Historical Notices. — This parish, the southern extremity of which lies within a few miles of the borders, was the scene of frequent rs^ine and devastation in former times. The village of Eckford, which was once a place of considerable note, was burnt by the En- glish under the Marquis of Dorset in April 1553, along with many other places in the district. Within the bounds of this parish, there were of old several strengths or strongholds, such as Ormiston-tower, Eckford-tower, Wooden-tower, and Mos§-tower; but of these the last mentioned was by far the most important. This was situated about the eighth part of a mile to the north-east of the village of Eckford, and within a few yards of the present farm-house, which now bears its name. It was so called, from a piece of marshy ground in its immediate vicinity, and is reported to have been once a residence of Hepburn Earl of Bothwell.-f- In an ancient chronicle, it is represented as surrounded by a marsh, and as accessible only at one point by a causeway. This the far- mer at present is in the act of removing from 'its ancient site. On the 80th of June 1523, it was destroyed by a party of English headed by Thomas Lord Dacre ; and on the same day were de- molished Ormiston-tower, and a vast number of other places in the neighbourhood. On the 6th September 1544, it was burnt along with the tower and church J of Eckford, by an army under Sir Ralph £ure, and forty-four persons, who were found in it, fell victims to * Thii, from one of the titles of his Grace the Duke of Roxburghe, is denomi- nMed the Bowmont forest. "f About fifteen years ago* some persons were employed to divide a common in thk district, partly belonging to the Duke of Uuccleuch, and partly to the Manjuis of Loihian. A ubt having arisen, as to which of these proprietors a certain piece of ground should be assigned, an old man in the neighbourhood was examined on the ^QOtion. After interrogation, he stated, that he had heard it reported, that some tenaot on the laird of Bucc1euch*s lands here, had put out an ox to graze on the spot, but that the laird of Crailinghall, conceiving that a trespass had been committed, ahoCtbe wnjfnal. Immediately upon this (added the old man,) Bothwell having girt on hit mrmour^ came up from his toivrr, to take vengeance on the aggressor, but before he arriTed the laird had secured himself within his fortress. This anecdote certain- ly tends to strengthen the belief that Both well once resided at Muss-tower. I Fbe ancient church bell of £ckford is at present in the belfry of the church of Gvbani, in the county of Northumberland. At what period it was carried off, it is difllcult to determine. Probably it was at this time. 224 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the ftiry of the assailants. Shortly after this, it appears to have been rebuilt; but it was again destroyed in 1570, by the Earl of Sussex, who, in the course of a few days, laid waste in this quarter a very extensive tract of country. Within these fifty years, the massive ruins of this ancient structure were unceremoniously pulled down, and that with a view of affording an easy access to materials for rearing the farm-offices which now stand near its site. The lands of Moss- tower anciently belonged to the I^ird of Buccleuch, so celebrated in Border history, and is now the property of his descendant. His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch. But the most famous fortress in this parish was Cessford Castle,* which stands on its southern extremity, and which was the ancient manorial residence of Sir Robert Ker, conunonly known by the name of Hobbie Ker, warden of the Scottish middle marches, fipom whom the Dukes of Roxburghe are descended, f This is, at pre- sent, a mere ruin ; but from what remains of it, some conjecture may be formed of its pristine greatness. The main building is about 67 feet long, 60 feet broad, and 65 feet high, and the walls in point of thickness amount at an average to about 13 feet broad. The dungeon, which is situated nearly in the centre of the for- tress, is still open to inspection : it consists of a damp gloomy apartment 20 feet in length, 10 in breadth, and 13 in height, with a slanting air-hole looking toward the east. At the west end of this apartment, is a subterraneous vault, which was anciently known by the name of the dungeon peel^ and which was probably chiefly * Here towards the close of the sixteenth century, one of the Judges of the Court of Session, is reported by tradition to have been for a time confined. While riding in the vicinity of Edinburgh, he was seized by a moss-trooper, who, wrapping a emtk around him, mounted him on his steed, and carried him off to this fortresi. Here he was detained tUl a law. suit, which was then pending before the Supreme Courtt and in reference to which he was held to entertain opinions hostile to one of the per* ties, was decided. After this, he was conveyed, sSier a like ftahion, to the qpot where he had been taken up ; and being set at liberty, he shortly after appeared to their great surprise and joy, in the midst of his family, who had long since con- ceived he had l)een assassinated. Some time thereafter, being on a vkit at Ceadford Castle, he was startled at hearing, in the act of calling fbr bis dog, the wdl known voice of a shepherd, which had sounded every morning in his ear during the time of his imprisonment, and which convinced bim that this was actually the very wpoft of it. Upon subNcquent investigation he found that his opinion was correct. f Andrew Ker of Attonbum, in 1446, was probably the first of the noble fionOy of Ker, who occupied this castle. In that year he obtained, as is mentioned liy the writer of the last Account, a charter of the barony of Cessford, from Archibald Earl Douglas, who was afterwards known by the name of Duke of Turenne or Longo^ ville. The most illustrious of his descendants, appears to have been the above-mm* tionetl Sir Robert Ker, who was bom 1570, and who is here still q>oken of aa one of the most powerfiil men of his times. In 1606, he was raised to the Peerage 1^ the title of Ix>rd Roxburghe, and in 1616 be was elevated to the rank of Earl of Roi« hurghe, and Lord Ker of Cessford, and Caverton. He died 1650. Hit d c ecendant» John the third Earl of Roxburghe, was created a Duke in 1 707. ECKFORl). 22.5 intended either as a resenoir for water, or as a depository for good.s. Some have averred that it was occasionally employed as a prison, and perhaps this averment is founded on fact. There is an air-hole on the south side of it, but it is so constructed that not a ray of light can possibly be admitted. This vault measures about 10 feet long, 17 feet broad, and 9 feet deep. The only entrance to it was by an aper- ture at the top, " and this was kept shut as necessity required, by a large stone* with an iron ring in it." llie roof, which rose several feet above the level of the dungeon, was arched, but it is now com- pletely gone. Anciently, this fortress wfis surrounded by an inner and an outer wall : the former has entirely disapi)eared, but some remains of the latter still exist The space between these walls, as m^y be inferred from the history of all border strengths, was primarily appropriated for the reception of cattle, in which the wealth of the marchmen principally consisted. A moat once sur- rounded the whole out-works, and of this some traces are still to be seen. Probably, it was supplied with water from a spring, which lies about a quarter of a mile to the south. This fortress, from its great importance, was often the scene of hostile invasion in ancient times. In the reign of Henry VIIL the Earl of Surrey, after destro}ing a number of places in the neigh- bourhood, attempted to take it by assault; but he asserts in a let- ter addressed to his sovereign, on the 2 1st May 1.523, that, had the owner not agreed to capitulate, he would have been unable to have obtained possession of it at all. With the exceptions of Fast Castle and Dunbar Castle, he represents it as the strongest place in Scotland ; but this he did, in all likelihood, to magnify his own ex- ploits, in the eye of his capricious master. This castle, there is reason to believe, ceased to be regularly occupied by the noble fami- ly of Roxburghe, shortly before the death of Sir Robert Ker in 1650, and since that period, it has been allowed, in all probability gradually, to go into a state of dilapidation. According to the testimony, however, of Wodrow, the historian, Henry Hall of Haughhead, and some others of the Covenanters, were confined as prisoners here in 1666; but the former, through the influence of the then Earl of Roxburghe, his friend and relation, ac- complished his release. The ancient key of this fortress was ac- dd^tally discovered by a boy some years ago. It was dragged out from an aperture in the inside of the wall, close to the main door, where for nearly two centuries it had probably lain undisturbed. It • The Rev. Mr rmton, Uie writer of the last account, observes, that this stone and ring some persons had seen who were alive in his day. ROXBURGH. P 226 ROXBURGHSHIRE. was of a very antique form, and measured about 1 1 inches in length. It is now in the possession of His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe. About a quarter of a mile to the north of the castle, in a steep bank close to Cessford-bum, is an artificial cave of considerable dimensions. It is in a very sequestered spot, and might be often passed and repassed without attracting observation. It is known by the name of Hobbie Ker's cave. On the southern banks of the Kale, near Eckford mill, is the small estate of Haughhead, which is one of the most retired spots in the parish, and which was once the property of Robert Hall, usually known by the name of Hobbie Hall, a man remarkable both for his piety and his bodily strength. About a quarter of a mile to the south of his ancient mansion-house, which is still in a tolera- bly good state of repair, is a mount which measures in circumfe* rence 218 feet, and to which the appellation of Haughhead Kipp is given. This is composed of artificial layers of earth and stone, and is surrounded with a clump of old fir trees, which, standing out from the extremity of a belt of young plantation, gives to the place when viewed at a distance, sometliing like a turreted appearance. Placed on the summit of this mount is a rude stone, which, ac- cording to tradition, records a triumph achieved by Hall over Ker of Cessford, when ousted in his attempt to take lawless posses- sion of his property. The stone has been wantonly broken ; but the inscription on it, which is now scarcely legible, is as follows : Here Hob^ Hall boldly maintained his right. Gainst Reif plain force armed with lawles might, For Twenty Pleughs harnes*d in all their Gear, Could not his valient nobl Heart make Fear, But with hU sword he cut the formost Soam In two : hence drove both pleughs and Pleughmen home. 1620. About a quarter of a mile to the east of this mount, in a deep ra- vine tl trough which the Kale over a rocky bed winds its way, is a sequestered spot where tent-preachings were wont to be held by the Covenanters of old; and a Uttle farther down, on the opposite side o f the stream, near Grahamslaw farm-house, are to be seen several ar- tificial caves of various dimensions, whither that persecuted people us* ed to flee for refuge, in times of danger. As is mentioned by Wodrow, they had two great conventicles in Scotland, — the one at Haugh- head, in this parish, and the other at Maybole, in the county of Ayr. From Henry Hall,* the then proprietor of Haughhead, an indivi- dual both of the most undaunted courage and of the most unaffed- • It is probable (hat this person was the xon of the above-mentioned Robert or Jlobblc HaJI. BCKFORD. 227 ed seal in the cause of religious truth, they experienced all the countenance and protection which his circumstances could afford. This excellent person, as is well known, died while on his way, as a prisoner, 'to Edinburgh, in consequence of being struck with a carabine by Thomas George, Queensferry; and on his person was ibund a rude unsubscribed draught of a covenant, which is common- ly known by the name of the Queensferry paper.* Stone coffins have been frequently found in this parish. One was discovered in a field called the Priest's Crown on the farm of Eck- fbrd Eastmains, in 1831, containing a few decayed bones in one cor- ner, and a small jar with some black dust in it in the other. The jar was supposed to have been a Roman one, but it was unfortu- nately destroyed. On the farm of Moss-tower, a medal of the Em- press Faustina was found in the heart of a peat, with the inscription quite distinct It was presented by the late tenant to a member of the noble family of Douglas. A little to the west of Caverton-hill- head cottages, are the remains of a tumulus of considerable extent, which is now nearly on a level with the contiguous field, and which is said to have been an ancient burying ground. No bones have as yet been discovered in it, but it has not hitherto been sufficiently examined ; it is called the black dike. At Caverton-f" there is an old grave-yard, now scarcely ever used. Near to it stood a chapel, of which there are now no remains. It was founded bv Walter Ker of Cessfbrd, and confirmed by charter under the grand Seal in the year 1500. Close to this was a well which used to be called the Priest's well, but by this name it has almost ceased to be known, * Near the south-west corner of the field, to the west of the manse, is a bog, which has of late been drained, and with which is connected a curious tradition. It is aver- nd» that on this spot a smith's house, with his smithy and other appurtenances, once stood, and that the members of his family were of a very disorderly description of cha- racter. On the morning of a Sabbath, while the people from the vicinity were pas- sing on their way to church, the whole place exhibited a scene of tumult and confu- doo ; but on their return from it a few hours after, every vestige of a human habita- tioa had disappeared* and nothing was to be seen but the bog, with which the spot waa sumKMed to have been cursed. That this bog would never be drained was long bdteved in the district, and circumstances for a lime seemed to justify the opinion. Sereral attempts were nuuie for this purpose ; but all proved for a time to be utterly ioeflectual. On one of these occasions, however, a smith's anvil was found buried in the marsh, and this was considered as at once confirmatory of the truth of tlie tradi- tSoo. The anvil waa in tolerable preservation, and was intended to have been given to the late Sir Walter Scott, to whom an account of the tradition had been communi- Gated. The hill, at the bottom of which the bog was situated, is called the Smithy-hill. + The Barony of Caverton anciently belonged to Lord Soulis, who forfeited his property, in consequence of his !)eing engaged in a conspiracy against Robert the Bruce, towards the beginning of the fourteenth century. Hie life of this no))le- man was spared, although he was imprisoned in Dumbarton Castle till his death. Aocorditig to tradition, however, he was boiled alive, on the strength of a hasty ex- pfcnkm of the King, in u cauldron, at a place called the NincsUne rig, in the vicini- ty of Hermitage water. 229 UOXBUKGHSHIRE. Eminent Men. — In this parish, at Marlefield,* was born Sir Wil- liam Bennet of Grubbet, a man of excellent taste and great literary attainments, and a distinguished patron of talent and learning in his day. This individual was the intimate friend of I'homson and Ram- say, and has been represented to be the Sir WilHam Worthy of the celebrated pastoral poem f written by the latter. Indeed it is af- firmed that both he and Thomson had some share in the compo- sition of the comedy. In this parish, he lived during the greater part of his life, and by the community at large was held in high estimation. ^ In the society of this distinguished individual, Thomson spent * The House of Marlefield is a very spacious edifice. In front of it is a most beautiful lawn, and the grounds in its vicinity are in various places embellished with rows of magnificent lime-trees. This estate was much improved by the late tenanti Mr Ralph Oliphant, a gentleman who was highly respected in the district for his amiable and obliging deportment ; and it is but a just tribute to his memory to addt that he took a deep interest in every matter connected with the welfare of the parish. f Tradition avers that the scene of the Gentle Shepherd lies in the Ticinity of Marlefield House ; but with what truth the writer of this account does not presume to determine. Doubtless, however, many of the descriptions, as given in the poem, correspond with the character of the scenery here. On this estate anciently stood a cottage which went by the name of Symoii't house, and here too is a field which was wont to be called Sy man's Field, In this district, also, once resided two old wo- men who have been represented as answering the characters of Matue and Madge, Within a short distance from Marlefield, to which Ilamsay refers by name in one of his poems, is a sequestered spot called Uabbie^s flow, through which, over a pebbly channel, runs a small burn or rivulet on its way to the Kale. This bum, which in some parts is confined within pretty steep banks, flowed, in the days of Bennet, dote to Marlefield mansion-house ; but in this quarter its course was altered many yean ago through part of this estate. Along the bottom of a narrow glen flows also a small stream, which is vulgarly pronounced Mowses Burn, but from what source the term is derived it is perhaps impossible now to ascertain. Near this, too, is a small eminence which is denominated Movscs knowe. Here there are several craigs from which the " Lover* t loup^ may be most effectually taken. In the body of the poeni^ mention is made of the West- Port and Town of Edinburgh," as if these were not fiir distant from the scene of it ; but it is well known that the tenantry here» in the time of the poet, used to drive their stock as regularly to that city for sale, as they at present do to the market at Morpeth. Of course their visits to fldinburgh in those days were of no rare occurrence. Indeed the phrase, ** He was in at the Town,** as referring to Edinburgh, is common in this district at the present day. Here the pastoral is reported to have been first acted, in the presence of the fiunilies of Marle- field and Cliflon, and at the residence of the latter. As the above tradition exists in the parish, the writer of this account has judged it right to advert to it. Probably, however, Ramsay in the delineations of character and scenery which he gives in bu admirable pastoral, confined himself to no particular district, but drew his descrip* tions from every proper source which at any time was most patent to his observation. Of course some licence, too, must be allowed to the imagination of the poet. X Adjoining to the church, is the family aisle, where his remains are deposited ; and over the entry is the following inscription, which is now much effaced ; Hoc Monumentum Sibi et suis bene Merentibus ponendam curavit Dominus Gulielmus Bennet Eques auratus anno salutis 1724. ECKFORD. 229 some of the happiest days of his life, and was in all respects regard- ed as a member of the femily. * Richard Cameron, the founder of the Cameronians, was licensed at Haughhead, in this parish, to preach the gospel. In 1680 he was slain at the battle of Ayrsmoss. Landholders, — In this parish, there are six landholders : His Grace the Dukeof Roxburghe; His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch ; the Most Noble the Marquis of Tweeddale; Robert Me in, Esq. of Ormiston ; the Heirs of the late Andrew Wilson, Esq. of Main- house; and William Ker, Esq. of Cliatto. Of these the Duke of Roxbui^he and the Duke of Buccleuch, are by far the largest pro- prietors ; and to them, upwards of four- fifths of the parish belong. Parochial Registers. — Of the parochial registers there are five Yolumes, and the date of the earliest entry is 27th May 1694. At present, they are verj' carefully kept ; but as the dissenters do not • regularly engross their children's names into the record, the Ust of baptisms cannot be so complete as it would otherwise be. Public Buildings, — W'ithin these few years, Mr William Mather, an observing mechanic of this place, having purchased about half an acre of land from the late W*illiam Mein, Esq. of Ormiston, has erect- ed upon it an establishment for making all kinds of agricultural im- plements. This is one of the most extensive concerns of the kind in this quarter of the country, and the articles which are made here will, in point of workmanship, bear to be compared with any of a like de- scription in the surrounding district Here Mr Mather intends to erect a saw-mill ere long ; and from such, considerable benefit may probably accrue to the neighbourhood. There are tliree mills in this parish where com may be ground, viz. Ormiston mill, Eckford mill, and Caverton mill ; but of these the first mentioned is by far the most * It is worthy of remark, that the poet was apt to be extremely apprehensive of •mpcrnatural spirits. If after night fall, he chanced at any time to be on his way from IVidfeopen, bis patrimonial property, to Marlcfield, he was in the habit of regularly nUing at a farm-house in the vicinity of the latter, and requesting one of the inmates to accompany him to the seat of his patron. Lady Bennet, who appears to have been a pcrum of considerable humour, used siimetimes to play on the weakness of the | oct. Tradition avers that, on one occasion, when there was a large party at Marlefield, she drcwcd up a figure in the human form, antJ secretly deposited it in the bed of 'Jliom- son. The unsuspecting poet descried the figure, when on the eve of putting on his night drew, and his criL>s of terror proclaimed that the frolic had been successful. Rushing down stairs he entered the drawing-room in a stiite somewhat approaching to frensy, and truly caused her Ladyship, who, in the impulse of the ihoment, threw an spron around him, to repent of the extravagance which she had committed. With- in two miles of Marlefield, in the parish of Morebattle, is a hill on which l*homson ia aud to have written his Winter, and which, from ite having two tops, is called Parnas- SUSL. Hcre> till of late years, his anniversary was wont to be celebrated by a large as. iblftga of his admirers of both sexes, from all parts in the neighbourhotjd. 230 ROXBURGHSHIRE. important There is also in thisparish an excellent rice -mill, which was erected at Ormiston several years ago by the late proprietor; but, from circumstances, it has never as yet been in active operation. III. — Population. In 1 791 the population amounted to 952 180], ... 973 1811, . . . 10()7 1821, . . .1133 1831. . . . 1148 There are, as nearly as can be ascertained, 17 births, 10 marriages, 16 deaths, at an average, in this parish in the course of the year. All the heritors have upwards of an annual rental of L. 50 Sterling, and only one of them resides in the parish. There are 2 deaf and dumb, and 3 fatuous persons in the district The popula- tion of this parish, in so far as can be traced, is greater at present than it has been at any previous period of its history. This increase is no doubt owing to the general improvement which has taken place on the character of the soil, and which of course renders a greater number of hands necessary for the purposes of agriculture than formerly. Character of the People, — The people are in general cleanly in their habits, industrious in their conduct, and regular in their at- tendance on the ordinances of religion. They enjoy, in a reason- able degree, the comforts and advantages of society, and may be said upon the whole, to be contented with their circumstances in life. The ordinary food of the peasantry is meal, potatoes, butter- milk, and pork of their own rearing. 'Y\\q bread commonly U2sed by them is a compound of barley and pease meal, and it is consi- dered as extremely wholesome. To these is occasionally added a little butcher meat Poaching, both in game and in tiie salmon fisheries, is not unfrcwjuently practised in the district. IV. — Industry. Affi'icultvre and Rural Economy. — Land cultivated or occasionally in tillage, - - 7728 acres, uncitltivated, - . . . ]J4| in undivided common, . . . . |3 under wood, - • - - . a|3 Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land in the parish is about L. 1 , 2s. per acre. The average rent of grazing an ox or cow is L. 3 ; a ewe or full-grown sheep, 1 Os. The real rental of the parish in 1791 amounted to L. 3691?, 4s. Id. The present rental is L. 8676. Husbandry. — The art of agriculture in this parish is in a highly im- proved state. The tenants are an active and industrious class of men, ECKFORD. 231 and by their liming, draining, &c. are evincing a laudable anxiety still more to ameliorate the character of the soil. They are much at- tached to their landlords, who treat them in return with kindness and liberality. The largest &rm in this parish is the Barony of Cess- ford, which consists of upwards of 2000 acres of land, and which has long been occupied by Mr Archibald M 'Dougall, a gentleman whose ancestors resided for generations on the Roxburghe estate in this quarter, and who is well known to be one of the most skilful and intelligent agriculturists in the district Within these thirty years, the improvements which he has effected on that property have been very great In the course of that time, he has enclosed, at his own cost, the whole farm, drained it in the most efficient man- ner, and brought under cultivation upwards of 300 acres of moor- land. Besides, he has removed all the old offices and cottages, and erected in a more eligible situation new ones of the neatest and mo6t substantial kind. Independently of the expenses of liming the whole of this large farm, his outlay amounted to upwards of L. 4000. The system of husbandry which is usually practised in this pa- rish 18 the five-shift system. I'he turnips are partly eaten oiT the land by sheep, and partly stored up as provisions for fattening cat- tle during the winter. Of leases the usual duration is for nineteen years; The fences are in good order, and consist mostly of thorns. The fiurm-houses and offices are also in excellent order, and have been some of them erected within these twenty years. Produce, — The average gross amount and value of raw produce raised in the parish, as nearly as that can be ascertained, are as follow : 575 acres of wheat, at L. 8 per acre, 700 acre* of barley, at L. 6, 18s. per acre, 1950 acres of onts, at L. 5 per acre, - - « 40 acres of pease and beans, at L. 6, 10s. per acre, 85 acres of potatoes, at L. 7 per acre, 1 100 acres of turnips, at L. 4 per acre, 315 afcres of bay, at L. 5 per acre, 84S5 acres of good pasture, at L. I per acre, 1018 acres of moorLnnd. at 48. per acre, 269 acres of summer fallow, inclusive of 69 acres of wante land, A13 acres of wood, thinnings of do. L. 26,891 12 Breeds of Live Stock. — The sheep that are reared in this pa- rish are of the Leicester breed, and every attention is paid to their improvement The cattle which are fed here are almost all of the nhort-homed kind, and these are sometimes fattened to an immense L.4600 48:w - G750 260 595 4400 1575 3435 202 12 lanri land, 244 232 TlOXnUR(iHSHlRE. V. — Parochial Economy. Villages^ MarkeUTowns^ Means of Communication. — There are several villages in this parish ; but the most important are Eckford, Cessford, and Caverton. The nearest market-towns are Kelso and Jedburgh, the former being about four miles and a half, and the latter about five miles and a half, distant from the parish church. About a mile and a half of the turnpike road between Hawick and Kelso runs through the parish ; and along this, a coach passes between these two places by the way of Jedburgh, every Tuesday and Fri- day. There is also a post which passes regularly along this line of road twice every day. In this parish, there are two stone bridges, both of one arch, — the one over the Kale near its junction with the Teviot, and the other over that stream near Eckford milL The former was built many years ago at the expense of the county, and forms part of the great turnpike road which passes through the dis- trict ; the latter is reported to have been erected, towards the close of the seventeenth cenutry, out of the proceeds of the stipend when there was no fixed pastor in the parish. There is, besides, an elegant chain bridge, which, a few years ago, was thrown over the Teviot near its confluence with the Kale, at the expense of the Late William Mein, Esq. Ormiston, and which, independently of the advantages resulting from it, forms a beautiful and interest- ing object It was designed by Captain Samuel Brown of the Royal Navy, a gentleman whose talents and genius are well known, and the workmanship was executed in the most elegant and sub- stantial manner by Mr William Mather, Kalemouth. The bridge is 180 feet in length, and 16 feet in breadth, and is intended for carriages as well as foot-passengers. There is a pontage upon it, which is as follows : for a foot-passenger ^d., for a horse or cart dd., for a gig 6d., and for a chaise Is. Ecclesiastical State, — The church, which anciently belonged to the Abbey of Jedburgh, is in the gift of the Crown. It is beau- tifully situated on the southern banks of the Teviot, about a mile from the northern extremity of the parish. It was built in the year 1662, but since then it has undergone frequent repairs. It is a neat and an apparently substantial building, and contains about 300 sittings. Close to the eastern door of the church, is appended an iron collar, which is in a state of great preservation, and which is commonly known by the name otihejugs. In former times, church offenders were some* times sentenced by kirk-sessions, to stand with it fastened round their neck, and clothed with sackcloth, for several Sabbaths, in pre- 3 ECKFORD. 233 sence of the congregation in token of their repentance and humi- liation. The manse* was built in 1775, but since then it has under* gone several repairs. In the year ] 808, some additions were made to it, but these, perhaps from want of a proper inspector, were very insufficiently executed. The chief apartment of the house is, in appearance, a very handsome one, but it has not been occupied for several winters past, in consequence of its extreme cold. The ex- tent of the glebe is about 7 acres, and its value may be rated at about L. 1, 15s. per acre. The stipend amounts to 15 chalders, half meal and half barley, with L. 8» 6s. 8d. for communion expenses, and ibrty-two pounds of cheese from the tenant of Cessford, in the way of vicarage tithes. Besides this, the minister has a servitude for turf on a piece of moor-land, which lies on the south side of Wood- eohill, and which is about two miles distant from the manse. The moor belongs partly to the Duke of Roxburghe and partly to the Duke of Buccleuch, but the road to it lies through the farm of Wooden, the property of the latter nobleman. There are no dis- senting or seceding chapels in the parish. There are 153 families att^iding the church, and 69 attending meeting-houses in the vici- nity. The parish church is well attended. The average number of communicants for some years past has amounted to about 312. The number of examinable persons that worship at the parish church amounts to upwards of 520. There is one Episcopalian fiunily, which generally attends the Established Church.-t" Education, — There are two parochial schools in the parish, the one at Eckford, and the other at Caverton mill, and both teachers have the legal emoluments. The teacher at Eckford has the maxi- mum salary, L. 34, 4s. 4^d., with fees amounting at an average to Lf.21 annually. The teacher at Caverton-mill has L. 17, 2s. 2^d. with fees amounting at an average to L. 17 annually, with the inte- rest of L. 40 of mortified money. The former has, at an average, about 70 scholars, and the latter about 46. There is also a school at Cessford, which is upwards of two miles distant from the parish schools, and which is attended at an average by 38 scholars With, the exception of a free school-house he receives only his fees, which amount to about L. 18 annually. The people are in gene- * Close to the manse on the glebe is Eckford brae, which was a place notable for tCBt-praaching in former times, lliither at particular sca-sons immense multitudes from the surrounding country were wont to rc89rt. Here Boston and other eminent diniMS used to diq>ense to the people the bread of life. -f Clow to the entry to the churchyard has been erected by the heritors a nest eatbagt tar the beadlet along with a commodious stable for the benefit of the parish- ioDcn. KOXBUROH. Q 234 ROXBURGHSHIRE, ral alive to the benefits of education, and it is believed that there are none in the parish above six years of age who cannot read. There is also a boarding-school for young ladies in this parish ; and the number that at present attend it amounts to upwards of 20. Here, they are instructed in all the usual branches of educa- tion, and to their moral and religious welfare every attention is paid. The establishment is kept by Misses Park and Spence, Upper Wooden. A Sabbath-school also exists in the parish, which, under the superintendence of the minister, is taught by the teacher of the first parish school, and several other well-disposed persons in the district. Library. ��� In the parish, there are two branches of an itinerat- ing library, — the one at Eckford, and the other at Caverton-mill. They are placed under the care of the parish teachers, and the books are lent to the people on their payment of a small sum quarterly. It is proposed, as soon as circumstances will permit, to establish a stationary library in the district Poor and Parochial Funds. — Regular assessments in behalf of the poor have existed for many years in the parish, and these are levied in equal proportions on the proprietors and tenants. There are at present on the roll the names of 30 paupers, and these re- ceive at an average about 2s. per week. Besides these, there are 4, who obtain interim supply, and who are not regarded as regular paupers. There is no mortified money ; and the collections at the church doors, as is almost always the case where assessments have been established, are exceedingly small. In this district, an aversion among the poor to seek parochial aid still, to a certain extent, exists. No sooner, however, is an application for charity made by an indigent individual before a meeting of the heritors and kirk-session, than the circumstances in which he is placed are at once made known to his neighbours, and the consequence is, that the sense of shame with which he once contemplated the idea of his wants, being exposed, soon comes for the most part to be diminished, if not altogether efiaced. Now surely it were advis- able, as far as possible, to remedy this evil ; and how can this more efiectually be done, than by distributing, in as delicate a way as may be, a little aid to such needy individuals, as may shrink at the thought of being regarded as regular paupers. With the concur- rence of all parties, this assistance might easily be afforded out of a fund placed at the disposal of some responsible persons in the dis- tricty named by heritors and kirk-sessions for that purpose. The zAr vantages arising from this system at^ soNer^ ^^"^VA^^ indeed, that SPROUSTON. 235 many parishes re^Iarly act upon it, while there are others so in- different to their own interest, as in a great measure to neglect it. Inm, — There are no public-houses in this parish. For many years, there was an inn established in the immediate vicinity of the church, and it was justly regarded as a public nuisance, by every right thinking person in the community. FueL — The ordinary fuel which is used here is coal, and which is brought from a distance of twenty miles. There are several de- pdts in the neighbourhood, where the supply of this useful article may be obtained at about the rate of 9d. per cwt Wood is also frequently used. Maif 1836. PARISH OF SPROUSTON. PRESBYTERY OF KELSO, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TEVIOTDALE« THE REV. GEORGE CRAIG, MINISTER. L — Topography and Natural History. Nume. — The name of this parish is of doubtful origin. Chal- mers, in bis Caledonia, gives two conjectures ; one, that it may have been derived from Sprous, a proper name, and Tun a dwelling ; the other, that Sprus in the Cornish dialect signifying '^ grain," Sprus" tuu may ** denote the place fertile in grain." This latter is a very appropriate derivation. Extent^ Boundaries, — In figure and extent the parish forms nearly a square of about 4 miles. The boundaries are, the Tweed onthe north ; the parish of Carham in Northumberland on the east ; the parish of Linton on the south ; the parishes of Eckford and Kelso on the west. Topographical Appearances. — Two elevations of gradual ascent run across froia north-east to south-west, — Hadden-rig through the centre, and Lempitlaw along the southern extremity. The ▼ale between is in some places marshy, and, with the exception of a few acres on Hadden-rig, contains almost the only portion of the parish not under cultivation. SoiL — The soil, along the river especially, is very productive, and IB kept in a state of high cultivation. The Redden-haughs are frmmiB for their extent, and for the sureness and abundance o( their crops. Along the river, the soil consists of a ncVv \oan\, Vcv 23G ROXBURGHSHIRE. some places of considerable depth, upon a bed of sand. In the higher parts of the parish, the clayey substratum predominates. Hadden-rig above Kerchesters is the least productive part of the parish which is under cultivation. As you recede from this cen- tre on all sides, but especially towards the river, the soil becomes warmer and more productive. This last remark regarding the soil is equally applicable to the climate. Climate. — Comparatively bleak on Hadden-rig, the air is bracing on Lempitlaw, mild and salubrious along the river. The inhabi- tants, accordingly, are healthy and robust The most prevalent dis- tempers are fever, pulmonary complaints, and rheumatism. By this last^ men and women, comparatively young, are frequently attacked, and rendered unfit for work during the rest of their lives. The cause of these distempers at once presents itself in the openness and damp- ness of the houses, which in most instances have originally been built, with mud for mortar. Were proprietors of land to give more at- tention to the household comfort of those who live on their estates, they would in the end effect a considerable saving ; as many, by longer health, would be enabled to provide longer for themselves and their families. 11. — Civil History. The earliest mention made of this parish in any authentic do- cument is found in the foundation charter of Selkirk dated 1114. It is also mentioned in the charter given to Kelso Abbey in 1 128, as one of the parishes which was held in rectorid by that institu- tion. Tledden and Hadden are also referred to as contributing to the same institution. These places were probably of greater im- portance formerly, than they are now. Redden is mentioned as a town in connexion with Kelso, Sprouston, &c. in a writ of Pro- tection granted by Henry VII. to the monastery of Kelso. The former importance of Hadden would appear from the permission granted to Bernard de Hawden by the Abbot of Kelso, to build a private chapel, where " he and his guests might hear divine ser- vice all the days of the year except on Christmas day, Easter day, and the feast of St Michael," when they were obliged to attend the parish church. Hadden-stank and Redden-burn are frequently spoken of, in border history, as the spots on which the English and Scotch Commissioners met for the fixing of boundaries, and for the set- tling of other territorial disputes. About the year 1540, Hadden-rig was the scene of a conflict be- tween the Scots and 3000 English horse, in which the latter were 8PR0UST0N. 237 defeated. This was shortly after followed by aii iucui*siou into Scotland, by a large army led by the Duke of Norfolk, which, marching up the Tweed, destroyed many towns and villages. Among the latter, was the village of Sprouston, then called Liong- Sprouston, extending probably, with straggling cottages, as far west as Bumfoot^ which tradition says it once did. Tradition reports besides, that hearths and foundations of houses and kitchen uten- sils have been ploughed up in the field above the Scurry rock ; from which, it would appear that the village was formerly of greater extent on that side also. The barony of Lempitlaw, which forms the southern division of the parish, was originally a separate parish, but was, at a time which has not been ascertained, united to that of Sprouston. Part of the ruins of its church were, till recently, to be seen in the church- yard, which still continues to be the burying-place for that part of the parish. Parochial Registers. — The oldest session records now extant bear date from 1650 till 1656, and seem to have been pretty ful- ly and regularly kept ; but they are now in a very imperfect and decayed state. The records subsequent to that period, with the exception of one interval between 1656 and 1691, are almost entire. Eminent Men. — The late Dr Andrew Thomson was ordained minister of this parish in 1802, and translated to Perth in 1808. It is said of him, that when the alarm of invasion by the French was raised by fire-beacons on the neighbouring heights, he head- ed a numerous body of volunteers from the parish, and led them to Kelso, the appointed rendezvous for this district. This is the more remarkable, as the parishioners were supposed to be much infected with French principles. III. — Population. The population would appear from the last Statistical Account, and from other circumstances, to have continued very nearly the same in amount, for the last century. Its present amount is some- what less than 1400. In the village of Sprouston it is 420 ; in that of Lempitlaw ISO. The average number of persons in the whole parish, Under 15 years, 660 Above 60 and under 70, 129 Abore 16 and under 30, 342 70, . 27 30 and under 50, 352 Tlie number of bachelors and widowers upwards of 50 years of age, 1 4 of widows and unmarried females above 45 years of age, . 48 of fiuniliet in the parish, 296 chiefly employed in agriculture, • • 159 in trade, manufactures, or handicraft, 60 There are 8 fiituoui, and 3 deaf and dumb in the parish. 238 ROXBURGHSHIRE. During the last three years there have been not less than 6 il- legitimate births in the parish. The whole of the original parish of Sprouston is the property of the Duke of Roxburghe, with the exception of Hadden and Notilees, which are the property of Sir William Elliot of Stobbs and Wells ; and the farm of Softlaw, which is the property of Sir George Douglas of Springwood. Lempitlaw barony is the property of the Duke of Buccleuch. IV. — Industry. Agriculture. — All the male population, with the exception of 26 weavers, 16 masons, 10 wrights, 6 tailors, 4 smiths, and their apprentices, 1 cooper, 1 baker, and I fisherman, are employed in agriculture, either as hinds, carters, or day-labourers. A great proportion of the unmarried female population are employed in the fields and barn-yard. The number of acres standard imperial in the whole parish, • . 8207 under cultivation, . . . . 7128 under wood, principally ftr, . . .123 lying waste, ..... fi56 of which capable of improvement . . 400 Rent of Land. — The average rental of arable land per acre, L. 1, 3s. 9d. ; the average rent of grazing per ox, L.4 ; per ewe, lis. Wages. — Day's-wage for labouring men. Is. 6d. ; ^omen, 9d. ; masons, 2s. 6d. Live-stock. — The Leicester is the breed of sheep usually fed. Husbandry. — Five-shift, or alternate husbandry, is generally adopted in cultivating the soil. Improvements by draining and otherwise carried forward to an average extent. Nineteen and twenty-one years are the length of the lease commonly given. The buildings and enclosures on some of the farms are excellent, on others they might be better. Quarries. — Sprouston, till of late, was celebrated for a fireestone quarry, situated about half a mile from the village, and close by the turnpike road. Kelso bridge and Abbotsford were built of its stone. A new quarry has been opened about half a mile to the south of the old one, which produces an inferior stone, and is not considered very profitable in the working. Fisheries. — There is a fishery for salmon, which, along with a ferry for the convenience of the parishioners, is at present let for L. 71, 15s. Produce. — The average produce of grain of all kinds, whether cultivated for food of man or for domestic animals, may be estimated at L. 16^7 of potatoes and turnips, at . . . 4696 of hay at ...... 1700 of land in pasture at . . . 37^ SPROUSTON. 2; Number of bolls oats raised in the parish, 9124 wheat, .... 3041 barley and peas, . . 3041 V. — Parochial Economy. Markets* — There is no market held in this parish ; the nearest market-town, Kelso, being only two miles distant. Villages* — Of these there are two, — Sprouston and Lempitlaw. The former is situated about 200 yards from the river, and is nearer to Kelso than to Carham parish by about a mile. It consists of 103 inhabited cottages, the school and schoolmaster's house just newly erected, and the manse. The church is in the centre of the Tillage, and is built on what appears to be a gravelly eminence, of about twelve feet above the turnpike road. A spacious church-yard surrounds it, which, in 1814, was enclosed with an excellent stone wall five feet high. It had before that time, like many other country church-yards, been an open unenclosed space, intersected with nu- merous footpaths. The expense of the wall was defrayed by va- cant stipend. Lempitlaw consists of twenty-three inhabited cottages, and three one-storey farm-houses, and onsteads; one of the three being at the south-west, and two at the north-east end of the village. Two turnpike roads run east and west across the parish ; or.e through Sprouston and Carham to Cornhill, the other along Had- den-rig to Wooler. The parish roads are in good repair, are maintained by converted statute labour, and have lately in some places been greatly improved. Ecclesiastical State, — Though the parish church is situated in the centre of the village of Sprouston, and therefore at one extremity of the parish, it cannot be said to be at a very inconvenient distance fifom any of the inhabitants. Mensilaws, an old farm-steading, now three cottages, at the extreme east, and one cottage at the extreme south-west of the parish, are between four and five miles distant. Lempitlaw district, Lurdenlaw, and Softlaw, which together con- tain about sixty families, are between three and four miles distance, and all the rest from one to two miles distance. The present church was built in 1781, had the stairs to the gal- lery, which are inside, inclosed in 1822, and nothing now is want- ing to render it a very comfortable place of worship but the flagging of the floor. The number of families in the parish attending the chapels of Dissenters or Seceders is about 90. The seats, 600 in number, are all free, but allocated to particular arms* Divine service is generally well attended. The avetaiga 240 ROXBURGHSHIRE. number of communicants is 430. There is no meeting-house in the parish. The present manse was built in 1777, is small, but at present in good repair. The glebe, which lies between the manse and the river, contains 7 acres 18 poles. It is land of the very best quality, and of cor- responding value. It has produced remarkably abundant crops. The stipend is 14^ chalders meal and barley, and L. 44 money. Education. — There are three schools in the parish, the parochial and two side-schools. Of the latter, one is at Hadden, and was par- tially endowed by Lady Ker in the seventeenth century. The other is at Lempitlaw, and was endowed by the heritors in 1814, by ap- propriating for that purpose Lw 100 vacant stipend. In the parish school the branches of education taught are the same as in other country schools. The schoolmaster's salary is L. 30. His emolu- ments from fees, which, per quarter, are, 2s. 6d. for reading ; d& for reading and writing; 4s. for reading, writing, and arithmetic ; 7s. 6d. for Latin, amount to about L. 40. He has at present no garden, but has from the heritors L. 2 in lieu thereof. In the two other schools, there is no Latin taught, but all the other branches of a common couqtry education. At Hadden, the emoluments al« together scarcely exceed L. 15; at Lempitlaw, they may be about L.30. Poor and Parochial Funds, — The poor are supported by legal assessment. The number on the roll is 43 ; their average allow- ance L. 3, 14s. 9d. per annum. In some cases, the allowance grant- ed by the heritors is increased by the session. Those who have been assisted in this way during the past year amount to 16, and the average assistance to each is lis. per annum. The average annual amount of assessments for the poor is L. 160, 14s« 3d. ; of church collections, L. 10, 9s. dd. It has not been observed that there is any indisposition on the part of the poor to apply for parochial relief Applications have sometimes been made, — more, seemingly, from a desire to add to the little comforts already possessed, than to remove pressing want, — more from a preference of dependence on a public fund, than of de- pendence on children in narrow circumstances, who, it is to be fear- ed, too often make their parents sensible of their dependence* Such applications when rejected, are uniformly attended with a feeling of experienced injustice on the part of the applicants. Vicinity to England may in some degree account for this. March J 887. PARISH OF ANCRUM. Pft£SBYT£RY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TEVIOTDALE. THE REV. JOHN PATON, MINISTER. L — Topography and Natural History. Name and Boundaries, — This parish was originally named Alnc- cntmbj from Alne^ the ancient name of the river, and Crumb, a crook or bend, than which there could have been no name more descriptive of the situation of the village of Ancrum, which is placed on a rising ground on the south side of the Water of Ale, where the river takes a peculiar bend, and runs in a circuitous direc- tion, till it discharges itself into the Teviot, about half a mile below. The parish is about six miles long and four broad, and is bound- ed on the south by the river Teviot, which divides it from the pa- rishes of Jedburgh and Bedrule ; on the east by Crailing and Rox- burgh ; on the north by Maxton and St Boswell's ; and on the west by Minto and Lilliesleaf. ' Topographical Appearances, Hydrography, Soil, 8fc. — The kiwer part of this parish is beautifully diversified, presenting every variety of irregular surface ; and though it contains no hills, pro- perly so called, it rises in some places into eminences of consider- able height On the Water of Ale especially, which is here and there o'erhung by steep and nigged rocks, partly of naked rock, and partly clothed in wood, there meets the eye a succession of icenery in the highest degree romantic and picturesque. Towards the upper extremity, however, the appearance of the parish be- eomes less interesting, from the general flatness of the ground, and the absence of any thing in the landscape peculiarly strikingr The only rivers are the two already mentioned, — the Teviot and the Ale, — the former being the southern boundary of the parish, and the latter intersecting it from west to east ; and both of these streams, in addition to their acknowledged beauty, have been long celebrated as affording abundant sport for the angler. The soil of this parish is extremely variable, including every variety, from the most barren to the most productive. Its average ,42 ROXBURGHSHIRE. |uality, however, is good ; and on the banks of the Teviot, espe- cially, it is not excelled, in respect of depth and richness, by that of any district of Roxburghshire. IL — Civil History. Historical Notices^ Sfc. — This parish consists of the two united parishes of Liongnewton and Ancrum, the former of which was annexed to the latter, towards the end of the seventeenth century. Of the old church of Longnewton there are now no remains, but its burying-ground is still made use of by some of the inhabitants of that western district. The church of Ancrum anciently belonged to the Bishopric of Glasgow, of which University, indeed, many of the lands here still hold : and Longnewton was subject to the same Episcopal superintendence, though its revenues belonged to the monastery of Jedburgh. It appears from the documents referred to in " Cale- donia," that, upon the dissolution of the establishment of Lindis- fern, Ancrum with Teviotdale was annexed to the see of Glas- gow, and that Teviotdale was erected into a separate archdeaconry in l*23a* At one period, there were two villages here, distinguished from each other by the names of Over and Nether Ancrum. The former stood on the north side of the Ale, in the immediate vicinity of Ancrum House, according to the usual precaution adopted in these feudal times, when juxtaposition and mutual protection were so essentially requisite between the Liord of the Manor and his vas- sals. Of this village, however, nothing now remains, except one or two dilapidated houses, bearing date 1592. But on the opposite side of the river, still stands the other village referred to, though most of it appears to be of a more modern erection. Both of these villages were burned to the ground during the destructive expeditions of Sir Ralph Evers in 1544, and the Earl of Hertford in 1545. The most remarkable event of a historical nature connected with this parish is the battle of Ancrum Moor, which was fought about a mile and a-half to the north of the village ; but on the particu- lars of this battle it seems unnecessary to enter, as there are notices * There are various documents relating to the parish of Ancrum in the Chaitu> lary of Glasgow ; in particular, there is, in the early part of the thirteenth centurj, a carious charter by Radulphus Bumard of Farinjrdune ( Famington,} in whidi be grants ** Deo et beito Kcntigemo et domino Waltcro £po.» Glaaguen et omniboi successoribus suis, in pcrpetuum focale de Peteriis meis de Farin|^uiie ad domam luam de Alnecrumby*' &c. ANCRUM. 243 of it to be found in almost all the Scottish histories, the fullest account being given by Tytler. ■ We may just mention, that it took place in the year 1545, and arose out of an inroad into Scot- land by Sir Ralph Evers, and Sir Bryan Layton, for the purpose of taking possession of the territories of Teviotdale and the Merse, which had been conferred upon them by a grant from Henry VIIL, and in which battle they were defeated with great loss. It may be added, that it was on this occasion that the gallant Earl of Angus (Bell the Cat) whose property in the Merse and Teviot- dale was thus in such eminent peril, said of Evers and Layton, when he heard of their threatened incursion ; " If they come to take seizin in my lands, I shall bear them witness to it, and per- haps write them an investiture with sharp pens and red inL" Antiquities. — This parish presents prominently few objects of curiosity to the notice of the antiquary. But like the rest of the border country which saw the original inhabitants, the Romans, the Danes, and the Saxons, successively dispute its possession, it contains various scenes calculated to awaken a deep interest Of this description are the ruins of the Maltan walls, which enclosed, at no distant period, an acre and a-half, within the area of which were visible various vaults and subterraneous passages, but of which there is now nothing to be seen except a small remnant of the outer wall.* According to tradition, this was once an establishment of the Knights of Malta, or Knights Hospitallers of St John; and though there is not in Keith or Spottiswoode, any notice of any re- ligious house or hospital at Ancrum, we learn from various sources, that a religious establishment existed there as early as the reign of David L But be the tradition right or wrong in reference to this building, it is evident, that the adjacent field has been used for the purpose of interment, human bones and entire skeletons having been frequently turned up by the spade and plough. Near the Maltan walls, in the opposite grounds of Ancrum House, and for a considerable way up the Ale, are also to be seen various caves, amounting in all to fifteen, hewn out of the rocky banks of the river in the most inaccessible places. These caves have doubtless been intended and used for places of concealment in the times of the border wars. And many of them must have * Since Uie above was written the remnant referred to has fallen to the ground, itt deety having been doubtless hastened by the extraordinary severity of the past winter : ao that nothing now remains of the " Maltan walls** but a heap of rubbish, and in all Ukelihood within a short period there will not be even a stone left to mark the lite of this relk of antiquity. 44 ROXBURGHSHIRE. leen well adapted for the purpose, having not only been extreme- iy difficult of discovery and acce^, but having been provided with fire-places and apertures in the roof to carry off the smoke, and commanding a plentiful supply of water. But the days are happily gone bye, when, from the predatory habits of the borderers, such hiding-places were rendered necessary ; and, as a pleasing contrast to their original destination, it may be mentioned, that they were often resorted to for retirement and meditation, by the author of the " Seasons ;" and one in particular, named ** Thomson's Cave," is pointed out as his favourite retreat, and which is situated in the immediate vicinity of the manse, of which the poet was the frequent inmate during the incumbency of his friend Mr Cranston, — MaU den Lilliard's tomb may also be considered as an interesting relic of the olden time. At the battle of Ancrum Moor, above- mentioned, a Scottish woman of this name distinguished her- self by her singular valour ; such being her undaunted gallantry, that she continued to fight when covered with wounds, and even after both her limbs had been struck off. In honour of her me- mory, the spot where she fought and fell, and on which she was buried, is marked by a monument, the original of which has almost all been destroyed, but in whose stead a new one was lately erect- ed, on which is inscribed the original epitaph, which runs thus : Fair maiden Lilliard lies under this stane. Little was her stature but great was her fame ; Upon the English loons she laid mony thumps, And when her legs were cuttit aifsbe fought upon her stumps. There are likewise on the hill behind Ancrum House the re- mains of a British fort, consisting of three circular divisions or rows of large whinstone boulders ; and at Harestanes, near Moun- teviot, there stood within these fifty years the remains of a Druid circle, but which now, with the exception of one solitary stone, have all been removed. And in the centre of the village green, there stands an ancient cross, which one of the most learned archi- tectural antiquaries of the present day thinks may be pronounced as old as the reign of Alexander III. Mansion-Houses. — There are three principal residences in the parish : Ancrum House, the seat of Sir William Scott, Bart, a fine old baronial-looking mansion, standing in the midst of an exten- sive park, in which are to be seen some of the finest trees in the south of Scotland,* and whose picturesque effect is much increas- * The following is the measurement of some of those trees, the measurement being taken several feet from tlie root : Beech, in circumference, - 13 feet. ANGRUM. 245 ed by the additional beauty of a numerous herd of deer ; Ches- ters, the more modern residence of William Ogilvie, Esq. a large and handsome building, erected about forty years ago, and delight- fully situated on the banks of the Teviot, at the mouth of a deep glen or dell, which stretches up behind the house, beautifully wood- ed on both sides ; and Kirklands, the elegant seat of John Richard- son, Esq. occupying a most romantic position on a wooded height over the water of Ale, which, sheltered by the picturesque green knolls and grey rocks and woods of Ancrum, forms an appropriate addition to the striking and beautTful scene of the church and old bridge, and mill immediately below it. This house, which has been recently erected after a design by Blore of London, is of the Tu- dor style of architecture, and of the reign of Henry VII. Eminent Men. — " Worthy famous Mr John Livingston," as he was fondly termed by his contemporaries, was, by an act of the Greneral Assembly, settled minister of Ancrum in the year 1648. He was one of the three ministers sent over to King Charles II. in Holland in 1650, to make arrangements regarding the coming of that monarch to Scotland, and to treat with him in various im- portant matters, both civil and religious, before his admission to the exercise of his government. In 1662, Mr Livingston, with many other ministers, was deposed for non-conformity, and hav- ing been also sentenced to banishment, he went over to Holland, where he occupied himself in his favourite pursuit, biblical litera- ture, till his death, in August 1672, in the seventieth year of his ag& For farther particulars of this remarkable man, " who was honoured by the Lord to be an instrument in the conversion of thou- sands,'' reference may be made to a manuscript of his in the Ad- vocates' Library, and which is entitled, " A brief Historical Re- lation of the Life of John Livingston, Minister of the Gospel at Ancrum, with his memorable Characteristics, exemplified in the Lives of a considerable number of eminent Divines and private Christians in Scotland." His biography is contained in the Lives of Dlustrious and Distinguished Scotsmen, by Robert Chambers, and several particulars relating to him are to be found in Wod- row's and Kirkton's Histories of the Church of Scotland. Land'Owners. — Proprietors of land of upwards of L. 50 Scots va- luation : Sir William Scott of Ancrum, Bart ; Sir George Douglas Lime, in circumference, - 27 feet Weeping ash, do. - t20 feet 8 inches Wahiut,do. - - - 10 feet Willow, ... 13 do. 5 inches. Thtte are merdy specimens of a great many of a similar size. M6 ROXBURGHSHIRE. of Springwood-Park, Bart; The Duke of Roxburghe; Wflliam Ogilvie, Esq. of Chesters ; Earl of Minto ; Honourable J. K El- Hot ; Captain Brown of Park ; John Sibbald, Esq. of Pinnacle ; Major Pringle, of Rawflat ; The Marquis of Lothian ; John Rich- ardson, Esq. of Kirklands ; John Purvis, Esq. of Whitehouse. IIL — Population. The total amount of the population in this parish is 1454^ of which about 550 are inhabitants of the village of Ancrum, and the remainder scattered throughout the other districts. The return to Dr Webster in 1755 gave 1 066 ; and at the date of the last Sta- tistical Account, there were 1 146 souls. The increase of the po- pulation since these periods is to be attributed to the gradual im- provements in agriculture, and the additional demand for fiirm-ser- vants and labourers. Number of families in the parish, • • . 264 chiefly employed in agriculture, . 154 in trade, manufactures or handicraft, 61 Character and Habits of the People^ ^c. — The people of this pa- rish are in general well-behaved, industrious, and contented with their situation and circumstances.* The cottages of the working- classes are cleanly and comfortable, their food, though plain, is sufficiently plentiful, and almost all of them have the means of gratifying that laudable desire, so characteristic of the peasantry of Scotland, of appearing at public worship on the Sabbath, re- spectably attired. But their several degrees of comfort vary, of course, according to the number of their family, the rate of their wages, and their habits of economy : and we have doubtless among us many instances of indigent old age still exerting its remaining strength in the praiseworthy pursuit of an independent though scanty livelihood, or wholly subsisting on private and parochial charity. There is no species of amusement to which the parishioners are especially attached, with the exception of the game of" ball," which is played only on one particular day of the year, in the month of February, the young men of one district being pitched against those of another. Similar games are also held annually, and about the same season, in some of the neighbouring parishes, and seem to create a considerable interest amongst the young men of the district, * It must, however, be admitted, that this commendation cannot be applied to all —there being not a few whose character is not only unworthy of praise, but whote re probate conduct is much to be regretted, as well on their own account as oo aooour of the morals and reputation of the parish generally. 3 ANCRUM. 247 The practice of killing salmon by the spear and torch* is here carried on to a great extent, especially during close-time, and the numbers of foul fish that are annually taken in this way are very considerable* Poaching for game is also practised, though not to the same extent During the last three years there have been 20 illegitimate births ; but in 8 of the cases, the parties were afterwards married. IV. — Industry. Agriculivre. — The system of husbandry pursued here is in all respects similar to that of the surrounding districts. The five- shidb rotation of cropping is that which is generally followed, and the common duration of leases is nineteen, and varying from that to fifteen years. llie rent of the arable land varies of course with the quality of the soil, — in some cases reaching as high as L. 4, and in others de- scending to 12s. per acre. The average rent, however, of all the arable land in the parish may be stated at L. 1, ds. per acre. The real rent of the parish is L. 8698. Rate of Wages. — A farm-servant's wage, every thing included, averages L. 28 per annum ; that of a labourer Is. 8d. per day in summer, and Is. 6d. in winter; of a carpenter 2s., and of a mason 2s. 6d. per day. Single men residing in the farmer's house receive from Lf 7 to Lf 8) and women from L. 6 to L. 7 per annum, vic- tuals included. lAvt'Stock. — The kind of live-stock generally reared in this pa- rish is what is commonly called the short-horned breed of cattle, and the Leicester breed of sheep, or a cross between the Leicester and Cheviot breeds. And the rate of grazing is as follows : A cow, L. 3, 10s. ; a three year old, L. 2, 10s. ; a two year old, L. 2 ; and a year old, L.1, 10s. each : and a ewe, L. 1 per annum. Acres under cultivation. Number of acres in wheat, wheat. 1080 Barley, Oats, 528 1716 Turnips, Potatoes, Ilay, Pasture, 704 107 4o6 2052 Fallow, 002 Peas and Beans, 161 ToUl under cultivation, 7496 acres. In wood 820 acres. Quarries, — Of these there are two in the parish in constant operation, the one consisting of red, and the other of white free- stone, the former belonging to the Honourable John Elliott, and 248 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the latter to Mr Ogilvie of Chesters, and both of these stODes being of superior quality, there is a large demand for them throughout the surrounding district V. — Parochial Economy. Markets — Means of Communication^ Sfc. — Though the parish has no market -town within its own bounds, it is very favourably si- tuated in this respect, there being no fewer than five markets in the neighbourhood for the sale of grain, and to all of which there 4s good and easy access. Jedburgh, however, which is about six miles from the centre of the parish, may be reckoned the market to which the parishioners principally resort. It is also the post^ town. The principal village in the parish is that of Ancnim, the inhabitants of which are almost all earning their livelihood in the usual agricultural or other employments of a country population. Some of them, however, are more independent than others, from the possession of a few patrimonial acres of land, and which in va- rious instances have descended from father to son, for several ge- nerations. Throughout the whole parish, the means of communi- cation enjoyed by the inhabitants is remarkably good, it being in- tersected in all directions by roads leading to the neighbouring dis- tricts : and along its eastern extremity for several miles, runs the turnpike road from Edinburgh to Newcastle, along which, summer and winter, stage-coaches are passing and repassing twice a day. Ecclesiastical State. — Although the church is only about a mile from the eastern extremity of the parish, it is conveniently situat- ed for the great proportion of the population ; and even of the pa- rishioners in the western district, there are few who are above three, and none above four miles distant from it It was built in 1762^ was thoroughly repaired about five years ago, is a comfortable place of worship, and affords accommodation to about 520. The sitting; belong exclusively to the heritors. The manse was built in 1751, since which period it has receiv- ed two additions, the last of which was made in 1833. It is now a comfortable and commodious house, and being delightfully situ- ated on one of the steep banks of the Ale, and surrounded on all sides by magnificent woods, and every variety of hill and dale, is perhaps not surpassed, in respect of local beauty, by any manse in Scotland. The glebe contains about 10 acres of arable land, be- sides a considerable quantity of natural and other wood, and is worth L. 30 per annum. ANCRUM. 249 The stipend consists of 16 chalders of victual, and L. 8, 6s. 8d. for communion elements. There are 284 families in the parish, and of these there are, on an average, 160 families who attend the parish church. The re- mainder belong to one or other of the Dissenting meeting-houses in the neighbourhood. The average number of communicants in connection with the parish church is 470, and among these are to be found almost all the constant inhabitants of the parish, and the great majority of the tenants, so that the Dissenters consist princi- pally of the fluctuating population of hinds and other farm-servants, a great proportion of whom change every year, and of whom, there- fore, an accurate return cannot well be obtained. Upon the whole, however, it may be stated, that while there is no addition to the inhabitants of the parish, the number of its communicants in con- nection with the establishment is annually increasing. The parish church is the only place of worship, and though it is generally well attended, yet it is much to be regretted that there are not a few of the pafishioners whose attendance upon the pub- lic ordinances of religion is rare and irregular. There are no Bible or Missionary Societies in the parish, but there is an annual collection in the church for missionary or other religious purposes, which yields on an average about L. 6. Education. — There are three schools in the parish, the paro- chial, and two others. Of the latter, there is one which is endow- ed ; having been formerly the parish school of Longnewton, where it 18 situated, and still retaining the provision which it had previous- ly to the annexation of the parish of that name to the parish of Ancrum. Its endowment consists of L. 1 1 per annum, with a good house and garden, for the accommodation of the teacher ; and its patronage is vested in the proprietor of the barony of Longnewton. In all these schools the ordinary branches of education are taughtf viz. English, English grammar, writing and arithmetic; in addition to which, in the parish school, instruction is given in Greek, Latin, French, geography and practical mathematics. For these latter branches, however, the demand is very limited. The parish schoolmaster has the maximum salary, the legal quantity of garden ground, and a good house, consisting of four apartments. He also receives the annual interest arising from a sum of L. 60, which was left by a former resident in Ancrum, for behoof of the parish teacher, on the condition that he gives in- BOXBURGH. R 250 ROXBURGHSHIRE. structioii in church music to some of the poorer children in the village. The school fees are, 2s. per quarter for reading, with 6d. addi- tional for writing and arithmetic ; and 5s. for Latin ; the other branches being charged in proportion, according to the agreement which may be entered into between the parents and teacher. The average number of scholars attending the parish school is about 90, and the amount of school fees is under L. 30 per annum. The average number of scholars attending all the schools toge* ther is about 220, and to each of them there is attached a well- attended Sabbath school. The parents in general seem anxious to avail themselves of these opportunities of getting their children instructed, and there are no instances in the parish of individuals upwards of fifteen years of age who cannot read or write. Poor and Parochial Funds. — The average number of persons on the poor^s roll is about 30, and their aliment is obtained by re- gular assessments upon the heritors, for which purpose they meet quarterly and assess themselves,. according to the amount of sup- ply required. The amount of assessment may be stated at about L. 150 per annum, paupers receiving from Is. to 4s. each per week, according to the necessity of the case. In addition to this, however, there are also the ordinary Sabbath day collections, amounting on an average to L. 15 per annum, over which the heritors claim no control, and all of which, with a small exception required for other purposes, is annually distributed by the kirk-session in occasional allowances of coals, meal, or money, among paupers requiring more than their ordinary aliment, or as interim supply to necessitous persons not on the roll. The poor in general are far from being backward in seeking pa- rochial relief, and the feeling of degradation in reference to such applications is neither so prevalent nor so strong as it was*in for- mer times. Inns, — There are 6 inns or public-houses in the parish. Of these, there are two in the village, and two within a quarter of a mile of it ; and, there being no fairs or markets in the parish, there are at least three of these ale-houses which might well be dispen- sed with. Their influence on the morals and circumstances of those in their immediate neighbourhood, who are in the habit of frequent- ing them, is very injurious. FiteL — Amongst the lower classes the use of coals is limited, ANCRUM. 251 the carriage being very expensive. The nearest coal-hill is thirty miles distant, and the driving alone costs 9s. for a single cart-load. Fire-wood, however, is abundant in the neighbourhood, and may be procured for a comparatively moderate price, at the numerous sales of that article, and being thus less expensive and more easy of access than coals, it is more generally made use of for fuel than the latter, especially among the labouring classes, and many of whom are also in the habit of laying up for this purpose furze, turf, or peat, all of which are to be had in the neighbourhood, — the two former on the common moor for the mere labour of cutting them, — and the latter from the adjoining districts at a very small cost. It may be added, that, for the convenience of the public in this district, there are several depots of coals within a few hours drive, and at one of which (Crailing) only four miles distant, there are coals to be had through the year at from 6d. to 8d. per cwt. Miscellaneous Observations. The only striking variations which are apparent between the present state of the parish, and that which existed at the time of the last Statistical Account, consist in the improved system of agriculture, and in the additional extent of plantation. Here, as elsewhere, draining is now better understood, and more generally and efficiently practised than it formerly was, though much yet re- quires to be done in this respect The distance from lime, and the consequent heavy expense of obtaining it, remains yet, as it has hitherto been, the great obsta- cle to the reclaiming and improvement of the land in this neigh- bourhood. It may, however, be stated, that there is every pros- pect of this obstacle being so far obviated by the proposed formation of a railway from Berwick to Kelso, and from thence up the vale of the Teviot, and by the establishment of which, it is not to be doubted, many important advantages, besides the reduction of the price of lime, would accrue to this district of country. AprU 1837. PARISH OF OXNAM. PRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TEVIOTDALE. THE REV. JAMES WIGHT, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name, — The name of this parish was, for several centuries, written Oxenham, as appears from the chartularies and evidence from other sources. It was but recently changed to Oxnam, this being simply a popular abbreviation of the former name. The words oxen and Aawi, or hamlet, serve when combined to indicate its origin. For it may be inferred, that the chief village ob- tained its distinctive appellation, principally because it abounded with oxen, and partly also because it afforded protection to nume- rous herds of cattle, during the many hostile and predatory incur- sions of the southern borderers. And the name thus acquired by the village, so long held in repute for the advantages of its situa- tion and the number of its inhabitants, was subsequently transfer- red to the parish at large. It is clear that the names of particu- lar animals had, in process of time, become so completely identi- fied with, as at length to be employed to designate, various places here, such as Stotfield, Swinside, and Hyndhope ; and that seve- ral others too— of which Mossburnford and Bloodylaws are instan- ces — bear names, either descriptive of certain remarkable localities that strike the view, or else expressive of some remote but memo- rable events of which they once formed the scene. These fects tend accordingly to corroborate the above statement Extent and BoundaHes. — The utmost length of this parish is nearly 10 miles; its greatest breadth about 5 miles; and it con- tains 33 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the parish of Jedburgh ; on the east by Hownam ; on the south by Jedbui^h and the county of Northumberland ; and on the west by Jedburgh and Southdean. Its area may be described as an irregular oblong figure. Topographical Aj)pearance8, — It may not be improper to ob- serve, that the tops of the highest hills command a most magnifi- OXNAM. 253 cent and delightful prospect, having the mountainous chains of Cheviot, Moffat, and Lammermuir, together with the German Ocean, in the distance ; and at the same time the vast expanse of country comprehended within this grand circular outline, overspread with an endless diversity of highly beautiful and picturesque scenes. Of the large forests which once greatly decorated the landscape, a few vestiges only have withstood the desolating influence of time. Nevertheless, this parish, as to its general appearance, is pecu- liarly interesting, exhibiting many striking varieties of hill and dale, well subdivided enclosures, excellent pasturage, and numerous streams of water. A small section of the Cheviot range partly constitutes its southern boundary, and stretches towards the Carter Fell, which rises 2020 feet above the level of the sea. But to this, the most elevated summit of that section is somewhat inferior in height. To the northward of this bounding ridge, arc situated va- rious hills, chiefly of a conical form and smooth green aspect, but showing a less lofty elevation than the forioer. Again, other still humbler, yet towering eminences, appear in the same direction be- yond these, — which present acclivities either partially cultivated, or clothed with delicate verdure, and form, therefore, an imposing and agreeable contrast with the scattered portions of heath and ben^y grass conspicuous on the interjacent flats. Besides, the fertile val- ley that divides the parish lengthwise, has its own undulating sur- face variously intersected by the continuous windings of the Ox- nam water. And it may be observed, moreover, that the banks of the Jed bounding the western side, and presenting generally an abrupt and precipitous appearance, have their aspect pleasingly diversified by the termination of romantic dells in certain parts, and by narrow ravines ornamented with copse in others. Most of the banks, indeed, are richly adorned with natural wood, no less remarkable for the happily varied distribution, than for the beauti- ful form and foliage of its trees. Climate and Diseases. — The whole parish, in common with the surrounding district, is liable to sudden as well as frequent varia- tions of temperature. At times, the wind blows strongly from the east ; but it is found to proceed most frequently and with greatest nolence from the west and south-west. Yet, at other times, it ' brings along with it, from the very same points, the mildest and most genial weather. The high-lying places, from their proximity to a mountainous region, are more exposed to heavy« rains, and at- mospheric changes, than the lower and more cultivated parts. This, 254 ROXBURGHSHIRE. in general, is nevertheless justly esteemed a favourable climate. It is said, indeed, that owing to the purity, elasticity, and salubrious- ness of the air, common epidemic diseases exhibit a less inveterate character here, than in many other places. The most approved system of drainage, so long and extensively applied both to arable lands and to marshy and hilly pastures, has no doubt largely con- tributed to the amelioration of the climate ; and thus served not merely to mitigate the severity, and prevent the recurrence of dis- tempers — such as ague, rheumatism, fevers, and pulmonary com- plaints — that were formerly so prevalent ; but also tended greatly to promote the healthfulness and longevity of the inhabitants.^ Springs and Rivers. — The waters of the spring situated near Fairloans, to which were ascribed qualities of a chalybeate nature, have utterly fallen into disuse. On being analyzed, they were found not to possess any mineral or medicinal virtues whatsoever. It may be worthy of notice, that between twenty and thirty peren- nialsprings, in clustered order, and with margins of unfading fresh- ness, combine to form the Oxnam, at the commencement of its course. The Coquet water, which issues from the border mountains, skirts the southern extremity, to the extent of a mile, — then enters Nor- thumberland, and after having attained considerable magnitude, empties into the British ocean betwixt Alnwick and Coquet isle. It is from the same alpine region that the Kale takes its rise. It crosses the upper end of the parish, pursues a circuitous direction by Hownam and Morebattle, and terminates its course of seven- teen miles below the church of Eckford, by joining the Teviot The sources of the Oxnam are nearly two miles distant from the English border. It takes its way at first through a pastoral dis- trict, then passing the village from which it borrowed its name, winds along occasionally prominent and ornamented margins, and after being largely augmented by tributary streamlets, also at length dningles its waters with the Teviot below Crailing, thereby clos- ing its rapid course of twelve miles. The Jed flows over a rug^ ged channel, and along the western boundary for two miles. Geology and Mineralogy. — No coal has hitherto been discover- ed here, although certain local strata furnish strong indications of its presence. At Stotfield and Richard's Cleugh, steatite or soap- stone occurs. Limestone is found near the Jed, but it is under a * The average age of the enrolled poor is 63 for the last ten years. A female be- longing to this parish died lately at the very advanced age of 104 years. 4 OXNAM. 255 deep cover, and at a great distance from coal ; and hence the ex- pense necessarily attending its preparation for agricultural and other purposes, renders it wholly unavailable at present In the southern quarters, sandstone of the coal formation abounds, be- tween which and the corresponding strata of the Carter, an inti- mate connection may be found to subsist. What has been worked is of a durable quality and white colour ; but it has been employed for building, only to a very limited extent The same parts of the parish are traversed by a great whinstone dike, running in a lineal direction from east to west. It is upwards of thirty feet wide, and extends to a considerable distance on both sides of the border. On the one side, it is said to be perceptible in the environs of Milton ; at any rate, it may be observed passings the Kink, Tofts, Brundin- laws, Phaap, and the top of the hill opposite upper Hyndhope ; and on the other, it goes onward to Blindburn, Carlecroft, Cars- hope, Linshiels, Rothburry, and near the mouth of the Coquet In the lower situations, grey wacke prevails, having seams of slate clay, or dent, not unfrequently interposed between the strata, which run from north-east to south-west ; and dip from south to north at an an^Ie of from 40 to 60 degrees. It is rock of the trap for- mation, of which the hills chiefly consist. Hence the extensive distribution of clay porphyry, which affords excellent metal for roads, those parts of it being commonly used that are most super- ficial, and in which the process of disintegration has partially tiikcn place. It is copiously interspersed with quartzy veins, and pos- sesses cavities lined with finely crystallized incrustations of the same substance. The greenstone sometimes observed protruding from rodt of this species may probably be portions of dikes penetrating the general mass. But the hills eastward of Swinside are evident- ly intersected by numerous veins of jasper. Of these, five have been laid open. One of the hills has a quarry on its brow, in which a vein is exposed of from three to twelve inches in thick- ness, adhering to the perpendicular face of the rock, which has been cleared to a large extent. There is one of a finer cpiality on the east side of the adjoining summit. But another still richer and of ampler dimensions was lately detected, when cutting a drain on the contiguous farm of Middlesknows. Here different kinds of agate, as well as sundry varieties of jasper, from which beautiful and valuable specimens might be selected, are found cither inter- mixed with the soil, or cast loosely upon the channel of the Ox- nam water. 256 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Soil — The soil exhibits widely different qualities in different places. The most predominating kinds are of a loamy, clayey, and gravelly nature; but of these many intermediate varieties and com- binations present themselves. The soil is deposited upon gravel in many parts ; it is found, in others, resting upon rock of the kinds specified above : while, in some rather elevated situations, the sub- stratum consists of bluish clay, so very tenacious and retentive as to be completely impervious to water. It may also be stated, that, a substance, vulgarly called moorband, occurs occasionally imbed- ded in the subsoil. Where the soil itself is scanty, and consists of dark-coloured vegetable matter, it often assumes the real form^nd appearance of bog-iron ore, is found in detached portions, and is of an exceedingly hard texture. But when met with in clayey ground, it is of a reddish or light-brown-colour, shows a thinner and more extended stratum, and more readily suffers decomposition by exposure to the influence of the sun and air. The iron it contains becoming oxidized, causes it gradually to dissolve into an earthy powder. It varies from one to six inches in thickness, proves fre- quently injurious to vegetation, and being impenetrable by the roots of trees, forces them to push outward in a radial direction along its surface. There is great abundance of moss, which is scarcely used for fuel, except in the upland farms, and never as manure. By means of thorough draining, levelling, and top-dressing, Scraes- burgh moss, which was formerly a watery waste,* has been reclaim- ed, and now produces luxuriant crops of grass. Zooloffy, — No rare species of birds is found here. We have the woodcock, fieldfare, curlew, plover, and kingfisher. The grounds are amply replenished with black-cock and grouse, as well as other kinds of game. For some seasons, the quantities were considera- bly diminished, chiefly in consequence of the depredations com- mitted by English poachers. But they were lately checked in their lawless practices by the spirited exertions of the Border Associa- tion for the protection of game; for a banded number of about twenty of these bold sporting adventurers were unexpectedly ap- prehended, and subjected to punishment. Not a few animals, such as the hind, wild boar, and others, have entirely disappeared, with the once extensive forests which afford- ed them subsistence and shelter. Here sheep of the Cheviot breed are reared with peculiar care. They are highly prized on account of their size, symmetry, wool, and other qualities, for which they are remarkable. In proof of this, it may be stated, that the best OXNAM. 257 lot of rams exhibited before the annual meeting of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, lately held at Kelso, procur- ed for its owner, residing at Swinside, the highest premium award- ed for stock of that particular class. All the streams abound with excellent trout Also salmon have been taken from the Oxnam here, but by such persons chiefly as have recourse to the illicit expedient of fishing with spears by torch light The crop of beans in 1833 was irretrievably damaged by the depredations of a dingy-colourcd insect. These, settling in myriads on the stalks, pods, and leaves, either materially injured, or wholly extinguished the principle of vegetation, and according- ly the result was a general failure. No means were employed for their destruction. The black caterpillar, after an interval of thirty years, again assailed the turnip crop last summer ; and, but for the ?ery careful and expensive picking by the hand, would have entire- ly consumed it. But for many successive seasons, this kind of crop has been regularly invaded by insects of a diflcrent species. These fix upon the root commonly of the young plant, and the canker thereby produced, causes it to put forth new ones, bearing some fimcied resemblance to fingers and toes ; and to this circumstance the disease owes its name. The plant when attacked either withers and dies, or else exists only in a decayed and mutilated state. No part of the parish is wholly exempted from its ravages ; but these are supposed to be materially checked and diminished by the un- sparing use of Ume. It has been ascertained by repeated experi- ments, however, that neither liming copiously, nor yet soil entirely new, will completely prevent the pestilential inroads which it makes. This disease has hitherto, indeed, set at defiance the most skilful ef- forts, either to discover a remedy or to detect its cause. The nita baga, or Swedish turnip, appears most eflectually to resist its virulence, and is therefore cultivated to a much greater extent than it was formerly wont to be done. Botany. — As no new or unknown varieties of plants have been discovered in the parish, the names of such only as are more rare- ly to be met with are here given : Drosera rotundifolia^ round- leaved sun-dew ; Pamassia palustrisy common grass of Parnas- sus ; Sedum villosuniy hairy stonecrop ; Saxifraga granulatay white meadow saxifr«ige ; Potentilla argentea^ hoary cinquefoil ; Trifo- Bum ocftrofcttCMwi, sulphur-coloured trefoil; Polygonum amphibiunij amphibious persicaria ; Digitalis purpurea etalba, purple and white 258 ROXBURGHSHIRE. foxglove; Rtdms chamaemorus jcloudherry; Genista anffUcoj needle- green-weed, or petty whin. II. — Civil History. The manor of Oxenham was enjoyed by Gaufred de Percy when the abbey of Jedburgh was founded. He granted to the abbot two carucates of land, and two bovates, lying adjacent to the church, with common of pasture and common of fuel belong- ing to the village. This grant, and also the right to common pasture on the lands of Newbigging, were confirmed by Malcolm IV. and William the Lyon. The forfeiture of Sir Robert Colvill enabled David II. to grant the barony of Oxenham, with other lands, to Sir Duncan Wallace, and the Countess of Carrick, his spouse. This parish, set free by the Reformation from a rigorous ecclesiastical domination, acquired its independence. It may be mentioned, that the Rev. Thomas Boston, who re- linquished his parochial charge here, was the first pastor who pre- sided over a congregation of Relief Seceders in Jedburgh. Not a few of his former flock continued to attend on his public mini- strations in that place. Land'Owvers, — There are in all eight land-owners, whose de- signations, as arranged according to their valued-rents, are here given : The Most Noble the Marquis of Lothian ; His Grace the Dukeof Roxburghe; Charles B. Scott, Esq.of Woll; William O. Ru- therfiird, Esq. of Edgerston.; John Scott, Esq. of Riccalton ; John Stavert, Esq. of Cunzierton ; Major Archibald Oliver of Bush ; and Mrs Isabella Scott of Fala. Registers. — It appears that the earliest insertion in the parochial register was in 1700, and that entries were regularly made during the subsequent ten years ; but that since that period it has been less accurately kept. Antiquities. — The ruins of an old chapel at Plenderleath may still be seen, but its cemetery has ceased to be occupied as a place of interment. There is a Druid ical circle, sixteen yards in dia- meter, and occupying an elevated position, which remains pretty entire. At no great distance, there are the vestiges of another of larger dimensions, but in a less perfect state of preservation. The stones of which they are composed, being dark compact green- stone, interspersed with numerous and minute crystals of augitet may therefore be identified with that prominent and corresponding rock found in their neighbourhood. Several old camps, of a cir- cular form, are to be met with here. The one occupying the OXNAM. 259 height southward of Bloodylaws is the most conspicuous and im- portant On the hill at Cunzierton, also, the outlines of a strong- ly fortified British station may be clearly traced. It consists of a large rampart, with double trenches surrounding the level area on the summit; and about fifty yards lower, where the ascent is easiest, an additional mound of defence is likewise apparent. Be- sides, there are the remains of a Roman encampment most dis- tinctly visible upon a somewhat commanding eminence called Pen- nymuir. It is of a quadrangular figure, with slightly rounded cor- ners ; but it has this peculiarity of construction, that the vallum and fossa are carried outward at right angles on the east side, where the ground is dry and level, so as to include an additional oblong space of no small extent. The traverses covering the gates or entrances, as well as the ramparts and entrenchments, are still remarkably well defined, except only where the narrow extremity has been levelled by the plough, and where another portion of them has been converted into a turf fence. The beauty and com- pleteness of the camp aro unhappily marred by these encroach- ments. Its superficial area is 32 acres. Close to this ancient encampment, nearthetwo Druidical circles, and not far from the importiint fortification noticed above, there runs along the north-east boundary of the parish, for about six miles, the great middle Roman road into North Britain, usually deno- minated the Watling Street. Where it is conducted over dry slop- ing ground, its originally raised and rounded appearance is still very entire. It is supposed to have been regularly paved, which seems to be confirmed by stones larger than the rest being found inserted closely and in a continued line along the middle of it, by the numbers protruding through the grass which covers its surface, and by the great quantity, of mixed sizes, observable where it passes over ground that is marshy or moist. It has been traced from Carriden on the Frith of Forth, through the Lothians, Lauderdale, St Boswell's Green, and onward to Jedfoot bridge, the camp at Pennymuir, and Woden -Law; and then crossing the Border, it goes by Chewgreen, Ricchester, Corebridge, and near Halifax to Manchester, and from thence to Norwich, Chester, and Aber, where it joins the great southern branch of Wattling Street. Many pits are perceptible along both sides of this ancient cause- way, varying in their distances from each other, from which un- questionably the materials for its construction were taken. Some of them containing water are overgrown with rushes ; while others. i 260 ROXBURGHSHIRE. now almost obliterated, are covered with spongy sod, or a rich sward of grass. This spacious road, still kept open, is but little frequented except for driving cattle and sheep into England. This district, so long converted by the licentious borderers into the theatre of incessant feuds, reciprocal depredations, and vio- lent sanguinary conflicts, was once numerously interspersed with castellated edifices, or baronial forts. Of these the most distin- guished were Dolphiston, Mossburnford, and the Crag Tower. The first is plausibly conjectured to have been built by one Dol- phus, and to have received from him its name. It was held, for a considerable period, by the family of Anslie, who greatly singa- lized themselves in the border warfare. On the principal gateway were inscribed the words Radolph de Anslie. The walls, of which little more than the foundation remains, were from 8 to 10 feet in thickness, and had several vaulted apertures in the middle of them, originally intended either for concealment or repc>se ; but so large as to admit of their being ultimately converted by feirmers into receptacles for ladders, and other agricultural implements. They were of such massive and durable construction, indeed, as rendered their demolition a matter of very difficult accomplish- ment. * A little to the south, there is a plot of grass twenty-two yards square, long unbroken by the plough or spade, which is al- leged to have formerly been furnished with a watch-tower. The next mentioned structure, though far inferior in strength, was nevertheless longer preserved entire ; for its being inhabited con- sists with the recollection of persons now alive. The site of the third was upon the eastern bank of the Oxnam, below the village, and was strongly fortified, both by nature, and by the skilful con- trivances of art. It was built on a bold rocky eminence, with pro- jecting battlements, and surrounded on three sides by water. In the interior of it, there was a deeply-sunk pit, which is said to have communicated with the passing stream, from which its inmates and defenders, when closely besieged, could readily supply them- selves. It had, besides, a strong wall of defence on the accessible * A tradition Is still current, that a fairy or brownie! assisted the people there in thrashing their com in olden times, and that in token of their gratitude for his ser- vices, an article of dress was placed fur his acceptance in the scene of his nocturnal labours ; but that he, hurt and offended at the very offer of remuneration of any sort, quitted the premises for ever, and on doing so, is said to have uttered his re- gret in these lines. Another edition. Sin ye've gien me a harden ramp,t Brownie's gotten a cloak and hood, Nae mair o* your corn I wull tramp. But brownie *il do nae mair good. t A coarse linen shirt. OXNAM. 26 1 side, wbich served to inclose a spacious outer court, and within which the cattle in the vicinity, being shut up, might be secured against those daring attempts at spoliation and rapine, commonly executed by freebooters under the cover of night. A few years only have elapsed since these remains of antiquity were nearly all removed, with a view to subserve and facilitate the purposes of modem im- provement ; and hence it may be truly said of these ancient but dilapidated fortalices, no less than of the mirthful festivities, the warlike preparations, and the boasted "chivalrous exploits of which they were by turns the scene, that every vestige almost has alike passed away from the remembrance and the sight of man. One fact has been rescued from the general oblivion, however, connected with Henwood, in the immediate vicinity of the Crag Tower. Into its deep and impervious fastnesses, which covered extensively the western banks of the Oxnam and the grounds ad- jacent, the border chiefs, accompanied by their feudal and military retainers, were wont to betake themselves, when their dangers were pressing and great ; and hence an occurrence, exceedingly fre- quent and alarming, gave rise to the memorable war-cry,-r-a Hen- woody ! which made one and all grow fierce, seize the readiest wez^n, and hasten eagerly for protection to the forest, of all others the most safely commodious place, both as a rendezvous and vefuge for the inhabitants. By this watch-word, too often the sig- nal for indiscriminate burning, devastation, and slaughter, no less than by the many ruins of a dignified but gloomy cast, with which this frontier parish abounded, we are sadly reminded of the trou- bles and rude habits so prevalent in that age ; and are led for- cibly to contrast these with the growing civilization and peaceful occupations that characterize the present times. To the west of Henwood, there appears a rising ground called Gallala Know, which the voice of tradition declares to have been the place appropriated for the execution of criminals during the Border wars. It is now enclosed and planted with trees. There is likewise a seemingly artificial tumulus, beautifully situated in the bosom of a sort of natural amphitheatre hard by the Crag Tower. It is a place, which, in bygone times, might have probably been occupied for the public administration of justice to the lieges. An iron helmet, imbedded in the ground near Cappuck, was dis- covered about sixty years ago ; but we are unable to state into whose hands it has now fallen. Also, at Stotfield there was found lately a large sized and elegantly formed pot or kettle, of the kind 262 ROXBURGHSHIRE. used for culinary purposes by the Romans, during their frequent encampments. It seems to consist of an alloy of copper, bears marks of the mould in which it was cast, and is of a capacity to contain one and a-half gallon. It is at present in the possession of the parochial clergyman. Besides, a shilling of Robert Bruce and two sixpences of Queen Anne were found at Newbigging, and other relics of antiquity, which we forbear particularly to notice. III. — Population. The ancient population of this parish cannot be ascertained. But in 1755 the number was 760 In 1801 it did not exceed 688 And in 1831 it amounted only to 676, comprising 348 males and 328 females. This gradual decrease must be ascribed to the early junction of small farms, and to the subsequent monopoly of larger ones. At present, six large farms are held by non-resident tenants. The ef- fect of this system has been, not so much, indeed, to deteriorate the condition, as to reduce the number of inhabitants. Every village is abolished, owing to the removal of all dwellings not deemed ne- cessary for accommodating the families of tradesmen and farm-ser- vants. The yearly average of births for the last seven years, is . 9 of deaths, - . . g of marriages, ... 3 The average number of persons under 15 years of age is •261 betwixt 15 and 80 . 195 30 and 50 - - 128 50 and 70 - - 82 upwards of 70 - - 15 No landed proprietor resides within the bounds of the parish, and the smallest estate is above L. 150 of yearly value. The number of bachelors and widowers upwards of 50 years of age is 8 of unmarried women and widows upwards of 45 years, 25 offkmilies, - . . 121 And the average number of children in each, 3 Number of families employed in agriculture, 69 trade and handicraft, 17 IV. — Industry. Agriculture. — It is accurately estimated that 3480 acres are either cultivated or occasionally in tillage, and that 16,990 acres, exclusive of plantations, remain unbroken and constantly in pas- ture. But it is evident from traces of the plough being still observ- able on many of the hilly grounds, that these must at a former period have been far more extensively under cultivation than at present In the meantime, however, they cannot be made to un- dergo even occasional tillage with profit, and are kept, therefore^ in permanent pasture. OXNAM. 263 Wood, — Tlie quantity of natural wood is about 50 acres ; and that of old and young plantations is 600 acres. The latter consist of the common kinds of forest trees ; but in point of numbers the larch and Scotch fir greatly predominate. What were planted lately, in addition to those which have stood for several years, are regularly thinned, pruned, and under excellent management, and consequently they are all in a vigorous and thriving state. A few of the aged ash, elm, and other deciduous forest-trees of a large rile still remain to attest, by their scattered and solitary appearance, the wide desolation produced by the hand of time. Rent — The average rent of cultivated land is about 16s. 6d. per acre. The charge for the annual keep of a cow is L. 5, 10s. ; of a three year old, L. 4; of a two year old, L.S, 7s. ; and of a cue year old, L. 2, 10s., all without turnips, but including a little hay in spring. The charge per annum for a full-grown sheep of the Leicester breed is L. 1, and for a young one, 12s., both getting a proportion of turnips in spring, and being otherwise pastured for the rest of the year. A Cheviot ewe pastured for the year is 8s. and of a young sheep, with a few turnips, 5s. for the same pe- riod. Breeds of Stock, — The sheep are almost exclusively of the Che- viot breed ; though, in some richer and more sheltered situations, the Leicester breed is preferred. The strictest attention has long been paid to the breeding and management of the former. Hence the method most commonly adopted for its improvement is this : a small number of the best and finest woolled ewes is selected from the general stock, to which valuable rams, sometimes pro- cured from the adjoining English counties, and sometimes pur- chased from, or exchanged with, a neighbouring farmer, are ad- mitted at the proper season ; and from their produce, rams of the first and most approved quality are afterwards chosen. Some manage Otherwise, for they buy Cheviot lambs, feed them upon turnips during winter, procure Leicester rams at the proper time, and at length dispose of the whole crop of half-bred lambs, and, subsequently, the ewes also, when ready for market Others again adopt still different methods, according to circumstances. The kind of cattle most usually reared is that of the short-horn- ed breed. No small attention is generally paid to the improve- ment of it The horses are of a moderate height, but powerful and active. Hutbandry, — The five-shift rotation is now almost universally t .OXVJUROH'""'"- other ,.f» •' """ V-ro'^'T-^^^t be «er«med. The .„cie.i p«P»l."°» "' *;'"" .„.,^ (ectoItl»»=!'""»Xe the Mmb.r o( f»°' „„, deemed »e 50 and 70 the sma^le«^ esua '- ^_^^ ^ '^'^Zt:,^^^'^^'''^' ^' -,.„ „.,n,b«t of *>="^^'"^'.t..,i women iu»> *'""* ,' o"»"""7' of children m™"" ■ , „ is ac».«clj -«■'«« »■«•''*„, of the hilljaa "p"" „rb.he«»H inpetmM.m'P*' 264 ROXBURGHSHIRE. prevalent The value of many farms has been much enhanced, by means of substantial fences, abundant draining, the liberal and extensive application of Ume, and more lately of bone manure too, which contributes to unfold the energies of the soil in a wonderful manner. In some parts, no trivial advantage has likewise been gained by forming embankments, though only upon a limited scale. The duration of leases commonly extends to nineteen years, which is held to be truly beneficial, both for the landlord and the occu- pying tenant. It tends to enrich the estate of the former, just be- cause it admits of the latter being reimbursed for whatever expen- ses might be unavoidably incurred in effecting judicious and im- portant improvements. Most of the farm-buildings are commo- dious and handsome, and the state of enclosures is good. Recent Improvements. — Large additional plantations, and like- wise numerous subdivisions and enclosures, have recently been form- ed, especially by the Marquis of Lothian, whose excellent and li- berally devised plans, when fully carried into execution, will great- ly contribute both to beautify and enrich his baronial estates in this quarter. Of late, fences of furze, or whin, have been extensively brought into use. They succeed admirably well on moorish or barren soils, where thorns would never grow ; and when properly dressed, besides being ornamental to the farm, are highly benefi- cial to the farmer. The roads running through the parish in vari- ous directions extend to about thirty miles. All the other roads, as well as the main line, which leads most directly from Kelso to the Carter, are kept in good repair. They are upheld by fiinds arising from the conversion of statute labour. The rate of assessment has seldom exceeded L. I for every hundred pounds Scots. It may be added, that the facilities of internal communication were happi- ly increased by means of three stone bridges lately built Amount of raw produce, — The average gross amount of raw pro- duce yearly raised in the parish, will be nearly as follows : Grain of all kinds, 7610 bolls, . . L. 9132 Turnips and potatoes, 652 acres, . . 2375 O Clover and meadow hay, 847 do. . . 2456 6 O Pastures, 18460 do. . . . . 5999 10 Gardens and orchards, . . . . 53 Wood felled, and thinnings of plantations, .. 105 Quarries, . . . . . 7 Rye-grass and turnip seed, . . . 60 O Miscellaneous produce, . . . . 110 ' L. 20297 16 V. — Parochial Economy. Marhet-'Toums — Means of Communication. — The distance fiom OXNAM. 265 Oxnam to Jedburgh, the nearest market-town, is four miles. Near- ly the whole of the disposable produce is sold there, the rest being sold at Kelso or Hawick, where also there are weekly markets, of which one 13 ten and the other fourteen miles distant. A daily coach from Ekliuburgh to Newcastle passes through it, and another runs from it to Edinburgh, and returns every alternate day. No fewer than ten persons, provided either with horses and carts, or donkeys, prosecute a sort of retail trade in bread, groceries, and other arti- cles. Numbers of the gipsy tribe frequent this neighbourhood, especially during the months of summer. As tFiey are less liable to be molested on the Roman road than other places, there, accord- ingly, betwixt thirty and forty have been observed to encamp for days together. Besoms, wicker baskets, and carthcn-ware, are what they usually offer for sale. Ecduiastical State. — The church was built in 1738, and is in a good state of repair, but is inconveniently situated for families dwel- ling in the more remote parts. To it belong four communion cups handsomely formed of silver, of which two were a donation from one individual, and two from another. Each pair has inscribed up- on it respectively the date of its presentation, and the name of the donor. The church is capable of accommodating 258 sitters. All the sittings are free, no pecuniary charge whatever having hither- to been made for them. The manse was rebuilt in 1831, on a more approved and ad- vantageous site. The extent of the glebe is from 12 to 13 acres, and its yearly value about L. 1, 4s. per acre. The amount of stipend, exclusive of L. 8^ 9s. 8d. of vicarage teind tack-duty, is 120 bolls * oatmeal ; and 87 quarters, 3 bushels, one-half quart barley. In general, divine service in the parish church is well attende 5 of deaths for the last seven years, > . 4 births, ... . . 10 marriages, - ... .4 The number of resident proprietors 3, who at least reside for the summer months. There are 5 masons, 2 ciirpenters, 2 tailors. 284 do. 290 574 260 do. 284 544 . . 565 ASHKIRK. 2\ 1 smith, and a respectable farrier. The number of agricultura labourers has not been accurately ascertained. IV. — Industry. Agriculture and Rural Economy. — I^ind cultivated, 2804 acres. The number of acres of pasture land has not been ascertained. I^and capable of cultivation with a profitable application of capital, inconsiderable. Land planted about 386 acres. Rent of Land. — The average rent of arable land in the parish is from 14s. to 15s. per acre ; for grazing, per cow, L. 4, for win- tering L. 1, 10s. ; of pasturing from 5s. to 6s. per sheep. The rental of the parish is about L. 4479, 7s. Wages. — Farm-servants with families, have in lieu of board, 3 loads of meal, the produce of a cow, and a certain (|uantity of po- tatoes planted. The average wages of such servants is from L. 9 to L. 10. Shepherds have for wages the keeping of forty-five sheep. The yearly wages of female servants vary from L. 5 to L. 7, exclu- sive of board. The artisans of the parish, such as masons, carpen- ters, and smiths, make, per day, from 2s. to 2s. 4d.; common labour- ers, such as roadmen, from Is. 8d. to 2s. Prices. — The average price of wool and sheep from 1826 to 1831 inclusive, has been accurately ascertained, which is as fol- lows : Cheviot wool laid with tar and butter, per stone of 24 lbs. English, 10s. 7d.; ditto laid with turpentine, 14s. 2d.; ditto purewhite 17s. Id.; stock wethers hogs unclipt, 12:*. 9d.; ditto ewe hogs unclipt, 14s. 2d.; ewe hogs sold at market, lis. 3d.; top wether hmbs, 6s. 6d« ; second ewe and wether lambs, 5s. 3d. ; draft ewes, 12s. 8d.; wethers unclipt, 19s. 9d.; wethers for turnip feeding, L. 1, Os. 6d. Breeds of Live-Stock* — The Cheviot is now the only breed of sheep in the parish ; the black-faced have entirely disappeared. On a few farms the Cheviot ewes are crossed with the Leicester breed, and produce what arc termed half-bred lambs, which yield a much higher price than Cheviot lambs ; but this advantage is gained with many drawbacks of another description, which render the ultimate results doubtful, except on a few farms peculiarly si- tuated. The present breed of cattle in the parish is what is term- ed the short-homed, being found upon the whole to be the most profitable. A few Highland cattle are wintered in tiie parish, on fiurms that have a sufficient command of bog hay. The dairy is in a great measure supplanted by the rearing of young cattle, but what butter is made in the parish is of tiic very best (piality, — our housewives being great adepts in this department. 276 ROXBURGHSHIRK. Husbandry and Produce. — The quantity of laud under cultivatioa in this parish must at one time have been very great, as traces of the plough are still visible upon hills now covered with heath* That any extent of this land could be reclaimed to yield a profit is very doubtful, from the great distance and consequent very high price of lime. Draining has been carried to a considerable extent, and might be yet farther extended with advantage. The avenige re- turn of white crops in the parish may be stated from 4 to 5 bolls per English acre; cultivated hay, 150 stones of 22 lb. per acre; turnips L. 4 per acre ; and potatoes L. 8. The land in the parish is in general very well fanned, both the four and five shift rotation being in practice. The length of leases may be stated from nine to fifteen years ; very few nineteen. V. — Parochial Economy. Means of Communication, — There is no market or post-oflSce in the parish, the distance from Selkirk being five, and from Hawick six miles. There are a few houses at Ashkirk, but nothing that de- serves the name of a village. There are two stone and one wooden bridge across the Ale within the limits of the parish, all of which are in good repair, with the exception of the one on the Edinbtu^h road, which is a great deal too narrow. The parochial roads are but indifferently kept, though the expense to both landlord and tenant is vcrv considerable. Ecclesiastical State. — The present church was built in 1791, is in good repair, and is seated for 202 persons, allowing 18 inches to each person. Tlie seats are all free. The church is conveni- ently situated, being nearly in the centre of the parish. The pre- sent manse was built in 1784. Some additions have since been made, and it is at present comfortable and commodious. It stands on an eminence, fronting the south, and commands a fine view of a beautiful opening of the valley, through which the river Ale runs. The glebe consists of nearly 14 acres, worth about Lw 1, lOs. per acre. The glebe has been greatly improved by the present in- cumbent, being judiciously subdivided by hedges, with small plots of trees, at the corners of each field. The stipend is 14 chalders, consisting of meal and barley, the average of which in money for the last seven years is L. 216, 6s.; allowance for communioD elements, L. 8, 6s. 8d. It deserves to be here mentioned, that the heritors of the parish, with a generosity which does them great ho- nour, allow the assistant clergyman L. SO per annum, and have ASIIKIRK. 277 done so for the last five years during the severe indisposition of the present incumbent Divine service is in general well attend- ed, and the deportment of the congregation highly decorous. The Earl of Minto is patron of the parish. The number of families in the parish attending the chapels of Dissenters or Seceders is 25. Edupation and Literature, — There is only one parochial school. The branches taught are, reading, writing, arithmetic, geometry, land-surveying and mensuration. The average number of scholars may be stated at 40. The schoolmaster's salary is L. 30, and the average amount of fees may be stated at from L. 16 to L. 17 per annum. He has a garden consisting of i rood 28 poles imperial measure. There is a large and handsome new school-house nearly ready for being opened, measuring 31 by 20^ feet within the walls. Libraries, — There is a very well managed parochial library, con- taining a very good selection of books ; and James Douglas, Esq. of Cavers, with a beneficence as honourable to him as beneficial to the parish, has sent a large number of volumes, which, after be- ing read, he withdraws, and replaces by others. P^ar and Parochial Funds, — The poor are chiefly supported by legal assessments, which amount from L.48 to L.56 per annum. The number of paupers upon the roll at present is 8, and three Cunilies receive temporary supply. It does not appear that pau- perism has been on the increase for a considerable number of years, from the data which the register affords ; but the direct tendency of the system of assessments is to weaken the ties of kindred, to lower the moral tone of the people, to relax industry, and to di- minish independence, unless met by powerful checks, from the pe- culiar situation of the parish. The yearly average collections at church amount to L. 6, 18s. 3d. Inns. — There are no inns in the parish, and the character of the inhabitants may be regarded as sober and industrious. JPUeL — The principal fuel used in the parish is peat and coal. But coal, being distant more than thirty miles, can never be rated under Is. 3d. percwt ; and often it is much higher, which makes the expense of coal so great as to place that article beyond the reach of the poor. But not only this parish, but the whole surrounding district, suffer the pressure of this great evil, which admits of no effectual cure, but a rail-road through the. Carter Fell. 278 llOXBrilGHSHlHE. Miscellaneous Observations. Since the date of the last Statistical Account of this parish, the condition of the people has been highly improved in three essen- tial elements of human happiness. The great mass of the inhabit tants are better fed, clad, and educated, than their fathers were at the period to which we have referred. Farming is much better understood and practised in every department ; a much larger quan- tity of produce is raised from the same surface ; and the breeding and management of stock have been carried to a Ifigh state of per- fection. Both the new farm-houses and cottages have in gene- ral been improved, in accommodation and in comfort. And the new offices that have been built, are more ample and convenient. But, with all these great improvements, still much remains to be done. Draining might be farther extended with great advantage, and, were landlords to afford their tenants liberal assistance in lim- ing various parts of the parish, the crops would be much earlier, safer, and more productive. And on the stock farms, in the higher parts of the parish, there is a great want of plantation for shelter. The writer of these re- marks is not unaware, that there are farmers who demur to this spe- cies of shelter as inducing sheep to too much repose and inactivi- ty in seeking food ; but the objection has the misfortune of being directly opposed to some of the best established physical condi- tions, on which the health and productiveness of ruminating ani- mals are known to depend. March 1837. PARISH OF BEDRULE. PRESBTTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSR AND TEVIOTDALE, THE REV. ARCHIBALD CRAIG, MINISTER. I- — Topography and Natural History. Name. — The name of the parish, as well as that of the stream near which it is situated, appears to be of Gaelic origin. From the modem spelling, one might be led to suppose that the village is so called, from its being in the hollow or what once formed the channel of the river. But neither the position of the village, nor the old spelling, will warrant this conclusion. It was formerly writ- ten Bedderull, Bedderoull, and Badroull^ and the inhabitants still pronounce it as if written BetherulL Rule^ or more properly Roull, iscomposed of two Gaelic words, and has no reference to orconnec« tion with St Reguhis — /22icA vented ISuthcr resistance. What became of him, after he bad thua fidlen inle Uit hands of his enemies, the writer has nut been able to learn. BEDRULE. 28d Raudolph married Bethoc, the heiress of some lands in Teviotdale. The descendants from this marriage assumed, in the thirteenth century, the surname of Randolph. Sir Thomas Randolph, after- wards Earl of Murray, was the great grandson. * We find a charter granting the lands of Bedrule, called Bethocnile, to James Douglas, who is styled Militi dilecto et fideU nostro — by Robert I. But the charter being mutilated, the date and witnesses' names do Dot appear.-|- The family of the Turnbulls, famous for their predatory habits in ancient times, produced a man no less illustrious as a scholar than as a benefactor to his country. This was William Turnbull, son of Turnbull of Bedrule. He was first a prebendary of Glas- gow, afterwards Doctor of Laws, and Archdeacon of St Andrew's, in the bounds of Lothian a Privy- Counsellor, and keeper of the privy-seal. He is styled William de Turnbull Dno Prebendse pri- vati sigilli custodi anno 144Lt When Bishop Bruce was trans- ktedfromDunkeldto Glasgow 1447, Turnbull was elected Bishop of Dunkeld ; but Bruce dying in the same year, Turnbull was then elected Bishop of Glasgow, and consecrated in the month of April 1448. This bishop (says Keith) was a person of an excellent charac- ter. In 1452 or 1453, be procured a bull from Pope Nicholas V. for erecting a College for literature within the city of Glasgow ; after the complete settlement of which noble monument of his care for the cultivation of learning, he took a journey to Rome, where he died 8d September 1454.§ Rewcastle, or as it is written in old records, Roughechester, Rewlcastle, or Rouchcastle, b said to be a place of great antiqui- ty. The castle has vanished, and even the site can hardly be dis- tiDgiushed*-€fiam periere ruiiuB. There is a tradition that the courts of Justice were originally held there, and afterwards remov- ed to Jedburgh. The farm-house is substantial, being lately erected ; but the rest of the houses are in a very ruinous condi- tion. Under the tasteful and active management, however, of the • duam. CUed. Vol. iii. p. 71- f Rot. i. No. 12 Regittr. Mag. Sig. Robert I. Bethoc inherited the lands of Btilioenile and Rougbechcater, which is now called Rewcastle, in Teviotdalc. Rao- dolph, the Km of Dunegal, and his wife Bethoc, granted to the monks of Jedburgh, • Mrmeate of land with common of pasture, in £e Till of Rughcchestcr, and this mnt was confirmed by William the Lion. The original charter was engraved by Sill mnnlioence of the Duke of Buccleuch.— -Chalmers, Gated. Vol. iii. p. 71>7*^' * X R^* Chart. C CaUlogue of the Scottish Bishops down to 1688. By the Right Kcr. Robert Kcitb.-*audmers*8 Caled. Vol. liL p. 622. 286 ROXBURGHSHIRE. present proprietor, George Pott, Esq. of Dod, we may expect soon to see a great improvement on this farm. He has already com** menced erecting stables, forming part of a plan of new officesi which, in point of elegance and accommodation, are of a very superior kind. The situ£^tion of Rewcastle commands the view of one of the most extensive and varied landscapes in the country. In this landscape, you have the vale of the Teviot from Hawick almost to the Tweed, bounded on N.W. and N. by Elildon Hills, the Lammermoor Hills, Home Castle and the fertile plains of the Merse; and on the south, and west by the giant height of Ruberslaw, and the range of hills which stretch to the Etterick and Yarrow. There are few places in this county capable of more improvement, and in the hands of the present spirited pro- prietor much may be expected. This property formed a part of the estate of Knowsouth, long in the possession of the ancient fa- mily of the Rutherfords of Knowsouth. But shortly afler the death of the late Captain Rutherford, the estate was sold by his heirs to the present proprietors. Knowsouth. — William O. Rutherfurd, Esq. of Edgerston, and Sheriff of the county of Roxburgh, is now the proprietor of Know- south, having purchased it from Charles Scott, Esq. one of the heirs of the late Captain Rutherford. Mr Rutherfurd has been at great expense in building a very elegant villa, and in making other improvements on a similar scale. The house is of that style of architecture which is known by the name of the Elizabethan style, of which we have other specimens in the neighbourhood. It is, however, more ornamented than any I have seen, and the situation, that of the old mansion-house, being admirably adapted for this style of building, and well surrounded with wood, gives a grand and imposing appearance, as seen from the high road between Kelso and Hawick, which passes near it. Nor does it lose much from a nearer inspection. There are few more delicious spots than Know- south, and a more appropriate style of architecture than that adopted by Mr Rutherfurd can scarcely be imagined. There are two magnificent elms at a little distance from the house, which de- serve particular notice, not so much from their size, which is very considerable, as from their wide spreading and numerous branches) which extend in every direction from the parent trunk. One of them measures 1 2 feet 3 inches in circumference, the other 1 1 feetd inches^ They seem to have been coeval with the old mansion-hous^ and to have been pollards, which may account for the great number of BEDRULE. 287 branches all springing out near one another* They must at least be a century old. Newtan.'^This village, in point of size and importance, is next to Bedrule. The estate of Newton formerly belonged to a family of the name of Ker, cadets of the family of Fernihirst There was a house of strength there, which is now demolished. The foundations of the old mansion-house, with the venerable avenue of trees, still bespeak the taste and grandeur of the olden times. It was lately in the possession of William Ogilvie, Esq. of Chesters, who sold it to the present proprietors, Thomas and John Scott, Esqs. The com- munion cups of Bedrule church were a present from Ker of New- ton and his lady, according to the inscription* on each of them, bearing date 1716. Newton now forms but one farm, though it was divided into two in the memory of persons still living. But Stirkriggi the name of the other farm, is not now discernible, the farm-house and all its appendages have passed away, and the plough has obliterated all vestiges of the place where it stood. Proprietors and Tenants. — Sir William Francis Eliott, Bart, of Stobs and Wells, is the chief heritor, being the proprietor of Bed- rule and Fulton. Besides Sir William, there are four considerable proprietors, and four smaller ones. None of the heritors are resi- dent, except George Bell, Esq. of Menslaws, who farms his own property with great skill and success. Parochial Re^ster. — The registration of births, deaths, and mar- riages, seems to have been kept much better at an early period, than at present The Session Records of this parish go back as far as about 1660; but the precise date cannotbe ascertained, as the leaves at the beginning have been mutilated. This book, bolh for its singular form and penmanship, and the minuteness and accu- racy with which every public transaction both of ministers and el- ders, is recorded, both on Sundays and on week-days, is a valu- able reliqiie of the olden times. It is of a narrow oblong form, be- ing a folio doubled lengthways, like a merchant's day-book. The paper is coarse, and so closely written that every inch of it is oc- cupied* It is to be regretted that many pages at the commence- ment and in some other places are so worn and defaced as to be il^gible. The registration of births has been very irregularly kept for many years past, and though the present incumbent has repeatedly and earnestly impressed the propriety and duty of parents enrolling * The words of the inscription are — " This cup gifted by Newton Ker and his I^die to tbt ebiirefa of Bcdaroulc, 1 7 1 6.'* 288 ROXBURGHSHIRE. the names of their children born in the parish, he cannot boast of much success. Clergy. — Mr Joseph Tennent is mentioned in an old record of presbytery, as minister of Bedrule, as far back as 1606, and seema to have been one of the first incumbents after the Reformation. He lived till about 1631. He also held, for a considerable time, the living of Abbotrule, the cure of which he likewise served till about 1621 ; when it was disjoined from Bednile, and Mr James Ker, laird of the Grange, (an estate in Abbotrule,) was ordained there, and was the first Protestant minister of that parish after its disjunction from Bedrule. Mr Tennent was succeeded by Mr Da- vid Fowlis, who was admitted dOth October 1633, by the Bishop of Caithness, * and presbytery of Jedburgh. Mr Fowlis was soon after translated to Oxnam, which in those times seems to have been considered as one of the most valuable livings in the south of Scot- land ; and Mr Henry Peirson succeeded him in the benefice of Bedrule. But the Covenanters soon after gaining the ascendancy, both these gentlemen were removed from their churches, for their attachment to Episcopacy. Mr Henry Elliot was the Presbyterian minister who succeeded Mr Peirson, and was admitted by the presbytery of Jedbui^, as- sisted by commissioners, from the neighbouring presbyteries of Selkirk, Kelso, and Erselton ; and died about 1653^ The church of Bedrule was kept vacant, in those contentious times, for the space of five years. Mr Hugh Scott was ordained here 17th March 1658. He did not continue long minister; for on the re- establishment of Episcopacy, he was removed from his church for nonconformity. Mr James Adamson, minister of Carriden, was preferred to the living of Bedrule, 7th September 1664^ and con- tinued minister here during the reigns of Charles and James, and seems to have died about the time of the Revolution. He was succeeded by Mr James Borland in 16M, who was the first mi- nister settled here after Presbyterianism was re-established. From his epitaph, written in respectable Latin, we learn that he met with a good deal of opposition from the Episcopalians in the pa* rish — ^^ qui juvenis veritatis viam per varios casus et praelatis ipsum persequentibus invictus tenuit."-t* Mr Borland was succeeded by Mr John Gilchrist in 1714, who in 1748 was succeeded by Mr * Dr John Abernethy, then Bishop of Caithness, and mlntoter of Jedbux|^. He was t)ie author of a work, entitled A Christian and Heavenly Troatise, contmnin^ Physic for the SouL f Epitaph in Bedrule church-yard. BEDRULE. 289 George Dickson,* whom the late Mr William Brown succeeded in 1788, and died 2dd May 1836, — having been minister of Bed- rule for tHe long space of forty-eight years. The present incum- bent was appointed assistant and successor to the late Mr Brown in 1892. The late Mr Brown was a man of considerable talents and literature. Previously to his being ordained a minister, he taught as an usher in an academy in France, and in one in the neighbour- hood of London, besides being some time a teacher in Watson's Hospital at Edinburgh ; and was tutor in the family of Sir John Stewart of Allanbank at the time he was presented by the late Joseph Hume, Esq. of Ninewells, to the church and parish of Bedrule. He published an edition of the New Testament, with short explanatory notes, and marks to guide the learner in pro« * It was during Mr Dickson's incumbency that the iniquitous transaction of the ■ u pp rea s i on of the parish and church of Abbotrule took place, which Mr Dickson ■drvnuously opposed, along with Dr Charters of Wilton. Mr Dickson's reasons of ]protMt are recorded in the Presbytery records, and as they are cogent in argument, mnd TCTf interotiog in the present state of the Church of Scotland, I have deemed it proper to insert them in full. Protest of Mr George Dickson, Minister of Bedrule. From this reM)lution of prcsbjrtery Mr George Dickson dissented, and craved that lusdiMentf with the reasons thereof^ might be recorded in this day'b minute^ and took InitmixieDts in the clcrk*s hands, May 7* 1777> TIm reatons are : InKK Because he humbly conceives that this method of constituting a pastoral rek- tlon is without rule or precedent in this Reformed Church, nay is such a dangerous iniiovatioii as the presbytery by their ordination vows are bound to guard against. SdOy Because such a/aux pat in our Presbyterial conduct will be watchwl by our dif nfing neiglibours, as a very welcome handle to draw away to themselves many of our people, as well as a great part of these annexed parishes. 9tioy Because he conceives it is unwarrantable to appoint or require the people of Abbotrule parish to attend public institutions and divine worship at So Jthdean and fiobkirky without first holding visitations of these two churches, and finding proper aeeommodation lor their people so appointed — ^proper places to attend divine wordiip JDm ■ the present places of worship there will accommodate little more than one- half of the inhabitants so conjoined,^— and he presumes that the presbytery will not pre- tend to dispensing powers, allowing one-half of their congregations to stay at home, JMIJ9 not even till such repairs of their churches, were they set about just now, should be eieeuted ; hx less when they do not know about when they shall be set about. He docs not dispute but these present houses might hold twice as many, — for any thing be knows, ten times as many, disembodied spirits. But while the worshippers there continue in the body, it necessarily behoves the presbytery, he presumes, to take care that those embodied worshippers have places to worship in, suited to their preient embodied state. And there seems the more reason to doubt of these repairs being ipeedily, if ever, made. That after all that has been said of maintaining a •diool at Abbotrule, Uie school-house is going into disrepair, already it is stated : and there has becm a school kept there, thu last season, to the no small danger, if not eertain detriment of some persons' souls. Complaints thereof has lately been made to him, aa member of presbytery, again and again. Such complaint is fiir ftt>m be- ing groundless or trivial ; the instruction of youth in the great Christian Book be- ing of ineipresriUe importance. Craving leave to add more reasons, if he shall af- Eitracted from the Records of the Presbytery of Jedburgh. G£o. Dicksok. 290 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Dunciation. It is a very useful book, and might be very advan- tageously introduced into public schools. Suppression of Churches. — The suppression of the parish and church of Abbotnile, (said to have been formerly a pendicle of Bedrule,) and the uniting it to the already too extensive parishes of Southdean and Hobkirk, was a most unjustifiable transaction, to use no harsher term, and hurtful both to the religious and moral improvement of the people, and withal a most impolitic step. It is grievous to think of the many suicidal acts of this nature, which many presbyteries throughout the Church of Scotland committed during last century. Neither of the leading parties of the church are blameless in this matter ; for they seem to have vied with one another in this absurd conduct, however much they differed in other things. In country parishes, the writer firmly believes, that this suppression and annexation of parishes, and, along with the sup- pression of the church, the suppression also of the parish schools^ as in the case before us, has been one of the most fertile causes of dissent. The church is now reaping the bitter fruits of these misdeeds, in the bold and menacing attitude which a huge body of Dissenters in this country have now taken against our Establish- ment. It is to be regretted that the Church Extension Committee have, in all their laborious statistical investigations, never thought of devoting their attention to this subject. An investigation into all the suppressed parishes and churches in Scotland during last century, would lead to many discoveries, most important at this critical position of our national church. It would show how much the spirit of sectarianism has been promoted in many parts of the country from this single cause. It would show how much the pea- santry in the districts of the suppressed parishes had suffered,*- not only from their'greater distance from their new parish church, but from the distance of the school being such as to prevent the greater part of their children from attending it, for one-half of the vear. III. — Population. The population of this parish, by the return to Dr Webster in 1775, was 297 souls. In 1793^ the number was about 259. At present, according to a census made by the author, the number is 257, of whom 116 are males, and 141 females. In 18d2, the population amounted to 300 and upwards, — since which time there has been a remarkable decrease. The decrease may be account- ed for by the decay of cot-houses, and the tendency of late to BEDRLLE. 291 convert arable iDto pasture lands, which require fewer bauds. In the farm of Rewcastle, there were in 1832, 39 inhabitants, whereas at present there are only 21. There are in the parish under 10 years of age, . 78 from 1 to 20 . 64 20to50 • 86 50 to O'O m J4 tfO to 70 m 11 70 to 80 • 4 Almost the whole population is engaged in agriculture. There are two stocking-weavers, and one smith, but neither tailor, shoe- maker, nor joiner in the whole parish. These must be sought at Denholm or Jedburgh ; — the former, two, — the latter, three miles and a-half from the village of Bedrule. What can be better want- edf we have neither alehouse nor whisky-shop. The inhabitants in general, as in most pastoral districts, are sim- ple in their manners, and temperate in their habits, and pretty re- gular in their attendance on divine ordinances. The late excite- ment with regard to politics has even reached this retired spot, and has done much to unsettle their calm and peaceful habits, and sour their dispositions. But it is to be hoped that this excitement irill soon pass away, as there are already symptoms of melioration in this respect, and that the sound sense and deep religious feel- ing, for which the peasantry of this country have been so long dis- tinguished, will regain their wonted sway over their minds. It has been remarked to the author, and confirmed by his own experi- ence, that there is less gaiety and cheerfulness among the labouring classes than in former times, and that the song of the milk-maid, and the whistling of the ploughman, which were so common in this land of poetry and song — are now seldom heard. This most in- nocent and heart-cheering amusement, every lover of his kind — every one who takes a deep interest in the happiness of the rural population, the nerves and sinews of a country — cannot but wish to see revived, and that those sweet pastoral songs, with all their in- teresting associations, may again be heard — cheering the labours of the field, delighting the listening ear, and awakening in the mind the most pleasing emotions. The improvement which has lately taken place, generally through- out the country, in habits of neatness and cleanliness, is very con- spicuous in this parish. Not only are the houses of the farm-ser- vants more substantial and commodious, but the furniture is of a superior kind to what was usual in former times. There are few 292 ROXBURGHSHIRE. cottages in the parish where you will uot find a handsome eight- day clock, standing beside a very neatly arranged bink of crockery ware. Two cottages belonging to George Bell, Esq. of Menslaws, deserve particular notice, for their superior accommodation and comfort Either of them would have been considered a very com- fortable farm house, fifty or a hundred years ago. The floor of one of them surpasses, in one respect, any thing of the kind perhaps in the whole county. It is made of a compost of lime and gravel ; and for hardness and smoothness, and appearance, equals any co- vered with flags, and will last, if properly taken care of, as this seems to be, longer than one laid with freestone flags. The dress of the peasantry is neat and becoming. The plaid or maud of the borders, consisting of black and white, or blue and white checks, is almost universal among the men, and they arrange it with a good deal of taste. The dress of the female peasantry is very neat and showy — in many cases too gaudy and expensive m their station. The straw bonnet, of various shapes and hues, is very general. IV. — Industry. Rental. — The valued rent is L. 3475, Ids. 4d. Scots. The real rent cannot easily be ascertained, as there is a cojisiderable portion of the estates farmed by the proprietors. One tenant pays above Lb 900 Sterling, another L. 610, another L.405, and one farm, that was farmed by the present proprietor previously to his pur- chasing it, was let at about L. 350. Farming. — The system of farming is generally what is called the four or five year shift, according to the following order, adopted by Mr Brodie of Bedrule, which may be considered as the standard, not only in this parish, but through a great proportion of the county. First year, fallow or turnip ; second year, wheat after plain fal- low ; third and fourth years, grass ; fifth year, oats. There is a variation after turnip in the second year, when barley or oats take the place of wheat, which is only sown in a fine season. Some- times, beans are sown instead of the second year's grass ; but they are not much cultivated in this parish. Mr Bell of Menslaws adopts what is rather unusual beside the four year shift, a rotation of seven years, and may be called the seven year shift, according to the following order : first year, oats from lea ; second year, beans ; third year, wheat ; fourth year, turnips ; fifth year, barley ; sixth year, grass ; seventh year, grass. That this rotation is well BEDRULE. 293 « adapted to the soil of Menslaws, there is the best of all proofs, the production of excellent crops. Manure. — In addition to dung and compost, bone-dust has been introduced to a considerable extent, and its beneficial effects have been, as elsewhere, strikingly exhibited* Lime is used to a great extent, and as there is none now prepared in the parish, it is brought from a great distance, either from Northumberland or Lid- desdale. Lbrd Douglas has lately erected some lime-kilns on the north side of the Carter, for the supply of his own tenants, and it is to be hoped, that they will be opened to the public also, which, on account of the proximity to this and some of the neighbouring parishes, would be conferring a great benefit. Sheqp. — The number of sheep in the parish is about 110 score ; they are almost all of the Cheviot breed. Mr Jerdon, the tenant of Rewcastle, of a stock of 30 score, hasgenerally a considerable num* ber of his ewes put to Leicester tups, and the produce are half- bred lambs. Mr Bell of Menslaws has thirteen Merinos from the royal flock of Spain. He has had them only for a short time, but expects they will succeed in a dry soil. They ane rather smal- ler than the Cheviot breed, and their wool not nearly so white, having a brownish tinge, and being in smaller quantity than in the native sheep. There are no black-faced sheep reared here, although the pasture seems well adapted for them. The sheep walks in this parish are, in a great measure, composed of heath, which, although it does not grow to the height and thickness of stem found in other parts of the country, is of an excellent quality, and when in blossom has a beautiful and luxuriant ap- pearance. The sheep thrive remarkably upon it, and are sel- dom tainted with disease. It requires great attention and ma- nagement by burning it down at certain seasons. The practice adopted, and found by experience to succeed best, is to burn it every four or five years. Cattle. — The kind of cattle is what is called the short-homed breed, of a middling size, colour generally red or white, and a mixture of these colours. Mr Brodie generally purchases about thirty Highland cattle or Kyloes yearly, which being kept about a year are sold in the month of September. Most of the farmers feed a few cattle for the butcher, some of which may rank in quality with those which are reared by the best breeders in the country. 294 ROXBURGHSHIRE. fVaff€3.^'The wages of a common labourer, without victuals, are Is. dd. in winter, and 2s. in summer. A gardener receives Is. 6d. per diem, with his victuals, and a dram after the labours of the day are finished. A joiner receives 2s. 6d. and a mason Ss. a day. The gains of a farm-servant, or hind, consist of the following items in money and victual; L. 3 Sterling, 5 bolls of oat -meal, 280 pounds to the boll, barley, 10 firlots or 15 bushels, pease 4 firlots, 1200 or 1400 yards of potatoes planted; a* cow's main- tenance summer and winter ; allowed to keep six hens, or IDs. in lieu ; also a pig ; (for house and plot of garden ground, the hind must furnish a shearer during harvest ;) the driving of five or six single horse cart load of coals, for which he pays prime cost at the pit He has, besides, a month's victuals during harvest, whether engaged in the reaping department or otherwise. The gains of a shepherd, as might reasonably be expected, are greatly above those of a hind, but fluctuate with the value of stock, which constitutes a chief part of his gains. Shepherds have in some instances thirty sheep, and are allowed to keep a cow, and one or more pigs — besides a certain quantity of potato ground. Some shepherds, who are industrious and economical, realize conside- rable property, and there are instances, in the neighbourhood, of their being able to take an extensive farm. Gardens and Orchards. — There are good kitchen gardens in the parish, and a considerable quantity of fruit raised ; but the cli- mate does not suit the production of the finer kinds of fruit. Ap- ple trees thrive better than pear trees, and plums better than either, — especially that small yet most valuable plum, called Dam-> son. There is an orchard consisting of several acres of ground at Knowsouth ; * but the trees are old, and many of them decayed, and do not appear to be productive. There are also the remains of an orchard at Newton. Arable Land and Produce, — The number of arable acres in the parish is 1600. The average quantity of grain raised per acre is five bolls. Of these 1600 acres of arable land, one-fifth is regu- larly cropped with turnips and potatoes, with the exception of a small part in plain fallow. Of the grain raised, about three-fourths are consumed in the parish. The number of acres sown with turnips is about twenty-five, the average value of which per acre is nearly * Since this account was put to press, the greater part of Knowsouth, contaiDiQC the elegant mansion mentioned above, has been purchased by George Pott, £aq. w Dod, — Rewcastle and Knowiouth being thu& again united under one proprietor. DEDRULE. 295 L 5 Sterling. About twenty acres are planted with potatoes, which produce yearly about 800 bolls, most of which are consum- ed at home. A portion of both meadow and cultivated hay is rais- ed ; but the writer has not been able to ascertain the quantity, or any thing like an approximation to it. All that is raised is con- sumed on the different farms. The quantity of wool grown in the parish is about 400 stones annually. v.— Parochial Economy. Vittaget and Country Seats, — There is no village of any consi- derable size in the parish. Bedrule itself, once a populous place, has now dwindled away to little more than a farm onstead. The houses in the village were all lately built, and being covered with slate, faave^ from their situation, a very neat and cheerful appearance. The farm-house of Mr Brodie is partly new, and is very commo- dious, and from its site, which has been chosen with great taste, it has a very imposing appearance, and commands a wide prospect of scenery in a high degree beautiful and magnificent. Church. — The present church was erected about thirty-four years ago. It is built on the site of the old one, and though not so long, is oonsiderably broader, and is capable of holding about 140 indivi- duals* It is situated on the top of the bank, having a pretty steep ascent from the level of the stream, and has a commanding view of the surrounding country. What is rather uncommon, the bel- fry is on the eastern gable of the building, and has an awkward appearance. Sir W. F. Eliott, Bart, chief heritor, got a plan drawn Out of a proposed improvement, with an elegant spire on the west ^ud for a belfry and clock, and Gothic windows instead of the pre- sent ones. This plan, if carried into effect, would render the church One of the most beautiful and picturesque of country churches. Ilie expense would not be great, as the finest freestone in the ^^untry could be got from Sir William's quarry in the neigh- lH>urhood. It would also add to the accommodation, by converting t>oth the present passages into seat room, and affording the conve- nience of a vestry, which in all country churches at any conside- rable distance from the manse, is of great importance both to the Comfort and health of minister and elders. Man»e. — The manse was built, according to a date affixed to the lintel of the kitchen window, in 1794, and is a very substantial and ^mmodious house, without any of the gaudy ornaments of some lately erected manses. The great objection to it is the too great 296 ROXBURGHSHIRE. ■ number of windows, which lay a tax on the minister disproportion- ed to his stipend. Half the number of windows would have been sufficient ; but it was built when clergymen paid no window-tax. Of the 46 families in the parish, 25 attend the parish church, and 21 belong to Dissenting congregations of different denomi- nations. There is no dissenting place of worship in the parish ; but those who frequent such places go to Jedburgh. School — The school-house was built a few years ago, and both it and the schoolmaster's dwelling-house are very substantial and commodious. The schoolmaster*s salary is Lb 26 Sterling, with the usual quantity of garden ground, and six days darg of tur£ The number of pupils attending thi^ school, in former times, used to be much greater than now ; but, owing to the decrease of the inhabitants in the village and neighbourhood and other causes, the number has much decreased. The branches taught are, reading, writmg, arithmetic, and book-keeping. The Bible is the general class-book, and the Assembl/s Shorter Catechbm regularly taught. Some of the more advanced pupils read Barrie's Collec- tion. Poor. — These are supported by assessment fixed by the heri- tors at their meetings, held twice yearly for this purpose. The al- lowance to paupers is generally between 2s. and 8b. weekly. In some urgent cases, more is allowed ; but Ss. may be considered as the average. There are but four on the list at present, so that the poor's rates of the parish are very trifling. Indeed, there are few parishes in Scotland where public burdens in general, as they are denominated, are so light Five hundred merks were mortified to the poor of the barony of Bedrule 1695, by William Ramsay in Bedrule mill, and Margaret TurnbuU his wife ; of which the &mily of Cavers Carre are left trustees. Mrs Mary Anne Stevenson, relict of the Rev. James Borland, (formerly mention- ed) sunk L. 100 Scots to the poor of this parish, of which, accord- ing to the account in the parish records, the session appear to have been appointed 4^y her as the overseers. Of the interest of these sums, mortified by pious individuals, the poor of this parish hava received nothing for several years, and the writer has not been able to gain any satisfactory account of what became of the deeds of mortification. Gbneral Remarks. A few years ago, there was a great spirit of emigration in this parish, as in most other parishes in the neighbourhood. But, since BEDRULE. 2^7 the year 1834, a year fatal to thousands of emigrants from this country, who fell victims to cholera soon after their landing in Canada, the fever of emigration has in a great measure sub- sided. The inhabitants of this parish and of the neighbouring parishes have several striking peculiarities of dialect. For instance, instead of me and he, they pronounce these words as if written mti and hii\ instead of tree, they say trei\ and three, threi^ which is pre- cisely the German drei, by the substitution of th instead of tl » They pronounce the Scotch twa, with a peculiar drawl, making it a dissyllable, as if written tweah ; and brae they make bre.ik. All these sounds are rather pleasant to tlio car ; but their pronuncia- tion of the initial h in some words is harsh, and cacophonous in no ordinary degree. Thus the proper name-Hope, signifying a par- ticular kind of glen, they pronounce as if written whupj) ; and hole, as xiwhull; horn as if whimu These peculiarities, as far as the author has been able to ascertain, are confined to the higher districts of Roxburghshire. It might afford a curious subject of inquiry how this peculiarity of sounding the initial h originated, and how far it might serve to throw light on the Aeolic Digam- ma, a subject which has so long divided and perplexed scholars " et adhuc sub judice lis est." These peculiarities of dialect are, of course, generally confined to the lower ranks of the people, — al- though, such is the effect of habit and imitation, you hear some- times people, from whose education and rank you might augur differently, utter the same harsh and barbarous sounds. May 1837* KOKDUKGU. U PARISH OF KELSO. PRESDYTERY OF KELSO, SYNOD OF MER8E AND TEVIOTDALE. THE REV. J. M. MACCULLOCH, A. M. MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — Kelso,* formerly written Kellsowe, and at still more re- mote periods, Calchow and Calkow, is supposed to owe its name to the cliff on which part of the town stands. The name Calkow is composed of two words, — the Celtic calch or ctalc^ chalk, and the Anglo- Saxon ho or hmo, a height : and as the cliff referred to con* tains gypsum and other calcareous earths, the appellation Cortt- how (Scottice Cauk^heitgh) is far from inappropriate. The hard and soft sounds of cli being interchangeable, the original pronun- ciation KaUow would readily slide into the softened KaleAow ; while the further transition of Kalc/iow into KaLsAow, and thence into Kelsow and Kelso is easily accounted for by the usus entmei" audi of the Scottish border. Up to this day, the illiterate part of the rural population give soft ch its French sound, and pronounce cheap, cheat, &c. as if the orthography was sheap, sheat Topofp'aphical Features. — In shape, the parish is nearly trian- gular ; its greatest length is about 5 miles, its greatest breadth about 3. It is divided into two nearly equal parts by the River Tweed, which intersects it in a north-easterly direction, for about three miles : and as the parish stretches longitudinally in a direc— ^ tion at right angles to the river, so as to form a transverse sections of the vale of the Tweed, its topographical features necessarily em — brace both dale and upland, and exhibit the varied character inse- parable from the scenery of a wide and beautifully-diversified val — ley. In the northern division, the country gradually rises fromth^^ * KcJso is not the only name in the parish which exhibits traces of the successi^^* possession of this part of Scotland by the Britons and Saxons. TnH:ed% the name ^^-' the principal river, is the Catubro-British Tmdd, the border of a country. The oZ Saxon Lkaw, or laxo^ a hill, enters into the name of not less than five heights in parish, viz. Brox-/asp, Galla-Zatr, Sharpit./rzTr, Spy-/i/v, SoMatu» One place. Woe has the Saxon d:an as its affix ; another, IMuse-rJ^' has the Saxon rig- There is no of Scandinavian names; but the Norman vUl appears in Maxtrr/7, which was ori nally written Maccusr'i//, and named from Maccus, the proprietor of the parish Maxwell, in the timeof King David I. KELSO. 299 river's edge^ in a series of undulating ridges nearly parallel to each other and to the river ; while, in the soutlicrn, the general slope of the ground, which also gradually rises as it recedes from the Tweed, is modified both by the precipitous character of the river-banks and by the valley on the west, through which the Teviot pours its tri- butary waters into the Tweed. Viewed from the distant heights of Stitchell and Hume, Kelso appears to occupy a level surface at the bottom of a wide and richly-wooded strath ; but when seen in bird's-eye view from the vicinity of the river, it presents the ap- pearance of an amphitheatre, varied as well in its physical outlines as in its artificial adornments, — intersected by two broad and noble rivers, and having for its boundary a circle of wooded heights. Situation of Town, — The town is situate on the north bank of the Tweed, nearly opposite to the point where the Teviot falls into it ; and consequently forms the centre of this amphitheatre. Nor is it unworthy of its environs. Like other towns lying on the banks of rivers, its principal street, following the line of the river, is tortuous and irregular, but it can boast of a square of no incon- ^siderable size, and some architectural pretensions. And its houses throughout being generally built of a light-coloured stone and roofed with blue slate, impart to the place an elegant and city-like air, which preserves its title to the description given of it by Pat- ten so long ago as the time of Edward VI., as ^^ a pretty market- town-*' Scenery.— The picturesque beauty of the scenery about Kelso is too well known to render any description necessary here. It be- 'oxigs^ indeed, to the class of the beautiful rather than the roman- tic ; and its pleasing effect is due, not so much to the command- ^^g character of any single object, as to the blending, combination, *»id harmony of the whole. Yet it may be questioned if Scotland Contains a spot superior to it in its own style of beauty, or richer in ■^^"bjects for the portfolio of the artist. " Bosom'd in woods where mighty rivers run, Kelsons fair vale expands before the sun ; Its rising downs in vernal beauty swell, And, fringed with hazel, winds each flowery dell : Green spangled plains to dimpling lawns succeed, And Temp* rises on the banks of Tweed : Blue o*er the river Kelso's shadow lies And copse-clad isles amid the water rise."* ^t ought to be added, that the charm of a locality, thus beauti- • Lc'vde:^ — " Scenes of Infancy." * ■ 300 ROXBURGHSHIRE. ful in itself, is in no small degree enhanced by the historical and legendary associations which are connected with it, — a circum- stance of which no stronger proof need be adduced than Sir Wal- ter Scott's testimony, that to this very scenery, amidst which he spent the latter period of his boyhood, he could trace the awak- ening within himself of that " love of natural scenery, more espe- cially when combined with ancient ruins or remains of our fathers* piety or splendour," which was in him " an insatiable passion," and imparted so peculiar a colour to his subsequent pursuits and compositions. Every one has not, like Sir Walter, either a poe- tical temperament, or a memory stored with those treasures of bor- der lore necessary to render the gray ruin and the " storied" mea- dow suggestive of the past ; but the portions of border history or tradition, which the rocks, and ruins, and streams about Kelso recall, are fortunately too familiar not to place within the reach of ipost men the pleasure derivable from contemplating the lo- cality in connection with its associated circumstances; whilst the visitor, whose associations take the direction of devotion rather than of poetry, will find here ample food for that enviable habit of mind, which, by connecting the idea of Deity with all the objects and aspects of nature, causes the landscape to become tributary, not only to the imagination, but to piety. Climate. — Though, upon the whole, mild and genial, the climate of Kelso is scarcely so salubrious as might be expected from th^ latitude of the place, its elevation, exposure, and distance from the sea. In common with all parishes which lie on the banks of a larg^ river, and in the trough of a valley bounded by hills, it is subject; to more than an average share of humidity. Hoar-frost is preva- lent during the winter months ; and, at almost all seasons, a con- siderable portion of imperfectly dissolved vesicular vapour may be seen floating in the form of a thin mist over the bed and in the vi- cinity of the river. The prevailing winds are those from the west, which often sweep with great violence down the vale of the Tweed; but easterly winds are also common, especially in the spring months, when the blighting easterly haar is by no means an unfre- quent visitor. In point of climate, however, Kelso has undergone, iu the course of a century, a great and beneficial change. At one period, all the mcailow-lands in the vicinity were filled with pools and marshes ; and even in the memory of many persons still living, the beautiful meadow, to the north-east of the town, which is i KELSO. 301 now used as a race-course, formed the favourite resort of a colony of sea-mews and wild-ducks, which regularly returned in the brood- ing season to its reeds and flags, and supplied by their eggs an article of considerable profit to the children of the iK)or. The last of these morasses has now disappeared under the ameliorating processes of draining and tillage ; and intermittent fever, which was for centuries the scourge of the district, has departed with it. Unfortunately no meteorological registers exist, of sufficient du- ration and accuracy to furnish data lor determining* the mean range either of temperature or of humidity ; but the general mild- ness of the climate is sufficiently vouched by various well ascer- tained facts. Not only have grapes, as the black Hamburgh and white sweet-water kind, ripened in the open air, during an occa* sional hot summer, and polyanthuses, primroses, laurustines, &c. been frequently in full blow during the winter months ; but va- rious rare plants have stood the winter, and bloomed abundantly in the open air for many years ; among which may be specified the Agapanthus umbellatus (blue African lily,) Euromocarpus sea- Aray Passiflora {xerulea^ Glycinea Sinensis^ Fuchsia coccinea, conica^ ^raciliSf Thomsonia and virgata^ as also most of the new varieties of Chinese roses. Rivers, — The only rivers are the two already referred to, the "Tweed and the Teviot, — their tributaries in the parish being but inconsiderable burns, which serve only to diversify the scenery at ^he point of influx into the principal streams. The Tweed is here ^ibout 440 feet in width ; and the Teviot 200 feet ; though the latter, in consequence of being diverted to form a mill -lead, is some- what shorn of its fair proportions at the very point, that of its confluence with the Tweed, — where the lover of scenery can worst spare its full freight of waters. Neither of these rivers, if we ex- cept occasional pools or wheels^ as they are locally designated, is, in ordinary circumstances, of any considerable depth or velocity. But from the length of their course, and the number of mountain- streams which fall into them, they are subject to frequent and sudden floods. Sometimes both are flooded simultaneouslv, and unite in one turbid and headlong stream, *' rolling red from bank to brae." At other times, the Teviot, which is of the two the more liable to floods, is seen after its confluence with the Tweed, carry- ing down its body of dense and discoloured waters on one side of their common channel ; whilst the waters of the Tweed, as if un- willing to combine with it, flow along on the opposite side, pellu* 302 ROXBURGHSHIRE. cid and untroubled. The highest flood of which there is any re- cord took place in February 1831. On that occasion, the Tweed rose with a rapidity and to a height wholly unprecedented. The whole of the lower part of the valley had the appearance of a sea ; corn and cattle were swept before the torrent ; and many of the houses on the haugh lands adjoining the river were filled with water. One result of the occasional floods of the Tweed and Teviot is much to be deplored. Immediately below the point where these rivers unite, and opposite the most prominent part of the town of Kelso, is an islet or annay which at no very remote period was so verdant and richly wooded as to look like a basket of foliage in the middle of the stream, and to form, from its position, a centre to some of the finest scenery of the place. This islet has been severed into disjointed portions as well as robbed of its wood by the floods ; and though several attempts have been made to defend it by bulwarks of stone, &c yet hitherto these expedients have proved wholly abortive. Nor have the inhabitants any other pros- pect than that of seeing the last of its trees laid prostrate, and the remaining vestiges of its sward and soil swept down to aug- ment the fertile land of their neighbours of the lower Merse. Geology. — With respect to the geological features of the parish, it may be stated generally, that the lower and more level parts, constituting the great bulk of the surface, rest upon sandstone, while the hills and rising grounds are composed of trap-rocks, which appear to have been ejected from beneath through the former. The principal sections of the stratified rocks occur on the south bank of the Tweed, which is loftier and more precipitous than the other. These sections exhibit strata of sandstone, shale, and marl-limestones, variously alternating with each other. The sandstone is either of a gray or of a reddish-brown colour, of con- siderable weight, and highly indurated except where the beds are very thin. There is generally a small admixture of iron, and a sufficient portion of calcareous matter to cause the mineral to ef- fervesce freely with acids. In thickness, the sandstone strata vary from a few inches to several feet; and their dip is towards the south-west at an angle of from 15^ to 20^ The shales, or soft marl-clays, which alternate with the sandstone, and in many in- stances form the more abundant strata of the two, also occur in beds of a great diversity of thickness. They are usually of a blue, brown, or purple colour; but the blue is the most common, and KELSO. 303 frequently contains, as in the debris of Broxlaw-hill on the >rth bank of the Tweeii, red and white foliated and fibrous gyp- im ; the 6brous occurring in continuous veins, the red foliated in regular and interrupted beds similar to the flint in the chalk ►cks. The last of these alternating rocks, the uiarl-limestoncp, kewise occur in beds of various thickness, as well as of various 3grees of hardness, — some being very compact and difficult to reak, while others crumble down into cubical or rounded portions ^ exposure to the weather. Their colour is generally of a pale lue or gray, though at some places beds occur of a darker hue, id having very much the external aspect of common limestone. Tone of them, however, contain any considerable proportion of irbonate of lime. The south bank of the Tweed is not the only part of the pa- sh which presents sections of sandstone ; but, as the others do )t differ essentially from this, the above description may suffice. liat which appears in Mellendeau burn, the march between [elso and Sprouston, has the same accompanying shales and marl- tnestones, but is harder and more conglomerate. The sandstone hich forms the foundation of Teviot bridge is still harder, and as the imbedded substances in considerably smaller quantities. ^n the north bank of the Tweed, near Rosebank, a thick bed of ray sandstone, formerly wrought as building stones, appears, ac- >inpanied by numerous thinner stratd of the same rock, contain- ig so large a proportion of mica as to be of a black colour. * Trap-rocks are pretty generally diffused over all the elevated arts of the southern division of the parish ; but the best section in Wooden den, a romantic ravine through which a small burn ows northward into the Tweed. Entering upon the burn a lit- e above the point of confluence, you first meet with sandstone, iiales and marl limestones, similar to those on the banks of the iver. On reaching, however, the point where the ravine begins ) assume a glen-like character, a conglomerate rock of a dark- rown colour makes it appearance, which, though very much re- ambling the old red sandstone, proves on examination to be trap iff, very much decomposed, and fast crumbling down into gravel ad soil. This trap tuff (which in a basis of clay, contains nodules * Tlie question as to the particular formation to which these stratified rocks be- ng, b'one of great difficulty. Tliere seems, however, to be a growing persuasion nong geologists that they belong to tlie conl measures. This opinion, though aercSited br the entire al>sence of the bituminous shales, has at least the support, f fupport It may be called) of the popular tradition, which bears Uiat coal was rmerly found in the district. 304 ROXBURGHSHIRE. of sandstone, claystone, porphyry, heavy spar, &c.) is traceable up the bed of the stream for more than a hundred yards, when it is succeeded by a dark blue compact basalt with amygda* loidal concretions, chiefly of calcareous spar ; * while this again immediately passes hito a more characteristic amygdaloid, contain- ing, besides calcareous crystals, portions of green earth and felspar. As we proceed onward, the country and the precipitous banks of the glen still rising in elevation, the character of the amygdaloid gradually disappears, and the rock is found to have passed into the compact felspar. A fine bold clifl*, rising almost perpendicular from the bed of the stream, and projecting from the contiguous banks so as to form the turn of the glen, consists of this rock. It is of a gray and blue colour, and, besides being intersected with numerous veins of red quartz, is somewhat remarkable from its containing calcareous matter deposited in the form of calcareous sinter, and red calcareous earth, so as to line the sides of nume- rous natural cavities and fissures in the rock. The glen abruptly terminates in another clifi* of irom 50 to 60 feet in height, over which the burn falls perpendicularly, forming a pretty linn or water* fall ; but this last rock presents a very interesting section, being in fact an epitom6 of the structure of the glen ; for the trap-tuff which forms its basis is seen gradually passing into the basalt and compact felspar, which last constitutes the great mass of the cliff above the base. To this account of the prevailing rocks it may be proper to add, that the vale of the Tweed at this particular part, or, to speak more correctly, the large circular basin where the Teviot unites with the Tweed, exhibits very many of those appearances from which theorists generally infer excavation by the gradual subsidence of the waters of a river. The high and rocky banks, indeed, on the south side of the Tweed, and the other terraces on both sides of the river, which form the fence or girdle of this basin, may owe their elevation and separation from each other, to some other cause than flowing water, notwithstanding the comparatively uni- form level of their summits and their covering of rolled gravel : the more probable supposition doubtless being, that they were raised by the force of internal heat when the trap-lavas which * It deserves remark, that, though the point of junction of thctmp tuff with the ba- salt or amygdaloid is clearly marked, there is no appearance to indicate the transi- tion of the one rock into the other. They come in contact like two perpendicular walls, insomuch that it is impossible to determine from the appearances preaented» which is the lower and which is the higher. KELSO. 305 form the higher grounds in the vicinity were forced upwards. But, whatever may be the history of these rocky barriers, there seems Ht- tle reason to doubt that the space inclosed by them, scooped out as it is in the form of a basin as if for the purpose of receiving the contents of two superb rivers, and diversified by haugh and mea* dow ground, and by gravelly terraces rising and retiring one above another, on both sides of the stream, like the tiers of a fortification, bespeaks the action of running water. Whether the Tweed and Teviot, at the remote period at which they flowed at some of the higher levels indicated by these terraces, united to form at this particular place a lake whose subsequent drainage excavated the lower parts of the vale, or flowed as a river as they do still, only with a more lateral and serpentine course, may be a question dif- ficult to settle ; but few geologists will be disposed to doubt that the parallel terraces, on one of which the Castle of Floors stands, constitute the remains of a plain or strath, of which all that is wanting has travelled downwards to form or enrich the haugh- lands of Berwickshire and Northumberland. Botany, — Though there is neither mountainous nor marshy ground within its limits, the parish is not wanting in plants of suf- ficient variety and beauty to reward the search of the florist. In the bed and on the banks the Tweed and Teviot are found, » Ballota nigra Mentha gcntilis Blvsmus coinpressus Pluntago media Adoxa moschatcllina Potainogcton prrclongus and pusiU Cardamine amara lus Chrysospleniuin altcrnifolium Salix pentandra and Hiisselliana* Cliiiopodium vulgare forming some large handsome Erodium cicutarium, in many in- trees. stances witli beautiful M'hite Tragopogon major flowers A'alcriuna pyrenaica lieltanthemum vulgare Cerastium arvense,&c. Hesperis matronalis In the woods which skirt the banks of the Tweed are found. Arum maculatum Pyrola minor Aspcnila odorata Veronica montana Epipactis lutifolia Viola hirta IjUtera ovata and cordata Saxifrnga granulata And the borders of fields and road-sides give us, Bromus sccalinus Malva moschata Cares intermedia Sanguisorba officinalis Cichorium Intybus Silaus pratensis Geranium lucidum Solanum dulcamara Hyoscyamus niger Veronica scutellata, &c. Hypericum humifusum In the den of Wooden, Vinca minor is found in great abun- dance} as also Hedera HeUx^ which greatly beautifies the face of the 306 ROXBURGHSHIUG trap rocks. Nearly forty years ago, the late Mr Dickson of Edin- burgh discovered, near Kelso, one of the rarest of British ferns Asplenium altcrnifolium ; but although dihgently searched for, for several years pnst, by an accomplished native botanist^ Dr Francis Douglas, it has hitherto chided discovery. A fungus, Clavaria roseOf new to Grecit Britain, cilthough described by continental botanists, has recently been found on one of the road-sides. It is a very elegant species of a beautiful pink or rose colour ; and as it has been seen for three successive seasons on the same spot, there is reason to hope that it will retain its habitat. Besides tine specimens of all the more common forest trees, elm, plane-tree, oak, &c., which adorn the park and plantations of Floors and Springwood, the parish can boast of several single trees remarkable for their size, age, or historical interest. Close to the village of Maxwellheugh, is a poplar, which is estimated to contain not less than 800 or 900 cubic feet of timber ; its height from the ground to the point where it gives off branches is 16 feet ; its girth at the root is 31 feet ; at 2 feet from the base, 21, and fit 10 from the base, 18. An ancient elm, known by the name of the trysting-tree, extends its arms at the point where the parish marches with Roxburgh, and marks the spot where the river used to be forded before the erection of Teviot-bridge. It is now in the last stage of decay ; but beautiful specimens of furniture made from its timber may be seen at Floors, espe — cially in the magnificent cabinet of British birds which the tastes of the present Noble proprietor has recently fitted up. Ano— ther tree of equal historic interest, though greatly inferior in age^ is the yew-tree which marks the spot (in the park of Floors) where King James II. was killed in 1460 by the bursting of a cannon while he was engaged in the blockade of Roxburgh Castle. Nor must a remarkable Platanus, or oriental plane, pass unnoticed which, though it no longer exists (except in the shape of fiirni- ture,*) is still remembered as the favourite of Sir Walter Scott's boyhood, and must ever continue to be classical, as having afford- ed the " leafy shade" beneath which he read for the first time Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, — the work which seems to have kindled the minstrel-spirit within him. This tree, under whose overshadowing boughs the border muse may be said to have visited and inspired her favourite son, formed the chief at- * Mr Willinin Darling, KcU;), possesses a (iliiing-tuble made of the timbor of Uiii tree. KELSO. 307 traction of a garden to the east of the town, — one of the latest in this district of those Dutch distortions of nature which have disappeared before modern improvement. The platanus died, b common with most of its kind in this country, in the unusual- ly hard winter of 1814. The garden, of which its " huge hill of leaves'' was the chief ornament, is a garden still ; but its straight walks, yew-hedges, parterres and labyrinth, survive only in the page of the " Great Magician." Zoology. — There is little in the zoology of the parish to distin- ^ish it from the surrounding district. The Tweed, as is well kiown, abounds with red fish, which are believed to aflbrd no f^round for questioning the general opinion, that almost every river bas its distinct variety of the trout or salmon tribe. A small pond, «r rather tani, at the western extremity of the park of Floors, con- tains car}) and tench, while the park itself is not without its complex ment of fallow-deer. — Among birds, the swan deserves to be noticed, iirom the added charm which its presence gives to many of the fine scenes on the Tweed. There are, at present, six white swans upon the river at Kelso, each of them fully realizing, in its smooth and graceful motion on the clear blue stream, the poet's description, *< The twan on still St Mary*s lake, Floats double, swan and shadow.' <*« These creatures are so tame that they readily approach the water's edge to take crumbs of bread from passengers ; and from the pleasure they afford, they are as much prized and guard- ed by all classes and ages among the inhabitants, as though, like the Queen's swans on the Thames, they had the special protection of the corporation. They associate in pairs ; and, what is remarkable, each pair appears to have a specific section of the river allotted to it, which it guards with the utmost jealousy against the intrusion of the others. In the c^ise of one of the pairs, this prescriptive domain extends over a space of considerably more than a mile. The interesting spectacle has been repeatedly wit- nessed of the old swans carrying the young ones on their wings across the rapid parts of the river, while they left them to stem the smooth water by their own efforts. II. — Civil History. The history of Kelso, so far as it can be detached from the general history of the Border, may be conveniently divided into the history of the parish and the history of the town. • Wordsworth. 308 ROXBURGHSHIRE. History of the Parish. — Prior to the Reformation, the territory now included in the parish of Kelso appears to have comprehend- ed three parishes ; the parish of Kelso on the north bank of the Tweed, and the parishes of Maxwell and St James's, * both on the south, and separated from each other by the river Teviot. Two at least of those parishes, Kelso and Maxwell, seem to have been erected and to have had each its separate church, at a period an- tecedent to the foundation of the Abbey. Of the church of Kel- so little more is known than that it was dedicated to the Virgin; given to the monks at the erection of the Abbey ; and burnt down in one of those military or predatory incursions to which the border counties were so long exposed. The church of St James's formed one of the three churches of the ancient burgh of Roxburghe, though situate on St James's Green without its walls. It was founded, according to the Chronicle of Mailross, in 1 134, and exist- ed till the beginning of the fifteenth century, when it was reduced to a ruinous condition, probably by fire,"!* during some of the border wars. The ruin might have remained to the present day, one of the most interesting antiquities on the border, had it not been for a steward on the Roxburghe estate, — more to be honoured for his economy than his taste, — who caused it to be demolished, iu order that its materials might be applied to the building of farm-oSices and fences. The last of the three churches, that of Maxwell or Maccusvill, was dedicated to St Michael ; hut the date alike of its erection and demolition is unknown : though the cemetery of the parish still remains to indicate where it stood. Still more scanty are the memorials of an oratory, in the same parish, dedicated to St Thomas, which is conjectured to have stood at Chapel, a place to the cast of Springwood House. — From the foundation of tho Abbey, when these j)arishes were assigned to the monks as part of their patrimony, their history, until the era of the Reformation^ necessarily merges in that of the Abbey itself. The monks of Kelso were of the class called Tironensesy a sec- tion of the Benedictine order, which had its original settlement at Tiron in Picardv under the elder St Bernard, and which was re- * It i» not absolutely certain that St James's ever fonncd n separate parish. The territory surrounding the church may have orginally formed part of the parish of Roxburgh. f 'fliis prolmbility is grounded on the fact mentioned in the former Siatistical Ac count, that in digging up the foundation, a quantity of wheat and barley was found i a charred state, scattered on a tiled pavement. :3 KELSO. 309 markable for the encouragement given by it to the arts ; — it be- ing a regulation of the order, that the brethren, besides observing the ordinary rules of the monastic institution, should practise with- in the convent some useful craft The Tironenses were intro- duced into Scotland under the auspices of that ^' sore saint for the crown," the celebrated King David, who was doubtless in- duced to favour their settlement, not more by religious conside- rations, than by a regard to the advantages likely to accrue to his semi-barbarous subjects, from the arts cultivated by the monks. Being only heir-apparent to the throne at the date of their first introduction (a. d. 1113), David appointed them a residence at Selkirk, in the vicinity of his paternal estate. But immediately on bis accession, he made provision for their greater influence, by Imilding, within view of the royal castle of Roxburghe, then the principal residence of the Scottish monarchs, the Abbey of Kelso, tjiy which they were removed in 1128 or 1130, and in which they soon attained, under the fostering patronage of this munificent prince, a first rank, in point of wealth and ascendency, among the religious houses of the kingdom. It does not appear from the records of the times, that the mo- nastery ever proved of such advantage to border civilization as its founder anticipated. Its history is singularly barren, in re- ference to the exertions of the monks in diffusing a knowledge of the arts, or even in preserving the treasures of literature. Yet for this, perhaps, the monks are not to be blamed, so much as the untowardness of the times in which their lot was cast There never seems to have existed on the border that respect for reli- gious houses, which in other places rendered them safer reposi- tories for literary treasures than the fortresses of kings : Nor do the monks ever seem to have gained that ascendency over the po- . pular mind, which alone could cause the monastery to act as a centre and source of civilization to the surrounding country. Being the scene of almost incessant wars, not only between the two countries, but between rival barons, the banks of the Tweed were singularly unpropitious for the tranquil occupations of the library and the scriptorium, and not peculiarly favourable to the cultiva- tion of the industrial arts. Nor can it surprise us that the only memorial of four hundred years of the monastic hfe — with the ex- ception of some reputed improvements in horticulture, and the titles of a few lost controversial tracts, — should be the ruins of the magnificent AbBey. 310 UOXBURGUSHIRE. The same causes which precluded the monks of Kelso from prosecuting the arts of peace, render their monastery more fertile than sacred edifices generally are, in the materials of military his- tory. Their annals recall the " memoriam perjuncti periculiy" if not the " testimonium preteriti beri^cii" Indeed, from the commencement of the wars between England and Scotland, un- til the suppression of monachism in 1559, the Abbey is continually mentioned in connexion with the convulsions in which the confines of the two countries were involved. It seems to have been twice burnt, so early as the contest that rose out of the claims of Bruce and Baliol for the Scottish throne ; and so little do the monks seem, even at that period, to have been respected either by the neighbouring barons, or by the people at large, that they requir- ed, in times of general truce, the protection of the King of England to enable them to buy and convey provisions in safety* The greatest disasters of the Abbey, however, were sustained during the successive invasions of the Earls of Surrey and Hert- ford, in 1523 and 1545. In the former of these mcursions, a body of English under Lord Dacre, after sacking the town, demolish- ed the abbot's house, burnt the dormitory, and unroofed the monastery itself, — conveying away the very lead which covered it, insomuch that all religious services were interrupted, and the monks compelled to retire to a neighbouring village to celebrate their sacred rites. The devastation of 1545 was still more irre- parable. Kelso was not indeed, in the latter instance, the exclusive sufferer : for in the course of a few days, 287 places, including the four great monasteries of the border, were sacked, pillaged and dilapidated ; but Kclso, as the only place that offered resist- ance, shared worst The east and north sides of the Abbey tower were thrown down, and the choir reduced to its present ruinous condition, probably by means of a battery of cannon di- rected against it from the north-east ; whilst the town was redu- ced to so wretched a plight, that the weekly market could not be held in it, but had to be transferred for a considerable period to the village of Hume. The Abbey is occasionally mentioned after this period as a place of temporary refuge from the sudden incur- sions of the famous garrison at Wark and other scourges of these distracted times : nor, indeed, do the conventual buildings seem to have been entirely abandoned by the monks, until the Reformation. But there is no reason to think that it was ever used as a place of religious worship, after the bombardment just described ; and, KELSO. 311 though Lesly speaks of a popular tiiniult in 1560, when the images and relics, and whatever else remained of its internal furniture and decorations, were defaced, yet it is certain that the Scottish Re- Tonners are not open to the charge of having dismantled this Po- pish temple. The Erostratus in this instance was not John Knox, but an English baron. The latest mention made of the monks of Kelso is in an act c^f Parliament, eight years after the establishment of the Reform- ^m1 religion, appointing Sir John Maitland to hold the confiscated estates of this rich Abbey in cmnmendam. From this document it ^^irould seem that they had disappeared one after another, and that %ione of them was left in 1587. When Maitland was raised to ^he dignity of Lord High Chancellor, the Earl of Bothwell ob- tained a grant from the Crown of the possessions of the Abbey. On the attainder of Bothwell, these lands and possessions again reverted to the Crown : and they were finally conferred on Sir RoSert Ker of Cessford, Warden of the East Marches, from whom they have descended to the Noble family of Roxburghe, About the year 1580, one of the cells of the cloister was converted into a church for the use of the now united parishes, and the ser- vices of the Reformed religion set up in the room of the Romish worship. A considerable period, however, elapsed before the plas- tic and ameliorating power of the new institutions became apparent. The bulk of the people, having been all along proverbially indif- ferent to Christian observances, and more open to the influence of fairies and elves, the last remnants of Paganism, than to any re- ligious consideration, required to be instructed in the first elements of faith ; while the unsettled state of the times presented obstacles to the success of the Reformed clergy, -^hich render it far from surprising that the moral condition of the border should not have speedily assimilated to that of more peaceful districts. It was not till an advanced part of the seventeenth century that the good fruits of the great ecclesiastical revolution began to be gathered ; nor even then, nor for generations afterwards, were these fruits so abundant here as elsewhere. Throughout the agitating con- tests between the Presbyterian and the prelatical parties, with respect to the King's supremacy, Kelso appears to have generally sided with the hierarchy ; and even subsequent to the Revolution, when the question about Lay Patronage and popular rights, excited so warm an interest throughout Berwickshire and Teviot- dale, such was the ascendency of jacobite and high church prin- 312 ROXBURGHSHIRE. ciples, that Kelso, thougli in the very centre of the agitation, re- mained an indifferent spectator. In the famous petition (and ad- herence) to the General Assembly " anent grievances," there are numerous signatures from all the adjoining parishes,* but not one from this. Nay, what would seem still more indicative of apathy in reference to matters then deemed so important, the appoint- ment of a minister to the parish was, in the only instance in which anything like a contested election occurred, referred uncondition- ally to the disposal of the synod. The heritors and elders hav- ing been unable to unite in the choice of the same individual, it was unanimously resolved to submit a blank call, properly signed, to the synod, and to ask that judicatory to fill it up with the name of a qualified minister : nor do either the patrons or the parish- ioners seem to have offered any resistance, or taken any offence, when the presbytery, instead of obtempering the instructions of the synod, proceeded to settle a minister of their own nomination. Towards the middle of the last century, there is reasofi to think that a more lively interest in the principles and institu- tions of religion was induced. This amelioration, tradition re- fers to the period of the celebrated Mr Ramsay's incumbency ; — an account which is corroborated to some extent by the parish records of the time, which bear ample testimony to the vigour with which the Presbyterian discipline was maintained, and, there- fore, leave room for the inference, that public opinion had then come to be in its favour. Conjecture is converted into cer- tainty by the fact, that, about the year 1750, a Secession meeting was opened in the town : for, as the Secession judicatories were not in the habit of providing ordinances, except where a demand for them existed, or of breaking up the fallow ground, where they had it in their power to divide and appropriate the ripening harvest ; the fact of their planting a congregation in Kelso seems necessari- ly to presuppose the prior existence, in the parish, of a strong feel- ing in favour both of orthodox doctrine and of presbyterial rule. But, to whatever date the commencement of the favourable change may be referred, there is happily no doubt that it continued steadily and progressively to advance, up to the end of the century. Nor need we withhold from the Seceders, the praise of materially promoting The number of signatures attached to this curious document, from some of the other parishes in the same synod with Kelso, are as follows : — Maxton, 17 ; Lillies- leaf, 56 ; Jetiburgh, 63 ; Eckford, JM) ; Ounse, 12 ; Galashiels, 66 ; EarWtoun, S2 ; Westruthcr, 16; Stow, 6.5 ; Meitoun, 16; Selkirk, 24 ; Yarrow,50; Hounam,21. KELSO. 313 a change, of which their own separate ecclesiastical existence was one of the fruits ; though, doubtless, their influence would have proved far more efficacious for good, had they preserved unity among themselves, instead of splitting through internal dissensions from one into three congregations, in the course of forty years. It does not appear, that the higher classes partook much of the moral and religious improvement just described. On the contrary^ it would seem that Jacobite principles disappeared among them, only to make way, in too many instances, for the opposite extreme of French infldelity. But the extent, to which the general popula- tion were brought under the influence of Christian habits, was in- dubitably great There are persons still living, who remember the state of things sixty years ago, when family worship was so com- mon, that you could not pass along the principal street of the town on a Sunday morning, without hearing from many " a lowly roof,*' • ** at intervals The voice of psalms— the simple song of praise.'* Since that period, domestic piety, it is to be feared, has rather re- trograded among the working classes ; though there is every rea^ 8on to believe that the moral condition of all but the very low- est class of the people has, upon the whole, been gradually improv- ing. An additional church has just been erected in connexion ^th the Establishment, in order to render the means of instruction Commensurate with the spiritual exigencies of the parish. The attendance on public ordinances is becoming, every successive year, ^ore numerous ; the charities of those who possess the means of giving are keeping pace with the growing number and claims of the necessitous. And, altogether, despite the serious drawbacks ^ religious improvement occasioned here as elsewhere by the dis- turbing influences of political excitement and sectarian contro- ^^TSjj the prospects of the best of all causes cannot justly be re- garded as discouraging. History of the Town. — Originally, the town of Kelso seems ^^ have been only an inconsiderable village, a kind of suburb to ^lie then important burgh of Roxburgh, which lay on the oppo- sideof the Tweed. From the foundation of the Abbey, how- it began gradually to acquire a more important character. ^^y the time of King Robert I. it had so increased as to consist of tixro parts, Wester and Easter Kelso ; the former being probably ^lie original village, and the latter that which gradually grew up ^.round the abbey. And on the final destruction of Roxburgh by BOXBURGH. ^ 314 ROXBUIIGHSHIRE. James II. it naturally took the place, as well as somewhat of the prominence of the celebrated burgh, whose inhabitants had trans- ferred to it their residence and wealth. Of the rapid growth and early importance of Kelso, one decisive proof has been preserved. So early as 1323, an attempt was made by the burgesses to exer- cise a civil jurisdiction independent of the abbot. By their own authority, they undertook to make new burgesses, to license brew- ers, and in other respects to contravene the riejhts and privileges of their feudal lord. This attempt indeed proved abortive, and the burgesses were compelled to make an apology, and disclaim all intention of offending their lord, the Abbot. Yet the very mak- ing of such an attempt must be held conclusive of the growing prosperity of the place: such a thing would never have been thought of by a weak, or a poor, or a scanty population. The connection of the town with the abbey necessarily made it a sharer for evil as well as good, in the fortunes of that ill-fated house ; nor in truth, is its historv from the fifteenth centurv down to the Reformation, any thing better than a detail of successive sieges and conflagrations. Whenever the abbey was assailed, the town was sacked ; whenever the former was set on fire, the latter was burnt Nor is there any thing in border history more re- markable, than the manner in which its buildings (probably for the most part of wood,) were continually repaired and restored, so as to form the materials of so many and closely consecutive conflagra- tions. Notwithstanding it was reduced to so low an ebb by Hertford's bombardment in 1545, as not to be fit for holding a market in, we find it possessing, at the era of the Reformation, only a few years after, the size and importance of the chief pro- vincial town and emporium. ^' Non moritur, moribunda ; sepulta, resurgit" Soon after the Reformation,anewsourceof prosperity was opened up in the fostering patronage of the family of Roxburghe, who suc- ceeding not only to the revenues, but to the seignorial jurisdiction of the abbots, conferred on the inhabitants all the benefits of aliberal expenditure, and an impartial administration of justice. Througb this patronage, Kelso became, by the time of the Revolution, not only the chief resort of the gentry of the district, but a place of considerable reputation as a seat of learning. Its schools were frequented by the sons of the nobility from various quarters ; and the rectorship of the grammar school was, in at least one instance^ KELSO. 31;3 (that of Kirkwood) accepted, in preference to the chair of Hu- manity in the University of St Andrews. The same fatality in reference to conflagrations, which so often changed the fistce of the town in distracted times, seems to have followed it to a more peaceful period. A destructive fire broke out in 1686, which consumed about half the town; in 1738, it was w&sted by a similar visitation ; and there were fires of some extent so recently as 1801 and 1815. Of late years it has been spared every such calamity ; and has shared largely, in common with the whole of lower Tweedside, in the advancing civilization of the nineteenth century. It is now one of the most steadily pros- perous of the small non-manufacturing towns in Scotland ; and ito^ inhabitants form a little community, which, in point of gene- ral intelligence and polish of manners, may claim a place beside that of the most favoured rural districts in the island. Accounts of the Town and Parish, — The most valuable of the Ancient documents relative to the parish is the chartulary of Kelso with the rent-roll of the abbey, (Rotulus Rcdituum Monas- terii de Kalkow,) in the Advocates' Library ; but almost all the in- formation furnished by it may be obtained in a pleasanter form, in the Monastic Annals of Teviotdale, by the Rev. James Morton, Me of the prebendaries of Lincoln, and a native of Kelso; — in vhich elaborate work there is not only a history of the abbey, to- "ether with an account of its possessions and revenues, but copies f the charter of its foundation by King David, the tax-roll of the >bey, and other rare and valuable documents. ^^ Kirkwood*s riaV' a curious and rare work, published shortly after the union the kingdoms, throws considerable light, though coloured by the u>bite predilections of the author, on the ecclesiastical state of town and district, at the period immediately posterior to the 1 re-establishment of the Presbyterian Church government. laig's History of Kelso,'* published only a few years ago, may be consulted with advantage, by such as wish to see a con- )d view of all the material circumstances in its past history or nt state ; — though unhappily, the value of this work is very tsly abated by the number of errors in chronology, and in points of detail by which it is deformed. Among abridged its, the most to be depended on for accuracy of statement under the article " Kelso," in the Edinburgh Encyclopae- iducted by Brewster. lent Characters. — The number of eminent persons who 316 UOXBURGHSHIRE. have beeu connected with Kelso by birth, residence, or burial, is singularly limited. In the long catalogue of abbots, priors, and monks, preserved in the chartulary, there are not more than two or three names which are associated, in the mind even of the learned, with any thing great or useful or interesting; the vast majority, from what cause soever arising, whether from their in- herent mediocrity, or " quia carent sacro vate," awaken in the intelligent reader, no higher emotion than the names of as many individuals in any common muster-roll. The happy exceptions are chiefly the following : James Stuart, natural sou of James V., who held the office of abbot, during a period which forced him to play a somewhat prominent part in border history; a monk of the name of James, who is mentioned by Dempster, (HisL EccL Gentis Scotoruniy) as among the most celebrated Scottish authors of the fifteenth century ; and Henry, prior of Kelso in 1493, who was the intimate friend of the Italian poet Poliziano, as well as himself the author of several literary works, among others a trans- lation into Scottish verse, of Palladius Rutilius on Rural Affairs. Among the ministers of religion since the Reformation, only two require notice ; the former, Mr James Ramsay, who, during an incumbency of nearly half a century, exercised great weight, not only in the subordinate judicatories, but also in the Gene- ral Assembly ; the latter,' the late Mr John Pitcairn, minis- ter of the Relief congregation, who, together with Mr Struthers* of Edinburgh, materially contributed to awaken, throughout all the sections of the Scottish Church, a taste for the graces of delivery. Kelso has always been peculiarly fortunate in its medical men. Few country towns have produced, in one generation, three such distinguished ornaments of their profession, as the late Dr An- drew Wilson, whose treatise on Morbid Sympathy shows him to have been far in advance of the science of his age ; the late Dr C. Douglas, the author of the former Statistical Account ; and Millar, the well known writer on Asthma. Land-owners. — The chief land-owners are, the Duke of Rox- burghe, who holds about nine-sixteenths of the whole valued rent ; Sir George Scott Douglas of Springwood, Bart. ; Captain * Though scarcely pertinent to the object ofllie present work, it may here be mentioned as a fact worthy of record, that the yUe Dr Andrew Thoinscm wu ee- customed to speak of Struthcrs as his master in pulpit eloquence. While a young man, the Doctor went often to hear Struthers, then the great oratoriael attraetlon of Kdiuburgh ; and his admiration for the orator was such as not only to leaTe an in- delible impression on his memory, but to stimulate him to emulate the graces be mU mired. KELSO. 317 George Scott of Wooden ; James Dickson, Esq. of Pinnacle- hill ; David Monro Binning, Esq. of Softlaw ; Sir William Dick- son of Sydenham, Bart. ; John Waldie, Esq. of Hendersyde ; and the Governors of George Watson's Hospital, Edinburgh. Parochial Registers. — These consist of the minutes of kirk- session, the register of births and baptisms, and the register of proclamations and marriages. The session records, in ten volumes folio and quarto, go back as far as the beginning of the year 1622, and come down, with some interruptions, to the present time. These interruptions are from March 1661 to June 1668; from August 1689 to May 1692 ; and from September 1749 to August 1800, — though this last blank is in a good measure supplied by a set of duplicate minutes, — apparently the original drafts, — which extend, with but few intermissions, from 1697 to 1830. The re- £^ter of baptisms, in eleven volumes, begins at 1597 ; but it has also many blanks, and is, especially of late years, far from being a complete list of the births in the parish. The register of mar- riages commences likewise from 1597, and is generally kept in the same volume with that of births and baptisms. Antiquities. — With the exception of its magnificent abbey, \\\v ixarish now possesses few antiquities of any note. Even since the date of the last Statistical Account, their number has been dinu- nished. The site of the Church of St James's, near the con- fluence of the Tweed and Teviot, is no longer distinguishable from the surrounding sward of St James's Green. The church- ward of Maxwell still contains a few monumental stones, with the inscriptions tolerably legible ; yet, from the dilapidated state in which they are permitted to lie, there is little pros|}ect of their long surviving the fate of the older relics. Some minor ob- jects and buildings in the town, '^ freighted with recollections" of the past, have also disappeared within a recent period. Nor docs a single vestige now remain of the human bones, which used to be upturned, in great numbers, by the plough in the " Bony Brar^** near Wooden, the supposed scene of a battle — with the Danes, according to some ; between the Scots and English, according to others. The possession, however, of Kelso Abbey is itself enough to render the parish interesting to the antiquary ; and there cnti now be little doubt, from the judicious and successful efforts which have been made since 1804 to disencumber the ruins of the rude modern masonry which disfigured them, and to strengthen and repair those parts which were verging lo decay, that this solid auA 318 ROXBL RGIf SHIRK. majestic pile, — the monument of a period when Scotland vied with its richer neighbours in the splendour of its architectural edifices, — will long continue to be the ornament of the town and district. The form of the abbey is that of a Latin cross,— though, con- trary to the general practice in buildings of that model, the head of the cross is turned towards the west^ and the longest limb is the eastern. The only parts of the building which are still tolerably entire are, — the western limb (or head of the cross) which con- tains, among other ornaments, a segment of a most magnificent archway ; the central tower rising over the intersection of the cross, of which the north and west sides remain entire ; and the walls of the transepts, with the northern entrance to them. Of the choir, which seems to have consisted when entire of three divisions, — a centre aisle and two side aisles, all that remains is one of the walls which upheld the main roof, and separated the main aisle from the southern side aisle. This wall consists of two arches with . their piers, and the superincumbent wall, which has within it the thickness of two tiers of galleries, one over the other, and open to the interior by an arcade of small round arches. The style of architecture is the Saxon ; nor would it be easy to find better specimens, than occur, in the north and west fronts, of the deep-splayed Saxon arch, with its numerous mouldings and enrichments. But the fabric cannot pretend, any more than the other ecclesiastical edifices of Scotland, to perfect unity of style. While the plain undecoratcd Saxon predominates, the Norman and old English styles occasionally enter. The interlacing semi- circular arches, for instance, which range round the walls within and without, and which furnish, it may be remarked, as perfect specimens of this species of arch* as are to be found in the island, obviously belong to the Norman style, as do likewise the two arcades of small circular arches, springing from slender shafts, which appear above the massive Saxon arches in the ruinous wall of the choir ; while the four spacious pointed arches in the centre of the cross, upon which the lofty square tower or lantern — the grandest part of the ruin — rests, are plainly of the early English or Gothic style. Of the general effect of the whole ruin, whether as an architectural pile, or as an object in the landscape, no de- * It is acutely remarked by Pennant, in his description of this abbey, that the in- tersection of these interlacing circular arches ** fornns a true Gothic arch, and nay as probably have given rise to that mode as the arched shades of aTenues.** KELSO. 319 scription can convey an adequate idea. Distinguished alike by its great height, its unity of parts, its massiveness, and its inor- nate simplicity, it produces on the spectator, especially when viewed from the west, south, or east, a distinctness and oneness of impression, rarely communicated by other than entire and com- pact fabrics ; and it possesses, in common with all objects which are at once vast, simple, and symmetrical, the charm of gaining on our admiration, the oftener and longer it is contemplated. Its dimensions are as under : — Total length of ruin, from west to east, 99 feet; length of transept within the walls, 71 feet; breadth of ditto 23 feet; height of centre tower, 91 feet ; breadth of ditto, 23 feet; height of pointed arches on which the lantern rests, 45 feet; mdth of ditto, 17 feet; thickness of lower walls, 5^ feet. In the year 1649, a clumsy attempt was made to repair part of the ruin, for the purpose of converting it into a parish church. With this view, two low and gloomy arches were thrown over the iiralls, one over the transept, and another over the head of the cross, while a wing of rude masonry of a corresponding vault-like charac- ter was erected in the ruined choir. A second tier of arches was thrown over the former, to scive the purpose of an outer and inner prison, — which deserves to be noticed from its forming the oriyinali whence the author of Wavcrley sketched the prison of Edie Ochil- tree in the Antiquary. The former of these clumsy erections* con- tinued to be used as the parish church till 1771, when it was finally deserted in consequence of the fulling, during the time of divine service, of some fragments of cement from the roof. The congre- gation hurried out in consternation, under the idea that the vault over their heads was giving way ; and, though the alarm proved un- founded, it was yet found impossible to persuade the people to re- assemble in it, — the more especially that there was in circulation an ancient " prophecy" of Thomas the Rhymer, which bore that this*" kirk should fall when at the fullest." Nothing was done to- wards disincumbering the abbey of these unsightly adjuncts, until 1805, when William, Duke of Koxburghe, began to clear them away. His plans were followed up still more energetically by his successor, Duke James, who, in l(5l6, caused the whole remaining part to be removed ; though it was not till 1823, that those repairs were made on the ruin which have brought it into its present state of beauty and stability. * A view of the ruuicd abbey, widi thcbc rude aiyuncu, token in 1787, may be seen in VoL L of Grosv*s Ajitiquities. 320 UOXBURGHSHIRE Modem Buildings. — Although the town is remarkable for its ge- neral neatness, it does not possess more than two buildings of any architectural merit. These are, the town-house, which occu- pies the centre of the east side of the square, and the new church, recently erected on the north side of the town for the better ac- commodation of the members of the Establishment The former is a building of two stories, with a pediment in front, supported by four Ionic columns, surmounted by a handsome balustrade, and with a neat turret or belfry of sufficient height to form a conspicu- ous object in a town destitute of steeples. The latter, the chastest and most elegant ecclesiastical erection on the border, is an oblong building in the Elizabethan style, with a quadrangular tower 70 feet high. Several of the mansion-houses in the landward parish and of the villas in the environs of the town, deserve to be noticed. The stately ducal mansion of Floors, erected in 1718, is not unworthy of its architect. Sir John Vanbnigh ; nor will its cha* racter as ** a building combining the ideas of ancient grandeur with those of modern taste," * be diminished, but, on the contrary, greatly enhanced, by the alterations which are now in progress under the direction of Mr Play fair of Edinburgh. Ednam House is one of the most elegant private mansions that Nisbet ever de- signed. A gateway, after a design of Mr Gillespie Graham, form- ing the entrance to the beautiful park of Springwood, is also gene- rally admired as a happy application of the style of a Grecian door- way to the purposes of a detached entrance gate. Nor would the mansion-houses of Springwood, Wooden, Pinnacle Hill, Woodside^ &c deserve to pass unnoticed in a district less richly studded with elegant country seats. But by far the most perfect specimen of modern'architecture in the parish, is the bridge across the Tweed, which unites in a remark- able manner simplicity with strength. The plan was furnished by the late Mr Rennie ; and its perfection as an architectural structure may be inferred from the fact, that when called upon.at a subsequent period to furnish a plan for Waterloo Bridge across the Thames at London, this eminent engineer, unable to suggest a better (design, produced an enlarged duplicate of Kelso Bridge. It was begun in 1800, to supply the place of onef which had been swept away These are the terms in which Sir Walter Scott describes this spacious maosioa. t The bridge here alluded to was situate a little farther up the Tweed, and was built in 1754. There was in early times a bridge across the Tweed, at the town of Roxburgh, which was often destroyed and renewed, during contesto for that town. KELSO. 321 by an overflowiiig of the Tweed in 1797 ; and it was finished in 1803, at an expense, including the approaches, of about L. 18)000. The total length of building is 494 feet, the breadth of the road- way is 25 feet, and its greatest height from the foundation, which extends 15 feet below the bed of the river, is 57 feet The ft arches, five in number, are elliptical, the span of each arch being 72 feet, and that of the piers 14. The singular elegance of this bridge is the more fortunate, as its situation renders it the most prominent object in some of the finest landscapes on the Tweed. Connecting two banks, each remarkable for beauty, it forms the eye of a vast variety of pictures, while by its breadth of mellow light it affords a striking contrast and relief to the dark colour of the wooded scenery on either side. This bridge forms the entrance to the town from the south ; and few scenes are more imposing than that which opens upon the tourist as he descends from the oppo- jiite village of Maxwellheugh with the prospect beneath him of this fine architectural object, the majestic Tweed, the ])icturesque town and abbey, and the noble back ground of the castle, woods, and surrounding heights of Floors. III. — Population. Former and present state, — No data exist for ascertaining the amount of the population, prior to the middle of last century. Since that time, there has been a slow but nearly constant increase, as appears from the following table of its amount, at successive periods from 1749. Period, Population, 1749, - - - 2900 J 755. - - 2781 1793, . - - 4324 1801, - - . 4190 1800, - - - 4024 1811, - - . 4408 1816, - - - 4026 1821, . - . 4800 1831. - - - 4939 1835, - - . 5114 Nnmber of fitmilies in the parish, according to census of 1831, - • I i8l ehiefly employed in Agriculture, - - 100 in trade, manufactures, or handicraft, - 431 Causes of Fluctuation. — The only remarkable increase indicated above, that of the thirty-eight years, from 1755 to 1793, receives a ready explanation from the change which was then in progress, from the system of small to that of large farms ; a change which necessarily drove the petty farmers and labourers from the rural districts to the market-town. Two circumstances have tended, in recent times, to keep the nitio of increase below that of mvu\^ 322 UOXBURGHSIIIRE. Other places. The one is the constant drain upon the population, arising from the necessity under which a large proportion of the young men are laid of repairing, in search of employment, to places where the market for labour is less limited. The other is the gradual and extensive removal from the neighbourhood, of re- sident gentry, whose expenditure gave employment to many in- dustrious labourers, as well as encouragement to the retail trade of the town. It should be remarked, however, that both these sources of diminution are, to a small extent, countervailed by the influx of aged labourers and others, who are either driven * from the rural parishes when they cease to be fit for work, or attracted to Kelso by the hope of participating in its ample charities. Within a few years, also, a considerable accession has been made to the population by the increased resort to the town of a very unde- sirable class of persons, the Gypsies^ who are now about as nume* rous in Kelso as in Yetholm, their prescriptive settlement ; and who are not found, when transplanted to the crowded lanes of a town, to preserve that quiet and orderly demeanour which is said to characterize them in Yetholm, where they seem to feel that they have a character to support. It may be added, that late years have also witnessed the settlement among us of a few Irish; the gleanings of those immense annual swarms, whose successive emigrations threaten, if not speedily arrested, to lower and dete- riorate, to an extent frightful to contemplate, the character and manners of the populace of this island. These occasional fluctu- ations in the aggregate population furnish but 'too accurate an exponent of the constant change which is taking place among the individuals composing it Though a few Border-names keep their ground, from generation to generation, and thereby indicate that the mass is not without a few stationary particles, the great ma- jority of the inhabitants may be regarded as '^ strangers in the land." The number of land-owners is far from considerable, who * ** Driven," though a strong term, is but too upUy upplied iu this iuktance. To prevent the aged and infirm becoming burdens on the poor mte, it is the practice uf some of the heritors of purely htndward parishes, to demoUih every cottar- house, which is not absolutely necessary us accommodation for the necdfbl complemeot of farm-labourers and country-artisans. In this way, infirm labourers and widovs ure compelled, the moment- they cease to be available workers, to Ifeavc their parishes in despite of all the ties of local Attachment which may bind them to the spot, and to take their chance of an uncertain livelihood among strangers and in the unhealthy lanes and closes of a town. It is astonishing tliat the aristocracy should be so bluid to their own interest, not to say dead to the claims of humanity, as to incur, fat the sake of a paltry economy, the hatred instead of the blessing of a class of worthy per* sons, ro irhom separation from the place uf their fiithers* sepulchres, is the gmtest of calamities. KELSO. 323 have had their properties transmitted to them for a lengthened period, in lineal descent, from father to son ; and the pages of the parish register, as well as the humble monuments of the church- yard, bear witness to an equal fluctuation in the case of the middle and working classes^ It is now as true of the borderers, at least of those of lower Teviotdale, as of the inhabitants of places less fitted to foster local attachment, that there is scarcely one man in fifty who, if he survives the age of manhood, is buried with his fathers. Town Population, — The proportion of the town to the land- Ward population is as six to one. Marriages. — From the growing neglect of registration, the yearly average of births cannot be given. No record of deaths is kept. The average number of marriages for the last seven years is 34. Nobility, 4*c. — There is one nobleman resident for part of the year, the Duke of Roxburghe. The number of families of inde- pendent fortune may be stated at 19; the number of proprietors of land of the annual value of L. 50 and upwards is 17. Parliamentary Voters. — The number of persons on the roll as qualified voters for a Member of Parliament, is 269. Lanf/ftiOffe, — One peculiarity of the pronunciation oF this district lias been alreadv noted, — the tendency to o^ive to the dental sound of ch the sound of sh ; as sheap for cheap. A second, is the habit of sounding the vowel a in a mode precisely the reverse of the English usage : Thus water (broad a) is uniformly pronounced ^odter (long slender a) and vice versa. The mode of enunciating the pronoun of the first person is also peculiar. It is sounded as if it were written aw: a native Kclsonian does not sav, " /saw it," but *' Aw saw it." In truth, in all that respects language, the natives of this district may be said to be Scotorum Scotissimi, Though at the distance of only five miles from England, they speak the Scottish tongue in the most Doric of its forms ; nor does there appear any prospect of a speedy improvement in this particular. It would indeed seem, that, in proportion as the two countries approach their respective confines, the Scotch and Anglican tongues, instead of gradually losing each its distinctive character so as, at the point of junction, to interblend and coalesce in a common dialect, assume each its harshest and most intractable form ; as if for the purpose of keeping their respective marches clear and distinct. At least the fact is unquestionable that, all along the. south side of the east marches, we have the Northum- 324 ROXDURGHSHIUE. brian burr bristling, like a fence of thorns, to prevent the Scotch accent from penetrating into England ; whilst on the north side, the latter dialect assumes a breadth of guttural energy, which effectually protects ^^ the ancient kingdom" against the inroads of the speech of the smoother-tongued Sassenachs* Among the words peculiar to the Marches, the verb to stoothe^ which signifies to lath-and-plaster, is worthy of being naturalized throughout the island, as expressing by a single term what is now done only by means of a circumlocution. That such a term should be in use on the border is the more remarkable, that the practice which it is designed to describe prevails less there than in any other part of the kingdom equally advanced in a taste for domestic comfort and elegance. Popular Amusements^ Sfc. — Though Kelso is less entitled than it once was to the name of the Melton of Scotland, it is still dis- tinguished as a resort of the lover of field-sports. Whether fox- hunting, horse-racing, or the ^* occupation of the angle," be his fa- vourite diversion, the sportsman has here facilities for pursuing it : there being a pack of fox-hounds in the vicinity, a beautiful race- course, and a river than which none affords better sport. Accord- ingly, though its races form no longer any considerable attraction, Kelso is still in vogue for fox-hunting and salmon-fishing; and during several weeks of both the spring and autumn, parties of tlie nobility and gentrj', often from the south of England, take up their residence in the town for the purpose of enjoying these sports. There is also a coursing-club in the parish, which is well supported : and once a year, the whipmen of the border turn out, — horse and rider gaily tricked out with ribbons and silken sashes, — to ride a race, which is the great delight of the rustics and school-boys, and which is now happily unaccompanied with the cruelties that in earlier times attended it. Of the old border games, foot-ball* is the only one which is still a favourite. It is still the practice of the rector of the grammar school and of the other teachers in the town to present " the king," that is, the boy who makes the most liberal Candlemas offering, with a foot- ball, which becx)mes a source of amusement to the whole In early tiincst fout-Imll mutches were common between tlicTin habitants of adjrt- cent parishes, or of the op|>osite l)anks of a stream ; and not only serious accidents but sanguinary quarrels often rosi> out of them. 8ir Uobert Carey in his Memoirs, narrates that Kelso was the scene of n great meeting of Scotch riders, held ostensibly far the purpose of playing at fout-ball, but in reality with the riew of concerting mea- sures for a hostile incursion into England. 4 KELSO. 325 pupils for seTeral weeks afterwards. The custom, formerly con- nected with this, of the scholars marching in procession through the town with a gilded ball on the top of a pole, has of late years &llen into desuetude. Upon the whole, however, Kelso can hardly be classed among places noted for their popular games, at least in so far as the resi- dent population are concerned. Except when a fine summer even- ing tempts a few apprentices to the knowes, to try a match at foot-ball or quoits, or a severe winter provides an ice-bound river for the use of the curlers, nothing of the nature of sport is to be seen among the people at large. The intoxication of political excitement has here, as elsewhere, tended to deaden the popular mind, as well to cheerful amusement, as to other matters of more vital impor- tance. And it is to be lamented that, by reason of the long hours which a tradesman must work in order to provide the means of subsistence, there is a want of time, even when there is no lack of disposition, for these manly and healthful recreations. Is it not to the disgrace of this great and wealthy nation, that the bulk of the working-classes should require to spend so many hours of the day in toil as to have no leisure either for the culture of their minds, or for the improvement of that physical vigour which is al- most essential to a cheerful and contented tone of mind ? In connexion with local customs, it may not be impertinent to rectify a mistake, to which the name of Sir Walter Scott has ^ven currency, with respect to the usage called a " Kelso convoy." According to Sir Walter, this is a proverbial ])hrase of disparage- ment, which took its origin from the practice of the Kelsonians, who, less hospitable than the other borderers, ^^ convoyed," or accompanied their departing guests no farther than the steps of their own threshold. Sir Walter's border lore is in this in- stance at fault ^^ A Kelso convoy," is not a shabby dismissal of a guest aflter attending him only to your door. The old Kel- sonians did indeed finish the ^^ convoy," by parting with their guest on the threshold ; but then this parting did not take place until they had first hospitably convoyed him to his door, and been, in return for the compliment, reconvoyed by the latter to their own. Physical Habits. — In respect of cleanliness, clothing, and ge- neral style and manner of living, the inhabitants, — the class of gypsies and the more improvident of the paupers excepted — are justly considered to surpass most rural populations. A taste for neatness of dress, well furnished houses, and other domestic com- 326 ROXBURGHSHIRE. • forts, is very general ; nay is, in some instances, carried to excess. The men, even in the humblest rank, are for the most part well and substJintially clothed— having a holiday, as well as a working day suit The dress of the females is in ail cases neat; that of female servants (in particular) showy to an extent that might be advantageously abated. Women of all classes, down to the scul- lion and the beggar, wear bonnets in the open air. The ordi- nary food of the peasantry is chiefly of meal, milk, and potatoes, — little butcher-meat being used except pork, and no fish except herrings. The bread employed is, in many instances, wheaten ; but more usudly, a mixture of pease and barley meal. If the fare of the working classes in the town is in many cases better than this, it is also in many cases worse ; it being in the narrow lanes of the town that the most numerous instances of squalid penury and wretchedness occur. General Cliaracter. — The moral character of a population of 5000 souls is, like their physical habits, necessarily various. But as a whole, the people are sober and industrious, amiable in the re- lations of life, and attentive to their religious duties. They are more polished in mai^ners and respectful to all above them than persons of the same station in manufacturing towns, though per- haps somewhat inferior in acuteness of mind and extent of general information. Irregular marriages,* the bane of the working -classes, are believed to be on the decrease ; so also is the proportion of illegitimate births : whilst the increase of benefit clubs and of savings-bank deposits indicates that, along with the abandon- ment of a worse, there is a return, on the part of the com- mon people, to a better course of feeling and conduct. Among the most marked characteristics of all classes, especially the high- er, may be specified, beneficence to the poor, a large spirit of hospitality, and a strong feeling of locerson who officiates on these occasions is at jirescnt a bankrupt tradesman. His predecessor, Peter Mudic, was in the habit of granting the parties who appear- ed iKifore him a certificate, bearing that tliey were *■* legally and lawfully married** by him ; and further containing his own signature with the addendum of V. D. M. It was at one time the practice in some of the border parishes, for the kirk*8csion» before absolving defaulters in this way, to require them to be proclaimed and re-mar- ried. The usual pri:ctice now is, to make them acknowledge their marriage and irre- gularity in presence of the session, and, on evidence of their penitence, to restore them to privileges. Proclamation dues, however, are still in all such cases, exacted by the tHuaion clerk. KELSO. 327 Kelso : and probably few Kelsonians ever so far forget their filial love to their birth-place, even when by circumstances entirely se- parated from it, as not to connect it in their day dreams of the future with the fond aspiration, ^^ Sit mihi sedes utinam senecta;." IV. — Industry. As might be expected in a parish situate in the centre of a pure- ly agricultural district, the chief branches of industry are either agricultural labour, or those departments of the retail trade and of handicraft which lean'upon agriculture. One or two manufactures, carried on with a view to a distant market, such as the currvinff of leather, and the making of coarse woollen cloth, employ a few hands ; but the great bulk of the people are employed in the preparation or retail of articles consumed in the district, and consist, as in other country towns, chiefly of labourers, shoemakers, bakers, butchers, cabinet-makers, carpenters, masons, &c. The most numerous class of retail-shops are those of grocers and drapers. The number of members of the learned professions is 25 ; there being 6 minis- ters of the gospel, 8 medical practitioners, and 1 1 writers, exclu- sive of apprentices and clerks. Agriculture — Tillage and Pasture. — The total number of acres in the parish, standard imperial measure, is estimated at 4400. The whole may be said to be either cultivated, or occasionally in tillage, with the exception of the lawn at Floors, part of Spring- wood Park, and the Race-ground, recently reclaimed from a mo- rass, and now forming a valuable piece of pasture land. Even the first of these has recently come under the operation of the plough, though of course only with a view to its eventual productiveness and beauty, as permanent pasture- The total number of acres property in tillage, is about 3800 in permanent pasture, . 300 Tliere are no waste lands nor undivided common.' Wood* — The number of acres strictly under wood, that is, in inclosed plantations, is about 215. But besides the plantations, there is, especially in the parks of Floors and Springwood, and in the planted dells of Pinnacle-hill and Wooden, a vast amount of fine timber which cannot be estimated in acrcs^ being upon land under grass, or upon steep and broken ground ; to which must bo added the hedge-row trees with which the parish, particularly on the south of the Tweed, is richly ornamented. Tl»e older wood consists, in great part, of oak, beech and ash ; in the young woods, fir predominates ; but here also the harder timber is the growtb. chiefly aimed at, the firs being put in as nurses. The great bulk 328 ROXBURGHSHIRE. being either old or very young wood, no opportunity is at present afforded for following any specific rule in management, with re- gard to thinning, felling, pruning, and the like. Rent of Arable Land, — The rent of land varies greatly in diffe- rent parts of the parish. This is due partly to difference of soil, and partly to greater or less vicinity to the town. Whilst the northern section of the parish consists of a rich black loam with a subsoil of gravel, and lies close around the town, the southern por- tion is both inferior, generally speaking, in quality, and of less va- lue, as being more distant and cut off from free access to the town, by the pontage on the Tweed. Accordingly, the annual rent of land on the north side of the river varies from L. 5 to L. 2, 10s. while that on the south takes the lower range of from L. 3 to 7s. The average of the whole may be stated at L. 2, 5s. Rent of Grassing. — The average rent for grazing a fiill-grown ox or cow is, L. 4 to L. 4, 10s. ; and for each ewe or sheep, these being here of a large description, 10s. Rate of I^abour, — Masons and joiners receive from 2s. 6d« to ds. per day ; farm-labourers from Is. 6d. to Is. 8d. Spade labour upon farms is for the most part performed by contract or piece- work ; in which way a good labourer frequently earns from 2s. to 2s. 6d. per day. Ploughmen (in this parish generally married per- sons) are eng^ed by the year, and receive as follows : in cash, L. 3, 10s. ; 10 bolls oats, which may be estimated at L. 9 ; 3 bolls barley, L. 3, 6s. ; 1 boll pease, L. 1, 83. ; cow's grass and win- ter keep, L. 6 ; potatoes planted, L. 1, 10s. ; coals driven, L. 2, 10s. ; L. 27, 4s. The ploughman is furnished with a house on the farm ; but for this he provides a labourer in harvest, (very often his wife,) generally estimated at L. 2 ; and he is also taken bound, in virtue of the above allowances, to maintain a female-labourer, (distinguished on the marches by the name of a boTidager,) for whose services, when employed, he receives from 8d. to lOd. per day. Stock. — The usual breed of sheep reared and grazed in the pa- rish is that known as the improved Leicester, for which the sur- rounding district is famous, l^hc catHe most common are 9f the short-horned or Teeswater breed. Husbandry. — The system of agriculture pursued is necessarily various in a parish where there are so many, great and small, as seventeen farms with homesteads, besides a number of smaller pos- scssions occupied by cowfeeders, carters, and the like. The sys- KBLSO. 329 tem, however, in general application, is that of the four and five- shift courses, the former predominating. Except upon those lands (to the south of the Tweed) which rest upon a retentive subsoil, turnips or potatoes in limited quantity, are taken as a fallow crop ; this is followed by wheat or barley, sown down with grass-seeds ; and when these grasses are taken up at the end of one or two years, as the case may be, an oat crop follows ; no manure being applied in the course of the rotation to any but the turnip crop or &II0W. The manures generally employed are, besides common manure, lime and bone-dust. The average quantity of lime used annually is estimated at 843 tons ; the average quantity of bone- dust, 25 tons. As regards the improvements of which the husban- dry is susceptible, nothing very specific can be stated. The rich loam on the north of the Tweed, as also the lands on the south, which are upon a dry subsoil, are in the highest state of cultivation, and seemingly incapable of any additional improvement beyond what judicious management, and the application of suitable ma- nures, never fail to produce. But much of the wet and tilly soil in the southern section of the parish is, doubtless, notwithstanding the great and beneficial change which its present enterprising oc- cupants have of late years wrought upon it, still susceptible of ex- tensive amelioration from a more thorough application of draining and similar essential operations. Leasts. — The general duration of leases is nineteen or twenty- one years. The only exception is in the case of small enclosures and crofts in the immediate vicinity of the town, which are let, for the most part, for a double rotation of crops. Farm-buildingSi Sfc. — The farm-buildings are generally substan- tial ; in a few instances, tasteful and elegant. The implements of husbandry are likewise in accordance with the latest improvements. On one large farm, Spylaw, steam is employed as a moving power in the operations of thrashing, &c The whole parish is enclosed and subdivided into fields, generally by hedges, which, from the prac- tice of regularly cutting them with a bill, give the face of the coun- try a garden-like appearance. Where the fences are of stone, the walls are well-built, and sometimes coped with ruble-work. Alto- gether, the state of the parish, in reference to agriculture, may be justly described as worthy of a district, which has always kept pace with the rapid strides made by the country at large in this depart- ment of national industry, and which has long had the good for- ROXBURGH. V 330 ROXHURGHSHIRE.' tune to possess a body of tenantry distinguished alike by their intelligence, cnterprize, and capital. Fisheries. — The salmon- fisheries on this part of the Tweed have existed from a very remote period. At the foundation of the Ab- bey of Kelso, King David gave them to the monks, who seem to have carefully protected them ; though not more carefully than the land-owners whose property they became when the monastery was dissolved. The Kelso fishery yields an annual rent to the Duke of Roxburghe of L. 30 ; but this amount of rent is due less to the actual value of the produce, than to the income which the tacksman derives from hiring out his boats, &c. to amateur sportsmen. The fish caught here are not sent beyond the Kelso market, which, indeed, con- sumes more than this fishery is adequate to supply. The fisheries on the Tweed are under the protection of commissioners and over- seers, appointed by act of Parliament, with whom it lies to appoint head and under water bailiffs for the different districts of the river. The river is open for salmon-fishing from 15th February to 7th November. Produce. — The average gross amount of raw produce raised is estimated as under : Potatoes and turnips. - - - - L. 9^900 Grain of all kinds, ..... 11,560 Hay, 920 Pasture, including permanent grass in parks, &c. - 2,150 Gardens and orchards, .... 750 Fisheries, - . . ... 50 L. 19,330 Manufactures, — It has been already stated that the manufac- tures of the parish are very limited. Though the number of branches is considerable, including the manufacture of leather, woollen-cloth, tobacco, the weaving of linen, stocking-making, and the making of hats, they do not give employment conjointly to more than 150 workmen ; nor, if we except the currying trade, which is carried on by one house very extensively, does any of them seem to be advancing. Some of them, as weaving and stock- ing-making, have indeed all but disappeared from the place. Associations. — Though there are no parochial societies for the encouragement of any branch of industry, Kelso has" the benefit of several local associations of this description, which hold their meetings and exhibitions in the town. Among these, the Union Agricultural Society is worthy of notice, from the stimulus it has given to the improvement of stock, agricultural implements^ &c KELSO« 331 on the border. It has a monthly exhibition of cattle, sheep, seed- corn, &c ; encourages ploughing matches ; offers prizes for me- chanical inventions connected with agriculture ; and numbers among its patrons and members all the leading landholders and farmers in Teviotdale, Berwickshire, and Northumberland. V. — Parochial Economy. Marhet'Town^ S^c. — Kelso is the market-town of the district as well as of the parish. It contains a population of about 4200, who, as formerly stated, are employed chiefly in the ordinary branches of retail and handicraft. * It has a daily market for butcher-meat, fish, and vegetables ; a weekly corn market ; and a monthly cattle and sheep-market« I'here are four bank agencies, and numerous handsome shops. The principal transactions are those connected with the trade in corn, and the sale of stock ; and it is worthy of remark, that the business of the corn-market is car- ried on in the most primitive and inartificial manner, without bills, and even without accounts ; — it being the practice for the purchas- er to make payment in cash on the market day immediately fol- lowing that of the stipulated delivery of the article. Municipal Constitution. — Kelso is a burgh of barony ; but the sett is so peculiar as to justify us in here preserving some record of an ancient institute which the progress of municipal law will soon sweep away. Prior to the Reformation, the different lands and manors be- longing to the abbey formed a regality, over which the abbot ex- ercised the authority of a feudal baron. On the abolition of mo- nachism, the jurisdiction fell into the crown. But it was ultimate- ly transferred, under the title of the Lordship and Barony of Hal - lydean, to Kerr of Cessford — the first peer of the house of Rox- burghe. This transference took place in 1607; and in 1634, Kel- so, previously included in the lordship of Ilallydean, was separat- ed and created into a free burgh of barony. 'J'he charter of crea- tion gives power to the superior and his heirs-male, in all time coming, to " receive and admit free burgesses," — to appoint " bailies, clerks, officers, and other members necessary for the • Honourable mention is made in Uic former Suiistical Account (»f nn ingenious optieioni John Gibson, who then carried on a considerable trade in Kelso, ospttial- ly in telescopes. There is now no artisan of this descriptiini. But there is at present an ingenious person who does a great deal of work in a line to the full as unusual in small country towns as that of making spy-glasses. This is Mr Heckford, a bird- stuffer, whose performances, as seen in the Duke of Roxburghe's cabinet of natural history, and in the museum of the Kelso Antiquarian Society, will bear a compari- son with those of the best London artists. 332 HOXBURGHSHIUE. government of the burgh ;" — to " hold a weekly public market and two free fairs yearly for the space of eight days ;" — to " re- ceive and uplift the customs and duties thereof, and apply the same to the common good of the burgh ;'* — and in general to " es- tablish such regulations as may be most conducive to the general good of the town and its inhabitants, the advancement of trade, and the encouragement of manufactures therein." The town seems to have been incorporated, and baron-bailies appointed from the date of the charter ; but there is no formal sett extant of older date than 1757, ten years after hereditary jurisdictions were abo- lished ; a sett which, with a few modifications established by long practice, forms the constitution under which the town is still go- verned. According to these regulations, the powers invested by the char- ter in the feudal lord are delegated after a manner specifically de- fined, to his bailie, certain corporate bodies, and fifteen stent-mas- ters. There are seven corporate bodies, the Merchant Com- pany, and the six crafts of Skinners, Weavers, Tailors, Shoemakers, Hammermen, and Fleshers. To these bodies is delegated the right of admitting freemen, and of preventing persons who do not pay the expense of entry, and otherwise conform to the rules, from carrying on business in the burgh ; and they are also empowered to elect each their respective preses or deacons. The powers vest- ed in the stent-masters have an exclusive reference to the admini- stration of the funds of the burgh, and, in particular, to the levy- ing and disbursement of a stent or tax, which is applied to the repairing of the streets and other burghal expenses. This tax they impose on the inhabitants according to the rentals of their properties, and the supposed value of their trades ; but be- fore levying it, the preliminary step must be gone through of presenting an estimate of the probable expenditure for the ensu- ing year to the baiUe, whose approval and warrant are essential to enable the stent-masters to collect the stent, and with whom also it lies to judge of and determine all claims from exemption, as well as all appeals against the amount of stent imposed. These stent- masters are fifteen in number, of whom eight are nominated by the bailie ; the remaining seven consist of the preses for the time being of the Merchant Company and the deacons of the six crafts ; and they have power, in their collective capacity, to elect from their own number a preses and treasurer, and also to choose their own clerk and quarter-master. The principal officer, however, under KELSO. 33:j this coustitution is the baron-bailie, wlio is the superior's deputy, and invested, during the pleasure of the latter, with the ix)wer of his principal. Besides the power of controlling the proceedings of the stent-masters already described, he has a right, whenever he thinks fit, to require them to exhibit their accounts. He is al- so the judge of all cases of dispute between the corporations and claimants for entry. In addition to which, he holds a weekly court within burgh as a magistrate, for the decision of civil cases, when the sum in dispute does not exceed L. 2, and of criminal actions of assault, battery, or petty theft, punishable by a fine not exceed- ing L. 1. He gives judgment also in possessory actions and se- questrations for rent, though his jurisdiction in such cases is found- ed upon prescriptive usage rather than on any express instruction in his commission ; and he is likewise expected ^' to take a gene- ral superintendence in all matters of police." Such is an outline of this somewhat peculiar and anomalous constitution. With respect to its actual working, it is not neces- sary to enter into detail. The right of nominating a majority of the stent-masters, and also of controlling all their acts, invests the bailie with a power which, in the hands of an indiscreet man, might be prostituted to oppressive ends, and which is in principle opposed to the genius of modern institutions. Yet in practice, the system has never occasioned complaint, — while the progressive im- provement of the town in all that relates to lighting, cleaning, supply of water, and general neatness, affords evidence that the unrestricted control of the town's funds vested in the bailie and stent-masters has not been abused. In fact, where evil has arisen to the community, it has been from the defectiveness of the bailie's power, not from its excess. There is no provision for defraying the expense of a body of police ; nor is the magistrate invested with those summary powers which are essential to the immediate punishment and prevention of crime. The want of an effective police is, accordingly, much felt ; and though the bailie does keep one police officer, (partly at his own cost,) and is ever ready to interpose his authority in order to check riotous disturbances, the amount of disorderly conduct in general, and of juvenile delin- quency in particular, is not on the decrease. All experience proves that it is in such towns as Kelso that most of the offences tried in counties arise ; and there can be no doubt, that were the magistrates of such burghs invested at once with a summary jurisdiction over petty ofTenceSi and with a sufficient executive, it would be in their 334 ROXHURGHSHIRE. power, in very many instances, to crush crime in the bud, to arrest juvenile ofifenders at their outset on the path to ruin, and thus not only to secure the prosperity and peace of the community, but to effect a material saving in the expenditure now necessary for the prosecution of offences before higher tribunals. TowrCs'Funds. — The annual income of the burgh may be stat- ed at about L. 500. Its principal sources are : the stent on the inhabitants already described ; the proceeds of a tax on ale ; the price obtained for fuilzie ; the rent of a machine for weighing coals ; and the interest of a sum invested on Kelso Bridge.* Villages. — The only village in the parish is Maxwell-heugh, which stands on a heugh or eminence on the south of the Tweed, directly opposite to the eastern part of the town. It contains about 100 inhabitants, and is a place of great antiquity. The Earl of Morton had a residence there in the time of Elizabeth. Means of Communication. — There are two post-office deliveries daily ; one when the bag from the south, and another when the bag from the north arrives. ^ No mail-coach passes through Kelso ; but letter-carts or gigs regularly convey the bags to and from Hawick, where the mail passes. Turnpike roads, to the extent of twelve miles, intersect the parish, and connect it with all the sur- roundingtowns, the principal being a branch of the great north road, * The following account of receipts and disbursements for a single year, as given in evidence before the burgh commissioners, will give a better idea both of the reve- nues of the burgh, and of the purposes to which they are applied, than any descrip- tion ; though it is but fair to premise, that the items of <' cleaning streets** and **trades- men*s accounts** are considerably above the average expenditure under these heads, in consequence of additional expenses arising in the year referred to, out of the pre- valence of cholera, &c. Income from Whitsundav 1831 to Whitsunday 1832. Interest on L. 250 vested on Kelso Bridge, Tax of 2d. Scots on pint of ale, . . . . Stent imposed on the inhabitants. Rent of machine for weighing coals, Proceeds of dung collected in cleaning streets. Allowance fVom the trustees of the Lauder turnpike for repair of one of the streets, .... . . Rent of jailor*s house, . . • . . Expenditure. Salaries of officers, . . ... Expense of lighting streets with gas, . cleaning streets, . . . : mending streets, . . . • Tradesmen*s accounts for repairing property, Interest of debt, . ..... Expense of police, ... . . L.^ 50 1 11 269 11 6 25 132 5 of 10 2 L.5(J2 T" "s L.24 19 "T 76 5 10 349 8 2 34 7 11 138 13 5i 26 3 4 21 L.670 18 1* KELSO. 335 ^ia Newcastle, to London. Stage-coaches run daily between Kelso and Edinburgh ; three times a-week between Kelso and Berwick ; and between Kelso and Hawick, taking Jedburgh on the way, twice a-weck : There is also direct access daily to Newcastle and the south by a coachi which runs between Edinburgh and Newcastle. The means of conveying heavy goods, &c. by carriers and wag- goners are ample ; there being 45 of these who come and go from Kelso weekly. The bridges are numerous, and constructed on the most approved principles of the art ; those across the Tweed and the Teviot, in particular, may vie with any similar works in the kingdom. The Kelso and Berwick railroad, from which such extensive benefits were long anticipated to Tweedside and Teviot- dale, has existed for the last twenty years in an act of Parliament, and in the pages of The Travellers' Guide : Why it does not yet exist in any more tangible and useful shape, and seems never likely to do SO5 is best known to the shareholders, who, judged from their past proceedings, appear to have been incoq)orated for the purpose of defeating, not of carrying into effect, the provisions of an act of Parliament. Eccksicutiical State, — Parish Cliurch. — The present church was erected in 1773, and is a commodious and conveniently situated, though somewhat inelegant building. In external shape, it is a regular octagon, flanked by two ample porches, which abut from the north and south sides ; and it is surmounted bv an immense roof of blue slate, tapering to a point somewhat after the fashion of a marquee, and supported by a circle of eight pillars within the building. Its internal figure was also octagonal up to 1 823, when, with the view of improving it as a place of hearing, an alteration was made, which at once deranged its internal symmetry and di- minished its area to the extent of 1153 feet. The loss of ac- commodation thus incurred was in a good measure compensat- ed in 1833 by seating a passage which ran round the lower area of the church. But it is to be lamented that, instead of thus con- tenting themselves with a limited repair, the heritors had not, in 1823, adopted a plan of improving the church, furnished by Mr Gillespie Graham, which would have augmented, instead of cur- tailing the accommodation, and cost only from L. 1100 to L. 1200 more than the alterations actually executed. The two principal heritors, on whom conjointly would have fallen nearly two-thirds of the whole expense, were in favour of the rejected plan, and were willing, besides^ to contribute their proportioii lovjaLTiis WAfti- 336 ROXBURGHSHIRE. ing a church-spire, which is much wanted in a parish where there is no place for suspending bells ; but their liberal design was 0Yer« ruled by the opposition of the smaller heritors, who, for the paltry saving of L. 420, the whole sum which the execution of Mr Graham's plan would have cost them, resisted an improvement which would have been of great and permanent advantage to the parish and the public. The church is seated to contain 1314 ; but in consequence of the polygonal shape of many of the pews, the number which it actually accommodates is under 1300. The whole sittings are allocated to the landward heritors, with the exception of those set apart for the minister, session, schoolmaster, and choir, and 187, which have been allotted to the incorporated trades, in considera- tion of a contribution made by them towards seating the church. The inhabitants of the town, though forming five-sixths of the whole parishioners, have, with this exception, no right to sittings other than the good will of heritors, who happen to have more church-room than is necessary for the occupants of their land. Yet this disadvantage is less felt than might be expected, in conse- quence of the liberality of the only land-owner having a surplus- age of church-room, the Duke of Roxburghe, who has of late years delegated to the kirk-session the power of assigning his surplus seats — about one-third of the church, to the people of the town. Manse, — The manse was built in 1801, and extensively repaired at the entry of the present incumbent in 1832. It is a large and commodious house; and beautifully situate on an open space of ground between the town and the Tweed, — having the abbey im- mediately behind it, and the glebe bounded by one of the very finest portions of the river, in front Glebe, — The glebe is understood to contain about six acres, ex- clusive of the site of the manse, the manse garden, and a portion let as a wood-yard. Its value, including all these pertinents, to- gether with an annual allowance of L. 4, 15s. from the trustees of Kelso- Bridge, in lieu of a part cut off by the approach to the bridge, may be estimated at from L. 50 to L. 60. There is no grass glebe ; but the minister has a prescriptive right to the grass of a plot of meadow called the Knowes, which adjoins the church-yard, and originally formed part ofthe ground used as fttt/^ for archery. From this right he has, however, of late years de- rived no benefit; as the Knowes have become the play-ground KELSO. 337 of the grammar school, as well as the chief resort (in virtue of his written sanction) for the stated exhibitions of agricultural stock, &c. Stipend, — The stipend is 51 bolls of oatmeal and 56 bolls of bear, with L. 193^ 2s. 5d. in money. The Court of teinds awarded, in their first scheme of locality, a stipend larger than this by about L. 70 ; but the above is all that the teinds, when surrendered, were found to yield. Nor would the stipend have reached its present amount, had not the proprietor of the lands of Maisondieu, ori- ginally hospital lands, and, as such, supposed to bo exempt from teind — failed to prove that they had been feued cum decimis in- dusis et nunquam antea separatism previously to the act of annexa- tion in 1587. These lands having been left unvalued^ the court found that they were liable to pay one-fifth of their real rent as stipend. Divine Service^ Sfc. — In the parish church, divine service is performed twice every Sunday throughout the year. The sacra- ment of the Lord's Supper is administered twice a-year, viz. on the last Sundays of February and July. The number of elders, each of whom superintends a defined section of the parish, is at present & The number of communicants is about 1200. Additional Church, — A deficiency of church-room in con- nexion with the Establishment has recently been supplied by the erection of a second church. This church, which is just com- pleted) is situate on the north-side of the town, in a field which, from its elevation and exposure, renders the building, with its ele- gant Gothic tower, one of the most prominent objects in the sce- nery of Kelso. Besides a church capable of accommodating 800 persons, there is a suite of spacious school-rooms, which form the ground-floor of the building, and are designed for the use of an infant and juvenile school ; while the surrounding field is fitted up as a play-ground for the scholars, or tastefully laid out as a pleas^ once to the church. By the constitution granted by the General Assembly, it is provided that, on the settlement of a minister, a section of the town and suburbs shall be disjoined from the ori- ginal parish quoad spiritualia^ and assigned to the new church as a parish ecclesiastical ; and that for the better accommodation of the poorer classes, one-half of the whole church- room shall be let at an annual rate not exceeding ds. a sitting. The appointment of the minister is to rest, during the infancy of the congregation, with four individuals named in the constitution ; but it is ultimately to devolve on the kirk-session and male communicants; — the for- 338 ROXBURGHSHIRE. mer enjoying the right of nominating the candidates (not less than four,) from whom the latter are to elect the minister. A bond for a stipend of L. 80 must be lodged with the presbytery before a minister can be inducted ; but the stipend is not to be li- mited to the sum secured by bond, if the seat-rents and collections, the only sources of revenue provided for in the constitution, afford a larger income. For an addition to its ecclesiastical and education- al ediBccs, which has not been completed under a cost (fabric and site included) of less than L. 3460, Kelso is mainly indebted to a native of the parish, — Mr James Nisbet, Berners'^ Street, Lon- don, with whom the design originated, and by whose muniGcence chiefly it has been carried into execution. The splendid donation of L. 1500 to the object forms only one item of the amount of this gentleman's benefits to the new church and parish. Among the benevolent persons who have co-operated with Mr Nisbet, a pro- minent place is due to three of the elders — Mr John Henderson, Mr Robert Williamson, and Mr Alexander Leadbetter, who, be- sides their liberal donations to the funds, have devoted much time and labour to the superintendence of the work. The Duke of Buccleuch, Mr Alderman Pirie, and Alexander Gordon, Esq. of London, ought also to be mentioned as large contributors. And it would be unjust to the parishioners generally to withhold the fact, that their united contributions directly to the object have amounted to L. 50a * Religious Denominations. — Besides the Established Church, there are five other religious bodies which have places of worship in the town, viz. the Episcopal Communion, the Reformed Pres- byterians, the Original Seceders, the United Secession, and the Relief. The Methodists and Quakers, mentioned in the former Account, have disappeared, though the latter body still retain the right to use their former meeting-house for religious purposes. An Episcopal congregation has existed in Kelso from the time of the Revolution. The present meeting house of the Original Se- ceders was erected in 1772 ; that of the United Secession in 1787; that of the Relief, originally an off-shoot from the last-mentioned congregation, in 1792. The ministers of all these bodies are paid * Although the new church and schools arc now open» a minister and taocher ap- pointed, and A new parish ecclesiastical allocated, (the church was opened on d6th November 1837,) no account is given in this paper of the changes which are being introduced into the parisli by the new parochial arrangements. I ndeed, conndertng the necessarily immature state of arrangements so recently commenced, this wouM have been scarcely practicable, even had it not been wholly precluded by the ctreuoi* stanccj that the materials embodied in the present account were chiefly ooUflcted4n lSd6. KELSO. 339 from the proceeds of seat rents and collections, with the exception of the Episcopal clergyman, whose stipend is derived from a volun- tary assessment upon the members of the congregation. AU^of them, with the same exception, have manses. Their stipends vary, vith the numbers and wealth of the congregations, from L. 200 to L. 50, and are, so far as has been ascertained, as follows : minister of United Secession, L. 200 ; minister of the Relief, L. 150 ; minister of the Original Seceders, L. 50. As respects the time and diets of public worship, &c. the Dissenters follow nearly the same rule as the Established Church. There is divine service, generally speaking, every Lord's day, as also two distinct diets, excepting dur- ing the winter half-year, when a double diet without any interval is adopted. The Lord's Supper is likewise dispensed in the two most numerous congregations on the same days as in the Established Church; and in the othcrsit is dispensed with equal frequency, though not generally at the same times. The United Secession and Relief congregations number among their members many persons of great respectability in point of wealth as well as character, and the Sab- bath attendance is not only respectable but numerous, considering the distances which many of the members have to travel. One of them — the United Secession, is composed of persons collected from so many as thirteen parishes. The following table exhibits the accommodation of the va- rious places of worship, together with the number of persons in the parish of all ages connected with each denomination respectively, as ascertained by a census taken in 1835 : Drnominaiion. Accommodation. No, of PcTMom, £*tabUslied Church. 1314 2631 Episcopaluins, 218 153 Reformed Presbyterians, 320 66 Original Seceders, 600 30 United Secession, 955 1034 Relief, 779 598 Not known to belong to any denomination. 602 Religious Societies. — The societies established for the purposes of Christian charity are, the Kelso Bible Society, (which gives the most of its funds to the Edinburgh Bible Society,) the Kelso Missionary Society, (auxiliary to the Scottish Missionary Society,) the parish Society for the spread of the Gospel, (its funds have been applied to the support of a parochical missionary,) — and the Society for the Missions of the United Secession Church. The first two are supported by Christians of various denominations ; the last twO) as their designations import, by members of the Esta- 340 ROXBURGHSHIRE* blished Church, and of the United Secession respectively. The average iDcome of each society may be rated as follows ; Bible So- ciety, L. 38; Missionary Society, L. 13; Parish Society, L. 60; Secession Missions, L. 65. The sums raised by these societies do not exhaust the contributions of the parish to missionary and re- ligious purposes. Various stated and occasional collections, both in the Established and Dissenting churches, fall to be added, especially the annual collections in the former, in aid of the four missionary schemes of the General Assembly, which have hitherto averaged upwards of L. 50. Education — Schools. — The total number of week-day schools is 10 ; viz. a grammar school and an English school, both parochial ; a side-school for the southern division of the parish, provided with school room and schoolmaster's house, at the expense of two of the heritors; the Roxburghe school (for girls,) taught by a female, and similarly provided at the charge of the Duke of Roxburghe ; the Friendly school, supported by an educational society ; and Gve private schools, undertaken on the adventure of the masters. There are also two boarding-schools for young ladies, as likewise a similar institution for young gentlemen, kept by the rector of the grammar school. Branches taught, — The branches generally - taught in these schools are the elements of reading, writing, and arithmetic. In the Roxburghe school, the girls are taught sewing along with the ordinary branches. In the grammar-school, the Latin and Greek classics are taught together with French, geography and mathe- matics ; whilst in the ladies' seminaries the ornamental branches of education, as music, drawing, &c. may be acquired in addition to the elementary. Though several of the teachers are persons of liberal education, the modes of tuition generally followed d< not differ materially from those which have been in use for th( last forty years ; nor in the instances in which the analytical sys-. tem has been introduced, does there exist any very flattering pro-^ spect of its permanent adoption. The emoluments of most of the schools are so slender that well qualiBed teachers remain in thei only till they can obtain better appointments, and it of^en happei that a teacher versant in the modern improvements of his art £ ^ succeeded by one who is but slenderly, or not at all acquainted ^^ i with them. Emoluments. — The rector of the grammar-school is the ovX'i teacher who has the maximum salary and the legal accommod^- 4 KELSO. 341 tioD. The English master has no liouse, and, excepting a salary of L. 5, lis. Id. paid in equal parts by the heritors and burgh, and the interest of a mortification of L. 240, as a remuneration for , teaching poor scholars recommended by the kirk-session, is de- pendent exclusively upon school fees. The only other teachers nvho have salaries are the mistress of the Roxburghe School, who has an income secured to her (including school fees) of L. 24 ; and the master of the Friendly School, who is in like manner gua- ranteed, whatever sum is necessary to supplement the penny-a- week fees of the children up to L. 40. The unendowed teachers are understood to have their school-wages but indifferently paid ; nor probably does the most popular of them, after deducting school-rent, realize an annual income exceeding L. 50. School Fees, — The school fees charged at the grammar school are, for the classics, 10s. per quarter, and for mathematics, 10s. 6d«; at the parochial English school for reading, 3s. 6d.; writing, 4s. 6d. ; arithmetic, 6s. 6d. ; at the private schools for reading, ds. ; writing, 4s. ; arithmetic, 5s. ; practiced mathematics, 7s. 6d. ; at the Roxburghe and Friendly Schools, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Id. per week. Decreagifig desire for Education, — There are probably few per- sons in the parish between six and fifteen years of age who can- not partially read and write. Yet the state of school attendance, during the last few years, is far from indicating a very lively de- sire on the part of the commonalty for the benefits of education. Not only has there been a gradual falling off in the number of classical pupils,— unhappily common to this district with the whole country, but the average attendance on the English schools ex- hibits a progressive decrease. In 1833, the total number of pu- pils in attendance on all the schools of the parish, boarding-schools included, was 725. In 1834, the number had increased to 765 ; but in 1835 it was only 690 ; while in 1836 another diminution had taken place, the number being 664. Part of this deficiency is no doubt explained, though but a small part, by a growing prac- tice among the wealthier classes, of having their children taught at home by masters who come in for a few hours daily ; and some- thing may be also due to the increasing poverty of many of the people, as well as to the notion not yet obsolete, that a mere abi. Uty to read and write constitutes education, and that, consequent- ly! the merest scantling of school instruction will suffice. But these causes do not account for the whole evil. A growing in* 342 UOXBUllGHSHIRE. difference to the value of early education lies, it is to be feared, a the root of the evil — an indifference strengthened by the loss c self-respect, which a habit of asking and taking indiscriminat charity engenders, and not dispelled by the spectacle of the salu tary working of a thoroughly enlightened and energetic system o tuition. It is to be hoped that the infant and juvenile school connected with the new church will be conducted in a manne fitted at once to enlighten the popular mind on the subject o education, and arrest that tendency to apathy with regard to it benefits now too palpably discernible. Yet considering how diflS cult it is to raise by voluntary contribution, an adequate and regu lar provision for competent teachers, the philanthropist cannot b< sanguine of much amelioration, until clearer symptoms display themselves of a disposition on the part of the legislature to mak< liberal provision both for normal and primary schools. Sunday Schools. — Besides the week-day, there are 6 Sunda] schools ; — 4 connected with the Established Church, and 2 be- longing to the Secession and Relief congregations respectively. Originally there was but one school, attended by children of all denominations, which was held first in the parish Church, and afterwards removed to the Secession meeting-house; but foi many years past, the division. into Church and Dissenting schools has obtained, as also that of the former, into male and female schools. The average number of Sunday scholars may be stated at 500, of which 300 belong to the Church, and 200 to the Dis- senters. By far the most important of these schools, in point both of numbers and efficiency, is the girls' school conducted by ladies, members of the Establishment. Under the head of Sunday schools may be enumerated, though they meet on a week-day evening, two weekly classes, connected with the parochial congre- gation, one, a class of candidates for admission to the Lord's Sup- per, the other, a normal class of Sunday-school teachers. Literature — Libraries. — Kelso is rich in libraries. The prin- cipal of these,' " the Kelso Library," has existed since 1750, and now contains a collection of about 5000 volumes, including many standard English works in all departments of literature. In com- mon with the conimodious building in which it is kept, it is the property of about seventy shareholders, by whose subscriptions it is supported, and to whom the books are accessible. ^^ The New Library," and " The Modem Library" are also the property at joint-stock companies. They were founded in 1778 and 1800, and KELSO. 34;} already contain about 2000 and 1500 volumes respectively, chiefly »f modern works. There is also a Sunday school library con- nected with the Established Church ; a congregational library be- onging to the Relief Church ; besides three sections of the East LiOtbian Itinerating Libraries, which were lately introduced for the ise of the working classes, principally through the exertions of the jresent minister of the United Secession congregation. In con- nexion with libraries may be mentioned a Book-club, consisting Df twenty-four members, (some of them extrfi-parochial,) who con- rribute each a guinea annually for the purchase of books, which are 2irculat«d among the members, and sold at the end of the year, — the proceeds of the sale going to augment the means of purchas- ing books. This Club has existed for many years ; and has very materially contributed, both by the kind of works it has circulated, Bnd by the intercourse it has kept up among the members — to maintain a taste for literature in the town and neighbourhood. Scientific Societies, — " The school of arts," which gave rise to some interesting: courses of lectures on chemistrvand mathematics from 1825 to 1828, is no longer in existence. But the basis of a scientific institution, destined, it is hoped, to be longer-lived, has Tocentlybeenlaidin the '' Kelso Physical and Antiquarian Society," which, though its object is restricted, in the meantime, to the formation of a museum of natural history and cantiquities, may per- haps ere long turn the collection to some useful purpose, by ingraft- ing upon it a lecture or demonstration on some subject of philo- sophical or historical interest. The name of the eminent person at the head of the society. Sir Thomas M. Brisbane, Bart, may be regarded as a pledge that something more is eventually contem- plated than a mere repository of archaeological relics and physi- cal rarities ; while the eminent success which has attended their labours in this, the preliminary department, ought, doubtless, to encourage the directors to adventure on an attempt to compass the ulterior object also. Reading^Rooms, — There are two reading rooms for newspapers in the town ; one of considerable standing, belonging to a select society of gentlemen ; and one, of recent date, open to all who pay the annual subscription. It is to the honour of the latter that, by an express regulation, it is shut on the Lord's day. Newspapers^ Sy. — The " Kelso Mail*' and the " Kelso Chroni- cle" newspapers are printed and ])ublished in Kelso, the for- mer twice, the latter once a-week. The " Chronicle" was esta- 344 ROXBURGHSHIRE. blished for the advocacy of political reform in 1832 : the '^ Mail," a Conservative journal, has existed since 1797, having been pro- jected and, for a time, conducted by the late Mr James Ballantyne, who commenced in Kelso his career as a printer. Various news- papers and other periodical works have issued from the Kelso press » since 1783, when ^^ the Kelso Chronicle," the first newspaper in the south of Scotland, was commenced ; but, with the exception of that journal, v^liich lasted for eighteen years, and another newspa- per, the " Kelso Weekly Journal," which existed from 1808 to 1829, none of them have been successful. It is creditable, however, to the literary enterprize of the place, that so many attempts have been made : and it will ever serve £o connect the name of Kelso with literature, that its press produced the first edition of " The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border." Charitable and Economic Institutions — Dispensary. — The oldest of our charitable institutions is the Kelso Dispensary, which was established in 1777, for the benefit of the sick poor of the town and district, principally through the philanthropic exertions of the late Hon. Mrs Baillie of Mellerstain and the late Dr C. Douglas of Kelso. This institution is supported by voluntary contributions; its accumulated capital, however, being now at length so consider- able as to make it independent of any very laige amount of an- nual subscriptions. Patients are, under certain limitations, visited at their own houses, by the surgeons of the institution; and, in the institution- house, there are both wards for fever patients, and rooms for the performance of surgical operations ; to which have recently been added water and vapour baths, accessible, at a spe- cified charge, to the public generally. The following table (which, with the valuable explanatory remarks and notes appended to it, has been obligingly furnished by the respected physician to the Dispensary,) exhibits the number of patients, and of the principal diseases, registered during the first five and the last five years of the institution. No. of Diseases. Years. Patients. Fever. Ague. Asthma. Rheumatism. Small-pox. Dropsy. 1777-8, J302 13 17 10 15 "^2 10 1778-9, 306 26 83 18 16 17 2 1779-80, 460 109 71 17 22 87 6 1780-1, 675 147 159 19 82 4 5 1781-2, 510 65 103 24 21 4 11 1831.2, 772 66 — 4 40 ~ 9 j^ KKLSO. O' 1892^ otiP *i() (» 1 IH I 7 lasA^, 7-29t 89 J 3 4-2 o 8 I8ai^ 078 G5 ^^ 3 3() 5T 5 J8»5^ 593 63 1 2 28 — 6 345 ** In the last series of five years, there have been above 100 cases of scarlatina ; — in the first series none are recorded. " The years 1780-81-82 were very severe upon the lower classesf as want added its attendant evils to the inclemencies of the sea- sons. Besides the heavy list of fever and ague, 21 CAses of scurvy occurred ; and I have no doubt are correctly stated, as two of the medical gentlemen had served abroad, and were familiar with the disease. " In comparing the first and the last series of years, it will be noticed, that ague has almost disappeared, while fever, though much diminished in its proportion, still holds its place as the most common disease of our district It is at all times difficult to trace the immediate cause of fever, which probably originates in some specific malaria ; but we have evidence that, once generated, it may be communicated from one person to another not exposed to the same noxious miasma which produced it. Marshes and wet ground alone are not necessary to the production of malaria, or many of the pestilential plains of Italy would be freed from disease. ^ •* The cases of asthma have diminished, while rheumatism has increased. The additional comforts and improved living of the lower classes, we should have expected, would have produced a beneficial effect upon both. The .removal of ague was likely to have diminished the cases of dropsy ; it is not a very common dis- ease among us, but as frequent as formerly. It is a curious fact, that stone in the bladder is almost unknown in the district, with the exception of one or two families, where it has existed as a he- reditary disease." Benefit 5ocie^te«.— Various friendly and benefit societies for- merly existed in the parish, but have all either been dissolved, or * " Cholera visited Kelso in 1892. The dispensary was used as a cholera liospitaK and no record kept of the other patients for two months. 'Hivrc were about forty deaths from cholera ; and, as fever prevailed at the same time, the cases of fever were certainly more numerous than the books show. Several of the cases of ague this year were occasioned, apparently, from opening drains in a piece of marshy ground.** t *' In October 1833, a man and his wife, dealers in fish, were seized with cholera, and died. In the course of the year various cases of modified small-pox were noti- ced ; but in the following season, when 51 dispensary cases are recorded, there was mnoh lesa of modification. Various deatlis occurred ; and the medical gentlemen of Ae institution were convinced that the disease was more violent according^o the ditUnee of time which had elapsed from the vaccination of the patient/* ROXBURGH. Z 34(] ROXBURGHSHIKE. are in the course of dissolution, in consequence of the erroneous principles, in respect to the proportion between the rate of admission and the rate of allowance, on which they were based. Nor is there any prospect of the speedy formation of new ones on sounder princi- ples. The only beneficiary schemes of a similar nature now existing are the " Yearly Societies," — four in number, — which are formed with the view of assisting their members when sick, and dissolved and reorganized every year. Each member contributes weekly the ^ sum of Is. '2d., together with 6d. a year for the expenses of ma- — nagemciit, 6d. on the death of a member, and dd. on the death of a member's wife. A member, when laid aside from work by^^ sickness, receives 4s. per week for the first three months, and 2s»^ for the next three months — the allowance not falling lower thac^r this. On the death of a member, his widow is allowed, as funera^^^m. expenses, a sum at the rate of 6d. from each member ; on th» .^rdie death of a member's wife, he is allowed 3d. from each. The onH M^ ly impediment to the beneficial operation of these simple but useiiM: ^au/ institutions is the practice, which cannot be too soon abandoneiF^rt of holding their monthly meetings in public-houses, and spendin ^f their fines on drink, instead of sipplying them to the increase (. -^f the funds. Savinffs Bank. — The want of benefit societies is, to some tent, supplied by a Savings bank, which has existed since 184 having been the first that was organized in Scotland on the mod< of that of Kuthwcll. This bank is managed gratuitously by i agent of the Commercial Bank, Mr John Waldie, who some hours every week to it. Any sum from L. 2 to L. 10 is ceived, — the only limitation being, that whenever and as often the deposit amounts to the latter sum it is withdrawn, and lodge in the Commercial Bank upon a deposit receipt in the depositor' name. The average sum invested yearly amounts to L. 517, 15s. the average sum withdrawn, L. 474, 4s. Id. : the average su: lodged with the Commercial Bank, L. 230 ; the average numbe '^ of depositors, 49. The depositors are chiefly servant girls, la-- bourers, and young persons ; and it is pleasing to notice, that the^ amount of business done is regularly, though slowly, increasingf' The amount lodged at 31st December 1838 was L. 908^ 9s.; snS the number of accounts open, 223. Poor and Parochial Funds, — There are in this parish fow sources of maintenance for the poor, viz. assessment, churcb-cd lections, mortified money, and charitable donations. KELSO. 347 1. A compulsory assessment has existed since 1796. * This assessment is fixed by the heritors, kirk-session, and proprietors of houses, on the real rpnt of lands and houses, — one-half being leviable from the landlord, and the other half from the tenant. Two meetings are held yearly, at Whitsunday and Martinmas, for the purpose of fixing the rate, and also of revising the poors' roll, deciding upon the claims of applicants for relief, and auditing the accounts. These last .are kept, as well as the general business relating to pauperism conducted, by a stipendiary overseer, with the assistance of two subordinate officers, a collector and distribu- tor ; and, to dispose of urgent crises that may arise in the interval between the general meetings, a committee, including the parish minister and one or more of the ciders, is regularly appointed at the half-yearly meetings. It should be added, that, besides the regular pensions, a considerable proportion of the funds is given in the shape of interim supply to paupers who are not on the re- gular roll, or who, though on the roll, require, from temporary causes, additional relief; — a mode of administration which expe- rience proves to be attended with the double advantage, of keep- ing down the numbers on the roll, and meeting necessitous cases without incurring the risk of making them permanently paupers. The average annual assessment for the last twenty years (during * A voluntary wsessmcnt has existed from 1 737. The niinutes bear, that, in order to obtcmper an act of the Sheriff and Justices of the Peace, passed in the year ]7*37, for the regulation and maintenance of the pfior, the heritors and kirk-session, in thnt jear, appointed the elders and others to pernmhulate the parish, and biing in a " list of the poor, aged, sick, lame, and impotent, all orphans, and other poor chiUlrcn vitbin the parish ;** as also, two overseers to superintend the collection and distribu- tion of the funds, and a collector to serve under them. They likewise appointed the •ame persons to ascertain what pei^ns would volunteer to ^ive weekly for the su])- port of tlic poor, with certification, ** that all who were known to be able, and would not do it willingly, would be stented ;" and, in addition, they chose ^^ three fcneibic men fur carrying off and removing from the place all vagrant and stranger-poor that may infect it, or be found troublesome." Tn 17*n, when this plan was commenced, the whole sura necessary fnr the weekly support of the poor, including wages of the eollector, was L. 24, 8s. Scots ; of which ifuui the landward heritors agreed to take Upon them one half, confonn to their respective valuations; the oiher half iKMug Qtade up by the feuars and inhabitants of the town, who, however, were to have for their relief, as far as they would go, the collections at the kirk-door, and the annual l^ent of the money lent out by the session for the use of the ]io(}r. Though this •y a t tfin continued with modi6cations on to 1700, it never seems to have wurked well. Xbough the collection was made weekly in sums, as a|)pcars by the stent-roUs still Ikreserved, not exceeding, in the majority of cases, one hulf-pcnny Sterling, large ar- rears were speedily accumulated, and the greatest dilhculty encountered in keeping the fUndt up to the growing demands. The sum necessary for relief did not rise very tmpicUv, but it steadily advanced. By the ycjr 1700 the number of ))ensioners on the roll was 60, and the sum disbursed among them L. 110, IHs. ; in 1770 the sum WM L. 122, lOs. 4d. ; and in 17U2 it was L. 27(), Uh. 8J. It was this constant ad- vance of the rate, togetlicr with the increasing difliculty of collecting the contribu- %ioiu of the townspeople, which induced the heritors to have recourse, in 1796, to the present compulsory system. 348 ROXBURGHSHIRE. which the amount has not very greatly varied) has been about L. 850,— the lowest (in 1826) being about L. 700, the highest (1836) rather more than L. 1000. The average number of pen- sioners on the roll for the same period of years is 130. The average number of persons receiving interim supply, including those on roll, 73. The average allowance of each person, man, woman, and child, on the roll, (including interim supply,) Is. 8d. weekly ; the average allowance to each individual not on the roll, in the shape of interim supply, L. 2 annually. * 2. The church collections, including in them a proportion of the fees for proclamations, &c. and the trifling rent of L. 1, paid by the convenery for being allowed to provide and hire out the mortcloths, amount at present, after deducting the allowances made to precentor, session-clerk, church-officers, &c. to L.85. Prior to 1796, one-half of these collections was paid over to the heritors, to be applied by them and the session conjointly to the relief of the poor. But since the estabhshment of a compulsory rate, the whole collection has been wisely left at the disposal of the session, who apply it to the relief of such cases of urgent and temporary distress as cannot well be met by the slower and more formal process of an application to the heritors or their committee. The distribution is made weoklv« in the several districts of the parish, by the elders, who, from their intimate knowledge of the people, can have a regard to the moral character as well as the physical necessities of applicants. And there is no doubt that the largeness of the collections — for they are large compared with the average collections in assessed parishes, — is due in no small de- gree to the well-founded persuasion among the congregation, that the fund is wisely and kindly administered. 3. The mortified money applicable to the relief of the poor, consists of five bequests made at different periods by individuals connected with the parish. Three of these, Jamieson's, Sloan's, and Dickson^s, which are under the administration of the heritors * It is believed that, in giving to proprietors of houses a co-ordinate power with heritors and elders in imposing the assessment, and also in taking the real rent as the basis of assessment, the usage of this parish is somewhat peculiar, if not of doubtftil competence. The power conceded to proprietors of houses, however, is found to operate most beneficially in keeping down the assessment ; as these indiTldualsy from their residence among the people, and knowledge of their wants, possess the certain means of sifting all applications, and detecting imposture. The other practice allud- ed to— that of taking the " real rent,** rather than " means and substance*** as the basis of the assessment, is not so unexceptionable. It presses very unequally, inaamuoh as it subjects the farmer, who pays a large rent for his fiirm, to a burden utterly dis- proportionate to that to which the rich manufacturer or capitalist is liable, who ii assessed only to the value of the house he occupies. KELSO. 34!) ftod kirk-session, yield together an annualrcnt of L. 17, 10s., and the remaining two, Jonathan Waldie's, administered by the baiho and minister; and Leadbetter's, administered by the ministers of all denominations, yield at present an annual interest of L. 18. The items are as under : L. 10 2 10 5 - 10 8 L.a> 10 "o Jomieaon't legacy of L. 200 at 5 per cunt. S]oane*a . 100 t>l Dickson's annuity of 5 J. Waldic*8 legacy of 200 6 Lcsdbcttcr*9 - 200 4 4. To these various fixed* sourcesof relief must be added thesums supplied by the public f bounty of individuals, which, though ne- cessarily varying in amount in diflTerent years, cannot be rated at a lower average than L. 100. % These donations arc generally given, in whole or in part, in coals, meal, &c. and are jidministered by va- rious persons, according to the appointment of the donors. ' Putting together all the above-mentioned resources, the annual amount applicable to the wants of the poor in the parish cannot bo estimated much below L. 1300; a sum greatly exceeding what is expended for the same purpose in most Scottish parishes of 5000 population. Yet it must be remembered that the peculiar cir- cumstances of Kelso, if they do not vindicate, sufficiently explain such an expenditure. Irrespective of its vicinity to England, which brings to bear upon it the ill example of an excessive poor- rate, its situation, as the metropolis of a wide rural district, neces- sarily exposes it to a constant influx of indigent persons, by making it the resort, in their declining years, of infirm labourers as well as of widows and sickly females, who, after a few years residence, frequently come in for a share of its charities and even of its pen- sions. The largeness, too, of the provision for the poor, taken in * Under the head of fixed supplies ought perhaps to be included a conioration fundy BTeraging about L. 18 yearly, which arises from the fees of cntrantSj &c. 'I his fund it divided annually, at the discretion of the office-bearers of the corporations, among poor tncoibers, or the indigent families of deceased members. f This term is employed to distinguish the donations in question from private charitVi which of course cannot be included in the ])resent account. $ During the unusually severe winter of 1836-7, the class of donations referred to more than doubled this sum, as the following list will show -. Duke of Roxburghe's donation, (4 oxen,) - L. GO Duchess Harriet, - in coals - ^ Sir Charles Dalbiac, - - ^ Mrs Sheddcn, - in meal, - 40 James Nisbet, Esq. - - - 21 Subscription in Kclao, - in uieal, - 26 350 ROXBURGHSHIRE. connexion with the indiscriminate manner in which the ** public" beneficence of individuals is in some instances distributed, tends to the same result, as it operates as a lure to improvident persons, and especially to the gipsy tribe, to settle in the place ; while the en- tire disappearance, among a portion of the commonalty, of that honourable pride which makes it painful for a man either to re- ceive parish relief himself, or to allow his relatives to receive it, serves both to perpetuate the evil of which it is itself one of the worst fruits, and to render all attempts to abate it next to hopeless. These considerations account but too satisfactorily for the growth and cost of pauperism in Kelso ; though they do not render it the less a subject of lamentation, that there should be nearly one-tenth of the whole population dependent for their subsistence mainly upon public charity, and reduced to such an abject condition, morally and physically^ as to focm almost an inferior caste in the social system. Mendicity. — If we except the case of a few of the parish poor, who are allowed to go round the town, of a Saturday, for a small gratuity, which particular families are in the habit of bestowing on them, there is scarcely such a thing as a beggar to be seen on the streets of Kelso ; a result due to the good offices of the Society for the Suppression of Mendicity, which has been in operation since 1829. The plan pursued by this society is very simple. Having in view at once to suppress mendicity, and to re- lieve the really necessitous wanderer, it maintains an office in a central part of the town, where mendicants (non^parishioners) are required to apply ; and a constable, whose business it is to keep the office, enter the names and description of the applicants in a register kept for the purpose, grant a small relief in money, or provide a night's lodging in an orderly lodging-house, according to their necessities, — and, above all, to take care that, when relievedi they shall forthwith leave the town. The office, constable, and register are, however, but the external machinery of the institution* Its vital principle is the pledge under which its members come, not to give charity to any vagrants who may apply at thfiir houses or shops. The extent to which this pledge is kept is, in fact, the measure as well as the source of the society's success in compas- sing its object ; and if it has hitherto failed in totally suppressing mendicity, the blame lies with the false humanity or too great fe- cility of inhabitants who persist in throwing away their alms oa « sturdy beggars." As it is, the " ancient craflt" of begging » Of whom were lodged for one or Yean. No. of vagrants. Children. more nip;hts. ] 839-30, 528 183 437 1830-^1, 534 ' 264 120 1881-32, 214 107 188 1832-a», 342 119 209 KELSO. 351 happily at a discount in the parish ; and so long as the society is supported, there is little likelihood of its ever again coming out in evidence before the Sheriff of the county, as.it did not very many years ago, that a day's begging in Kelso was, in the hands of " a canny gaberlunzie," worth " good 14s." It may be useful, as an evidence at once of the judicious management of the society, and of the small expense at which important civic ameliorations may sometimes be effected, to append the following statement of the number of vagrants relieved, and the total cost of management during the first four years. Of whom were lodtred for one or Expenditure. L.31 14 22 IG (>^ 14 19 3 20 5 Prison. — The only place for the confinement of delinquents is a lock-up house, the property of the burgh, which is employed chiefly for the temporary incarceration of vagrants. Fairs. — Besides cattle-markets every second PVidayof the month, from April to February inclusive, there are three horse fairs on the first, third, and fourth Fridays of March, and a fair for both cattle and horses on the second Friday of March ; but the chief fair, cal- led St James's, the most ancient and one of the best attended on the border, takes place on the 5th of August. It is held on St James's Green, near the site of the ancient church of St James's ; and it has this peculiarity, that the magistrates of the county town attend and preside, as well as divide the customs with the lo- cal superior. InnSf Alehouses, S^c. — The number of licensed places for the sale of spirits is 63, or one for every eighteen males in the parish above twenty years of age. There are few grocers who are not also spirit-dealers ; and the baleful practice of selling drams across their counter, and in their back shops, prevails to an ex- tent which renders it one of the most fertile occasions of drunken- ness. Repeated attempts have been made to induce the justices to limift the number of licenses, but hitherto, the pecuniary in- terests of landlords, who apprehend some difficulty in getting an adequate rent for their houses, should their tenants be denied a license, have had more weight with the court than the cause of temperance and good morals. Among the many proofs of the de- moralizing effects of the spirit trade in all its departments, it may be mentioned, though the fact is probably not peculiar to Kelso, 352 UOXBURGIISHIRG. that out of the many reputable and exemplary persons who take to tavern keeping as a refuge from reduced circumstances, there is scarcely one who does not in the course of a few years sink down into a habitual and incurable sot. FueL—CosA is the fuel chiefly used. It is brought from the coal-field in the north part of Northumberland, by carters, who pur- chase the mineral on their own risk at the pit, and sell it at what it will bring to their customers. These dealers assemble with their carts daily in the square called the coal-market, where there are steelyards for weighing them. The inhabitants purchase coals in the market commonly in single cart loads, after receiving certifica- tion of their weight at the steelyard. The coals are in general of an inferior quality, and, though sufficiently combustible, contain a large residuum of clay. The average yearly consumption is about 5000 tons, or 1 ton for each person in the parish. The price may be generally stated as about 8d. per cwt. in winter, and 7d. in summer. October 1838. PARISH OF MINTO. PRESBYTERY OF JEDBURGH, SYNOD OF MERSE AND TEVIOTDALE. THE REV. DAVID AITKEN, MINISTER. I. — Topography and Natural History. Name. — In old charters, the name of this parish is written Myn- thow, Myntow, Mintov, from which in more modern times it pass- ed into Mynto and Minto. Different etymologies have been pro- posed, but all of them seem to be conjectural. Referring to the situation of the old village on the brink of a steep bank, or to the locality of the mansion-house on the opposite side of the glen, where an angular point is formed by the jimotion of two rivulets, it has been supposed that the origin of the name might be found in the British Mintau, denoting the brink or edge which extends out, Minto the exterior brink or border, and Mintua towards the brink. Ancient names, however, when borrowed from the natural features of the country, arc generally derived from the most strik- ing objects, and it is accordingly more probable, that the bold and MINTO. 353 commanding eminence of Mintp Craigs gave a designation to the parish. Agreeably to this view, as Meynn is said to be the Cam- bro-British, and Meen the Scoto-Irish word for a kid, the Celtic etymologists have concluded the name to signify kid's hill, the more readily, it has been thought, from considering that kids de- light in craggy heights ; unfortunately, however, for this explana- tion, nothing has been found in these languages resembling to or towy which bears the signification of a hill or craig. Another at- tempt has been made to derive the name from the British Mynta, which means an aggregate, or Myntai, what is aggregated, both of these words being applicable to an assemblage of rocks, which certainly present the appearance of being piled or heaped to- gether. In the Welsh dictionaries, Mynydh is translated mojiSy and in Cornish Mynnen signifies the Alps, so that the name may be connected with the ancient British dialects, in which the ety- mologies of leading objects, such as hills and rivers, arc generally to be found ; but, at the same time, showing the room there is for conjecture, a derivation might also be obtained in the Saxon lan- guage, it being well known that the names of several places which end in ov or owy such as Grenehow, Stanehowe, Kalchov, (Kelso), are formed from Aov, the origin of the Scotch heugh^ and of the old English howy a hill, and which in the lexicons is rendered mons prtempta, — a term peculiarly appropriate to the locality referred to. It must be allowed, that the first syllable cannot be so satisfactorily accounted for, though room for conjecture might be afforded by the Saxon Mynta, Mint, or Mintan translated statuere^ disponere. Extentf Boundaries. — The parish of Minto was formerly con- fined to the barony ; it now comprehends a considerable part of the suppressed parish of Hasscndcan, and extends about 3^ or 4 miles in length, 2^ in breadth, and may contain about 8| of square miles. It presents somewhat of an oblong figure, and is bounded on the west by the parish of Wilton ; on the north by Lillieslcaf ; on the east by Ancrum ; and on the south by Cavers, which in some places stretches across the Teviot, so that the river is only partial- ly the boundary. A stripe of haugh along the southern extremity forms the only level ground. The surface in other places rises in frequent undulations, with a blunt outline presenting considerable variety. But the general appearance of the country is chiefly di- versified by two green hills, the highest of which reaches an eleva- tion of 877 feet,* and to the east of them by the Minto Craigs, a * The heights in this neighbourhood are usually very inaccurately stated, and made to exceed the truth) from the calculations being based on a defective survc>{ b^ 354 ROXBURGHSHIRE. congeries of trap rocks, mostly covered with wood, which, with a bold eminence, 721 feet in height above the level of the sea, over- hang the valley of the Teviot. These heights form a ridge run- ning lengthways east and west through the greater part of the pa- rish. To the south of them, the ground slopes to the river, and is farther diversified by some small glens or deans, watered by rivu- lets. Here, as in a great part of the south of Scotland, much of the most interesting scenery is concealed in these sequestered dells. Two may be mentioned as possessing much beauty, consider- ing their scale and extent. The one, near the western boundary, is partly clothed with native brushwood and trees, receding into open glades; the rock in other places is exposed in projecting ledges, at the foot of which a clear stream finds its way, contain- ing, even in the heats of summer, some deep pools; and having almost an appearance of grandeur, when flooded in winter. This picturesque spot was scarcely accessible, and comparatively little known, till of late, when, under the direction of the present pro- prietor of Teviot Bank, it has been laid opeu by judiciously formed paths. The other glen is narrow, and has more the charac- ter of a ravine. The upper part, by means of a head thrown across it, is formed into a piece of artificial water, which winds under the steep and smooth bank, on the edge of which Minto House is si- tuated, and has its margin inclosed by tall evergreens, yews, weep- ing-willows, and several magnificent trees. The water, as it escapes, forms a considerable cascade, and below this the dean assumes its natural character, though still sufficiently intermixed with exotic shrubs, and maintaining enough of a dressed appearance to suit the neighbourhood of a large residence. From the sheltered na- ture of the situation, the trees thrive vigorously, and some of them have reached an uncommon size ; among these, may be mentioned that most graceful of tall evergreens, the hemlock spruce, the common spruce, silver-fir, several varieties of maple, and some larches, among the finest which are to be found in Scotland. Emerging from this closely wooded defile, a path leads at a little distance to Minto Craigs, the most conspicuous and interesting ob- ject in this district. The lower part of the steep is strewn with large masses of rock, dislodged from the precipice above, which, with its irregular surface, covered with a greyish lichen, in some Mr Kinghorn. The foUowing levels are given as approaching nearer to eorreetncts : Bed of the Teviot at Spitalford above the sea, 197 iect ; Minto House, above Spital' ford, 194 feet ; jMinto Craigs above do. 524 ; Minto Hill above do. 680 ; Ruberslav above do. 1 174 feet. In the a(>oye list, Kuberslaw wan very accurately measured by the present Earl of Minto, \stj)y the spirit level, 2d, trigononietrically» anddd* baio- metricaJly, the results by each melVvod W\t\^ vt^c\%^\>} \.\\cing with iimquhilc John Karl of I.cnnox in the field of Linlithgow ; and from T^csley^s History of Scotland, we learn that, seventeen yean afterwards, in the battle of Glasgow Moor, fought 1643, the **• Laird of Minto, who was on the part of Lennox and Provost of Glasgow, was evil hurt." Upwards 364 ROXBURGHSHIRE. these families, the estate of Minto was purchased by Walter Riddell, second son of Walter Riddell of New-house, and by his daughters, who were coheiresses, it was sold, previously to the Union, to Sir Gilbert Elliot, ancestor of the present family of Minto. This eminent person, born in 1651, wasa younger son of Gawen Elliot of Midlem Mill, who was the fourth son of Gilbert Elliot of Stobs, commonly called " Gibbie with the gowden garters," by Margaret daughter of Walter Scott, of Harden, better known by the sobriquet of ** Maggy Fendy." Being the second son of a younger branch, Gilbert was destined to the profession of the law ; but in that stir- ring period of history, he appears also to have taken an active in- terest in political affairs, as, on the 16th July 1685, he was found guilty of treason, and forfeited for being in arms with * Argyle, — the process describing him as a writer in Edinburgh. He seems, however, to have been soon pardoned by the King, for in little more than two years afterwards, he applied to be admitted an ad- vocate, when his examiners, it is said, ^^ stumbled to meet with him, till he first showed his remission lest it might infer converse against them." He was one of the deputation of Scotch gentlemen who waited on King William in Holland, to concert measures for his coming over to England, so that at the Revolution, from the pro- minent part he had taken, the act of forfeiture was rescinded, and of sixty years thereafter, in a letter of the privy-council to the King, as to the deadly feud Ix^twecn the Earls of PIglinton and Lord Scmpil, this sentence occurs : « August 27, ItiOG, We had likewise in hand the process of Glasgow, wherein we have fbuiid very great insolence and riot committed by Mynto and a number of the commons of the town, and hayc committed the persons guilty to ward within the burgh of Lin- lithgow, till your Majesty*8 pleasure bo known.** »Scveral scattered notices of the Turnbulls likewise occur. There is a remission, dated 5th April 1499, to William Turnbull of Minto, and Archibald TurnbuU, son to umquhile John Tumbull, for the slaughter of umquhile John of Rutherford, and for their treasonable passing and remaining in Kngland.'* Only three years afterwards, however, in 1502, the Turn* bulls of Nlinto were again engagetl in several acts of violence, destroying the place of Barnhills, and burning twenty-six bolls of bear, and forty l)olIs of oaU, pertaining to George Rutherford of Langncwton, in his place of Sandystanes, so that, on acccmnt of these outrages, we find, in 1506, William Turnbull of Minto, along with Mark» Edward, and Walter Tumbull, his accomplices, set forth as*^ rebels, and at the horn.** ^ The same lawless habits still continucert Elliot, who, to his other uccoinplislimcnts, added a taste for music. 366 ROXBUKGHSHIR-E. this, the only trees near the house consisted of an avenue of old ash, one or two of which are still standing ; and the village then stretched along the opposite bank in a straggling line, with the church and manse nearly in the midst of it. The greater part of these houses was removed to Minto Green, the site of the present village, the banks of the pond planted, and on one side a row of larches was placed most probably in 1736, being among the first that were introduced into Scotland. There is a tradition, that the seed was sent in a frank by John Duke of Argyle, sown in flower*pots,and kept in the hot-house till, by the advice of the Sardinian Ambassa- dor, who chanced to be on a visit, the plants were removed to their present situation, where several of them have now attained a height of 100 feet.* On the opposite bank, there is a shady avenue of beech of the same date, when the dwelling-house was also farther im- proved, and a library f formed, such as at that time was rarely to be met with in Scotland. From this his femily seem greatly to have profited, as they were distinguished by their acquirements. One of them. Miss Jane Elliot, who died in 1805, is still aflfection- ately remembered from her talents and delightful conversation, but has acquired a more extensive and lasting celebrity as the authoress of the " Flowers of the Forest," of which no less an au- thority than the late Sir Walter Scott has said, that " it is ex- pressed in a strain of elegiac simplicity and tenderness which has seldom been equalled, and imitates the manner of the ancient minstrels so happily, that it required the most positive evidence to convince me that the song was of modern date." This lady ap- pears to have been no less remarkable for strength of character than accomplishment, for at the time of the Rebellion in i745- 46, her father being forced to conceal himself from a party of Jacobites among the craigs, then only covered with broom and long grass, s^e received and entertained the officers, and, by her presence of mind and composure, averted the danger. The Jus^ tice-Clerk died suddenly at Minto in 1766, and was succeeded h^^ his son, the third Sir Gilbert, who seems to have been also intende^^^ for the profession of his father and grandfather, as he passed *^ ^ civil law trials in 1743; but, having early associated with the P^^t^^v,- lie men of his day in London, he engaged actively in political 1'^ ^^fc was returned Member of Parliament, first for the county of ^^^eV * For the measurement of these and other remarkable trees, see p. 875. t The library has subsonucntly received many valuable additions, and may puted as now containing 12,000 volumes. con MINTO. 307 kirk in 1754, afterwards for lloxburgh shire in 1765, and became also Treasurer of the Navy. He died in 1777, of a pulmonary com- plaint, at Marseilles. He possessed an amiable and highly culti- vated mind, and, in the midst of his other pursuits, found leisure for those of literature, favourable evidence of which is preserved in the beautiful pastoral song, — '^ My sheep I neglected, I broke my sheep- hook," published in the notes to the Lay of the Last Minstrel, and in the draught of a letter to David Hume, the me- taphysician, printed along with the first Dissertation to the new Encyclopaedia Britannica by Dngald Stewart, and by that com- petent judge, held to be remarkable for '* sound philosophy and purity of English style." The fourth Sir Gilbert, father of the present Earl, was distinguished by eminent talents for public bu- siness, as is shewn in the number of high offices to which he was successively called. In 1793, he was appointed Governor of Toulon, Viceroy of Corsica in 1794, Minister Plenipotentiary at Vienna in 1799, President of the Board of Control in 1806, and Governor General of India in 1807. He was created Baron Minto, and admitted to the peerage in 1797, and raised to the rank of an Earl in 1812, with the additional title of Viscount Mclgund; for his eminent services in the East, he also received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament. He died soon after his return from India, on his way to Scotland in 1814, aged sixty-three years. Though much of his time was spent abroad, the improvements of the paternal estate were continued by Lady Minto, daughter of Sir George Amyand, whom he married a few weeks before his fa- therms death. Besides extensive additions to the plantations, the present House of Minto was built, being fmished in 1814. The present Earl, born in 1782, and married 180G to Miss Brydone, daughter of Patrick Brydone, Esq. author of the Tour in Sicily, and maternal grand-daughter of Principal Robertson, has also been actively employed in political life. He early represented his native county in Parliament, has since held the appointment of Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Berlin, and at present tills the of- fice of First Lord of the Admiralty. Hassendean — Though now, in a considerable part, incorporated with Minto, a brief notice may here be given separately of Has- sendean. Sir Walter Scott, in a note to the Lay of the Last Minstrel, states that Hassende minutus Ctenicerus pectinicornis 4«M«W#^^MMnMM^«WW#t cuprous Sclatosomus eeneus Atopa cervina Lampyris noctiluca Maltliinus biguttulus Hylurgus piuiperda Amalus scortillum Hypera rumicis nigrirostfis arator Donacia cincta Galeruca tanaceti Luperus rufipes Haltica nemonim Phaedon tumidula Chrysomela fastuc litura staphyUea polita sauguinolcnU hyperici Helodes beocabungc Coccinella quatuordedmguttata oblongoguttata dispar Anthicus fuacus Staphylhius pubescens Goerius olens Otbius fulgidus Anthobium groasum II. LEPIDOFTXaA. Sphinx porcdlus Phalsna gamma •^^0^**0000^ menthrastiri m0>0mmmm9*0i0»00mmttt»i^0m0 #tf'tft«V*M^#>MMWWMM«M**MP 9-* 0i^0i^mm0*00^0*»00k ««#^MMn^^0IM«i*WW«MMMtfk 90<^mm0i^^m0mm* *^>0i^mm0*00*0mm Leiosoma punctata Hylobius abietis Otiorhyuchus tcnebricosus Strophosomus coryli limbatus pu viridana chnrophyllata humuli oxyacanthap cratagata TlDUla griMBulariata #tfwwi«^#mMwwf« tfVI««^*IM«WMM«WI •«^#WW*WMWW«M«l«W *0<0>0m^mmm»mmmm ^•^•m^immmmmmmtmm *'^»WWWW^ ■■ Papilio aemele »»mM »t m m 111 UCJe HAWICK. 385 Papilio Artaxerxes Vanessa lo ■■»« Atalaota hortica «MMWWIP«Ma«i PoDtia crataei^ M»MMM«WMMI^ Ua HSBlW ,»,...,„.. cardamines Hipparchia Megera Janira .M hyperanthus blandina pamphilus Argyunis Euphrosyne ^0m0tm0im0im0m^*0^0^m0>0t #«#W«MaWW*MMttM#*M«MM #WWWWM«*MM#W«#>^«W«MMA 0mm>^m0mmmmm^m^t00i0»0m Botany. — Of indigenous plants, the following have been found 1 the parish : Veronica beccabunga agrestis Antboxanthum odoratum Valeriana officinalis ' dioica Eriopbonxm polystacbion Iris pseud-acoms Sdioenus nigricans Scirpus lacustris Phleum pratense Alopecunis pratensis •^— — agrestis — — — geniculatus Agroatis stolon ifera — • canina Aira cBspitosa Poa trivialis «^- annua firixa media Dactylis glomerata Cynosurus cristatus Festuca orina Avena fiitua pratensis Arundo phragmitcs Lolium perenne Tridcura repens Scabiosa succisa Aspeniia odorata Galium verum ' palustre — — - aparine Plantago lancedata — nu\jor Alebemilla vulgaris Primula yeris Menyanthes trifbliata Euonymus Europieus Chenopodium bonus Henricus Oentiana campestris Conium maculatum Heradeum spbondyiium Pkumasaia palustris Linum oatharticum Allimn ursinum Antbericum serotinum Juncus cffusus ■■ articulatus Rnmex acutus obtusifolius — ; — aeetoaella Epilobium montanum Erica mlgaris cinerea -tetraliz Polygonum amphibium Pyrola rotundifolia Saxifraga granulata Stellar ia nemorum Sedum reflexum acre Oxalis acctosella Lychnis flos cuculi Cerastiura Yulgatum Agrimonia cupatoria Euphorbia peplis Sempervivum tectorum Prunus padus spinosa Rosa spinosissima — - canina Rubus idsus fruticosus •- chamcmorus Fragaria vesca Geura urbanum — rivale Comarum palustre Spiraea ulmaria Chelidonium migus Anemone nemorosa Ranunculus ficaria bulbosus Trollius Europseus Caltha palustris Ajuga rcptans Mentha pulegium Stachys palustris Thymus serpyllum Ijamium album purpureum Prunella vulgaris Rhinanthus crista-galli Euphrasia officinalis Melampyrum sylvaticum ScropLularia nodosa Sinapis arvensis — — nigra. Malva moschata Fumaria officinalis Polygala vulgaris Ulex Europseus Ononis arvensis Orobus tuberosus syl vaticus Lathy rus pratensis Vicia sylvatica Trifolium repens — pratenso Ix>tus corniculatus 386 ROXBURGHSHIRE. Hypericum perfbratum Empetrum nigram _.-.^-^ monttoum Querciu robur Tragopogon pratense Coryliu ayellana Sonchus anrensM MercurialU perennis Leontodon Taraxacum Holcua laoatus Hieracium pilo&ella Fraxinus eicdtior Arctium lappa Equisetum paliutre Artemisia vulgaris Pteris aquilina Gnaphalium dioicum Cardaminc amara Tussilago far&ra Adoxa moschatellina Senecio vulgaris Vinca minor '—~^~ Jacobaea Potentilla fragariaitrum. Bel lis perennis — _ rcptans Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Solanum dulcamara AchilUea millefolium Arenaria verna Centaurea nigra Dianthusdeltoicks Viola tricolor Helianthemum vulgare Orchis morio Geranium lucidum mascula — sylvaticum — — latifolia Tormentilla officinalis — maculuta - — rcptnns Betulaalba Vaccinium myrtlllus Urtica urcns i oxycocooa — dioica , Viola hirta Salix vimiualis ■ palustris The largest tree in the parish is an ash on the lawn at Branx- holm Castle. It measures 13 feet in circumference at 4^ feet from the ground, while the stem rises about 16 feet before it diverges into branches. 11. — Civil History. The barony of Hawick appears in Robertson's Index among tb many charters which were granted in the reign of Robert the^^ ^^® Bruce, previous to which we have not been able to obtain any sa — -^^^* tisfactory information as to the civil history of this parish. Alon^^ ^^^i with Sprouston it was granted to Thomas Murray by David II J^ ^} and descended during the reign of the same monarch to Mauric^^> *^^ de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn. According to Chalmers it ap cJ^-^^P' pears in 1357 as a burgh of regality. About the beginning of tW^^ ^ fifteenth century it became the property of Sir William Douglas ^R-^-*^! one of the ancestors of the Queensberry family. Thiscelebrateo^* . . individual who, according to Hume of Godscroft, was an illegitU^-*'S* mate son of James Earl of Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale and Drum ^^^^ *^"'! Ian rig, seems to have signalized himself in no small degree by hi:i ^ gallant services against the English on the Scottish border, in con-^^^^^ sequence of which he obtained a charter from James L, confirm--'*^* "7^" ing to him the lands of Hawick, together with those of Selkirl** ^ and Drumlanrifif.* * The original charter, aco)>y of which is preserved iu A ndcrsoirs collection, w written hy the King's own hand, while a prisoner of Henry IV. of Engkuidy and ru thus : ** Jamis, throw the grace of God, King of Scottis, tic all that this lettre bereis 4 mat or J HAWICK. 387 rom Sir James Douglas of Drumlanrig, a lineal descendant le above-mentioned knight, the town of Hawick received its ^nt charter. This was granted in 1537, and confirmed by en Mary in 1545. It appears from the charter, which is 3r a curious document, though too voluminous to be transcribed, the town had existed as a free burgh of barony from an early ; that the ancient rights had, however, been destroyed amid turmoils of the border wars ; and that, to prevent the evils y to ensue from the loss of such documents, the new charter granted, confirming to the town the lands which they had lerly enjoyed, authorizing the burgesses to elect bailies and ers for the government of the burgh, and investing the ma- ates with the power of receiving resignations of lands, or ting seisin of the same, according to agreement of parties. Aer the granting of this charter, the barony of Hawick still lined for a considerable time in possession of the same family. in 1639 the charter of James I. already quoted, was confirm- •y the Privy- Council of Scotland, in favour of Sir William glas of Drumlanrig, who, besides inheriting the estates of his istors, was raised to the dignity of the peerage, being created 1 cf Queensberry, Viscount of Drumlanrig, and Lord Douglas [awick and Tibbers. ia later period the barony of Hawick descended to the barons hiccleuch, who seem to have exercised a seignorial authority their feudatories till 1747, when hereditary jurisdictions being ished by act of Parliament, the Duke of Buccleuch, as ap* "8 from the manuscript of the original return, received L. 400 Dmpensation for the regality. liough holding a less conspicuous place than other towns in district, Hawick has not been altogether undistinguished in annals of border warfare. According to Harding, it was burnt ntn 1418 by Sir Robert Umfranville, Vice- Admiral of England, Grovemor of Berwick. It is likewise believed to have suffered rely in 1544, when, along with other districts, the whole of Modil grytinse ; Wit ye that we have grauntit, and l>e this presentis lettrc itiif a qieciaU confirmatiunc, in the most forme, tie oure traiste and well be- Dosyng, Sir William Douglas of Drumlangrig, of all the landis that he is posscssit ihartrit of within the kyngdome of Scotlaiule, that is for to say, the landis of nlangrig, of Hawyke, aud of Selkirke, the whilkis chartis and possessiouns be this B we eonferme, and will for the mare sekuries this oure confirmatiunc be for- Ui efter the fourme of oure chaunssellure and the tenor of his charirisselit with grate wle in tyme to come ; in witness of the whilkiH this presentis lettre we • with oure proprc hande, under the signet usit in selying of oure lettres, as now roidoune the last daie of November the yer of oure Lorde 1412." 388 ROXOURGHSHIRE. Teviotdale was laid waste by Sir Ralph Evers and Sir Brian Latoun. Nor did it escape in 1570 ; for to prevent its occupation by the troops of the Earl of Surrey, the inhabitants themselves tore the thatch from the roofs of the houses, and set fire