THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY,
 
 H I S T R Y 
 
 OF 
 
 ST. MARY'S ABBEY, MELROSE, 
 
 THE IONASTEEY OF OLD MELEOSE, 
 
 AXl) 
 
 THE TOWN AND PARISH OF MELROSE. 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES A. WADE. 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 THOMAS C. JACK, 92, PRINCES STREET, 
 LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND CO. 
 
 MDCCCLXI.
 
 , ' 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 NOTHING seems more difficult to write than a Preface. 
 But we shall be brief and explicit. We have studied to 
 produce a work accessible to all classes of readers, as 
 there appeared to us no royal road to direct the histo- 
 rian, antiquary, or tourist, through the endless mazes of 
 enchantment, that lie deeply embosomed in every nook 
 and corner of this classic land. Our aim has been to 
 give increased information, in less than the accustomed 
 space, and at a minimum cost ; and to preserve dates of 
 remarkable historical events and circumstances, in cor- 
 rectly classified and methodical order. It would be 
 invidious to render thanks to some, where gratitude is 
 due to all who have given us their kind assistance and 
 valuable co-operation. We have laboriously consulted 
 
 LIBRARY
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 contemporaneous history, and endeavoured to build our 
 structure upon the simple narration of facts, evidenced 
 to us by truthful and impartial witnesses. There 
 may be faults of omission and commission, perhaps, 
 but these we shall only be too glad to correct in a 
 future issue of this work. To float with the stream of 
 time for upwards of a thousand years, and take up and 
 set down those we chose to travel with, each at the 
 proper offing and the right time, is a voyage of greater 
 magnitude than some may contemplate. We have 
 made free use of the writings and opinions of others, 
 our end and aim being to conduct those who trust us 
 by the best and easiest route, whether by the highway 
 of those who have preceded us, or the byway of our 
 own choosing. 
 
 If the footfalls of the following unassuming pages, 
 leave just impressions on the minds of those who 
 read them, and truth and goodness seem the lovelier 
 in their historic robes, our wish and purpose will be 
 magnanimously and happily accomplished.
 
 PEEFACE. Vll 
 
 It may interest some to know that the illustrations 
 are all from drawings taken from the ruins. No effort 
 has been spared to make them accurate as well as 
 artistically elaborate. 
 
 IVT COTTAGE, DARNICK, BY MELROSE, 
 August, 1861.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION ix 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 i. "DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH OP MELHOSE," BY THE 
 
 REV. ADAM MILNE 21 
 
 ii. HISTORY OF ST. CUTHBERT'S CHAPEL AND THE MONAS- 
 TERY OF OLD MELROSE, NEWSTEAD, GATTONSIDE, &c. 82 
 
 in. THE MONKS OF MELROSE .120 
 
 iv. MELROSE TOWN, ANCIENT AND MODERN . . . 134 
 
 MONACHISM, ITS ORDERS AND EMPLOYMENTS . .149 
 
 CONDITION OF A MONK OR NUN IN THE OLDEN TIMES . 153 
 
 v. CARTA REGIS DAVID DE ABBATIA DE MELROS . .157 
 
 CHARTER OF KING DAVID TO THE ABBEY OF MELROSE . 159 
 
 vi. CHURCH SYMBOLISM, AS EXHIBITED IN STRUCTURE AND 
 
 DESIGN 162 
 
 vn. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF MELROSE ABBEY . 168 
 
 viii. HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND BIOGRAPHY OF THE CONVENT 
 
 AND ABBOTS OF MELROSE 191
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAOB 
 
 ix. LAST LETTER OP KING EGBERT BRUCE TO HIS SON, 
 
 PRINCE DAVID, IN THE ORIGINAL TEXT . . . 256 
 
 TRANSLATION OF THE SAME 258 
 
 x. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE POSSESSIONS, INCOME, PROPERTY, 
 
 AND PRIVILEGES OF THE ABBACY OF MELROSE . .261 
 
 xi. MELROSE ABBEY DESCRIPTION OF THE RUINS . . 291 
 xn. MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS 325 
 
 xm. CHARTER GRANTED TO THE FEUABS OF GATTONSIDE AND 
 WESTHOUSES, BY JAMES DOUGLAS, COMMENDATOB OF 
 MELROSE, AND LADY MARY KEB, HIS SPOUSE . . 340 
 
 xiv. THE EILDON HILLS, DARNICK AND DARNICK TOWERS, 
 BRIDGEND, WESTHOUSES, HUNTLY-BURN, ABBOTS- 
 FORD, AND OTHER PLACES OF GENERAL INTEREST IN 
 
 THE VICINITY OF MELROSE 348 
 
 APPENDIX 369 
 
 INDEX . 389
 
 BURIAL 
 
 GROUND. 
 
 GROUND PLAN OF THE ABBEY.
 
 ILLUSTRATION OF THE GROUND PLAN, 
 
 ENTERING ST. MARY'S ON THE WEST, AND CONTINUING TO THE 
 RIGHT HAND. 
 
 W. West or public entrance to the 
 
 Abbey. 
 
 S. South door, with its glorious win- 
 dow. What is now the church- 
 yard was once the garden of 
 of the Monastery. 
 E. East window, called also " The 
 
 'Prentice Window." 
 N. Entrance to Cloisters and religious 
 
 houses. 
 
 C. Eight Chapels facing south aisle, 
 dedicated to saints in the Ro- 
 man Calendar, also signifying 
 Chapels in Transepts and Choir. 
 C. Cellary, where the Sacramental 
 Vessels were kept, and the Wax 
 Tapers for lighting the Shrines 
 of the Saints. The Cellarist was 
 an important personage. It is 
 now called the Wax Cellar. 
 S. A. South Aisle of Nave. 
 N.A. North Aisle of do. 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 Nave, due east and west, in its 
 
 present condition. 
 258 feet long by 79 feet broad : 
 
 height, east end, 50 feet. 
 Transept, due north and south, 
 
 130 feet long by 44 feet broad. 
 
 High Altar and Choir to line of 
 
 Transept, 50 feet from the great 
 
 east window. 
 
 Grand South Window, 24 feet by 
 
 16 broad. 
 East or 'Prentice Window, 36 feet 
 
 by 16 broad. 
 
 Tower rising centrally between 
 the Transepts, 84 feet high, west 
 side only standing. 
 Chapel Windows, 16 feet by 8 
 broad. 
 
 Tombs partly concealed, in- 
 scribed with Saxon characters. 
 (M Pillars still standing, supporting 
 
 roof. 
 
 HH The pillars gone, indications 
 ^"' where they stood. 
 
 The dotted lines within the figure 
 of the building show where the 
 roof is still there, and the 
 vacant spaces where it is gone. 
 
 Cloisters. These lay on the north 
 side, of a quadrangular form 
 also several other religious 
 houses and offices, the whole 
 surrounded by an arcade or 
 piazza, all of which have dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 No. 1. to 8. Chapels south side of 
 
 Nave. See " Tombs." 
 9. Door leading to the clock and on 
 to the roof, 
 
 10. John Mordo's inscription. See 
 
 History of the Abbey. 
 
 11. St. Bridget's Chapel and Statue 
 
 still standing. 
 
 12. Chapel. 
 
 13. Chapel. 14. Tomb of Sir Brian 
 
 Latoun rather than Michael 
 Scott the Wizard. 15. Tomb of 
 Sir Ralph Evers, " orate : : 
 anima ivoors de corbirccg." 
 Evers and Latoun fell at the 
 battle of Ancrum Moor, 1545, 
 and were buried at Melrose. 
 
 16. Grave of Alexander II curiously 
 
 petrified gravestone. 
 
 17. No memorial, but most probably 
 
 the Tomb of some sainted per- 
 sonage. 
 
 18. Rest of the heart of Robert the 
 
 Bruce. 
 
 19. 20. Win. Douglas, " The Dark 
 
 Knight of Liddesdale;" Douglas, 
 hero of Otterbourne, or Chevy 
 Chase, and an illustrious line of 
 this heroic name, were interred 
 on the north side of the Chancel. 
 2123. Chapels. 21. North-east end 
 of chapel destroyed. 
 
 24. Pont at foot of Refectory or Ab- 
 
 bot's Staircase. 
 
 25. Inscription : " Here lyis the race 
 
 of the house of Zair," (Yair). 
 Opposite are the graves of this 
 ancient family, Karr,Kar, Carre, 
 Ker, Kerr, &c. of Kippelaw. 
 N.B. Many of the numbers in the 
 plan are referred to in the description 
 of the abbey. The exterior of the abbey 
 is illustrated, commencing at the ex- 
 treme west end, near the entrance to 
 the churchyard.
 
 OKDEE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS, 
 
 Melrose Abbey restored FRONTISPIECE. 
 
 Ground Plan of Melrose Abbey ..... PAGE 20 
 
 Exterior View of South Transept 156 
 
 Interior of the Chancel and East Window . . . .168 
 
 Exterior of the East-End 184 
 
 Window in North Transept " Crown of Thorns " . . 176 
 
 Corbel in the North Aisle 177 
 
 The Cloister East Wall 179 
 
 Column which supports the Tower . . . . .182 
 Two Grotesque Heads in the Staircase . . . .184 
 
 Statue of St. Peter North Transept 289 
 
 The Seal and Counter-Seal of Melrose Abbey . . . 290 
 Brackets upon Pillars Flowers ...... 293 
 
 Double Column and Capitol North Side of the Nave . . 295 
 Corbel in the North Aisle ....... 297 
 
 Section of the Arcade of the Cloister ..... 299 
 
 Knot in Ceiling of the Nave Flowers 302 
 
 Curious Key-Stones, from the Wax-Cellar .... 305 
 Figure of a Monk cross-legged . - . . . . . 307 
 
 Piscina in South- East Chapel 308 
 
 Crocket, with part of Moulding Grotesque Figure of Monk 310 
 
 Fox, with Geese 311 
 
 Buttress, Niche, and Canopy, South Front . . . .313 
 
 The Blind and the Cripple 315 
 
 Monk with Rosary ........ 317 
 
 Buttress, Niche, and Canopy 319 
 
 Darnick Tower . 349
 
 j}ntr04itctt0n. 
 
 S a suitable introduction to the 
 following pages, some historical 
 account of the Borders and Borderers 
 will be interesting to the reader. The 
 divisional line, between the south of 
 Scotland and the north of England, 
 was in ancient times an ideal one. 
 The inhabitants of both sides were much alike, in man- 
 ners and occupation. They spoke the same language, 
 the Anglo-Danish dialect of the people who lived north 
 and south of them. They were neither Scotch nor Eng- 
 lish, properly speaking, and the only name by whic 
 they were known, was that of Borderers. After the 
 Romans had left this part of Britain, the Borders became 
 a sort of settlement and refuge for adventurers from 
 many parts. Both English and Scotch, who could re-
 
 X INTRODUCTION. 
 
 main no longer in their own countries, on account of 
 either treason or crime, occasionally cast in their lot 
 among them. The Border population was an aggregate 
 of all the races of men that had come into Britain ; 
 of Britons expelled by Anglo-Saxons ; of Saxons ex- 
 pelled by Normans; and of Anglo-Normans or Scots, 
 banished for theft and other crimes. The Scots were 
 the men of the hills, and the Picts those of the plains, 
 . and were both united into one monarchy in the ninth 
 century, by Kenneth II., when the country became 
 known by the name of Scotland. 
 
 The Borderers divided themselves into families or 
 clans, like the Celtic clans ; the names of their clans, 
 being for the most part English or French. Chief and 
 vassal lived familiarly together; the one in his strong- 
 hold or tower, surrounded by a moat or pallisades, and 
 the other in huts erected round, about the former. 
 The occupations of both were the same, all being thieves 
 and marauders. They subsisted on mutton and beef, 
 and stole with impunity sheep and cattle from the 
 neighbouring plains. They armed with a long lance 
 or spear, somewhat after the fashion of the Romans ; 
 their defensive armour consisting of a quilted doublet, 
 to which were fastened plates of brass or iron. Their
 
 INTRODUCTION. xi 
 
 expeditions were frequently conducted on horseback. 
 They owned no authority beyond the will of their 
 chief. The kings, whether of England or Scotland, 
 were simply regarded as foreigners. All were by turns 
 Scots, when incursions were to be made into England 
 for forage and plunder; and, in like manner, all were 
 English, when a d ascent was to be made upon Scot- 
 land for the same object. They seldom quarrelled 
 amongst themselves. Where they had power, they 
 showed no mercy, either in robbery or violence. They 
 sometimes, however, committed robberies profession- 
 ally, observing some rules of honour, such as leaving 
 their victims a portion of their food, furniture, cloth- 
 ing, and money. Following the fashion introduced by 
 the Normans, the more rich and powerful assumed ar- 
 morial bearings. Their arms denoted their manner of 
 life and predatory habits. Those still worn by some 
 families admit of easy interpretation. The field of the 
 escutcheon is generally the sky, with stars and dif- 
 ferent phases of the moon upon it. And the mottoes, 
 whether in English or Latin, are none the less signi- 
 ficant. For example "Sleep not, for I watch "- 
 " Watch weel"' " Ye shall want ere I want," and such 
 like. They dressed in brown heath-coloured ' clothes,
 
 xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the more effectually to screen themselves from obser- 
 vation during their nocturnal visitations. 
 
 " Right ready were they aye to aid 
 
 Their arming lords, when to the field 
 They started on the moonlight raid, 
 
 To take what Border pastures yield ; 
 And if they fell, as fall might they, 
 There always came a reck'ning day. " 
 
 Thus, the ancient Borderers held an important inter- 
 mediate position, as it were, between England and Scot- 
 land; and, in the several invasions of either, played 
 a selfish and mercenary part. The monarch who had 
 the largest force, and where probability of circum- 
 stances foreshadowed victory, where plunder and spoil 
 was to be the order of the day without reserve to 
 his standards they flocked in vast numbers, became 
 the spies of the land they would desolate, and the 
 guides of invaders on their relentless mission. Nor 
 were they always faithful to the chief they thus allied 
 themselves to; treason sometimes oozed out in the 
 camp, often in the field, and still more frequently in 
 defeat or the apprehension of it. 
 
 Happily hostilities on both sides of the 'Borders 
 have now ceased, and the inhabitants dwell peacefully
 
 INTRODUCTION. Xlii 
 
 united under the same crown Places once the theatre 
 of war and conflagration, of deadly strife and murderous 
 forage, are now the scenes of peace and security, of 
 hospitality and common brotherhood. The strongholds 
 of Border chiefs, and the massive castles of feudal 
 barons, lie in ruins on every hand. The scenes of 
 carnage and misery are now redolent of pastoral wealth 
 and contentment. The county of Roxburgh suffered 
 more severely than any other during the Border wars, 
 and the district of Melrose particularly so, being the 
 highway to the rich and fertile provinces of the king- 
 dom. The religious edifices were of great celebrity, 
 those of Melrose and Dryburgh being famed throughout 
 Europe. The former surpassed in wealth and splen- 
 dour all similar establishments then existing. Its 
 domains equalled in extent the possessions of the most 
 powerful barons, and were by far the richest and best 
 cultivated in the kingdom. Its occupants were not 
 only the instructors, but the spiritual guides of the 
 people, and the people almost to idolatry esteemed 
 them as such. They were the indulgent masters of 
 numerous vassals, and the liberal and generous bene- 
 factors of the wayfaring stranger and the neighbour- 
 ing poor. Their monastic buildings were raised with
 
 XIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 consummate skill, and became the chief architectural 
 ornaments of the country. Their domestic offices com- 
 bined all the requisites of civilized life, and every 
 economic contrivance, with the greatest convenience. 
 Their halls were the seats of splendid hospitality and 
 great magnificence. Princes and nobles were their 
 patrons and guests alternately, and the philosophers 
 and minstrels of the age their favoured and welcome 
 visitors. History presents no such reverse of fortune 
 as that which befel the monasteries and their communi- 
 ties at the Reformation. In a few years, their wealth, 
 their honours, their holy and beautiful houses, in which 
 they and their fathers praised, were a wreck, a ruin, 
 and a thing of the past. 
 
 The scenery of Melrose and the neighbourhood, 
 with all the grandeur of monastic antiquity which it 
 presents, is not less charming than instructive. We 
 have said in the following chapters, that it is truly 
 classic ground, for we know of none equally rich with 
 the spoils of time, the gifts of the muses, and the 
 glorious footprints of antiquity. Men of letters have 
 long shown a remarkable predilection for this beautiful 
 region. Here the amiable James Thomson, the ex- 
 pressive poet of the Seasons, drew his natal breath.
 
 INTRODUCTION. XV 
 
 Thomson was born at Ednam, by the lovely river Eden, 
 and educated at Jedburgh. The historian of Queen 
 Anne, Dr Somerville, was for more than half a century 
 minister of Jedburgh, which was the birth-place of the 
 amiable and celebrated Mrs Mary Somerville. Near 
 Melrose, the late Sir Walter Scott erected the house 
 of his heart, and the chief romance of his ambition ; 
 here, too, his genius reached the highest pinnacle of 
 fame. In times more remote, the beautiful ballads 
 of Thomas the Rhymer, the laureate of his age, and 
 the prophet of the district, owed their magical in- 
 fluence and chief interest to the Eildon tree, Huntley- 
 burn, and the elfin spirits of the mountains and the 
 streams. 
 
 The immortal Burns sang to the " braw lads o' Gala 
 Water," and poured his seraphic minstrelsy to the shade 
 of " Thomson ;" the pastoral poet Hoy was a native 
 of Gattonside ; and the rural lanes and winding wood- 
 land paths of both Gattonside and Abbotsford were 
 familiar to the steps of Miss Edgeworth and of Words- 
 worth, Sir David Brewster, who has reached a green 
 and honourable age, found a soothing retirement on 
 the murmuring banks of the Tweed, and pursued for 
 many long and arduous years a course of philosophical
 
 xvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 study, attended by results so splendid, as to render 
 him one of the brightest ornaments of the age. This 
 distinguished philosopher is also a native of Jedburgh, 
 and a constant summer resident at his sylvan seat of 
 Allerly, near Melrose. 
 
 One of the galaxy of Border literati was Thomas 
 Pringle. Who has not read, with hallowed pensive- 
 ness of soul, " The Emigrant's Farewell?" 
 
 " Our native land our native vale, _ 
 
 A long and last adieu ! 
 Farewell to bonny Teviotdale, 
 And Cheviot mountains blue." 
 
 The astronomer Veiteh, whom to name is to eulogise, 
 was a resident at Inchbonny for several years. Cap- 
 tain Hamilton, the talented author of Cyril Thorn- 
 ton, occupied for many years Chiefswood Cottage, the 
 present residence of John Broad, Esq., which is a snug, 
 romantic, woodland spot, within fifteen minutes' walk 
 of Melrose. J. G. Lockhart, son-in-law of Scott, and 
 the brilliant editor of the Quarterly Review, passed 
 the summer months for several years at this delightful 
 place, previous to the death of Sir Walter Scott. Tho- 
 mas Hannah, the astronomer, was born at Dryburgh ;
 
 INTRODUCTION. XV11 
 
 and Chaucer, the father of English poetry, spent some 
 time at its famed monastery, in company with Kalph 
 Strode, the Welsh savant, philosopher, preaching friar, 
 and poet-laureate of Oxford.* It was also at Dryburgh 
 that Thomson composed the first poem, "Winter," 
 of his classical Seasons. Gower the poet was a monk 
 of Dryburgh. G. P. E. James, the accomplished author 
 of Richelieu, and other inimitable fictions, was for 
 two years tenant of Maxpofne, the present residence of 
 John Boyd, Esq., and once the seat of John Ainslie, a 
 gentleman of considerable literary acquirements. 
 
 William Laidlaw, the secretary and friend of Sir 
 Walter Scott, lived for many years at Kaeside, close 
 by Abbotsford. Thomas Aird, author of Religious 
 Characteristics, and the writer of some admirable 
 pieces of poetry, was a native of Bowden. Sir William 
 Jardine, the gifted author of the Naturalist's Library, 
 lived at Holmes, a few miles further down the Tweed 
 than Melrose. The adventurous African traveller, 
 Mungo Park, was a native of Foulshiels, whose dila- 
 pidated homestead stands almost fronting Newark 
 Castle. Beneath the classic shades of Dryburgh, Sir 
 David Erskine wooed well and long the lyric muse. 
 
 * Fabricius.
 
 xviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Truly was it said, 
 
 " Then haste with me where sweets combine 
 
 To form in sooth a scene divine, 
 And while away a summer hour 
 
 In Dryburgh's mild and classic bower." 
 
 James Hogg, the Ettrick shepherd, was familiarly 
 known to many of the people of Melrose. He attended 
 their fairs and markets during many long and pleasant 
 y.ears. Sir Walter Scott, Bart., Was sheriff of Ettrick 
 Forest. James Renwick, the last of Scottish martyrs, 
 preached his final sermon on the banks of Yarrow. 
 Thomas Boston was minister of Ettrick.* In the Forest 
 Kirk, Sir William Wallace was chosen guardian of 
 Scotland. Professor John Wilson drew the inspiring 
 draughts which made magical his Nodes Ambro- 
 siance, from the vales of Yarrow, Ettrick, and Tweed. 
 Dr John Leyden, the friend of Scott, the distinguished 
 
 * This good man says of his last communion, " There were nearly 
 eight hundred communicants, great numbers of them from a con- 
 siderable distance. The hospitality of the farmers, and all those who 
 had it in their power to accommodate and support them, during the 
 preaching days, was beyond all praise. At one farm-place they ac- 
 commodated nine score, at another they had half a boll of meal 
 baken, besides a quantity of loaf bread ; they killed three lambs, and 
 made up thirty beds." These were certainly the " times of refresh- 
 ing," and we should rejoice to witness a revival of the same spirit 
 that seemed in those days to animate both preachers and hearers.
 
 INTKODUCTTON. XIX 
 
 scholar, poet, and linguist, wrote his touching and im- 
 passioned Scenes of Infancy from the bosom of the 
 people and country we are writing about. Dr Leyden 
 was a native of Denholm, and a public testimonial to 
 his memory is now in course of erection upon his native 
 village green. Dr Chalmers was once assistant minister 
 of Cavers. The Rev. James Morton, author of the 
 Monastic Annals of Teviotdale, was bora at Kelso. 
 We shall, for the present, content ourselves by main- 
 taining that Melrose and its vicinity is classic ground. 
 The entire district, for some miles around, is truly 
 fascinating in its fine diversity of form and character, 
 its heath-crowned summits, and its sheltered vales. 
 It is transcendently famous in song and fiction, un- 
 equalled in its historical associations and traditions. 
 To heroic patriotism and heaven-born piety it has been 
 ever, and is still held, truly sacred. Its sons wear the 
 mantle of an enlightened and universal emancipation, 
 adorned by friendship, love, and truth. Correctly, 
 then, do we call Melrose and the district classic 
 ground.
 
 A DESCRIPTION OP THE PAEISH OF MELROSE. 
 
 HE following description or account 
 of the parish of Melrose was writ- 
 ten by the Rev. Adam Milne, min- 
 
 rx 
 
 \\ ister of the Established Church of 
 Scotland. He settled at Melrose 
 in 1711, and officiated until 1747, 
 when he died. His only child was 
 a daughter, who married Mr Hunter of Linthill. His 
 history of Melrose was first printed in 1743, by T. W. 
 and T. Ruddimans, Edinburgh, and passed through two 
 or three editions. It is given verbatim, and in eoctenso, 
 without the least alteration, in the following pages, 
 which commend themselves as being at once truthful, 
 carefully collated, and accurately described: - 
 
 A DESCRIPTION OF THE PARISH OF MELROSE, . 
 
 IN ANSWER TO 
 
 MR MAITLAND'S QUERIES TO EACH PARISH OF THE 
 
 KINGDOM. 
 The Parish of Melrose, in the Shire of Roxburgh and
 
 22 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Presbytery of Selkirk, is in breadth from South to 
 North, about eight or nine mile?, in length from 
 East to West in some places about four. It is divided 
 by the river Tweed: it is bounded by the Parish of 
 Galashiels on the West, on this side of Tweed, and on 
 the other side of Tweed by the Water of Galla, which 
 falls into Tweed a little below Westerlonglee ; on the 
 North-west by the Parish of Stow, on the North by 
 Lawder; on the East by the Water of Lawder or 
 Leeder, which falls into Tweed a little below Dry- 
 grange ; and by the River of Tweed on the East and 
 South-east ; and on the South by the Parish of Les- 
 suden, or rather Lesaidan, and the Parish of Bowdean 
 or rather Bethendean. 
 
 About a mile and a half from the Town of Melrose 
 to the east, stands Old Melrose, or Mailross, or rather 
 Mulross, signifying a bare Promontory ;* for Ross, in 
 the ancient Language, signifieth a Peninsula, and Mul, 
 bare. It is almost encompassed with Tweed, famous 
 for its ancient Monastery as one among the first seats 
 of the Kingdom, of the Religious Keledei, or Culdei, 
 or as Fordun explains the name, Cultores Dei, Wor- 
 shippers of God, though Toland says they were so 
 named from the original Irish, or ancient Scottish Word 
 Ceilede, signifying separated or espoused to God ; and 
 Nicholson, Bishop of Deny says, they were so named 
 * IRVINE'S Notn., p. 161.
 
 PAKISH OF MELEOSE. 23 
 
 from the Black Habit, for Culdee, says he, signifies a 
 black Monk.* But whatever this signifies, they were 
 religious persons who admitted of nothing but what is 
 contained in the Scriptures, the Writings of the Pro- 
 phets, Apostles and Evangelists, and as Bede observes 
 of them, were diligent observers of the Works of Piety 
 and Charity, which they had learned out of the Pro- 
 phetick and Apostolick Writings, wherein they main- 
 tained themselves a long time against the Canons and 
 Ordinances of the Romish Councils, so much pressed 
 upon them by the Disciples and Proselytes of that See. 
 We have no account by whom this Monastery was 
 founded, it is likely by Columbus or by Aidan, who 
 are said to have built so many Monasteries in other 
 Places. It is probable it was founded about the End 
 of the sixth Century ; Bede gives us an account of its 
 Situation on the Bank of the river Tweed-f- and likewise 
 of its Abbots. 1st, Eata. Boisil succeeded him; 
 Dempster says he died anno 643, and to him St Cuth- 
 bert (who afterwards quitted the Monastery and went 
 to Lindisfarne, now called the Holy Island), and to 
 him Ethelwold. This place was a famous Nursery for 
 learned and religious Men, who were filled with zeal 
 for propagating the Christian Religion, particularly 
 among their Neighbours the Pagan Saxons. 
 
 * Preface to the Irish Historical Library, p. 30. 
 f BEDE, Kb. 4, cap. 27.
 
 24 DESCRIPTION OF THK 
 
 Nennius, a British Historian, who lived, as some, in 
 the year 620, or rather, as the Bishop of Carlisle places 
 him, anno 853.* He speaks of the noble and great 
 Monastery of Melrose, cap. 63, which was ruined likely 
 then after the destruction of the Churches and Monas- 
 teries by the Pagan Danes,f who burnt the Churches 
 and Houses wherever they came. 'Tis probable this 
 Monastery was repaired and continued till the other 
 was founded by King David. 
 
 This Convent has been inclosed with a stone wall 
 reaching from the South Corner of the Tweed to the 
 West Corner of it, where the Neck of Land is narrow, 
 the Foundations of the Wall are yet still to be seen. 
 At the entrance to the Convent about the Middle of 
 this "Wall, there has been an House built, likely for 
 their Porters, called yet the Redhouse. The place 
 where the Chapel stood is still called the Chapel-know, 
 and Places on Tweed at this Place still retain their 
 names from the Monks there, as the Haly-wheel and 
 the Monk-ford. I do not think there has been any 
 great building about it, for, as Bede acquaints us, their 
 Churches then were all of Oak and thatched with 
 Reeds. The Situation of the Place is most pleasant and 
 agreeable, being almost surrounded with Tweed and 
 having a fine Prospect towards Gladswood. 
 
 * Eng. Histffr. Libr., folio, p. 33. 
 t DALRYMPLE'S Collections, p. 57.
 
 PARISH OF MELKOSE. 25 
 
 About a mile to the West on the Tweed, stands 
 Newstead, a Place noted for an ancient Lodge of 
 Masons, but more remarkable for another Abbacy on 
 the East-side of it, called Red Abbey-stead. Whether 
 it got this name from the colour of the stones where- 
 with it was built; or because it was an House belong- 
 ing to the Templars, they wearing a red Cuoss for their 
 distinguishing Badge, I cannot determine; but it is 
 certain, when the Ground here is plowed or ditched, the 
 foundations of several Houses are discovered, a great 
 deal of Lead got, and some curious Seals. 
 
 At this Place likewise there has been a famous 
 Bridge over Tweed; the Entrance to it on the South- 
 side is very evident, and a great deal of fine stones are 
 dug out of the Arches of the Bridge when the water is 
 low. About half a mile fron Newstead on the South 
 side of Tweed, stands the present Melrose. There was 
 a great Wood betwixt these foresaid places, planted 
 with Oaks, beginning at Ekidean, or rather bakdean, 
 and is still called the Prior- wood; and on the High- 
 road to Melrose, there was a famous Cross, called the 
 Prior-wood cross. 
 
 It is surrounded with Mountains, as Jerusalem of 
 old ; it is about four miles distant from Selkirk to the 
 West, eight from Jedburgh to the South, and eight 
 from Kelso to the East. It is famous for its Monastery, 
 the Fabrick of which was very large and spacious, as 
 
 c
 
 26 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 appears from the Ruins of it yet remaining, and one of 
 the most magnificent and stately in the Kingdom, and 
 continues still to be the admiration of Strangers, who 
 for the Height and embellishing of its Pillars with all 
 kind of Sculpture, the Beauty of its Stones, and Sym- 
 metry of its Parts, do reckon it one of the best of the 
 Gothick kind they have seen. 
 
 Tli ere was a new erection of an Abbacy at this 
 Place, and not a reviving of the ancient Monastery of 
 Old Melrose. It was founded by King David anno 
 1136, according to these Monkish Verses: 
 
 Anno milleno centeno, ter quoque deno, 
 Et sexto Christ^ Melrose, fundata fuisti. 
 
 It was dedicate to the Virgin Mary, as appears by 
 the original Charter of Foundation, bearing the 
 Grant to be, " Deo and Sanctse Marise de Mailross and 
 Monachis, ibidem Deo servientibus de Rievallis/' &c., and 
 so .of the Cistertian Order.* The Chronicle of Mail- 
 ross acquaints iis, that it was dedicate anno 1146, ten 
 years after its Foundation. The Church is built in the 
 Form of St. John's Cross; the Chancel, which is a very 
 stately building, is still standing, its Roof is very 
 curious, and has much of the Scripture History upon 
 it, and its Window a fine piece of Architecture, 
 wherein has been a great Variety of baken Glass and 
 painted Glass, which sometimes have been dug out of 
 * DALRTTMP., Coll, p. 257.
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE: 27 
 
 the Ground. Our History bears, that King Alexander 
 II. was buried here at the High Altar, with this In- 
 scription on his Tomb: 
 
 Ecclesiae clypeus, pax plebis, dux miserorum, 
 Hex rectus, rigidus, sapiens, consultus, honestus ; 
 Rex plus, rex fortis, rex optimus, rex opulentus, 
 
 Nominis istius ipse secundus erat. 
 Annis ter denis et quintis rex fuit ipse, 
 1 usul.-i quse Carneri dicitur hunc rapuit, 
 Spiritus alta petit, coelestibus associatus, 
 
 Sed Melrossensis ossa sepulta tenet, 
 
 But there appears no such Tomb or Inscription here: 
 There is indeed a fine Marble Stone in the Form of a 
 Coffin, without any Inscription, which I think has been 
 laid on Waldevus, the second Abbot, who was canoni- 
 zed; for the Chronicle of Melrosse acquaints us, that 
 Ingeram Bishop of Glasgow and four Abbots came to 
 Melrose, and opened his grave twelve Years after his 
 Death, and found not the least Corruption about his 
 holy Body, upon which they laid a fine new polished 
 Marble stone, and this was done with great Joy, all 
 crying out, " Vere hie homo Dei est." 
 
 Many of the Earls of Douglas were likewise buried 
 here, as Earl William and his heroick Son James, who 
 was killed at the Battle of Otterburn, August 5, anno 
 1388, fought betwixt him and Sir Henry Percy, sur- 
 named Hotspur, afterwards Earl of Northumberland. 
 He was interr'd with a military Pomp of the whole
 
 28 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Army, and all the Honour that could be devised for 
 him besides, by the Abbot and Monks of that Convent, 
 after the most solemn Manners of these Times.* As 
 also tb.e Lord of Liddisdale, called the Flower of 
 Chivalry, and many others of great Note, such as the 
 De Valoniis, Vausses of Dirlton, Somervils, Balfours, 
 and others ; some of them are said by the Book of 
 Melrose to be buried in " capitulo ecclesiee," i. e., in the 
 Chapter-house. This is all the Account I can give, the 
 Obituary of this Monastery being destroyed. 
 
 Within, on the North side of tne Cross, there are 
 beautiful Pillars, and the Sculpture as fresh as if it had 
 been but newly cut. Here is a Place called the Wax- 
 Cellar; where they kept their Tapers and Candles for 
 burning at the Altars and Shrines of their Saints, es- 
 pecially at the Altar of St. Mary and St. Waldave. 
 Above this Wax-Cellar there was lately discovered a 
 curious Vault; there was no Entry into it but by 
 lifting up the first Step of the Turnpike, which cer- 
 tainly had been contrived for concealing their valuable 
 things, in case of an invasion by the English, which 
 they frequently felt and were threatened with : It had 
 no Light but at this Entry. This famous Turnpike 
 was only demolished about six Years ago. The Abbot 
 had a fine House, adjoining to the Church here, with 
 an Entry to the Church by a Stair, the Remains of 
 * HUME'S Hist, of Douglasses, p. 105.
 
 PAEISH OF MELEOSE. 29 
 
 which are to be seen, with a Font at the Foot of it. 
 On the West side of the Cross there is the Statue of 
 Peter with a Book open, his Right Hand on it, and 
 two Keys hanging on the Left; and then to the South 
 side of this Statue is that of Paul with a sword. In 
 the middle of the Cross stood the Steeple, a Piece of 
 notable Architecture; a Quarter of it is yet standing, 
 but the Spire is gone. The Bells here could not but 
 have a fine and melodious Sound from the Hills and 
 Water. 
 
 The Roof of the South-side of the Cross is still 
 standing, one of the Key Stones has on it I. H. S. i.e., 
 Jesus Hominum Salvator. There is a beautiful Turn- 
 pike here, which is much admired by Strangers, the 
 Roof of it winding like a Snail Cap. Above the Door 
 of this, there is a Compass with this Inscription : 
 
 Sa gayes the Compass ev'n about, 
 So Truth and Laute do but doubt, 
 Behald to the End. JOHN MuRDO. 
 
 On the South-side of this Door there is another : 
 
 JOHN MURDO sum tym callit was I, 
 
 And born in Parysse certainly ; 
 
 And had in kepying all Mason Werk, 
 
 Of Santandroys the hye Kyrk, 
 
 Of Glasgu, Melros and Paslay, 
 
 Of Nyddysdayl and of Galway, 
 
 Pray to God, and Mari baith, 
 
 And sweet St. John keep this haly Kirk frae Skaith. 
 
 There are within the Church a vast Number of
 
 30 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Fonts curiously carved, where they had their Altars 
 dedicate to such and such a Saint, and several Gentle- 
 men mortified a certain Annuity, called Altarage 
 Money, for the maintenance of a fit and qualified Per- 
 son to say so many Masses at such an Altar, for their 
 own Souls, and the Souls of their Ancestors and Suc- 
 cessors. I have observed above some of these Altars a 
 Pulley, on which there was a little Bell, to be rung at 
 the Elevation of the Host, or for hanging Lamps. 
 
 In the Place where the Congregation meets for 
 divine Worship, there are two Rows of Pillars of ex- 
 cellent Workmanship, especially that to the South-east, 
 \vhich for the Fineness of it looks like Flanders Lace. 
 The Roof of this Place of the Church was put on anno 
 1618, by the Masons of Newstead, a Place famous for 
 several Centuries for Masonry, though this Roof bears 
 no Resemblance to the former. 
 
 On the South-side of the Church there is a fine 
 Monument, erected for Mr David Fletcher, who had 
 been Minister of this Congregation for several Years, 
 and after King Charles II. his Restoration, was made 
 Bishop of Argyle. This Monument was erected by his 
 Son Mr William Fletcher, an eminent Lawyer. 
 
 On the West-side of this, within the Church, is the 
 Burial pladfe of the Pringles of Galashiels, where the 
 Portraiture of Sir James Pringle is to be seen as big as 
 the life.
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE. 31 
 
 " On the West-side of this is the Burial place of the 
 Pringles of Whitebank, the undoubted Male Representa- 
 tives of the ancient Family of Galashiels. It appears 
 by the Gravestones here, that they have matched with 
 very honourable Families, as with the Lundins of that 
 Ilk, with the Homes of Wedderburn, and one of them 
 with Sophia Shoner, a Dane, Maid of Honour to Queen 
 Anne of .Denmark. 
 
 On the North-side of the Church within, at the 
 Entry called the Valley-gate, is the Burial-place of the 
 Kers of Yair, since of Sutherland-hall, where their 
 Arms are to be seen on the Wall, viz., A Stag's Head 
 raised on a Cheveron, three Stars, with this Inscription 
 below, 
 
 Here lies the Race of the House of Zair. 
 
 Having given a lame Description of what is re- 
 markable within the Church, we shall take notice of 
 what is observable without. And to begin with the 
 East Window, which is the Head of the Cross, where 
 the High Altar was: This is a beautiful Structure, 
 consisting of four Pillars or Bars, with a great deal of 
 curious Work betwixt the Pillars for the Support of 
 them. On each side of the Window, there are a great 
 Number of Niches for Statues, and on the Head of it 
 an old Man with a Globe in his Left Hand resting on 
 his knee, and a young Man on his Right, both in a 
 sitting Posture, with an open Crown over their Heads.
 
 :{2 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 It has been a current Tradition in this Place, that it 
 has been a Representation of the Trinity, and that 
 there had been betwixt them the shape of a Dove, as 
 an Emblem of the Holy Ghost; but I see not any 
 Foundation for this Conjecture, for there is not the 
 least Vestige of a Dove here : it appears rather to be a 
 Statue of King David, the Founder of this Church, and 
 his Queen, or his Son Prince Henry. On the North- 
 side of this Window and South, there are two great 
 Windows, with three Bars almost as high as the former, 
 but not so broad. 
 
 The Niches are curiously carved, both the Pedestals 
 and Canopies, and on the Canopies are to be observed 
 several Creatures, cut curiously in Miniature, and under 
 some of the Statues and Pillars, are the Figures of Men 
 cut, some with their Legs cross, and others leaning on 
 one Knee, putting back one of their hands to support 
 their Burdens, the Muscles of their Neck standing out 
 as crushed with the Pressure, and gaping with their 
 Mouths. 
 
 On the South-east of this Church are a great many 
 Musicians admirably cut, with much Pleasantness and 
 Gaiety in their Countenance, with their Instruments in 
 their hands, such as the Bag-pipe, after the Highland 
 Fashion, Fiddles, Dulcimers, Organs, and the like ; as 
 also several Nuns with their Vails, and others richly 
 dress'd.
 
 PAEISH OF MELKOSE. 33 
 
 On the South Entry there is a Window very much 
 admired for its Height and curious Workmanship ; there 
 are Niches on each side of it and above, where have 
 been the Statues of our Saviour and the Apostles. On 
 the Head of the Door is a Lion rampant, within a double 
 Tressure, and above this John the Baptist, looking up 
 with one eye, with this Inscription, " Ecee filius Del" 
 Below John are the Statues of his Disciples, which are 
 now sadly defaced. 
 
 On the East of this Window there is a Niche, having 
 a Monk for the Supporter of the Statue, holding a Bend 
 with each Hand about his Breast ; on the Bend is writ- 
 ten, " Passus, e. q. ipse voluit," i.e. Passus est quia ipse 
 voluit. The Monks are curiously cut, with their Beards 
 and Cowls, some of them holding a String of Beads in 
 their hands. 
 
 On the West side of this Window, there is another 
 Monk with a Bend about his Breast, on which is written, 
 "Cu. venit Jes. seq. cessabit umbra," t.e.Cum venit Jesus, 
 sequitur, cessabit umbra. To the West of this there is 
 a Cripple, oh the back of one that is Blind; this is very 
 much admired by the curious : on one side of the blind's 
 Beard is Uncte, and on the other Dei, by way of Peti- 
 tion, that Christ might have Mercy on them. There 
 are a great many Niches in this Place, and several 
 Creatures cut very nicely, as Boars, Greyhounds, Lions, 
 Monkies, and others.
 
 34 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 To the West of this Window there are eight still re- 
 maining entire, with the Face of a Man or Woman on 
 each side, some of them in a very antick Figure, after 
 the Gothick Way. Above is the Statue of St. Andrew 
 to be seen with a Piece of his Cross, and to the West 
 of this the Statue of the Virgin Mary, holding the Babe 
 in her Left Arm: this Niche excells all for its fine 
 Sculpture and Drapery. Below, at one of the Windows 
 are the Arms of the Hunters, there being several of 
 that name Abbots here, namely, Two hunting Horns 
 string 'd, two Crosiers, as the Badge of his Office, cross- 
 ing other in Saltier, or in the Form of a St. Andrew's 
 Cross, and a Rose at the Top betwixt th^ Crosiers; the 
 Arms supported by two Mermaids, and below R. H. 
 On the West of these are the Arms of the Abbacy, 
 namely, a Mail and a Rose, a perfect pun, it having no 
 Relation to the antient Name Mul-ross. To the West 
 of these are the Scots Arms which have been set up 
 there in King James IV. 's Time, for on the one side 
 above is an I, and on the other side a Q, and below 
 Anno. Dom. 1505, two Years after his Marriage, which 
 was concerted here betwixt the said King and Richard 
 Fox, Bishop of Durham, and eight before the fatal 
 Battle of Flouden. Above the Arms are I.H.S. i.e. 
 Jesus hominum salvator. 
 
 There are about sixty-eight Niches standing, the 
 Statues were only demolished about the year 1 649, by
 
 PAEISH OF MELROSE. :i5 
 
 whose authority I know not. There is a traditional 
 Story here, that the Person that was employed to de- 
 molish them, while he was striking at the Babe in the 
 Virgin Mary's Arms, a Piece of that stone fell on his- 
 Arm, which he never had the use of afterwards. 
 
 The Cloyster has been on the North-side of the 
 Church, a Part of the Wall is still remaining, where 
 may be observed their pleasant Walks and Seats, and a 
 great deal of fine Flowers nicely cut, as Lilies, Ferns, 
 Grapes, House Leeks, and the like, as also Escalops, 
 and Fir-seed and others. There is a Font at the North 
 Entry to the Church, and the Door curiously embossed, 
 and the Foliage here, and in several Places of the Church 
 very curious. 
 
 There has been a Gallery through the whole Church, 
 with Ballisters before, where one may walk safely. 
 The ingenious Mr Slezer gives us a good Draught of 
 this Church in his Theatre of Scotland. I have taken 
 the Measure of what is standing, though much of the 
 West Part is so entirely demolished, that we cannot 
 know how far it has reached that Way, and the princi- 
 pal Entry has been to the West. Its just Length is 
 258 feet, its Breadth 137 feet and an half, its circum- 
 ference round about is 943 ; the Day-light of the South 
 Window, or its Height, 24, the Breadth with four Bars 
 16 ; the Day-light of the East Window, its Height, 36 
 feet, with four Bars; the Breadth of the East Window
 
 36 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 1 6 feet; the Height of the Steeple from its Foundation 
 75 feet, the Spire being gone. 
 
 I am now to give an account at what Time, and by 
 whom much of it has been laid in Ruins. It was 
 several Times defaced by the English, lying near the 
 Borders, particularly by Edward IL, anno 1322. This 
 was in his second Attempt in Scotland, when, after he 
 had come the Length of Edinburgh, he was forced to 
 return, to his great Dishonour, without having effectu- 
 ated any thing, but only the spoiling and burning the 
 Abbeys of Melrose and Dryburgh, and killing many of 
 the Monks;* for the repairing of which, King Robert 
 the Bruce makes a Grant to the Abbot and Religious 
 of Melrose of two thousand Pounds Sterling, for build- 
 ing of new the Fabrick of their Church of St. Mary, to 
 be paid out of all Wards, Relieves, Marriages, Escheats, 
 Fines, Amereiaments, Exits, and Perquisites, belonging 
 and falling to the Crown out of the Shire of Roxburgh ; 
 The Date is at Scone, on the 29th of March, anno 1 326.t 
 This was a great Sum in these Times, but we are 
 to observe, that there were some forfaulted who had 
 large Possessions about this Place, such as Sir John 
 Sowles, to whom belonged the Lands of Nisbet, the 
 Baronies of Langnewton, Maxton and Caverton, as 
 also Sir Richard Moubray, to whom belonged the 
 
 * BUCHANAN, lib. 8, p. 265. 
 
 f SYMSON'S Hist, of Stuarts, p. 151.
 
 PARISH OF MELKOSE. 37 
 
 Lands of Eckford. John Major in his sixth Book 
 acquaints us, that Richard II., King of England, burnt 
 this Monastery, and at the same time Edinburgh, New- 
 bottle, and Dryburgh. It was likewise demolished, 
 a great Part of it, after K. James the Fifth's Death, 
 during the Regency of the Earl of Arran, when Sir 
 Ralph Ivers and Sir Bryan Laton, under Henry VIII. 
 of England, had taken Charter of the Merse and Teviot- 
 dale to be holden of the King of England, and came to 
 take Sasine and Possession, which when Archibald the 
 seventh Earl of Angus heard, he vowed that he should 
 write the Instrument with sharp Pens and red Ink 
 upon their own Skins, because they had defaced the 
 Tombs of his Ancestors at Melrose,* which he per- 
 formed at Ancrum Muir, about five Miles South from 
 Melrose, or Lilliard's Edge, as it is commonly called, 
 from a ^Yoman that fought with great Bravery there, 
 to whose Memory there was a Monument erected in the 
 Field of Battle, with this Inscription, as the traditional 
 Report goes: 
 
 Fair Maiden LILLIAKD lies vmder this Stane, 
 
 Little was her Stature, but great her Fame, 
 
 On the Encrlish Lads she laid many Thumps, 
 
 And when ner Legs were off, she fought upon her Stumps. 
 
 I have seen the Monument, which is now all broken 
 in Pieces, but the Place of Battle not being wichin the 
 
 * HUME'S Hist. Douy., p. 269. CKAWF. Notes on Buchanan, p. 144.
 
 38 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Parish of Melrose, I forbear to give any further account 
 about it; a Battle, says Mr Crawford, for the valour of 
 so few against so many, the Wisdom in taking the 
 Advantages, and a most noble Victory, worthy to be 
 more famous than it is. After the Reformation, anno 
 ] 569, it was fully defaced, as Lesly acquaints us, lib. 
 1 0, p. 527, says he, "Monasteria Dumfermlingense, Mel- 
 rossense, Kelsoum, miseris modis sectarii vestabant." 
 And it seems probable, that many of the Houses within 
 the Convent have been ruined by Fire, from the Lead 
 and burnt Timber that is to be found in several 
 places. 
 
 After the Reformation, James Douglas, Commendator, 
 did take down a great Part of it, for the building of a 
 fine House for himself, which is still standing, and his 
 Name and his Lady's on one of the Windows, anno 
 1590. As much of it has been demolished lately for 
 building a Tolbooth, for the repairing their Mills and 
 helping their Sluices; the People here have a super- 
 stitious Conceit, that the Baillies who give Orders for 
 the pulling down of any Part of it do not long continue 
 in their Office ; and of this they give many Instances, 
 as in the Commendator and others, though the same 
 that make this remark have no Scruple to take these 
 Stones for their own Houses. 
 
 I am now to give an account of some of the Abbots 
 and Monks of this Place, that were distinguished for
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE. 39 
 
 tlieir Piety, Learning, and Offices. I have not seen 
 the Chartulary. The Monks here were Cistertians, so 
 named from their chief House and first Monasteries, 
 Citeaux or Cistertium in Burgundy. They were brought 
 here from Rievalle, an Abbey in Yorkshire; Richard 
 the first Abbot was install'd in the year 1136, being 
 the same year on which it was founded by King David. 
 To him succeeded Walterus or Waldevus, "Son to King 
 David; for besides Prince Henry, by most authors 
 mentioned as the only child of King David, we have 
 good authority to believe that he had a second Son, 
 named Waldevus, whom the Chronicle of Melrose calls 
 Uncle to King Malcome IV.* This person was elected 
 Bishop of St. Andrew's, but declin'd that Honour, say- 
 ing that he had washed his Feet, and could not contami- 
 nate them again with the Dust of earthly Cares.-f- He 
 is said by Fordun to have wrought many Miracles, and 
 is now ranked among the Saints of the Roman Church. 
 Many Offerings were made at the Tomb of the said 
 Waldeve, as appears by Sir John Stuart of Bonkyll his 
 Charter granted to the said Abbacy, j Joceliue, a Man 
 of considerable Learning, was Abbot here, and after- 
 wards Bishop of Glasgow ; he was buried here, and a 
 great Benefactor to the Abbey. 
 
 * ABERCROMBY'S Martial Achievements, p. 404, vol. i. 
 
 t SPOTISWOOD'S Hist., p. 36. 
 
 "t SYMSON'S ffi-st. of Stuarts, p. 61.
 
 40 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Laurentius is said to have been a Person of great 
 Meekness, and a learned Divine. 
 
 Another was Eodulph, anno 1194, a Person of great 
 Learning, whom Pope Innocent Ill's Legate, had such 
 a Regard for, that he took him along with him to Ire- 
 land and made him Bishop of Down.* This Legate 
 staid in Melrose fifty days, and was honourably enter- 
 tained by the Convent, as Mr Hay acquaints us in his 
 Scotia Sacra. He came to make up a Difference be- 
 twixt the Monks of Calchow and the Monks of Melrose; 
 he took their Money and Gold, and left the Plea unde- 
 termined. I find in the year 1268, that the Abbot 
 and a great Part of the Convent were excommunicated 
 in a Council at Perth, for breaking the Peace with the 
 Men of Wedale, for killing a Clergyman there, and 
 leaving several wounded. I find this Convent has 
 had a great many Debates with those of Wedale about 
 their Marches. Wedale is Stow, and the Places about 
 called Vallis Doloris. This belonged to the Bishop of 
 St. Andrews. 
 
 I find one Patrick Abbe de Meaross, as it is exprest 
 in the Ragman Roll, swearing Fealty to Edward I., 
 anno 1206.f 
 
 Robert of Kildalach, formerly a Monk and Abbot of 
 Dunfermline, Chancellor of Scotland, was made Abbot 
 
 * SPOTIS. Hist., lib. ii., p. 41. 
 t PKVNNE, p. 653.
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE. 41 
 
 of this Place. John Fogo, Abbot also of this Monas- 
 tery, was Confessor to King James I., and much taken 
 notice of for his Learning. Boethius and Lesly say he 
 was a Professor of Divinity, and Spotiswood, that he 
 disputed with great Force against Friar Harding.* 
 And the same Historians acquaint us, that he was the 
 principal Man that confuted Paul Craw the Bohemian. 
 Andrew Hunter, Abbot of this Place, was Confessor to 
 King James II., and Lord High Treasurer, anno 14-49. 
 Mr Crawford, in his Lives and Characters of the Offi- 
 cers of the Crown and of the State, thinks he was 
 either of the House of Powmood or Hunterstone; but 
 I think he was of the Hunters of Hag-burn in this 
 Parish, a Family of a very long standing; for besides 
 him, there were some others of that Name Abbots here. 
 After him were some of the Name of Dury .and 
 Fogo's. Lesley says, lib. 10, that James Stuart, eldest 
 natural Son to King James V., was Abbot of Kelso 
 and Melrose; he died in the year ISoQ.'f After him 
 Cardinal de Guise was named Abbot by Mary of Lor- 
 rain, Queen Dowager, but never got Possession thereof. 
 I find some of them have been employed in several 
 
 * SPOTIS., p. 56. 
 
 f It may be a doubt, whether this Abbot of Melrose, or his other 
 natural Son of the same Name, were eldest, since by the Order in 
 which Dr Mackenzie has placed them, in his Lives and Characters of 
 the Scottish Writers, vol. ii., p. 595, it would seem the Earl of 
 Murray was the oldest. . . 
 
 D
 
 42 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 honourable Embassies to the Pope and Kings of Eng- 
 land, and Members at their General Councils. 
 
 The Monastery of Melrose was a Mother Church or 
 Nursery to all the Order of Cistertians in Scotland, 
 such as Glenluce or Vallis Lucis in Galloway: the 
 Monks of that Monastery were brought from Melrose, 
 and kept a close correspondence with the Abbots and 
 Monks here, as appears by that famous letter William 
 Abbot of Glenluce writes to the Abbot of Melrose 
 about an appearance in the Heavens ; * Newbottle in 
 Mid-Lothian, Kinloss in Murray, Coupar in Angus, 
 Balmerinoch in Fife, and others. It would appear that 
 the Abbot of Melrose had a vote in the Election of the 
 Abbots of these Monasteries; for Ferrerius, a Native 
 of Piedmont, the Continuer of Boethius's History, and 
 Author of the Register of Kinloss, in the Histoiy of 
 the Abbots of that Place, acquaints us that the Abbots 
 of that Place, " Canonice eligebantur per Monachorum 
 suftragia, et patris Abbatis a Melross electionem, simul 
 et confirmationein." Machline in Kyle, a District in the 
 Shire of Air, was a Cell of Melrose, founded as some 
 sa y> by King David I., but it rather appears, that it 
 was the Stuarts who founded Machline, and bestowed 
 it on Melrose. 
 
 The Monks of this Abbacy wrote a Chronicle, called 
 the Chronicle of Melrose, of which we have several 
 
 * Vid. Chron. de Maflros*, p. 192.
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 43 
 
 Manuscript Copies, both in Scotland and England. 
 It begins anno 735, and is continued by several 
 Hands down to the Year 1270. The Bishop of Car- 
 lisle hath placed this Chronicle in his English as 
 well as in the Scottish Historical Library, the Sub- 
 jects of both having had a hand in the composure of 
 it: And since, in the first Part, it chiefly insists 
 upon the Affairs of that Kingdom, and is a Continu- 
 ation of Bede's History, these Collections must be sup- 
 posed to have been made when Melrose was in the 
 Hands of the English. The second Part appears to 
 have been written by the Abbot or Prior of Dundren- 
 iian in Galloway, a Nursery under Melrose, a great 
 Favourite of Walter Great Steward of Scotland. The 
 learned Dr Gale published this Chronicle at the Theatre 
 of Oxford in the Year 1 684. It is observed by some 
 that this printed Chronicle is not so full and exact as 
 to our Scots affairs as the Manuscript Copies we have 
 of it ; and Dr Jamieson lias observed, that if any of 
 these Manuscripts were to be published, it should be 
 with three different Sorts of Notes and Observations.* 
 This famous Abbacy was endued with large Reve- 
 nues and many immunities, as appears by the Charters' 
 granted to the Abbot and Convent by our Kings. It 
 was the favourite Abbacy of David I., the Founder of 
 
 * See the Appendix to Dr NICOLSOX'S Scote Historical Library t 
 Num. iii.
 
 44 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 it, as Mr limes observes in a Manuscript he had seen 
 in the Colbertine Library, giving an Account of the 
 .several religious Houses built by the said David ; it is 
 added, " Sed Melrossensein prsecipue inter omnes eccle- 
 sias et fldeliter defensabat, et dulciter diligebat, et suis 
 opibus exornabat." Mr Hay says, 'tis recorded in the 
 Book of Taxes of the Apostolic Chamber, that King 
 David bestowed on this Abbacy 1880 Florins. The 
 original Charter of Foundation is confirmed by his Son 
 Prince Henry, and bears that he gave to this Abbacy the 
 whole Lands of Melrose, Eldun of Dernewie,* Galtown- 
 side, Galtownside-haugh, and Galtownside-wood, and 
 many Privileges in the Forests of Selkirk and Traquair, 
 particularly betwixt Galla and Leeder. The Charter 
 also bears, that these Lands had been perambulate by 
 the King himself and the Prince, with Richard the 
 h'rst Abbot. The Date of this Charter is the second 
 Year after Stephen of Boloign, King of England, was 
 taken Prisoner, which must be in the Year 1148. The 
 Witnesses are Hugo de Moreville, William de Somer- 
 ville, Gervasius Riddel, and others. 
 
 And it is said that King William, sirnained the 
 Lyon, after his Return from England, "abbatiam magni- 
 fice datavit." Alexander II., though the Dominicans were 
 hi favourite Order, he gives to this Abbacy the Forest 
 of Ettrick Robert the Bruce did enrich it with many 
 
 * Eildon and Darnkk.
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 45 
 
 Donations. The Stuarts, both before their Accession to 
 the Throne and afterwards, have been the greatest Bene- 
 factors to it, as appears from Mr Symson's Genealogical 
 and Historical Account of the illustrious Name of Stuart. 
 There were likewise many Donations granted to it 
 by our Nobles, Gentlemen,, and Bishops of Glasgow. 
 I find from the Chronicle of Mailross, that Richardus de 
 Moreville, High Constable of Scotland, gives Park to 
 to this Abbey; Dunbar, Earl of March, gives a Grant 
 also of many lands in the Merse and East Lothian; 
 Hugh Gifford, Lord Yester, grants the Monklands of 
 Yester ; and William, first Earl of Douglas, grants like- 
 wise the Patronage of the Church of Cavers to this 
 Abbacy; Riddel of Riddel, Haig of Bemerside, and 
 many others. I have had no access to see the Char- 
 tulary : those Accounts I have glean'd from some of our 
 Historians, which are well attested. 
 
 From the Rent of the whole great Church Benefices 
 within the Kingdom, as they were given up at the 
 general Assumption, 1561: ABBACY OF MELROSE: 
 In Money, 1 758 1. 
 
 Wheat, 14 Chalders, 9 BoUs. 
 
 Bear, 56 Chalders, 5 Bolls. 
 
 Meal, 78 Chalders, 13 Bolls, 1 Firlot. 
 
 Aittes, 44 Chalders, 10 Bolls. 
 
 Capons, 84. 
 
 Poultry, 620.
 
 46 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Butter, 105 Stone. 
 
 Salt, paid out of Prestonpans, 8 Chalders. 
 
 Peats, 340 Loads. 
 
 Carriages, 500. 
 
 The temporal Lands thereof; the Lands of Melrosland, 
 Kyllesmuir, and Baramir ; for they had a great many 
 Lands in Kyle and Carrick, the Monkland in Cliddes- 
 dale, and the Monkland in Niddisdale, called Dunscoir. 
 
 Kirks belonging thereto; the Kirk of Cavers, the 
 Right of the Patronage of this was granted by James 
 Douglas, Commendator, to the Family of Cavers; the 
 Kirks of Hassendean, of Wester-Ker, Dunscoir, Ochil- 
 tree, and Machline. 
 
 This account differs from what Mr Keith gives us 
 in his Collections. It is said, out of this Rent, assigna- 
 tion is made to eleven Monks and three Portioners, it 
 is likely to those who had renounced Popery, 20 Merks 
 to each, item Wheat 4 Bolls, Bear 1 Chalder, Meal 
 2 Chalders. The Dean of the Chapter, called John 
 Watson, comply 'd with the Reformation. Mr Kay, in 
 his Scotia Sacra,* gives us a further account of the rich 
 allowances that were granted to this Abbey. I shall 
 give it in his own Words: 
 
 "In chart a visitation is 1542 invenio, monachos ibi 
 fuisse 100; anno 1520, 80; anno 1540, 70. et 60 con- 
 versos, quibus dabantur modia frumenti, annuatim 60. 
 
 * Scotia Sacra, p. 512, in Bibl. I Ct., Ediub.
 
 PAEISH OF MELROSE. 47 
 
 cervisise dolia 300, ad missaram solemnia vim dolia 18, 
 ad hospites suspicieudos dolia vini 20; cervisiae 40, 
 frumenti modia 30, infirmis nutriendis 4000 Lib. Tu- 
 ron tonsori Lib. 400." He adds, " Porro Monasterium 
 omnium erat in Scotia pulcherrimum atque opulentissi- 
 mum." 
 
 After the Keformation, I find by the bounding 
 Charter of Newstead, one Michael Commendator, anno 
 1564. After this a Grant was made of this Abbey 
 with all the Lands and Tythes thereto belonging, by 
 Queen Mary, to James Earl of Bothwel and Duke of 
 Orkney, wha was forfeited for Treason. James Doug- 
 las, second Son of William Douglas of Lochleven, after- 
 wards Earl of Morton, was advanced to be Commenda- 
 tor of Melrose, by whose Care and Industry all the 
 original Evidences were preserved, and are still extant 
 in the Custody, as I am inform'd, of the Earl of Morton. 
 After this, a Grant was made of it to Sir John Ramsay, 
 in consideration of his good Services in rescuing King 
 James VI. from the attempt of the Earl of Go wry and 
 his Brother at Perth, who was created Viscount of 
 Hadclington, and afterwards was made a Peer of England 
 by the Title of Earl of Hulderness. In the Preamble of 
 this Grant, and ratified by Parliament anno 1609, we 
 have a full account of Gowry's Conspiracy, and it 
 appears by it, that James Douglas the former Commen- 
 dator, had a handsome allowance during his Life, which
 
 48 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 'tis probable he disponed to Mr John Hamilton ; for I 
 find by the Grant afterwards made to Thomas, Earl of 
 Melrose, he purchases a Demission from Mr John Ha- 
 milton, Commendator of Melrose, for demitting the said 
 Abbey. 
 
 When this Abbacy was erected in a temporal Lord- 
 ship, in favour of Ramsay, Viscount of Haddington, a 
 great many Lands that belonged to the Abbacy are ex- 
 cepted and given to others, such as the Tenantry of 
 Dumfidling, Wester-Ker or Wester-Kirk to the Earl of 
 Morton ; to the Lord Lowdon, the Lands and Barony 
 of Kylesmure and Barmure, and the Parish-kirk of 
 Mauchline ; to Sir James Hay of Fingask, Comptroller, 
 Grange and Grangemure in the Constabulary of Had- 
 dington ; to the Lord Ochiltree, the Kirk of Ochiltree, 
 and the Tiends of the Parish thereof. 
 
 It was afterwards acquired by Sir Thomas Hamilton, 
 employ'd by King James VI., in several honourable 
 Offices, or, as others, that he got a gift of it, as he did like- 
 wise of the rich Nunnery of Coldstream in favour of 
 his third Son, Sir John Hamilton of Trabrown, by the 
 Influence of his Brother-in-law, the Earl of Somerset, the 
 great but unfortunate Favourite of King James VI., and 
 he was dignified with the Title of the Earl of Melrose 
 anno 1619, upon which he assumed three Roses into 
 his Arms. This he exchanged afterwards for the Title 
 of Haddington. 'Tis storied that he was a little hard
 
 PARISH OF MELKOSE. 
 
 and severe on his vassals and Feuars here, which gave 
 occasion to that Epitaph made by Mr Thomas Forrester, 
 Minister here : 
 
 Here lies one, who, while he stood, 
 Was matchless if he had been 
 
 This Epitaph's a Syllable short, 
 Which if you please you may add to't ; 
 But what that syllable doth import, 
 That noble Peer could never do't. 
 
 But whatever he was to his vassals, it must be 
 owned that all his successors were extremely kind to 
 them, of which they still retain a grateful sense. In 
 the Grant that is made to the Earl of Melrose, a great 
 many Lands are likewise excepted and given to others, 
 or their holding altered. To Walter, Earl of Buccleugh, 
 the Kirk of Hasseiidean, Hassendean Tower, alias 
 Monks Tower; many of the Monks, besides those who 
 attended on the Kirks of Cavers and Hassendean, re- 
 siding there; Ringwood, with its Steadings, Cauld- 
 cleugh, Northhouse, Braidhaugh, Cralleshope, Cortburgh, 
 Sudanrig, Westcortrig, Priesthaugh, Eskdale-muir, and 
 others. To the Earl of Wigton, Kingildores: and 
 granted to Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank, that the 
 Barony of Longshaw shall hold of the King ; as also to 
 William Douglas Feuar of Cavers, that the Five Merk 
 Lands, called the Kirklands of Cavers, shall hold of the 
 King, and the Kirk of Ettrick to Sir Walter Scott of
 
 50 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Thirlestain. To whom the Monk-lands of NithLsdale, 
 called Dunscoir was given, I can have no information. 
 
 It has lately been purchased by the Duchess of Buc- 
 cleugh, whose Predecessors were heritable bailies, be- 
 fore the Reformation, of this Burgh of Regality, for 
 which they had several Lands in the Parish, as the 
 Superiority of Appletreeleaves, the lands in Darnick, 
 called since the Laird's lands, and, while designed of 
 Murdiston and Ranelburn, were very kind to the 
 Abbacy.* 
 
 There were several Lands depending on this Abbacy, 
 lately sold off to Mr Baillie of Jerviswood, such as the 
 Barony of Longshaw and Blainslies in this Parish, 
 that belonged to the Regality, & Redpath and Park in 
 the Parish of Earlstone. The several Places that 
 hold on it at this time, paying a certain Feu-duty, are 
 the whole Parish of Melrose, the Barony of Longshaw 
 and Blainslies excepted; the whole Parish of Lessuden, 
 and, 
 
 Belonging to the Duke of Roxburgh, the Lands of 
 Salfat, Tron, Cocklaw, Capelrodick, Evenshaw, Bross- 
 ness, Sourhope, Rashaw, Gateshaw, Hownamgrange, 
 Southcote, Cliftone-cote, Mill of Hownamgrange. 
 
 The Marquis of Tweeddale for Monkland.at Tester. 
 
 To Lord Belhaven, the Lands of Easter, Wester, and 
 Middle Hartsides, Milnhaugh of Newgrange. 
 * CKAWFOKD'S Pecmye, p. 52.
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 51 
 
 To Lord David Hay, Penshiels, Priesthall, Ringside. 
 
 To the Laird of Roughlie, Frierdykes, Wintershiels. 
 
 To the Laird of Drurnelzier, Littlehope, Micldehope, 
 Langhope, Hope Cartone, Whitehope, Chapelhope. 
 
 To Sir Walter Eiddel, Cringils. 
 
 To Sir William Scot of Thirlestain, Ramseycleugh, 
 Scabbiecleugh, Kirkhope, Craigie, Craigiehill. 
 
 To Archibald Douglas of Cavers, a Five Merk Land 
 called the Kirk-land of Cavers, viz., the Three Merk 
 Land of Crook, a Merk Land in Whitrig called the 
 Hussie, and a Merk Land in Cavers called the Boag. 
 
 To Mr Ker of Littledean, Plewland. 
 
 To Mr Ker, Morrieston. 
 
 To the Laird of Whitslaid, Ettrickhouse, Shorthope. 
 
 To Sir William Menzies of Gladstanes, Wolfclyde. 
 
 To Sir William Purves, Pittleshengh. 
 
 To Alexander Pringle of Whitebank, Friarscroft. 
 
 To Charles Balfour of Broadmeadows, Glenkerrie, 
 Midgebope. 
 
 To George Douglas, Friarshaw. 
 
 To George Mason, Clerklees. 
 
 To Walter Williamson of Cardrona, Espinghope, 
 Brockhope, Landhope 
 
 To John Haliburton, Muirhouselaw. 
 
 To Robert Scott of Horsliehill, Monkscroft in Hassen- 
 dean. 
 
 To the Laird of Hairhope, Hairhope.
 
 52 DESCEIPTION OF THE 
 
 To Mr Francis Scott, Phaup. 
 
 To Mr Scott of Burnhead, a Merk land in Hassen- 
 dean, half Merk Land in Clarilaw. 
 
 To Mr Ogilvie of Hartwoodmires, Hornhole, Calford. 
 
 To Mr John Watson, Overmains. 
 
 To Mr John Scot, a Merk Land in Hassendean. 
 
 To the Laird of Stonefauld, Harelaw, East End of 
 Hassendean. 
 
 To George Rutherford of Fairnington, Monksclose 
 and Meadow. 
 
 To Thomas Inglis, a Tenement of Land and half 
 Croft in Selkirk. 
 
 To George Fairbairn, a Tenement and half Croft in 
 Selkirk. 
 
 To William Turnbul, the Clerk Croft in Hassendean. 
 
 To Alexander Hume, an acre in Hassendean. 
 
 James Corsar, for his lands in Hessington. 
 
 I am now to give an account of the Ministers that 
 have been here since the Eeformation anno 1560. I 
 find by the Acts of our first assemblies, that Mr Pont 
 was appointed to preach here, how long he continued, 
 and whether he was settled in the place, I cannot 
 determine. The next was Mr John Knox, a Nephew 
 of Mr Knox the Reformer. He continued here for a 
 considerable Time, and died only anno 1623, as appears 
 by his Gravestone. 
 
 To him succeeded Mr Thomas Forrester, one that
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE. 53 
 
 was taken notice of for his facetious Poetry and satyrick 
 Verses. He was deposed by the assembly at Glasgow 
 anno 1638, and, as Honorius Eegius acquaints us, 
 " classe Mulrossiana accusante, probatum fait/' that he 
 had publickly declared, that any servile Work might 
 be done on the Lord's Day, and as an Example to the 
 People, he brought home his Corn out of the Fields to 
 his Barn-yard on that Day, as also that he had said, 
 that the Publick and ordinary Preaching of the Word 
 was no necessary Part of Divine Worship, that the 
 reading of the Liturgy was to be preferred to it ; that 
 Pastors and private Christians should use no other 
 Prayers but what were prescrib'd in the Liturgy. 
 They charge him likewise with Arminianism and 
 Popery ; and that he said publickly, that the Keformers 
 had done more harm to the Christian Churches, than 
 the Popes of Eome had done for ten Ages. I am 
 surprized that no Notice is taken of his Litany, which 
 made a great Noise in these Times: Bishop Guthry in 
 his Memoirs only mentions it ; 
 
 " From Dickson, Henderson and Cant, 
 Th' Apostles of the Covenant, 
 
 Good Lord deliver us." 
 
 I hae been at great Pains to find out this Litany in 
 the Libraries of the curious, but in vain. There was 
 an old gentlewoman here, who remembered some Parts 
 of it, such as,
 
 54 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 " From the Jesuit Knave in grain, 
 
 And from the She Priest crack'd in Brain, 
 From her and a' such bad Lasses, 
 And a' bald ignorant asses, 
 Such as John Ross, that donnard Goose, 
 And Dan Duncanson that duncy Ghost, 
 
 Good Lord deliver us." 
 
 For the understanding of this Part of the Litany, we 
 are to observe that there was one Abernethy, who from 
 a Jesuite Priest turn'd a zealous Presbyterian, and was 
 settled Minister at Hownam in Teviotdale ; he said the 
 Liturgy of Scotland was sent to Rome to some 
 Cardinals, to be revised by them, and that Signior 
 Con had shewed it to himself there : He is the Jesuite. 
 And as to the She Priest, this was one Mrs Mitchelson, 
 who was look'd upon as a Person iuspir'd of God, and 
 her Words were recited as Oracles, not a few taking 
 them from her Mouth in Characters. Most of her 
 Speeches were about the Covenant :* 
 
 *' From Lay Lads in Pulpit prattling, 
 Twice a Day rambling and rattling," 
 
 And concludes his Litany 
 
 " From all the knock-down Race of Knoxes, 
 
 Good Lord deliver us. '' 
 
 "Pis said that he made that Epitaph on the Earl of 
 Strafford, which is in Cleveland's Poems, and that Mi- 
 Cleveland acknowledged that he was the Author of it. 
 
 * SUBNET'S Mem. of the JJukts of Hamilton, p - . 83.
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE. 55 
 
 The witty Turns in it are much of a piece with other 
 Performances of his which I have heard of. The Epi- 
 taph is, 
 
 " Here lies wise and valiant Dust, 
 Huddled up 'twixt fit and just ; 
 Strafford, who was hurried hence, 
 'Twixt Reason and Convenience. 
 He spent his Time here in a Mist, 
 A Papist, yet a Calvinist; 
 His Prince's nearest Joy and Grief, 
 He had, yet wanted all Relief, 
 The Prop and Ruin of the State, 
 The People's violent Love and Hate, 
 One in Extremes, lov'd and abhorr'd, 
 Riddles lie here, and in a Word, 
 Here lies Blood, and let it lie. 
 Speechless still, and never cry." 
 
 To Mr Forrester succeeded Mr Alexander Scot, who 
 was admitted Minister here, anno 1640, and died the 
 same Year. To him succeeded Mr David Fletcher. 
 Before the Year 1 638 he had been second Minister at 
 St. Cuthbert's or the West-kirk at Edinburgh ; he was 
 then zealous for Episcopacy, as appears by the Infor- 
 mation that he and others sent by one Learmonth to 
 the Archbishop of St. Andrews, then at London.* 
 When he came to Melrose he was as zealous for Pres- 
 bytery, and after the Restoration of King Charles II. 
 anno 1662 he was made Bishop of Argyle by the In- 
 fluence of his Brother Sir John Fletcher the King's 
 
 * BURXET'S Mem., p. 41.
 
 56 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Advocate. It was in his Time that the Statues were 
 demolished: He died anno 1665 as appears by his 
 Tomb. To him succeeded Mr Alexander Bisset, who 
 had been transported from Tyningham to this Place, 
 and died anno 1689. To him succeeded Mr Robert 
 Wilson, who was settled here anno 1690, and died 
 anno 1713. He was succeeded by Mr Adam Milne, 
 who was admitted anno 1711, and died June 8, 1747. 
 
 There were also here a vast many fine Buildings 
 within the Convent, for the Residence and Service of 
 the Abbot and Monks, with Gardens and other Con- 
 veniences, all this inclosed within an high Wall about 
 a Mile in Circuit. Besides the High Church, there 
 has been a large fine Chapel, where the Manse now is, 
 and another House adjoining to it, where the Founda- 
 tions of the Pillars are still to be seen. On the North 
 side of this House, there has been a curious Oratory or 
 private Chapel, the foundations of which have been 
 discovered this Year, and a large Cistern of one Stone, 
 with a leaden Pipe conveying the Water to it. 
 
 To the North of this there have been several 
 Bridges over the Dam, which runs from Tweed this 
 way, the Foundations of which are yet to be seen, 
 and two of them entire, many of their Houses being 
 built on the North-side of the Dam. 
 
 At a Place called the Bakehouse Yard, near the 
 Mill, was an Oven of excellent Architecture, with seve-
 
 PAEISH OF MELEOSE. 57 
 
 ral Stories of Ovens above others, as high as the 
 Steeple in the Church, and built with as fine hewn 
 Stone ; this was taken down about 36 Years ago. In 
 ditching this Bakehouse-yard about six years ago, 
 there was found a large Kettle for brewing, sold at L.5 
 Sterling. From the Bakehouse there was a common 
 Sewer or Drain, to several Places of the Convent, so 
 high and large that two or three may walk easily 
 abreast under it. In ditching any Place within the 
 Convent, particularly near the Church, the Founda- 
 tions of Houses have been discovered. Not only the 
 Monks had their Houses here, but several Gentlemen 
 that retir'd from the World built for themselves con- 
 venient Lodgings ; the Ruins of one of these is only to 
 be seen, called Chisholm's Tower. 
 
 The Town without the Convent, named now Mel- 
 rose, was anciently called Little Fordell. It has the 
 Privilege of a Burgh of Regality, a weekly Market on 
 Saturday, not much frequented, four Fairs in the 
 Year, one on Martinmas, another on Lammas, one on 
 the last Wednesday of May, another on the Thursday 
 before Easter. This, in the Time of Popery, was their 
 great Fair, called Skeir Thursday, or Schier, pure, 
 holy. There is a Corporation of the Weavers here 
 within the Regality, established by a Charter, which 
 they call the Seal of Cause, granted by John Earl of 
 Haddington anno 1668, containing many Privileges, 
 
 E
 
 58 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Freedoms, and Immunities. They choose their Deacon 
 and Boxmaster annually at Michaelmas. This Corpo- 
 ration have a fine Seat in the Church, with their Arms 
 and Motto, viz., " Non vi, sed virtute conamur." 
 
 Several Roman Medals or Coins have been found 
 about this Place, some of Gold, some of Silver, and some 
 of Brass, as of Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus 
 Pius, M. Aurelius and Constantine; as also several of 
 the old English Coins in Silver, particularly of the 
 Edwards, and on the Reverse the Names of several 
 Cities in England and Ireland, as, Civitas London, 
 Lincoln, Dublin, Waterford, &c., and likewise several 
 of our own Coins, as of Robert Bruce and his Son 
 David, &c. 
 
 There have been several consecrated Wells about 
 this Place; whether they have been frequented as 
 Medicinal, I know not, such as St. Helen's, St. Robert's, 
 Duddingston or rather St. Dunstan's. Dunstan's and 
 Eldun Wells are still made use of by the Country 
 People as a sovereign Remedy against Cholicks. 
 
 A little to the South of Melrose, there is a small 
 Village, called Dingleton, or Daniels-town ; there is a 
 Place here called the Locked Well, and several Springs 
 about it, from whence Water was brought into the 
 Monastery by Leaden Pipes. A little to the South- 
 west of Dingleton there was a famous Cross, yet called 
 the Crosshillhesd, but anciently the Halesing of St.
 
 PAEISH OF MELROSE. 59 
 
 Wada; for these that came from the South had first a 
 View of the Church here and of the Tomb of St. 
 Waldave, and bowed and said their Ave. 
 
 To the South of Daniel-town there are three re- 
 markable Hills, called Eldon or Hildon Hills, i. e., high 
 Hills, which afford a fine Prospect to all the Country 
 about, Merse, Northumberland, Teviotdale, and For- 
 rest. The Root of these Hills will be in Compass six 
 or seven Miles, the Height of two of them to the North 
 about a Mile and an half. On the Top of the North- 
 east Hill are plain vestiges of a Roman Camp, being 
 well fortified with two Fosses and Dikes of Earth, 
 more than a Mile and a-half in Circuit, with a large 
 Plain near the Top of the Hill called the Floors. On 
 the Head of the Hill may be seen the Prsetorium, or 
 the General's Quarter, surrounded with many Huts. 
 There are Ports from this Camp to the East, the West 
 to the North, from a Place called the Haxrecrag a 
 plain Way to Melrose, called the Stile-Dyke. The 
 principal Entry to the Camp has been from the South 
 towards Bethendean, where the Ground slopeth more 
 easily, from a Place near the South Hill called the 
 Castlesteed. 
 
 It has all the Properties of a well-chosen Camp, 
 according to the Rules Vegetius has given for a Camp. 
 It has a large Prospect of all the Countries lying upon 
 each Side of it. It hath many Springs of good Water
 
 60 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 near it; the Sides of the Hill have been covered with 
 Wood, and the Camp is of that Extent, that neither 
 Man, Beasts, nor Baggage, could be pinched for want 
 of Room. 
 
 On the North-side of the middle Hill, near the Foot 
 of it, there is a Place called Bourjo, where I think the 
 Druids have offered their Sacrifices, and performed 
 their superstitious Rites in this Grove to Jupiter, it 
 being all planted with Oak. The Bower has been sur- 
 rounded with a deep Trench, and a plain Way made to 
 it from the East and to the West. From this Camp 
 there is a large Ditch, or Rampier for two Miles to the 
 West, reaching to another Camp on the Top of Cald- 
 shiel Hill. This Camp has been strongly fortified, 
 with a double Trench, and the Circumvallations of it 
 continue for a good Way. 
 
 This Camp, with that in Darnwick Ground, called 
 Castlesteed, make almost a Triangle, with the large 
 Camp on Eldonhill, and I think these two have been 
 castra exploratorum, or the Out-guards. 
 
 To the South-east of Eldonhills, are two Villages, 
 Newtown and Hildon. There are several Feuers in the 
 Newtown of an old Standing, such as the Milns, Veres 
 and Stenhouses; the Writs of the latter I have seen 
 of ancient Date. There has been a military Way 
 here, which may be traced a great way to the South 
 and to the North.
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 61 
 
 To the South-west of these Hills there has been a beau- 
 tiful Military Way, raised in some Places high above the 
 Ground, and of a considerable Breadth, in some Places 
 military Stations upon it, as at Kippilaw. It runs 
 through Halidun Park, and in some Places is carried 
 through Lakes and Marshes. It has had a Communi- 
 cation with the Camp in Caldshiels, and likewise with 
 another Camp on the other Side of Tweed called the 
 Rink. 
 
 About a Mile to the West of Melrose, on the South 
 of Tweed, is Darnwick or Dernewie. In the High road 
 to this Place there has been another remarkable Cross, 
 called the High Cross. In this Place there are two old 
 Towers, belonging to the Fishers and Hytons, Names 
 of an old standing, and a Place there called the Skinner 
 Hill, but properly the Skirmishhill, from the Battle 
 that was fought there July 18th, anno 1526,. the occa- 
 sion of which was that King James V. frequently com- 
 plaining to his Friends, particularly to the Earl of Len- 
 nox, of the Restraint he was under while he was in the 
 Earl of Angus's Hands, Lennox advised him to em- 
 ploy the Laird of Buccleugh to relieve him, for he was 
 a most powerful Man upon the Borders, and had an 
 inveterate Hatred against the Earl of Angus. Buc- 
 cleugh being advertised of this privately, encourages 
 the Borderers to commit great Disorders, on purpose 
 to bring the King in Person there to rectify them.
 
 62 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 The Design took, and the King, to do Justice, accom- 
 panied with the Earls of Angus and Lennox, Lords 
 Hume, Fleming, and Erskine, with Cessford, Farnie- 
 hirst and others, came to Jedburgh. 
 
 It was concerted that Buccleugh, who dwelt within a 
 little of Jedburgh, should invite the King to his House, 
 and retain him there till more were come to his assis- 
 tance ; but that Plot fail'd, and the King was brought 
 back to Melrose, as Buchanan expresses it. However, 
 Buccleugh resolved to prosecute what he intended. He 
 assembled about 1000 Horse of his Friends and De- 
 pendents, and as the King was on his Way to pass the 
 Bridge on Tweed, about half a mile from the Field of 
 Battle, they perceived a Body of armed Men coming 
 down Halidon Hill, which being come within Distance 
 of discerning, were known to be commanded by the 
 Laird of Buccleugh. The Earl of Angus immediately 
 dispatches an Herald, to know what their Intentions 
 were, and commanding them to withdraw out of the 
 Way. The Laird of Buccleugh's answer was, that he 
 came to do the King Service, to invite him to his 
 House, or, as others say, that he knew the King's mind 
 as well as he, and would not go away till he saw him, 
 nor obey any but his Prince. Upon this the Earl of 
 Angus presently alighted from his Horse, and gave 
 Orders that those that were with him should do so and 
 fight on foot The first onset was given by Buccleugh
 
 PAEISH OF MELEOSE. 63 
 
 and his Men with mighty Fury, and a great Shout, 
 and the Battle for a while was very fierce, as being in 
 the Presence of the King, Who was a Beholder, and was 
 to be the Eewarder of the Victor. At last Buccleugh 
 being wounded, his whole Company turned their Backs, 
 there being fourscore of them slain ; and a great many 
 were kill'd upon the Earl of Angus's Side, particularly 
 Andrew Ker of Cessford. Hereupon began deadly 
 Feuds betwixt the Kers and Scots, and continued divers 
 Years after, and several Murders and Slaughters fol- 
 lowed upon it, amongst which was the Slaughter of 
 Sir Walter Scot himself in Edinburgh. 
 
 There is extant an Indenture betwixt the Kers and 
 Scots, made at Ancrum 16th March, 1529, which, for 
 the Curiosity of it, I have thought fit here to insert 
 
 " Thir Indentures, made at Ancrum the 1 6th March, 
 1529 Years, contains, proports, and bears liel and 
 suithfast Witnessing, That it is appointed, agreed and 
 finally accorded betwixt honourable Men, that is to say, 
 Walter Ker of Cessford, Andrew Ker of Fairniehirst, 
 Mark Ker of Dolphinston, George Ker, Tutor of Cess- 
 ford, and Andrew Ker of Primesideloch, for themselves, 
 Kin, Friends, Mentennants, Assisters, Allies, Adherents, 
 and Partakers, on the one Part ; and Walter Scot of 
 Branxholm, Knight, Robert Scot of Allanhaugh, Eobert 
 Scot, Tutor of Howpaisly, John Scot of Roberton, 
 and Walter Scot of Stirkshaws, for themselves, their
 
 64 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Kin, Friends, Mentennants, Servants, Assisters, and 
 Adherents, on the other Part, in manner, Form and 
 Effect as after follows, For staunching of all Discord 
 and Variance betwixt them, and for furthbearing of the 
 King's Authority, and punishing Trespasses, and for 
 amending all Slaughters, Heritages and Steedings, and 
 all other Pleas concerning thereto, either of these 
 Parties to others, and for Unite Friendship and Con- 
 cord to be had in Time coming 'twixt them, of our 
 Sovereign Lord's special Command: That is to say, 
 Either of the said Parties, by the Tenor hereof, remits 
 and forgives to others the Rancour, Hatred and Malice 
 of their Hearts; and the said Walter Scot of Branx- 
 holm shall gang, or cause gang, at the Will of the 
 Party, to the four Head pilgrimages of Scotland, and 
 shall say a Mass for the Souls of umquhile Andrew 
 Ker of Cessford, and them that were slain in his Com- 
 pany in the Field of Melrose, and upon his Expence 
 shall cause a Chaplain say a Mass daily, when he is 
 disposed, in what Place the said Walter Ker and his 
 Friends pleases, for the Weil of the said Souls, for the 
 Space of five Years next to come : Mark Ker of Dol- 
 phinston, Andrew Ker of Graden, shall gang at the 
 Will of the Party to the four Head pilgrimages of 
 Scotland, and shall gar say a Mass for the Souls of 
 umquhile James Scot of Eskirk, and other Scots their 
 Friends slain in the Field of Melrose, and upon their
 
 PAEISH OF MELEOSE. 65 
 
 Expence shall gar a Chaplain say a Mass daily, when 
 he is disposed, for the Heal of their Souls, where the 
 said Walter Scot and his Friends pleases, for the Space 
 of three Years next to come : And the said Walter Scot 
 of Branxholm shall marry his Son and Heir upon one 
 of the said Walter Ker his Sisters ; he paying therefore 
 a competent Portion to the said Walter Ker and his 
 Heir, at the Sight of the Friends of baith Parties. And 
 also, baith the said Parties bind and oblige them, be 
 the Faith and Truth of their Bodies, that they abide at 
 the Decree and Deliverance of the six Men chosen 
 Arbiters, anent all other Matters, Quarrels, Actions and 
 Debates, whilk either of them likes to propone against 
 others betwixt the said Parties: And also the six 
 Arbiters are bound and obliged to decreet and deliver 
 and give forth their Deliverance thereuntil, within 
 Year and Day after the Date hereof. And attour either 
 of the said Parties binds and obliges them, be the 
 Faith and Truth of their Bodies, ilk ane to others, that 
 they shall be leil and true to others, and neither of 
 them will another's Skaith, but they shall lett it at their 
 Power, and give to others their best Counsel, and it be 
 asked ; and shall take leil and affald Part ilk ane with 
 others, with their Kin, Friends, Servants, Allies, and 
 Partakers, in all and sundry their Actions, Quarrels 
 and Debates against all that live and die (may the 
 Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King -allenarly
 
 66 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 be excepted). And for the obliging and keeping all 
 thir Premises above written, baith the said Parties are 
 bound and obliged, ilk ane to others, be the Faith and 
 Truth of their Bodies, but Fraud or Guile, under the 
 Pain of Perjury, Men swearing, Defalcation, and break- 
 ing of the Bond of deadly. And in Witness of the whilk, 
 ilk ane to the Proeuratory of this Indenture remain with 
 the said Walter Scot and his Friends, the said Walter 
 Ker of Cessford has affixed his proper Seal, with his 
 Subscription manual, and with the Subscription of the 
 said Andrew Ker of Fairniehirst, Mark Ker of Dolphin- 
 ston, George Ker, Tutor of Cessford, and Andrew Ker 
 of Primesideloeh, before these Witnesses, Mr Andrew 
 Dune Abbot of Melrose, and George Douglas of Boon- 
 jedward, John Riddel of that ilk, and William Stewart, 
 Sic subscribitur 
 
 " WALTER KER of Cessford. 
 
 " ANDREW KER of Fairniehirst. 
 
 " MARK KER. 
 
 " GEORGE KER. 
 
 " ANDREW KER of Primesideloeh. 
 
 " N.B. The four Pilgrimages are, Scoon, Dundee, 
 Paislaw and Melross." 
 
 I do not think that ever this Indenture took place, 
 for both Lesly and Crawford, in his Notes on Buchanan's 
 History, acquaints us, that the Kers slew the Laird of
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 67 
 
 Buccleugh in Edinburgh, anno 1552, three and twenty 
 Years after this Indenture. 
 
 A little to the South of Darnick is a Place called 
 the Tile-house, where they made their Tile for the 
 Service of the Monastery, and a great deal of it is 
 sometimes found there finely glazed. 
 
 About half a Mile above Darnick to the West, on 
 the South-side of Tweed, stands Bridgend, called so 
 from the Bridge there, three Pillars of which are still 
 standing. It has been a Timber Bridge ; in the middle 
 Pillar there has been a Chain for a Drawbridge, with a 
 little House for the Conveniency of those that kept 
 the Bridge and received the Custom. 
 
 On this same Pillar are the Arms of the Pringles of 
 Galashiels; it is likely that Family has contributed 
 largely for the building of it. 
 
 I am surprised that Mr Gordon in his Journey over 
 Scotland, could receive such a lame account, from any, 
 namely, That he was informed, that long ago a 
 Country Man and his Family liv'd in this Tower, and 
 got his Livelihood by laying out Planks from Pillar to 
 Pillar, and conveying Passengers over the River; 
 whereas 'tis plain and obvious to any, that it has been 
 a very considerable Drawbridge, and very necessary to 
 this Place. 
 
 There has been a plain Way from this Bridge through 
 the Muirs to Sautrahill, called yet the Girthgate; for
 
 68 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 Sautra was an Hospital founded by Malcolm IV. for 
 the Relief of Pilgrims, for poor and sickly People, and 
 had the Privilege of a Sanctuary, as Girth signifieth. 
 The Way is so good and easy, that it may put one in 
 Mind of the Roads that led to the Cities of Refuge. 
 
 On the South-west from Bridgend, on the North-side 
 of the Highway to Selkirk, there are the Vestiges of a 
 considerable Camp to be seen, called yet the Castle- 
 steed. It is surrounded with a deep Ditch, in some 
 Places with two Fosses, more than a Mile and an-half 
 in Compass, called the Kae-side, or rather the Kid-side. 
 Some part of the Ditch is about ten Feet high. The 
 Place where the Camp has been, there are two very 
 deep Fosses to the North, but to the South the Ram- 
 pires are broke down, and the Ditches filled up by 
 labouring and tilling the Ground. From the Camp 
 there is a plain military Way leading to Tweed at the 
 Nether- Barnford. and a deep Ditch on each Side, in 
 some Places about twenty Feet broad. From this 
 Camp there is a large Prospect to the North. They 
 were supplied with Water from Tweed, and two Wells 
 near the Camp, Whitehill Well and St. John's Well. 
 About a Mile to the South of this Camp, near Huntlie- 
 wood, there has been another large Camp, called by the 
 People the Roundabout, but the greatest Part of it is 
 levelled by Tillage. 
 
 This Part of the Parish that lies on the South of
 
 PAEISH OF MELKOSE. 69 
 
 Tweed is fruitful in Corn and Pasturage, but the Inha- 
 bitants very much straitned for Fuel, having no Coals, 
 but what they get from England or the Lothians, and 
 being at a great Distance from any Moss. 
 
 In the Description of this Parish on the North-side 
 of Tweed, I begin with Drygrange on the East, standing 
 near the Confluence of Tweed and Leeder. In King 
 James V's Time, David Lithgow of Drygrange gets a 
 Charter from the Abbot and Convent of Melrose of the 
 Lands of Drygrange, for his special Service in resisting 
 to the Hazard of his Life, Depredators and Robbers of 
 the Dominion of Melrose. That Family was forfeited, 
 and one of that Name and Family purchased these 
 Lands from John Earl of Haddington, as they were 
 lately acquired by Eobert Paterson, and are now the 
 Heritage of Mr Colin Maclaurin, Professor of Mathe- 
 maticks in the University of Edinburgh. Fordun gives 
 us an Account of two Granges in this Parish,* one 
 called Heldwii, or perhaps Hardwii, from whence the 
 Place has taken its Name Drygrange, and the other at 
 Gattonside: and he acquaints us, that in a great 
 Famine, about four thousand Poor came to the Convent 
 of Melrose for Relief, whom Waldeve the Abbot pity- 
 ing, he went with his Cellarer or Butler Tyna to his 
 Grange at Haldwii and then to Gattonside, and having 
 put in the Staff which he carried in his Hand among 
 * THOMAS HEARNE'S Edition, p. 572.
 
 70 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 the Corn, it was multiplied by the Sign of the Cross, 
 both for the Supply of the Convent, and all these 
 numerous Poor. I observe this Office of the Cellarer 
 has been very considerable, having many Lands 
 assigned them, particularly at Darnick, called yet Cel- 
 lary Lands. 
 
 There is a Ferry-boat on Tweed here, and good Fish- 
 ing for Salmon. 
 
 To the West of Drygrange near Tweed, on the Head 
 of a Hill, there has been a Camp ; it bears no resem- 
 blance of a Roman Camp. If I may be allow 'd 
 my Conjecture, I think it has been made by the 
 Governor and Earl of Angus before the Battle of 
 Ancrum Muir, or Lilliard's Edge; for, as Buchanan 
 acquaints us,* the Governor and Earl of Angus came 
 with their Men to Melrose upon Tweed, where they 
 intended to stay and wait for the rest that were coming. 
 The English were come to Jedburgh before, and being 
 advertised of the small Number of the Scottish Army, 
 they marched towards Melrose, having 5000 Men in 
 their Army, in great Confidence to defeat so small a 
 Number as was with the Governor. The Scots had 
 notice of their coming, and thereupon retired to the 
 next Hills, where they might with safety espy what 
 Course the Enemy would take, and it is likely made 
 some Encampment there. From this Hill they had a 
 * BUCHAN., lib. 15, p. 515.
 
 PAEISH OF MELKOSE. 71 
 
 clear View of the March of the Enemy from Jedburgh. 
 The Trench is pretty deep, but of no great Compass. 
 
 To the West of Drygrange, on the North-side of 
 Tweed, is Gattonside, pleasantly situated on the Side of 
 an Hill, from whence it has its Name. The Inhabitants 
 here, and these on the South-side of Tweed, are gene- 
 rally Feuers to the Eight Honourable Lady Isabella 
 Scot, Daughter to the late Duchess of Buccleugh, and 
 Charles Lord Cornwallis. There has been a fine 
 Chapel in this Place, all built of hewn Stone, near the 
 Vicar's House. This Person is called so because some 
 of his Predecessors feu'd the small Vicarage Tithes of 
 this Town from the Commendator, though others say 
 they had a Gift of them before the Keformation from 
 Abbot Durie, one of that Family having married his 
 natural Daughter. Many of the Stones of the Chapel 
 are to be seen in his House, and some of them curiously 
 carved. The People here in digging and ditching 
 their Yards, particularly near where the Chapel has 
 stood, find several Vaults, and a great many hewn 
 Stones, by which it appears, that in the time of Popery 
 there have been several good Buildings here. 
 
 The Inhabitants of this Parish, particularly on Tweed, 
 used to reap great Benefit from their Linen Manufac- 
 ture, they being very expert in Spinning, weaving and 
 whitening both fine and coarse Linen ; Melroseland 
 Linen being famous throughout the Kingdom. Some of
 
 72 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 them carry on a profitable Trade by their Cabbage 
 Plants in the Season, which are very good here, by 
 taking them to Dumfries, Carnwath, and other Places ; 
 and others receive great Benefit from their Fruit--ya~rds, 
 one in Gattonside tells me, that some Years he has re- 
 ceived three hundred Merks for the Fruit of his 
 Garden. On the South Part of this Town, was the 
 Grange Fordun speaks of, which at this Time is called 
 the Grange-gate. 
 
 To the West of Gattonside there is a Place called the 
 Tiend or Tythe-yard. Above this there was a fine Or- 
 chard belonging to the Convent, it still retains the Name, 
 consisting of above five acres of Ground. There is a Mea- 
 dow here, called the Cellary Meadow, belonging to the 
 Cellarist of the Abbey, as on the East side of the Town 
 the Abbot had a Meadow called the Abbot's Meadow. 
 
 On the Head of the Hill, on the side of which Gat- 
 tonside is founded, there has been a large Camp. It 
 has a Eampier or Wall about it of Stone, about half 
 a Mile in Compass. There is a plain Entry to it from 
 the West and to the East. Near to the West Entry, 
 called the Glosses, there are a great many fine Springs. 
 Near to this Camp there is a Place called the Round- 
 abouts, of a circular Figure ; whether it has been a 
 kind of Roman Temple, I leave it to others to determine. 
 
 About half a Mile from this Camp to the East, on 
 the Head of the Hill, opposite to Newstead, there has
 
 PAEISH OF MELROSE. 73 
 
 been a large Camp, with a deep Ditch, a great Part of 
 the South side being levelled by Tillage. It seems to 
 have been about three Quarters of a Mile in Circum- 
 ference; the People call it the Chester-know or knoll, 
 and it is to be observed, that usually there were Roman 
 Camps where the Places carry the Name of Chesters. 
 
 To the North of these Camps, at some Distance from 
 them, there appears to have been a Village, with two 
 Rows of Houses, the People do not remember the Name 
 of it, but call it the Weather-coat-ridges. 
 
 To the West from Gattonside about half a Mile, there 
 is a good Ferry-boat on Tweed, called the Westhouses 
 Boathouse. This Boat having a good Pool, and being 
 the ordinary Passage from the South to Edinburgh, is 
 very much frequented. They have likewise here a good 
 Pishing for Salmon. Above the Boat is Westhouses, 
 the old Possession of the Ormistons for many Years ; 
 they have had a good House here, with many Vaults 
 and Gun-holes on every side, after the old Form. I see 
 their Names on the principal Gate, anno 1581. They 
 had the Custom of the Bridge while it was standing, 
 and a considerable Interest about this Place, and in Old 
 Melrose. It is said that George Ormiston, late Hang- 
 man in Edinburgh, was a Cadet of this Family, if not 
 the Representative of it ; a Memorandum to old Fa- 
 milies not to be puff'd up with Pride on account of 
 their Antiquity, for they know not what mean Offices 
 
 F
 
 74 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 they or theirs may be obliged to stoop to. This Place 
 was in the Possession of Pringles of Blindlee for some 
 Time, and now belongs to Mr Scott of Galashiels. 
 
 There is a little Water that runs into Tweed at this 
 Place, with a Stone Bridge of one Arch over it ; the 
 People call it Ellwand Water, but it rather should be 
 Allan, having its Source from Allanshaws about four 
 Miles to the North. The Trouts in this Water are 
 observed to be very good, being fed from the Mosses. 
 About half a Mile to the North of this little Water, 
 near Easter -Longlee, there is a Place called the Name- 
 less Dean, where, on the Side of the Brae, are to be 
 found divers curious formed Stones, some of them in 
 Shape resembling Guns, Butter-caps, Cradles, Buttons, 
 and that Like. There is an high Bank above the Water 
 here, where they are found, and after great Rains are 
 washed into the Water. The Matter of these Stones 
 seem to be fine Marie; whether they are so formed 
 in the Bowels of the Earth, or petrified by the Springs 
 in the (Side of the Brae and the Heat of the Sun, I 
 leave to others to determine. 
 
 About a Mile to the West of this, on the East-side 
 of Galla, is Wester-Longlee, called also Galla Bridge, 
 from a Bridge that had been here over Galla; it is 
 now the Possession of Mr Tait of Pirn. It belonged 
 anciently to the Cairncrosses, and here there is a 
 pleasant Haugh on Tweed, called the Cellary-haugh.
 
 PAEISH OF MELEOSE. 75 
 
 To the North of this on the same Side of Galla, is 
 Long-haugh, a small Village pleasantly situated, and 
 on an eminence Apple-tree-leaves. The Darlings have 
 been long Feuars here ; and, next to the Pringles, is a 
 Name of the oldest standing on this Water. Near to 
 this Place is an high Hill of a large Compass, all 
 green, which affords good Pasture for Sheep, called 
 Buckholmhill, and not far from it the House of Buck- 
 holm, of considerable Strength, which is now ruinous. 
 It and Williamlaw, lying contiguous to it, belonged 
 for several ages to the Pringles, descended of Gala- 
 shiels, and was lately purchased by Mr Eutherfprd of 
 Fairnielee. There has been a beautiful Wood here 
 on the Water of Galla, but much of it now destroyed, 
 and the Ground turned to Arable Land. It would 
 appear from its Name, and a pleasant Place on the 
 Water of Galla, called the Isle of Roe, that there have 
 been many Deer in this Place. 
 
 Williamlaw is a very high Hill, and on the Top of 
 it a Cairn of Stones, called Bellscairn, from which 
 there is a fine Prospect to all the Country about. 
 
 Near to Williamlaw on the Water of Galla, is 
 Whitelaw and Hagburn, the Possession anciently of 
 the Hunters, afterwards of the Wallaces and Mac- 
 dougals. It was lately acquired by Mr Andrew 
 Fisher, Wright in Edinburgh, and is now in Posses- 
 sion of his Brother-german, the Laird of Housebyres,
 
 76 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 I find from the Chronicle of Mailrose, that the Marches 
 betwixt the Convent and those of Weddal or Stow 
 were early fixed, namely, Crosselete, and a little Water 
 called Fasseburn, the Inhabitants here have entirely 
 forgot the Name of it. To the East of this is Allan- 
 shaws, where the Water of Allan has its Kise, from 
 a Place called Allanhead. This Water divides the 
 Parish on the North-side of Tweed; it runs by 
 Threepwood, where there have been many Feuars for 
 a long Time of the Name of Moffat; and then by 
 Colmsliehill, the old Possession of the Hogs, it directs 
 its Course to Colmsly. There has been a Chapel here, 
 the Ruins of which are yet to be seen: It has been 
 dedicate to Columbo Abbot of Hii, from whence the 
 Place seems to take its Name, as it is likewise called 
 Cellmuir, from the Chapel in the Muir. On the 
 West-side of the Rivulet stands Colmsly Tower, the 
 ancient Seat of the Cairncrosses, where their Arms 
 are to be seen on the Head of the Door, a Stag's 
 Head eras'd, the rest of their Bearing being defaced: 
 These Arms have been set up by Walter Cairncross. 
 This Family had a great Interest in this Parish and 
 in other Places : They lay claim to Robert Cairncross. 
 Bishop of Ross,. Treasurer and Abbot of Holyroodhouse 
 in King James V.'s Time; though Mr Crawford says, 
 in his Lives and Characters of the Officers of the 
 Crown and of the State, that without Doubt he de-
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 77 
 
 scended of the Family of Balmashanan. However, if 
 the Character that Buchanan gives of him, both in 
 his History and Epigrams, be just, and we have no 
 Keason to doubt of it, it is no great matter what 
 Family he belonged to. Hugh Cairncross of Hilslop, 
 near to the Place, is the undoubted Representer of 
 this ancient Family, since the Death of Mr Alexander 
 Cairncross, Archbishop of Glasgow, and after the 
 Revolution, Bishop of Rapho in Ireland. These Lands 
 of Colmsly came afterwards to the Pringles, Hunters, 
 Scotts, Lawsons, and Lithgows successively. At Hilslop 
 there is a Road called the Abbeygate, Pilgrims being 
 continually travelling to and from Melrose, because it 
 was one of the four Head Pilgrimages in Scotland. On 
 the East-side of this Rivulet, opposite to Colmsly 
 Tower, stands Langshaw, a well repaired old House, 
 with Gardens and Planting. This Barony of Lang- 
 shaw has changed many Masters, such as the Hope 
 Pringles of Smailholm, the Kers, Murrays, Scotts, 
 Mcolsons. Mr Baillie of Jerviswood purchased it 
 some Years ago, and it is now in the Possession of my 
 Lady Murray and my Lady Binning, his Daughters. 
 The many Changes of Possessors of Lands in this 
 Parish may put us in Mind of what is said in 
 Horace : 
 
 " Nunc ager Umbreni, sub nomine nuper Ofelli. 
 Dietus, erit nulli proprius, sed cedet in usum 
 Nunc mini, nunc alii."
 
 78 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 About half a Mile to the East of this, on the Road 
 that leads to Edinburgh, is Mosshouses, where there 
 have been several good Houses, but now ruinous, 
 belonging to some ancient Feuars there of the Name 
 of Notman: and about half a Mile from this to the 
 North, on the same Road, is a famous Cairn, called 
 the Blue Cairn, from the Colour of the Stones, where 
 there is a large Space of Ground enclosed and fortified 
 by Nature, which will contain a vast Number of 
 People. About a Mile to the North-east of this are 
 three Villages Called Blainslies, remarkable for their 
 fine Oats, which are carried to the most Parts of the 
 Kingdom, and some of them to the South of London : 
 They are regarded not so much for their Whiteness 
 as for their Earliness and Increase ; .they are commonly 
 sold three or four Shillings per Boll above the ordi- 
 nary Rate of the Market There are several of the 
 Feuars here of a long Standing, particularly the 
 Thymes, who perhaps have descended from the Bote- 
 villes in England, one of whom was called Tom at the 
 Inne, and his Posterity had the Surname contracted 
 into Thynne. By the bounding Charter of the Nether 
 Town of Blainslie, it appears they have had a fine 
 Chapel, called Cheildhelles Chapel.; it has been built 
 of hewn Stone, near a Mile from the Towns, on the 
 March betwixt Lauder and them, where there is a 
 large Dyke, called Monksdyke ; as also that there have
 
 PARISH OF MELEOSE. 79 
 
 been two Crosses on the Road to Edinburgh near 
 Leeder, the one called Lillies-cross, and the other the 
 High-cross. 
 
 Near Leeder, opposite to Bridgehaugh, there has 
 been a considerable Camp, but a great Part of it is 
 defaced by Tillage. 
 
 Near to Blainslies, on the West of the Water of 
 Leeder, is a Place pleasantly situated with a fine Bank 
 of Wood, from whence it has the Name of Broadwood- 
 shiel, the ancient Possession of the Hunters, and since 
 of the Kers and Fairbairns. 
 
 The Parish of Melrose is here intercepted by that 
 of Lauder, till we come to Clackmae and Sorrowless- 
 field, the one opposite to Carolside, and the other to 
 Coldenknowes. These Lands belonged anciently to 
 the Humes of Coldenknowes, and were feued out by 
 John Earl of Haddington, about an hundred Years 
 ago, to Alexander Fisher, a Cadet of the Fishers of 
 Darnick Tower. 
 
 About a Mile to the North-west of Clackmae, there 
 has been a large Camp, with three deep Trenches ; the 
 Space between the Trenches is so large, that it is 
 turned to Arable Ground : It is about half a Mile in 
 Compass, the Name they give it now is Eidgewalls, 
 there having been some Houses built within the in- 
 most Rampier, which are now ruinous. To the West 
 of this Camp there are three large Springs, very near
 
 80 DESCRIPTION OF THE 
 
 other. About a Quarter of a Mile to the East of this, 
 there is another called the Chesterlee, about half a 
 Mile in Compass, with one single deep Ditch; from 
 this there appears a plain military Way to the South, 
 but especially to the North, running through Chapel- 
 muir and the Blainslie Ground till Cheildhelles Chapel. 
 About a Mile to the South of Ridgewalls there is an- 
 other small Camp on an Eminence, near Earlston, 
 called Brownhill; this Camp lies in a direct Line 
 with that of Chesterlee and that of Drygrange. 
 
 This Part of the Parish on the North side of Tweed 
 is fruitful in Corn and Pasturage, particularly Pastur- 
 age, and well stored with numerous Flocks, and the 
 Country is generally well provided with Peats and 
 Turffs, which they have abundantly in the Muirs and 
 Mosses, such as Threepwood and Blainslie Mosses, 
 Places much frequented by the Moss Troopers under 
 Cromwell's Usurpation. 
 
 The Patroness of this Church is the Right Honour- 
 able Lady Isabella Scott. 
 
 The Stipend 1400 Merks, and 100 Merks for Com- 
 munion Elements. As to the Glebe it may justly be 
 reckoned among the worst in Britain, being at an 
 unusual Distance from the Manse, and scarce worth 
 the labouring. The old Pasquinade with respect to 
 the Corinthian Brass taken by Urban of the Family 
 of the Barberini, from the Doors of the Pantheon, may
 
 PARISH OF MELROSE. 81 
 
 be applied to a great many things, " Quod non fecerunt 
 Barbari, fecerunt Barbareni." 
 
 The Number of Catechisable Persons will be about 
 one thousand and eight hundred, though by the Decreet 
 of Locality above an hundred Years ago, I find there 
 has been in this Parish two thousand Communicants 
 or thereby. 
 
 There have been baptized for the Space of seven 
 Years, two hundred and six Males, and two hundred 
 and ten Females. 
 
 X.B. In the following pages relating to the present 
 town of Melrose, its ancient Abbey and classic environs, 
 we shall nowhere unnecessarily tread on the ground 
 so carefully trenched by the Eev. Adam Milne in his 
 History. There are a few inaccuracies which stand 
 corrected and explained in the following chapters, and 
 are of no great importance.
 
 82 
 
 HISTORY OP MELROSE ABBEY. OLD MELROSE. 
 
 HE most ancient Monastery of Old 
 Melrose stood beautifully situated 
 on a peninsula formed by the 
 waters of the Tweed, about two 
 and a half miles from the present 
 town of Melrose. It is still fringed 
 round with high, abrupt, and rocky hills, adorned with 
 bold overhanging woods, while a profusion of wild and 
 variegated shrubs are seen to clothe the higher sum- 
 mits of the surrounding country. Its name was de- 
 rived from two Celtic words Mull, signifying bare, and 
 Rhoss, a promontory, or Mulrhoss; in old chronicles 
 spelt Mulros, Mulrais, and more recently Melrais, Mel- 
 ros, and Melrose. Coeval with the building of the first 
 stone church in the city of Lincoln by Paulinus, this 
 monastery was founded early in the seventh century, if 
 not before it, but certainly during the reign of Oswald, 
 Anglo-Saxon king of Northumberland. This monarch 
 ruled from the river Humber to the Frith of Forth, and 
 having embraced Christianity while enjoying an asylum
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 83 
 
 with the Picts, Oswald urged some of the Culdee breth- 
 ren of the Monastery of St. Colombo, in the island of 
 Hy, commonly called Icolmkill, to come over and assist 
 him in the conversion of his subjects. 
 
 The Culdees were so named from the dress or black 
 habit they wore. 
 
 Oswald built a monastery, and established them at 
 Lindisfarne, since called Holy Island. He invested 
 Aidan, one of the missionaries from St. Colombo, with 
 the double office of Bishop and Abbot. It is most pro- 
 bable that King Oswald founded the Monastery of Old 
 Melrose, and that Aidan became first Bishop or Presi- 
 dent of it. So zealous was the king for the spread of 
 divine truth, that he ably assisted Aidan in his chari- 
 table office. At first, ignorant of the Saxon tongue, 
 Aidan preached in his own language, which the king, 
 standing by, interpreted to the people. Aidan is said 
 to have baptized 15,000 converts in seven days. 
 
 Aidan next took upon himself the instruction 'of 
 twelve * Saxon youths in the mysteries of the Christian 
 faith. They became proficients in learning, and fellow- 
 labourers with Aidan in the field of Christian teaching. 
 
 Many churches were now built, religious houses 
 erected, and various orders of monks founded, Dry- 
 burgh being already a settlement of Christian mis- 
 sionaries. One religious fellowship was established at 
 Old Melrose on the Tweed, and another at Coldingham 
 * BEDE, Hist. Ecckiiast.
 
 84 HISTOEY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 in the Merse. This was about the year 640, or nearly 
 two centuries before a similar society settled at Jed- 
 burgh. Eata, one of the twelve Saxon youths chosen 
 by Aidan, was made first Abbot of Old Melrose. And 
 Boisil, or St. Boswell, a monk famous for his piety and 
 spiritual gifts, held the office of Prior. 
 
 Aidan, Bishop of Lindisfarne, died in 651, and was 
 succeeded by one of the monks who accompanied him 
 from Icolmkill. And about this time the brethren of 
 Melrose were joined by Cuthbert, a name celebrated in 
 the annals of monachism. Cuthbert was a youthful 
 shepherd on the banks of the Leader, a stream that 
 flows into Tweed a little above Old Melrose. He is 
 said to have seen the soul of the holy Bishop of Lin- 
 disfarne borne up in triumph to heaven by a company 
 of angels. Impressed by this vision, Cuthbert laid 
 aside the cares of the world, and resolving to lead a 
 religious life, joined the society at Old Melrose, em- 
 bracing their rules of life and discipline. During his 
 novitiate, he was carefully instructed by the good Prior 
 Boisil, with whom he became a peculiar favourite, on 
 account of his amiable disposition. A copy of the 
 Scriptures, in which both had jointly read and medi- 
 tated, was long preserved, uninjured by time, among 
 other venerated relics in the Cathedral at Durham.* 
 
 In Butler's Lives of the Roman Catholic Saints, 
 we read of a " copy of St. John's gospel, which Cuth- 
 
 * Sim. Dunelm, i. 3.
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 85 
 
 bert, after the example of his teacher Boisil, often 
 read, and which was put into his coffin when he was 
 buried, and was found in his tomb long afterwards." 
 It is now, says Butler, in the possession of Mr. Thomas 
 Philips, canon of Tongres, on whom the present Earl 
 of Litchfield bestowed it. 
 
 In the British Museum (Nero, D. 4>) is another MS. 
 of the Gospels, beautifully written about the year 686 
 by Eadfrid, afterwards Bishop of Lindisfarne. Ethel- 
 wald, his successor, illuminated it with several elegant 
 drawings. By the anchoret Bilfrith it was covered 
 with gems, silver gilt, and gold, in honour of St. Cuth- 
 bert, to which Aldred the Priest afterwards added an 
 interlineary version. 
 
 During the removal of St. Cuthbert's body in 885, 
 this copy was lost in the sea, but recovered again 
 three days afterwards. Simeon of Durham says it 
 was not injured by the water, but Mr. Wanley thought 
 he could perceive some stains upon it. 
 
 This book is still in the best preservation.* 
 
 Eata, first Abbot, of Old Melrose, was sent to assist 
 Alchfrid, son of Oswy,-}* King of Northumberland, in 
 founding a monastery at Ripon, Yorkshire. A com- 
 pany of monks went with him from Melrose, and 
 among them Cuthbert, who was made Prior of Ripon. 
 
 * LKTOARD'S Antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Church. 
 t Oswy, brother and successor to King Oswald.
 
 86 H1STOEY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 Some misunderstanding shortly arose between this 
 new colony at Ripon and the Church of Rome. Eata, 
 being Abbot, declining, however, to submit to the 
 Bishop of Rome with regard to the time of keeping 
 the festival of Easter and other matters, they all 
 returned to Melrose in the year 661. Eata resumed 
 his former office again, and Boisil, who had been Abbot 
 in his absence, became once more Prior. Boisil did 
 not long survive, but died in 664 of " yellow plague or 
 fever/' a pestilence then raging in Britain. According 
 to his dying request, Cuthbert succeeded him in the 
 Priorate of Old Melrose, but resigned the office in 676. 
 Cuthbert retired to lead a solitary life in the barren 
 isle of Fame, about four miles off the Northumberland 
 coast; and though called to the See of Hexham, de- 
 clined to leave his retirement. 
 
 The See of York was for a long time included in 
 that of Lindisfarne. In the year 685, Cuthbert was 
 prevailed upon to accept the bishoprick of the latter. 
 He was consecrated on Easter day at York, in the same 
 year, by Theodore, attended by seven bishops. In 687 
 Cuthbert returned again to his hermitage, where he 
 died about two months afterwards. 
 
 St. Cuthbert was the sixth Bishop in the Calendar ; 
 he founded the Bishopric of Durham, and many churches 
 were built and dedicated to his name in various parts 
 of the kingdom, and in distant countries.
 
 HISTOKY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 87 
 
 Eata was translated to Hexham, and died there.* 
 It was about this time the visionary Drythelme 
 retired to the Monastery of Melrose, where he spent 
 the remainder of his life in the exercise of the most 
 rigorous voluntary penance. Of this man it is related, 
 that in a severe fit of illness, towards evening, he be- 
 came to all appearance lifeless, and upon his recovery, 
 in the morning, believed that he had actually passed a 
 whole night in the state of the dead. Recovering his 
 health, he left off his former pursuits and pleasures. 
 Disregarding the common concerns of life, he divided 
 his substance, giving a third part to the poor, and the 
 rest to his family. Embracing a monastic life at Mel- 
 rose, he obtained a cell from the Abbot apart from the 
 other monks of the convent; and in order to mitigate the 
 pains of purgatory by anticipating them, he immersed 
 himself daily in the Tweed, summer and winter, with- 
 out undressing, or afterwards changing his garments. 
 
 He had frequent visions of the unseen world, both 
 of tormented and glorified spirits, some conceived in 
 the wildest flights of mental hallucination and delusion. 
 Like the patriarch Joseph, Drythelme was a mighty 
 dreamer of dreams, the rehearsal of which terrified the 
 ignorant, and mantled the superstitious with awe. 
 
 Odunald, a Saint, commemorated on the 26th of June, 
 was also an Abbot of Old Melrose. It is recorded of 
 * MORTON'S Monastic Annals of Teriotdale, p. 187.
 
 88 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 him, that when at the point of death, an angel appeared, 
 and encouraged him with the assurance of eternal glory. 
 
 Ethelwald, also canonized, and, according to Bede, a 
 disciple of St. Cuthbert, became Abbot in 696, and pre- 
 sided till 724, when he was made Bishop of Lindis- 
 farne. He continued in this situation till 740, when 
 he died. He is said to have written a life of St. Cuth- 
 bert, and a treatise on the succession of the Abbots of 
 Mailros.* 
 
 About this time lived Winfrid, better known as St. 
 Boniface, the Apostle of the Germans. He is stated to 
 have been a Scotsman, and educated at Melrose. St. 
 Boniface was appointed Archbishop of Mentz, and 
 made Primate of Germany and Belgium, by Pope 
 Zachary, in 746. He disputed with Virgilius, an Irish 
 missionary, on the subject of the Antipodes, the exist- 
 ence of which Boniface denied. In his defence of the 
 celibacy of the Clergy and other papal dogmas, he was 
 skilfully opposed by three eminent Scotsmen, named 
 Claudius Clement, Samson, and John of Mailros.^ 
 
 Thevuan, commemorated as a Saint on the 26th of 
 September, long presided as Abbot of Melrose. He is 
 named as having been Counsellor to Engenius VI., King 
 of Scots, who reigned from 688 to 697. 
 
 * Sim Dunelm Dempsteri Hist. Ecclesiast. 
 
 f MOSHEIM'S History of the Chwrch. JAMIESON'S Account of the 
 Culdees.
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 89 
 
 Icolmkill was the burial-place of the kings at this 
 period. 
 
 St. Grilbald or Gowibald, the first Bishop of Ratisbon, 
 and very distinguished for his great eloquence and 
 knowledge of the Scriptures, is said to have been a 
 Missionary from the Monastery of Melrose. By the 
 eighth century, however, Culdeeism was on the wane. 
 Its simplicity of character and sincerity of purpose had 
 become tainted and corrupt. Romanism began to infect 
 primitive Christianity. John of Mailros accused an 
 emissary of the Pope to Scotland as the " fabricator of 
 falsehoods, the troubler of peace and of the Christian 
 religion, and the corrupter of it both by word and 
 writing." Such was the bold language of an intrepid 
 and zealous ecclesiastic in those days. 
 
 In 839 the Monastery of Old Melrose was burned 
 by Kenneth, King of the Scots, on his invasion of the 
 Saxon territory, when he gained a lasting ascendancy 
 over that power. Kenneth II., surnamed the Great, 
 was a valiant prince, he utterly overthrew the Picts in 
 several battles, and joined their kingdom to his own. 
 The Commentator of Nennius, the British historian, 
 speaks of the Monastery at Melros as having been 
 formerly great and renowned. It seems probable it 
 was rebuilt again in part, and inhabited toward the 
 close of the ninth century. In the year 875 it 
 became the resting-place of St. Cuthbert, whose body
 
 90 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 was removed from Lindisfarne, on account of the in- 
 vasion of the Danes. It was said to be uncorrupted, 
 and was transferred from place to place for safety, by 
 seven monks, for a space of seven years. It was at 
 last suffered to rest at Chester-le-Street, but shortly 
 removed to Durham Cathedral, where miracles were 
 supposed to be wrought at its shrine. At the Keforma- 
 tion it was buried in that part of the Cathedral known 
 as the Chapel of the Nine Altars. The following curious 
 account of its accidental discovery appeared in the 
 Durham Advertiser, May 1827: "In carrying into 
 effect several alterations at the east end of the Cathedral 
 here, and in that part known as the chapel of the nine 
 altars, an old oaken coffin was found, containing the 
 remains of some distinguished personage, believed to 
 be no other than the patron saint, St. Cuthbert. The 
 skeleton was found to be remarkably perfect, and en- 
 closed in the remains of robes richly worked with gold. 
 A large and bright gold ring, having a crucifix, appa- 
 rently of silver, appended, was found lying on the breast, 
 and below it the remains of a book. A large comb was 
 also found in the coffin. The wood of which the coffin 
 was composed was about three inches in thickness, and 
 strongly clamped with bars of iron." 
 
 The manner of removal from Melrose is of the mar- 
 vellous, for tradition says, the body of the saint floated 
 in a stone coffin down the Tweed to Tillmouth, where
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 91 
 
 it stopped of itself. The ruins of a chapel may still be 
 traced on the banks of the river where it was landed, 
 and the alleged stone coffin was to be seen there till a 
 recent period.* 
 
 Surtee, in his History of Durham, speaks of a stone 
 boat, held popularly to be the coffin of St. Cuthbert, 
 that floated with the body of the saint in it down the 
 Tweed from Old Melrose, and came ashore at Till- 
 in outh. It is described as still existing near the ruined 
 chapel, though broken into two pieces, that it is finely 
 shaped, ten feet long, three feet six inches broad, and 
 four inches thick, and has been proved by experiment 
 to be capable of floating with a weight equal to that of 
 the human body. 
 
 Early in the eleventh century, William Douglas was 
 Abbot of Melrose. He was a favourite of St. Fothad, 
 Bishop of St. Andrews, who died in 962, and of Grime, 
 King of Scots, who died in 1003. He was afterwards 
 Confessor to Malcolm II., and an author of some repute 
 in ecclesiastical matters. 
 
 While Eadmond was Bishop of Durham in 1021, a 
 priest of the Cathedral named ^Elfrid, alike remarkable 
 for his moral virtues, religious zeal, and superstitious 
 belief in the efficacy of relics, directed by a vision, began 
 to collect the bones of holy men, from the ancient but 
 ruined churches of Northumberland and other places. 
 
 * HUTCHINSON'S History of Durham, vol. i. p. Sf .
 
 92 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 He is said to have paid a visit to Melrose, and removed 
 the remains of St. Boisil, which he carried away, and 
 had placed in a shrine near to that of St. Cuthbert at 
 Durham.* 
 
 It appears, that about the year 1050, Old Melrose 
 was a ruin and a desolation. That soon after it be- 
 came the temporary abode of a few monks from Girwy 
 (Jarrowf*), among whom was Turgot, the historian. 
 Turgot became Confessor of Margaret, Queen of Mal- 
 colm the Third, and Bishop of St. Andrews. 
 
 Aldwine, Prior of Wincelcombe, Gloucestershire, was 
 also one of them at this time. They shortly got into 
 displeasure with Malcolm the Third ; having conscien- 
 tious scruples concerning the nature of an oath, they 
 refused to swear allegiance to him, and were conse- 
 quently compelled to quit Melrose in 1075. Mean- 
 while, Walcher, Bishop of Durham, had commanded 
 them to return on several occasions ; they now obeyed, 
 and went to Monkwearmouth, where they settled. 
 With the Bishop's assistance, they restored the ancient 
 Monastery there, left in a ruinous state by the Danish 
 invasion. 
 
 From about this period Old Melrose is only spoken 
 
 * Sim. Dim. iii. 7. 
 f* Jarrow, county of Durham. 
 
 Queen Margaret founded the ancient Church of Carlisle, and her 
 husband those of Durham and Dunfermline.
 
 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 93 
 
 of as a Chapel, dedicated to St. Cuthbert, and dependent 
 on the See of Durham, until the founding of St. Mary's 
 Monastery, Melrose, by King David in 1136. At this 
 period, it is probable, that not cnly the relics, but all 
 the other valuables of this ancient convent, were re- 
 moved that the cloisters were tenantless and without 
 furniture and that human tyranny and time had done 
 their worst. 
 
 Old Melrose was long the resort of devout pilgrims, 
 and there was anciently a sacred way to it, called the 
 Girthgate ; having the privilege of a sanctuary. Many 
 traces of this Girthgate are still visible. 
 
 Many other roads and thoroughfares, from populous 
 places in the kingdom, leading northwards, ran into it. 
 Their junctions were distinguished by large, and fre- 
 quently ornamental stone crosses, that directed the 
 religious to the home of their pilgrimage. 
 
 Some of these crosses were in later times erected by 
 the Monastery and monks of St. Mary, Melrose, who 
 also availed themselves of the old Girthgate, and turned 
 two of their approaches from the north-east and north- 
 west into it. 
 
 It is highly probable that this Girthgate was origin- 
 ally a connecting military way of the Komans, by which 
 victuals, pottery, fuel, water, and camp equipage, were 
 conveyed from place to place for the service of the 
 troops ; as not less than seven hill-crowned fortifications
 
 94 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 of that people, rest or abut on this road at different 
 points. 
 
 Some time previous to 1136, St. Cuthbert's Chapel 
 was a dependency of the Priory of Coldingham. In 
 that year King David recovered it, by giving in ex- 
 change for it the Church at Berwick ; and so annexed 
 it to the New Monastery founded by him two miles 
 higher up the Tweed. 
 
 About the close of the reign of Alexander the 
 Second, or beginning of Alexander the Third, Peter 
 Haig, Laird of Bemersyde, engaged to pay to the 
 Chapel of St. Cuthbert, Old Melrose, on St. Cuthbert's 
 day annually, half a stone of wax, or thirty pence 
 instead thereof, to light the said Chapel, for compensa- 
 tion for trespasses, committed by himself and others 
 against the said convent. The aforesaid payment was 
 in commutation of five fresh and five dried salmon, 
 which Haig had previously been obliged to pay 
 annually to the convent for the same trespasses. 
 
 The witnesses are, Oliver, Abbot of Dryburgh 
 Thomas Learmonth, of Ercildoun, (better known as 
 Thomas the Rhymer), and Hugh de Perisby, Sheriff of 
 "Roxburgh.* The witness Learmonth was a poet in 
 those days, and happening to foretell the death of 
 Alexander the Third, which occurred according to his 
 words, the country people were ready to ascribe to 
 * Catularium de Mailros.
 
 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 95 
 
 him the tongue of inspiration and the gift of pro- 
 phecy. Many of his rhymes and predictions have 
 been handed down traditionally and otherwise to the 
 present age. For example, he said of the family of 
 Haig 
 
 " Tide, tide, whate'er betide 
 Therell aye be Haigs in Bemersyde. "* 
 
 The Chapel of Old Melrose was finally destroyed by 
 the English in the reign of Robert the First. In 
 1321, Simon, Bishop of Galloway, granted remission 
 of penance, and promised indulgences to all who 
 would make a devout pilgrimage to the Chapel of St. 
 Cuthbert, at Old Melros, and contribute of their sub- 
 stance to rebuild the same. The Bishop stated that it 
 had lately been burned by the English. And Pope 
 Martin V., who held the Vicariate of Rome from 1417 
 to 1431, also promised remission of penance on all 
 the Festivals of St. Cuthbert, and some other holidays, 
 for seven years to come, and as many Lents, to such 
 as would assist in the restoration of this ancient mon- 
 astery.'f 
 
 * The Rhymer has not, however, proved a true prophet, the male 
 line of the Haigs having become extinct in 1854. The Misses Haig 
 still retain the estate of Bemerside. 
 
 f The effect of this perdoun is, vn Zeir and vn Lentrynis, that is 
 to say, xxi Zeir of perdoun at the forenemit festis, as beforwrytyn^ 
 procurit bedene Jhone of Cavertoun, mounk of Melros, at our haly 
 fader paip, Mertine the V. the Zeir of our Lord MCCCCXXXVII Zeirs.
 
 9,6 HISTORY OF MELKOSE ABBEY. 
 
 We know little of the early architecture or construc- 
 tion of Old Melros. The Culdee erection was of oaken 
 piles and boards, with a roof thatched with rushes. 
 A stone edifice, succeeded this. In early times the 
 monastery was defended by a stone wall, stretching 
 from that point of the Tweed on the south side to that 
 on the north side of the Peninsula, where the land is 
 narrowest. 
 
 It was difficult to remove the veneration shown by 
 devout pilgrims to Old Melrose, long after the erection 
 of the great monastery at Fordell. In its declining 
 splendour and renown, persons flocked to its shrine 
 from a great distance, and the way now only traceable 
 at particular spots, known as the Girthgate, or Kirk- 
 road, opened the communication to it from the 
 northern districts by the great hospital of Soutra 
 on the Hill, through Lauderdale, and the winding 
 valley of the Alwent, now Allen, to the fair valley of 
 the Tweed, for the accommodation of pilgrims to and 
 from the Abbey. 
 
 The entrance to the Chapel was near the middle of 
 this wall, where was a building called the Eed-house 
 or Porter's dwelling. Several spots about it still bear 
 ancient names. The place where St. Cuthbert's Chapel 
 stood, is called Chapel-knowe. And the "Haly 
 Wheel/' and " Monks Ford," are among the memorials
 
 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 97 
 
 of its antiquity, the site of which is now occupied by a 
 modern villa. 
 
 The only antiquated remains of Old Melrose not 
 already referred to, of which we have any knowledge, 
 is the rudely carved head and cowl of a monk in stone, 
 a mutilated head, of very coarse workmanship, symbolic 
 of the Pascal Lamb, and the letter B cut in most antique 
 character, upon what appears to have been the head 
 stone or tablet of a tomb. On the left side of this 
 letter are two cross-bars with four masonic points, sur- 
 rounded with a single fleur-de-lis at their terminations. 
 This very ancient stone may represent Boisil, Bosil, or 
 Bosuel, a renowned monk and abbot of this convent, 
 and to whose name the town of St. Boswell owes its 
 derivation. Lessuden is a similar example, derived 
 from Aidan the Culdee, Bishop of Lindisfarne, and next 
 to the royal founder, the first patron of Old Melrose, 
 and anciently called Lis- Aidan. 
 
 In its early development and the character of its 
 occupants, Old Melrose resembled the parent institu- 
 tions of lona and Lindisfarne, but eventually eclipsed 
 them in learning, zeal, and activity. Its missionaries 
 were intelligent, painstaking, and persevering; learning 
 and religion were disseminated by them far and wide. 
 Economy in dress and living, simplicity of character, 
 and impressive earnestness, were their genuine charac-
 
 98 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 teristics. Long after the celebrity of Lindisfarne be- 
 gan to wane, the Monastery of Old Melrose enjoyed a 
 flourishing position, and was justly celebrated through- 
 out Christendom. Milne describes it most correctly 
 where he observes, that it was " a famous nursery for 
 learning and religious men, who were filled with zeal 
 for propagating the Christian religion." 
 
 Some part of the foundation of Old Melrose was 
 opened up early in the last century, and only a few 
 years ago, some small pieces of stone were dug up, 
 which had the quaint dog's-tooth carving upon them. 
 As a monastery, it was not finally extinguished till the 
 reign of Eobert the Bruce, when the English mercilessly 
 ransacked it, and afterwards burnt it to the ground 
 We are convinced that a stone erection of some magni- 
 tude succeeded the early wooden fabric of Culdee con- 
 struction. After the final overthrow of the former, the 
 materials composing the ruins were carried away and 
 used for domestic purposes by those who thought 
 proper to fetch them. 
 
 Lindisfarne must ever be regarded as the parent 
 source of the See of Durham. For, as lona shed the 
 bright and cheering light of Christianity over Ancient 
 Caledonia, and savage clans and roving barbarians de- 
 rived the benefits of knowledge and the blessings of 
 religion, so Lindisfarne, in its apparent solitude and 
 isolation, shone on the Saxon land, diffusing learning
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 99 
 
 and piety amongst a race cradled in ignorance, super- 
 stition, and poverty. 
 
 Next to Melrose, among the far-famed Abbeys of 
 Teviotdale, must be mentioned Kelso, Jedburgh, and 
 Dryburgh. That of Kelso was founded in 1128, and 
 first occupied by monks who had previously enjoyed a 
 temporary residence at Selkirk, this latter settlement 
 being henceforth discontinued. Kelso particularly 
 suffered from the disastrous incursions by the Earl of 
 Surrey in 1523, and the Earl of Hertford in 1545. The 
 Monastery of Jedburgh was founded about the middle 
 of the twelfth century for monks of the Benedictine 
 Order. It is probable some religious houses had pre- 
 viously occupied the same site. At Dryburgh the 
 Druids long performed their pagan rites. A colony of 
 Culdees settled there about 522, under a presbyter, 
 whose name was Modan, and in 1150 Sir Hugh de 
 Morville, under the auspices of David I., founded a 
 Premonstratentian Abbey, and which was first colonised 
 with monks from Alnwick. Dryburgh was burnt by 
 the army of Edward II., but restored by Kobert Bruce. 
 The town of Dryburgh was also burnt, and never 
 resumed its former position and opulence. 
 
 Thus we learn that the four ancient monasteries, 
 whose glorious remains ravish the eye of the antiquary 
 and historian, had their original consummation at 
 about one and the same period.
 
 100 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 The three monasteries of Melros, Melrose, and Dry- 
 burgh were built of red-sandstone obtained in the dis- 
 trict, known in ancient times as the quarry of Dry- 
 burgh. Its chief peculiarity was, that it cut soft in 
 the bosom of the strata, but afterwards, on exposure to 
 the atmosphere, became so hard (not brittle), as to pre- 
 serve indelibly the severe and artistic lines of the 
 sculptor's chisel, and even now exhibits but few traces 
 of decomposition, after the lapse of centuries. 
 
 The ancient quarry is no longer worked. In the 
 tenth century the wages for lifting this stone was only 
 one penny per man per diem. The Pinnacle and 
 Eildon quarries now supply the neighbourhood. 
 
 The estate of Old Melrose was long possessed by 
 a family of the name of Ormistoun. It is now the 
 property of George K. Fairholme, Esquire, and the 
 delightful residence of Lady Charlotte Forbes. Adja- 
 cent is Ravenswood, a handsome modern castellated 
 building, rising from a lovely belt of forest trees 
 and sylvan glades, also the property of George K. 
 Fairholme, Esquire, and at present occupied by Gideon 
 Pott, Esq., younger of Dodd. On the north bank of 
 the winding Tweed, stands Gladswood, rising grace- 
 fully from the very skirts of that noble river, into a 
 proud and lofty eminence. Studded with majestic 
 trees, and dotted with greenwood shaws, from which 
 are seen bold rugged summits and sylvan vistas, Glads-
 
 HISTOEY OF MELKOSE ABBEY. 101 
 
 wood is rendered doubly ornamental by its natural 
 loveliness of position. Deeply sequestered, yet bold 
 and elevated, it affords the finest views from its green 
 slopes of the almost magic peninsula of Old Melrose. 
 Gladswood is the property and residence of John 
 Meiklam, Esq. The picture is that of a vast amphi- 
 theatre, 
 
 ' Where greenwoods grow, and rivers row, 
 Wi' mony a hill between." 
 
 Charmed by the harmonious numbers of the rippling 
 Tweed, the song of birds, the shepherd's voice, and the 
 minstrelsy of bees far as the eye can see is beautiful, 
 a glorious diorama. From its lofty eminence may 
 be seen the Northumberland Hills and " bonny Cow- 
 denknowes," the seat of Eobert Cotesworth, Esq. 
 
 "Oh, the broom, the bonnie broom, 
 The broom o' the Cowdenknowes ! " 
 
 Many are the vicissitudes the Monastery and Chapel of 
 St. Cuthbert's, Old Melrose, passed through, during the 
 eight centuries of its eventful history. Saints, sages, 
 and princes of this world, sought its sequestered 
 courts, and trod its antiquated aisles and cloisters dim. 
 Once the abode of spiritual histories a place of visions 
 a receptacle of relics, mightier and more prophetic 
 in the estimation of pilgrim and devotee, than the 
 stalwart lines of the mountain chiefs, or the feudal 
 blast of trumpets. Held long sacred by the sign of 
 the cross, (Pagan, Barbarian, and Saxon only ex-
 
 102 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 cepted). Burnt, scattered, demolished, obliterated, 
 lost. Indulgences, graces, ordinances, of no avail 
 in vain the worshippers desire to restore it it lay a 
 wreck, a chasmed city, which the destroying lava of 
 years and dire vicissitudes has left at length enveloped 
 in a coat of grass, forming now a gentle undulating 
 field. No gospels read, no matins sung the idols de- 
 throned, and the worshippers long gone to their 
 account a dream, a phantom, a subterranean mono- 
 gram doomed, fated, irrevocably lost, extinguished. 
 
 The contemplative mind can hardly refrain from 
 lamenting over the last expiring grandeur of ruined 
 temples, and the almost annihilated conservatories of 
 primitive Christianity; once the oracles of God, and the 
 sanctuaries of our forefathers. What sublime lessons 
 rise up from their departing shadows, pointing us to 
 the instability of human greatness ; and prophetically 
 reminding us, that dust and ashes crown the end of all. 
 
 " The ticking wood-worm mocks thee, man; 
 Thy temples, creeds themselves, grow wan; 
 But there 's a dome of nobler span 
 
 A temple given; 
 Thy faith that bigots dare not scan 
 
 Its space is Heaven ! " 
 
 As we pass on, at the opening of the vale of Leader, 
 amid tall ancestral trees, stands Drygrange, the seat of 
 Thomas Tod, Esq., one of the most beautiful residences 
 in the vicinity of Melrose.
 
 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 103 
 
 DRYGRANGE AND NEWSTEAD. 
 
 Drygrange was the chief granary of Melrose Abbey 
 in ancient times. Its pastoral beauties are celebrated 
 in the old song of "Leader Haughs and Yarrow:" 
 
 " Sing Ercildoune and Cowdenknowes, 
 
 Where Homes had ance commanding; 
 And Drygrange wi' the milk-white ewes, 
 'Twixt Tweed and Leader standing." 
 
 Pursuing the course of the river westward, we cross 
 the Tweed by Drygrange Bridge, or, as it is called, the 
 Fly-bridge, from a fly-boat p'lying here formerly. Near 
 the bridge is a pleasant mansion, the residence of Mrs 
 Tod of Kirklands, not far from which the classic Leader 
 pours itself into the Tweed. The scenery from the 
 mansion is most imposing; and the family are de- 
 servedly honoured by all who reside in the neighbour- 
 hood. A mile still further westward stands the 
 village of Newstead, near which may be traced the 
 remains of another sacred edifice,* called Eed Abbey 
 Stead, probably from the colour of the stone. The 
 great extent of its foundations shows that the building 
 must have been of magnificent proportions. We are led 
 to believe, that this, which is doubtful, if a religious 
 establishment, flourished between the overthrow of the 
 Culdee establishment of Old Melrose, and the rise of the 
 
 * MILNE'S History of Melrose. 

 
 104 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 New Monastery at Fordell. Close to Newstead has 
 been a Kom an Pottery and Tile-yard. Numerous coins 
 have been found here; one dug up in 1821 bears the 
 inscription, "Augustus Nero." That Newstead was 
 peopled during the Roman occupation, seems evident, 
 from the remains of decorated and other kinds of pot- 
 tery found there, such as altar-pieces, figures, and frag- 
 mentary parts of the wild boar and other animals. The 
 figure of a wild boar was emblazoned on the escutcheon 
 or standard of the twentieth Eoman legion. Newstead 
 is justly famed for its Roman relics and antiquities. 
 
 Round Newstead immense foundations of Roman 
 buildings have been ploughed up hewn stone, from 
 the Dryburgh quarry, sufficient to build a good house, 
 has been collected in a single field. There is a place 
 called still the Well-meadow, where numerous pits have 
 been discovered at various times.* In all parts of the 
 village, and on every occasion, the land is trenched and 
 drained, fresh discoveries of buildings are made. Seve- 
 ral arched vaults, substructions, and arches for the sup- 
 port, of upper works, have been laid bare, also, of Roman 
 origin. For only to the Romans, at that early period, 
 could be known the key and mystery of the arch. 
 
 * It has been surmised by Dr John Alexander Smith that these 
 pits were the burial-places of the Roman town, the depositories of 
 the ashes of the dead, and of those other animals sacrificed in the 
 performance of their pagan rites.
 
 HISTORY OP MELEOSE ABBEY. 105 
 
 In the primeval splendour of the present Melrose 
 Abbey, a great wood of oaks called the Prior-wood 
 extended from Newstead to the precincts of the former. 
 Anciently, about midway, stood a notable cross, known 
 as the Priorwood Cross. At Drygrange was the princi- 
 pal store-house and granary of St. Mary's, Melrose. 
 
 In the possession of the family of Drygrange, is the 
 tablet of a Eoman altar, which is by far the most inte- 
 resting relic of antiquity yet discovered among the 
 Roman remains of Newstead. It bears the following 
 
 inscription, 
 
 "Deo Silvano pro salute sua et suorum Carrius 
 Domiti Annus. Leg. XX. V.V.V. S.L.L.M.* 
 
 During the construction of the Edinburgh and 
 Hawick Eailway in 1846, extensive Eoman remains 
 were brought to light, a little to the east of Newstead. 
 A group of circular shafts or pits was laid open, two 
 of which were twenty feet deep, and thirty inches in 
 diameter. The others were of various dimensions. In 
 one of the shafts the skeleton of a man was found 
 standing erect, with a spear beside him, accompanied 
 with remains of Eoman pottery. Alexander Mitchell, 
 Esq., and Captain Smith have each delightful villa 
 residences in Newstead. The gardens and farms here 
 are in the highest state of cultivation. 
 
 * Or thus : "Deo Silvanus, pro salute sua et suorum Carrius Domi- 
 tianus, Centuris Legionis Vicesimae Valentis Vistrius votum solvit 
 libentissime merito." 
 
 H
 
 106 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 Newstead was early noted for a society of masons 
 that settled there. Their craft was in high repute, 
 and what they bequeathed to us, although in ruins, 
 fully sustains their ancient reputation. The early 
 masons were chiefly of French extraction, and were 
 probably sent from rising continental countries, to 
 build the Monastery of St. Mary, Melrose, and the 
 other ancient monasteries of Teviotdale. The institu- 
 tion of St. John's Lodge of Freemasons, Melrose, is 
 said to be as far back as the building of Melrose 
 Abbey in 1136, one John Mordo, who by the 
 Chronicle of Melros, had in keeping all mason work, 
 at the building of St. Mary's Monastery, having been 
 the first Grand Master. 
 
 Several years ago, Dr John Alexander Smith brought 
 before the Scottish Society of Antiquaries some inte- 
 resting accounts of an incised sepulchral stone, which 
 had been found previously in the same field in which 
 the Roman altar dedicated to Silvanus was discovered.* 
 This stone was given by Thomas Tod, Esq. of Dry- 
 grange, to Sir David Erskine, who placed it in the north 
 wall of the choir of Dryburgh Abbey, where it still 
 remains. " It had been considerably broken, is now 
 irregular in shape, measuring about thirteen inches in 
 length by eleven and a-half inches in breadth. It has 
 
 * Another votive altar, also dedicated to the forest deities, has 
 been found in the same locality.
 
 HTSTOEY OP MELEOSE ABBEY. 107 
 
 cut on it a portion of a large-sized double-edged sword 
 of ancient form, the guard being bent at its extremity 
 towards the blade. At the sides of the handle we have, 
 in old English characters, the letters A. P., apparently 
 the initials of the person's name to whom the monu- 
 ment had been placed. On the right of the sword- 
 blade is sculptured a mason's square, and on the left a 
 pair of compasses. Below these emblems runs on each 
 side the upper part of an ornamental wreath, formed 
 apparently of ivy, or perhaps the more sacred emblem 
 of the vine." From the appearance of the letters, and 
 the shape of the sword hilt, Dr Smith estimates this 
 stone to belong to the latter part of the fourteenth or 
 beginning of the fifteenth century, which we coincide 
 with. As he observes, the initial letters may be read 
 Alexander or Andrew Pringle, which was a common 
 name in the vicinity. That the individual, whatever 
 his name, was a freemason, admits of no doubt, and 
 the two-edged sword and wreath may indicate that he 
 was a knight-templar or crusader. 
 
 The ancient Watling Street of the Romans, which 
 connected Yorkshire with the Frith of Forth, after 
 traversing the basin of the Teviot by way of Jedfoot, 
 crosses Newstead and the Tweed, leading on to Lauder- 
 dale and Soutra Hill. Across the Tweed at Newstead 
 there stood anciently a very fine stone bridge of mas- 
 sive construction and great dimensions, the building of
 
 108 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 which was excellent in masonic skill and workmanship. 
 The piers were standing in the seventeenth century, 
 and have been carted away to repair mills and sluices 
 with. The stone required for the building of Melrose 
 Abbey was carried over this bridge, and the site of its 
 abutments is traceable on both sides the river.* A 
 mile to the westward stood another bridge upon Tweed, 
 of a much lighter construction, which was called Mel- 
 rose Bridge. The Red Abbey seems to have had no 
 connection with any of the neighbouring institutions 
 that we can discover. If it was an hospital of the 
 Templars, their distinguishing badge was a red cross, 
 and the Red Cross Knights were all of the masonic 
 fraternity, which was their mysterious link of brother- 
 hood. The masons of Newstead might have given 
 vitality to such an institution. The early orders of 
 chivalry augmented masonic emblems, rites, and asso- 
 ciations; they instituted the rules of hospitality, and 
 blended an agreeable courtesy with their knightly 
 bearing. Many curious and interesting stones -have 
 been found here, the dog-tooth pattern in carved 
 stone, amongst the rest. In the now rural village of 
 Newstead, on the outer walls of gardens and houses, 
 
 * Although we have no correct data to guide us, it is probable 
 there existed a bridge of Roman construction at this place at an 
 earlier period, leading from their town "Tremontium," east to 
 Leader Vale, and west to Soutra Hill.
 
 HISTOEY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 109 
 
 may still be traced many ancient and rudely-sculptured 
 stones found in the neighbourhood. Hand-mill stones 
 for triturating corn and preparing flour have frequently 
 been found at Newstead. 
 
 We copy the following highly interesting extract on 
 the remains of an ancient stone building, discovered 
 near the village of Newstead, Eoxburghshire, by per- 
 mission of John Alexander Smith, M.D., Sec., S.A. 
 Scot. : 
 
 " This building was discovered by a man when cut- 
 ting a drain in the spring of 1845, in a field near the 
 village of Newstead, a short distance to the south of 
 the Roman road and other remains afterwards exposed 
 by the railway cutting; which I have already brought 
 before the notice of the Society. On visiting, at a 
 later period, the field, which was then under turnip 
 crop, I found the only trace of the building still re- 
 maining, was the hollow from which the stones had 
 been all dug out, and in which the stronger growth 
 and darker green colour of the turnips distinctly 
 pointed out both its peculiar size and shape. 
 
 " The building was rather more than two feet under 
 the surface of the ground, and consisted of two low, 
 apparently sunk or face walls about three feet deep, 
 built of hewn stone (reddish sandstone) laid in courses, 
 and enclosing an elongated space, increasing gradually 
 in breadth from the opening to the other extremity,
 
 110 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 which was shut in by a semicircular wall; the whole 
 forming, from being bent considerably, a figure some- 
 what resembling a chemist's retort. The walls were 
 formed of only one stone in the thickness, and each 
 stone is described as varying from about six to ten or 
 twelve inches in depth ; they seem to have been built 
 dry, as no appearance of lime or mortar was observed. 
 The entrance or doorway was turned towards the 
 north-west, and was four feet two inches in width; 
 seventeen feet from this the building was five feet four 
 inches wide; eighteen feet further up the interior, it 
 was six feet nine inches ; and eighteen feet still further, 
 it was seven feet in width; the whole length of the 
 interior, measured along the centre, being fifty-four 
 feet ; and a line drawn from the outside of the entrance 
 across to the beginning of the curved extremity was 
 thirty-six feet in length. Nothing was found within 
 the space enclosed by the walls of the building, except 
 dressed stones of various sizes and shapes ; some of 
 them simply flat pavement-like slabs, which were most 
 numerous near the entrance ; others, flat stones 
 bevelled on one side, along which a notch was cut 
 longitudinally. These last were about seven and a half 
 inches thick, the bevelled projection being seven inches 
 in length ; they were indiscriminately mixed with the 
 pavement-like stones, which were about the same 
 thickness ; but the bevelled ones were found in greatest
 
 HISTOEY OF MELKOSE ABBEY. Ill 
 
 number in the wider portions of the interior, or from 
 about the middle to the closed extremity. Two larger 
 stones were also found, having a rich moulding cut on 
 one side ; they measured about four feet in length, two 
 feet three inches in width, and eight inches in thick- 
 ness. One of these moulded stones was given, I 
 believe, to Lord Polwarth, and the other was cut and 
 altered for some economical use ; I was fortunate 
 enough to get a small portion of the latter (which was 
 presented to the Society's Museum) : it distinctly 
 shows the central member of the moulding, the well 
 known rope or cable pattern, one that frequently 
 occurs on various Eoman ornamental stones or tablets, 
 and also forming part of a moulding in almost the 
 same or at least a corresponding position to this, in 
 some of the Eoman altars that have been discovered in 
 Scotland. The moulding was considered by some of 
 my friends, architects, to be undoubtedly Roman in its 
 character. The stones found in the interior of the 
 building may have been merely a coping to the walls, 
 or, what is more probable, the remains of the roof 
 which had covered the vault; this latter opinion is 
 strengthened by the fact of several of the stones being 
 found apparently in situ on the top of the wall, so as 
 to favour the idea of its being covered by a somewhat 
 arch-like or flattened roof, one row of stones being 
 placed with the bevelled part projecting inwards, and
 
 112 HISTOKY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 others in a similar way above it; thus corbelling in, 
 or encroaching on the central space, and shortening 
 the bearing of the roof, so that a flat stone or two on 
 the top would complete the enclosure, and thus do 
 away with the necessity of long stones, which are by 
 no means plentiful in this neighbourhood; and re- 
 minding one of the ancient so-called Cyclopean edifices, 
 which were arched in a somewhat similar way. In 
 favour of this view, I may refer to the position which 
 the stones occupied in the interior of the building; the 
 bevelled ones being found in most abundance towards 
 the widest parts ; and the flat stones being possibly the 
 covers of the whole, were many of them rather in short 
 lengths, having apparently been broken by the falling 
 in of the roof. The two moulded stones were found 
 near the inner or closed extremity of the building, and 
 as they can scarcely be supposed from their totally 
 different character to have formed part of the roof, they 
 had probably been portions of some enclosure which 
 may have existed at that part of the interior. 
 
 "Another ruin, said to have been of a somewhat 
 similar kind, was found in the adjoining field in the 
 spring of 1849, about a hundred yards to the east of 
 the building mentioned. It was described as having 
 resembled the other considerably, except that it was 
 built of whinstone as well as sandstone, and the stones 
 were not so neatly dressed, being altogether of a ruder
 
 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 113 
 
 character. The materials of which it was composed 
 were dug out for economical purposes ; and after fol- 
 lowing it for some ten or twelve feet, further progress 
 was arrested by its passing apparently under an ad- 
 joining road, which formed the boundary of the man's 
 field, and consequently put a final conclusion to his 
 operations. 
 
 "Various shallow flat-roofed buildings, formed of 
 hewn stone, have been found at different Eoman 
 stations in Scotland, as at Duntocher (vide Caledonia 
 Romano), which consisted of circular vaults, and were 
 believed to have been granaries ; the Newstead build- 
 ings had, however, a much closer resemblance to those 
 described by Pennant as existing at Borthwick in this 
 county, and others found near Coupar- Angus. These, 
 though of much the same general shape, and having 
 their entrance apparently also turned towards the 
 north-west, were much ruder in their character, being 
 built of stones in their natural state, and not cut or 
 dressed. They enclosed within their walls a black 
 mould containing the remains of animals (bones and 
 teeth), considered to belong to cattle and sheep, and 
 none of them to be human ; with charcoal and burnt 
 earth interspersed throughout ; and also, it is said, 
 ' some stones which must have fallen from the sur- 
 rounding walls/ but which may possibly have formed 
 part of a flattened roof ; and were supposed by Pennant
 
 114 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 ' to be the Repositories of the ashes of the sacrifices 
 which our Ancestors were wont to offer in honour of 
 their deities/ It is an interesting fact that these 
 buildings appear to have been in the neighbourhood 
 of Roman remains ; and although others of a somewhat 
 similar character have also been found in distant parts 
 of the country, I am of opinion, that the one just 
 described might be of Roman workmanship ; and, when 
 we remember that it was at no great distance from the 
 pits and beds of burnt materials formerly described, I 
 imagine it might have been connected with the reli- 
 gious rites of the people. Because, even if we suppose 
 buildings of this peculiar shape, which are much ruder 
 in their details, to have been the work of the natives 
 of our country ; still, from their mysterious character, 
 their length, and apparently, at least in some instances, 
 their total absence of the light of day, it seems to me 
 not impossible they were either used as places for the 
 safe keeping of their most valued property, or had more 
 probably been connected with the secret rites of a native 
 priesthood. The same style of building might have been 
 adopted by the Roman invaders, who, with the facility 
 so remarkable in that people, may have continued in its 
 gloomy recesses the superstitious ceremonies of its first 
 architects, or engrafted on them their own dark Mith- 
 raic worship ; and, for want at least of a better explana- 
 tion, I can only say, it reminds me of the dark under-
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 115 
 
 ground Sacella or smaller temples which the Romans 
 dedicated to the god Mithras or the Sun. There is one 
 described by Hodgson, in his History of Northumber- 
 land, as having been found at Housesteads or ' Boro- 
 vicus/ the general character of which somewhat 
 resembled this building : he says, ' the cave itself seems 
 to have been a contemptible hovel dug out of the hill- 
 side, lined with dry walls and covered with turf or 
 straw ; for the ruins of the walls and roof had not been 
 sufficient to hide the altars from the action of the 
 weather.' It is also worthy of notice, that in it the 
 altars, with the exception of a small one, were ranged 
 along the western wall ; corresponding, as it seemed, to 
 the position in which the moulded stones were found in 
 the Newstead building. In conclusion, Dr Smith alludes 
 to the fact of several coins of Constantine the Great, 
 formerly exhibited to the Society, which were stated to 
 have been found in the immediate neighbourhood ; 
 having on the reverse a male figure of the Sun, standing, 
 with radiated crown, his right hand raised, and left 
 holding a globe ; with the inscription, ' Soli invicto 
 comiti,' the sun the invincible companion ; 'Imperit 
 comes,' I suppose, of the emperor. These coins might 
 serve to show that the worship of the sun was by no 
 means unknown here. And Hodgson has referred to 
 the same fact, when he says that ' Mithraism had be- 
 come common among the Romans during the reign of
 
 116 HISTORY OF MELROSE ABBEY. 
 
 Commodus, and in the time of Severus had extended 
 over all the western part of the empire/ " 
 
 From the foundations of numerous buildings, and 
 the quantity and variety of Koman coins, discovered 
 around Newstead, of which several are before us, relat- 
 ing to the period of Koman occupation, and referring 
 to Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, 
 Marcus Aurelius, Severus, Constantine the Great, and 
 others, we may conclude, that the place now called 
 " Red Abbey Stead" is none other than the ancient site 
 of the "town of the three-peaked hill," the "Mons 
 Tremontium," or rather, Colonia Tremontium, of the 
 Romans. Add to the former, the remains of fine glazed 
 Samian ware, embossed and pictured with field sports ; 
 coarse red, grey and yellow kiln pottery and tile found 
 there in abundance ; paved roads, substructions, and 
 the stronger testimony afforded by Roman altars with 
 lettered tablets, we are encompassed by a cloud of wit- 
 nesses, which, with the elevated and noble position of 
 the ground in proximity to the Eildon, draws us to the 
 same conclusion. 
 
 At one period, both cavalry and infantry composed 
 the Roman army of occupation, whose head quarters 
 were at Eildon, and it was not till the close of the fifth 
 century they finally quitted Scotland. 
 
 In the pits previously referred to, the bones of 
 various orders of animals were discovered, such as
 
 HISTOEY OF MELKOSE ABBEY. 117 
 
 the horse, dwarf-ox, red-deer, and 'also of man. And 
 when we consider the vestiges of camps, diverging at 
 all points from Newstead as a centre, the good supplies 
 of fuel and of water in the district, we are irresistibly 
 led to the conclusion, that this was once a Roman 
 settlement, and of considerable importance. 
 
 GATTONSIDE. 
 
 The pretty suburb of Gattonside, with its extensive 
 and productive gardens, its fruitful orchards, in the 
 spring-time white with living bloom its immediate 
 proximity to Melrose by an elegant chain bridge rising 
 on the north banks of the Tweed, greatly embellishes 
 our view from Newstead. R B. Maconochie, Esq., is 
 the owner, and Colonel Duncan and family the occu- 
 piers of Gattonside House, and its demesne, which 
 skirts for a considerable distance the silver edges of 
 the Tweed. 
 
 In olden times a chapel stood here ; but, excepting 
 vaults, hewn stones, and leaden pipes, little else remains 
 to point out its former proportions, which are said to 
 have been beautiful and extensive. 
 
 On the south of Gattonside was the Grange, which 
 Fordoun mentions, still called the Grangegate. Around 
 Gattonside are such places as the Tytheyard, the 
 Cellary Meadow, the Smyddie Croft, the Abbot's Mea-
 
 118 HISTORY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 dow, the Vineyard, the Abbey Orchard, and Friar's-close, 
 which had been originally so named. A few modern 
 villas have sprung up about this village, to which the 
 owners still continue the ancient monastic names. 
 
 Gattonside was long the residence of several families 
 of good standing, feuars of the place, under the regality 
 of Melrose. There was a period when its inhabitants 
 were much more numerous than at present ; and, with 
 the exception of the Boston family, still living there, 
 almost all the early feued and chartered families are 
 either extinct or have passed to other localities. 
 
 In very early times, Gattonside was famed for the 
 weaving, spinning, and bleaching of fine linen, and in 
 the sixteenth century had a high reputation for the 
 domestic manufacture of woollen cloth. Amongst its 
 other residents were upwards of fifty weavers, living- 
 there as recently as the seventeenth century. Horti- 
 culture flourished here in very remote times, under 
 the skill and management of the monks of Melrose, to 
 whom even the cultivation of the turnip seems to have 
 been known. Early as the thirteenth century, the vale 
 of Melrose was unequalled in the south of Scotland for 
 its skilful agriculture and great productiveness, and it 
 is doubtful whether its present fertility surpasses that 
 of the period we refer to. 
 
 The antiquities of the Borders are most interesting. 
 The district around Melrose abounds in tumuli, cairns,
 
 HISTOEY OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 119 
 
 military stations, remains of Roman villages, ruined 
 castles, fortalices, and other strongholds, and the ruins of 
 several religious houses. The Monastery of Lindisfarne, 
 for four centuries the seat of the present See of Dur- 
 ham, was undoubtedly the first institution of the kind 
 in the North of England. From it, all the churches of 
 Bernicia, from the Tyne to the Tweed, had their begin- 
 ing ; and also many of those in Diera, or from the 
 Tyne to the Huniber. The Nunnery of Coldingham is 
 the oldest in Scotland. Thus, Coldingham and Lindis- 
 farne, only by priority of erection, take precedence of 
 all other religious houses on the Borders. But Melrose 
 Abbey, of classic fame, by universal consent occupies 
 the first place, and the link which binds her to Old 
 Melrose, and makes the chain of history complete, 
 must ever impart a thrilling and unwearied charm to 
 both. .
 
 120 
 
 THE MONKS OF MELROSE. 
 
 HE Monastery of Melrose was ten 
 years in building. It was finished 
 in 1146, and with great pomp and 
 solemnity dedicated to the Virgin 
 Mary, on Sunday, the 28th July. The 
 Cistertian Order were now acquiring great 
 celebrity throughout Europe. They were 
 introduced into England in 1128, and had their first 
 settlement at Waverley in Surrey. Melrose became 
 the residence of a community of monks from Eievalle, 
 in the North Hiding of Yorkshire. This colony was 
 the first of the order introduced into Scotland. They 
 had for some time been instituted in France on the 
 Benedictine principles, and were spreading rapidly 
 throughout every country in Europe. Possessing con- 
 siderable knowledge of agriculture, the Cistertians 
 settled in pleasant secluded places. They were given 
 to pastoral pursuits. They admired sequestered val-
 
 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 121 
 
 leys, and broad, deep, winding streams. Their primitive 
 lives and manners were adorned with great simplicity. 
 The King, by a charter, which was confirmed by his son, 
 Prince Henry, gave them lands, forests, and rights of 
 fishing. The latter were of great value in those days. 
 Many convents sold fish, and laid out the proceeds in 
 stock. Some sold as much annually as bought from 
 ten to twelve head of store cattle, besides having ample 
 supply for the convent. After David I. had estab- 
 lished Melrose and the southern abbacies, he trans- 
 ferred large portions of the crown lands to their use. 
 They became nurseries of religion, training, and labour. 
 The seclusions of the cloister were allied to the work of 
 the field. The cultivation of letters and the practice 
 of horticulture formed pleasing recreations, after severer 
 labour in the open fields, and during the intervals of 
 devotional routine. Patrons of art and skilled in 
 design, the monks, with the assistance of lay brethren, 
 embellished and extended the churches erected by that 
 remarkable order of chivalry, Freemasonry. A love of 
 the bold and beautiful was deemed not incompatible 
 with the love of truth. Faith expressed itself with 
 grandeur, and the arts of the age were made subser- 
 vient to the one great exulting thought the exaltation 
 of ecclesiastical architecture. The nobles of David's 
 court, following his example, vied with each other in 
 
 their gifts to Melrose, so that in a short time this 
 
 I
 
 122 THE MONKS OF MELKOSE. 
 
 monastery became very wealthy, and enjoyed a princely 
 revenue. 
 
 The Cistertians promoted learning by every means 
 in their power. The transcribing of books was one of 
 their chief occupations. A number of the brethren 
 were always employed in the scriptorium or writing- 
 room. They furnished the common library with copies 
 of the most esteemed works then to be had. They 
 could not write a new book, however, without permis- 
 sion from the general Chapter. The most remarkable 
 events of each monastery were recorded in the Latin 
 language by the monks. This was styled the Chronicle 
 of the place where it was kept. Matters of general and 
 local interest were often registered in it, as well as the 
 affairs of the convent. Only part of the Chronicle of 
 Melrose Abbey was preserved ; it is written with brevity, 
 but the style is somewhat barbarous. It commences 
 with the year 735, and breaks off abruptly in 1270. 
 The first part of it is said to have been compiled by an 
 Abbot of Dundrennan.* Should this be true, he was 
 probably a monk of Melrose previously; as we read 
 that Dundrennan in Galloway was founded in 11 42, 
 and colonized with monks from Melrose. 
 
 The Cistertians were at this period a reformed class 
 under monachism. They were so named from their 
 first and chief monastery at Cisteaux, in France, founded 
 * NICOLSON'S Eng. Hist. Library.
 
 THE MONKS OF MELROSE. 123 
 
 about the close of the eleventh century. They em- 
 braced the rules for monastic life instituted by St. 
 Benedict at Monte Cassino, in Italy, five centuries 
 before. And they revived in all their primitive sim- 
 plicity and integrity, at this time, the rules laid down 
 by their patron and exemplar. Those rules had fallen 
 into disuse. In short, abuses had crept in, and neglect 
 followed. They were now to be proclaimed anew, and 
 a great revivalism of faith and duty was expected to 
 be achieved thereby. Seven times in every twenty- 
 four hours devotions must be performed. The first 
 service was at two o'clock in the morning; second, 
 Matins, or Prime, at six o'clock ; third, Tierce, at nine 
 o'clock; fourth, the Sexte, at twelve o'clock; fifth, the 
 None, at three o'clock; sixth, Vespers, at six in the 
 evening ; seventh, the Compline, which was said after 
 seven o'clock. The monks went to bed at eight, so 
 they had six hours rest before the nocturnal service 
 began. 
 
 They were to fast daily in Lent till six in the evening. 
 They all slept in the same dormitory, which was a long 
 open room, undivided by cells. Each monk had a bed 
 to himself, and was furnished with a mat, blanket, 
 coverlet, and pillow. The latter was to be only eighteen 
 inches long. They never went abroad alone, but always 
 two together, to guard and witness each other's conduct, 
 and prompt each other to good thoughts. In the year
 
 124 THE MONKS OF MELROSE. 
 
 1 134-,two years prior to the foundation of Melrose Abbey, 
 a general Chapter of the Cistertian Order was held in 
 France. It was then resolved, that the rules of St. 
 Benedict, with regard to food, dress, morals, and re- 
 ligious observances, should be enforced. Luxury, if 
 not wholly suppressed, was to be prevented as much as 
 possible. Their monasteries were to be in the most 
 solitary and retired situations. The monks were to live 
 by labour. They were to cultivate the earth and keep 
 cattle ; and they were permitted, for this end, to possess 
 lands, woods, vineyards, meadows, and fishings; sheep, 
 oxen, horses, goats, and other domesticated animals. 
 But prohibited from having deer, hawks, bears, or such 
 animals as are kept for amusement only.* 
 
 They were forbidden to possess tithes, revenues, or 
 advowsons of churches, dues of milns or ovens, bond- 
 servants, or even the rents of land. Eegulations were 
 thus made, that they should not live by the labour of 
 others. To enable the monks so disposed for greater 
 retirement, study, and abstraction from the world, it 
 was deemed convenient to admit into their community 
 a certain number of persons, such as lay brethren, or 
 converts, as they were sometimes called. Their office 
 was to manage the secular business of the convent, 
 including the cultivation of its lands, and all other 
 pastoral duties. These lay brethren were not called 
 
 * Annalet Cistertionses.
 
 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 125 
 
 upon to take the monastic vow, but in every other 
 respect they were treated exactly like the monks. 
 
 The dress of the Cistertians was a white cassock, 
 with a narrow scapulary, over which they wore a black 
 gown when they went abroad, but a white one when 
 going to church. They also wore hoods of plain cloth, 
 fustian, or linen. Great simplicity and frugality was 
 to be observed also in their church ornaments, and the 
 dress of their ministers. The altar cloth was to be of 
 plain linen. The stole and maniple, which at first was 
 of cloth, were afterwards allowed to be of plain silk. 
 Palls, capes, dalmatics, and tunics were forbidden. 
 The crosses were to be of wood and painted, not 
 carved, nor of silver or gold. The chalice might be of 
 silver gilt. The candlesticks must be iron, and the 
 censers of iron or copper. Pictures and painted glass 
 were not allowed in their churches, and all churches 
 under this order were dedicated to God, under the 
 invocation of the Virgin Mary. 
 
 With respect to their food, variety of dishes was 
 forbidden. Flesh was allowed only to the sick. They 
 observed a rigid abstinence; Fish, eggs, milk, butter, 
 and cheese were not common things, but only used as 
 pittances or dainties. None but the sick, or guests, 
 were allowed any other than brown bread. They used 
 the common herbs of the country, but foreign spices 
 and pepper were forbidden. No convent would send
 
 ] 26 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 
 
 to colonize a new monastery unless the community 
 consisted of at least sixty monks. License also was 
 required of the general Chapter, and the Archbishop or 
 Bishop. The convent was to consist, at least, of twelve 
 monks and their superior. Before they could be 
 brought to their new abode, the following buildings 
 must be provided: an oratory, a refectory, a dormi- 
 tory, a stranger's cell, and a porter's lodge. The books 
 required for divine service must be ready also. The 
 superior of the new establishment was bound to pay a 
 visit to the parent monastery once a-year. All abbots 
 of this order were obliged to attend the general Chapter, 
 held annually at Cisteaux, except those who were 
 excused on account of sickness or distance. Abbots in 
 Scotland and Ireland need only be present every fourth 
 year, and delegates were allowed in some cases. 
 
 No candidate desiring to become a monk could enter 
 upon his noviciate under fifteen years of age. He 
 must first petition to be admitted. This done, after 
 the space of four days, he was brought before the 
 abbot and a select number of monks, in the Chapter- 
 house. Being asked of the abbot what he wanted, he 
 replied, " The mercy of God and yours/' The abbot 
 then explained to him the great strictness of their rules, 
 and the large amount of self-denial required in keep- 
 ing them ; after which he asked him if he was willing 
 to submit to the restraints they imposed. Upon his
 
 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 127 
 
 replying in the affirmative, the abbot again admonished 
 him, concluding with these words, " May God finish 
 the good work that he hath begun in thee ;" all present 
 saying, " Amen." The candidate hereupon bowed, re- 
 tiring to the guest-chamber. He now had permission 
 to read the rules of the order, and went through a 
 similar ceremony on being introduced into the Chapter- 
 house, on the following day. On the third day he was 
 admitted into the cell of the novices, and began the 
 year of his probation. He now received daily instruc- 
 tion from the master of the novices, who was usually 
 one of the oldest and most learned of the monks. 
 Twelve months were considered a sufficient trial of their 
 discipline and manner of life, and if to further inter- 
 rogatories now put, he persisted in his request, he was 
 allowed to make his profession, and become a regular 
 member of the order. Such was the simple ceremony 
 from first to last, about which such monstrous rites of 
 admission have been given to the world by various 
 authors. 
 
 When King David founded the monastery of St. 
 Mary's, Melrose, the ground on which the present town 
 and ruins stand, was a village called Little Fordell. 
 Such was its ancient name, probably at a remote period 
 a Roman village also, like Newstead. 
 
 Old Melrose had attained great celebrity in the annals 
 of monachism, not less by the learning and eloquence
 
 128 THE MONKS OP MELEOSE. 
 
 of some of its brethren, than by the miraculous fame 
 and canonization of others. Whatever the king might 
 think with respect to rebuilding Old Melrose, the situa- 
 tion of Fordell was far better for the purpose. It was 
 secluded, still more apropos of display, and better cal- 
 culated to defend itself and be defended. In honour of 
 St. Cuthbert, and veneration for the old monastery, 
 Melrose was .the name the king chose to confer on the 
 new locality. 
 
 Many changes in church government were effected 
 by David L Under his reforming hand many minor 
 churches, such as Lindean, and others, lost their im- 
 portance. The king was bent on establishing great 
 monastic institutions. He wished to see an extended 
 episcopacy, branching to all parts of the country. He 
 saw the advantages likely to result from the formation 
 of churches on the Borders. An enemy might have 
 reverence for an edifice of an ecclesiastical character, 
 who would otherwise sack and destroy it. He foresaw 
 the benefit of annexing extensive possessions to mon- 
 astic churches. Endowments to communities which 
 fostered intelligence and order, would be productive of 
 more good than increase of wealth and power in the 
 person of nobles and courtiers, not more ignorant than 
 selfish, deceitful, and quarrelsome. With such views, 
 were founded the monastic institutions of Teviotdale,
 
 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 129 
 
 including that of Melrose. Great favours were bestowed 
 upon them by David, and his successors on the throne, 
 till the reign of James V. They gradually increased in 
 importance and political status, while their churches 
 became the chief ornaments of the kingdom. For ages 
 both commerce and agriculture flourished under mon- 
 achism. The people grew wiser. They were both 
 wiser and better in worldly circumstances than they had 
 been hitherto. While war and faction disturbed the 
 state, the wealth, wisdom, and learning of the ecclesias- 
 tics kept the throne steady, and gave to society a balance 
 which the dissensions of warlike chiefs only tended to 
 unsettle and overturn. In their primitive simplicity and 
 mission, these establishments were not such nurseries 
 of evil as some writers wish us to believe. Like some 
 of the states of old, wealth and luxury paved the way 
 to degeneracy, and degeneracy to their destruction. 
 The guileless manners of their lives became corrupted 
 with the too frequent gifts of loaves and fishes, and the 
 worm that lies hidden in all human institutions, pride, 
 ultimately fed upon the vitals of their morals, and 
 darkened their declining power and waning influence 
 likewise. Such was the munificence which kings, 
 princes, and nobles, had favoured this monastery with, 
 that in the latter part of the thirteenth century, the 
 convent possessed more than one hundred saddle horses,
 
 130 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 
 
 and as many more for agricultural and other purposes, 
 and threefold the number of both in outlying mares 
 and foals. 
 
 The monks had two thousand acres of arable land, 
 and one thousand acres of meadow in cultivation, under 
 their own surveillance. They had also fifteen thousand 
 acres of forest, common, and pasturage lands. They 
 had herdsmen, hinds, and labourers, at hired rates from 
 a penny to twopence per day, besides a numerous staff 
 of lay brethren. They had two hundred cows, three 
 thousand head of oxen, eighty bulls, nearly as many calves 
 under one year old, and upwards of twenty thousand 
 sheep. They had also deer, swine, capons, and other 
 poultry. At this time they bought, sold, and exchanged 
 lands. They advanced money by way of mortgage on 
 the security of lands or buildings. They bestowed 
 lands on their brotherhood or those of the same order. 
 They had access, free of tollage and dues, to markets all 
 over the kingdom. They bred, bought, and sold horses, 
 cows, oxen, sheep, and pigs. They sold fish, fruit, and 
 grain of all kinds. They exported from Berwick twenty 
 thousand fleeces of wool, or three thousand sacks, in a 
 single year, the produce of their own flocks. They 
 made butter and cheese, and sold both. They had 
 fishings in the principal rivers, and even on the sea- 
 coast. They had potteries and tile-works, public mills
 
 THE MONKS OF MELEOSK 131 
 
 and ovens or bake-houses; church livings and bene- 
 fices, in all directions. They had forty granges and 
 herd-houses situated in various localities ; private pro- 
 perty in distant counties. Gifts of all kinds came in 
 annually, such as wax for tapers, white flour for holy- 
 day and pittance bread, as well as benefactions in 
 money. They were empowered to travel through 
 foreign countries and states free of taxes and dues 
 therein. Their sacred vessels became of silver and 
 gold, their sanctuary clothed in purple and fine linen. 
 Grand was the pageant, and sublime the warning. All 
 went on, thoughtless and merry as a marriage bell. 
 The scene shifted. Another oligarchy envied their 
 lands, another class of people their revenues, another 
 their pageants and the costly splendour of their churches ; 
 and lastly, another and far greater class in number than 
 all the others, excited by declamatory agitation out of 
 doors, threw their weight into the great reforming 
 movement of the times. Some there were who sighed 
 deeply for more religious toleration, a less corrupt 
 church, and a more catholic spirit. Ultimately, as with 
 giant grasp, the great cordon of public opinion sur- 
 rounded not Melrose only, but every similar institution 
 in the kingdom. Pillage, forfeiture, spoliation, ruin, 
 followed. One extreme ushered in another. Popery 
 was to be crushed at all hazards and consequences,
 
 132 THE MONKS OF MELBOSE. 
 
 however dreadful to the pursuer or pursued. The strong 
 and the mighty estranged the abbey lands and posses- 
 sions, and called them after their own names. The 
 monasteries were broken into forcibly, their wealth 
 stolen and distributed, the sacred vessels of their chapels 
 carried away, their ornaments defaced, their statues 
 mutilated and thrown down, and the inmates and houses 
 generally maltreated and dispersed. The monks were 
 incapable of offering any resistance. Priestcraft was 
 ignominy monachism at an end. The handwriting 
 had been seen on the wall, but disregarded till too late. 
 Within was discord, and without were foes. In a 
 moment, powerful as the elements that urged them on, 
 and fierce as the retribution that fell on every hand, 
 Romanism was to be eradicated, root and branch, and 
 its expiry marked with terror and desolation. So it 
 was, the strong and the powerful cheering each other 
 on by 
 
 "The good old rule, the simple plan, 
 That he should take who has the power, 
 And he should keep who can." 
 
 Such was plainly the motto of the times. At the 
 period of the Reformation all kinds of reproaches were 
 cast upon Romanists. They became a jibe and a bye- 
 word. The songs of the streets were about them. 
 We extract the following verse as a sign of the times,
 
 THE MONKS OF MELEOSE. 133 
 
 and leave it to others to determine its truth or fiction 
 for themselves: 
 
 "The monks of Melros made fat kail 
 
 On Fridays, when they fasted : 
 But wanted neither beef nor ale, 
 So long's their neighbours' lasted." 
 
 Old Ballad. 
 
 The early monastic institutions of Britain have, by 
 a recent writer, been denominated " moral fortresses." 
 They were indeed the nurseries in which religion and 
 learning found refuge, at a time when the cottage 
 afforded no protection, and when the baronial residence 
 echoed no sound save that of brutal merriment and 
 ferocious warfare. By the religious awe they inspired, 
 they tended in some measure to render the incursions 
 of hostile armies less destructive. In perilous times 
 the peasantry of the neighbourhood found an hospitable 
 shelter within their walls, for themselves, their wives, 
 and their little ones ; while the food and alms which 
 the monks regularly distributed, must have preserved 
 the existence of many who would have otherwise 
 perished. They were skilled in pharmacy, they had 
 an extensive knowledge of botanical science and me- 
 dicinal plants, and observed, in a distinguished manner 
 at Melrose, the most courteous rule of hospitality to 
 rich and poor.
 
 134 
 
 jFattrtlj, 
 
 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 Hail to thy ruins gray all hail ! Melrose ! 
 Thy thriving town, and ancient market-cross, 
 Thy tap'ring spires, that crown the wat'ry glade. 
 And modest villas to the Tweed displayed. 
 
 HE small, but pretty and retired 
 town of Melrose, stands in an im- 
 posing and charming situation ; 
 surrounded by high hills on every 
 side, and warmly sheltered from 
 the cold north winds by the Gat- 
 tonside range. It expands on a gentle acclivity from 
 the south banks of the Tweed, towards the base of the 
 northern slopes of the Eildon hills, once the Trimon- 
 tium of the Romans, and in the upper ward of the 
 county of Roxburgh. The air is remarkably dry and 
 salubrious, and the prospect from all quarters of the 
 town rich and inviting. 
 
 The town is a burgh of barony, has a capital weekly
 
 MELROSE TOWN. 135 
 
 market on Mondays for the sale of grain and stock, 
 and is abundantly supplied with all kinds of agricul- 
 tural and garden produce. Of late years, the town has 
 made great progress, and is rapidly improving in ex- 
 tent, accommodation, and enterprise. The market-place 
 is very capacious. In the centre stands the Cross, a 
 structure bearing the marks of great antiquity, and on 
 which is the date 1642. The shaft is twenty feet high, 
 having the rampant figure of a unicorn on its apex, 
 sustaining the arms of Scotland. For the support of 
 this relic there is a piece of land in the vicinity, 
 termed the Corse Eig. The upper part of this cross 
 was changed at the Reformation ; else, prior to this, it 
 was supposed to be coeval with the Abbey. The old- 
 fashioned flight of steps was removed, and an octagonal 
 base substituted, which was anything but tasteful or 
 appropriate, and vandalises this otherwise curious 
 monument of antiquity, which is to be regretted. 
 There is a prosperous farmer's club here, established 
 in 1 832. Its meetings are held the first Monday of 
 each month ; the attendance is numerous, and the busi- 
 ness ably conducted. There are also a curling club of 
 considerable local repute, and a spirited cricket club ; 
 several excellent educational institutions; horticul- 
 tural, benevolent, and benefit societies. 
 
 The town of Melrose rests principally on the grey- 
 wacke formation, the superincumbent strata consisting
 
 136 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 of good friable loam, interspersed occasionally with rich 
 beds of clay, evidences of a warm and healthy locality, 
 perfectly free from miasma and local atmospheric de- 
 rangement. The inhabitants are both healthy, and look 
 so, and strangers frequently observe, that in the oldest 
 the lines of age come late in life, or seem deferred. 
 
 The rich, champaign, beautiful, and highly-cultivated 
 vale of Melrose, occupies the site of what was once an 
 ancient lake. From east to west, whenever the ground 
 is turned up, this is manifest by the deposits met with, 
 which consist of pebbles, water stones, and fresh water 
 sand-beds, lying in many places quite contiguous to 
 the surface. The general formation is Graywacke, 
 especially northwards ; to the south we find wbinstone, 
 conglomerate, and other varieties of sandstone. 
 
 This once magnificent sheet of water extended at one 
 period from the bight of land by Melrose bridge to 
 beyond Newstead, a distance of two miles, and from the 
 grassy slopes of the Eildon to the fertile ranges of 
 Gattonside. It was, in fact, a great basin or reservoir 
 of the Tweed, and so existed for a long period until 
 some phenomena burst the eastern barrier and liberated 
 the pent-up waters. The Tweed has not always pur- 
 sued an undeviating course in this locality. At one 
 period it sallied on, in joyous mood, much nearer the 
 town and abbey of Melrose than at present. In some 
 places it has retired nearly a hundred yards from the
 
 MELEOSE TOWN. 137 
 
 south, and gained correspondingly on the north side, 
 so that of the ancient Galtonside as it was called, now 
 Gattonside, some inconsiderable portion has been de- 
 tached, and lies south of the river, known as Gattonside 
 haugh, and is thus separated from its ancient borders 
 by the deviations made in the track of the river. 
 
 In dry seasons the volume of water in the Tweed is 
 not nearly so great as formerly. In very rainy seasons, 
 too, the subsidence of the water is far more rapid than 
 it used to be. Agricultural improvements, more 
 especially draining, passes the surplus water from 
 the land with an amazing rapidity. A few days of dry 
 weather entirely drains the land, and the best pools, 
 which the fisherman knows, are thereby seriously 
 affected. Supposing these changes and improvements 
 continue, and ultimately embrace the mountain slopes 
 and high uncultivated districts of the Tweed and some 
 of its tributaries, the time may come when the heads 
 of the weirs or caulds must be lowered at the overshot, 
 or many must go wholly to rest, and the mills and 
 machinery dependent on them. It becomes more 
 apparent, year by year, that the salmon high up Tweed 
 cannot pass the caulds and be gone to sea, to return again 
 in a jolly, well-fed condition, let them try their best. 
 Thus they are compelled sometimes to remain long in 
 the same locality, and too often become a prey to the 
 
 lawless and mischievous reiver. 
 
 K
 
 138 MELROSE TOWU. 
 
 Within a few years, to the west of the town of Mel- 
 rose, there has sprung up a long line of very handsome 
 and superior suburban villas, enjoying on the south a 
 romantic view of the Eildon, and on the north the bosom 
 of the softly gliding Tweed, and a lovely range of rich 
 upland cultivated fields and orchards stretching far 
 beyond it. 
 
 Most conveniently situated, and near the business 
 end of Melrose, stands the railway station, which is 
 both a handsome and capacious structure, in excellent 
 keeping with the picturesque locality that surrounds it. 
 An omnibus runs twice a-day from the railway station 
 to Earlston, and other omnibuses are in constant at- 
 tendance on every train that arrives and departs. 
 
 Of late years, Melrose has become a favourite haunt 
 of the tourist, and an inexpensive resort of the middle 
 and upper classes. To families or individuals seeking 
 retirement, the town and neighbourhood offer all that 
 can be desired, and the distinguished advantages also 
 of good and well-bred society. 
 
 Melrose is of easy access north or south ; by rail, it 
 is distant from Edinburgh 37 miles, from Kelso 15, 
 Hawick 16, and Berwick 38^ miles. It is within 
 thirty minutes' drive of the far-famed Abbotsford, the 
 romantic seat of the late Sir Walter Scott, Bart., and 
 of Dryburgh Abbey, the scene of his boyhood and his 
 grave ; to either of which favourite places, as well as to
 
 MELKOSE TOWN. 139 
 
 the ancient houses of Bemerside and bonny Cowden- 
 knowes, good posting accommodation at moderate rates 
 can be easily obtained in Melrose. 
 
 The population of Melrose town proper has risen 
 from 964 in 1851 to 1141 in 1861. The continued 
 growth of the town in size and proportion is attribut- 
 able to the many natural advantages of the district of 
 which it is the centre. The parish is now divided into 
 two districts, viz., Ladhope district, with 4154, and 
 Melrose district, with 3557 inhabitants, the latter con- 
 sisting of 1643 males, and 1914 females. The united 
 population of the parish of Melrose is now, therefore, 
 7711. At the census of 1851 it was only 7365. Many 
 new residents have contributed to this increase.* 
 
 * The growth of population has, however, been retarded by incidental 
 circumstances. The town has been improved in general appearance, 
 and has witnessed an influx of the middle and higher classes, with a 
 diminution of the poorer and industrious ones. In our estimation of 
 the philanthropic principles so nobly advocated by the friends of 
 social science, this is matter of regret. Within the memory of the 
 present generation, a row of cottages existed where the present wall 
 of St. Cuthbert's garden is placed. A similar line of houses extended 
 down the east side of Abbey Street, where the wall of Priorbank 
 nursery stands. And a considerable street, known as Dingleton 
 Wynd, occupied the situation now covered by the railway station 
 and its approaches. These clearings have compelled many of the 
 inhabitants to resort to the neighbouring villages to procure suitable 
 house accommodation. Some steps have already been taken in the 
 right direction, and we shall be glad to see this anomalous state of 
 things altered, and good two-storey tenements erected for the in- 
 dustrious poor.
 
 140 MELEOSE TOWN. 
 
 The parish church is a large and most substantial 
 building, crowned with a spire, and ornamented with a 
 clock, standing upon a conspicuous eminence called 
 the Weirhill, a little west of the town.* 
 
 Nearly opposite, looking from the Established Church 
 northwards, stands the Free Church, a very neat 
 edifice ;-f- and a little beyond it, close to the highway 
 leading to the sequestered village of Darnick, is a 
 small but elegant Episcopalian Church, of which the 
 Rev. John Gabriel Ryde, M.A., is incumbent, and was 
 ordained in 1 847. The High Cross, as it was called, 
 and which was much noted in ancient times, and 
 directed the pilgrim from the Abbey to Bridgend and 
 the Girthgate, stood near the present site of the Epis- 
 copalian edifice. This cross pointed out the great 
 Edinburgh road by the Girthgate. There is also an 
 Evangelical Union Chapel, of which the Rev. William 
 Croinbie is minister, ordained in 1850; and a United 
 Presbyterian Church in the centre of the town.J 
 
 Near the Free Church, on the higher ground, is a 
 new and well-enclosed cemetery, with good carriage 
 way, purchased and laid out by the parochial board of 
 Melrose. 
 
 * Rev. William Murray, ordained in 1836. Patron, the Duke of 
 Buccleuch. 
 
 t Free Church. Rev. William Cousin, ordained in 1840. 
 J U. P. Church. Rev. Hugh Stevenson, ordained 1860.
 
 MELROSE TOWN. 141 
 
 In the immediate vicinity of Melrose are the splendid 
 estates and residences of the most distinguished fami- 
 lies, a goodly number of remarkably pleasant villas, 
 villages, and hamlets, scattered amongst smiling fields 
 and gardens, presenting an appearance of great fertility 
 and loveliness. Within easy distance is the ancient 
 manufacturing town of Galashiels, noted for its tweeds, 
 shawls, and tartans ; the town of Earlston (Ercildoun), 
 not more famed for the ruins of Thomas the Rhymer's 
 tower than for its ginghams and hosiery ; and the an- 
 cient towns of Selkirk and Jedburgh, with the beautiful 
 monastic ruins of the latter. About the close of the 
 seventeenth century, there were a great many public 
 breweries and malt-houses in Melrose and the vicinity. 
 Melrose also stood in high repute for its domestic 
 manufacture of shirting and fine linen cloths. These 
 were bought by the first houses in London and Edin- 
 burgh ; some were so costly that the rich and luxu- 
 rious could only afford to wear them. This useful 
 occupation has entirely ceased, and agriculture is the 
 chief source of local industry. 
 
 Around Melrose, the most eligible sites of land for 
 building purposes can be readily obtained. Land is 
 feued at an easy price, and materials for the erection of 
 dwellings are both cheap and plentiful. As a specula- 
 tion, building has become profitable ; as an investment, 
 it affords capital interest and security; houses are
 
 142 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 taken up as soon as finished, and frequently before. 
 Of late years, many good families have erected houses 
 here for their summer occupation only. The roads are 
 everywhere in good order and preservation, soon dry 
 again after rain, and whether for season visitors or 
 permanent residents, few places possess so much at- 
 traction with so much quiet and seclusion. 
 
 The joyous river with its silver falls, Melrose bridge, 
 its sylvan scenery and wooded slopes, the busy corn 
 mill on the Weir, the chain suspension bridge, and 
 here and there some angler with his cunning fly and 
 dexterous hand, one varying prospect, 
 
 " Ever charming, ever new ;" 
 
 the church, the grassy knoll, and amorous music of 
 the waters wimpling on beneath our feet. Sequestered 
 oft in shady nook and greenwood shaw, some village 
 farm gives to the landscape round a matchless and 
 unbroken charm. 
 
 The lover of piscatorial pleasures may revel here. 
 They who delight from lofty eminences to catch en- 
 chanting scenes, and lift the veil of nature to behold 
 her when " unadorned, adorned the most," will dis- 
 cover many worthy of admiration and the pencil like- 
 wise. The retiring and contemplative may here enjoy 
 heavenly tranquillity, and woo the balmy breeze of 
 blithe invigorating health at morning, noon, or night,
 
 MELEOSE TOWN. 143 
 
 while perambulating the lovely walks that everywhere 
 crown the margin of the river. 
 
 The town of Melrose contains four good libraries, 
 many first-class shops, and numerous private houses 
 for the accommodation of temporary residents, two 
 excellent family hotels and posting houses, besides 
 comfortable inns ; and is well supplied with both water 
 and gas of superior quality. Lammas fair, which is 
 annually held on the northern slopes of the Eildon, 
 attracts buyers of sheep and horned cattle to Melrose 
 from a considerable distance. The fair is a notable 
 one. 
 
 The Duke of Buccleuch is superior of Melrose. 
 Many places in Melrose and its vicinity still bear 
 monkish names, as the Cloister Close, the Abbot's 
 Meadow, and Cuddie's (St. Cuthbert's) Green ; and the 
 principal wells and water-springs still retain the names 
 of Romish saints, as St. Mary's, St. Helen's, St. Wil- 
 liam's, St. Dunstan's, and others. The wooded bank 
 south of the Abbey is still called Prior's Walk, and a 
 small rivulet that runs thereby, the Malthouse Burn. 
 The ancient name of Dingleton was Daniel's Town. 
 
 In the High Street, Melrose, stands a very ancient 
 two-storied tenement, with thatched roof, directly 
 opposite the King's Arms Hotel. It has one gable jut- 
 ting out upon the pavement. This was formerly styled 
 the " Westport," and about fifty years ago formed the
 
 144 MELKOSE TOWN. 
 
 western extremity of Melrose, whereas it now stands 
 in the centre of the town. Above the door is the 
 date 1635. In this house slept General Leslie, the 
 night "before the battle of Philiphaugh in Septem- 
 ber, 1645. After the battle of Naseby, Sir David 
 Leslie was sent to seek out the Marquis of Mon- 
 trose and crush him. The commander of the Cove- 
 nanters left Melrose early on the following morning, 
 and, favoured by a dense fog, marched unobserved 
 on Philiphaugh, where he fell in with the infantry 
 of Montrose, and hostilities commenced briskly on 
 both sides. The cavalry of Montrose, which lay in 
 Selkirk the previous night, shortly came up, but too 
 late, the infantry being already in disorder, which the 
 cavalry increased, until at length all the adherents of 
 Montrose gave way together, those who could escape 
 taking full flight up the Yarrow, and across Minch- 
 moor to Peebles. 
 
 Two very ancient holidays are held annually in the 
 town of Melrose, viz., Fastren's E'en and the Eve of 
 St. John. 
 
 Fastren's E'en is celebrated annually after the 
 Border fashion, in the month of February, the day 
 being fixed by the following antiquated couplet 
 
 " First comes Candlemas, syne the New Moon; 
 The next Tuesday after is Fastren's E'en." 
 
 On these occasions the town presents a most
 
 MELEOSE TOWN. 145 
 
 singular appearance, from the windows of the shops 
 and dwellings in the main streets being barricaded. 
 This precaution is necessary to prevent breakage, as 
 football playing on a most indiscriminate and unlimited 
 scale is the order of the day. The ball is thrown up 
 at the cross at one o'clock, when the young men of 
 the town and neighbourhood, with a sprinkling of the 
 married athletes, assemble in considerable numbers. 
 The footballs used are previously provided by a general 
 public subscription, and from one o'clock the sport is 
 kept up with great spirit, until darkness sets in and 
 puts a stop to the game. Business throughout the 
 town, as a matter of course, is almost entirely suspended 
 during the day. 
 
 The eve of St. John witnesses a masonic comme- 
 moration of great interest. The institution of the Mel- 
 rose St. John's Lodge of Freemasons, is said to be of 
 equal antiquity with the Abbey "John Mordo, who had 
 in keeping all mason work " at the building of it, being 
 the first Grand Master of the lodge. The anniver- 
 sary is celebrated on St. John's festival of each year. 
 Immediately after the election of office-bearers for 
 the year ensuing, the brethren walk in procession 
 three times round the Cross, and afterwards dine to- 
 gether, under the presidency of the newly elected 
 Grand Master. About six in the evening the members 
 again turn out, and form into line two abreast, each
 
 146 MELKOSE TOWN. 
 
 bearing a lighted flambeau, and decorated with their 
 peculiar emblems and insignia. Headed by the heraldic 
 banners of the lodge, the procession follows the same 
 route, three times round the Cross, and then proceeds 
 to the Abbey. On these occasions the crowded streets 
 present a scene of the most animated description. 
 The joyous strains of a well-conducted band, the 
 waving torches, and incessant showers of fireworks, 
 make the scene a carnival. But at this time, the 
 venerable Abbey is the chief point of attraction and 
 resort, and as the mystic torch-bearers thread their 
 way through its mouldering aisles, and round its 
 massive pillars, the outlines of its gorgeous ruins be- 
 come singularly illuminated, and brought into bold 
 and striking relief; 
 
 "That deeper seem their shadows still." 
 
 The whole extent of the Abbey is, with " measured 
 step and slow," gone three times round. But when, 
 near the " finale," the whole masonic body gather to 
 the chancel, and forming one grand semicircle around 
 it, where the heart of King Eobert the Bruce lies de- 
 posited near the High Altar, and the band strikes up 
 the patriotic air, 
 
 "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled, 
 Scots wham Bruce has often led," 
 
 the effect produced by the associations of the music
 
 MELEOSE TOWN. 147 
 
 and the scene is sublime and overpowering. Midst 
 showers of rockets and the glare of blue lights, the 
 scene closes, the whole reminding one of some popular 
 saturnalia held in a monkish town during the middle 
 ages. 
 
 Melrose has long been the great central artery of 
 Border antiquity, history, literature, and romance, 
 ramifying in all directions to a distance of twenty and 
 thirty miles. It was rendered immortally classic by 
 the songs of Burns and the Seasons of Thomson, to 
 the lore of which has been added the Adventures and 
 Travels of Parke, and the undying wreaths woven by 
 the industrial genius of Scott, Wilson, Hogg, and Dr 
 Leyden.* 
 
 No single district of equal extent in Christendom is 
 so rich in the spoils of time so full of interest to the 
 antiquarian and historian, and so redundant and over- 
 flowing in legendary lore and tradition. It is replete 
 and teeming with the essence of romance, and pre- 
 eminently artistic and beautiful in its outward diversity 
 of form and general character. 
 
 Once a mystic cycle of the Druids, dyed with their 
 bloody immolations and forest sacrifices ; early held of 
 
 * Sir Walter Scott; Professor John Wilson, Author of Noctes 
 Ambrosiance ; James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd; and Dr John 
 Leyden, the poet and linguist, who was a native of Denholm, but 
 died in India.
 
 148 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 the Romans, their Tremontium, on the barren Eildon, 
 a General's quarters, with connecting roads and inter- 
 cepting ramparts; next sought of the Religieuse and 
 Monachism ; how often the very theatre of Border 
 strife and sanguinary foray; trodden under foot of 
 that merciless horde of barbarians, the pagan Danes 
 it has witnessed the strife of battle and the greater 
 triumphs of peace. In the dark ages of our history, 
 and while the genial rays of religion were bursting but 
 slowly upon the mental surface of the national char- 
 acter, it became too frequently the cradle of heroic 
 valour, and the mausoleum of vanquished greatness. 
 
 More exquisitely beautiful, however, than fairy ever 
 dreamed, the wonder of the beholder, the joy of the 
 eye, immortalized by immortality itself in song and 
 fable skilfully enigmatical to the grandest conception 
 a superhuman relic of the past sublimely harmoni- 
 ous in all its parts a charm a glory, are the sumptu- 
 ous ruins of the ancient and renowned Monastery of 
 St. Mary's, Melrose. Fire, sword, and rapine have 
 done their worst, while time seems only to have 
 wrinkled 1 its beauty, in order to give the grand outline 
 of its past pomp and magnificence more striking effect 
 to the beholders of the present age. Roofless in part 
 annihilated in portion stript denuded. The in- 
 imitable chastity of its decorated doors, windows, and 
 columns, with its flowery carvings and symbolic deco-
 
 MELKOSE TOWN. 149 
 
 rations, are gorgeous and fascinating in the extreme 
 they are, in truth, a life's study and when treading 
 its now silent and deserted aisles, the mind instinctively 
 reverts back to its appearance when graced with vir- 
 ginal bloom and primeval splendour. 
 
 MONACHISM, ITS OEDEES, DUTIES, HABITS, AND 
 EMPLOYMENTS. 
 
 As order and economy were the mottoes observed 
 in all monastic institutions from an early period, it 
 will be interesting to enumerate the office-bearers and 
 their duties, also the habits and employments of the 
 monks, thus rendering more intelligible the following 
 history. 
 
 1. The Lord Abbot ruled over the whole convent 
 with absolute sway, living in great state in private 
 apartments, but more generally in a separate hall or 
 palace. He had servants, horses, hawks, hounds, boats, 
 gardens, lawns, orchards, and could entertain knightly 
 guests with sumptuous dinners and any individual of 
 the convent at his private table. He had a chaplain, 
 who, besides his spiritual duties, managed his household. 
 Both he and the monks were held accountable, however, 
 to the parent monastery. Melrose being a mother 
 church, and the chief of the four pilgrimages of Scot-
 
 150 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 land, was subject to a Chapter of the general order 
 only, whose decisions required the confirmation or 
 rejection of the Pope. 
 
 2. The Prior was chosen by the Abbot, and acted for 
 him ; he also kept up considerable state in his private 
 apartments. He presided in the choir, chapter-house, 
 and refectory, when the Abbot did not choose to do so 
 himself: he knew the revenues of the convents, both 
 fixed and fluctuating, the produce of the harvests, the 
 grants and benefactions bequeathed from time to time, 
 and was in fact a monastic chancellor, with ample 
 power and recognised authority. 
 
 3. The Superior was the Prior's assistant and occa- 
 sional deputy. He had the general supervision of the 
 convent in matters of discipline, noting those who 
 were guilty of any neglect of duty, or were absent 
 without leave ; took care the doors of the convent were 
 kept locked from five in the evening to five in the 
 morning, and when he visited the dormitories at night, 
 read over the names of the monks, who were bound to 
 answer to them. 
 
 4. The Cellarer had charge of the cellar, storehouse, 
 kitchen, and refectory; in this respect he superintended 
 them, and saw that nothing necessary was wanting. 
 
 5. The Refectioner had care of the furniture of the 
 table in the refectory eating-room.
 
 MELKOSE TOWN. 151 
 
 6. The Chamberlain had charge of the wardrobe 
 and bedding. 
 
 7. The Secretarius, or Sacrist, had charge of the 
 sacred vessels and ornaments of the church, provided 
 the candles, also bread and wine for the Communion. 
 
 8. The Almoner distributed food and clothing to the 
 poor, especially the fragments left at meals. 
 
 9. The Infirmarier watched over the interest of the 
 sick in the convent ward, administered to their wants, 
 and on urgent occasions was their confessor. 
 
 1 0. The Hospitaller received pilgrims, strangers, and 
 wayfaring poor, and provided for their entertainment 
 and wants in a suitable and appropriate room, called 
 the hospice or guest-chamber. Strangers of rank 
 were entertained by the Abbot only. 
 
 11. The Chantor, or Precentor, conducted the service 
 of the choir, instructed the singing boys, had the 
 custody of the archives or records, and sometimes of the 
 library. 
 
 12. The Librarian kept the books in a room built 
 for the purpose, adjoining which was the scriptorium 
 or writing-room, where some of the monks were con- 
 stantly employed making copies of books. 
 
 13. The Commendator, Steward, Seneschal, or Baillie, 
 was the Abbot's depute, in the exercise of his seignorial 
 rights, as temporal lord of the abbey lands, &c.
 
 152 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 This office was usually held by a layman of distinction 
 in the neighbourhood, and, in later times, became almost 
 hereditary in their families. 
 
 14. The Treasurer received the rents and paid ac- 
 counts and wages. 
 
 15. The Porter had a lodging at the gate, with 
 power to admit pilgrims, strangers, and all proper per- 
 sons, and to exclude others. 
 
 16. The Kitchener, or chief cook, was sometimes a 
 layman. 
 
 17. The Master of the Noviciate superintended the 
 education of the young persons who were on trial for 
 admission into the order. He was sometimes styled 
 master of the converts ; persons who, having lived long 
 in the world, afterwards took the monastic habit, being 
 called converts. 
 
 18. The Lay Brethren were also sometimes called 
 Converts ; they were the servants of the community, 
 performed the menial offices, and were employed in 
 the labours of husbandry. They were attired like the 
 monks, this being ordained as a token of the humility 
 of the latter. 
 
 19. Hebdomadaries, or weekly officers, was a name 
 given to any of the monks while employed in waiting 
 at table or in other services, performed by weekly 
 turns. Such were the readers who stood at a desk
 
 MELEOSE TOWN. 153 
 
 in the refectory, and read, while the rest were at their 
 meals. 
 
 20. A master Mason* or builder was either kept in 
 the monastery or adjacent to it, and many other per- 
 sons who exercised useful employments, such as potters 
 gardeners, tool-makers, smiths, and habit-makers."!* 
 
 LIFE AND CONDITION OF A MONK OE FEIAE IN 
 ANCIENT TIMES. 
 
 Their lodgings cost them nothing in the Abbey, and 
 the dress of each individual was scarcely worth more 
 than fifteen shillings; the chief part consisting of 
 coarse woollen stuff, being manufactured by themselves. 
 The colour of the hood and tunic (white or black), in- 
 dicating at sight the brotherhood of the wearer. In 
 general they had neither linen nor stockings, they wore 
 sandals with boot legs, and wooden soles for shoes. 
 Although never distressed for eating or drinking, 
 clothes or lodgings, their lives were hard and uncom- 
 fortable. 
 
 They rose early every day, very early, to sing matins 
 in the choir, say masses, and attend confessionals. 
 
 * A society of masons always settled, and instituted their lodge 
 or club in the neighbourhood of a monastery, from the very com- 
 mencement of its erection. 
 
 t For further information, see Fosbroke's learned work on British 
 Monuchism. 
 
 L
 
 154 MELKOSE TOWN. 
 
 The business of the latter is often tiresome, because 
 the largest number of the penitents are wholly un- 
 known to them ; many repeat the same story over and 
 over again ; the priest can seldom see their faces ; and 
 many who commit grievous and singular sins seldom 
 go to confess them.* 
 
 When the fatiguing task of the morning was over, the 
 monks went to dinner at twelve o'clock exactly, which 
 was always frugal and scanty. While they dined they 
 kept silence, and listened to one of their brethren, who 
 read aloud some book all the time of dinner. 
 
 After dinner, a full hour was given for recreation, 
 which usually consisted in walking about their garden 
 in summer, or sitting round the refectory fire, which is 
 in the middle of the great hall, in winter, chattering, 
 telling stories, or disputing with each other. They had 
 now to go sing again for another hour, and when this 
 was over, those who wished to go out beyond the pre- 
 cincts of the Monastery, had to kneel before one of 
 their Superiors, kiss the hem of his garment, and ask 
 permission, which was seldom denied. Those who 
 chose to stay at home, retired to their cells, to read, 
 write, or practise some manual work. 
 
 At sunset, they must always be within doors to 
 sing prayers before supper. After supper they all 
 withdrew, and went immediately to bed if they chose, 
 
 * Baretti.
 
 MELKOSE TOWN. 155 
 
 or looked over their books, or mended their garments, 
 for an hour or two. Their beds consisted of a simply 
 contrived mattress, usually stuffed with straw, chaff, or 
 leaves, with a coarse coverlet of cloth, but no sheets. 
 At midnight, they were called up from all parts of the 
 Convent by lay brethren appointed for the purpose. 
 They went to prayers for about an hour, after which 
 they retired to rest till daybreak. This interruption of 
 sleep was felt a great hardship, unnatural, and detri- 
 mental to health. Their unaltered temperance and 
 regular manner of living, alone compensating for it. 
 And in a general way, they all looked florid, robust, 
 and contented, the outward world attributing their 
 appearance to plentiful diet and gross indulgences. 
 
 We will now say a word or two about nuns. Soon 
 as morning appeared, and in winter, long before, they 
 got up and went to sing their prayers in the choir. 
 Then to breakfast, which consisted of a bit of bread 
 and a glass of water. Their dinners were most frugal, 
 and their suppers still scantier. During Lent and 
 Advent they fared still worse, for they had but one 
 meagre dish in the morning, with undressed salad, and 
 bread and fruit in the evening. 
 
 They sat down to a bountiful board only on the 
 most particular occasions, such as when they received 
 a new nun at Easter, or at Christmas, and on their 
 Patron Saint's day, once a-year.
 
 156 MELROSE TOWN. 
 
 They fasted on Fridays and Saturdays all the year 
 round. 
 
 Some received small pensions from their families, 
 others were very ingenious and industrious. Fancy 
 articles, such as ribbons, garters, flowers, buttons, lace, 
 knitted stockings, and many other things, occupied 
 their leisure time, by the sale of which they were 
 enabled to procure themselves some little delicacy, to 
 regale their visitors with. 
 
 The daily life in the cloister would have been 
 strangely monotonous but for the constant series of 
 devotional services, acts of charity and munificence, the 
 inmates were continually called upon to exercise and 
 contribute to. 
 
 The occupants of the Convent enjoyed uninterrupted 
 communication with their friends ; they were permitted 
 to receive visits from relatives, and to entertain them 
 on those occasions.
 
 Exterior View of South Transept.
 
 157 
 
 CARTA EEGIS DAVID DE ABBATIA DE MELEOS. 
 
 .AVID, Dei gratia, Eex Scot- 
 torum, episcopis, abbatibus, co- 
 mitibus, baronibus, et probis 
 hominibus suis, et omnibus fidelibus suis 
 totius regni sui, Francis, et Anglicis, et 
 Scotis, et Galwensibus, salutem : Sciatis 
 me pro anima mea, et animabus patris 
 et matris mese, et fratris mei JMgari, et aliorum 
 fratrum et sororum meamm, et uxorus mese Matildse, 
 et etiam pro anima Henrici filii mei et heeredis, et 
 antecessorum et successorum meorum, concessisse et 
 dedisse Deo et Sanctse Marise de Melros, et monachis 
 ibidem Deo servientibus, Cystertiensis ordinis de 
 Eievallis, et suis successoribus, annuente et concedente 
 Henrico, filio meo et hserede, et per cartam suam 
 confirmante, in perpetuam elemosinam, to tain scilicet, 
 terram de Melros, et totam terram de Eldune, et totam 
 terrain de Dernewie, per terminos et rectas divisas
 
 158 CART A REGIS DAVID DE ABBATIA DE MELKOS. 
 
 suas, in bosco et piano, in pratis et aquis, in pasturis 
 et moris, in viis et semitis, et in omnibus aliis rebus, 
 liberas et quietas, et solutas ab omni terreno servitio 
 et exactione seculari, perpetuo tenore possidere. 
 
 Insuper, autem, sciatis me dedisse prsedictis mona- 
 chis, et hac mea carta confirmasse, in terra mea et in 
 forestis meis, scilicet de Seleschirche, et de Tranequair, 
 omnia aisiamenta sua ; pasturam, scilicet ad averia sua, 
 et ligna, et materiam, et pasnagium ubique ad suos, 
 proprios usus, sicut ego ipse melius habeo ad opus 
 meum, et noininatum, intra Galche et Leder. Preete- 
 rea, in aquis de Tweda, infra terminos eorum, piscatu- 
 ram, tarn ex mea parte fluminis quam ex eorum parte 
 ubique. Prseter vero, omnia supradicta, dedi et con- 
 firmavi eis, ad incrementum, Galtuneshalech, et totam 
 terram et boscum de Galtunesside, sicut ego ipse, et 
 Henricus filius meus, et abbas Ricardus ejusdem eccle- 
 siae, perivimus et circumivimus, die veneris crastino 
 ascensionis, Domini ; anno, scilicet, secundo quo Ste- 
 phanus Rex Angliae captus est. Testibus ad hoc 
 prpesens donum, Johanne, episcopo ; Willielmo, nepote 
 regis, Hugone de Morevilla ; Willielmo de Sumervilla ; 
 Henrico, filio Swani; Gervasio Ridel. Volo itaque ut 
 ipsi omnes has predictas terras et res suas ita libere et 
 quiete teneant et possideant, sicut aliqua elemosina 
 liberius et quietius, perpetuo tenore, teneri potest et 
 posstderi. Teste, Henrico, filio meo; Johanne, epis-
 
 CHAETEE OP KING DAVID TO THE ABBEY. 159 
 
 copo; Willielmo; nepote meo; Willielmo, cancellario; 
 Madd. comite; Koberto, de Humfram villa ; Hugone de 
 Morevilla; Waltero filio Alani; Hugone Britone; Os- 
 berto de Ardene; Gervasio Ridel, Willielmo, de Sumer- 
 villa ; Bicardo, Geruim ; Ricardo Anglico ; Willielmo, 
 de Lindes. Accelino, archidiacono ; Jordane, clerico; 
 Estmundo, elemosinario ; Prseterea, hominibus de 
 eadem terra; Gospatricio, comite, Ulfchillo, filio Ethes- 
 tan ; Osolfo, filio Huctred ; Macco, filio Unwain ; Huc- 
 tredo, filio Sioth ; Huctredo, filio Gospatricii ; Orm, 
 filio Eilaf ; Eilaf, filio Gospatricii ; Eduso, filio Norman ; 
 Osolfo, filio Edine; Osolfo, filio Elfstan; Roberto Brus, 
 Meschin; Radulfo, filio Turstaini; Rogero, nepote epis- 
 copi. Apud Ercheldon. In Junio. 
 
 [TRANSLATION.] 
 CHAETEE OF KING DAVID TO THE ABBEY OF MELEOSE. 
 
 " David I., by the grace of God, king of the Scots, to 
 all bishops, abbots, counts, barons, and to all good men 
 and faithful allies of his kingdom, in France, England, 
 and Scotland, greeting. Be it known to you, that I, for 
 my soul, and for the souls of my father and mother, 
 and for the souls of Edgar and my other brother, and 
 for the souls of my sister and wife Matilda, and like-
 
 160 CHARTER OF KING DAVID 
 
 wise for the soul of Henry, my son and heir, and for 
 the souls of my ancestors and successors, Have granted 
 and given to God, and to St. Mary of Melrose, and to 
 the monks of Rievalle, serving God, of the Cistertian 
 order of that place, and their successors, my son and 
 heir, Henry, confirming it by his charter for a per- 
 petual possession, that is to say, the whole land of Mel- 
 rose, the land of Eildon, and the whole land of Darnick, 
 divided by their proper bounds, into level parts by mea- 
 dows and watery pastures, and ploughed land, by high- 
 ways and footpaths, and other things of that sort, free 
 and delivered from all landed servitude and exaction, to 
 be possessed by them in a perpetual secular tenure. 
 
 " Be it known to you, moreover, that I have given 
 to the aforesaid monks, and confirmed by this my 
 charter, all the fruits and pasture and timber in my 
 land, and in the forest of Selkirk and of Traquair, and 
 between Gala and Leader Water, besides both, the 
 fishery of the Tweed, everywhere on their side of the 
 river as on mine. Besides all that has been already 
 mentioned, I have given and confirmed to them in 
 addition, the whole land and pasture of Gattonside, 
 which I myself, along with my son Henry, and Kiehard, 
 abbot of the said church, surveyed on Friday morning, 
 the ascension of our Lord, and the second year of the 
 captivity of Stephen, king of England/' Present as 
 witnesses of this gift, John, Bishop, William, nephew
 
 TO THE ABBEY OF MELE08E. 161 
 
 of the king, Hugo de Morville,* William de Somerville. 
 Henry, the King's son, Gervasius Riddel, and others. 
 
 " I wish, therefore, that they may hold and possess 
 the aforesaid lands and their appurtenances, that is to 
 say, with greater freedom and stability than any other 
 tenure could be held and possessed. Witnesses, 
 Henry, my son, John, Bishop, William, my nephew, 
 William, Chancellor," &c. 
 
 David I, commonly called St. David, on account of 
 his piety, was the youngest son of Malcolm III., king 
 of Scotland, surnamed Cammoir, son of Duncan I. 
 David began to reign anno 1124 ; he was a valiant, 
 honourable, and religious prince. The abbeys of 
 Holyrood, Kelso, Jedburgh, Melrose, Kinloss, Dun- 
 fermline, Newbattle, and Dryburgh, were either founded 
 by him or under his auspices. He also built two 
 religious houses at Newcastle, and one at Holm-Cultrum 
 in Cumberland, and he created the Bishopricks of Koss, 
 Brechin, Dumblane, and Dunkeld. His queen was 
 Maud, daughter of Waldeosus, Earl of Northumberland 
 and Huntingdon, whose mother was grand-daughter of 
 William the Conqueror. David I. died in peace at 
 Carlisle, in the twenty-ninth year of his reign, and was 
 buried at Dunfermline. 
 
 * Nephew of De Morville, one of the murderers of Thomas b 
 Beckett.
 
 162 
 
 Cdopter Strtl). 
 
 CHURCH SYMBOLISM, WITH REFERENCE TO THE 
 SYMBOLISM OF ST. MARY'S CHAPEL, MELROSE. 
 
 ROM the earliest ages, the structu- 
 ral design of monastic churches was 
 peculiarly symbolic, both in out- 
 ward form and internal appearance. 
 Within, the ornaments bespoke 
 grace, beauty, solemnity, and holi- 
 ness. Without, pleasure, worldiness, deformity, and 
 sin. The churches were cruciform above the ground 
 and below it they were an allegory. This occurred 
 in the first erections of oaken walls and thatched roofs. 
 This was apparent in the great simplicity of the early 
 Anglo-Saxon style, and existed where Christianity was 
 winning its way, long before the combined treasures of 
 Greece and Rome had fallen to the lot of the ancient 
 occupants of Britain. 
 
 How much more exquisite and elaborately wrought 
 out, in some of these more recent majestic temples; in 
 what remains of our beautiful Abbey, where all that
 
 CHUECH SYMBOLISM. 163 
 
 wealth could bequeath was poured forth a willing offering 
 to prosecute and accomplish all that art could devise 
 a^nd genius impose, to array a solemn structure in 
 unequalled grandeur and immeasurable charm. 
 
 But the sign of the Cross was that which gave the 
 greatest scope to symbolism. Churches were multiplied 
 on this sign. So the symbols have continued the same 
 throughout all ages of the Christian church. The dis- 
 ruption of empires, the rise and fall of some, the dis- 
 memberment of others, have not affected them in any 
 way. They have grown old with civilization itself, and 
 are commensurate with it. 
 
 The Chapel of St. Mary's, Melrose, represents a cross 
 of St. John. The arrangement of a material church 
 resembles that of a human body. The chancel, or 
 place of the altar, represents the head ; the transepts, 
 the hands and arms; and the nave and aisles towards 
 the west, the rest of the body; the sacrifices of the 
 altar, the vows of the heart. By the length of the 
 church is meant fortitude ; the breadth, charity ; and 
 the height, the hope of future retribution ; the door is 
 obedience ; the pavement, humility. The open court or 
 porch signifieth Christ. The door is Christ : " I am 
 the door;" " Knock, and it shall be opened/' The 
 triple breadth of nave and aisles, the triple height of 
 pier-arch triforium and clerestory; the triple length 
 of choir, transepts, and nave, again set forth the Holy
 
 164 CHURCH SYMBOLISM, 
 
 Trinity ; and what besides is there that does not tell of 
 our blessed Saviour! that does not point out to " Him 
 First/' in the twofold western door " Him Last/' in 
 the distant altar " Him midst," in the great rood 
 " Him without end," in the monogram carved on boss 
 and corbel, in the Holy Lamb, in the Lion of the tribe 
 of Judah, and in the mystic fish; the ascension of 
 Christ is expressed by the flying bird, as martyrs are 
 signified by birds let loose. 
 
 The extended hand signifies providence. Spire, pin- 
 nacle, and finial, the upward curb of the sculptured 
 foliage, the upward spring of the flying buttress, the 
 sharp rise of the window arch, the high-thrown pitch of 
 the roof all these overpowering the horizontal tendency 
 of string course and parapet, teach us that, vanquishing 
 earthly desires, we also should ascend in heart and mind. 
 
 Again, the transepts stretching out crossways, tell 
 of the atonement. The communion of saints is set forth 
 by the chapels clustering round choir and nave. Les- 
 sons of holy wisdom are written in the delicate tracery 
 of the windows. The union of many members is sha- 
 dowed forth by the multiplex arcade; the duty of 
 letting our light shine before men, by the pierced and 
 flowered parapet that crowns the whole. As we enter 
 the church, close by us is the font, for it is by regenera- 
 tion we enter. It is deep and capacious, for we are 
 buried in baptism with Christ. It is of stone, for He is
 
 ST. MARY'S CHAPEL, MELEOSE. 165 
 
 the rock. The massy piers are the apostles and pro- 
 phets ; they are each of many members ; for many are the 
 graces in every saint. There is delicate foliage round 
 the heads of all, for all were plentiful in good works. 
 
 The saints are usually the attributes of great moral 
 power, as St. Martha, the patron of industry. 
 
 Within we are compassed about, as it were, with a 
 mighty cloud of witnesses. The rich, deep glass of the 
 window teems with saintly forms, each in its own 
 fair niche. There is the glorious company of the 
 apostles, the goodly fellowship of the prophets, the 
 noble army of martyrs, the shining band of the con- 
 fessors, and the jubilant chorus of the virgins. 
 
 But on none of these things do we rest. Piers, arch 
 behind arch ; window, light behind light ; arcades, shaft 
 behind shaft; the roof, bay behind bay; the saints 
 around us, the heavenly hierarchy above, with dignity 
 of pre-eminence still increasing eastwards, we are led, 
 eye and soul and thought, to the image of the crucified 
 Saviour, as displayed in the great east window. Gazing 
 steadfastly on that, we pass up the nave, that is the 
 church militant, till we reach the rood screen, the bar- 
 rier between it and the church triumphant. The screen 
 itself glows with gold and crimson; with gold, for the 
 redeemed have golden crowns : with crimson, for they 
 washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb to obtain 
 them.
 
 166 CHURCH SYMBOLISM, 
 
 The resurrection is set forth by the Phoenix rising 
 immortal from its own ashes; the meritorious passion 
 of Christ, by the pelican feeding its young with its 
 own blood; the sacrament of the holy eucharist, by 
 grapes and wheat ears ; the Christian's renewal of 
 strength, by the eagle ; and the Christian's purity and 
 innocence, by the dove. 
 
 The piscina or lavacrum, denoted the pity of Christ. 
 
 The chapter-house, the secret of the heart. 
 
 The refectory, the love of holy meditation. 
 
 The cellar, Holy Scripture. 
 
 The dormitory, a clear conscience, and the oratory a 
 spotless life. 
 
 The garden of trees and herbs, the cultivation of 
 virtues. 
 
 The well, heavenly gifts, the " water of life." " Ho, 
 every one that thirsteth, come and drink." 
 
 The cloisters, signified the celestial paradise, or sepa- 
 ration from the world. 
 
 The choir, the harmony of the church triumphant. 
 
 The altar signified the heart. 
 
 The bells, the preachers. 
 
 Harpers there are also, harping with their harps, 
 for one is the song of the church in earth and in 
 heaven. 
 
 Outwardly the hideous forms that seem hanging 
 from the eaves, speak the misery of the hardened and
 
 ST. MAEY'S CHAPEL, MELKOSE. 167 
 
 impenitent, and of those who are cast out of the 
 church.* 
 
 The figures of the blind carrying the lame, richly 
 attired nuns, musicians of all kinds, monks with strings 
 of beads in their hands, saints, martyrs, and apostles, 
 the ornamental rosettes that decorate the whole struc- 
 ture, the family of Ham represented in the sculptured 
 head of the negress, have each their proper and peculiar 
 meaning. None of these things are by chance, but 
 design, and being such, admit of unequivocal interpre- 
 tation, and have been conveyed, from age to age, with 
 unimpeachable fidelity. With the ancient religieuse, 
 the rose was emblematic of the "flower of life,"" its 
 withered leaves the ashes of good men, and their per- 
 fume, immortality itself. Stars and crosses signify 
 saints and martyrdom. The fox signifies cunning the 
 Evil one; and the geese, the unwary, credulous, easily 
 tempted and ensnared. The owl and the mouse admit 
 of a similar interpretation. 
 
 * For further information see "Church Symbolism," by DURANDUS, 
 sometime Bishop of Mende.
 
 168 
 
 AN AECHITECTUEAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EUINS OP 
 MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 RE we unfold the pages of history, 
 emblazoned with the devices of 
 inonachism and invested with 
 pathetic incident, let us patiently 
 examine what the hand of time 
 and the destroyer has left us. 
 
 The structural form and charac- 
 ter of all monastic edifices had its 
 root in ancient symbolism, which we have described in 
 the previous chapter. 
 
 In the year 1136* this monastery was founded by 
 King David, and enriched beyond all similar institu- 
 tions in Britain. The most valuable possessions and 
 privileges were bestowed upon it. Of the first erection 
 perhaps nothing remains, as it is said to have been 
 wholly destroyed by Edward II. in 1322. For this 
 
 * The Monastery of Dryburgh was founded in 1150, and occupied 
 by the monks in December 1152.
 
 Interior View of Chancel and Oriel Window.
 
 THE RUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 169 
 
 and other barbarous acts, Robert the Bruce severely 
 punished Edward at Bannockburn, and expelled all the 
 English out of Scotland. He rebuilt the abbey in 1326, 
 in the most magnificent architectural style of the period, 
 the mature, graceful, decorated Gothic. The old Gothic 
 style, after the massive Roman, was coarse and heavy. 
 The later Gothic, as exhibited in these ruins, is won- 
 derfully grand and of the most elaborate and accurate 
 execution. But it is only since the twelfth century 
 that this style, by some called the flambuoyant, 
 developed itself. The Egyptian style had its origin in 
 the cavern or mound the Chinese in the tent. The 
 Grecian was derived from the wooden cabin, hence the 
 exquisite chastity of their leaf ornament, but the 
 Gothic from the bower of trees. It would seem to 
 have originated in the imitation of groves and bowers, 
 under which the Druids performed their religious 
 ceremonies. 
 
 Its most striking characteristics are its pointed 
 arches, its pinnacles and spires, its large buttresses, 
 clustered pillars, flying shafts and vaulted roofs, a pro- 
 fusion of ornament, and general predominance of the 
 perpendicular over the horizontal; in other words, its 
 bold, lofty spirit and expressive harmony of parts. 
 The pleasing landmark of our cities and villages, the 
 spire, is exclusively Gothic. 
 
 We may here observe, that antecedent to the twelfth 
 
 M
 
 170 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 century, neither tabernacle work, nor niches with cano- 
 pies, statues in whole relief, pinnacles, pediments or 
 spires, nor tracing in vaultings, were used. Towards 
 the close of the thirteenth century a new epoch com- 
 menced. Pillars, supporting sharply-pointed arches, 
 of slender and graceful proportions, were introduced. 
 Ceilings sustained by groined ribs, resting on the 
 capitols of pillars, and windows lighted by several 
 openings, instead of one. 
 
 Such was the era of Gothic architecture when what 
 we still behold of St. Mary's Chapel was constructed. 
 Massive columns and semi-circular arches were dis- 
 pensed with, also the archivolts and imposts of Roman 
 architecture. 
 
 The Nortoan Conquest brought lofty vaultings and 
 pillars with capitols more elaborately finished ; towers 
 of large dimensions and great height, placed either in 
 the centre of the cross, or at the west end of ecclesi- 
 astical erections. In both north and south transepts 
 we see an admirable illustration of these several par- 
 ticulars. 
 
 The first transition of the arch seems to have taken 
 place towards the close of the reign of David, King of 
 Scots, the circular figure becoming slightly pointed, 
 and the heavy single pillar transformed into a cluster ; 
 the archivolts still retaining many of the Saxon orna- 
 ments.
 
 THE EUINS OF MELROSE ABBEY. 171 
 
 The fifteenth century was greatly distinguished by 
 the study and revival of ancient architecture in Europe; 
 and in the fourteenth century, indeed, great improve- 
 ment was manifest in Italian construction. 
 
 The first erection of Melrose abbey, destroyed by 
 Edward II., would be vastly inferior to the second in 
 splendour and detail. The substantial part of the 
 latter was probably executed with rapidity, but to com- 
 plete the decorative portions must have occupied a period 
 extending over one or two centuries. The style of decora- 
 tion then prevailing differed from everything previous, 
 and formed the last era of Gothic architecture. After 
 the rebuilding of Melrose abbey, under the auspices of 
 King Robert Bruce and his successors, we have an 
 account of the burning of Melrose by Richai'd II., after 
 he and his generals had slept one night in the abbey, 
 anno 1 385, when he gave it to the flames on the fol- 
 lowing morning. We think the damage was partial 
 on this occasion, and that the western portion only 
 was severely injured. The German or romantic style 
 had succeeded the early or coarse Gothic, and was 
 consonant with the spirit of the middle ages. The 
 great Italian churches, even St. Peter's and others, 
 were henceforth to be raised in a sublimity of style 
 hitherto unapproachable. 
 
 This latter style, better known by some as the per- 
 pendicular, presents us with a splendid example in the
 
 172 AN AECHITECTUEAL DESCEIPTION OF 
 
 great eastern or 'prentice window of the abbey. The 
 mullions, instead of waving at the top, as in the deco- 
 rated style, run up in perpendicular lines. And 
 although the day-light of this window is thirty-six feet 
 by sixteen, it is simply divided by four slender mul- 
 lions, eight inches in thickness the arch lines being 
 straight, and not curved as usual. This window pre- 
 sents us with a magnificent study, in the richness of its 
 tracery, the sharpness of its outline, and the extreme 
 beauty of the work. Beyond all, the sublime harmony 
 of its parts demands our warmest admiration. Indeed, 
 the splendid composition displayed throughout the 
 whole of the east end of Melrose abbey is not exceeded 
 in the kingdom. It exemplifies to us at the present 
 day the most finished, graceful, matured, and elaborate 
 culmination of Gothic architecture the fourteenth cen- 
 tury produced. 
 
 The stone is similar in tone and texture to that of 
 which Strasburg Cathedral is built, and there is some 
 similarity of style between the two ; more particularly 
 do we notice this in the light open ornamentation and 
 tabernacle work. 
 
 The chapel of this monastery, which is all that now 
 remains to us, was built in the form of St. John's Cross. 
 The ancient town of Melrose was in this respect similarly 
 built. The west end of the nave is gone, so that we 
 cannot state with certainty the length of that portion
 
 THE RUINS OF MELKOSE ABBEY. 173 
 
 of it It is reasonable to infer, however, that the west 
 door or entrance would front and abut upon the 
 ancient line of street running north and south by it. 
 This would necessarily be the common and ordinary 
 gateway to and from the chapel. It would be also 
 the most vulnerable and easy of attack in perilous 
 times. To this western gate, however, must both 
 pilgrims and alms-askers have come, as being the stated 
 entrance of approach and egress for all such as lived 
 without the walls of the monastery. The almoner, 
 hospitaller, and porter would have suitable offices at the 
 western termination the former to distribute alms and 
 broken victuals, the other to entertain strangers and 
 devotees, and the latter to exercise general supervision 
 over all who entered the convent, or returned from it 
 by this way. 
 
 The western portion of the nave, and the public 
 offices and gateway, seem to have shared most bitterly 
 the last convulsion (prior to the Eeformation) which 
 befel it. The three first chapels, numbered 1, 2, and 3 
 on the Ground Plan, are of more recent erection than any 
 other portion now remaining, and rather point to the 
 sixteenth century. The connecting or continuing line 
 to the westward seems abruptly broken, as if the pro- 
 secution of the work had been stayed by some unfore- 
 seen irruption. Probably it was so, and that prior to 
 the general dispersion, neither time nor opportunity
 
 174 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 happened to complete its restoration. A careful 
 examination of the stone shows it of more recent 
 facing than is found in other parts of the ruins; at 
 the extreme west end the tusks are most conspicuous ; 
 in fact, the stone is fresh, the carvings of the capitols 
 coarse, as if executed hastily, and the whole indicating 
 a much more modern period of erection than the eas- 
 tern end of the abbey by two or three centuries. 
 
 The nave, as now seen, would lead us to believe that 
 it had never extended full and completely on both 
 sides, up to the point where the eighth chapel now 
 terminates. The effort to carry it- out was evidently 
 frustrated, it being manifestly the last undertaking 
 begun, and abruptly terminated, without accomplishing 
 the object intended. We must therefore admit that the 
 extreme west end is comparatively of recent origin. 
 
 There are in all sixteen chapels still traceable in this 
 church, eight of which breast the south aisle of the 
 nave, and four stand right and left of the chancel, 
 on each side. There are piscinas in each chapel or 
 baptistry, and altars; the latter are all broken, but 
 show remains of exquisite workmanship. The roofs of 
 these chapels are supported with - groined ribs, and 
 embellished with carvings, each differing from the rest. 
 The roof of the high altar is uncommonly beautiful, the 
 soffit being covered with delicately groined tracery. On 
 the key-stones are a number of quaintly carved figures.
 
 THE EUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 175 
 
 In the centre is a sitting figure supporting our Savi- 
 our on the cross ; the others hold swords, staves, and 
 crosses. This roof covers the tombs of several illus- 
 trious men.* 
 
 Within the walls of the chancel are fonts for holy 
 rites, sedilia, and recesses for containing the vessels of 
 the sacristy. The groined ribs of the chancel roof spring 
 from corbels, carved with figures, and as they diverge 
 across the ceiling, the intersections are beautifully carved 
 with large twisted knots of flowers. 
 
 The grand east window, with its slender shafts, in 
 this part of the building, is exquisitely put together, and 
 of matchless beauty, and has been appropriately de- 
 scribed by Sir Walter Scott. 
 
 The floor of the chancel was lower than any other 
 part of the sacred edifice. This was not unusual in 
 monastic churches, its symbolic signification teaching 
 with what humility the priest should enter the " Holy 
 of Holies." 
 
 In the north transept is a circular window at an ele- 
 vation of sixty feet, representing a " crown of thorns." 
 We give a drawing of it, which is exceedingly beautiful 
 and novel in design, notwithstanding its apparent sim- 
 plicity of architectural character. (See p. 176.) 
 
 The plan of the nave is uncommon, having a very 
 narrow but lofty north aisle, and a double south aisle ; 
 
 * See Ground Plan.
 
 176 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 Crown of Thorns. 
 
 the outer one being much lower than the other two, and 
 divided into eight square chapels, before alluded to, 
 running the whole length of the nave. Each chapel 
 has a decorated four-light Gothic window, except the 
 east one, which is a three-light. These windows differ 
 from each other in their tracery. There is a buttress 
 between each window, and those which are still com- 
 plete, run up in several diminished stages towards the 
 top, and terminate with pinnacles, from which spring 
 flying buttresses over the roof of the side aisle, support- 
 ing the main wall of the nave, and balancing the interior 
 arches. This arrangement involves a scientific principle
 
 THE KUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 177 
 
 admirably understood by Gothic architects and builders 
 in those days. In the year 1618 the nave, from the 
 
 Corbel in North Aisle. 
 
 rood-wall or screen, was fitted up as the parish church, 
 and in this part marked innovation is seen.
 
 178 THE RUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 The decorated capitols of the columns yet standing 
 in the north transept, are deeply and artistically carved 
 with representations of the leaves of curled brocoli or 
 Scotch kail They deserve especial notice. 
 
 The narrow north aisle is conspicuous for the neatness 
 of its pointed roof, and the row of massive pillars from 
 which it springs. Their capitols, representing leaves of 
 plants and flowers, are all classically chiselled, and have 
 opposite them branches of foliage, equally well carved, 
 from which spring the groins of the north side of the 
 roof. We give an illustration of a beautiful corbel in 
 the north aisle. (See p. 177.) 
 
 Of the chapter-house, dormitory, and refectory, which 
 were all on the north side of the chapel, not a vestige 
 remains ; although occasionally, in digging, their founda- 
 tions are discovered. 
 
 The cloister formed a quadrangle on the north-west 
 side of the chapel, and stretched alongside the whole 
 of the nave. Beyond this was an arcade or piazza, 
 150 feet long each way. And further northwards were 
 numerous massive buildings, occupied by the officers and 
 wealthy lay brethren of the convent, surrounded with 
 gardens, and bridges crossing the dam,, that extended 
 to the very confines of the river. We annex an illustra- 
 tion of the east wall of the cloister.
 
 The Cloister East Wall and Angle.
 
 THE EUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 18] 
 
 Seven of the seats in the cloister remain. They 
 are covered with false Gothic arches, composed of 
 various members, along the extremity of which a 
 wreath of flowers, springing from the pilasters at the 
 sides of the arches, runs upwards to an ornamental 
 frieze. The frieze appertaining to each sedile, contains 
 six square compartments, representing with truthful 
 delineation, clusters of plants, flowers, and other ob- 
 jects, such as oak-leaves and apples, lilies, houseleeks, 
 ferns, scallop shells, and quatrefoils. 
 
 The choir of the chapel is short, and the transepts 
 have only side aisles, along the east side. 
 
 A finely arched door-way leads from the angle 
 formed by the north transept to the cloister. The 
 grand or principal entrance is on the south side, and 
 contains a noble window we shall describe hereafter. 
 
 The great square tower which rose from the centre 
 of the cross, and crowned the gorgeous fabric, was a 
 splendid specimen of ancient architecture. The west 
 side only is standing. It is raised to an height of 
 eighty-four feet, upon a lofty pointed arch. Two of 
 the pillars are yet standing that support the western 
 side, the two which supported the east are gone.* A 
 stone balustrade, ornamented with beautiful rose work, 
 surmounted the whole. 
 
 The magnificent pillars which support the remain- 
 
 * See Ground Plan.
 
 182 
 
 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 ing portion of the tower are a study. The light and 
 elastic grace of their springing shafts are peculiarly 
 architectural, and harmonize well with the elegant 
 
 One of the Columns which support the Tower. 
 
 chasteness of the whole interior. We give a drawing 
 of one of the remaining columns that support the tower, 
 which is the finest specimen of sculpture in the abbey.
 
 THE EUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 183 
 
 The noble south window and doorway are of great 
 size and magnificent proportions. The window is 
 twenty-four feet in height within the arch, and sixteen 
 feet in breadth, divided by four principal mullions, each 
 only eight inches in thickness. The exquisite tracery 
 of this window is perfect, and rises in graceful inter- 
 lacing curves to a glorious wheel of seven compart- 
 ments. This window and doorway we have described 
 at considerable length in our description of the ruins. 
 
 We have gazed from the roof upon the ruins with 
 delight and admiration there is not a corner without 
 its decorations, invisible though it may be to all who 
 look upon the exterior from below. The frieze that 
 runs underneath the eaves of the south side of the nave 
 is very beautiful, we have counted upwards of a hun- 
 dred ornaments in it, consisting of roses, stars, crosses, 
 shells, flowers, plants, &c., each different from the rest, 
 and forming a distinct and chaste design of itself, 
 studied and chiselled with care and exactness so 
 much so, that each might be a pattern, executed for 
 some future study. 
 
 Ascend the stair, which winds like a snail-cap, and 
 look in every direction across the ruins from the roof, 
 there notice the profusion of embellishment that every- 
 where prevails, invisible to those who look on the 
 church from beneath. Even the private galleries have 
 their ornaments and grotesque figures winning the eye
 
 184 
 
 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 at every step. The annexed engravings represent two 
 grotesque heads of monks from the staircase. 
 
 Two Grotesque Heads in the Staircase.
 
 Exterior View of the East Window.
 
 THE KUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 185 
 
 To the architect and builder, the very stones of the 
 ruin present features of more than ordinary interest. 
 The trade marks of the masons are distinguishable in 
 many places upon them the same working signs 
 being in common use at the present day. The mark 
 of the chisel on the best-carved stones is sharp, light, 
 and wonderfully accurate in touch and tone. The stones 
 lie disposed in the building as they chiefly lay in the 
 bed of the quarry they rest on the horizontal line, and 
 are consequently only compressed thereon and we 
 notice no signs of decay through the agency of time> 
 only where this principal rule has been deviated from. 
 The grooves are all exquisite, and the jointure of parts 
 clean and faultless. The poetry and sculpture of 
 ancient Greece were related to each other so in like 
 manner was her painting and architecture. So paint- 
 ing, sculpture, and architecture were twin children in 
 more modern times, and nearly reached perfection 
 under the fostering care of Rome, whose ecclesiastical 
 system became the living sentiment or poetry of the 
 three. The chapel of Henry VIII. is a striking example 
 of this. Its beauty of combination, simplicity of con- 
 ception, and richness of emblazoning, has never been 
 equalled in the kingdom. Flaxman estimated, that 
 at one period it possessed three thousand pieces of 
 statuary. And the Abbey Church of St. Mary's Mon- 
 astery, Melrose, in its original bloom and purity, has 
 
 N
 
 186 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 contained several hundred pieces; for the interior 
 would not be much less profuse in statuary and orna- 
 ment, than was the exterior of its once lofty and 
 beautiful walls. The exterior of the ruins contains 
 seventy niches for statues, 
 
 We are not certain the tower of St. Mary's, Melrose, 
 ever supported a spire or lantern; if it did, it is gone, 
 and We know little of its form or composition. If 
 it had a spire of any kind, it was a wooden one, for the 
 lightness of the tower walls precludes the idea of 
 them ever having supported a massive stone spire. In 
 all ancient Gothic ecclesiastical buildings the spire was 
 of wood. The vane was almost invariably a cock, which 
 denoted watchfulness, or signified 'the preacher.' 
 
 Alas! for these turrets, which in days of yore 
 gladdened the eyes of weary pilgrims, from many an 
 alpine summit of the Border land! Alas! for that 
 tower, three parts of which are no more, and the other 
 fast hastening to destruction! And the bells, where 
 are they? For ever hushed. No more their cadence 
 floats on the fragrant zephyrs of the evening gale- 
 they summon not again for ever to holy ordinances 
 and flaming sacraments they ring no festival in, nor 
 chime some sainted vigil out they hymn no requiem 
 for the departed they pour forth no theme to the soli- 
 tude and triumph of monastic life, heard as in the days 
 of old, far beyond Gala Water and bonnie Leader foot.
 
 THE RUINS OP MELEOSE ABBEY. 187 
 
 Where now are the ecstatic dreams of absolution that 
 soothed the stricken conscience of the wayfaring soul? 
 They have fled. The hard penance of the weak and 
 disobedient is past. The horrid tortures of the offend- 
 ing moss-trooper, cooped up in the gloomy dungeon, 
 are balmed with the waters of oblivion. Here the 
 brave and the base lie down in perfect equality. The 
 dreams of insatiate ambition are dispersed. Even the 
 foundling has found parental solicitude at last in earth 
 and stones; and the weary of hope, rest, in a narrow 
 cell of tranquillity. The terror of all, and to whom 
 all were foes, has obtained a free pardon ; while kings 
 and nobles are but a carnival for dust and worms. 
 Time bears their effigies mantled in cobwebs. Oblivion 
 is the pall bearer these stones are the weepers, and 
 the secrets of their bosoms as well as the lineaments of 
 their mortality, have found shade and seclusion in the 
 dust we tread on. 
 
 Whoever will take the pains to examine the elaborate 
 monument erected to the memory of the late Sir Walter 
 Scott, in Edinburgh, will not fail to discover, in its 
 beautiful details, an application and embodiment of 
 many of the ornamental details of Melrose Abbey. The 
 late Mr Kemp made Melrose Abbey his study, and we 
 give him infinite credit for choosing so sublime a pro- 
 totype. 
 
 As we read the chronicles of this aged pile, and
 
 188 AN ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION OF 
 
 gaze on the sepulchral earth in its consecrated chancel, 
 we are ready to exclaim in the words of prophetic 
 poesy, 
 
 " How sweet to sleep, where all is peace, 
 Where sorrow cannot touch the breast 
 
 Where all life's idle throbbings cease, 
 And pain is lull'd to rest : 
 
 Escap'd o'er fortune's troubled wave, 
 
 To anchor in the silent grave. " 
 
 111 concluding this chapter, we may briefly observe, 
 that the masonic display and decorative work of this 
 abbey has been admirably executed beyond all praise. 
 The mouldings are sharp, the pillars elastic, light, and 
 graceful, the perpendiculars slender and harmonious, 
 the carvings elaborately correct and classically severe ; 
 fresh to-day, as if new from the artist's chisel The 
 minute veins of leaves, and the diminishing and almost 
 imaginable edging of fruit and flowers being exquisitely 
 worked out and delineated. As though line upon line 
 had been traced by some magic pencil (such as Buon- 
 arotti and Barozzio could only grasp), and the spell 
 worked out by enchantment, in inexpressible delicacy 
 of loveliness and truth. The quality of the stone is 
 excellent, well assorted from the liver of the rock, but 
 few soft and foliaceous stones are to be seen, which dis- 
 cover themselves by their pale yellow appearance and 
 chalky outline. 
 
 The light touch of the Greek artist is pre-eminently
 
 THE RUINS OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 189 
 
 conspicuous in the east end the massive Eoman and 
 coarse Gothic are everywhere subdued; and the archi- 
 tect seems to have varied his style with each succeeding 
 subject, similar or not, and has throughout displayed 
 consummate talent in composite design, and produced 
 the most chaste and captivating effect. 
 
 The architect and antiquary may read invaluable 
 lessons, by studying the anatomy of this ancient struc- 
 ture, unrivalled for its beauty and interest, its histo- 
 rical associations and medieval splendour: and which 
 is indeed capable of affording a highly intellectual treat 
 to the enlightened and appreciative mind. 
 
 Mr Hutchinson's opinion of the ornamental decora- 
 tions is thus expressed: "Nature is studied through 
 the whole, and the flowers and plants are represented 
 as accurately as under the pencil. In this fabric there 
 are the finest lessons, and the greatest variety of Gothic 
 ornaments that the island affords, take all the religious 
 structures together." And Mr Smith has expressed a 
 similar opinion. 
 
 The ornamentation met with in these ruins is worthy of 
 our warmest admiration and deep attention. Even at the 
 early period of its execution, the draftsmen and the sculp- 
 tors must have been inspired with the highest achieve- 
 ments of Greek and Roman art. Look at the foliage and 
 plant work curvilinear gems! Mark the starting 
 points! The basis of Egyptian art was founded on
 
 100 DESCRIPTION OF MELEOSE ABBEY. 
 
 cups and stalks. The cup was the flower of the lotus 
 or water-lily. The beauty of Grecian ornament lay 
 in its equality of foliage, stalks, starting points, and 
 groundwork. And the glory of the graceful, mature, 
 elaborate Gothic before us, lies in the expressive 
 delicacy, inimitable chastity, and elaborate carving of 
 its tracings, ornament, and tabernacle work. 
 
 Its ruins are glorious at the present time, they are 
 a gem, conveying a sublime and touching allegory 
 an affecting monument of the instability of all human 
 institutions.
 
 191 
 
 HISTOEICAL SUMMAEY, AND BIOGEAPHY OP THE 
 ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 
 
 ITHIN a short period after the set- 
 tlement of the monks from Rie- 
 valle, Yorkshire, at St. Mary's, 
 Melrose, they began to colonize 
 other newly erected abbeys. In 
 the middle of the twelfth century 
 the abbey of Dundrennan, Galloway, was colonized by 
 monks from Melrose. The Chronicle of Melrose Abbey 
 comprises a period of little over five hundred years. 
 It was spared from the destruction that befel most 
 monastic records at the Reformation, and is written 
 with brevity, but not in a style equal to the learning of 
 the place. 
 
 ]. Richard, first abbot of Melrose, appears to have 
 been a man of strict piety and integrity, and a rigid 
 disciplinarian. He was installed in 1136, being the 
 same year in which it was founded by King David.
 
 192 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 He was greatly esteemed at court cm account of his 
 learning and eloquence. He ruled in monastic matters 
 with authority. The same spirit which might have 
 endeared him to churchmen of an earlier period, ren- 
 dered him obnoxious to those over whom he now 
 presided. After repeated complaints respecting his 
 harshness to the abbot of the parent convent of Kievalle, 
 he was removed from his office in 1148, after he had 
 ruled the abbey twelve years.* Eichard died the 
 following year at the abbey of Clairvaux, in France, 
 whither he had retired. He opposed, without effect, 
 the appointment of William Cumin, Chancellor of 
 Scotland, to the see of Durham, having discovered, 
 through one of Cumin's agents, that the letters he pro- 
 duced as from the Pope, confirming his election, were 
 artfully forged.-f- 
 
 2. Waltheof, or Waldeve, was second abbot. After 
 his death he was canonized and honoured as a saint. 
 He was as much beloved by the monks as Richard had 
 been disliked. Mildness of manner and acts of bene- 
 ficence succeeded, where rigour and coercion failed. 
 He was the younger son of Simon de St. Liz, Earl of 
 Northampton, by his wife Matilda, daughter of Wal- 
 theof, Earl of Northumberland, who inherited the 
 earldom of Huntingdon from her mother, Judith, 
 niece to William the Conqueror, who had it for her 
 
 * Annales Cistertienset. f Chron. Mailrot.
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 193 
 
 dower. Earl Simon falling under the displeasure 
 of Henry I., by whom his lands were forfeited, assumed 
 the cross, went to Palestine, and soon after died, leav- 
 ing two sons, Simon and Waltheof. Simon became 
 Earl of Northampton, and Waltheof abbot of Melrose. 
 The Countess Matilda, Earl Simon's widow, and mother 
 of Waltheof, afterwards married David, Prince of Cum- 
 berland, brother and successor to Alexander, King of 
 Scotland, who resided at this time chiefly at the 
 English court, his sister Matilda, being Henry the 
 First's queen.* Waltheof became of great note in the 
 calendar. Josceline, a monk of Furness Abbey, Lanca- 
 shire, wrote a life of Waltheof, which contained many 
 marvellous stories. Numerous miracles are recorded of 
 him. His personal encounters with Satan, and his 
 visitations from heaven, were doubtless the ridiculous 
 imaginings of legendary compilers. Angelo Manriquez 
 tells us, that from a child, Waltheof was remarkable 
 for his meekness, humility, and gentleness, and showed 
 early a predilection for the diversion of building baby 
 churches. Waltheof's step-father, David I, took him 
 to Scotland in 1124, when he ascended the throne of 
 that kingdom. He there completed his education 
 along with Baldred, afterwards abbot of Bievalle. 
 David offered his step-son the amusements of the 
 chase, but Waltheof had no taste for them. He rather 
 
 * Scotichron, vi. 3-6.
 
 194 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 chose to stray away unseen into the bosom of the 
 woods, to sit down on some shady bank and read or 
 meditate. The king knew his love of study, and 
 habitual piety, and formed the design of promoting 
 him to some high office in the church. Waltheof had 
 other views than becoming a secular priest. He re- 
 solved to embrace monastic life. Circumstances tended 
 to confirm this resolution. He fell in love with a 
 beautiful young lady at court, who felt an equally 
 tender passion for him. Some expressions used by 
 her, however, on presenting him with a ring, and the 
 remarks of others on seeing him wear it, awakened 
 him to a sense of what he considered to be his danger. 
 Warned by this, as he thought, he withdrew from the 
 world, retiring to St. Oswald's Priory at Nosthiil, near 
 Pontefract, Yorkshire, where he was admitted into the 
 order of canons regular of St. Augustine. While hold- 
 ing the office of Sacristan in this monastery, he was 
 called to the priorate of Kirkham.* Here he won the 
 hearts of all the brethren, although he greatly increased 
 the strictness and severity of their discipline. Kirk- 
 ham was founded in 1122, by Sir Walter Espec, a 
 powerful baron, who endowed it with great possessions 
 in Northumberland; among which were the churches 
 of Carham, Ilderton, and Newton, in Glendale. He 
 
 * Kirkham is a pleasant village, standing on the river Derwent, 
 near Malton, Yorkshire. The ruins of the priory may still be seen.
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELKOSE. 195 
 
 also founded the monastery of Rievalle, Yorkshire, in 
 1131, and that of Warden, Bedfordshire, in 113G. 
 About two years before his death, Sir Walter took the 
 monastic habit in Eievalle. His death happened in 
 1153. 
 
 It was about this period of Waltheof's history that 
 stories of visions, miracles, and many fabulous things, 
 were reported of him. We give one or two, as illus- 
 trating the state of religious belief at the period when 
 they were written. 
 
 " On Christmas day, as Waltheof was celebrating 
 mass alone in the church at Kirkham, while in the act 
 of elevating the host, he beheld the consecrated bread 
 changed into the likeness of an infant, more beautiful 
 than the sons of men, crowned with a diadem of gold 
 and jewels, who, with a look of ineffable sweetness, 
 embraced him, kissed his lips, gently touched his face 
 and head with his hands, and then making the sign of 
 the cross over him, suddenly disappeared." 
 
 Thinking the life of a canon-regular not sufficiently 
 austere, Waltheof resigned his priorate, and entered the 
 Cistertian convent at Wardon, Bedfordshire, where he 
 commenced his noviciate. This step greatly displeased his 
 brother, Simon, Earl of Northampton, and in order the 
 monks of Wardon might not suffer on his account, he 
 removed to Rievalle, where his brother's influence did 
 not reach. At this latter monastery his resolution
 
 196 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 became fixed. He was soon reconciled to the insipid food, 
 coarse garments, manual drudgery, and long fasts of the 
 first Cistertians. The year of his probation expired, 
 he took the vows, and became, by his cheerfulness and 
 self-denial, a bright example of monastic virtue. He 
 continued at Eievalle till the year 1148, when he was 
 elected abbot of Melrose. In this advanced position 
 he was more than ever venerated and beloved. His 
 kindness to the poor was gratefully spoken of, and 
 when he had occasion to find fault with any of 
 the inferior officials, his paternal mildness gave him 
 sovereign sway. At this period the religious were 
 accustomed to confess with their backs bare, in token 
 of their willingness to submit to whatever stripes their 
 spiritual director might think fit to inflict, before giving 
 them absolution. Waltheofs constant friend was St. 
 Everhard, his confessor, who, being a canon-regular 
 at Kirkham, embraced the Cistertian order along with 
 him at Warden, and removed with him to Bievalle 
 and Melrose. He afterwards became first abbot of 
 Holm-Cultram in Cumberland, founded by David I. 
 in 1150.* 
 
 Waltheofs miracles obtained great celebrity, after 
 his removal to Melrose Abbey. Upon one occasion we 
 
 * St. Everhard is reported to have written the life of Waltheof, 
 also, the life of Adamnan, abbot of Icolmkil, and other works. 
 DEMPSTEBI Hist. Eccles.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 197 
 
 are told, during a severe famine, four thousand starving 
 people, inhabitants of Teviotdale, came to the monastery 
 imploring food. Many, destitute and houseless, built 
 huts for themselves in the fields and woods adjacent. 
 The charity of the benevolent monks was severely tried. 
 It was a time of great scarcity. Their stock of corn 
 was barely sufficient for their own wants till harvest. 
 They had a resource in their cattle, to be sure, but to 
 kill them, as was proposed by Tyna, the kind-hearted 
 cellarer, would be ruinous to their tillage and future 
 hopes of increase.* While the convent was delibera- 
 ting upon this alternative, Waltheof rose up, and desiring 
 Tyna to accompany him, they proceeded to the store- 
 house at Eildon, where the abbot struck his staff into 
 a heap of wheat which lay in the granary, and prayed 
 for a blessing upon it. This done, they passed over 
 the Tweed to the storehouse at Gattonside, which also 
 belonged to the abbey. Here, in like manner, Waltheof 
 blessed a heap of rye, designed as bread for their ser- 
 vants, and commanded that daily rations of grain 
 should be dealt out to the starving multitude. They 
 were thus fed continually for three months, from the 
 stores of grain the abbot had blessed, which lasted till 
 the corn in the fields was ready for the sickle. Tyna, 
 the cellarer, stated that the convent at this time pos- 
 
 * Tyna was the author of a life of Waltheof, a treatise on alms- 
 giving, and a series of sermons for Lent.
 
 198 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 sessed great store of oxen at pasture, as well as sheep 
 and well-fed pigs, with plenty of cheese, butter, and 
 vegetables. In a time of general scarcity, this conveys 
 a most favourable idea of the good husbandry and man- 
 agement of the whole fraternity, and of the benefit 
 which the country must have derived from their skill, 
 influence, and example, in the cultivation of the land. 
 
 Upon a similar occasion, when the monks, by Wal- 
 theof s suggestion, agreed to share their daily allowance 
 of bread with the hungiy, the loaves were no sooner 
 cut in two, than each half was converted into a whole 
 loaf* 
 
 The monastic rule, which enjoined the exercise of 
 hospitality, was nowhere better observed than at Melrose. 
 Strangers, pilgrims, wayfaring men of every descrip- 
 tion and of every condition, from the king to a peasant, 
 found a welcome and shelter there, and at all times 
 such cheer as the monastery afforded. For charity the 
 hospice was renowned. 
 
 In 1152 the monastery of Melrose had to regret the 
 death of a great patron of the religious orders Henry, 
 eldest son of David I. The king himself did not long 
 survive the loss. He was found dead, in a posture of 
 devotion, and his virtues and liberality to the church 
 procured his admission into the catalogue of holy men. 
 Perhaps David did more by the beautiful and religious 
 
 * Annales Cistertienses.
 
 BIOGKAPHY OP THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 199 
 
 tone of his character to merit eulogium, than if he had 
 achieved many warlike exploits. The youthful succes- 
 sor to the throne, Malcolm IV., proved a warm friend 
 to the monastery of Melrose also, seeking through the 
 churchmen to improve the condition of his people. He 
 was surnamed the " Maiden," because he would never 
 marry. He built the abbey of Cupar, died at Jed- 
 burgh, and was buried at Dunfermline. 
 
 It is related, that one day when some guests had 
 arrived, and Walter, the hospitaller, had set food before 
 them, it happened that some other strangers came, who 
 were also invited to partake at the same table. And 
 although the viands were not more than might have 
 sufficed for the first number of guests, yet when all had 
 partaken, they appeared undiminished, and only began 
 to decrease when one of the company, in the middle of 
 the repast, called the attention of the rest to the mira- 
 culous circumstance.* 
 
 One evening, three strangers knocked at the abbey 
 gate, and were admitted to lodge there for the night. 
 They were immediately conducted into church, accord- 
 ing to the rules of St. Benedict. When their devotions 
 were concluded, they were led back to the guest-cham- 
 ber, and taken care of by brother Walter, the hospitaller. 
 By the time they had washed their feet, they were sum- 
 moned to supper in the refectory, but had scarcely sat 
 
 * Annales Cistertienses.
 
 200 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 down when it was discovered that one was missing, and 
 his place vacant. Walter asked the remaining two 
 what had become of their companion, the third person, 
 when, with surprise, they affirmed that no third person 
 had been in their company. The friar now insisted 
 that he had placed three of them at table. The porter 
 and another monk who had received them at the gate, 
 declared that they had let in three persons. Nobody 
 had gone out, yet the third stranger could nowhere be 
 found. The following night, however, a person of an- 
 gelic appearance showed himself to the hospitaller, in .a 
 dream, and said: " Dost thou know me, brother Walter? 
 I am the stranger whose sudden disappearing from 
 amongst you yesterday nobody could account for. The 
 Lord has appointed me to watch over this monastery, and 
 I am come to certify to you that the alms and prayers 
 of this community, and especially of your abbot, are 
 accepted, and ascend unto heaven like the odours of 
 sweet incense."* 
 
 On the eve of the Epiphany, when the convent was 
 singing the praises of God in the choir, the abbot had 
 a vision of the Virgin Mary, with the infant Jesus on 
 her knee, and the three wise men of the East coming, 
 preceded by a star, to offer him gifts and worship ; and 
 it is recorded that, on Easter day, at early niatins, 
 Waltheof had a vision of the sufferings, death, and re- 
 surrection of Christ
 
 BIOGBAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OP MELEOSE. 201 
 
 It is also said of him that, by his blessing and touch, 
 he healed three of the brethren on one occasion, who 
 lay dangerously sick in the infirmary. 
 
 In 1159, on the death of Robert, bishop of St. An- 
 drews, the clergy of that cathedral,, with many of the 
 principal noblemen of Scotland, came to Melrose, to 
 announce the election of Waltheof,and conduct him with 
 honour to the episcopal city. But he who, in the days 
 of youth and strength, was deaf to the charms of 
 worldly distinction, shrank from it now in the season of 
 age and feebleness. In vain did the abbot of Rievalle 
 endeavour te persuade him to accept the call, to which 
 Waltheof but pointed with his fingers to the ground, 
 at the entrance of the chapter-house, where he had 
 fixed upon a spot for his grave. In allusion to his hav- 
 ing laid aside all earthly cares to prepare for death, he 
 said: " I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? 
 I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them?" 
 
 Thus Waltheof kept his resolution, and continued to 
 exercise his functions at Melrose till the day of his 
 death, an event which he joyfully anticipated, and often 
 prayed for. 
 
 The peace of the convent had often been disturbed by 
 the rude behaviour of one of the brethren, named Simon, a 
 man of great muscular strength, and a good artificer. This 
 person having fallen asleep, during the hour of rest at 
 noon, dreamed that a gigantic being with terrible aspect, 
 
 o
 
 202 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 and armed with a scythe, stood before him, and, in a 
 voice that made him tremble, reproached him for his 
 wicked life ; after which, hewing him to pieces, he put the 
 several limbs into a basket which he carried, and was 
 preparing to depart, when a being of glorious appear- 
 ance came suddenly and drove him away, after he had 
 compelled him to fit again all the dissevered pieces to 
 each other. Then the angelic being, having restored 
 Simon to life, and exhorted him to amendment, put 
 into his hands a written scroll, charging him to deliver 
 it faithfully to his abbot, to whom it was sent from God 
 and the holy Mary. 
 
 Simon, awaking, found the scroll on his breast, and 
 did with it as he was directed, at the same time giving 
 an account of his vision. Waltheof with reverence 
 unfolded the epistle, and kneeling down, read it with 
 tears of thankfulness. The words were these " Jesus 
 Christ, and Mary his Mother, greet their beloved Wal- 
 theof. Know that thy prayer is heard, and, between 
 the two feasts of John the Baptist,* thou shalt come to 
 us to live forever : prepare thyself. Farewell."-f- 
 
 On the feast of the nativity of John the Bap- 
 tist, the biographer informs us that Waltheof was 
 seized with mortal sickness; that, on the 1st of 
 
 * The nativity of John the Baptist is commemorated on the 24th 
 of June, his martyrdom on the 29th of August, 
 f Annalea C later tienses.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 203 
 
 August, feeling himself worse, lie received the last 
 sacraments of the Church, and bade his assembled 
 friends farewell. On the 3rd of the month, at the hour 
 of tierce, the convent was summoned to witness his 
 departure. As the custom then prevailed, the dying 
 saint was laid upon a hair-cloth, while those around 
 sung the psalms and litanies proper for the occasion. 
 He lived, however, till the hour of sext, when, the 
 monks being re-assembled, and singing as before, he ex- 
 pired. According to custom, his body was washed, 
 clothed in a monk's habit and hood, and then wrapped 
 in a wax-cloth, prior to burial. The use of the wax- 
 cloth, however, was contrary to the Benedictine for- 
 mula, on such occasions. His funeral obsequies were 
 performed by the bishop of Glasgow, attended by four 
 abbots, and a great number of religious men of differ- 
 ent orders, and he was buried on the spot he had him- 
 self pointed out in the Chapter-house. 
 
 Several literary works are attributed to Waltheof. 
 
 III. William, one of the monks, was the next abbot 
 of Melrose. He was elected on November 27th, ] 159, 
 in a chapter held by Baldred or Ailred, Waltheofs 
 friend, and abbot of the parent monastery of Eievalle. 
 William soon became unpopular with the monks. He 
 appears to have been somewhat incredulous of the 
 miracles said to have been wrought at Waltheofs tomb. 
 He also endeavoured to put a stop to the superstitious
 
 204 HISTOEICAL SUMMABY, AUD 
 
 practices founded on them. Waltheof was no sooner 
 dead than the most supernatural visions were seen by 
 different people. Walter, a lay brother, and sick in- 
 mate of the infirmary, was wonderfully restored to 
 health by the abbot, who appeared to him in a vision, 
 and informed him that he was now a partaker of the 
 joys of paradise. Henry, another lay brother, beheld 
 Waltheof, with St. Benedict and St. Bernard, borne 
 through the air, each in a splendid litter, and was mira- 
 culously told that they were on their way to the abbey 
 of Kinloss, to rescue from Satan the soul of Robert, one 
 of the monks, who was to die on the morrow.* 
 
 Pilgrimages from all parts were now made to the 
 tomb of St. Waltheof. His beatification was fully be- 
 lieved in. Those who hoped for favour by prayer and 
 fasting gave donations to the convent such as money, 
 wax-tapers, lamps, wine, and other gifts which they 
 had vowed. Bernoul, a wealthy citizen of Eothbury, 
 was restored from sickness to health and strength, by 
 watching one night beside ihe tomb of Waltheof. 
 Josceline, the recorder of this legend, conversed with 
 BernouTs son, who became a monk of Melrose.-f- 
 
 Whatever support these stones received out of doors, 
 the abbot William does not seem to have credited all of 
 them ; for he shut up the chapter-house, and refused 
 admission to the crowds who came daily to perform 
 
 * Annales Cwtertiffnaes. f Ibid.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELBOSE. 205 
 
 their devotions at Waltheof s grave. The monks now 
 accused him of harshness. He was warned by Sylvanus 
 abbot of Rievalle, to be less severe, and he ultimately 
 resigned his office on the 23rd of April, 1170, and re- 
 tired to the abbey of Rievalle, where he died fifteen 
 years afterwards.* He was an author of repute. The 
 brethren of the convent most distinguished in his 
 time were: Ralph, who, in 1171, was made abbot of 
 Cupar ; Simon de Tonei, or Thondei, who became abbot 
 of Coggleshall, Essex, and continued some years, but, 
 returning to Melrose, resumed his station as a private 
 monk, till elected bishop of Moray, in 1171, in which 
 situation he died in 1184 
 
 IV. Josceline, the prior, was made abbot the same 
 day that William retired. He had defended Waltheofs 
 beatification with such zeal, that he must now endea- 
 vour to justify the part he had acted. The common 
 belief of the times was that, when the soul had entered 
 into immediate felicity, the body would not see corrup- 
 tion. Josceline resolved to test this, in respect of his 
 deceased patron and friend. A new slab of polished 
 marble was prepared to replace the stone-covering of 
 the tomb. On May the 2nd, 1171, Ingelram, bishop of 
 Glasgow, four abbots, monks of different orders, all the 
 brethren of Melrose, besides a goodly company of sober 
 and religious men, being assembled in the chapter- 
 
 * Chron. de Mailros.
 
 206 
 
 house, the grave was opened in their presence. The 
 body, and the garments in which it had been buried 
 twelve years before, appeared to have suffered no 
 decay.* The bishop, stooping down, touched the gar- 
 ments and different parts of the body, at first gently, 
 and then with greater pressure, to assure himself that 
 every joint and limb was flexible and sound. Peter, 
 the chanter, who doubted the propriety of so accurate 
 a scrutiny, could not help saying, " In sooth, my lord 
 bishop, saving your reverence, methinks you handle the 
 body of the holy man somewhat roughly." When some 
 present approved of Peter's remark, the bishop thus 
 addressed them : " Be not offended, my dear children, 
 that I have scrupulously examined into this matter, 
 but rather praise God, since I have thereby clearly 
 ascertained and made manifest that this is indeed a 
 miracle, which proves that you have now another saint 
 belonging to you, and that your venerated father, 
 Waltheof, is become a companion to the holy Cuthbert, 
 who also was once a monk of Melros." At these words, 
 we are told, many of the brethren shed tears of joy, all 
 present gave vent to some expression of thankfulness, 
 and at the suggestion of the abbot of Kelso, a Te Deum 
 was solemnly chanted. 
 
 Josceline was made bishop of Glasgow in ] 174. 
 While abbot of Melros, he established a house of hos- 
 
 * Chron. de Mailros.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 207 
 
 pitality on the banks of the Teviot, at Hassendean, for 
 the entertainment of strangers and pilgrims coming to 
 Melrose. With the consent of King William, he gave 
 for its support the patronage of the church of Hassen- 
 dean, with all its lands, tithes and possessions.* Josce- 
 line is praised for the kindness and urbanity of his 
 manners. His elevation to the episcopal dignity gave 
 universal satisfaction. He began to rebuild and enlarge 
 the cathedral church of Glasgow in 1180, which was 
 finished in a magnificent style in 1196, three years 
 before his death. Josceline, who had been distin- 
 guished for his learning and piety, was buried at Mel- 
 rose. One of the friends of Josceline at Melrose, was 
 St. Nervus, or Nerva, the patron usually invoked by 
 travellers, in consequence of a miracle believed to have 
 been done by him. Two pilgrims, it is said, having 
 been found murdered on their way to visit the holy 
 places in Scotland, this devout monk restored them to 
 life for a short space, that they might confess their sins, 
 and receive the sacrament of the Eucharist. In 1174, 
 Nervus became abbot of Kinloss, where he rebuilt the 
 cloister, and secured it with a high wall. 
 
 V. Laurence, or Laurentius, one of the monks 
 and a person of great meekness, was elected abbot 
 on the 14th May, 1175. He had previously been 
 abbot of a monastery in the Orkneys, and is said to 
 
 * Cart, de Mailros.
 
 208 HISTOKICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 have been a skilful and learned theologian He died 
 in 1178. 
 
 VI. Ernald, the next abbot, received the benediction 
 from Bishop Josceline, on the day of the Epiphany, 
 1 1 79. During the reign of William the Lion, a keen 
 struggle was maintained by the Scottish clergy with 
 their more southern ecclesiastical brethren. The King 
 of England succeeded in obtaining a recognition of 
 temporal authority from William and his barons. The 
 ecclesiastical supremacy of the question was disputed 
 with much success ; and the Church of Scotland was 
 declared to be the daughter of Eome by special grace, 
 and immediately subject to the apostolic jurisdiction. 
 William was spirited enough to dispute the Pope's right 
 of interference in the appointing a bishop to the dio- 
 cese of St. Andrew's. This opposition finally brought 
 down the vengeance of his holiness, and the kingdom 
 of Scotland was subjected to excommunication. A 
 reconciliation was set on foot, and Bishop Josceline, with 
 Ernald, abbot of Melrose, were the principal persons 
 sent to Rome to effect 'it. A compromise was made, 
 and the country freed from the pontifical curse. 
 
 While these disputes were in existence, dissensions 
 of another nature were not uncommon in reference to 
 the territorial rights of different churches. The exten- 
 sive forests of the shires of Selkirk and Roxburgh were 
 the theatres of frequent quarrels. The increasing im-
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELKOSE. 209 
 
 portance of the religious communities was opposed to 
 the warlike power of the barons. The district of 
 Wedale, situated between the rivers Leader and Gala, 
 was the scene of frequent disputes. Cattle-drivers and 
 swine-herds indulged in quarrels. The respective 
 claims of the bishop of St. Andrew's, the family of the 
 Morvilles, arid the monks of Melrose, required adjust- 
 ment, and royal intervention was called for. Eichard 
 de Morville, constable of the kingdom, and twelve other 
 jurors, were ordered by the king to perambulate the 
 boundaries. They did so, and being sworn upon the 
 holy relics preserved at Melrose, attested that the royal 
 forest extended to the highway leading to the westward 
 of the church of Wedale, and that the right of pasture 
 belonged to Melrose as far as the marches of Wedale, 
 and the rivulet called Fasseburn. Thus King William 
 established what was emphatically called " The Peace of 
 Wedale."* 
 
 Ernald was chosen abbot of Eievalle on the second 
 of March, 1189, upon the resignation of his predecessor, 
 Sylvanus.-f- 
 
 VII. Reiner, abbot of Kinloss,once a monk of Melrose, 
 succeeded Ernald. In 1194 he resigned his charge of 
 
 * William, surnamed the Lion, was a valiant king. He built the 
 monastery of Aberbrothock ; and his queen, Emergarda, daughter 
 of Earl Beaumont, built that of Balmerinoch. William died at 
 Stirling, and was buried at Aberbrothock. 
 
 f Chron. de Mailros.
 
 210 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 Melrose abbey, and again became abbot of Kinloss, 
 where he died in the year 1219. A monk of Melrose, 
 named Reginald, who lived about this time, is men- 
 tioned as a distinguished person. Reginald became 
 bishop of Ross, and was made cardinal. Another monk 
 of Melrose, named Gilbert, became abbot of Holy Island, 
 and died in 1200. He was the author of eight elegant 
 sermons upon the Song of Solomon. 
 
 VIII. Ralph, or Radulph,also an abbot of Kinloss, suc- 
 ceeded Reiner, two days after his resignation. Another 
 dispute had arisen between the monks of Melrose and 
 those of Kelso abbey, whose lands of Bowden lay close to 
 theirs in Eildon and Darnwick. Certain boundaries re- 
 quired adjustment. The Pope's legate, John de Salerno, 
 being in Scotland, visited Melrose in ] 201. He had been 
 attending a general council at Perth for the reformation 
 of the clergy. In the settlement of the boundary ques- 
 tion, however, he acted with duplicity. He made himself 
 merry and comfortable for a couple of months at the 
 expense of both parties in dispute. He received from 
 them valuable presents of money and horses, deluding 
 both with the hopes of a favourable decision ; he settled 
 nothing, but went off to Ireland, took with him Ralph, 
 abbot of Melrose, and made him bishop of Down. 
 Cardinal Gualo must have noticed this consummate 
 piece of Italian trickery, for shortly afterwards he made 
 a bold attempt to enrich himself, and succeeded, at the
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 211 
 
 expense of the nation. Ralph was at Melrose in 1211, 
 and there gave the episcopal blessing to three abbots 
 on St. Lucia's day, viz., of Fountain's abbey, York- 
 shire, Furness, and Caldeia. He died in 1233, and 
 bequeathed to posterity several works on ecclesiastical 
 polity. 
 
 IX. William, formerly master of the novices of Melrose, 
 and now abbot of Cupar, was brought back, and suc- 
 ceeded Ralph as abbot of Melrose in J 202. He died in 
 1206, and such was the opinion of his sanctity, that it 
 was agreed to bury him near his sainted predecessor, 
 Waltheof. There is a story about brother Robert, a 
 mason, whose curiosity led him to raise the cover of the 
 tomb, in order to look into it, when a most fragrant 
 odour of drugs and spices issued from the opening. It 
 being dusk a lighted taper was brought, and a dozen or 
 more monks and lay brethren looked in, and saw the 
 body of the holy man laid uncorrupted, and the grave- 
 clothes fresh and beautiful. 
 
 X. Patrick, the sub-prior, was chosen abbot on the 
 8th of June, 1206, but died the following year. 
 
 XI Adam, prior of Melrose, was elected abbot in 1207. 
 Next year the differences between the monks of Melrose 
 and those of Kelso, referred already by Pope Celestine 
 to the arbitration of King William, were finally ad- 
 justed. The future boundaries between the grounds of 
 Eildon and Bowden were minutely described, drawn up
 
 212 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 in writing, and attested by the abbots of Jedburgh, 
 Dryburgh, Newbattle, and Cupar. 
 
 Adam was elected bishop of Caithness, August 5th, 
 1213. He did not vacate his office at Melrose till the 
 llth May, 1214, the day of his consecration. In the 
 ninth year of his episcopate, his days were cut short by 
 the people of his own diocese. A dispute arose with 
 the bishop and his flock respecting a more equitable 
 adjustment of tithes. The people refused payment, and 
 it is said, that in the heat of the moment, Adam excom- 
 municated them. This harsh and cruel measure in- 
 flamed them, and, on September llth, 1222, a mob of 
 three hundred men surrounded his house at Hawkirk at 
 an untimely hour in the morning, broke open the doors, 
 and slew a monk of Melrose, named Serlo, a companion 
 to the bishop, also a servant of the house, dragged the 
 bishop from his chamber, bound him hand and foot, 
 beat him with sticks and stones, shut him up in the 
 kitchen, and set fire to the house, where he was burned 
 to death.* When the flames were extinguished the 
 body of the bishop was found under a heap of stones 
 unconsumed. It was buried in the parish church, and 
 in 1239 disinterred and removed to a more honourable 
 tomb in the cathedral church of the diocese. 
 
 * Scotichronium, ix. 37. Wyntaun, viii. 7. The monk Serlo was 
 a reputed saint, and the author of several books, among which was 
 one on "Tithes."
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OP MELROSE. 213 
 
 Intelligence of this outrage was brought to King 
 Alexander, who was then at Jedburgh, preparing for 
 a journey into England. The king was exceedingly 
 vexed, and postponing every other concern, proceeded 
 to the spot, and punished the murderers with death. 
 The conduct of John, Earl of Orkney and Caithness, 
 who lived near, was not void of suspicion, and his lands 
 were confiscated in consequence by the king. Strange 
 to say, in 1231 the Earl was murdered by his own 
 servant, who, to conceal his guilt, burnt the house in 
 which lay his mangled body. Bishop Adam was the 
 reputed author of many literary productions. 
 
 XII. Hugh de Clippeston, one of the monks, was 
 elected abbot of Melrose in 1214, but resigned his office 
 in the following year, at a general chapter of the 
 order.* 
 
 XIII. William de Curry, abbot of Holm-Cultram, 
 Cumberland, succeeded Hugh on the 16th of November, 
 1215; and on August 30th, 1216, William was trans- 
 lated to Eievalle, the monks of that abbey having 
 chosen him for their superior. 
 
 XIV. Kalph, the cellarer of Melrose, was made abbot 
 on the 14th September, 1216, which he held till the 1st 
 of June, 1219, when he died.-f- He was of a kind and 
 gentle disposition, and greatly beloved of the monks. 
 
 The King of Scotland had not been an uninterested 
 
 * Chron. Mail. t Ibid.
 
 214 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 observer of the contests between King John and his 
 barons, the issue of which secured, on an indestructible 
 basis, the foundations of the liberty of Englishmen. 
 On the llth of January, 1216, King Alexander met the 
 Yorkshire barons, with those of the northern counties, 
 in the chapter-house of Melrose abbey. They swore 
 fealty to the king, and engaged to put him in possession 
 of Northumberland and the city of Carlisle, upon his 
 agreeing to assist them in the assertion of their rights. 
 John had, in the meantime, advanced northwards, 
 destroyed their lands and castles, invaded Scotland, and 
 was now laying waste the country between Koxburgh, 
 Dunbar, and Berwick. The King of Scotland retaliated 
 with equal devastation. John died, leaving his kingdom 
 to the Pope's protection. Gualo, on the plea that the 
 King of England was a vassal of the Pope, now excom- 
 municated the king and people of Scotland. The 
 churches were therefore shut up, and all the clergy 
 ceased exercising their functions, except the monks of 
 the Cistertian order, who held themselves exempt from 
 the apostolic curse on account and by virtue of their 
 privileges. Subsequently, almost all the abbots of the 
 Cistertian order attended a general chapter at Cisteaux, 
 whence several churchmen were sent as delegates to 
 Eome, where they succeeded in obtaining the recall of 
 Cardinal Gualo, and getting the order confirmed in the 
 possession of all its former righta The historian
 
 EIOGKAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 215 
 
 Buchanan says, that the plunder amassed by the crafty 
 cardinal, in sums paid by the opulent churchmen for 
 absolution from the curse, was ordered to be divided 
 among the complainers, who were sent home laden with 
 fine words, but saw none of the gold. 
 
 XV. Adam de Harkaris, abbot of Newbattle, and a 
 relation of Patrick, Earl of March, was translated to 
 Melrose abbey on the 6th of August, 1219. He pre- 
 sided twenty-six years, and during this period the 
 convent greatly increased in wealth and importance. 
 Many of the members were promoted to episcopal 
 offices, or chosen to preside over other monasteries. 
 The dignitaries of the order were becoming remark- 
 able for their position and influence in the state. 
 Pilgrims to their shrines were numerous. Persons of 
 distinction, in their old age, were admitted as novices. 
 Donations were showered upon the abbacy. Bequests 
 were left in all directions. Dying persons left their 
 property to it. The habit of the order alone seemed 
 sufficient to ensure eternal salvation. Superstition ap- 
 peared in its most pleasing forms. Political influence 
 followed the acquisition of property. Temporal ob- 
 jects weakened spiritual exertion and self-examination. 
 
 We read that Patrick, Earl of Dunbar, when near 
 dying, assembled his friends and neighbours together 
 in his castle at Christmas, 1231, and having kept fes- 
 tival with them during four days, he then sent for the
 
 216 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 abbot of Melrose, who gave him extreme unction, and 
 invested him with the Cistertian habit on the 30th of 
 December, when he affectionately bade his friends fare- 
 well, and died the next day. 
 
 It was said that the Virgin Mary changed the black 
 habit originally worn by the Cistertians into white, upon 
 the person of Alberic, the second abbot of Cisteaux.* 
 
 The reign of Alexander II. witnessed the steady pro- 
 gress of Melrose abbey .*f Its possessions were aug- 
 mented in 1235 by a grant of the lands of Ettrick 
 Forest. In 1 240, the remains of all the abbots buried 
 at the entrance of the chapter-house at Melrose, except 
 those of St. Waltheof, were disinterred, and removed to 
 a place prepared for them in the east side of the same 
 building. 
 
 Waltheof's tomb was opened, and when it was found 
 that his body was now reduced to bones and dust, it 
 was covered up again. Some of the persons present 
 selected some of the small bones to keep as relics. 
 William, son of the Earl of Dunbar, got a tooth, by 
 which, as he affirmed afterwards, many sick persons 
 were cured. The abbot, Adam de Harkaris, died in 
 1245, after a most peaceful, prosperous, long, and 
 contented administration of the affairs of the abbey. 
 
 * Annales Cistertienses. 
 
 j- Alexander II. was, at his death, interred in an elegant chapel on 
 the right side of the chancel.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 217 
 
 XVI. Matthew, the cellarer of Melrose, was chosen 
 abbot on the 19th of April, 1246. In July 1261 he 
 resigned, from infirmity. Matthew had behaved with 
 great kindness to the monks, and they were warmly 
 attached to him. He had increased their comfort in 
 many ways, and by the erection of convenient buildings 
 and offices. He also built a fine hall on the south 
 banks of the river for himself and his successors. Dur- 
 ing the reign, of Alexander III. the revenues of the 
 church reached their zenith. After his death, a series 
 of national calamities weighed heavily on the monas- 
 teries of Teviotdale, exposed as they were to the hostile 
 attacks of the English nation.* 
 
 XVII. Adam de Maxton, abbot of Newbattle, and 
 formerly cellarer of Melrose, was chosen abbot, August 
 1, J 261. He was deposed in 1267 by a general chapter 
 of the order, on account of his pride and obstinacy. 
 He had deposed Henry, abbot of Holm- Cul tram, without 
 consulting his brethren. Henry was at the same time 
 restored again to his former position. 
 
 In 1265, the Western Isles, long held by the Nor- 
 wegians, were granted to Scotland by treaty. Alexan- 
 der III. was to pay the King of Norway four thousand 
 marks within four years, arid one hundred marks a-year 
 
 * Alexander III. built the Cross-kirk of Peebles. He met his 
 death by a fall from his horse, in the thirty -seventh year of his reign, 
 and was buried at Dunfermline.
 
 218 HISTOKICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 ever after, for possession of them. Reginald of Rox- 
 burgh, a monk of Melrose, went as ambassador to the 
 court of Norway, and conducted the negociations on 
 the part of Scotland.* 
 
 XVIII. John de Ederham, master of the novices, was 
 the next abbot of Melrose. In 1268, John, with many 
 of the monks, was excommunicated. At a council of 
 Scottish clergy held at Perth, it was proved that they 
 had broken the peace of Wedale, by violently en- 
 tering the houses belonging to the bishop of St. 
 Andrews, killing one ecclesiastic, and wounding 
 many others. The monks of Melrose had frequent 
 quarrels with the men of Wedale, or Stow, about their 
 marches. 
 
 XIX. Robert de Keldeleth, or Kildalach, was chosen 
 abbot of Melrose in 1268. He had passed through 
 strange turns of fortune, originally a Benedictine 
 rnonk at Dunfermline, then abbot of that monastery, 
 afterwards chancellor of Scotland, and confessor to 
 James the First. At length, charged with conspiracy 
 to procure from the court of Rome the legitimacy of a 
 marriage that was invalid his accusers being the 
 Earls of Mar and Monteith. He now resigned the 
 seals of office, and retired to the abbey of Melrose. 
 Disgraced at court, the monks respected him not, so 
 that he soon left Melrose, entered the Cistertian 
 
 * Chron. Mili-vi.
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 219 
 
 monastery of Newbattle, and became a private monk 
 again. He died in 1273. 
 
 XX. Patrick de Selkirke, one of the monks, was now 
 chosen abbot of Melrose. How long he held office we 
 know not, as the Chronicle of Melrose extends no 
 farther. This Chronicle relates to the affairs of Old 
 Melrose, rather than the new monastery of that name. 
 In the year 1291, Edward I., acting upon his usurped 
 authority as feudal lord of Scotland, granted a letter of 
 protection for one year to the abbot and convent of 
 Melrose. He also renewed this assurance to them 
 annually for several years. During this eventful period 
 in Scottish history, the ecclesiastics of the abbeys of 
 Teviotdale played a most important part in national 
 affairs. The usurpation of Edward, and the rival claims 
 of Bruce and Baliol, called forth all the talents of the 
 churchmen. We find them in these perilous times 
 asserting their privileges before those in autho- 
 rity, compromising royal disputes, and personally 
 protecting their property from the ravages of inva- 
 sion. In 1296 the monasteries of Jedworth, Kelso, 
 Dryburgh, and Melrose, severally, swore fealty to 
 Edward I. 
 
 In 1303, Hugh Audley, who attended the King of 
 England in his expedition against Scotland, being 
 lodged at Melrose abbey, with sixty men under his 
 command, was attacked in the night by Comyn, Eegent
 
 220 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 of Scotland, who forced the abbey gates, and killed 
 several of the English within the building. Sir Thomas 
 Grey fled over the bridge, and defended himself in a 
 house, until it was in flames over his head, when he 
 came out and surrendered.* 
 
 King Edward's letters of protection availed but little 
 during this period of strife and foray. The mouks 
 continually made their losses known to him. They ob- 
 tained confirmation of their charters ; also permission 
 to cut down forty oaks in the forest of Selkirk, to repair 
 such buildings as had been burnt and demolished in the 
 war. They called the king's attention also to the fact, 
 that they had never received payment for fifty-five sacks 
 of wool, bought from them on his account, by Sir Hugh 
 de Cressingham, when he was treasurer of Scotland. 
 And for fourteen sacks of wool, and one last of leather, 
 bought from them for his account by Sir Osbert de 
 Spaldington, Sheriff of Berwick. For settlement of 
 these debts, Edward, in his reply, coolly referred them 
 to his chamberlain of Scotland.f 
 
 When the plan of government and police for Scot- 
 land, as a dependent state of England, was settled at 
 Westminster in September, 1305, the abbot of Melrose 
 was one of the ten commissioners chosen by the 
 National Council of Scotland to confer with the twenty 
 
 * Scala Chronica in Lei. Col. i., 541. 
 t Rolls of Parliament, vol. i., 473.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELK08E. 221 
 
 English commissioners of parliament, appointed for that 
 purpose.* 
 
 William deFoghou,orFoggo,-f*was abbot in 1310, and 
 his name appears in connection with many charters until 
 the year 1329. He had letters of protection granted 
 him by Edward II. on various occasions. One to go to 
 visit the king at York; another to pass to Holm- 
 Cultram, to preside at the election, of an abbot. That 
 abbacy was founded by David I. in 1150, and colonized 
 with monks from Melrose ; therefore Melrose was its 
 maternal house. In 1319 Foghou had another letter 
 of safe-conduct from the king, who wished to see him 
 in the north, where he was preparing with a hostile 
 army to enter Scotland. The design of the king failed, 
 and he was only able to lay siege to Berwick, without 
 effect. His last invasion of Scotland, in 1322, met 
 with even less success than his former attempts. After 
 reaching Edinburgh, he was obliged to retreat, and Q we 
 find him passing homeward through Roxburghshire, 
 with a dispirited and discontented army, defeated more 
 
 * RlDPATH, 293. 
 
 f It was about this period, 1318, that the first association was 
 made between King Robert Bruce and "good Sir James Douglas." 
 Shortly after the return of the former from Ireland, they went and 
 burnt the towns of Northallerton and Boroughbridge, spoiled Ripon, 
 but spared the church, and levied five thousand marks upon the 
 monks they found there. In this disastrous mission they also burnt 
 Scarborough, and burnt and sacked the town of Shipton in Craven, 
 Yorkshire.
 
 222 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 by famine than "by military prowess. Intending to 
 lodge at Melrose, he sent forward three hundred men to 
 prepare for his reception. Here Edward received a 
 check which greatly irritated him. Lord Douglas was 
 at the time, with a company of Scots, planted in a 
 neighbouring forest, and having intelligence of their 
 movements, got unobservedly to the abbey before them. 
 When they came up, he attacked them suddenly, killing 
 a great number of the three hundred, the remainder 
 having fled to rejoin the main army. 
 
 According to Barbour, a sturdy friar on horseback 
 was set to watch the enemy's approach, and that, armed 
 with a spear, he began the fray himself, as soon as they 
 reached the abbey wall. 
 
 Annoyed at the issue of the fray, and smarting under 
 the losses and privations already sustained, the soldiers 
 wreaked their vengeance on the inmates of the abbey, 
 slaying and wounding the monks; they ransacked the 
 monastery, carried off or destroyed the valuables, and 
 leaving behind them ruin and desolation, the English 
 army proceeded southward, destroying all the religious 
 houses in their route. 
 
 It is stated that when Edward's main army came up 
 to Melrose, they showed no mercy. William de Peblis, 
 the prior, was slain, many of the aged and infirm monks 
 were sabred, two of the lay brethren, who were blind, 
 were cruelly butchered, and several of the monks were
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 223 
 
 wounded. On their route, the abbey of Dryburgh was 
 set on fire, and burnt to ashes, by command of the 
 king. 
 
 The good government of Eobert the Bruce ulti- 
 mately triumphed, after Scotland had experienced great 
 misery and oppression. The monks of Melrose began 
 to think of restoring their ancient church and monas- 
 tery again. Robert endeavoured by his liberality to 
 make good what the English soldiery had destroyed. 
 Peace was favourable to the design, and prosperity 
 once more swelled the resources of the convent. 
 
 At Scone, March 26th, in the year 1326, King 
 Robert granted the sum of L.2000 sterling to enable 
 the monks of Melrose to rebuild their church. This 
 sum, equal to fifty thousand pounds of the money of the 
 present day, was to be chiefly raised in the county of 
 Roxburgh from fines and forfeited lands ; from the 
 baronies of Cessford and Eckford, forfeited by Sir 
 Roger de Mowbray ; and the lands of Nesbit, Long- 
 newton, Maxton, and Caverton, forfeited by William, 
 Lord Soulis, both for treason and conspiracy. Soulis 
 was confined in Dumbarton Castle, where he died; 
 Mowbray died about the time the plot was discovered, 
 and his dead body was suspended on a gallows and 
 afterwards beheaded. William de Soulis had aspired 
 to the throne of Scotland. 
 
 In the Northampton treaty of peace, between Eng-
 
 224 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 land und Scotland, in 1328, it was stipulated that there 
 should be a restitution of the lands and possessions of 
 the religious houses in both countries. The claims of 
 Melrose, and the other abbeys of Teviotdale, were par- 
 ticularly attended to. 
 
 King Robert augmented the revenues of the abbey 
 with other considerable gifts. In 1 329, a few weeks 
 before his death, he wrote a most paternal letter to his 
 son, recommending to his favour the monastery of 
 Melrose, and directing that his heart should be buried 
 there. This latter direction was superseded by a wish, 
 expressed ere he died, that his heart should be depo- 
 sited in the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. James, 
 Lord Douglas, faithful in his attachment to his sove- 
 reign and friend, undertook to execute his last request. 
 The following year, Douglas, accompanied with a splen- 
 did retinue of knights and men of note, set out for 
 Palestine, with the royal heart enclosed in a silver 
 casket. Passing through Spain, the Douglas offered 
 his services to the King Alphonso, then engaged in a 
 war with the Saracens. To fight against the enemies 
 of Christendom suited the chivalrous spirit of Douglas, 
 who, after exhibiting prodigies of valour, fell in battle. 
 It is recorded of him, that being surrounded by the 
 enemy, he took the casket containing the heart of 
 Bruce, and casting it before him, exclaimed, " Now, pass 
 onward, as thou wert wont, and Douglas will follow
 
 BIOGKAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 225 
 
 thee, or die ! " These were the last words of James, 
 Lord Douglas. Sir William Keith brought back the 
 heart of King Eobert, which was deposited near the 
 high altar of Melrose abbey. The body of Bruce was 
 magnificently interred under the grand altar of the 
 church of Dunfermline abbey. The body of Lord 
 Douglas was also brought back from Spain, and buried 
 in the graves of his ancestors. 
 
 ' ' The Earl Murray, that had the cure, 
 That time of Scotland haillily, 
 With great worship he gart bury 
 The king his heart at the abbay 
 Of Melros, where men prayeth ay 
 That he and his have Paradise. " 
 
 Melrose abbey sustained but little injury during 
 the stormy period which comprehends the minority of 
 King Robert's successor. 
 
 After Edward Baliol's ineffectual attempt to seat 
 himself on the Scottish throne, the abbot and convent 
 of Melrose swore fealty to Edward III., and had letters 
 of protection granted, dated Berwick, July 26, 1333 * 
 
 Thomas de Soltre was abbot of Melrose about this 
 time. In a grant made to the abbey of Dryburgh by 
 Sir William de Feltoun, Sheriff of Roxburgh in 1338, 
 his name appears thereto. 
 
 On December 24, 1338, Lord William Douglas, sur- 
 named the "Flower of Chivalry," arrested the English 
 
 * Rotuli Scotice.
 
 226 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 convoy, carrying Christmas fare from Melrose to the 
 castle of Hermitage, and after losing many men, got 
 possession of the victuals. He then went and laid 
 siege to the castle of Hermitage, which he took, and 
 provisioned with the victuals he had taken from the 
 English convoy previously. 
 
 Of Lord William Douglas it was said, that " he was 
 terrible and successful in armes, meek, mild, and gentle 
 in peace, the scourge of England, and sure buckler and 
 wall of Scotland, whom neither hard success could 
 make slack, nor prosperity slothful."* 
 
 In the winter of 1340, after the siege of Tournay, 
 Edward III., after making an excursion to Ettrick 
 Forest in very stormy weather, returned to Melrose, 
 celebrated Christmas at the abbey, and gave a tourna- 
 ment. Sir William Douglas and other Scottish knights 
 attended. Douglas joisted, in the king's presence, with 
 Henry of Lancaster, Earl of Derby, who, having heard 
 of his valorous deeds, desired his acquaintance, and 
 for that purpose had challenged him to this chivalrous 
 sport. The tilting was at Eoxburgh, where the king's 
 lieutenant, Derby, lay with his forces.f In the first 
 course Douglas's spear broke, and a splinter of it hurt 
 his hand, whereupon the Earl of Derby, then one of the 
 most courteous, brave, and generous men of England 
 
 * HUME of Goclscroft. 
 
 t KNYG.HTON, Charter of Mel. Abbey. Cart. Kel, 199, r.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 227 
 
 at the time, would not suffer him to joist any longer. 
 Another tilting match took place at Berwick in the 
 Easter following, between twenty English and twenty 
 Scottish knights, which lasted three days, when two 
 English knights and a knight and a squire of Scotland 
 were slain. 
 
 William is the name of the next abbot of Melrose. He 
 is mentioned in charters dated 134-2 and 1 343.* About 
 this time lived Peter Fenton, a monk of Melrose, who 
 wrote a poetical history of the life of King Robert the 
 Bruce. In 1342, David II. returned from France, and 
 assumed the reins of government. In 1 346, he was taken 
 prisoner by the English, at the battle of Neville's Cross, 
 near Durham. The southern counties of Scotland were 
 again overrun by the English. During this period the 
 monastic institutions, in particular, felt the inconveni- 
 ences and vexations incident to such an unhappy state. 
 In 1365, the monks of Melrose were accused of selling 
 wool and victuals to their countrymen, and of traitor- 
 ously defrauding the King of England of his customs 
 and dues. In 1 375, Edward gave them liberty to buy 
 in Norfolk or Suffolk two hundred quarters of barley 
 or malt, for the use of the convent, for prompt pay- 
 ment, and to carry it by sea from the port of Lynn to 
 Berwick, and thence by land to Melrose. They had 
 
 * SIMPSON'S MS. Collections, &c.
 
 2>28 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 similar permission to buy food in England, anno doin. 
 1377. These were periods of great scarcity. 
 
 In the year 1353, shortly after the disastrous battle 
 of Durham, Sir William Douglas, the Dark Knight of 
 Liddesdale, known also, from his exploits, as the 
 " Flower of Chivalry," was beset and cruelly murdered 
 in Ettrick Forest, where he was hunting, by William 
 Earl of Douglas and his adherents. The Earl was a 
 kinsman of Sir William's, and the murder, which was 
 perpetrated at a place called Galeswood in the forest, 
 had its origin in jealousy. Godscroft says, the Earl 
 had become jealous of the Knight and the Countess. 
 So says the old ballad, 
 
 " The Countess of Douglas, out of her bower she came, 
 
 And loudly there that she did call: 
 ' It is for the Lord of Liddisdale, 
 
 That I let all these tears down fall.'" 
 
 The ballad goes on to say how the Countess wrote 
 love-letters to the knight to persuade him from the 
 hunting on this occasion ; and how he was killed, and 
 by whom and where. The body was carried the first 
 night to Lindean Kirk, a chapel in the forest, not far 
 from Selkirk, whence, on the day following, it was 
 transferred to Melrose, and interred in the abbey. The 
 ruins of Lindean church, now almost obliterated, are 
 still to be seen near Abbotsford. 
 
 About this period, William, first Earl of Douglas,
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 229 
 
 had been chiefly instrumental in retaking all the castles 
 and strongholds of Teviotdale, which the English had 
 kept since the disastrous battle of Durham, the Castle 
 of Roxburgh only excepted. Douglas also purged the 
 country of brigands and robbers. Soon after these 
 exploits he died of fever, and was buried in Melrose 
 abbey, 1384. His son James, the second Earl of 
 Douglas, succeeded him; he was also a most heroic 
 chief, but was slain at the battle of Otterbourne. His 
 two natural sons, William and Archibald, became the 
 progenitors of the houses of Drumlanrig and Cavers. 
 William of Drumlanrig's second son, Archibald Douglas, 
 married a Pringle of the house of Galashiels, who bore 
 to him twelve sons, and, after his death, married again 
 to one Colonel Wallace, and bore twelve more to him 
 also.* 
 
 Annoyed by the predatory excursions of the Borderers, 
 and determined to check the turbulent spirit of the 
 Scotch, who, by the exertions of the Earl of Douglas, 
 had succeeded in wresting the frontiers from the enemy, 
 in 1385, Richard II., with a great army, invaded Scot- 
 land, and spread devastation on every side. The inha- 
 bitants, according to custom, removed their corn and 
 cattle, and retreated to the hills and inaccessible places 
 of the country. The nobility shut their families up in 
 castles for safety. Distressed for want of provisions 
 
 * GrODSCROFT.
 
 230 HISTORICAL SUMMAEY, AND 
 
 Richard's army laid waste the villages and burned the 
 monasteries. Melrose and Dryburgh shared in the 
 destruction. After obtaining shelter for one night in 
 Melrose abbey, Richard gave it to the flames on the 
 following morning. Newbattle shared a similar fate. It 
 is recorded he intended to spare Melrose and Newbattle, 
 and that he caused his banners to be affixed to the gates 
 of those abbeys, but that some soldiers, forming part of 
 the rear-guard of the army, as it advanced, having 
 been killed, in revenge he commanded that they should 
 be burned and destroyed.* 
 
 Richard seems to have repented of these sacriligious 
 acts; for, in October, 1389, after the battle of Otter- 
 bourne, and when a truce was concluded, he granted 
 the monks of Melrose a reduction of two shillings of 
 the duty on each sack of wool, to the number of two 
 thousand sacks, which they should send for export to 
 Berwick, the latter being at this time a seaport of the 
 English. He also gave them protection from plunderers, 
 and likewise license to buy and sell leather and farm- 
 ing stock in Northumberland and Cumberland. 
 
 Forays and combats did not cease on the withdrawal 
 of Richard's army. Predatory warfare continued, and 
 inroads were made into England with various success. 
 Not the least remarkable of these was the battle of 
 Otterbourne, in Redesdale, in 1388, of which Froissart 
 
 * EjTTGHTOJf, 2675.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 231 
 
 says : " Of all the battles, this was the bravest and best 
 contested, for there was neither knight nor squire, but 
 acquitted himself nobly, doing well his duty, and fight- 
 ing hand to hand, without either stay or faint-hearted- 
 ness." Tytler says, that Henry Percy, surnamed Hot- 
 spur, left Newcastle after dinner, and arrived before the 
 Scots encampment by sunset. Much of the fighting 
 was by. moonlight. For many hours the battle raged 
 with undiminished fury. Banners rose and fell. The 
 voices of the knights shouting their war cries, were 
 mingled with the shrieks and groans of the dying. 
 The ground was literally covered with dead bodies and 
 shreds of armour. Slippery with blood, it scarcely 
 afforded room for the combatants, so closely were they 
 engaged, and so obstinately was every foot of earth 
 contested. It was at this time that the Earl of 
 Douglas, the hero of the fray, wielding a battle-axe in 
 both hands, and followed only by a few of his house- 
 hold, cut his way into the press of the English knights, 
 and throwing himself too rashly upon their spears, 
 was borne to the earth, and soon mortally wounded in 
 the head and neck. 
 
 Douglas thus died heroically in the field, requesting 
 his friends to bury him in Melrose abbey with his 
 father, not to suffer his standard to be lost or cast 
 down, and to avenge his death. Victory ultimately 
 declared the battle of Otterbourne in favour of the
 
 232 HISTORICAL SUMMAKY, AND 
 
 Picts, but the loss of Douglas was the more lamented 
 as he had fallen in the prime of manhood. The whole 
 army mourned for him, and the march to Scotland was 
 like a funeral procession. In the midst of it moved the 
 car that bare the body of this brave man,, and conveyed it 
 to the abbey of Melrose, where they buried him in 
 the sepulchre of his fathers, with the military pomp of 
 the whole army, and they hung his banner, torn and 
 soiled with blood, over his premature grave. Burns 
 truly says, 
 
 " One Douglas shines in Home's immortal page, 
 But Douglases were heroes every age." 
 
 One Patrick Hepburne, captain of a Lothian regi- 
 ment, valiantly distinguished himself at Otterbourne, 
 and was slain June llth, 1401, in a sharp encounter 
 at West Nisbet. 
 
 David Benyn,* or Binning, is the next abbot whose 
 name is found on record. 
 
 He had leave from Henry IV., December 2, 1409, 
 to go, with twelve servants in his company, to Canter- 
 bury, abide twelve months there, and so return to 
 Scotland without hurt or molestation. In 1422, he 
 excommunicated John Haig of Bemerside, and his 
 servants, for trespasses committed by them upon the 
 
 * The Binnings and Binnjies take their derivation from the above 
 name.
 
 BIOGKAPHY or THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 233 
 
 .servants and cattle of the convent, on their land at 
 Redpath. 
 
 John Fogo was abbot in 1425, and was sent to 
 Rome, with other prelates, on an embassy from King 
 James I. Fogo was a monk of Melrose, confessor 
 to the king, a doctor of divinity, and a man of 
 great eloquence and learning. Symptoms of dis- 
 order were at this time manifest in the Church. 
 The doctrines of Wickliffe and Huss were receiving 
 attention in many places. Fogo was particularly active 
 in confuting their opinions, and is said to have had the 
 principal hand in obtaining the condemnation of the 
 unfortunate Paul Crawar, the Bohemian, who was 
 burned at St. Andrews in 1433. 
 
 The habits of the clergy were altogether changed, 
 monastic discipline was relaxed, and industry and tem- 
 perance gave way to sloth and luxury. All earthly insti- 
 tutions are liable to decay, and the abbeys of Teviotdale 
 shared in the degeneracy of the Church, and their 
 abuses needed a serious reformation. 
 
 Richard Lundy is named in the Chartulary as abbot 
 in 1440. He was a monk of Melrose in 1428. 
 
 Andrew Hunter, abbot of Melrose, in 1844, and confes- 
 sor to James II., was much employed in affairs of state. 
 At one period he was Lord High Treasurer of Scotland. 
 
 His arms are carved on one of the buttresses of the 
 church, near the west end; they are two crosiers, and two 
 
 Q
 
 234 HISTORICAL SUMMAEY, AND 
 
 hunting horns, with a rose in chief and a mallet in 
 base. The initials A. H. are on the right and left of 
 the shield, which is supported by two singular figures. 
 
 In 1452, Alexander Geddes, one of the monks, was 
 elected teacher of philosophy in the newly established 
 University of Glasgow.* 
 
 STATE OP THE COUNTRY nr 1446. History in- 
 forms us, that shortly after this period, mischief 
 reigned so common in all parts, that society was 
 thoroughly disorganized. Lawlessness and ruffian- 
 ism was in all the land. Numbers of good families, 
 seeing there was no regard paid to the king, the law, 
 nor the religion of the land neither to the Earl of 
 Douglas, nor the forces under him retired, and shut 
 themselves up in castles and strongholds, and left their 
 flocks and goods they could not put away in places of 
 security, to thieves and robbers, to take them as they 
 thought good, thinking, if they saved themselves, they 
 had sufficient till a better fortune. Lindsay of Pits- 
 cottie also says, " that about 1455, Donald (Lord of 
 the Isles and Earl of Ross) gathered a company of 
 mischievous and cursed limmers, and invaded the 
 kingdom in every airth, wherever he came, with great 
 cruelty, neither sparing old nor young, without regard 
 to wives, aged, feeble, and decrepit women, or young 
 infants in the cradle, which would have moved a heart 
 
 * M 'OKIE'S Life of Melville.
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 235 
 
 of stone to commiseration. Donald burnt villages, 
 towns, and corns, so much thereof, as might not 
 goodly be carried away, by the great prize of goods 
 that he took/' 
 
 William was the next abbot. He was a commis- 
 sioner of truce in June, 1460. 
 
 Richard, abbot of Melrose, was a commissioner of 
 truce in 1473, and his name occurs as witness to a 
 charter of James III. to the church of Glasgow, in 
 1476* 
 
 John Frazer, abbot of Melrose, was descended from 
 a good family of the name in Tweeddale. He was 
 much respected for his worth and hospitality. Made 
 bishop of Ross in 1485, where he completed the build- 
 ing of the cathedral. 
 
 He was a privy counsellor and lord of session, and 
 died in 1507, aged 78 years.-f 
 
 Bernard was abbot of Melrose in 1487 and until 
 
 1499.+ 
 
 So grievous had the errors of the Cistertian brethren 
 become about this period, that Innocent VIII. corj- 
 vened by his injunction, a general chapter of the order, 
 to be held at Cisteaux. The abbot of Cupar was com- 
 missioned to visit and reform the monasteries in 
 Scotland, and did so. He deposed the abbot of Melrose 
 
 * Rotuli Scotiie. t KEITH'S Catalogue of Bishops. 
 
 J Original Charters of Melrose Abbey.
 
 236 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 among others, and found the complaints but too true 
 that were brought against them. The offices of the 
 church were now becoming matters of merchandise. 
 Many of the dignitaries were characterised by idleness 
 and indifference to all that concerned their high calling. 
 The abbots and others kept luxurious tables. They 
 dwelt in magnificent halls, and wore costly garments. 
 They were attended by youths of good families as 
 pages, in costly liveries. Even the private monks 
 spurned the sober fare, homely dr.ess, and devout retire- 
 ment of their predecessors. They kept horses, and 
 were always abroad before the public gaze. They 
 bought their own clothes, chose the finest materials, 
 and even the common dormitory wherein they slept, 
 was now partitioned off into separate chambers. And 
 it may be feared, alas! that many of them erred in 
 weightier matters. 
 
 Cleverness and address seemed more common than 
 learning and wisdom. 
 
 William, the next abbot, appears to have been a son 
 of Sir Walter Scott of Howpasly. 
 
 Robert was abbot in 1510. 
 
 James Beaton, nephew of the Archbishop of St. 
 Andrews, was abbot some years after this. Dr Magnus, 
 in a letter informs Cardinal Wolsey, that " the abbots 
 of Melrose and Dunfermline, both brethren and ne- 
 phews to the archbishop, be slain."
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 237 
 
 The politic measures of the Scottish government for 
 the good of the country in 1531, are thus noticed by 
 Lindsay 
 
 " The king (James V.) seeing the realm standing in 
 such peace and tranquillity, rejoiced at the same, think- 
 ing daily that all things should increase more and 
 more: To that effect, James sent to Denmark, and 
 brought home horses and mares, and put them in 
 parks, that, of their offspring might be gotten to sus- 
 tain wars in time of need. 
 
 "And also he sent to Flanders and France, and 
 brought home artillery, powder, and bullets, with 
 pikes and harness, and other ordinance for war. And 
 also plenished the country with all kinds of craftsmen 
 of other countries; as Frenchmen, Spaniards, Dutch- 
 men, and Englishmen, which were all cunning crafts- 
 men, every man for his own hand. Some were gunners, 
 wrights, carvers, painters, masons, smiths, harness- 
 makers, tapesters, brondsters, taylors, cunning chirur- 
 geons, apothecaries, with all other kinds of craftsmen 
 that might bring his realm in policy, and his craftsmen 
 apparel his palaces in all manner of operation and 
 necessaries, according to their order, and he gave them 
 large wages and pensions yearly." 
 
 Andrew Durie or Drury, was appointed abbot of 
 Melrose, after much competition, by the Pope. In 
 the year 1525, Margaret, the dowager of James IV.,
 
 238 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 used her influence with her brother Henry VIII. and 
 Cardinal Wolsey, to procure the benefice of Melrose 
 abbey for one of her favourites, she being to receive 
 an annual income out of the revenues. While Durie 
 presided, the general chapter of Cisteaux again en- 
 deavoured to introduce the ancient discipline. The 
 faults of the prevailing system, however, were neither 
 checked by the reproofs of the general chapter, the 
 complaints of the public, nor the effusions of the ribald 
 wits who flourished at the Reformation. 
 
 The rule was now infringed, if not abrogated alto- 
 gether, that forbade the brethren to possess any private 
 property. In the abbey of Melrose, the monks had 
 pensions allowed them for food and clothing. Each 
 monk had also a garden for his own particular use 
 and pleasure. These things were pointed out as 
 wrong, and Andrew, the abbot, was ordered, upon pain 
 of deposition, to carry a sweeping reform into effect, 
 and to punish with excommunication the monks who 
 dare prove refractory. This led to argument, the 
 monks petitioned, and the commission assented to their 
 requests, so that things remained in pretty much the 
 same state as before. 
 
 In 1535, James V. was invested with the administra- 
 tion of the revenues of Melrose abbey. He reproved 
 the clergy for the looseness of their conduct, but 
 no actual steps were taken to produce a decided im-
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 239 
 
 provement. In 1541, the king procured the resigna- 
 tion of abbot Durie, and had his infant natural son, 
 James Stuart, appointed abbot or commendator of 
 Melrose. Durie was made bishop of Galloway, had a 
 retiring pension of a thousand marks granted him 
 from Melrose, and died in 1558. James V. died anno 
 1543. 
 
 James Stuart, an illegitimate son of King James V. 
 by Elizabeth Shaw, was appointed abbot or commen- 
 dator of the abbeys of Melrose and Kelso in 1541, 
 being then in his infancy. He died in 1558. 
 
 After the death of James V. the country was 
 divided by the factions of the Church and the dissatis- 
 fied nobles. Mary of Guise, widow of the deceased king, 
 and Cardinal Beaton were at the head of a powerful 
 body; and Arran the Regent wavered between two 
 parties. After subscribing to the proposal made by 
 Henry VIII., to effect a marriage between the heir- 
 apparent of England and the young Mary of Scotland* 
 he joined the cardinal and queen-mother in putting a 
 stop to the contract. Henry expressed his dissatisfac- 
 tion in war. An invasion took place, conducted by the 
 Earl of Hertford. Sir Ralph Evers and Sir Brian 
 Latoun were employed in making inroads on the 
 Borders. These two generals, in 1544, laid waste the 
 whole of Teviotdale, with a degree of barbarism and 
 ferocity hitherto unfelt before. Towns, towers, and
 
 240 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 churches were destroyed ; corn wasted, and cattle 
 carried off; and the abbey of Melrose suffered most 
 severely.* In the following spring of 1545, they occu- 
 pied Jedburgh, and prepared to reduce Teviotdale. 
 As a reward for their services, the successful leaders 
 were promised a feudal grant of whatever they might 
 win from the Scots. 
 
 About this period great troubles prevailed in Scot- 
 land. The country was divided by faction, Cardinal 
 Beaton and the Komish party on the one hand, and 
 the Protector and Scottish Barons on the other; the 
 former party desiring an alliance with France, while 
 the latter were in favour of one with England. Eobert 
 Lindsay of Pitscottie says, " The English knowing this, 
 entered Scotland both by the east and west marches, 
 and utterly spoiled and destroyed all before them, with 
 great slaughter of the inhabitants. So that many were 
 forced to wear the Red Cross and swear allegiance to 
 England. This continued all the summer (1544) till 
 winter came on, at which time, having destroyed 
 Teviotdale and Merse, they took the abbey of Colding- 
 hame, and laid all waste as far as Dunbar. The 
 
 * Their men-at-arms entered the abbey, and barbarously defaced 
 the tombs of the Douglasses. A long heroic line of the Douglasses 
 was interred on the north-east side the high altar of Melrose abbey. 
 Not a vestige of these tombs is to be seen, however, and there is no 
 doubt but they were broken down and destroyed as history informs
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 241 
 
 Englishmen, with Sir Ralph Ivers and Sir Bryan Latoun, 
 general and lieutenant of the army, grew so proud of 
 the victory, that they accounting the whole lands of 
 Scotland, south of Edinburgh, fully conquered, passed 
 to the court to be rewarded for so great service. Henry 
 VIII, by persuasion of the Duke of Norfolk, conde- 
 scended to them, that, seeing they had conquered the 
 Merse and Teviotdale, being two most populous and 
 fertile countries in these parts of Britain, and had 
 brought all the inhabitants to the English obedience, 
 (although that conquest had stood the king above 
 thirty thousand pounds sterling), yet he would by 
 charter and infeftment under the great seal of England, 
 give to these two noblemen, those two Sheriffdoms, 
 with the counties adjacent, erected into two Lord- 
 ships." " For (said the Duke) if indeed they have 
 brought those countries under your obedience, they 
 are worthy so great a reward, and beside, all men 
 shall see how great respect your Majesty hath to 
 valiant spirits, and hereby, ye shall oblige these two 
 noblemen to defend these lands by all means possi- 
 ble." The king, moreover, gave them three thou- 
 sand men upon his own charge, for a year and 
 day, to assist them in possession of their conquest, 
 besides borderers, who would join with them. These 
 two captains, being glad of their great success, 
 hasted to come and take seisin of their new conquest,
 
 242 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 and upon the 8th day of March, 1545, came to Jed- 
 burgh, with an army of five thousand men, purposing 
 to take seisin of the Merse and Teviotdale, and there- 
 after to come to Haddington and Edinburgh, if not 
 stopped. 
 
 The Earl of Angus seeing no measures taken for 
 resistance, came to the governor, and sharply reproved 
 him, that he, using only the council of the cardinal and 
 priests, suffered the enemy to prevail so far. " If ye 
 continue thus," said Angus, " ye will be shortly thrust 
 out of all Scotland, or else forced to submit yourself 
 as tributary to England. Whereas if you would follow 
 the council of the nobility, we might be able to defend 
 our own, and do the English one ill turn for another ; 
 and albeit, you should lie aside, yet I here avow to 
 spend my life on the quarrel, and if they come to take 
 seisin in my lands, I shall bear them witness to it, and 
 perhaps write them an instrument with sharp pens 
 and red ink. And, whereas now, being misguided by 
 the evil council of the Cardinal and Kirkmen, you are 
 in suspicion of me and other of the nobility, yet, if 
 you will follow our council at this time, we shall, God 
 willing, show your grace a real demonstration of the 
 contrary, and take a part ourselves in our own conclu- 
 sions. Whereas your Kirkmen, when they have 
 brought great trouble on the realm, were never present 
 at the offputting thereof Go on, therefore, resolutely,
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 243 
 
 and I shall adventure before you in all hazards, for I 
 would rather die with honour in the defence of my 
 country and heritage, than live to see the same brought 
 to bondage." 
 
 The Governor, animated by these speeches, with the 
 advice of Angus, resolved to go forward against the 
 enemy, with the small forces which were about them, 
 (the Earl and he both, not exceeding three hundred 
 horse in company,) and sent proclamations to all the 
 nobility and gentry that were near, to follow him. 
 
 The English were come that same night to Jed- 
 burgh, and hearing that the Governor was coming to 
 lodge in Melrose with so small a company, they 
 thought all was their own, and came forward in the 
 night to entrap the Governor in his lodgings, yet he 
 being advertised, retired back above the bridge of 
 Melrose, to a place called " The Shiels/' and lodged 
 there by the advice of the Earl of Angus, and sent 
 forth heralds with trumpets to advertise the neigh- 
 bouring gentlemen to meet the Governor at Galashiels 
 in all haste. The English missing the Governor, spoiled 
 Melrose, and returned towards Jedburgh. Meanwhile, 
 Norman Lesly, Master of Kothes, and the Lord Lind- 
 say's servants, with the neighbouring barons, the Laird 
 of Lochlevin also, and the gentlemen of the west end of 
 Fife, to the number of twelve score able men, having 
 " ridden all that night, met the governor at Gathen-
 
 244 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 side, foreanent Melrose, whereof he was very glad : And 
 seeing the Englishmen tarrying a little at Libberton's 
 Cross * to view the Scottish men's array and under- 
 stand their intent, the Scots marched south-west from 
 Melrose, round about Ancrum, pretending as if they 
 minded not to meddle with the English ; who march- 
 ing towards Jedburgh, stayed long at the Sandy-case- 
 way,-f- it being so narrow that they could not march 
 but two abreast. Meanwhile the Laird of Buccleugh 
 was posting to the Governor, showing him that his 
 whole followers were coming with all speed, within six 
 miles. Buccleugh counselled the Governor to send all 
 the horse back to a hill where the artillery stood, and 
 to draw themselves into a low place, out of the 
 Englishmen's sight, whereby they might be persuaded 
 the Scots had fled, and would follow them without 
 order, which fell out accordingly. For the English 
 believing the Scots had fled, pursued them so fast, 
 that they were all out of breath. The first battle led 
 by Sir Bryan Latoun and Sir Eobert Bouis, had, in 
 the midst of the battle a thousand spears, and on their 
 
 * The account given by Lindsay of Pitscottie. 
 
 + The term Sandy-case-way is not very intelligible. But it is sup- 
 posed that the Governor and his adherents bivouacked on the height 
 above Drygrange, where a temporary ambuscade of thriving timber 
 would afford ample cover for their horse and the small army that 
 was with them, and from which elevation they could watch the 
 ambiguous movements of the English for a considerable distance.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 245 
 
 right wing, five hundred hagbutters, and on their left 
 five hundred bows. 
 
 " Sir Kalph Ivers led the great battle, containing a 
 thousand spears, a thousand hagbutters, and as many 
 bows. The Scots at the beginning had only three 
 hundred men with the Governor, and two hundred 
 with the Earl of Angus. The English hasted to pur- 
 sue the flight of the Scots, thinking by one encounter 
 to put an end to the war. But they lighting on the 
 ambush of the Scots, all wearied and out of breath, 
 albeit they were discouraged, yet contemning the few- 
 ness of their number, set upon them. The Scots had 
 providentially got advantage both of the wind and 
 sun, being both in the south-west, so that the sun- 
 beams and smoke of the powder took all sight from 
 the English, besides the Scottish men's spears were an 
 ell longer than the English, whereby the English were 
 borne down before they could reach at the Scots, who 
 encountering them most violently, beat back the van- 
 guard upon the great battle, and so disordering both, 
 put them to flight, killing their leaders, Sir Ealph 
 Ivers and Sir Bryan Latoun, and a great number of 
 gentlemen and common soldiers, to the number of five 
 hundred, with the loss of two Scottish men slain 
 recklessly by their own artillery. There were taken a 
 thousand prisoners, whereof eighty were gentlemen. 
 " Th e Governor at night returning to his standard,
 
 246 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 kneeled down, and gave solemn thanks to God for the 
 unexpected victory, the like whereof had scarcely been 
 read of, that so small a number discomfited so great a 
 host. The chief of the captives, was Howard, the 
 queen's uncle, Hutchinson, Mayor of York, Lord Bowis, 
 Sir John Worthingtou, many of the Herons and Sellies, 
 and other gentlemen of the Borders and knights of 
 great esteem. This battle was foughten in Teviotdale, 
 at Ancrum Muir, the 9th of March, 1545." 
 
 After the battle, the Governor, calling for the Earl 
 of Angus, highly commended his valour, resolution, 
 and wisdom, and thanked Sir George Douglas, his 
 brother, for his valiant services, assuring them that 
 the day's success had cleared them from all aspersions 
 of disloyalty, and love to England, laid upon them by 
 their enemies. He thanked the Laird of Buccleugh also 
 for his wise and fortunate counsel. He gave thanks 
 also to the Master of Rothes, Laird of Lochlevin, and 
 the rest of the gentlemen of quality, acknowledging 
 their honourable deservings to their perpetual praise. 
 Thereafter, they rode all together towards Jedburgh, 
 and finding in the fields the dead bodies of Sir Ralph 
 Ivers and Sir Bryan Latoun, he commanded them to 
 be buried, or their corpses to be given to their friends, 
 saying, " This taking of seisin has been no less unfor- 
 tunate than informal." 
 
 This event, however, was fiercely avenged in Sep-
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELKOSE. 247 
 
 tember of the same year. The Earl of Hertford over- 
 ran the Merse and Teviotdale with 12,000 men, while 
 a feeble resistance was made by the Scots. The mo- 
 nastic structures were no longer sacred in the eyes of 
 the English. What had not been already destroyed 
 was now burned by the soldiery. Melrose shared in 
 the general havoc, and from this period the abbey 
 never resumed its former splendour. 
 
 It seems clear, by historical testimony, that on the 
 night of the 8th of March, 1545, the English army, 
 then lying at Jedburgh, stole a march to Melrose. 
 The Scots, being on their guard, retired. The English 
 collected what booty they could in the monastery and 
 town of Melrose, and retired again to Jedburgh. The 
 Scots lay on Gattonside and the hills above Galashiels 
 and Elwand, under the command of Douglas, Norman 
 Lesly, the Earl of Rothes, and Walter Scott of Buc- 
 cleuch. On- the morning of the 9th they moved south, 
 crossed the Leader, and keeping the hill country, made 
 a feint, gradually marching round towards Ancrum. 
 The Scots were thus enabled to keep sight of the 
 English, and the sun had passed the meridian, or ever 
 the two armies came into contact. The Scots, keeping 
 their backs north-west, had their country open to 
 receive them in case of defeat, and it is most probable 
 the fray began some distance north of Ancrum, and a 
 favourable position being got by the Scots, their rear-
 
 248 HISTORICAL SUMMAEY, AND 
 
 division came up, and decided the glory of the day 
 rather hastily at length on Ancrum Moor, which is 
 distant about six miles from Melrose. 
 
 When near Lilliard's Edge, as it is sometimes called, 
 a heron which rose at the moment, and soared between 
 the two armies, drew from Douglas the following 
 characteristic exclamation : " Oh that I had here my 
 gray goss hawk, that we might all yoke together." 
 The English fell into confusion, and were signally 
 defeated. Thus Douglas got speedy revenge for the 
 insult offered to his family by Evers and Latoun, in 
 desecrating the tombs of the Douglasses in Melrose 
 abbey the year previous. 
 
 In September, 1545, in the terrific inroad made by 
 the Earl of Hertford, seven monasteries and friaries, 
 sixteen castles, towers, and peels, five market towns 
 (Jedburgh burnt the previous year), two hundred and 
 forty-three villages, thirteen milns, and three hospitals, 
 were destroyed. At the battle of Ancrum Muir, Sir 
 Kalph Eure (sometimes called Ivers and Evers) was 
 slain by the Laird of Molle, and it is recorded that the 
 English avenged his death in the following barbarous 
 manner in May, 1546, viz.* " The lord warden of the 
 est Marches (William Lord Eure) having information 
 that the Laird of Moul (Molle), who slew his son, 
 repaired to two toures of his awn, upon the head of 
 
 * Cotton MS.
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELEOSE. 249 
 
 Bowbente (Bowmont) in Tivydale, th' one called Moul 
 and th' other Coteiruste, he sent forth the said day at 
 nyght V men of the garrisons of this eestmarches, 
 under the leadinge of his sone Henry Eury, and George 
 Boues, son to Richard Boues, captain of Norhame, who 
 went to the said toueres, and wan and undermyndett 
 them both, and beat them down, and burned the 
 steads and towns thereabouts ; the laird of Moul nott 
 being therein, there was one of his brethren and four 
 kynsmen of his, with a dosan of his servandes and 
 frendes, that stode at their defence, and wold not give 
 it over, which were all slayn in the said toueres."* 
 
 Ancrum was burnt in the year 1549 by the Earl of 
 Rutland. 
 
 Cardinal Guise became Commendator of Melrose 
 abbey upon the death of James Stewart in 1558. 
 This appointment was made by his sister, Mary of 
 Lorrain. It is doubtful if he ever received any benefit 
 from it, as the property of this and all other religious 
 houses was seized by the Lords of the Congregation in 
 1559, and in 1560 were annexed to the crown by 
 statute, which provided that the sovereign should not 
 have power to alienate it. This act was rendered 
 nugatory by subsequent Acts of Parliament, which 
 
 * In the Appendix to this book we give a contemporary account 
 of the Earl of Hertford's second expedition to Scotland in September, 
 1 545, which, being the narrative of an eye-witness, is of great histo- 
 rical value. 
 
 E
 
 250 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND ' 
 
 granted portions of this property to individuals 
 favoured by the Court, or on account of public 
 services. 
 
 At the Reformation, John Watson, Dean of the Chapter 
 of Melrose, embraced the reformed religion. In 1542 
 there were one hundred monks at Melrose, who received 
 annually for their consumption sixty bolls of wheat, 
 and three hundred casks of ale. Probably there were 
 also as many lay brethren as monks. For the service 
 of the mass they received eighteen casks of wine, and 
 for the entertainment of strangers thirty bolls of wheat, 
 forty casks of ale, and twenty casks of wine. For the 
 nourishment of the sick, they were allowed four thou- 
 sand livres Tournois; and the barber, who was also 
 surgeon to the community, received a salary of a hun- 
 dred livres.* 
 
 About 1560-67, the Borders were infested with 
 armed banditti, who committed the most lawless de- 
 predations, and whom success had made insolent and 
 intolerable. James Stuart, prior of St. Andrews (after- 
 wards the good Regent Moray), was appointed by 
 Queen Mary at this period to be Lord- Lieutenant and 
 Chief Justiciary of the Borders. The military retainers, 
 from no less than eleven counties, were commanded to 
 attend him, and he destroyed many of the strongholds 
 of the freebooters, and executed twenty of the most 
 
 * Scotia Sacra MS.
 
 BIOGEAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELKOSE. 251 
 
 notorious offenders. He sent fifty to Edinburgh, to 
 undergo the punishment of the law. Sir James Mel- 
 vil of Halhill, in his Memoirs of the Affairs of State, 
 says, " He took great pains to steal secret roads upon 
 the thieves on the Borders, tending much to the quiet- 
 ing thereof. He likewise held Justice Ayres in the 
 In country/' 
 
 In 1564, one Michael was Commendator of Melrose, 
 but in 1566 the estates of the abbey were granted by 
 Queen Mary to the Earl of Bothwell, by whose for- 
 feiture they again reverted to the crown. The title of 
 Commendator was conferred the following year upon 
 James Douglas, second son to Sir William Douglas of 
 Lochlevin.* And in 1591, King James VI. granted 
 to Archibald Douglas, son to the Commendator, a 
 pension for life of " sex monkis portlonis furth of the 
 abbey of Melrose, and of the superplus of the third 
 thereof, in consideration of the goid, trew, and thank- 
 ful service done to his hieness, be his weilbelovit James, 
 commendator of the said abbey." James Douglas 
 took down part of the abbey walls. With the stones 
 he built a house for himself, which is still standing, 
 and called the Priory, and is now occupied by James 
 Erskine, Esq. of Shieldfield. It has the date 1590, 
 
 * This appointment was owing to the affection of the Regent, Earl 
 of Moray, who was an illegitimate son of James V. by the Commen- 
 dator' s mother.
 
 252 . HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 with his own and his lady's name over one of the 
 windows.* 
 
 In 1599, the lands and baronies, with very few ex- 
 ceptions, were erected into a temporal lordship in 
 favour of Sir John Ramsay, Viscount Haddington, who 
 had assisted King James at the time of the Earl of 
 Gowrie's conspiracy. In 1609, Alexander Ruthven had 
 a chartered grant of all the lands and baronies which 
 belonged to the abbey of Melrose, with some excep- 
 tions. The estates were subsequently obtained by 
 that eminent personage, Sir Thomas Hamilton of Priest- 
 field, raised to the peerage in 1613 by the title of 
 Lord Binning and Byres, and created Earl of Melrose 
 also in 1619. By patent, he suppressed his own title, 
 and was created Earl of Haddington in 1627, that 
 title having previously become extinct. This distin- 
 guished man was successively King's Advocate, Lord 
 Clerk Register, Secretary of State, Lord President of 
 the Court of Session, and Keeper of the Privy Seal. 
 He died in 1637, in his 74th year. In more recent 
 times, the valuable heritage of the monastery be- 
 came the property of the Buccleuch family, whose 
 ancestors had been hereditary bailies under the 
 abbot of Melrose. Early in the eighteenth century, 
 the same noble family acquired by purchase the 
 remainder of the abbey lands included in the lord- 
 
 * Mary Ker, Lady of Melros.
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELKOSE. 253 
 
 ship of Melrose, which still form part of their exten- 
 sive possessions. 
 
 In 1747, when feudal jurisdictions were abolished in 
 Scotland, the Lady Isabella Scott was allowed L.I 200 
 sterling as a compensation for her right to this 
 bailiery. 
 
 The unfortunate monks, who at the Reformation saw 
 their community dispersed and their possessions alien- 
 ated, beheld also their beautiful church in ruins, and 
 their ancient halls and cloisters completely demolished. 
 That extraordinary violence of the populace, who, in 
 1559 and 1560, destroyed monasteries and religious 
 houses throughout the kingdom, was instigated and en- 
 couraged by many who either coveted or had already 
 been enriched by the plunder of the church. Those 
 who had taken possession of the lands and revenues 
 were apprehensive of the most fearful consequences, if 
 the ancient form of religion should be revived. They 
 gave every assistance, therefore, to the destroyer, 
 anxious that their abolition should be as complete as 
 possible. 
 
 Large portions of the ruins of Melrose abbey were 
 taken away at various times since the epoch of the Re- 
 formation. In 1618, the nave was fitted upas a parish 
 church, and continued in use till 1810. 
 
 Various parts of the abbey were taken away to con- 
 struct a tolbooth, and to repair mills and sluices. In-
 
 254 HISTORICAL SUMMARY, AND 
 
 deed, for a long time, the ruins were looked upon by the 
 inhabitants of the town and district, as a sort of quarry, 
 from which materials were to be obtained for repair- 
 ing the neighbouring houses. 
 
 His Grace the present Duke of Buccleuch, having a 
 strong desire to preserve what remains of these beautiful 
 ruins, has caused additional surveillance to be exercised 
 over the abbey, and many ornamental and exquisitely 
 carved stones have recently, by request and at the sole 
 expense of the noble owner, been recovered from the 
 adjacent kirkyard, and restored to the ruins. In the 
 reign of King William III., the statues which filled the 
 richly-carved niches, and adorned the buttresses and 
 pinnacles of the church, were for the most part stand- 
 ing and entire. In the middle of the 1 7th century, 
 they were thrown down and demolished, it is said, at 
 the instigation of David Fletcher, then minister of 
 Melrose. That they were wantonly demolished there 
 is no doubt. The humour of demolishing monuments 
 and destroying the inimitable decorative ornaments of 
 ecclesiastical buildings, whose occupants were gone to 
 return no more for ever, might gratify the fanatic, 
 while the wise and sober-minded would lament it. 
 Ignorance might gloat over such spoliation, and a vul- 
 gar braggadocio impute to itself some glorious achieve- 
 ment; but it was not only mischievous, but useless, 
 and showed a love of destructiveness as great as could
 
 BIOGRAPHY OF THE ABBOTS OF MELROSE. 255 
 
 possibly invest the heart of Alaric himself. Of the 
 desolation that left the church much as we now wit- 
 ness it, time and the destroyer can only account for. 
 
 "Its fonts and crosses broken lay, 
 Its chapels tumble thro' decay; 
 And winter's direst blasts assail 
 Those turrets high, that breast the gale; 
 While glass and painting long have gone, 
 And left the windows nak'd and lone. 
 Their slender shafts and mullions lie 
 On other spots, that meet the eye 
 Near finials, brackets, buttress-strown, 
 And many a Gothic arch o'erthrown. 
 Its glorious statues, long defac'd 
 By heartless Goth and things that grac'd, 
 Its lengthen'd age, and proud decay, 
 The mad fanatic tore away." 
 
 When the revenues of all the great benefices were 
 valued in 1561, the rent of Melrose abbey was stated 
 as follows : > 
 
 Scots money, L.I 75 8. 
 
 Wheat, 14? chalders, 5 bolls. 
 
 Barley, 56 do. 5 do. 
 
 Meal, 78 do. 13 do. 
 
 Oats, 44 do. 10 do. 
 
 Capons, 84 in number. 
 
 Poultry, 620 do. 
 
 Butter, 105 stones; salt, 8 chalders, out of Preston- 
 pans. 
 
 Peats, 340 loads; carriages, 500. .' ?x
 
 256 
 
 Chapter Hint!). 
 
 LAST LETTER OF KING EOBEET BRUCE, WRITTEN ANNO 
 DOM. 1329. 
 
 OBERTUS, Dei gratia rex Sco- 
 torum, David prsecordialissimo 
 filio suo, ac ceteris successoribus 
 suis salutem, et sic ejus prsecepta tenere, 
 ut cum sua benedictione possint regnare. 
 Fili karissime, digne censetur videri filius 
 qui paternos, in bonis, mores imitans, piam ejus nititur 
 exequi voluntatem, nee proprie sibi sumit nomen 
 hceredis qui salubribus prsedecessoris affectibus non 
 adhceret Cupieutes, igitur, ut piam afi'eetionem, et sin- 
 ceram dilectionemquam ergamonasterium de Melros,ubi 
 cor nostrum, ex special! devotione, disposuimus tumu- 
 landum, et erga religiosos ibidem Deo servientes, ipsorum 
 vita sanctissima nos ad hoc excitante, concepimus, tu 
 caeterique successores nostri, pia sanctitate prosequa- 
 mini, ut ex vestee dilectionis affectu, dictis religiosis
 
 LAST LETTER OF KING EGBERT BRUCE. 257 
 
 post mortem nostram ostenso, ipsi pro nobis, ad oran- 
 dum ferventius et fortius animentur. 
 
 Vobis prsecipimus, et quantum possuinus instanter 
 supplicamus, et ex toto corde injungimus, quatenus 
 assignationibus quas eisdem viris religiosis, pro fabrica 
 ecclesise suae, de novo fecimus, ac etiam omnibus aliis 
 donationibus nostris, ipsis libere guadere permittatis 
 easdem potius si necesse fuerit, augmentantes quam 
 diminuentes, ipsorum petitiones auribus benevolis ad- 
 mittentes, ac ipsos contra suos invasores et aemulos, pia 
 devotione, protogentes, Hanc autem exhortationem, 
 supplicationem, et praeceptum, tu fili, caeterique succes- 
 sores nostri, praestanti animo complere curetis, si 
 nostram benedictionem habere velitis, una cum bene- 
 dictione Filii Summi Regis, qui filios, docuit patrum 
 voluntates, in bono, perficere ; asserens in mundum se 
 venisse, non ut suam voluntatein faceret, sed paternam. 
 In testimonium autem nostrae devotionis erga locum 
 praedictum, sic a nobis dilectum et electum, conceptse, 
 praesentum literam religiosis praedictis dimittimus, nos- 
 tris successoribus, in posterum, ostendendum. Datum 
 apud Cardros, undecimo die Maii, anno regni nostri 
 
 xxiiij.* 
 
 Cart. Mailros, 104, v.
 
 258 LAST LETTEK OF KING ROBERT BRUCE, 
 
 [TRANSLATION.] 
 
 Eobert, by the grace of God, King of Scots, to David 
 his beloved son, and to his successors which shall come 
 after him, wisheth safety and such an obedience to his 
 precepts as may merit his blessing to rest on their 
 future reigns. Dear son, you are aware that he only 
 is worthy to be called a son who, in all just things, 
 imitating his father's example, endeavours with his 
 whole power to obey his wishes ; nor does he rightly 
 merit the name of heir who does not adhere to the 
 salutary desires of his predecessors. 
 
 Being desirous, therefore, that you, and the rest of 
 your successors, should continue to entertain with devout 
 respect to our memory that sincere love and pious 
 affection which, being moved thereto by their most 
 holy life, we have conceived towards the monks and 
 monastery of Melrose, in which, according to our special 
 and devout injunctions, our heart is to be buried ; and 
 being the more earnest that this ardour and attachment 
 should be shown by you to these holy men after our 
 decease, in order that they may be thereby animated to 
 pray more fervently and effectually for the welfare of 
 our soul, we therefore direct you (and to this request 
 add our most fervent supplications and injunctions) 
 that you will permit the same holy men to enjoy libe-
 
 WKITTEN ANNO DOM. 1329. 259 
 
 rally, and without interruption, the rents which we 
 have assigned to them towards the rebuilding of their 
 church rather if any change is made, adding to these 
 gifts than abstracting from them, and at all times lenfl- 
 ing a benevolent ear to their supplications defending 
 them from their enemies, and all who may invade their 
 rights. It is our wish, then, that you, my dear son, 
 and others who may be our successors, shall be anxious 
 to retain in your mind these our exhortations and 
 requests, along with the blessing of the Son of God, 
 who taught sons to obey their parents, and declared of 
 himself that he came into the world not to do his own 
 will, but the will of his Father who is in heaven. In 
 testimony, therefore, of the devotion with which we are 
 animated towards the religious house so highly esteemed 
 and sincerely beloved by us, we have addressed the 
 present letter to these holy men, to be shown hereafter 
 to our successors. Given at Cardross on the llth May, 
 in the twenty-fourth year of our reign.* 
 
 * Near the close of the thirteenth century, Scotland was under a 
 regency, which continued nine years. It was during this period that 
 Edward II. so cruelly oppressed Scotland, destroyed the monasteries, 
 and shed innocent blood. In 1306 Robert the Bruce began to reign. 
 The first few years were overcast with national misery and degra- 
 dation. England bitterly persecuted the Scotch. Robert Bruce was 
 a good, wise, and valiant king. At the memorable battle of Ban- 
 nockburn, he vanquished Edward, defeated the entire army of the 
 English, wrought a glorious deliverance for his country, and drove 
 the enemy clean out. Robert married first, Isabel, daughter of the
 
 260 LAST LETTER OF KING KOBEKT BKUCE. 
 
 Earl of Marr, by whom he had a son and a daughter. Isabel dying, 
 he married again. His second wife's name was also Isabel, daughter 
 of Haymenus de Bure, Earl of Ulster, in Ireland, who bare unto him 
 David II. (the subject of the foregoing letter), Margaret, Countess of 
 Sutherland, and Maud, who died young. The body of Robert Bruce 
 was buried in the monastery of Dunfermline, but his heart in Melrose 
 abbey.
 
 261 
 
 Cent!). 
 
 A SCHEDULE OF THE EEVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF ST. 
 MARY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE, SHOWING HOW ITS LANDS, 
 CHUECHES, EIGHTS, PEOPEETY, PEIVILEGES, AND IM- 
 MUNITIES, WEEE FEOM TIME TO TIME ACQUIEED. 
 
 ELROSE, ELDUN, DEENWICK. 
 These lands were given for ever 
 to this convent by the founder, David I., 
 free from secular impost of any kind. 
 Also, by the royal munificence, the chapel 
 of Old Melros, with its rights and pro- 
 perty ; and to the brotherhood the right of fishing in 
 the Tweed, on both sides the river, upon his, as well 
 as their own.* 
 
 GATTONSIDE. North of Tweed, the king afterwards 
 o-ave the whole land and wood of Galtownside, the boun- 
 
 o 
 
 dary of which ran up the river Leader to a place called 
 
 * Chartulary of Melros.
 
 262 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 Fawhope, where its burn falls into the Leader, thence 
 up the said burn and across the muir to Raeburn, 
 which falls into the Aloent,* and thence down the 
 Aloent into the Tweed. 
 
 WEDALE. The king also gave the right of easements 
 in the lands and forests of Selkirk and Traquair, viz., 
 pasturage and pannage, and wood and timber for 
 building. More especially did the king grant these 
 privileges in that part of the forest called Wedale ; 
 bounded on the south-west by the river Gala, on the 
 east by the Leader, and on the north by the lands of 
 the Morvilles, who had great possessions in Lauder- 
 dale.f 
 
 COLMSLIE. Malcolm IV. confirmed these grants, 
 and added a portion of land in the lower part of Cum- 
 besley, where the monks might build a place for keeping 
 their cows, and have a fold.| 
 
 BUCKHOLM AND WniTELEE. -Kichard Morville, con- 
 stable of Scotland, gave the convent liberty to have a 
 
 * The Alwent or El wand, now called Allen. This romantic 
 stream flows into Tweed, opposite Low- wood, and a little west of 
 Lord Somerville's seat, called the Pavilion, nearly mid- way Melrose 
 and Galashiels. Sir Walter Scott conjured " Glendearg of the Mo- 
 nastery " from this romantic glen and wimpling burn. 
 
 t Chart. Mel. 31, v. 
 
 Leag, a field, Colm, a saint, Colomba, hence Colmslie, or saint's 
 field. There was anciently a Culdee establishment at Colmslie, and 
 the ruins of an old peel may still be seen, which once belonged to the 
 Cairncross family.
 
 ST. MAEY'S ABBEY, MELKOSE. 263 
 
 place that would hold sixty cows, at Buckholin, on the 
 west-side of the Alwent or Allen, and a convenient 
 dairy house within the enclosures existing there, pre- 
 vious to this grant. Morville also gave them ground 
 in Quhyteley,* within the limits of the forest, where 
 they might have stalls for a hundred cows. Buckholm 
 was eagerly sought by the red deer, large herds of which 
 once covered its towering hill. 
 
 BLAINSLIE AND MILKSTDE. Richard Morville, more- 
 over, gave the monks liberty to plough and sow in the 
 field of Blainsley. He and his wife, Avicia, gave them 
 the chapel of Park, called St. Mary, with the chapel- 
 yard, and the whole land of Milchesyde, which is divided 
 from Blainsley by the Mereburn. Richard Morville, 
 in his old age, became an inmate of the monastery, and 
 died there in 1189. His son, William, not only con- 
 firmed but enlarged the gifts of his father. Blainslie 
 is now a pleasant village on the right bank of the 
 Leader, and on the main road leading from Lauder to 
 St. Boswell's, and about three miles distant from the 
 former. 
 
 ALLANSHAWS. Alan of Galwey gave the convent 
 the lands of Alwentschaws, in Lauderdale.-f 
 
 * WHITELEE. The monks occupied the open ground,, but were 
 forbidden to clear away any more of the forest. 
 
 f Allanshaws, from whence the Allen derives its source. The 
 ruins of three Border peels are to be seen in its vale.
 
 261 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 SORROWLESSFIELD, (Dolorisvaloris.)* The exclusive 
 right obtained by the monks to certain parts of territory 
 in Wedale, involved them in serious disputes with their 
 neighbours, who enjoyed rights of forest and pasture in 
 the same territory. In 1 1 80, King William decided in 
 their favour some dispute of this nature they had with 
 Richard Morville, high constable; and in 1184 the King 
 settled another similar dispute between them and the 
 men of Wedale, belonging to the Bishop of St. Andrews. 
 About 20 years afterwards, the monks accused Pat- 
 rick, Earl of Dunbar, of having forcibly occupied part 
 of a pasture which was their exclusive property. Dun- 
 bar had great possessions east side of the Leader. This 
 complaint was sent to Pope Innocent III., who re- 
 quested the Bishop of St. Andrews and the Archdeacon 
 of Lothian to inquire into the matter. The Commis- 
 sion proceeded to do so, and summoned the Earl to 
 appear before them to answer the complaint. Dunbar 
 disregarded the summons, and the Commissioners laid 
 his lands under an interdict. Upon this the earl sub- 
 mitted. A representation of the claims of both parties 
 was now sent to the Pope, who, on September 17th, 
 1 207, delegated the Bishop of Moray to decide between 
 them. By mediation of the bishop, in July, 1 208, the 
 matter was finally settled at Selkirk. The earl gave up 
 to the monks "the whole arable land called Sorouelesfeld, 
 on the west side of Leader, towards the grange of the fore- 
 
 * The ancient name of Wedale, or Woedale, now Stow.
 
 ST. MAKY'S ABBEY, MELKOSE. 265 
 
 said monks, as fully as William Soroueles held it."* He 
 also made them a perpetual grant of pasture for 
 500 sheep and 7 score of cattle, both in wood and 
 plain, in the ground lying between the Leader and the 
 causeway called Malcolmsroad, which goes towards 
 Laudir, from the confines of Cadisley to Fairhope- 
 burne. 
 
 It was agreed that neither the monks, nor the earl, 
 or his heirs, should be allowed to have either houses, 
 sheepcotes, enclosures, huts, folds, or any sort of dwell- 
 ing, within the pasture, and no part was to be ploughed 
 but Sorouelesfeld. The earl's cattle were to return 
 every night to the town of Erslindun (now Earlston), 
 unless hindered by a storm or inundation. 
 
 Dunbar gave the monks also right of taking 120 
 cart-loads of peats every year, from the neighbouring 
 peatery of Scalbedraburch.-f- His son and successor, 
 Patrick, sixth Earl of Dunbar, went with Louis IX. to 
 Palestine, in 1247, and died at. Damietta, in 1248. 
 Previous to his departure, he sold the monks his whole 
 stud of horses, which he had upon his property in 
 
 * Sorrowlessfield forms now a part of the estate of Cowdenknowes, 
 the charming residence of R. Cotesworth, Esq. There has been 
 much speculation as to the origin of the name, some saying "that 
 the inhabitants of the place went to Flodden field, none of whom 
 ever returned again." It is quite clear, however, that it takes its 
 name from William Sorouells, who held it before the monks of Melrose. 
 
 t Chart. Mel. . 
 
 S
 
 266 SEVENTIES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 Lauderdale, for money to defray his expenses. The 
 price was 120 merks sterling, the twenty being paid to 
 his son Patrick for confirmation of the deed. 
 
 ADINGSTON. At Auldenistun, in the upper part of 
 Lauderdale, the monks of Melrose had an hospital. 
 Leprosy was at this time very prevalent, and they had 
 many sick brethren. Walter, son of Alan, Steward of 
 Scotland, gave them a ploughgate and a-half of land in 
 that village, and another ploughgate and a-half, which 
 Dame Emma de Ednahim held, with pasturage in the 
 forests of Birkenside and Liggardewude,* also liberty 
 to grind at his mill without paying multure.^ 
 
 LAMMEEMUIB. Earl Waltheof gave the convent pas- 
 ture in Lammermoor, thus limited : " Scil de Boklres- 
 tan per altam viam usque ad Eslingh, et inde deorsum 
 sicut Helingdol cadit in Bothkil, &e."J Alan, son of 
 Roland, Grand Constable, gave all his waste on 
 Lambremuir to the convent, in exchange for the land 
 called Keresbarn. King William confirmed the grant 
 of new land Alan gave them in exchange for that Wil- 
 liam de Moreville bequeathed to them in Cunningham. 
 Earl Patrick gave them fifty-one acres in the south 
 part of Mosiburgierig, in addition to their laud in 
 Lambremuir. 
 
 * Birchenside and Legerwood. 
 
 t Ibid. This charter is named " Carta Leprosorum de Morice- 
 tun." J Ibid. Ibid.
 
 ST. MARY'S ABBEY, MELROSE. 267 
 
 REDPATH. This land, situated between Ercildon and 
 Bemersyde, was given by Thomas Kanulph, Earl of 
 Moray, Lord of Annandale and of Mann. Patrick, 
 Earl of Dunbar and March, as feudal lord, confirmed 
 the same. They had also two oxgangs in Bemersyde.* 
 
 GORDON. -Adarn of Gordoune gave some land on 
 the south side of Olovindikis, in Gordoune, next the 
 highway that goes to Berwick.-f* The noble family of 
 Gordon long resided here, and were settled as early as 
 the time of Malcolm Canmore. An old tower in the 
 neighbourhood was once the residence of the zealous 
 covenanter, Pringle of Greenknowe. 
 
 HASSINGTON. William de Alwenton, called also 
 William de Greenlaw, gave the monks three plough - 
 gates of land in the village of Halsintoun, which he got 
 from Sir Eobert de Muscamp.J In 1428, Patrick 
 Dunbar, Lord of Beil, with other wealthy men, decided 
 a controversy between Dean John Togo, abbot of 
 Melrose, and Sir Walter Haliburton of that ilk, rela- 
 tive to some lands in Halsington and Moneylaws. 
 It was found the convent had there three ploughlands, 
 two oxgangs, three acres, and also the lands called 
 Bars' Lands. 
 
 HARDLAW and HUNGGERIG, near the vill of Har- 
 carse, in the territory of Fogo, were given by William, 
 
 * Harleian MSS., 7394. t Ibid., 79, 7394. i Ibid. Ibid.
 
 268 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 son of Patrick, Earl of Dunbar, for providing a pittance 
 annually for ever, on the feast of the Nativity of the 
 Blessed Virgin. When the convent had possessed this 
 property some years, the abbot, Adam de Maxton, 
 gave it to Nicolas Corbet, brother of the donor,* with- 
 out consulting any one. He bestowed it on Togo 
 chapel. When the abbot died, his successor sued for 
 and recovered it back from Richard, rector of Lynton 
 church and the chapel of Fogo. 
 
 HOENDEAN. The lands of Milnecroft, in Horndean, 
 were given them in the reign of Alexander III., by 
 Sir W. de Horndean. Horndean is an ancient village, 
 lying left side of Tweed, and midway between Cold- 
 stream and Berwick. It shared most of the events 
 that befel Norham and Ladykirk.-}- 
 
 EDMONSTONE. Walter, High Steward, son of Alan, 
 gave them four ploughshares at Edmundiston, for the 
 good of the soul of King Malcolm IV. ; also, Patrick, 
 Earl of Dunbar, one ploughagate at Edmundiston near 
 Greenlaw. The lady Eve, wife of Robert de Quinci, of 
 Edmonstoun, twenty-five acres which she had bought, 
 lying close to Edmonston Grange, in the time of King 
 William; and in 1490, Robert Laudir of Edrington. 
 engaged to pay to the Abbot Bernard eight chalders 
 
 * Patrick, fifth Earl of Dunbar, married Christiana Corbet, the 
 daughter and heiress of Walter Corbet of Makerstone. 
 t Chart, Mel.
 
 ST. MAEY'S ABBEY, MELROSE, 269 
 
 of victuals yearly, by way of rent, for the lands of 
 Edmundstun Grange. Edrington Castle, four miles 
 from Berwick, was a place of great strength, and figured 
 much in the wars of the Borders. 
 
 BEEWICK. The convent had many holdings here. 
 King William gave them the house and land of Wil- 
 liam Lunnok, in the south corner of Briggate, next the 
 Tweed. Alexander Joceline, a burgess of Peebles, 
 quitted claim to the land and house in the south-east 
 corner of Briggate for 140 marks. Nicholas, the 
 weaver, gave half his land in Briggate to the monks 
 in pure alms. He sold them the other half for 1 00 
 marks sterling, and an annual allowance of ten bolls of 
 wheat, one chalder of barley, and half a mark of money 
 to him and his wife for their joint lives. Kobert de 
 Berneham sold the convent another parcel of land in the 
 same street. Walter, son of Alan, gave them a croft 
 near the Tweed, and twenty acres in the plain of Ber- 
 wick. Grim, the son of Guido, the carter of Roxburgh, 
 gave them a toft. Mariota de Monachis, who had been 
 the wife of Nicholas the apothecary, gave the convent 
 all her land in Narewgate, upon the Nesse, below the 
 town of Berwick, with all the buildings thereon. 
 Thomas de Selkirk gave them a tenement upon le 
 Nesse. The monks Were to pay forty pence yearly to 
 the Maison Dieu, and nine shillings to his sister's heirs ; 
 and his son Peter gave them three marks yearly, for
 
 270 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 ever, in a burgage in Crossgate. Alexander Eraser 
 gave them lands and houses in Ravennisden Street upon 
 le Nesse. Adam Glasgow, ten acres of arable land 
 called Kiddeslaw, in Bondington; beside, Moyse, the 
 crossbow-maker, gave ten acres without the town, 
 below Hangchester. They also had the land of Snoe 
 for two shiDings yearly; the land abutting near the 
 castle foss, for payment of sixpence to the constable of 
 the castle ; and, lastly, Robert de Berneham gave them 
 a fishing in Berwick stream. 
 
 The famous castle of Berwick, which exists no longer, 
 was erected in the eleventh century. Edward I. im^ 
 prisoned the Countess of Buchan for four years in it, 
 because she had the honour of placing the crown on 
 the head of Robert Bruce at his coronation. The town 
 of Berwick is of high antiquity, and was a town of note 
 in the twelfth century. 
 
 TEOLHOPE, IN NORTHUMBERLAND. For the souls of 
 Richard and John, kings of England, and for his King 
 Henry, Robert Muscamp gave part of his land and 
 pasture, in the territory of Hethpol, called Trolhope, 
 with liberty to cut wood in the forest for building. 
 Hugo de Morwie, Odonello de Forde, and others, are 
 witnesses. The prior and canons of Kirkham* had a 
 right to the tithes of Trolhope, and obtained a Bull 
 from Pope Honorius III., in 1222, commanding the 
 
 * Kirkham Priory, near Doncaster.
 
 ST. MAKY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE. 271 
 
 monks to pay them, yearly, fifty shillings and twenty 
 pence, on Sfc. James's day, in the Church of St. Gregory, 
 at Newton in Glendale. 
 
 KILHAM. Walter de Kilnum, son of Robert de 
 Scottun, gave them eight acres of corn-land in Witelaw- 
 estele, with pasture for twenty-four sheep, twelve oxen, 
 and two horses, 
 
 HOUNAM. John of Hunum, son of Orm, gave them 
 land in Hunum, in the presence of Ingelram, bishop of 
 Glasgow. William, son of John, gave the lands of 
 Raeshaw, in Hunum, to the monks, for which they 
 were to find a chaplain to say mass in a chapel within 
 the boundaries, for the eouls of him and his wife, 
 Donancia de Cleresei.* The giver having afterwards 
 repented of this gift, and forcibly taken the lands again, 
 the monks complained of him at Rome, and Innocent 
 III., in 1208, appointed commissioners to investigate 
 the matter, when William confessed he had given it to 
 the monks, and they permitted him to enjoy it his life, 
 so that it became theirs at his death.f 
 
 The canons of Jedburgh had care of the church of 
 Hunum, but the monks of Melrose thought they had 
 a right to it ; and in 1237, an agreement was made, 
 whereby the abbot and convent of Melrose renounced 
 all right which they said they had to the church of 
 
 * Chart. Mel. 12. f Jbid.
 
 272 EEVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 Hunum. For this the canons of Jedburgh exempted 
 them from payment of tithes on the lands within their 
 parish, and agreed to find a chaplain to pray for the 
 souls of William, the son of John and Donancia, his 
 wife, and all the faithful departed in whatever place the 
 Bishop of Glasgow should appoint. 
 
 WHITTON. Eobert de Bernolvebi gave twenty acres 
 of land in Witton, called Ravenesfen, before 1199. It 
 run westward from the head of Harehopedene, to the 
 land William de Ridel gave his wife Matilda Corbet as 
 her dowry. Geoffrey, son of Walleve of Lillesclive, gave 
 four ox-gangs of arable land, situated above Ravensfen. 
 Ysabelle, the wife of William de Ridel, gave them an 
 oxgang, lying between Hardlaw and Tockesheles, 
 which William, the parson of Hunum, bought from 
 Geoffrey, the cook, and gave her. Two old border 
 towers are standing at Corbet House and Whitton, the 
 former repaired since the last wars with England, the 
 other in ruins. 
 
 GEUBET. Hucred de Grubbeheued gave them land 
 in Grubbeheued, called Halkale, next the water of Kalne, 
 in Elstaneshaleche, about the year 1181. 
 
 CLIFTON. Walter de Corbet, Laird of Makerston, 
 about the year 1200, gave a tract of land in the muirs 
 of Cliftun, east of Crookhou, and contiguous the land 
 of Hunum, Grubet, Primside, and Molle, partly bounded 
 by Mereburn and Culroueburn. The Bireburn is also
 
 ST. MAEY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE. 273 
 
 mentioned, and the high road that went from Molle to 
 Eoxburgh. 
 
 PEIMSIDE. When King William settled the dispute 
 between the convents of Kelso and Melrose respecting 
 the limits of their property on the Eildon Hills, in 1208, 
 the latter had to yield a piece of ground claimed from 
 them by Kelso ; and Kelso, by order of the king, in 
 consideration thereof, gave the convent of Melrose two 
 oxgangs, excepting two acres in Prenwensete, with 
 two acres of meadow, and pasture for four hundred 
 sheep.* 
 
 MOLLE. Anselm of Wittron gave part of his lands 
 of Molle, adjacent the convent lands in Hownam, with 
 a peatery between Mollhope, Berehope, and Herdeshete. 
 As much brushwood out of his wood of Mollhope as a 
 horse could carry to their grange of Hunum, yearly, 
 between Easter and the birth of St. Mary. Walter, 
 son of Alan, gave them some land in Molle in exchange 
 for Ereertown, and two hundred marks of money. 
 
 ALTONBUENE, in Molle, was given by John de Vesci, 
 in 1279, to William de Sprowstone, his chaplain, some- 
 time vicar of Molle, who granted it to the monks of 
 Melrose. The monks paid tithe of their land in Molle 
 to Kelso. 
 
 FAIENINGTON. Eoger Bernard, in the time of Alex- 
 ander II, granted them thirteen acres of arable land, 
 * Chart. Mel. 40, v.
 
 274 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 and a meadow of eight acres, lying east side of the 
 land of Symon de Farburne, in Farnindun, below the 
 high road to Roxburgh. The monks caused to be cut 
 a ditch round the meadow, called Estmedow, which they 
 had bought from Burnard for thirty-five marks. Bur- 
 nard granted them a peatery in Farnindun, the boun- 
 daries of which were set with large stones, and allowed 
 them to make a ditch six feet wide around it, outside 
 the boundaiy. 
 
 MAXTON.- Robert de Besheley, and Cecilia, his wife, 
 gave the convent, in 1196, a ploughgate of land in 
 Mackiston, east of Dereshete, between Morrig on the 
 north, and Lilisyhates and Gretkerigge on the south, 
 with pasture for a hundred sheep, twenty-two mares 
 and foals, till they were two years old, common fuel, 
 and stones from his quarry at Alwerden for building. 
 Hugh de Norman ville, who married Alicia, daughter of 
 Robert de Berkeley, gave them Kelvessete and Faulau, 
 on the confines of Ruderfurde, on both sides of the road 
 from Eckeford to Melrose. His son John gave them 
 Lilisyhates, between Grenrig, Derestrete, Farningdun, 
 and the high road from the vale of Anant to Rokis- 
 burgh. He also more than doubled their pasture, and 
 gave them the land called Jerbrandrig, consisting of 
 four acres, part of the peat land west side of Ruderfurde 
 Muir, between Suthside and Arewes. Thomas, brother 
 of John de Normanville, gave them a ploughgate, for
 
 ST. MARY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE. 275 
 
 which they were bound to pay him, at Eoxburgh fair, 
 a pair of gilt spurs, and to the feudal lord a tercelet, or 
 3s. sterling. Maxton is now a decayed hamlet, but 
 was formerly of nearly the size and importance of Kelso. 
 The shaft of an ancient cross, or relic of Romanism, is 
 still standing there. 
 
 LESSUDEN. Eobert I, in 1317, granted the whole 
 of the lands in Lessedwyne to this convent. Laurence 
 de Abernethy gave them the whole land of Makys- 
 poffil about the same time. James Fraser of Feren- 
 drath gave the whole of his land in Oambeston, in 
 1402, for the annual payment of three pounds. This 
 latter was not to be exacted when the land was laid 
 waste by war. 
 
 Lessuden was burnt by the English in 1544 and '45. 
 It was previously a place of considerable strength, and 
 contained sixteen Bastile houses. St. Boswell's is an 
 ancient village, once a place of importance, and is 
 annually, in July, the scene of one of the greatest fail's 
 in the south of Scotland. To the north of the Green 
 stands an elegant hunting establishment, belonging to 
 the Duke of Buccleuch, and in the heart of one of the 
 best hunting suits in Britain. 
 
 LILLIESLEAF. Patrick Ridale, in the time of King 
 William, gave them a portion of the lands of Lilles- 
 clive,* with pasture for twelve oxen, ten cows, five 
 
 * The boundary ran from the ford of Curlewudburn, on the west side
 
 276 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 horses, and a hundred sheep. Margaret de Vesci con- 
 firmed this gift. His son Walter added to it Cote- 
 medwe, Meremedwe, the meadow at the head of 
 Kingesflat, the meadow at Laidholfueslend and Poune- 
 inedwe, in Caveris. To this he added another donation, 
 which made the gifts of his family to the convent of 
 Melrose, in Lilliesclive, amount to eleven oxgangs. He 
 confirmed to them the possession of Clerkislande in 
 West Lillesclive, consisting of laud in Todholside and 
 Hendestonrig, which they bought from Adam, son of 
 Adam of Durham, for twenty shillings sterling.* 
 
 Fourteen peel towers formerly fortified Lilliesleaf, 
 and made the town a centre of great strength in the 
 Border turmoils. The moor was a great meeting-place 
 of the covenanters. 
 
 HASSENDEAN. After some dispute about the right of 
 Hastandeu church between King William and Josceline, 
 Bishop of Glasgow, they agreed to devote the property 
 of this church to some charitable purpose. They gave 
 its titles and lands to Melrose, to be expended in found- 
 ing and maintaining a house of hospitality at Hastan - 
 den, for the reception and entertainment of the way- 
 
 of Caldlawealong, the road from Selkirk to Jedworth, as far as the 
 Alne ; then down the Abie, which divided his lands from those of the 
 Bishop of Glasgow, to the place bounding him and the Abbot of 
 Kelso, and along the same boundary to Curlewudburne, and up said 
 burn to the aforesaid ford. Chart Mel. , 43, 44. 
 * Chart. Mel.
 
 ST. MAEY'S ABBEY, MKLEOSE. 277 
 
 faring poor, and the relief of pilgrims journeying to 
 Melrose abbey. A pension of twenty shillings yearly 
 was reserved to the Church of Glasgow. The monks 
 of Melrose had pasturage in the common for two hun- 
 dred ewes, sixteen oxen, and four cows. The hospital 
 founded by them, where some of them always resided, 
 and performed the duties of Hastanden and Caveris 
 parish, was afterwards called Monks' Tower, and their 
 lands are still called Monks' Croft. Hassendean ceased 
 to be a separate parish in 1682, and was divided 
 between Roberton; Wilton, and Minto. The ruins 
 of its fine old Saxon church, with nearly all its church- 
 yard, near the Teviot, were carried away by a flood in 
 1796. 
 
 CAVEES. The advowson of the church of Great 
 Cavers was given by William, first Earl of Douglas, in 
 1358. James, the second Earl, renewed his grant of 
 this church, with the glebe and the chapel, reserving 
 to himself the right of one presentation to the rectory 
 of the said church. Earl William gave Penangushope 
 and Caldecleuch, in the barony of Cavers, for masses 
 to be said, especially for the soul of Sir William Doug- 
 las of Lothian, who was buried before St. Bridget's 
 altar in Melrose. Sir Alexander Scott of Hassendean 
 was one of the Border chiefs who fell at the battle of 
 FloddeiL 
 
 RINGWUDE, upon the Alwent and Teviot, was given
 
 278 EEVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 to the monks, by Osulf, in the time of Malcolm 
 IV. 
 
 ETTRICK. Alexander II. gave to Melrose a large 
 tract of land in Ettrick Forest. He exempted the 
 abbey, and four granges lying round it, from forest 
 laws. In 1415, they got the lands of Winzehop or 
 Glenkeny, lying south of the rivulet Ternay, between 
 their land of Midgehope and those of Ettrick and 
 Dalglese, with twelve acres of meadow, from Robert 
 Scott, Laird of Rankilburne, in exchange for the lands 
 of Bellyndeen.* The forest of Ettrick was the famous 
 hunting ground of the Scoto-Saxon kings. At one 
 period it contained thousands of deer. In the time of 
 Robert Bruce, the Douglases got a grant of it as a re- 
 ward for their public services. James V. converted 
 large portions of it into sheep walks. Queen Mary 
 frequented the chase here notwithstanding her domes- 
 tic troubles. Many places in it bear names derived 
 from the wild ox and boar, the wolf, red deer, and 
 palmated stag. 
 
 ESKDALE. Robert de Avenel, in the time of Malcolm 
 IV., gave the monks his land in Eskdale, consisting of 
 two parts, to wit, Tumloher and Weidkerroc, between 
 the Black and the White Eske, extending from their 
 
 * Bellenden on the banks of the Alenruir Loch, the same neigh- 
 bourhood. The Scotts of Rankilburn and Mendiestone were the 
 ancestors of the Buccleuch family.
 
 ST. MAEY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE, 279 
 
 junction to the forest of Thimei and the mountains. 
 He reserved to himself the right of hunting the wild 
 boar, deer, or stag, also a yearly rent of five marks. 
 One of these he remitted for the maintenance of a light 
 to burn perpetually before the altar of the Virgin Mary. 
 On the death of his wife, Sibilla, he remitted the other 
 four marks to be expended upon four pittances for the 
 monks, yearly, and at fixed seasons. He entered the 
 convent in old age, and died there in 1 ] 85. His son, 
 Gervas Avenel, confirmed his father's grant ; but Koger, 
 the son of Gervas, disputed their right, sent his cattle 
 into their grounds, pulled down their huts, and broke 
 down their fences. Both parties met in 1 235 at Linton, 
 in the king's presence, when it was decided that the 
 pastures belonged to the monks ; but they were not to 
 hunt there with packs of hounds, nor bring or allow 
 others to hunt; not to set traps except for wolves, nor 
 cut down trees wherein hawks and falcons build their 
 nests.* Robert I. gave them part of the barony of 
 Westerker, in Eskdale, forfeited by Lord Soulis. 
 
 REINPATEICK. William de Brus, in the reign of 
 Alexander II, gave the monks a fishing near the 
 church of Reinpatrick, in Annandale, an acre of land, 
 pasturage for four cows and six oxen. 
 
 BRANSCATH, AUCHENCEIEF, and DEEGAVEL, were 
 given to the convent by Thomas de Arnnoy. 
 * Chart Mel, 53.
 
 280 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 DUNSCORE. Affrica, daughter of Edgar, gave a part 
 of her land at Dunscoir, in Nithsdale, for the safety of 
 Alexander II. and his Queen, Joanna, and upon con- 
 dition that the monks were to have a yearly pittance 
 out of the profits on St. Andrew's day. In 1257, their 
 land in Dunscoir was freed from tithes, and the parish 
 church given to the abbot and convent of Dercongal. 
 
 BARMUIR and GODONEC. Eichard Wales gave the 
 monks the lands called Godonec in Galwey, at the head 
 of the burn called Polcarn. He also gave them Bar- 
 muir, extending from the mouth of the burn of Hast- 
 newethne up to its source. 
 
 TURNBERRY and MAYBOLE. Duncan, Earl of Car- 
 rick, gave two salt works in Tornebiri, with eight 
 acres of corn land and pasture for horses. Duncan, 
 the son of Gilbert, son of Fergus, gave them the lands 
 of Meibothelbeg and Beacchoc. In 1236, Duncan freed 
 them from the annual payment of three marks for the 
 lands of Beacchoc. In 1212, the rector of Maibotil 
 complained that the convent had wronged him of his 
 tithes. Pope Innocent III. appointed a commission to 
 sift the matter, who ordered a payment of ten shillings 
 annually by the monks, for the tithes of Maibothilbech 
 and Largys. 
 
 GREENAN. Eoger de Scalbroc gave them a beach 
 fishing at the mouth of the Doon, a salt-work, and 
 some land and tofts in Grenan. In 1196, he gave
 
 ST. MARY'S ABBEY, MELKOSE. 28 1 
 
 them the lands of Drumteismene, Alesburc, and 
 Auchnephure. 
 
 OCHILTREE. 'The patronage of this church was given 
 to the convent in 1316, by' Eustachia de Colville, widow 
 of Reginald le Chene. 
 
 TAEBOLTON. The patronage of this church was 
 given them by Eobert Graeme, laird of Welston, before 
 1369* 
 
 DALSANGAN and BANGOTTR. In 1205 the monks had 
 a dispute about their right to these lands with Peter 
 de Curri, who, afterwards joining the convent, gave ; 
 them up, by a charter he offered upon the high altar 
 of St. Mary of Melrose. 
 
 MAUCHLiNE.-^-Walter, son of Alan, grand steward, 
 joined the convent and died there in 1177. He gave 
 them all the lands of Mauchlyn, a fishing on the water 
 of Ayr, and one of three nets at the mouth of that 
 river. He gave them the pasture of his forest, extend- 
 ing to the mountain of Cairntable, on the limits of 
 upper Clydesdale, and to Glengyle and the boundaries 
 of Douglas and Lesmahago ; besides, easements in the 
 wood, a ploughgate they might till, reserving to him- 
 self only the birds and beasts of chase in the said 
 forest ; for which the monks were to pay five marks 
 annually, nor hunt nor hawk in the forest. The 
 five marks were afterwards remitted. Alexander the 
 
 * SIMPSON'S MS. Collectiont. Bill. Harl. 4707. 
 
 T
 
 282 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 Steward, freed them from baronial jurisdiction, gave 
 them liberty to buy and sell in any market they chose, 
 and to hold their corn courts at Karentable, Mauch- 
 lyn, or Barmoor. For these grants the monks were to 
 have a pittance yearly on St. James's day, out of the 
 profits. The priory at Mauchline was a cell of Melrose. 
 Convicted thieves were to be given up to the steward's 
 bailie, and if manslaughter should take place for the 
 discovery of theft, it should be held justifiable on the 
 part of the abbot, and the goods and chattels of the 
 slain should go to his bailie. 
 
 WOLFCLYDE. Sir David Menyheis, laird of half the 
 barony of Culter in Lanarkshire, gave the whole of his 
 portion, called Wolchclyde, in 1431. After the Refor- 
 mation, this land came into the possession of Sir Wil- 
 liam Menzies of Gladstanes. 
 
 KINGLEDOORS and HOPECARTON. In the reign of 
 Robert the Bruce, Simon Fraser gave them the land 
 of South Kingildor, with the chapel of St. Cuthbert, 
 also the lands of Hopcarton, with pasture right in the 
 parish of Drumekier in Tweeddale. 
 
 PEEBLES. Sir William de Durem gave them all the 
 lands and tenements he had in the town of Peebles. 
 They were to pay what was due to the king. He sold 
 them a burgage in the same town for fourteen marks, 
 which he acknowledged having received. Peebles
 
 ST. MARY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE. 283 
 
 looms far back in high antiquity, and was the seat of 
 a Culdee establishment in very early times. 
 
 PEETH. Malcolm de Lyn, a burgess of Perth, gave 
 them a land in the South Street, for six shillings 
 yearly. 
 
 KINEOSS. Robert I. gave them a toft and croft in 
 the town of Kinros, in the corner beside the road to 
 Perth, and freed them from the annual payment of 
 forty pence due to him for the same. 
 
 EDINBUEGH. In 1408, Margaret Bronhill sold the 
 monks a tenement in the south side of the town, which 
 her late brother, Adam Tore, had previously mortgaged 
 to them. In 1428, John Vernour gave a land in the 
 street called Cowgate, to one Richard Lundy, a monk 
 of Melrose, for twenty shillings yearly. He or his 
 heirs were to have the refusal of it, if it were sold. 
 In 1440, William Vernour granted the same to Rich- 
 ard Lundy, then abbot of Melrose, without reserve, for 
 thirteen shillings and fourpence yearly. In 1433, 
 Patrick, abbot of Holy rood, confirmed the monks of 
 Melrose in the possession of their land called Holyrood- 
 acre, between the common vennel and another acre 
 they had beside the highway from the Cowgate, for six 
 shillings and eightpence yearly. 
 
 LEITH. In 1414, Robert Logan of Lastalrik, gave 
 the monks of Melrose a tenement in the town of Leyth.
 
 284 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 They had also other possessions in Leith, which they 
 acquired by purchase. 
 
 PRESTONPANS. Roland, son of Uctred, gave the 
 convent a salt-work in Preston, with pasture for six 
 cows, six oxen, and a horse. He also gave a toft and 
 croft whereon to build a house, and fuel from his wood 
 of Preston to supply the pans. In 1460, Robert de 
 Hamylton of Fyngalton gave them in his territory of 
 Saltpreston similar grants. 
 
 INVERWICK. Walter, the son of Alan, confirmed to 
 the monks possession of certain lands in the territory 
 of Innerwick, with pasturage in the town common, 
 granted them by Roger, the son of Glay, and others of 
 his vassals. 
 
 HEABTSIDE and SPOT. In the reign of David L } 
 the Earl Gospatric gave them the lands of Hertis- 
 head and Spot; and Patrick de Whitsum, a part of his 
 land called Lochaneshalech, also in Spot. 
 
 PEATCOX. Philip de Petcox gave the land lying 
 between Harteshead and the rivulet called Prestum- 
 nethburn, with ten acres in the tilled ground of Bele- 
 side. He gave them liberty to change the course of 
 Presmunen Burn. This burn was the boundary be- 
 tween him and the monks, and its overflowing often 
 injured the meadows and corn fields. 
 
 PAINSHIEL. John, the son of Michael, of Meckil, 
 gave the whole land of Paneschelys, on condition that
 
 ST. MARY'S ABBEY, MELROSE. 285 
 
 three marks of silver be given yearly to the prior, to 
 furnish a pittance for the monks on Trinity Sunday. 
 He gave also the land which Aldred the smith, and 
 his son Oliver, held east side of the brook Fastenei. 
 Henry de Beltun, in 1231, gave the whole of 
 his land called Kingissete, in the territory of Pan- 
 schelis, lying between Calneburn, Kingeburn, and 
 Witeddre, for the yearly rent of two marks to him 
 and his heirs. 
 
 John, of North Berwick, released them of the obli- 
 gation of the payment to him of thirty shillings for 
 Kingisset.* 
 
 YESTER. John Giffarde made them free of multure, 
 at his miln. He also gave them pasture for six cows, 
 sixty sheep, and two horses, and a toft and croft in 
 Yhester. 
 
 FISHINGS IN THE TWEED. David I. gave them right 
 to fish in the Tweed, on both sides, at Melros, Dern- 
 wick, Eildnn, and Gattonside. Malcolm IV. gave them 
 the fishing at Yhare, called the Selkirk fishing, also 
 seven acres of land, with buildings thereon, and a mea- 
 dow pasture for eight oxen and eight cows in Wauhop, 
 and timber of the forest for keeping in repair their 
 wear in the said fishery. In 1268, Nicolas Corbet, of 
 
 * Chart. Mel. 77, v. 78. The monks of the Isle of May had some 
 property on the south side of Caleburn, and the place is still called 
 Mayshiel.
 
 286 KEVENUES AND POSSESSIONS OF 
 
 Mackerston, granted them all his fisheries adjacent his 
 land of Malcarviston, between the limits of Dalcove 
 and Brokismouth, on condition that the produce of 
 this fishing should be applied faithfully by the sub-cel- 
 larer to the proper use of the convent. The monks 
 and lay brethren and their servants might land with 
 their cobells and nets upon any part of his ground, and 
 have free ingress and egress through it, and might even 
 build a house upon it for the convenience of their fish- 
 ing. In the presence of the king, in the refectory of 
 Melrose, Nicholas Corbet, undertook to be surety for 
 all services due to the king by the monks for the said 
 fisheries. David I. gave them also the fishing of Old 
 Roxburgh, extending to the Brockestrem. Malcolm 
 IV. gave one of the two net-fishings he had in Brocke- 
 strem. Robert de Bernham gave them another, which 
 he got from Ralph Hauvil, King Alexander's falconer. 
 
 Nes, son of Nes de Walent, gave them in Lyvering- 
 ham, ten acres of arable land to find the convent in 
 white bread on Easter-day.* 
 
 Philip, Count of Flanders, about 1182 gave the 
 monks of this convent a free passage through his do- 
 minions, and exempted them from payment of taxes 
 and dues therein. 
 
 Alexander II. gave the mouks the privilege, when 
 passing through the country with carriages, of stopping 
 * Chart. Mel., 105, v. 94.
 
 ST. MAEY'S ABBEY, MELEOSE. 287 
 
 for one night wherever they chose. They had per- 
 mission to pasture their beasts on the commons, and 
 elsewhere, so they kept them out of corn fields and 
 meadows.* 
 
 John, brother of the Steward of Scotland, granted to 
 the convent at Christmas, 1296, two pounds of wax to 
 be given on St. James's fair day at Roxburgh, an- 
 nually, for a wax candle to burn at the tomb of St. 
 Waltheoff 
 
 SUMMA ANIMALIUM MONASTEE1I DE MELEOS, 
 TEMPOKIBUS ANTIQTJIS.]: 
 
 Imprimis summa equorum dominicorum . 104 
 
 equarum dominicarum . 54 
 
 sylvestrium . .. . 265 
 
 pullorum trium annorum . 39 
 pollorum 2, annorum utriusque 
 
 sexus, . .-. . .; r * 150 
 
 stagrorum . -. . v > 270 
 
 bovum jugalium >' . 1167 
 
 vaccarum . ,' . . 3544 
 
 taurorum . .. : . . 87 
 
 stottorum 4, annorum . . 407 
 
 * Chart. Mel., 107, v. f Harl. MS., 4707. 
 
 J HAT'S MS. Collection of Charters, vol. i., 471, Advocates' Lib- 
 rary, Edinburgh.
 
 288 REVENUES AND POSSESSIONS. 
 
 stottorum 3, annonun . . 637 
 colonidarum . . . 1376 
 stircorum . . . .1125 
 vitulorum . . . . 11%3 
 oviutn .... 8215 
 
 vervecum .... 344 
 multonum . ... . 8044 
 hoggomm . . . . 5900 
 ovium tondentium . 22520 
 
 With this, as with the previous chapter, and in many other parts 
 of this work, we have tracked with care the steps of the Rev. Dr 
 Morton, author of the Monastic Annals of Teviotdale, and have found 
 that work full of research, very painstaking and elaborate in detail. 
 'So much so, although possessing great facilities in the way of infor- 
 mation, we heartily recommend such of our readers as have a desire 
 to know more upon such matters, to consult his work with perfect 
 confidence.
 
 Statue of St. Peter, with Book, Keys, and Canopy North Transept.
 
 Seal and Counter Seal of the Abbey.
 
 291 
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 " No matins now, no vesper sung, 
 Time mocks at last the human tongue ; 
 The idol and the shrine o'ertnrns, 
 The worshipper, that gazing burns ; 
 And with a zealous aim regards, 
 The laws of pennance, and rewards. 
 
 No border strife, or feudal fray, 
 Stems near these walls in dread array 
 Nor lists the warder's wakeful ear, 
 Pride, glory, ruin, cradle here. 
 And while we mark their waning bloom, 
 We sadden as with pensive gloom ; 
 And wish the more that time would spare 
 These ruins yet, so freshly fair ; 
 That gorgeous, lovely, spell-bound seem, 
 At once a glory and a dream." 
 
 S we have elsewhere observed, 
 the stone used in the erection 
 of St. Mary's abbey, Melrose, 
 was of a capital description. 
 Time would have dealt gently 
 with it, had not the hand of 
 man been bent on its destruction. So firm and 
 unyielding to any ordinary vicissitude were its parts
 
 292 MELKOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 combined together, that, independent of the strength 
 of the cement used at the time, (still flinty and im- 
 perishably hard), many of the stones in the columns 
 and supporting walls of the east end are actually 
 cubed and morticed or grooved into one another, thus 
 rendering them almost imperishable to the tooth of 
 time, and the action of sundry atmospheric influences. 
 It was built as for eternal duration. 
 
 As we approach the western entrance, there is an 
 abrupt termination of the chapels on the south side. 
 The stones are left as in the order of erection, whole, 
 not jagged, broken, or mutilated, as if some part had 
 been removed from those remaining by violence and 
 war. "We may therefore conclude, that the west 
 end was so far in course of restoration, but never com- 
 pleted, nor carried beyond the position it now remains 
 in. Not a vestige of the two outermost pillars, for the 
 support of the nave near the west end, can be discovered. 
 The destruction of the western end from the great 
 organ screen has been complete. This would be in 
 September, 1545, when the Earl of Hertford, and the 
 English troops under him, laid waste the whole of the 
 Merse and Teviotdale. The commanders of the Eng- 
 lish forces, under disappointment and difficulty, often 
 ordered the pulling down of the peel-houses and 
 fortalices. The tower may have been undermined 
 from the two pillars eastward, which, in falling, would
 
 MELKOSE ABBEY THE ETJINS. 
 
 293 
 
 bring down the three sides of it also. From that 
 period, more owing to the progress of the Keforma- 
 tion than any other event, it seems probable the 
 abbey was never restored from the state of ruin to 
 which it was then reduced. Still great destruction 
 was entailed upon its sculptures after the year 1545; 
 for it is apparent that the piscinas and altars of the 
 baptistries or chapels, south of the nave, and on both 
 sides of the chancel, which are sixteen in number, 
 have been wantonly mutilated and broken down. 
 Heavy instruments have been in requisition, such as 
 sledge-hammers and crowbars. In some places orna- 
 mental stones have been broken or cut clean away, 
 and some have been removed out of the very face of 
 the wall by dint of strength and suitable tools. 
 
 Brackets uion I'illars Flowers.
 
 294 MELROSE ABBEY THE KUINS. 
 
 The key-stones of the roof in the sixth chapel are 
 deserving of particular attention. 
 
 In all probability the upper roof of. the nave and 
 chancel was composed of wood only, and the side roofs 
 of stone, which may account for the rapid decay of the 
 former. From an examination made of the upper por- 
 tion of the tower wall in the eighteenth century, by a 
 practical person, who describes them to have been too 
 light to support a spire, there probably never was 
 one, and possibly the tower was left square, and free 
 almost of pinnacle or central ornament, like the 
 cathedral of York at the present day. The roof of the 
 church would be covered with sheet-lead, which was 
 either stript by an enemy, or, after having been set on 
 fire, collected from the ashes beneath. The second 
 expedition of Hertford's was a notable one, for the 
 collecting of lead from the monastic houses, and trans- 
 porting it over the Borders. 
 
 The wall which divides the nave, and now breasts its 
 western extremity, once the lower part of the organ 
 screen, demands attention. Within is a small porch, 
 tastefully decorated with a miniature groined roof, in 
 the centre of which is a sculptured head. A chain of 
 leaves binds the outward moulding, and ascends in a 
 continued series, extending along the wall from the one 
 side to the other. In the eighth chapel of the nave 
 is a very beautiful piscina, ornamented with various
 
 Double Column and Capitol, north side of the Nave.
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 297 
 
 miniature architectural embellishments. The narrow 
 north aisle of the nave is most conspicuous for the 
 neatness of its pointed roof, and the row of massive 
 pillars from which it springs. Their capitols, repre- 
 
 Corbel in the North Aisle. 
 
 IT
 
 298 MELKOSE ABBEY THE KUINS. 
 
 senting leaves, are tastefully chiselled, and have opposite 
 to them branches of foliage equally well carved, from 
 which spring the groins of the north side of the roof. 
 An undivided seat runs along the north side of the 
 nave, above which are a series of false arches, supported 
 by peculiarly graceful pedestals. These arches are less 
 ornamental than the others. The western one, in all 
 likelihood the centre of the range, displays a great deal 
 of elegant ornament springing from slender pilasters. 
 There remains no vestige of the roof of the piazza, but 
 above the false arches there are corbels and correspond- 
 ing holes, from which the roof had sprung. Of the 
 chapter-house, dormitory, and refectory, which lay on 
 the north side of the church, no vestige remains, 
 although their foundations are occasionally met with. 
 
 In 1839, while certain improvements were being 
 made on the grounds skirting the house built by the 
 Commendator Douglas, two large boilers, and other 
 culinary utensils, were discovered several feet below the 
 surface of the earth. 
 
 The cloister formed a quadrangle on the north-west 
 side of the church. This square stretched alongside 
 the whole of the nave, but now consists of only one 
 angle. Seven of the seats in the cloister remain. These 
 are covered with false Gothic arches, composed of vari- 
 ous members, along the extremity of which a wreath of 
 flowers, springing from the pilasters at the sides of the
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 299 
 
 arches, runs upwards to an ornamental frieze. The 
 frieze appertaining to each sedile contains six square 
 compartments, representing beautiful clusters of plants 
 and flowers accurately carved, such as lilies, ferns, 
 house-leeks, palm, holly, grapes, oak leaves, with apples, 
 ash leaves, thistles, fir cones, &c. 
 
 Section of the Arcade of the Cloister from the South Wall.
 
 300 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 " Spreading herbs and flow'reta bright, 
 Glisten'd with the dew of night ; 
 Nor herb nor flow'ret glisten'd there, 
 But was carved on the cloister arches as fair. " 
 
 Lay of the Last Minstrel. 
 
 Speaking of this part of the venerable pile, Mr Lock- 
 hart observes : " There is one cloister in particular, 
 along the whole length of which there runs a cornice 
 of flowers and plants, entirely unrivalled, to my mind, 
 by anything elsewhere extant. I do not say in Gothic 
 architecture merely, but in any architecture whatever. 
 Roses and lilies, and thistles, and ferns, and heaths, in 
 all their varieties, and oak leaves and ash leaves, and a 
 thousand beautiful shapes besides, are chiselled with 
 such inimitable truth, and such grace of nature, that 
 the finest botanist in the world could not desire a 
 better hortus siccus, so far as they go." 
 
 In another part of the building, he observes: "There 
 is a human hand holding a garland loosely in its fingers, 
 which, were it cut off and placed among the Elgin 
 marbles, would be kissed by the cognoscenti as one of 
 the finest of them all. It would shame the whole 
 gallery of the Boissere'es." 
 
 A footway now closed leads from the cloister to the 
 high road north of the ruins, which is called the Valley 
 Gate. Since the Reformation, it was one of the ap- 
 proaches to the church, and, with a little contrivance
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 301 
 
 would afford a better entrance to the ruins than the 
 present one. 
 
 An arched doorway, leading from the cloister at the 
 angle formed by the transept, is exquisitely carved. 
 So beautiful and accurately chiselled is the foliage upon 
 the capitols of the pilasters on each side, that a straw 
 will pass through the interstices between the leaves 
 and stalks. It was through this door the aged monk, 
 in the Lay of the Last Minstrel, led William of Delo- 
 raine to the grave of Michael Scott, after conducting 
 him through the cloister. 
 
 At the distance of fifty feet from the eastern extremity 
 the church is intersected at right angles by the transept. 
 A square tower, nearly a hundred feet high, stood in 
 the centre, the west side of which, raised upon a lofty 
 pointed arch springing from two slender columns, at 
 the eastern extremity of the nave, to the height of 
 eighty-four feet, is still standing. The summit of the 
 tower terminates with a stone ballustrade, the rails of 
 which form quatre-foils, and are ornamented immedi- 
 ately underneath with a frieze of roses in basso relievo. 
 
 The two eastern columns which supported the tower, 
 as well as the east, north, and south walls of it, have 
 disappeared altogether. No vicissitude that ever befel 
 the church could have demolished these neither the 
 agency of time nor fire. That the columns were under- 
 mined in 154-5, or at the period of the Reformation,
 
 302 MELEOSE ABBEY THE EUINS. 
 
 there seems no doubt, and the parts they supported 
 brought down with them, the materials of which alone 
 would have sufficed for the erection of any ordinary 
 dwelling. We are strongly reminded of Antwerp Ca- 
 thedral by the little turrets of the ruins at the corners 
 of the tower, which Sir Walter Scott chose to imitate 
 in the erection of his mansion at Abbotsford. 
 
 Two rows of pillars run equidistant from the mag- 
 nificent supporters of the remnant of the tower, and 
 with a dead wall on the north, and corresponding pillars 
 on the south side of the nave, form aisles of which the 
 original roofs still remain. 
 
 Knot on Ceiling of the Nave Flowers.
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 303 
 
 The transept has an arcade on the east side of it, 
 next the choir, of the same breadth as the side aisles 
 of the nave. The north transept is roofless, and the 
 angle at the north-east corner of it is gone, and a blank 
 stone wall stretches across this portion, of recent 
 erection, abutting on the garden of the manse. 
 
 The original groined vault still covers part of the 
 south transept. The whole east end contained nine 
 windows, six looking to the east, two looking south, 
 and one north. The tracery of the splendid and deli- 
 cate circular window in the north transept, represent- 
 ing a crown of thorns, we have illustrated in the 
 seventh chapter. 
 
 The three pillars on the east side of the north tran- 
 sept are comparatively slender. Their mouldings are 
 of various dimensions, and the foliage of their capitols 
 sharp and natural. Above the capitol of the second 
 pillar, there is an admirable piece of carving. It is a 
 hand grasping a bunch of flowers, and serves as a 
 bracket to the groins of the roof. Venerable-looking 
 heads are placed at the lower extremities of the other 
 groins. Above the arches are two double windows. 
 Those on the outside are divided by perpendicular mul- 
 lions, and are ornamented with cross bars. The oppo- 
 site side of the transept is less attractive. Instead of 
 pillars there is a wall, along the under part of which 
 there are traces of a stair leading to a Saxon arched
 
 304 MELEOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 doorway, at some height from the ground. This stair 
 communicated with the refectory or abbot's house, and 
 with the spiral staircase, which still remains on the 
 north side of the building, though in a very dilapidated 
 condition, and which visitors are not permitted to 
 ascend. At the foot of the stair stands a font. The 
 threshold of the door above appears to have been either 
 a tomb-stone or altar-piece, of a date anterior to the 
 rebuilding of the church, from the appearance of figures 
 engraven upon it which are partly built upon. Proba- 
 bly some relic brought away from Old Melrose ; for when 
 this part was erected, Old Melrose was desolate and 
 abandoned, or only visited by occasional pilgrims. At 
 the foot of the winding stair, in the year 1730, a secret 
 vault was discovered, concealed by the lowest step, 
 having all the appearance of an armarium. It might 
 have been used as the safe receptacle of the valuable 
 sacred vessels of the church in perilous times. 
 
 The dead wall on the west side of the north tran- 
 sept is relieved with four narrow windows, breasting 
 from the interior open balustrade, and one window over 
 the north aisle of the nave ; beside which, upon two 
 elevated niches in the wall, below the former, are the 
 statues of St. Peter and St. Paul, the one having a book 
 and keys, and the other a sword. In the north end is 
 a recess in the wall containing fourteen pedestals for 
 small statues. Under this is a door of Saxon architec-
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE KUINS. 
 
 305 
 
 ture opening into a low vaulted chamber, called the 
 wax cellar. 
 
 Curious Key-stones of Moulded Eibs of Groined Arches, from the 
 Wax Cellar.
 
 306 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 The choir, or chancel, is built in the form of half a 
 Greek cross, the east end of it, which was probably a 
 chapel in honour of the Virgin Mary, being only half 
 the breadth of the part next the transept. Four chapels 
 lay disposed north and south of the altar place. Here 
 the greatest architectural skill is displayed, especially 
 in the structure of the eastern window, which is strik- 
 ingly elegant and beautiful. It is in the perpendicular 
 style, thirty-seven feet in height and sixteen in breadth, 
 divided by four bars, each only eight inches broad, the 
 upper part interwoven with tracery of a peculiarly light 
 and graceful form. The original beautiful fretted and 
 sculptured stone roof still covers the east end of the 
 chancel. Within the walls are fonts for holy purposes, 
 and recesses for containing the communion vessels. 
 This matchless window has been described by Sir 
 Walter Scott in the following beautiful lines: 
 
 " The moon on the east oriel shone, 
 Thro' slender shafts of shapely stone, 
 
 By foliaged tracery combin'd, 
 Thou would'st have thought some fairy's hand, 
 Twixt poplars straight the osier wand, 
 
 In many a freakish knot had twin'd ; 
 Then fram'd a spell when the work was done, 
 And chang'd the willow wreaths to stone. " 
 
 Above the entrance of the doorway of the south 
 transept, a passage runs along the whole extent of the 
 wall, below which are placed curiously-carved figures 
 of musicians.
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE ETJINS. 
 
 307 
 
 The groins of the roof of the south transept spring 
 on the west side from the figure of a man contorted, 
 and by his countenance indicating the weight of his 
 load, and from an eagle or phoenix much defaced. 
 
 Bracket Figure of a Monk cross-legged. 
 
 Strange creatures support the groins of the opposite 
 side. On one of the key stones of this roof are carved 
 three hunting horns, a crosier, and the letters A. EL* 
 
 In the small aisle adjoining, there is a beautifully 
 carved piscina, and remains of former altar places. 
 
 * These were the arras of the ancient family of Hunter. In 1444, 
 Andrew Hunter was abbot of Melrose ; these are probably his armo- 
 rial bearings. Broadwoodshiel, on Leader Water, near to Blainslie, 
 was the ancient possession of the Hunters.
 
 308 
 
 MELKOSE ABBEY THE KUINS. 
 
 The capitol of the pillar at the east end of the nave 
 aisle is adorned with Scotch kail or brocoli, wonder- 
 fully sharp and exquisitely chiselled. 
 
 Piscina in the South-east Chapel or Baptistry.
 
 MELKOSE ABBEY THE EUINS. 309 
 
 Having now enumerated the chief features inside this 
 once glorious fabric, let us pass to the exterior by the 
 south door- way, and commence our illustrations from the 
 western extremity of the ruins, in the church-yard, once 
 the open lawn and pleasant garden of the monastery. 
 
 The outside of the church is everywhere profusely 
 embellished with niches, having crowns or canopies of 
 the most elegant design ; fragile to appearance as the 
 most elaborate carvings in wood, some of them still 
 containing statues, but by far the greater number are 
 empty altogether or disgracefully mutilated. 
 
 Beginning from the extreme west of the churchyard, 
 on the first buttress, are the arms of Scotland, supported 
 by unicorns. On one side is the letter I., on the other 
 Q., (Jacobus Quartus) and the date 1505 ; no doubt put 
 there in the reign of James IV., who, in his pious 
 moments, was an occasional visitor of the church, and 
 one of its lavish donors. Above the royal arms is a pedes- 
 tal for a statue, on which is inscribed I. H. S., (Jesus 
 hominus salvator). On another pedestal, eastward, are 
 the figures of a mallet (a inell), and a rose, both of 
 modern execution, and either carved ignorantly,or meant 
 as a pun upon the word Melrose. On the adjoining 
 buttress is carved the armorial bearings of the Hunters. 
 
 Several stone spouts may be seen from this point 
 stretching out from the eaves, to carry the water from 
 the roof, which are carved in the form of animals, strange
 
 310 
 
 MELBOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 figures, and monsters, with gaping mouths. One of these 
 on the roof of the nave represents a sow playing on the 
 bagpipes. The walls are strengthened on the outside 
 with buttresses, some of which shoot up into elegant 
 
 Crockets, with part of Mouldings Grotesque figures of Monks. 
 
 pinnacles ; and when the building was entire (of which 
 we have attempted an illustration), every buttress, and 
 even every pillar in the interior of the church, shot up 
 through the roof into a pinnacle, adorned with niches, 
 and terminating in a sharp crocketed point, springing
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE EUINS. 311 
 
 from the midst of four miniature crocketed pediments. 
 Flying buttresses, stretching from pinnacle to pinnacle, 
 impended over the roof of the chapels in the nave, and 
 over the roof of all the side aisles. Some of these, and 
 many of the pinnacles, remain, and are highly ornamental. 
 
 Fox and Geese, exterior west end corner of the South Transept, and 
 only seen from the Roof. 
 
 One of the most beautiful niches is on the side of a 
 pinnacle over the nave : the canopy represents a temple, 
 under which is an image of the Virgin Mary bearing the 
 child Jesus in her arms. The other is an eflfigy of St. 
 Andrew. In the foremost niche the head of the infant 
 is demolished. Tradition says that, in 1649, when the 
 person employed to destroy the statuary struck at this
 
 312 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 statue, a piece of it fell, which hurt his arm, and he was 
 disabled ever afterwards. Is the preservation of the 
 few statues left in the sixty-eight niches still remaining 
 on the different parts of this hoary edifice attributable 
 to this circumstance? If so, superstition proved a useful 
 antidote to blind zeal and destructiveness. 
 
 We now approach the south door, once the glory of 
 this part of the church. Through that richly-moulded 
 Gothic portal is the principal entrance. The archway 
 is composed of various members of delicate work, falling 
 behind each other, supported on light pilasters. On 
 each side is a projection of graceful tabernacle work. 
 Several niches above the doorway, decreasing in height 
 as the arch rises, contain mutilated figures. In the 
 centre are the arms of Scotland a lion rampant within 
 a double tressure. Above this is a half-length effigy 
 of John the Baptist, with his eyes directed upwards, as 
 if looking upon the image of Christ above, and bearing 
 on his bosom a fillet, inscribed 
 IBrt? Situs Bet.* 
 
 Above this door is a magnificent window, twenty- 
 four feet in height within the arch, and sixteen feet 
 broad. It is divided by four principal mullions only eight 
 inches thick, terminating in a pointed arch. The tracery 
 remains perfect, and rises in graceful interlacing curves 
 to a wheel of seven compartments. The mouldings of 
 the arch, which is of many members, are bounded by a 
 
 * Behold the Son of God.
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 313 
 
 chain of foliage which springs from two well-carved 
 busts, and terminates with a grotesque head imme- 
 diately above the graceful canopy of a niche that for- 
 merly held an image of Christ. 
 
 Buttress, Niche, Statue, and Canopy South front.
 
 314 MELEOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 The figures of the Twelve Apostles adorned the other 
 niches, four of which are on each side the arch, and 
 two within each of the buttresses of the window. The 
 pedestals of the two lowest niches on the buttresses are 
 supported by figures of long-bearded monks. 
 
 That on the last buttress is upheld by a venerable 
 monk, bearing a band or scroll, on which is inscribed 
 
 pnssus ; t : q : ipsr : iiolutt. 
 
 On the buttress at the west corner is a figure in 
 monastic costume supporting a pedestal, and holding 
 a scroll, with the inscription 
 
 ru : bfntt : frs : srq. tcssaiitt : umbra. + 
 
 To the west of the last figure, and in the adjoining 
 buttress, is another of a cripple, on the shoulder of a 
 blind man, under which is inscribed the words 
 
 JKncte Bet.? 
 
 All the canopies on the south side are delicately 
 carved with tabernacle work, and ornamented with 
 rosettes. The interior of the canopies is formed of 
 ribbed work, terminating in a suspended knot in the 
 centre. 
 
 * "Passus, est quia ipse voluit" He suffered, because He himself 
 willed it. 
 
 + " Cum venit Jesus sequitur cessabit umbra" When Jesus came, 
 the darkness of the world ceased. 
 
 J See Illustration.
 
 Buttress, Niche, Canopy, and Statue the Mind carrying the Lame.
 
 316 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 At the junction of the south and west members of 
 the cross, an hexagonal tower rises, pierced with niches, 
 terminating in a pinnacle, roofed with stone, and highly 
 ornamented. 
 
 The small single-barred windows at the south-east 
 corner of the building are separated from each other 
 by double buttresses, pierced with ornamented niches. 
 The pinnacles and buttresses on this side present a 
 remarkable and interesting variety of objects, such as 
 veiled nuns, others richly dressed ; musicians, with instru- 
 ments in their hands, such as the bagpipes, fiddle, and 
 dulcimer ; heads gaping from ear to ear, and others 
 exhibiting much pleasantness in their countenances. 
 
 One of the pedestals is supported by a very expres- 
 sive and well-chiselled figure of a monk holding a 
 rosary in his right hand, and his ear in; his left, of 
 which we give an illustration. 
 
 On the north side of the ruins, and particularly in 
 the garden of the manse, the massive, elegant, and well- 
 executed bases of the buttresses, which support the main 
 walls, are plainly visible, resting upon the ancient foun- 
 dations of the building ; on the south, they have long 
 been hidden by the encroachments and upheavings of 
 the graveyard. 
 
 Within a corner, above a small window on the east 
 of the south window, there is a melancholy-looking 
 figure, holding his outstretched neck with both hands,
 
 Buttress, Canopy, and Corbel South front Monk with Rosary.
 
 318 MELKOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 and having a knife below his arm, hangs over another 
 figure bearing a ladle. 
 
 The window on the south side of the eastern aisle is 
 divided by three upright mullions, seven inches in 
 thickness the centre mullion dividing and forming 
 .small arches ; the others rising to the mouldings of the 
 main arch, are ornamented with Gothic points and cross 
 bars. The opposite window on the north side has been 
 of similar construction : only two of the mullions remain ; 
 the centre bar finishes at the top with a heart of beau- 
 tiful moulding. 
 
 The east end, and its beautiful window, claim par- 
 ticular attention. This window is divided from top to 
 bottom by four perpendicular mullions, formerly inter- 
 sected near the middle by an elegant cross bar. The 
 traceries are of various figures, chiefly crosses. Around 
 the pointed arch is a range of niches, with mutilated 
 statues in some of them. In one is the figure of an 
 abbot holding a crowned head. 
 
 In the centre, above the point of the window, are 
 two figures sitting, which represent David I., and his 
 queen, Matilda.* (Excellent sculptures of these two 
 personages may be seen inside the ruins, both in good 
 preservation, and, compared with the coinage of that 
 period, are striking likenesses.) Over their heads is sus- 
 pended an open crown, springing from a richly-carved 
 * See our Illustration of the East Window.
 
 Buttress, Niche, Canopy, and Statue.
 
 320 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 chain, which runs ; along the outside of the delicate 
 mouldings of the window. The king has a globe in his 
 left hand resting upon his knee. Strong double but- 
 tresses are seen on each side this window, the summits 
 of which terminate in Gothic pinnacles now sadly de- 
 faced. There is a niche in each buttress, with canopies 
 of tabernacle work and grotesquely carved pedestals. 
 Below one of them is carved the figure of a cross-legged 
 man, whose features are expressive of the agony he 
 suffers from his burden. Various figures, of monstrous 
 shape and curious expression, grin from the sloping 
 buttresses and other prominent portions of this part of 
 the building. 
 
 Stars and roses decorate at intervals the outer mould- 
 ing of the angle of the chancel. On the west side of 
 the north transept is the head of a negro, and, point- 
 ing off from the buttress, is the figure of an angel con- 
 veying some message from the Church. Near the last 
 is a mutilated pedestal and empty niche, graced with 
 one of the most elaborate and exquisite canopies. 
 
 A short distance from the abbey, and just beyond the 
 mill-lead, stood once a great bakehouse, containing 
 several storeys of ovens, from which a subterranean 
 passage led to the church. In 1724, a large boiler or 
 brewing pan was found while digging near the site of 
 this building. Since then, foundations of pillars belong- 
 ing to some erection have been discovered on the north
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE EUINS. 321 
 
 side of the church. This was probably the chapter- 
 house. Adjoining it are the foundations of another 
 building, and the vestiges of an oratory or private 
 chapel. 
 
 Near the remains of a house within the precincts of 
 the convent, called Chisholm's tower, numerous English 
 and Roman coins have been found. Relics of antiquity 
 have been dug up in the gardens on the north side of 
 the church. Among these may be mentioned an 
 abbot's ring, with 2T &. &. on the one side, and 
 fit. 3L !t.. on the other. Also, a counter, inscribed 
 
 3al. iftarg, Star of ^eaben, tnotfjer of ffiob, 
 
 and two silver buckles, on one of which is engraved the 
 
 words 
 
 3f8us of 
 
 Thus have we attempted, how inadequately, to de- 
 scribe the ruins, grand and proud in the moonlight of 
 years, and teeming with beauty and with pensive 
 impressions to the eye and mind of the beholder. 
 Whoever seeks St. Mary's silent aisles may enjoy an 
 hour with antiquity and the spoils of time 
 
 ' ' And home returning, soothly swear, 
 Was never scene so sad and fair. " 
 
 SIR WALTER SCOTT.
 
 322 MELROSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 NOTE. A good-natured condescension on the part of the public 
 would still add to the interest of these splendid ruins. By giving 
 up the sculptured stones that are to be met with in the walls of houses, 
 stables, and gardens, they would restore to the abbey that which be- 
 longs to it, and be entitled to the thanks of the antiquary and curi- 
 ous in such matters. 
 
 Hertford's second expedition wasted the monasteries of Teviotdale, 
 but a great deal of mischief in detail happened to Melrose abbey 
 shortly before and after that period, such as no army in an enemy's 
 country would ever attempt or spend time to accomplish. With the Re- 
 formation, indeed, art lay prostrate, if not for a time exterminated. 
 Sculpture, painting, and architecture, remained idle from fear. If we 
 except St. Paul's, not a single cathedral has been erected since. How 
 different was it with the sister art of poetry. The muse of Britain 
 was, by the genius of Shakspeare and Spenser, placed on an equality 
 with the heathen muses of Greece and Italy. Poetry lost none of its 
 charms and encouragement, but art did ; for Protestants generally had 
 a conscientious aversion to both painting and sculpture. The monks 
 built the noble old abbeys, and being married to the church, laid out 
 great wealth to beautify her. Sculpture and painting have, in a great 
 measure, separated themselves from architecture, more especially the 
 former. We are aware that the use of pictures and images had been 
 grossly abused. A new era dawned. With the inauguration of 
 printing, painting and sculpture seemed no longer applicable to reli- 
 gion, hence their connection ceased. The pages of the New Testa- 
 ment made the Divine will more apparent to men than could be seen 
 through the more showy medium of art. They discovered also that 
 apocryphal saints and miracles had falsely assigned to them positions 
 that true saints and real 'miracles merited. To kneel and bow to in- 
 sensible pictures and images they would not. So the first reformers 
 broke and burnt all works of art found in churches, and designated 
 those who countenanced them idolaters. All this was good for salva- 
 tion, but bad for art. In the year 1538, the images were first com- 
 manded to be destroyed, and many fine sculptures perished. Statues 
 were torn from their niches, thrown down and broken, and those 
 fast to the walls had their heads and hands struck off. The Child 
 was torn away from the Virgin. The paintings were cast into heaps
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE KUINS. 323 
 
 and burned. The destruction was indiscriminate, and included saints, 
 martyrs, apostles, conquerors, and kings. 
 
 "The command," says Flaxman, "for destroying sacred painting 
 and sculpture, effectually prevented the artist from suffering his mind 
 to rise in the contemplation or execution of any sublime effort, as he 
 dreaded a prison or the stake, and reduced him in future to the 
 miserable ministry of monstrous fashions, or drudging in the lowest 
 mechanism of his profession. This unfortunate check to our national 
 ability for liberal art occurred at a time which offered the most for- 
 tunate and extraordinary assistance to its progress. The lately dis- 
 covered art of printing began to enlighten the European hemisphere 
 with the beams of knowledge in all directions. Copies of the Bible 
 were generally distributed. The philosophy of Plato and Aristotle 
 were understood and well illustrated ; mathematics were successfully 
 studied, so was anatomy; linear perspective had been in a great 
 measure already perfected by Paolo Vecello, the Florentine, some 
 time before. These advantages did much towards the formation of 
 Raphael, Michael Angelo, Titian, Leonardo de Vinci, and Correggio, 
 in common with the great scientific and literary luminaries of the 
 same period, such as Bacon, Shakspeare, Spenser, and afterwards 
 John Milton. But the genius of fanaticism and destruction arrested 
 our progress. The iconoclastic spirit continued more or less miti- 
 gated till its great explosion during the civil wars. " 
 
 In England the crusade preached against painting and sculpture 
 extended only to works of that kind found in the churches, but in 
 Scotland the popular fury was directed against the structures, as well 
 as the images and paintings which they contained. The cathedral of 
 Glasgow alone escaped to tell of the ruin of the rest. 
 
 Art lowered its tone, and bent to earthly rather than heavenly 
 things. The interior of palaces blocked out glimpses of paradise, 
 and for glorious landscapes, with angels ascending and descending, 
 art supplied us with cows grazing in meadows, and with boats fishing 
 on the Zuyder Zee. * 
 
 True, the works of Rubens and Rembrandt are sublime, but who 
 sees the heavenly halo breathed on them which hovers in ecstacy 
 over those of Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Correggio. 
 
 Fuseli says, " Michael Angelo came to nature, but that nature came 
 
 * ALLAN CUNNINGHAM.
 
 S24 MELEOSE ABBEY THE RUINS. 
 
 to Raphael We stand with awe before the former, but embrace the 
 latter, willing to go wherever he leads us. Raphael was more than 
 any other man the artist of humanity. As painter, sculptor, and 
 architect, Michael Angelo excelled. He was the inventor of epic 
 painting, in that sublime circle of the Sistine chapel, which exhibits 
 the origin, the progress, and the final dispensations of theocracy. He 
 has personified motion in the groups of the cartoon at Pisa, embodied 
 sentiment in the monuments of San Lorenzo, unravelled the features 
 of meditation in the prophets and sibyls of the Sistine chapel, and in 
 the Last Judgment, with every attitude that varies the human body, 
 traced the master-trait of every passion that sways the human 
 breast"
 
 325 
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY. THE TOMBS. 
 
 " The boast of heraldry, the pomp of pow'r, 
 And all that beauty, all that worth e'er gave ; 
 
 Await alike the inevitable hour, 
 
 The paths of glory lead but to the grave. " 
 
 GRAY. 
 
 HE interior of this church has, in 
 former times, been so desecrated by 
 relentless hands, that scarcely a ves- 
 tige of any memorial remains to 
 point out where the mighty have 
 fallen asleep. The repositories of 
 the dead have been held sacred from 
 remote antiquity by all nations. Where an entire 
 people have been wasted by war and its sad train of 
 calamities, their sepulchres have usually been spared, 
 and their memorials venerated. Not so, however, with 
 the mural tablets and grave-stones of the illustrious 
 dead, that once bare fellowship with these hoary walls,
 
 326 MELKOSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 within whose precincts lay enshrined a goodly number 
 of saints and pious ecclesiastics, and a long line of 
 kings, nobles, and border warriors, 
 
 " The cock's shrill echo nor the clarion horn 
 No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. " 
 
 GBAT. 
 
 It had been customary, up to the middle of the thir- 
 teenth century, to bury the abbots within the chapter- 
 house of Melrose. In the year 1240, we are told, " the 
 remains of all the abbots who were buried at the 
 entrance of the chapter-house, except the remains of 
 St. Waltheof, were disinterred, and removed to a place 
 prepared for them in the east side of the same building.* 
 What this building on the east side was, we know not, 
 as not a stone is standing to point out its former 
 position. 
 
 On entering the church from the west end, the first 
 division or chapel on the right hand of the nave is 
 occupied as a burial-ground by the ancient family of 
 Bostons, who still possess lands in the neighbouring 
 village of Gattonside, which were held of the church of 
 Melrose by their ancestors, to whom some of the dig- 
 nitaries of that church were closely related by marriage 
 in later times. On the west wall is the following 
 simple but eloquent and impressive inscription : 
 * Chron. Metros.
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 327 
 
 ' ' Tlie dust of many generations of the Bostons of Gattonside, is 
 deposited in this place. 
 
 "We give our bodies to this haly abbey to keep." 
 
 The next chapel contains the remains of some, that 
 hapless, 
 
 " Memory o'er their tombs no trophies raise," 
 
 In the third chapel is a tombstone only discovered 
 in 1815, on which is engraved a monastic figure in the 
 attitude of prayer, and an inscription, 
 
 bit faert, fjonorafclis btr fflcorge Halliburton. 
 anno. 
 
 The next division, numbered 4 on the Ground 
 Plan of the church, is the burial-place of the Pringles 
 of Woodhouse and Whytebank, a very ancient family 
 of long local standing and high repute. A number of 
 inscriptions are placed in various parts of this chapel, 
 the most interesting of which are the following; 
 
 " Here lies of guid memorie Dame Margaret Ker, first wyfe . to . 
 James . Pringil . of Wodhous, and . efter . his . deceis . mareit . 
 Sir . David Home, of Wedderburne Knycht. Quha . deceissit . the , 
 24 . of . Februare . Anno . D . 1589." 
 
 Another runs thus : 
 
 " Here lyes ane honorable voman cristin lundie spous to James 
 ***** quytbank, scho deceissit 19. July 1602. Lament for syn 
 and Rtyl thou murn for to the clay ***** y e man tum." 
 
 The fifth chapel forms the burial-place of the 
 Pringles of Galashiels, an honourable and ancient
 
 328 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 family, known also as the Hope Pringles. The effigy 
 of one of them, the Baron of Smailholm, is seen wrap- 
 ped in his grave-clothes. Near this figure is an in- 
 scription which runs thus: 
 
 " Heir leis ane honourabil man andro Pringil, feuar of Galloschiela 
 quh decesit ye 28 of February, An. Dom. 1585." 
 
 On the wall above is a Latin inscription, to the 
 effect, that another member of the same, family died in 
 1 635, and is also interred in the same place. A large 
 marble slab, nearly eight feet by four, lies over another 
 of the tombs, which is the sepulchral inheritance of 
 Hugh Scott, Esq., Laird of Gala. There is little doubt, 
 from the general appearance of this slab, but it has 
 once been the table of an altar-piece of the church. It 
 was inlaid with lead in ornamental characters, the brass 
 plates of which have been taken away. The screws 
 and screw-holes are plainly visible. 
 
 In the sixth chapel from the west, is a more modern 
 inscription above the tomb of David Fletcher, a minis- 
 ter of the Established Church of Scotland at Melrose, 
 in the seventeenth century. It bears date 1665. 
 This individual ultimately became bishop of Ross. 
 
 In the seventh chapel are no traces of tombs. 
 
 In the eighth chapel or baptistry, next the chancel 
 of the church, is a most interesting and curious kneel- 
 ing stone, facing the west, and having deeply carved on
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 329 
 
 its western side, the figures of four horse-shoes,* and, on 
 the east side, in Saxon characters, the words 
 
 "Orate pro anima fratris Petre Aerarii,'" 
 
 that is, " Pray for the soul of brother Peter the trea- 
 surer." 
 
 On an elevated stone in the west wall of this chapel 
 is the following inscription : 
 Nfm'am : i&att'ne 
 
 : ixrttgtn. 
 
 There is a small door in the west side of the south 
 transept, opening to a stair of seventy-four steps, that 
 winds to the roof, where the clock now is, and leads 
 to narrow galleries, that once communicated with all 
 the other parts of the building. Above the door is a 
 carved shield, bearing compasses and fleurs-de-lis, indi- 
 cating the profession and native country of the architect 
 or overseer of the building. Though partly obliterated, 
 the inscription reads thus : 
 
 .5 a gaps pe compass turn about 
 S.t tnttf) anb laute Do, tut botttr 
 Uetjalbe to j?e tjenbe <}. 3fof}n fttovbo, 
 
 " As the compass goes round without deviating from 
 
 * The horse-shoes are an enigma. In ancient times it was not un- 
 common to nail them upon the doors of byres and workshops, from 
 the supposition that they kept out evil spirits, witches, and fairies. 
 They were thought to possess a charm capable of counteracting oove- 
 tousness and evil wishes. 
 
 Y
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 the circumference, so, doubtless, truth and loyalty never 
 deviate. Look well to the end, or see to the work, 
 quoth John Mordo." This inscription is much older 
 than that which follows, relating to the same indivi- 
 dual, although we disagree with Mr Billings as to the 
 age of both. 
 
 That John Mordo was at Melrose in the early part 
 of the fourteenth century, we doubt not. He was the 
 " Master of Work," not only of Melrose, but the other 
 places mentioned on the inscribed tablet which follows. 
 In the reign of Henry III., the Pope granted a Bull to 
 some Italian architects to travel over all Europe, to 
 erect chapels; and those architects were masons, and in 
 the accepted sense of that word at the time, these parties 
 were also Free-masons.* They continued to be desig- 
 nated individually "Master of Work" even to Wren's 
 time, who was called by that name, when new St. Paul's 
 was in course of erection. These masons usually held 
 assemblies or lodges in the immediate neighbourhood 
 of the works they superintended. Thus we find there 
 was a lodge at St. Paul's, one at Westminster abbey, 
 one in Holborn, another on Tower-hill, &c. The Romans 
 first introduced masonry into Britain. 
 
 The office of Grand-master, which was often held 
 indirectly by the crown, or had the prerogative of it, 
 empowered him who held it to regulate in the frater- 
 * ASHMOLE'S Collection.
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 331 
 
 nity, what should not come under the cognizance of 
 the law courts. 
 
 To him appealed both mason and lord, or the builder 
 and founder, when at variance, in order to prevent law 
 pleas, and, in his absence, they appealed to his deputy 
 or grand -wardens that resided next to the premises. 
 
 William St. Clair, baron of Roslin, got a grant of this 
 office from King James II., and he afterwards founded 
 that masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the chapel of 
 Roslin. 
 
 John Mordo appears to have had the general superin- 
 tendence of the erection of Melrose abbey, and the care 
 of all repairs afterwards. He was the patriarch of free- 
 masonry in this part at the time, and a Frenchman by 
 descent. On the south side of this door is another 
 inscription evidently alluding to the same individual, 
 some of the letters are nearly effaced, but may still be 
 deciphered to read thus: 
 
 Jofjn : ittoroto : sttmtpm : rallit : 
 teas : $ : anD : born : in : parpsse : 
 mtatnl : anD : IjaO : in : ftrppng : 
 al : mason : tofrlt : of : aantan : 
 Drops : pf : i)f : fcprfe : of : glas : 
 gu : tnelros : anD : pas la? : of : 
 nrBDv'BtJ.irll : anD : of : CTaltoar : 
 prap : to : ffioD : anD : f&art : bait!) : 
 anD : atoeet : santte : gofjn : to : feeep : 
 tfjts : tjalg : fet'rfe : fra : sfeaftl) : 
 
 This inscription is not older than the fourteenth century
 
 332 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 evidently, and may originally have been composed by 
 John Mordo, but not chiselled on the wall for a long 
 period afterwards.* 
 
 Within the small aisle, on the south side of the 
 chancel, several years ago, two tombs were discovered 
 which contained skeletons of great dimensions. On 
 the stone covering one of the tombs, an inscription ran 
 thus : 
 
 "Orate : : : snima ivoors de corbirceg. '' 
 
 This person was probably none other than Sir Ralph 
 Eure or Ivers, the English commander, who fell at the 
 battle of Ancnim Muir in 1 545, and the other, the re- 
 mains of Sir Bryan Latoun, his lieutenant, who also 
 fell in the same action. This tomb has been fabulously 
 called the grave of Michael Scott, the wizard. 
 
 Two of the private chapels, right and left of the 
 chancel, were dedicated to St. Bridget and St. Stephen. 
 The latter is swept away nearly, the former is still 
 standing, and there is a statue of St. Bridget in a niche 
 to the north-east corner of it. 
 
 Sir William Douglas of Lothian was buried before 
 St. Bridget's altar, and William, Earl of Douglas, left 
 money for masses to be said continually for his soul.-f- 
 
 * In the Appendix we have submitted an able and interesting 
 paper on this subject, by Dr John Alexander Smith, read before the 
 R.S.A., Scotland. 
 
 t Chart. Mel,
 
 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 333 
 
 The beautiful roof of the chancel, however, covers 
 the tombs of an unknown number of illustrious men. 
 Historians tell us that Alexander II., King of Scot- 
 land, was buried here in 1249, near the high altar. 
 On the south side of the chancel is a large slab of 
 polished marble, of a greenish black colour, with nume- 
 rous petrified skulls embedded in it, which is believed 
 to cover his ashes. 
 
 William Douglas, the " dark knight " of Liddesdale, 
 also rests here. After his murder in Ettrick Forest, 
 his body lay at the church of Lindean for one night, 
 and was removed on the following morning to Melrose, 
 and buried in the chancel of the church. 
 
 Many of the tombs of the Douglases studded the 
 north side of the chancel, and its aisles and chapelries. 
 It was these tombs that the English commanders, Sir 
 Ralph Evers and Sir Bryan Latoun, desecrated and dis- 
 honoured in 1544, the year prior to the battle of Ancrum 
 Moor, and respecting which the Earl of Angus was so 
 vexed that he vowed vengeance on the desecrators, 
 which he executed in the following year. 
 
 Douglas, the hero of Otterbourne, or Chevy Chase, 
 was also buried in this part of the building. 
 
 Here likewise was deposited in its final resting-place 
 the heart of Eobert Bruce, brought back from Spain by 
 Sir William Keith, after the ineffectual attempt made 
 by James, Lord Douglas, to carry it to Jerusalem. 'The
 
 334 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 latter nobleman fell while fighting under the banner of 
 King Alphonso, against the Saracens, his body was 
 recovered, brought home, and also buried in the midst 
 of his ancestors. 
 
 ' ' Where once the flaming pageant spread, 
 Near the high altar softly tread ; 
 For there the noblest of their race, 
 Sleep, lock'd in death's serene embrace, 
 No sound of dangling sword or spear, 
 Nor foray wakes the warrior's ear ; 
 No breasted fight, nor parlied truce, 
 Beats to the throbless heart of Bruce : 
 Encompass'd in its narrow urn, 
 The flow'r, the soul of Bannockburn ; 
 Beneath that ugly, shapeless stone, 
 Unhonour'd, nameless, lies alone." 
 
 At the end of the north transept, about midway, a 
 circular arched doorway (of Saxon architecture) leads 
 with two steps downward to a dark apartment, tradi- 
 tionally called the wax cellar, where it is supposed the 
 tapers, and other things used in religious worship, were 
 kept. On one stone, partly concealed by the lowest 
 step, there is the following inscription 
 
 ^ ilnr facet 3foi)anna : t> : Hosa. 
 
 On another is carved a cross and a shield, the latter 
 being that of a knight crusader. 
 
 On the north wall of the nave, and just beyond the 
 exquisitely carved doorway that leads from the cloisters,
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 335 
 
 is an elegant inscription, which the late Washington 
 Irvine so justly admired. It runs thus 
 
 Heir lyis the race of ye hous of Zair. 
 
 Opposite are seen the graves of the ancient family of 
 Karr, Kerr, Ker, &c., of Kippelaw. 
 
 An inscription upon one of the tombs reads thus : 
 
 " Here lyes levtenant collonel Andrew Ker of Kippelaw, who was 
 born at inelros the 23 febbuary 1620 years and died at Kippelaw, 
 upon the 3 febbuary 1697, in the 77 year of his age." 
 
 There is another inscription to his son, and other 
 members of this ancient and distinguished family, of 
 which the Pringles are lineal descendants. 
 
 In the cloister are the remaiiis of seven seats or stalls, 
 beneath the tase of which are inscriptions, and the 
 appearance of tombs partially concealed by the mason 
 work. On one of the stones is inscribed, in Saxon 
 characters : 
 
 "Beatrix spouse Rob : : : Fraser,"* 
 
 and on another the words, " Hie jacet." 
 
 When the remains of those interred in the chapter- 
 house were removed, it is probable they were brought 
 
 * There was one John Fraser, abbot of Melrose, in 1480, who was 
 made bishop of Koss in 1485, and died in 1507. He is described as 
 a good and wise man, and was descended from a family of the same 
 name in Tweeddale. This inscription probably relates to a member 
 of his family.
 
 336 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 and deposited at the base of the cloisters. This part 
 of the building was executed in a florid style, with 
 chaste and almost inimitable decorations, consisting of 
 fruit and flowers, and would in beauty and ornament 
 be little inferior to the chapter-house itself. 
 
 And as the cloisters formed necessarily one of the 
 earliest portion of all the buildings in connection with 
 the monastery, and as Old Melrose was at this time a 
 desolation, it is more than probable that numbers of 
 coffins, holding the remains of holy and religious men, 
 were brought up and hidden in the foundations on the 
 erection of the new. 
 
 It would appear that all along one side of the cloisters 
 there are tombs within the base, and within the line of 
 the perpendicular. These could scarcely be of recent 
 construction, or deposition, and seems, therefore, the 
 more probable that they inherited the position they now 
 occupy at the first restoration of the abbey. We 
 have no account of tombs being recently discovered at 
 Old Melrose, and no description of any in times past, 
 and there is not a vestige of any thing of the kind 
 remaining upon the ancient site, which is in fact wholly 
 obliterated. 
 
 The space exterior of the abbey, now, and since the 
 Reformation, used as the parish burial-ground, next 
 claims our attention. 
 
 In the minister's portion is the grave of Knox, Milne,
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 337 
 
 and several others who have from time to time been 
 pastors of the parish. 
 
 Upon an old tombstone in the churchyard are the 
 following singularly beautiful lines : 
 
 " The earth goeth on the earth 
 
 Glist'ring like gold ; 
 The earth goes to the earth 
 
 Sooner than it wold ; 
 The earth builds on the earth 
 
 Castles and towers ; 
 The earth says to the earth 
 
 All shall be ours." 
 
 At the east end of the yard is a tombstone erected 
 to the memory of Thomas Purdie, formerly wood- 
 forester at Abbotsford, who died October 29th, 1829, 
 aged sixty-two years. It bears the following simple but 
 impressive inscription, written by his master: 
 
 In grateful remembrance 
 
 of 
 
 the faithful 
 and attached services 
 
 of 
 twenty-two years, 
 
 and in sorrow : . - 
 
 for the loss of a humble 
 
 but sincere friend, 
 This stone was erected 
 
 by 
 
 Sir WALTEH SCOTT, Bart., 
 of Abbotsford. 
 
 There is a very ancient gravestone, with a sword
 
 338 MELROSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 
 
 carved upon it, lying a few paces from the east window, 
 but the Saxon characters upon it are too obliterated to 
 be deciphered. We suspect this stone covers no 
 remains, but that it has been brought out of the church, 
 and perpetuates some member or members of the 
 Douglas family. The stone itself is of precisely the 
 same kind as the tombstone we have described in the 
 wax cellar. 
 
 Such is the general disposition of the ancient tombs, 
 and family sepulchres, within and without the sacred 
 ruins. 
 
 Whether we consider death as the common friend or 
 enemy of mankind, is of little consequence; here the 
 rich and the poor meet together, distinctions cease, the 
 bond become free, and the oppressor bound truly the 
 grave extinguishes caste. 
 
 Here mortality receives its ovation, the weary rest, 
 and the humble believing soul freedom from the chains 
 of earth. The poorest find 
 
 " There is a calm for those who weep, 
 A rest for weary pilgrims found, 
 They softly lie and sweetly sleep 
 
 Low in the ground." 
 
 JAMES MONTGOMERY. 
 
 The three great conflicting creeds of the earth are symbolized in 
 the lotus, the crescent, and the cross. The first, transplanted from 
 the delta of the Nile, covers the boundless plains of Hindostan. 
 After ages of vigour, however, the lotus pines, it sickens under an 
 Indian sky, and the fouler atmosphere of a cognate superstition.
 
 MELEOSE ABBEY THE TOMBS. 339 
 
 Before the noontide rays of an extending civilization, it will continue 
 to wither till extinguished. The lotus shall die and the crescent 
 wane. Buddhism and Mahommedisin shall cease, but the cross shall 
 be in the ascendant. The star of its glory shall neither wane nor 
 grow old ; it shall have an universal sovereignty and an undying 
 sway. As in the days of Constantine, it is, and shall be for ever, the 
 only imperishable symbol, the only conquering sign, and those na- 
 tions and tongues shall only survive the great cycles of futurity that 
 manfully adopt it.
 
 Chapter Cdtrteentlj. 
 
 CHARTEE GRANTED TO THE FEUARS OF GATTONSIDE 
 AND WESTHOUSES. 
 
 5 
 HE author of this history is indebted 
 
 to Mr Thomas Boston, feuar, Gat- 
 tonside, for the following ancient 
 Charter, in which six members of 
 his family are honourably men- 
 tioned. The original name of this 
 
 family was Baston, of French descent, sometime spelt 
 
 Bastoun, but more commonly Boston. 
 
 , AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION or A CHARTER GRANTED BY JAMES 
 DOUGLAS, COMMENDATOR OF MELROSE, AND MARY KERR, 
 HIS LADY, TO THE FEUARS OF GATTONSIDE AND WEST- 
 HOUSES, DATED THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY, 1590. 
 
 JAMES DOUGLAS, Commendator of Melrose and 
 hereditary Superior of the Villages and Lands under 
 Written, greeting, to all who shall see or hear this Char- 
 ter, Wit ye me with the express consent and assent of 
 my beloved Spouse, Mary Ker, Lady of the Lands
 
 CHAETEE TO THE FEUAES OF GATTONSIDE, ETC. 341 
 
 under-mentioned, and of the life-rent (vitalis redditus) 
 thereof; having taken diligent consideration and mature 
 deliberation for our real uses and advantage, and my 
 said Spouse, and also for certain sums of money made 
 up in time for us presently thankful and fully paid to 
 us and converted to our use by the persons following, 
 we hold ourselves well content, fully and wholly paid 
 by them, their heirs, executors, and assignees, quietly 
 to be possessed by them for ever, agreeable to the 
 tenor of this our Charter, and for several other great 
 reasons, causes, and considerations moving us to 
 execute the subsequent writing have sold, and by 
 a clear title of sale, have alienated, and by this our 
 present Charter have confirmed, and likewise do sell, 
 and by clear title of sale do alienate, and by this our 
 present Charter do confirm, To our beloved Thomas 
 Darling, senior, in Westhouses ; Patrick Giffin there ; 
 Thomas Darling, lawful son of Bartholomew Darling, 
 formerly in Westhouses; John Cairncross, in Gatton- 
 side; Bernard Wright there; Bartholomew Frier, in 
 Westhouses; Bernard Boston in Gattonside; Robert 
 Clarke there; Mark Martin in Westhouses; William 
 Gottarson there ; John Thomson, junior, in Gattonside ; 
 John Cairncross, senior, there; Nicol Boston there; 
 William Blackie there ; Thomas Boston, senior, there ; 
 Thomas Schuilmuire ; John Helliwel there; Thomas 
 Leithen there; Quinty gernis Bagtane there; Adam
 
 342 CHARTER GRANTED TO THE FEUARS OF 
 
 Darling, in Westhouses; Isabel Cook in Gattonside; 
 John Myles there ; William Mein there ; William Brown 
 there ; David Wright there ; John Donate there ; Thomas 
 Gowdie there ; William Helliwel, senior, there; Quintine 
 Scot there; William Helliwel, junior, there ; Patrick Heli- 
 liwel there ; Thomas Boston there ; John Boston there ; 
 John Thomson, senior, there; William Turnbull, in West- 
 houses; Robert Darling there; John Taitt, in Gatton- 
 side ; John Wright there ; Eobert Boston there ; George 
 Holme there; John Gilry there; James Wright there; 
 Richard Wright there; William Hog* there; James 
 Leithen there ; and to the heirs and assignees respec- 
 tively, these our whole and entire villages and lands of 
 Gattonside and Westhouses, with the windsheaves 
 thereof included, and each of the aforesaid lands which 
 never used to be separated from the same, with all and 
 each of the parts, pendicles, and pertinents, bounded, 
 limited, and lying in common, as follows, viz., beginning 
 at the Fuird called the Turfford in Tweed mairchand, 
 Wit, the lands of Drygrange, one ye list, and fra them 
 assending up the water of Tweid, one the South syd of 
 the Crumeknow, qu^ pertains to ye said Lands of Gat- 
 tonsyd to the water of Elwand, qu" it runns in Tweid, 
 and fra Elwand mou* assending up the Lamen to ye 
 mon* of Blakburne, qu r it enters in Elwand, and fra 
 
 * A member of this family wrote some very beautiful lines on the 
 Seasons, and attained some celebrity as a writer of pastoral poetry.
 
 GATTONSIDE AND WESTHOUSES. 343 
 
 there up the said burne called blakburn, to ye syk end 
 called sillersyk, qu lk runnis in Blakburn, and fra then 
 assendand to ye eist as sillersyk gais to the middle of 
 Scabbit rabwit moss, and throw the middle of ye said 
 moss, finallie eist to the heid of the burne callit Faburne, 
 and fra thin decendand ye samen to go neyer fuird of 
 the said burne, callit Lindane-hole, and fra thin assen- 
 dand sou* mairchand w* the Landis of Drygrange, ane 
 ye list, at the hie street gais to the Drycleuthe heid, 
 and frae then dissendand the said cleuthe to and called 
 ye hauthe, yet and fra then descendant as ye auld dyke 
 steid stands to ye foresaid fuird in Tweid callit ye 
 Turffuird. Notwithstanding, reserving to ourselves, 
 our heirs, or assignees and successors, the Mill of West- 
 houses and Croft of land adjacent thereto, called the 
 Stockilmeadow, and Keudhinch meadow, the lands of 
 Frierslands, of Gattonside, four acres of the lands of 
 Gattonside ground, two acres of land formerly belong- 
 ing to John Cowper in Westhouses, with two houses, 
 garden, and teind sheaves of the said lands and their 
 pertinents, as they are presently possessed by Robert 
 Ormiston in Westhouses, and also preserving the fish- 
 ing of the water Tweid, and the lie ferry cobles pos- 
 sessed by the said Robert, and also reserving to ourselves 
 and our foresaids a piece of land occupied by Malecolm 
 Mercer in Darnick, commonly called Boatshiel Croft, 
 and two acres of land belonging to James Scott, in
 
 344 CHARTER GRANTED TO THE FEUARS OP 
 
 Selkirk, and presently occupied by Isabella Cook, in 
 Gattonside, with the teind-sheaves and their pertinents. 
 Here follow the several grants of land, and quantities 
 varying from one-half to two acres to the aforesaid 
 Thomas Darling, &c., lying in Gattonside, the Orchard, 
 Pendicle and Fremaisters Lands, Smydie Croft, "lying 
 in the Lordship and Regality of Melrose and within 
 the Sheriffdom of Roxburgh, as they lye in length and 
 breadth, in houses, buildings, gardens, crofts, plains, 
 moors, marches, ways, lakes, ponds, rivulets, meadows, 
 pastures, hunting, fishing, hawking; peat, turf, coals, 
 coal-heughs, mindes, mindehills, iron mindes, breweries, 
 bluidwites, mulierum, merchietis, herezeldis; broom, 
 whins, woods, groves, twigs both small and big, timber, 
 stones, limestone, with free isk and entry, and with all 
 and every liberty, convenience, profit, and for their use 
 and whosoever belongs to them, as well not named as 
 named, both above and below ground, far and near of the 
 aforesaid villages and lands of Gattonside, Westhouses, 
 and others respectively above written, their heirs and 
 assignees particularly, in manner following Pay annu- 
 ally to us, our heirs, assignees or successors aforesaid, 
 or our factors or chamberlain for the time being, as 
 followeth, To Wit, the aforesaid Thomas Darling for 
 his said half acre of land, with the tenement presently 
 possessed by him, with the teind sheaves of the same 
 and their pertinents, two firlots of barley of the granary
 
 GATTONSIDE AND WESTHOUSES. 345 
 
 local measure, Melrose Gurnal met. The aforesaid 
 Patrick Giffin for his acre of land, &c.," and so in the 
 following order, setting forth the equivalents to be paid 
 for the several grants of land specified in this Charter, 
 chiefly grain, but in a few instances money, farm oat- 
 meal, fowls, carriages, peats, capons, &c. 
 
 The whole quantity of the barley mentioned extends 
 to fourteen chalders four bolls and three firlots, of the 
 granary local measure of Melrose. The whole quantity 
 of the above-mentioned farm, oatmeal, extends to fif- 
 teen bolls, two firlots, and two pecks. The sum of the 
 capons extends to six, the sum of the lie kain fowl 
 extends to fourscore and sixteen, and as many long 
 carriages. The sum of money extends to ten pounds 
 three shillings and four pennies, viz., called the victalia, 
 or feeding at the feast of St. Andrew, and purification 
 of the blessed Virgin Mary, commonly called Candle- 
 mas, the said victalia to be brotight to our Lordship of 
 Melrose at their own proper expense; and also the 
 heirs of the above-named persons by paying the sum 
 of twenty shillings money the first year of their entry, 
 for confirmation for the aucht ailver cavill upon account 
 of doubling the said feudiformum or feu-duty, and in 
 all times coming to compeer in our Court to be holden 
 in the lordship of Melrose ; and likewise they shall be 
 obliged to serve as when we serve the king in the 
 public services, and we and our heirs do warrant, acquit, 
 
 z
 
 346 CHAETEE GEANTED TO THE FEUARS OF 
 
 and defend the same persons in the same of the services 
 at the hands of the abbot and convent of Melrose 
 for ever. 
 
 After entailing some regulations in respect to the 
 non-payment of the feu-duties, &c., the Charter goes 
 on to declare, that, by attorney or notary being present 
 on the part of the feuars, " the delivery of earth and 
 stone of their ground, as use is agreeable, to the tenor 
 of our above written charter, which they respectively 
 have from us, ye with advice, and be justly to be 
 holden without any delay, and this you do by. no 
 means omit, for doing of which we command to you 
 and each one of you our said Baillies in that part, 
 constitute our full and irrevocable order, title, and 
 power. In witness of which thing, these presents are 
 subscribed by our hand, our personal seal is appended, 
 together with the proper seal of our said spouse, as a 
 token of her consent, at Melrose, the last day of the 
 month of February the year of our Lord one thousand 
 five hundred and ninety, before these witnesses, Eobert 
 Scott and Patrick Cranstone, our writers; Mr John 
 Knox, minister at Melrose, John Scott, notar public, 
 and James Blackie in Gallanbrig, with several others. 
 . JOHN KNOX, f JAMES, Commendator of Melrose. 
 Witness. ( MAEY KEEE, Lady, Melrose. 
 
 WALTEE CHISHOLM of that Ilk, Baillie Depute.
 
 GATTONSIDE AND WESTHOUSES. 347 
 
 N.B. Some years prior to the granting of this 
 charter, a similar one was granted to many persons in 
 Newstead by the same parties, and they were declared 
 therein exempt from tithes, and all other payments in 
 shape of ministers' money; which privileges they still 
 possess. The same might have happened to Darnick 
 and Gattonside, but immediately after the grant of 
 the charter to Newstead, the Scottish Parliament 
 passed a law, that in all future gifts of land the tithes 
 should not be abrogated, but still pertain as before to 
 the Church. 
 
 The rental of Gattonside and Westhouses, payable 
 Martinmas 1717, was L.333, 16s. 3d. Some of the 
 old feuars were then in being. This rental -included 
 tenements, gardens, and farm lands. In the rent roll 
 we meet with the names of Bell, Frier, Tait, Boston, 
 Halewell, Lindsay, Thomson, *tc.
 
 Darnick Tower.
 
 348 
 
 /nurtfentlj. 
 
 THE EILDON HILLS, DAENICK, ABBOTSFOED, AND OTHEE 
 PLACES OF GENEEAL INTEEEST IN THE VICINITY OF 
 MELEOSE. 
 
 " Hail ! glorious hills that skirt the horizon's brow, 
 And peer majestic o'er the vales below ! 
 Long may the purpling heather clothe your breast, 
 And peaceful summer sunshine on ye rest ! 
 
 No longer on your stalwart forms are seen 
 The Roman eagles, nor the beacon's gleam ; 
 Peace o'er the land her loving mantle throws, 
 And concord's chaplets grace your triple brows. 
 Still send your amorous looks to bonnie Tweed, 
 For ye were friends lang syne old friends indeed ! 
 Oft sought, as landmarks, by the pilgrim's gaze, 
 Your Alpine summits, and its winding ways, 
 Oft when the tones of prayer and praise were heard. 
 What gentle echoes have your bosoms stirr'd : 
 Look watchful on St. Mary's ruin'd pile, 
 And to her hapless melancholy smile ; 
 Still breast the seasons, dauntless ever stand, 
 The proud memorials of this Border land; 
 While history wanders o'er each classic spot, 
 Marshal her on, and grace the land of Scott."
 
 350 
 
 EILDON HILLS. 
 
 LITTLE south of Melrose rises the 
 Eildon hills, once the Trimontium 
 of the Komans, so called from the 
 peculiarity of their form. Properly 
 speaking, the Eildons are only one 
 hill rising from one base, but 
 divided into three peaks. Tradi- 
 tion says that these summits once 
 formed a single cone, which was severed in three by an 
 infernal agent of Michael Scott the wizard. The top 
 of the highest summit is 1364 feet above the sea level. 
 The composition of the rocks of the two northern peaks 
 is felspar, and felspar and porphyry. On the south- 
 west descent of the southern hill the opening of a 
 quarry has laid bare a number of perpendicular pen- 
 tagonal prisms of beautiful flesh-coloured felspar, each 
 about twenty feet high as exposed, but probably of far 
 greater height, with remarkably acute and distinct 
 angles. Near this locality are traces of stair or trap, 
 rising from the partly broken bed of the strata, and 
 other evidences of a basaltic character ; sometimes pieces 
 a foot square, lay exposed jutting out from the surface 
 of the ground, looking towards Bowdenmoor. 
 
 At the foot of the southern slope of the Eildons 
 stands Eildon Hall, the newly acquired residence of 
 Lord Walter Scott, son of His Grace the Duke of Buc- 
 cleuch. Eildon Hall was long the seat of the Honour-
 
 EILDON HILLS. 351 
 
 able Major Baillie. Upon the slopes of the north- 
 eastern hill, and nearest the town of Melrose, is a large, 
 and to all appearance, an artificial tumulus, called the 
 " Bourjo/' having a road leading to it, called the 
 Haxalgate. It is traditionally reported to have been 
 the site of a Druidic temple. On the top of the 
 eastern hill, are unmistakable indications of a Roman 
 encampment. Sixteen terraces are traceable on the 
 sides of these hills, which rise one above another like 
 the steps of a stair. Porphyritic trap, with a large 
 proportion of felspar, constitute the chief rocks of the 
 range. There is a view on all sides from these lofty 
 hills of matchless beauty and diversity. First, the 
 abbey and town of Melrose to the north the joyous 
 valley of the Tweed, and its "lingering looks" the 
 arcadia of Scotland, and the cradle of romance and 
 song. Southward, on the Northumberland inarches, 
 rise " Cheviot's mountains blue," and Modden on their 
 eastern skirts ; and within a short distance the ruins 
 of Dryburgh, Smailholm, and Hume Castle. Thomas 
 the Ehymer's tower, Bemersyde, and " bonny Cowden- 
 knowes," beyond which the eye is carried over tracts 
 of pastoral wildness to the Soutra and Lammermoor 
 hills. Soutra hill is the most westerly of the Lamuier- 
 inoor mountains, and is about 1200 feet above the sea 
 level. Its name signifies the hill with a prospect. 
 Anciently a thriving village stood on the top of the 
 hill, containing a famous cell or hospital belonging to
 
 352 EILDON HILLS. 
 
 Melrose, and founded by Malcolm the Fourth about the 
 middle of the twelfth century. All have disappeared 
 but the religious or special road that connected this 
 hospital with Melrose, and was called the Girthgate, 
 which ran from the monastery of Old Melrose through 
 the vale of the El wand and Lauderdale to Soutra. "I 
 can stand," said Sir Walter Scott, "on the Eildon hill, 
 and point out forty-three places famous in war and 
 verse." From the western peaks are seen the sombre 
 Buckholm hills, the Meiglot, and the black-capped 
 heights above the bustling town of Galashiels, and 
 nearer to us Cauldshiels Loch, Ettrick Forest, Abbots- 
 ford, and the foot of Gala Water. The mountains of 
 Selkirk, and the " Dowie Dens of Yarrow/' stretching 
 far beyond in fine diversity of form. 
 
 The eastern scene is replete with historical incident. 
 Ancrum Muir, or Lilliard's Edge, lies near the stately 
 tapering Waterloo column ; south-east stands the colos- 
 sal statue of Wallace, with the scenery of Kelso and 
 Roxburgh Castle dimly seen. 
 
 On the eastern declivity of the Eildon s stood the 
 famous Eildon Tree, beneath the shade of which 
 Thomas of Ercildoun is said to have delivered his 
 prophecies. There is a stone, called the Eildon Tree 
 Stone, that still marks the place where the tree flourished. 
 
 One of the Rhymer's predictions runs thus : 
 
 "At Eildon Tree, if you shall be, 
 A brig over Tweed you there may see."
 
 EILDON HILLS. 353 
 
 Several bridges crossing the Tweed are now to be 
 seen from this spot. On the northern summit of the 
 Eildons there are clear traces of a vast encampment, 
 not less than a mile and a half in circuit, fortified by 
 two fosses around the hill, and in the vicinity there 
 are the remains of no fewer than five camps, with 
 military roads, as well as ditches and earth-works. 
 
 The Ettrick Shepherd has imparted an interest to 
 the Eildon hills in one of his wild and beautiful 
 ballads, "The Hunt of Eildon: " 
 
 "An' round, an' round, and seven times round, 
 
 An' round about the Eildon tree ! 
 For there the ground is fairy ground, 
 And the dark green ring is on the lea." 
 
 On the summit of the east hill are distinct vestiges 
 of what Mr Milne considers to have been a Eoman 
 camp, and on the very top is still to be seen, sur- 
 rounded with the remains of earthen huts, what may 
 once have been the Prsetorium, or General's Quarters. 
 " It has," says Mr Milne, " all the properties of a well- 
 chosen camp, according to the rules Vegetius has given 
 for a camp. It has a large prospect of all the countries 
 lying upon each side of it. It hath many springs of 
 good water near it, the sides of the hill have been 
 covered with wood, and the camp is of that extent, 
 that neither men, beasts, nor baggage, could be 
 pinched for want of room." 
 
 In later times, and during the wars of the French
 
 354 DARNICK. 
 
 Revolution, and the anticipated attacks of invasion by 
 the first Napoleon, beacons were placed on the summits 
 of these hills, to warn the inhabitants of the surround 
 ing district of approaching danger. 
 
 DAENICK. Scarcely a mile west from Melrose, and 
 on the Abbotsford road, stands the sequestered village 
 of Darnick, famous in bye-gone days for its three 
 towers or peel-houses. 
 
 THE HEITONS OF DARNICK TOWER. The village of 
 Darnick, containing about 400 inhabitants, attracts the 
 attention of tourists in consequence, chiefly, of its pos- 
 sessing the finest specimen now extant of the ancient 
 Border keeps. This tower, the family property of the 
 Heitons, stood along with two others, both of which 
 are now extinct, and were of inferior dimensions. 
 The names of the proprietors of these smaller towers 
 do not represent any families, the male heirs having 
 died out, though one of the peels is still remembered 
 as Fisher's Tower, and with the proprietors of which 
 the Heitons had intermarried. Antiquaries can find 
 no reason for the clustering of these peels, other than 
 the evident one of their having been erected for mutual 
 defence ; though it is not improbable that some other 
 reasons, peculiar to the times, may have contributed, 
 such as that of national security in places more than 
 ordinarily exposed to foreign inroads. In any view,
 
 DAENICK. 355 
 
 they are an interesting feature of this part of the 
 country, and are always examined with curiosity, as 
 showing; the kind of embattled residences in which the 
 
 O 
 
 gentlemen of former times were obliged to reside, when 
 domestic peace was a blessing, only, as it were, snatched 
 at intervals from continual turmoil. " The barons and 
 gentlemen," says Foster, in his review of Sir Walter 
 Scott's Border Antiquities, "had for their residence an 
 inferior kind of fortresses, often heard of in Border 
 history, under the denomination of ' strengths/ con- 
 structed upon a limited scale, usually in some situation 
 of natural strength. Having very thick walls, strongly 
 cemented, they could easily repel the attack of any 
 desultory excursion, and the village which almost 
 always adjoined, contained the abodes of the retainers, 
 who, upon the summons of the chieftain, took arms 
 either for the defence of the fortress, or for giving 
 battle in the field." A more graphic description is 
 given by Sir Walter Scott, thus: "The smaller 
 gentlemen, whether heads of branches of clans, or of 
 distinct families, inhabited dwellings upon a smaller 
 scale, called Peels or Bastle-houses. They were sur- 
 rounded by an enclosure or barnkin, the walls whereof 
 were according to statute, a yard thick, surrounding a 
 space of at least 60 feet square. Within this outer- 
 work the laird built his tower, with its projecting 
 battlements, and usually secured the entrance by two 
 doors, the outer of grated iron, the innermost of oak,
 
 356 DAKNICK. 
 
 clenched with nails. The apartments were placed 
 directly over each other, accessible only by a narrow 
 turnpike stair, easily blocked up or defended." 
 
 This last description is so good a picture of the peel 
 of Darnick as it now stands, that it supersedes any 
 necessity for our describing it. The apartments all 
 over each other and the stair, may still be seen, and 
 in addition to Sir Walter's account, a door at the top 
 leading out to the battlements, which run entirely 
 round, so that in the very last extremity, and when the 
 inmates were actually driven up out of the apartments, 
 they had still not only a refuge, but a position from 
 which to harass whoever remained in the court-yard. 
 
 There is no doubt, and indeed there are remaining, 
 traces to show, that Darnick Tower had its full share in 
 the battles and skirmishes of the warlike times. At 
 one period, even so early as 1545, as appears from the 
 curious "Contemporary Account of the Earl of Hertford's 
 Second Expedition to Scotland, and of the ravages com- 
 mitted by the English forces/' printed from the MS. 
 in Trinity College Library, Dublin, the tower of 
 Darnick was one of the fortresses cast down and 
 "razed." The present tower was either the old one 
 repaired, (for the word " razed " did not always mean 
 total demolition, an act requiring more time and labour 
 than invaders, in the midst of an angry people, could 
 bestow), or a new one erected on the old site, and pro- 
 bably, as was often the case, with part of the old stones.
 
 DAENICK. 357 
 
 The repairing or rebuilding of the present tower was 
 probably accomplished by a principal member of the 
 family, Andrew Heiton, soon after the passing of the act 
 in the reign of Queen Mary, for the improvement of 
 the kingdom by planting and re-building. It was a 
 palpable mistake in the Border Antiquities to denomi- 
 nate this tower as belonging to the Fishers, that of 
 the latter being at the time in ruins. The mistake 
 was the more extraordinary, as Sir Walter Scott had 
 made several attempts to purchase this tower from the 
 late Mr Heiton, and, had he succeeded, intended to 
 convert it into an armoury. 
 
 This old family of the Heitons, according to a tradi- 
 tion, delivered from father to son, came originally from 
 Normandy, in the company of a family of French 
 knights, about the year 1425, to assist the Scots 
 against the English. They were well received by 
 James I., by whom a grant of land was given them in 
 the vicinity of the village of Darnick, where they had 
 settled. The name is a translation into Saxon-Scotch 
 of the French Hauteville, a word common in Normandy, 
 and serving, according to the usage of the time, as 
 a patronymic derived from the family property or 
 residence. We have an analogous example of the 
 Norman designation in "Heiton," or the "hill," in 
 Roxburghshire though we doubt if the Normans ever- 
 had recourse to so marked an expletive. The pro- 
 perty and tower must have been in the family from a
 
 358 DARNICK. 
 
 period long before the visit of Hertford, but it was 
 after this time that they acquired what was termed 
 their out-field. Andrew Heiton, the then proprietor, 
 was one of those men of substance selected out of the 
 crown vassals, for receiving land under the provisions 
 of the Improving Act, as appears from two charters by 
 Mary, in 1566 and 1567, signed, the one by Lething- 
 ton, and the other by Bothwell. There is another 
 tradition in the family, that this Andrew Heiton per- 
 formed a valorous part in defeating Buccleugh's 
 attempt to seize the person of James V., a graphic 
 account of which forms one of the Border Tales. The 
 family is at present represented by John Heiton, Esq. 
 of Darnick Tower.* Melrose Abbey has been the 
 burial-place of the Heitons for many generations. 
 
 This, like many other of the Border peels, was built 
 or re-built in conformity to an act of Parliament, 
 passed in 1535, "for bigging of strengthis on the 
 Bordouris." Two-thirds of the peels of which there 
 are any remains, were built between the middle of the 
 sixteenth century and the close of it. 
 
 The last great clan battle of the Borders was fought 
 here, in 1526, and the place is still called Skirmish 
 
 * There is a beautiful monogram over the entrance-door to Dar- 
 nick tower, with the letters *.$? on the left, and on the right IK 
 the date 1569, with the letters IS. JF. underneath. The crest is a 
 bull's head, with the motto, "Cave taurum."
 
 DAENICK. 359 
 
 Field. The struggle lay between Angus and Buccleugh, 
 for possession of the person of James V., which ter- 
 minated in favour of the former. Buccleugh was 
 wounded, and lost many of his followers ; the loss of 
 Angus was considerable, including the heroic Ker of 
 Cessford, who was slain by a servant of Buccleugh. 
 
 Lindsay of Pitscottie gives the following somewhat 
 graphic account of this battle. He says : " About this 
 time the king went to the south-land, to the ayres, 
 and held justice in Jedburgh, where there came many 
 plaints to the king of reiff, slaughter, and oppression, 
 but little justice was used but by the purse. For there 
 were among that were of the Earl of Angus's kin, 
 friends and servants, that got justice by favour. Of 
 which the king was nothing content, nor none of the 
 lords that were about him, for they would have had 
 justice equally used to all men without partiality or 
 exception of persons. But, notwithstanding, the Earl 
 of Angus and the rest of the Douglases ruled all which 
 they liked, and no man durst say the contrary. Where- 
 fore the king was heavily displeased, and would fain 
 have been out of their hands, if he might, by any way ; 
 and to that effect wrote a quiet letter with his own 
 hand, and sent it secretly to the Laird of Buccleugh, 
 beseeching him, that he would come with his kin and 
 friends, and meet him at Melrose, at his home-passing ; 
 and there to take him out of the Douglas's hands, and
 
 360 DARNICK. 
 
 to put him to liberty, to use himself among the lave of 
 his lords as he thinks expedient." 
 
 This letter, we are informed, was sent privately by 
 one of the king's servants, and received thankfully by 
 the " Laird of Buccleugh, who was glad thereof," to be 
 put to such charges and familiarity with his prince, 
 and did great diligence to perform the king's writing, 
 and to bring the matter to pass as the king desired. 
 And to that effect summoned all his kin and friends, 
 and all that would do for him, to ride with him to 
 Melross, when he knew of the king's home-coming, 
 And so he brought in company with him six hundred 
 spears of Liddisdale and Annandale, and countrymen 
 and clans thereabouts, and held themselves quiet while 
 that the king returned out of Jedburgh ; and came to 
 Melross, to remain there all that night. 
 
 " But when the lords Hume, Cesford, and Farnieherst 
 took their leave from the king, and returned home, 
 there appeared the laird of Buccleugh in sight, and his 
 company with him, in battle array, intending to have 
 fulfilled the king's petition, and therefore came stoutly 
 forwards in the back side of Halidon hill [Eildon hill]. 
 By that the earl of Angus and his brother, George 
 Douglas, with their friends, seeing this enemy coming, 
 marvelled what it meant, until at last they knew the 
 laird of Buccleugh and the company that were with 
 him, when they were the less afraid, and made them
 
 DAENICK. 361 
 
 manfully to the field contrary them, and said to the 
 king in this manner : 
 
 " ' Sir, yon is Buccleugh and thieves of Annandale 
 with him to molest your grace from the gate. I 
 swear to God they shall either fight or flee, and ye 
 shall tarry here in this knowe, and my brother George 
 with you, with any other company you please, and I 
 shall pass and put yon thieves off the ground, and rid 
 the gate unto your Grace, or else die for it.' 
 
 " The king tarried still as was desired, and George 
 Douglas with him, with sundry other lords, as Lennox, 
 Erskine, and some of the king's own servants, but all 
 the rest passed with Angus to the field against Buc- 
 cleugh, and joined and countered cruelly, both the 
 said parties in the field of Darnelinver [Darnick], either 
 against other, with uncertain victory. But at last the 
 lord Hume hearing word of that matter, how it stood, 
 returned again to the king in all possible haste, and 
 with him the laird of Cesford and Farnieherst, to the 
 number of four score spears, and set freshly on the 
 left wing of Buccleugh, and his friends, and shortly 
 bore them backwards to the ground, which caused the 
 laird of Buccleugh and the rest of his friends to flee, 
 chased and followed by the laird Cesford and Farnie- 
 herst especially, who followed so seriously, till at the 
 foot of a path he was slrin by a spear, by one Elliot, 
 
 2 A
 
 362 DARNICK. 
 
 who was then servant to the laird of Buccleugh. But 
 when the laird of Cesford [Ker] was slain, the chase 
 ceased. But the earl of Angus returned again [to Mel- 
 rose] with great merriness and victory, and thanked 
 God that he saved him from that shame, and passed 
 with the king to Melross, where they remained all 
 that night, while in the morn they passed to Edin- 
 burgh with the king, who was very sad and dolorous 
 of the slaughter of the laird of Cesford, and many 
 other gentlemen and yeomen slain by the laird of 
 Buccleugh/' 
 
 Such is the account of this sanguinary conflict given 
 us by the ancient historian, and the place is known to 
 this day as Skinner's Hill, or Skirmish Field. Tradi- 
 tion says, the Laird of Darnick, Heiton, not only saw the 
 action from his tower (a former one existing on the 
 present site), but took part in it also. This tower, 
 which has two of its rooms decorated with ancient 
 armour, and other things of interest to the tourist, is 
 always open to inspection, and will well repay a visit 
 from the curious. 
 
 There was anciently a pottery and tile-works in 
 Darnick, the property of the monastery of Melrose ; and 
 a bridge spanned the Tweed, from Darnick side to the 
 west-end of General Duncan's property on the other, 
 leading by an old road from Melrose over the hills 
 to Earlston and Lauder. There was an ancient
 
 BRIDGEND. 363 
 
 ford here also at this part of the river, called the 
 Salter's Fuird.* 
 
 BEIDGEND. About a mile west from Darnick is the 
 small village of Bridgend, a name derived from a bridge 
 erected over the Tweed, to afford a passage to the 
 abbey. It consisted of four stone piers, upon which 
 lay planks of wood. Near the central pillars was a 
 gateway, and over these a room for the toll-keeper. 
 From this bridge, the girthgate was reached, which 
 ran up the valley of Allen or Elwand Water. Near this 
 bridge, at the foot of Allen, stood once a corn mill, 
 known as Westhouses mill, razed by the English, 
 nothing of which remains, except the line of water 
 formed by the wheel-race of the mill. The site of the 
 mill is now a green patch or island, with the Tweed 
 flowing round about it. 
 
 A powerful chalybeate spring flows down the rocks 
 at different points, as you ascend the steep acclivities 
 of Allen Water. There is in the sides of the stream a 
 sub-stratum of clay, which is petrified by the water, 
 impregnated with iron, oozing through it, especially 
 after heavy rains. In dry warm weather, chips or 
 fragments drop out, and fall on the bed of the stream, 
 
 * John Smith, Esq., architect, and A. Gurrie, Esq., sculptor, are 
 both residents of Darnick. The former family are very old portioner.s 
 in the village.
 
 364 BRIDGEND; 
 
 where the curious collect them. Some are very in- 
 teresting, being in singular shapes, such as spectacle- 
 cases, guns, buttons, daisies, and other pleasing diversi- 
 ties of form. The country people call them fairy toys, 
 and the spot about which they are found is named 
 Fairy Dean. 
 
 "A bright romance, a greenwood dream, 
 A vision bards of old have seen. " 
 
 The girthgate existed long before there was any 
 road by Gala Water, and passed over Soutra and all 
 the intermediate high hills, between Elwand Water and 
 the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. Near Allen Water 
 stood the once considerable village of West-houses, 
 notable also for its peel or tower, which disappeared 
 about fifty years ago. The only relic remaining is a 
 house, once occupied as an inn there, and now serving 
 as the porter's lodge to the Pavilion, a mansion of 
 Lord Somerville's, but for many years the summer 
 residence of H. F. Broadwood, Esq., of London. Near 
 the head of Allen Water may still be seen the re- 
 mains of three ancient fortalices or towers the first 
 is that of Langshawmill, the second Colmslie, and the 
 third Hillslop. The latter belonged once to a family 
 named Cairncross, and was inhabited within the last 
 century. The Fairy Dean, at the foot of Allen Water, 
 is a luxuriantly embowered greenwood glade, the Glen-
 
 ABBOTSFOKD. 365 
 
 dearg of the Monastery of Sir Walter Scott, and is 
 the region of rock and stream his genius described it. 
 Half a mile due east lies the handsome stone bridge of 
 Melrose, with a glorious view from its portalled sides 
 of the silver Tweed adorned with birchen copse and 
 shaggy fir rich opening meadows sloping to its 
 verdant sides the sweet retreat of Lowood. to .the 
 west, Bruce's Hill, Easter Langlee, and Wester Langlee; 
 the latter a modern Elizabethan mansion centred in 
 lovely grounds, the seat of J. E. Dalrymple, Esq. 
 
 ABBOTSFOED. About three miles from Melrose, on 
 the high road through Darnick, stands the renowned 
 mansion of Abbotsford, surrounded east and west to 
 the silver edge of Tweed, with luxuriant woods in 
 proud array, graced with all that nature can lavish or 
 art achieve. 
 
 Not many years ago, a mean farm-house stood on 
 part of the site of the present edifice, and a kail-yard 
 flourished where the embattled court-yard now spreads 
 itself. Hundreds of acres. of plantations and woody 
 summits, rich in all the harmonizing hues of natural 
 loveliness, now adorn the classic spot, where was only 
 seen one long struggling line of stunted firs, dark in 
 ancestral poverty and barren gloom. 
 
 The connection of Sir Walter Scott with Abbotsford 
 only commenced in 1811. He died there, on the
 
 366 ABBOTSFORD. 
 
 afternoon of Friday, the 21st of September, 1832. 
 After his death, his eldest son succeeded to the 
 baronetcy, but died in 1847, while on his passage to 
 England from India. The title then became extinct. 
 Walter Scott Lockhart, grandson of the poet, came 
 next into possession. He is since dead, however; and 
 the present owner and occupier is James R Hope 
 Scott, Esq., a gentleman of large income and enlightened 
 opinion. The mind of Scott was too fervent and 
 poetical for vulgar names. So in proposing to change 
 the face of nature around Abbotsford, which he suc- 
 cessfully accomplished, he also changed the names of 
 many places contiguous to it. Thus Cartleyhole 
 became far-famed Abbotsford ; Dick's Cleugh, the 
 romantic Rhymer's Glen; and Toftfield, bonnie Huntly- 
 burn. Huntly-burn House is the residence of Lord 
 Henry Kerr. 
 
 Abbotsford is, in limited compass, a grand conser- 
 vatory, containing specimens of all that is rich, rare, 
 curious, and interesting to be estimated only by the 
 standard of that giant mind, that studied the general 
 arrangement and disposition, inside and out; who best 
 knew the value could most truly appreciate what was 
 beautiful, and made the tout ensemble of the whole, like 
 his own minstrelsy, "a joy for ever." There is heraldry, 
 ancient armour, sculpture, carving, and painting.
 
 ABBOTSFORD. 367 
 
 Cabinets of virtu almost beyond price elegant speci- 
 mens in natural history a superb collection of fossils 
 and specimens in mineralogy and geology quaint an- 
 tiques architectural relics, ornaments, and decorations 
 treasures from the east and from the west trophies 
 of war and peace gems of land and sea combinations 
 of all that was beautiful in the living and the dead a 
 costly and extensive library one vast labyrinth of ob- 
 jects, enchanting to the mind, as they are dazzling and 
 overpowering to the eye viewed as a whole, marvellous 
 and as the owner, too, aptly named them collectively, 
 " a romance in stone and lime," which, however, must 
 be seen to be rightly admired, and, however studied, 
 can only be infinitessimally appreciated. 
 
 No wonder that Abbotsford is eagerly sought by the 
 busy tourist it was the day and life drearn of Scott, 
 and he bequeathed to it a charm, by the scintillations 
 of his genius, that will impart to it still greater interest 
 in years to come. 
 
 That genius so sublime, that made history pleasing, 
 and lent the most bewitching fascination to romance 
 the light of whose lamp illumined many a distant 
 hearth in Christendom. made the young glow with 
 emotion, and the aged warm with delight whose wick 
 untimely flickered away, by the wear and tear of brain, 
 and whose " spirit returned to Him who gave it." The
 
 368 ABBOTSFOED. 
 
 author of Waverley shall live indelibly in the hearts of 
 his countrymen, and in the records of those pages the 
 classical genius of his country is ever illuminating. 
 
 " The minstrel sleeps! the charm is o'er, 
 The bowl beside the fount is broken, 
 And we shall hear the harp no more, 
 
 Whose tones to every land hath spoken." 
 
 EGBERT GILFILLAN. 
 
 Our mission is done, the task we undertook to 
 accomplish is finished and if some of our footprints 
 remain on the minds of those who trust us, our 
 purpose will be amply and satisfactorily answered.
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 NOTE I. 
 Milne, page 53 of this book. History of the Parish of Melrose, &c. 
 
 A copy of the Rev. Thomas Forrester's " Saytre relating to 
 Public Affairs, 1638-39," has been kindly handed to the writer 
 of this book by James Simson, Esq. It was taken from an old 
 MS., and does not appear ever to have been printed before. 
 Mr Milne, even in his time, had not been able to see a copy of 
 it. This facetious poetry, as Milne properly styles it, appears 
 to have been written by Mr Forrester soon after his deposition 
 in 1638. "Then Mr Thomas Foster's process was given in, 
 containing many grosse and blasphemous poynts, and after the 
 calling of the rolls, the assemblie voted that such a minister as 
 he should be put off in a singular manner, and deposed from the 
 ministrie." Records of the Kirk of Scotland. 
 
 Nov. 17, 1631. " Serious people in Scotland were at this 
 time much scandalised by reports from England regarding clergy- 
 men who openly preached Arminianism, and others who wrote 
 in favour of a lax observance of the Sabbath. At home the 
 bishops and other leaders of the church were manifestly depart- 
 ing from the old Scottish observances. The house of one Dick- 
 son in the Potter-Row, in the suburbs of Edinburgh, was to 
 some of them their place of recreation on the Sabbath after- 
 noons. It was remarked of Spottiswoode and some of the 
 bishops, that they sojourned (travelled) more on that than on
 
 370 APPENDIX. 
 
 any other days; and Mr Thomas Forster, minister of Melrose, 
 having but one hutt of corne in his barne-yard, would needs 
 show his Christian liberty, by causing his servants cart it in 
 upon that holy day. Thus fast were we hastening to destruc- 
 tion." Stevenson. 
 
 To show the style and character of Mr Forrester's litany, we 
 quote the following from the First Part: 
 
 1. 
 
 " From Glasgow road to which made meeting 
 Huge troups from all quarters came fleeting 
 With dogs and guns in forme of warre, 
 All loyal subjects to debarre. 
 " Wher bishops might not show their faces, 
 And mushroom elders find their places 
 
 From such mad freaks of Catharu s, 
 Almighty God deliver us." 
 
 From the Second Part : 
 
 1. 
 
 ' ' From Henderson, who doth out-top 
 The Etnauhs, for he is Pope 
 Yet Leekie makes bold to oppose 
 His Holiness, e'en to his nose. 
 Leekie a covenanting brother, 
 Go to, let one Deil ding another. 
 
 From such mad freaks, &c. 
 
 3. 
 
 " From all who swear themselves meisworn, 
 From Louthian, Loudone, Lindsay, Lome, 
 Princes Rothes and Balmerino, 
 And devoute Lordlings many moe 
 Who lead the dance and rule the roast, 
 And forceth us to make the cost. 
 
 From such mad freaks, &c.
 
 APPENDIX. 371 
 
 5. 
 
 From lay lads in pulpit prattling, 
 Twice a-day, rumbling and rattling; 
 Priests, Lords, Judges, and Clerks of Towns, 
 Proud citizens, poor country clowns 
 Who in all courses disagree, 
 And join to cross authoritie. 
 
 From such mad freaks, &c. 
 
 10. 
 
 " From corner-creeping parlour preachers, 
 Of blind disciples, more blind teachers; 
 From cisterns that no water hold, 
 From Aberdeen's base and false gold, 
 From daubers with untempered mortar, 
 From Row that spurgold pulpit sporter. 
 From such mad freaks, &c. 
 
 11. 
 
 " From northern Dunbar, Murray's chanter, 
 The knave became a covenanter 
 To save, his life how may that be, 
 The covenant, its a sanctuary 
 To felons and to false swearers, 
 And all such cheating rogues as he is. 
 From such mad freaks, &c. 
 
 15. 
 
 " From Elliot, Tweeddale's jackanapes, 
 In pulpit when it skips and leaps 
 It makes good sport I must confess, 
 It's a mad monkey, questionless. 
 From Selkirk glory, young and old, 
 Selkirke's reproof if truth were told. 
 
 From such mad freaks, &c.
 
 372 APPENDIX. 
 
 17. 
 
 " From covenanting Tamilists, 
 Amsterdamian Separatists 
 Antinomians and Brownists 
 Jesuitizing Calvinists 
 Murrayinizing Buchannanists 
 All monster Misobasilists. 
 
 These are the mates of Catharus, &c. 
 
 19. 
 
 " From Sandie Hago and Sandie Gibsone 
 Sandie Kinnear, and Sandie Johnstone 
 Whose knavery made them covenanters, 
 To keep their necks out of the halters; 
 Of falsehood gried, what you'll name, 
 Of treacherie they think no shame. 
 
 Yet these the mates of Catharus, 
 
 And all the knock-down race of Knoxes, 
 
 From whom good Lord deliver us." 
 
 Clergymen and elders referred to in the preceding lines of Mi- 
 Forrester : 
 
 Lothian, William, Earl of, elder, Parish of Dalkeith. 
 Loudone, John, Earl of, elder, Parish of Irvine. 
 Lindsey, John, Lord, elder, Parish of Coupar. 
 Rothes, John, Earl of, elder, Parish of Kirkcaldie. 
 Balmerino, John, Lord, elder, Parish of Edinburgh. 
 Guild, William (Aberdeen's false gold), Minister of Aberdeen. 
 Row, James, Minister at Muthill, Parish of Auchterarder. 
 Jamieson, William (Selkirk's glory), Minister of Longnewton. 
 Martin, Robert, Minister, New Kirk of Ettrick. 
 Knox, John, Minister of Bowden. 
 
 Besides many others it is unnecessary to repeat. We have 
 given sufficient to show the spirit of Mr Forrester and his power 
 of satire at the time he wrote.
 
 APPENDIX. 373 
 
 NOTE 2. 
 
 Referring to our brief account in Chapter VIII. of the Mar- 
 quiss of Hertford's second expedition into Scotland, A.D. 1545, 
 we place before our readers the following most interesting paper 
 upon that subject, as being aptly illustrative : 
 
 A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF THE EARL OF HERT- 
 FORD'S SECOND EXPEDITION TO SCOTLAND, AND 
 OF THE RAVAGES COMMITTED BY THE ENGLISH 
 FORCES IN SEPTEMBER, 1545. FROM A MANU- 
 SCRIPT IN TRINITY COLLEGE LIBRARY, DUBLIN. 
 COMMUNICATED BY DAVID LAING, ESQ., F.S.A., TO THE 
 SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, SCOTLAND. 
 
 The writer of this journal styles himself " York Herald," and 
 accompanied Lord Hertford in 1545. The Earl of Hertford 
 having assembled his army at Newcastle, on the 5th of Septem- 
 ber, 1545, advanced rapidly through Northumberland, crossed 
 the Border, and on the 9th of that month encamped before the 
 town and abbey of Kelso. 
 
 " The Erie of Harford departhit from Nywcaftell the 5 day of 
 Settember; and all his armey had a day a pointit to mytte att 
 the Stannyngflon 1 vpon Crocke a More, 2 the 8 day of thes 
 present, & all the caryadge and ordenannce and inonyflion: and 
 fo the dyd : the faid Erie rod from Nywcafltell to Anwicke a 
 Satherday, and their he reft Sonday; and a Monday to Cheid- 
 yngharn; and a Tywfleday to the forfaid Ston on Crackamowre, 
 and paft fart r3 a myll, and their campet; and a Wenefday paft 
 by Warke, and fo a longs the water in iij batelles, 4 and fo paft 
 the furd w* the fore ward and the moft part of the battaill and 
 their ordenannce, and the reywaier 6 Twyd rofle fo fuddenley, 
 that hit was 3 or 4 cartf and fom horfles owertrowen 6 by the 
 
 1 the Standingstone. 
 
 - Probably Crookham (muir?), between Ford and Cornhill. 
 
 " further. 4 companies, battalions. 5 the river. 6 overthrown.
 
 374 APPENDIX. 
 
 wiollence of the water, and fom ftowff loft and waiett, 1 and this 
 the rereward and fome of the battaiell campeit on the other fid, 
 and all o r wittailes wer dier, thes Wenefeday did I YORKE 
 fomeyn the abbaye of ChelfTe [Kelso], and thes day the faid 
 Abby was batterid and enterid by day, and by mydnyght hit 
 was wone by the Spanards par force. Scleyn of the Scottes to 
 the nomer of 40, and thakeyn 2 to the nomer of 5, and efkape by 
 nyght 13; of the w* 13, 2 was thakyn the nexht day, and a xi 
 efkape in lywf ; a turfeday the campe cam all to the fayd abbey 
 and town, as well the that wer on the one fyd as the other. The 
 erle of Comerland had the fourward, and the lord Scrope w l him, 
 and S r Robard Bowes, lord warden of the mydell marches, and 
 many other knyghts, and the lord Lattemer, and 300 Italians 
 and Albenefes on horfbac, and ij annconnes 3 of Spanards, and 
 fome horfhemen of them, and the marfhall; and in this wangard 4 
 was the Mr of the ordinnance and his horfhemen, and a 100 
 hangoners, and in the battaill the Erie of Herford, lord lowtten- 
 naunt, and my lord Stowrtoun, and Sr Rawf Sadheller, trefluryer 
 and confelleir, and my lord Newell and his fathers power, and 
 his brother Tho 8 , and my lord Tho g Greymarke, and the baron 
 Hilton, the lord Latemer, Sr J. Doon, Sr J. Norris, Sr Piers a 
 Lighe, Sr Loveras Smyth, Sir J. Brierton, Sr Roger LafTell, Sr 
 Leonard Beckwithe, Sr Thomas Kolkcrawift, and iij anngenes of 
 Spanards, and fome of them a horfbac, and the Clewoies all, and 
 many knyghts and fquiers mar, and the leries 6 men, ij angenes 
 fometymes in the bataiell and fomtymes in the fowr-ward, and 
 in the riere-ward the lord Dacers and the lord Connyers, and Sr 
 John Markam, and Sr Richard Mann, capitain generall of the 
 rierewards horfhemen, and Sr Robart Conftable, knyght, and 
 many mor knyghts and efquers. Thes day the wittailles 6 wer 
 yett fkand and nott plenty, this day the Spanard did fpuiell the 
 Abbey att their will and euery man ; a friday meffur was 
 thakeyn 7 for to fortifie the faid Abbey, butt hit was or nown 
 
 1 wet. 2 taken. s ensigns, or companies. * vanguard. 
 * Irish. 6 victuals. " measures were taken.
 
 APPENDIX. 375 
 
 thetarmennyt 1 the contrarie, theis day was [blank], theis day my 
 lord commandyt to briek the abbey and thake of the leied, 2 and 
 outer myen 3 the towres and strong places, and to owaier trowe* 
 all; thes day byng fryday, my Lord rood to Rockefborow [Rox- 
 burgh] to vis hit 5 for to make a flrong caflell their, w cl1 is as 
 flrong a place to by fourtefied as any is in Scotland by tuyen 6 
 ij r-iveres.w ch myght by brouwght to com a bowt the faid rocke, 
 and the w ch rever he wold, the on is att his fut and the other 
 w^in a stones cast; thes place wrowt well, came to o r campe 
 agayn thes day was iiij of the Carres, and ij of the erle of 
 Angoies is ferwaunts, and iij of the lord HoAvmes taken and 
 others, and the 7 of Hum caflell [Hume Castle] had thaken a fon 
 of Tho as Blanhaflett, 8 and a noter as good as he, and ij mor; and 
 a Satterday my lord Wardon of the myddell marches, and the 
 knyght marfhall Sr Henry Knywett, and my lord Newell, all 
 the horfhemen a most, Engles, Clewoies, and Italians, and 
 Straliotts, and Spanards, to the nomer of iiij towflent and mor, 
 and the birynd ij abbeyis, and 30 townes, and corn worth a 1000 
 li. fl r , 9 myell Scottes, a myell byeyend Mourofle [Melrose]; and 
 a Sonday the abbey of Kelfe was razed, and all put to royen, 9 
 howfles, and towres, and ftypeles, and the wittaieles cam, and 
 cartes loden again w* the leed 10 of the faid abbey, and my lord 
 lowttennant did fend ij greit gones 11 to Barwick and Sr Robart 
 Bowes, and ij other gones to take a caflell ij myll from thes 
 place, called Dawcowe. 3 Skotts fcleyn, and cartes sent to 
 Wark loden wt the leid of the abbey, and wt hym 500 horffes 
 
 1 but it was ere noon determined. 2 take off the lead. 
 
 3 undermine. * overthrow. 5 see it. 
 
 6 between two r they. 
 
 8 This Thomas Blanhaasett was of the ancient Norman family of 
 Blennerhassetts, who came to England with William the Conqueror, 
 and after residing in Cumberland for a long period, became staunch 
 adherents of William of Orange, and settled in Ireland. Blenner- 
 ville, near Tralee, county of Kerry, has been long the paternal pro- 
 perty of their descendants. 
 
 9 ruin. 1 lead. 1 1 great guns.
 
 376 APPENDIX. 
 
 and an annceyn of Spanards, and the ij angenes of Iryes men, 
 and the towke the faid towre parforce, and returyn agayn to thes 
 campe, Yeflerday byng Satterday, whas 3 Scottes men hang in 
 thes campe, and 9 fcleyn 1 in fild be the horfhemen, and the 
 Scottes fclywe 3 Italians that rod owt of the fyght of their fel- 
 lowes; and on Monday wy departyt from Kelfey abbey that was, 
 to Rockefborowe menes, and their campeit that nyght; and from 
 thens to Bongedwourthe a ty wefeday, and birnyng and theiflroyng 
 all that day bod coryn 2 and howfles, and hee 3 and turff, and a 
 weneffeeday burend Jedwourd [Jedburgh] abbey, and the fryers 
 menore, and all the townes ij myell beyond, as Cavaiers [Cavers], 
 and Denam [Denholm], and Mento, and Mantoncrake [Minto- 
 craig], and Bedrowle, and Towres, and Newton, and Langeton, 
 and HalTenden, and the Bame belles [Barnhills], and the Benetts, 
 and Ancram, and many mor, and returnyd to campe that Wenel- 
 day to Egelford, and owaier tryw the Moffe nexht mornyng, and 
 birnd Chesford, and outheir mynd 4 the caflell, but hit whas tow 
 tyke 5 and hitt cowd nott by, 6 and fo thes Thurfeday deflruying 
 and bimyng, campeit att Warke that nyght, and their tharid" 
 friday and Satheir[day] the campe, bowt 8 all the carthes 9 went 
 for leed to Kelfey, and the horfhmen birnyng and defltruyng all 
 that day, and fo fare as in to wtin half a quarter of a myell of 
 Howme caflell, and maid all the Scottfmen that were a brod to 
 requiell vnto the caflell walles, and ij of theirs thakeyn that day, 
 and by them reportit that their was 10,000 Scottes men a bowtt the 
 laid caflell, and that the erle of Angoies was com their the nyght 
 be for and 10 cartes wt ordenaunce and inunycion, wh I thynyk all 
 was nott try we, bowt fomat hit was, 10 o r men birnd fo ner the caflell, 
 that wy kod 11 nott fee the caflell fomtymes nor the caflell ows, 
 and the of the caflell owaier fott ows 12 all many tymes, and a 
 monges ows yett the howrthe non bowt on 13 horfhe, thanks be to 
 
 1 slain. 
 2 both corn. 
 a hay. 
 4 undermined. 
 
 5 it was too thick. 
 6 it could not be. 
 7 tarried. 
 8 but. 
 
 9 carts. 
 1 but some of it was. 
 1 * we could. 
 1 a overshot us. 
 
 1 3 they hurt none but one.
 
 APPENDIX. 377 
 
 \ 
 
 God; and thes down, my lord lowthennaunt returneyd to Wark 
 w l all his iiij thowflannt hormemen and no mor, and loft neur a 
 man all that day, and yt hit was the most dangerows day that 
 wy 1 had in all the days that wy war in Scotteland; the cartes 
 all of o r campe wer com to Warke lodon wt the abbey of Keliey 
 is leed, and leyfft nothyng be heynd and cam fawff horn to the 
 laid casftell of Warke; and a Sonday wy remowid and paft the 
 water of Tuyd on the eft marches of Wark, and birnd and 
 deftrued Egland, and the nonery cald Colftreme, and lo to 
 Fogga, and their campeit that nyght, and many a town birnd 
 that day; and a Monday Downes [Dunse] towre and towne 
 owaretrown 2 and birnd, and all the pares wch is I. 3 towns and 
 willaiges by longeyng to the laid Downs; and the nexht day to 
 Weft Nyfbed, w c was birnd, and owaier trown the caftell, and 
 many mor, as hit mall apier in a notheir place of theis bowke 
 the names of all the townes, and thowres, and abbeys, and fryers, 
 and nonerys, and a charter howfle ; and theis down wy campe 
 theis tywfleday att or Lady church [Lady Kirk] w*in Scotte- 
 land; and a Wenefleday towke mofters of all o r nolle oft, 4 and 
 o r arrney deflblwithe w* o r enneiuys is land; and att nown cam 
 the lord Lattemer to thake heis leywe, as many othairs did, of 
 my lord Lowtennannt, but my forfaid lord Lowtennannt maid 
 hym knyght in the faid campe, and wt hym 12 mor, that is to 
 lay, 13 in all, as hit mall a pier by their names; and theis down, 
 euery man that was nott goon 5 departed into England, forne to 
 Norham Caftell and town, fome to Sr Thomas Grey of Horton's 
 howff, ibme to Banbery, fome rod farther, and fome rod all 
 that nyght, and cartes alfo. The Spanards leyfft 6 att Fofter and 
 Horfley is howff es, and in the wilaigges 7 their abowt ; the 
 Clewoyffes at Norhamm r and town and caftell, the Italians alfo 
 in that fruntyers, and sorteley 8 after, the Italians cam to Nyw 
 
 1 we. e not gone. 
 
 1 overthrown. e left. 
 
 1 parish, which has 50. r villages. 
 
 * musters of all our whole host. 8 shortly. 
 
 2B
 
 378 APPENDIX. 
 
 caflell, and of them mofleres thakeyn and fent to London Ward : 
 and the Albanneffes alfo; and after them the Cleywoiefes cam to 
 Nyw caflell, and the 1 wer fent to Dowram [Durham], and from 
 dens to Bewerley 2 for to wynter; and after them the hormemen, 
 Spanards carles the navara was fend to London; and the futte- 
 men marceid to Nyw caflell, and their moftras thaken of them 
 and payd the remaner in Nyw caflell and in Dowram, and in 
 Bifhope Acqueleand, and theis wy the 3 partid after all theis 
 orthewyd by the lord lowtenant the x day of October, and came 
 to London the 22 day of thes fame. God faue the Kyng and 
 my Lord Prince Edoward. Amen." 
 
 According to the Earl of Hertford's despatches, accompanied 
 with plans, which are not preserved, it was intended to convert 
 the abbey of Kelso into a fortified place. But this pkn was 
 abandoned; and in his report of their subsequent proceedings, 
 he exultingly informs the English monarch, that so much 
 damage by fire had not been done in Scotland for the last 
 hundred years. I shall merely add, by way of remark, as it is 
 obvious that, during the intermediate period of fourteen years 
 till the Reformation, the injuries which these Ecclesiastical 
 buildings sustained could have only been partially, if at all 
 repaired, it is attributing too much to John Knox and hia 
 brethren, to give them the credit for a work of devastation 
 which had previously been done to their hand. 
 
 The York Herald, or the writer of this Journal, refers to a list 
 of the places destroyed during this invasion, as elsewhere con- 
 tained in his book No such list is now in the volume; but its 
 loss is supplied by the following paper, 4 if the one was not 
 
 1 they. 2 thence to Beverley. 3 this way they. 
 
 4 From the Collection of State Papers in the reign of Henry 
 VIII., &c., from 1542 to 1570, published by the Rev. Samuel 
 Haynes. London : 1740, folio, p. 52. In the same Collection, pp. 
 43-51, will be found another similar document, entitled, " Exployts 
 don upon the Scotts, from the beginning of July, anno 36 R. R.
 
 APPENDIX. 379 
 
 copied from the other, which is preserved among the Burleigh 
 State Papers, and printed by Haynes. It is curious, and may 
 appropriately be here inserted, as furnishing an important con- 
 tribution of its kind to the topography of Roxburghshire. It is 
 entitled, 
 
 THE NAMES OF THE FORTRESSES, ABBEYS, FRERE-HOUSES, MAR- 
 KET TOWNES, VILLAGES, TOWRES AND PLACES BRENT, RACED, 
 AND CAST DOUNE, BY THE COMMANDMENT OF THERLL OF 
 HERTFORDE, THE KING'S MAJESTIE'S LIEUTENANT GENERALL 
 IN THE NORTHE PARTES, IN THE INVASION INTO THE REALME 
 OF SCOTLAND, BETWEENE THE STH OF SEPTEMBER AND THE 
 
 23D OF THE SAME 1545, THE 37TH YEARE OF THE KING'S 
 
 ROYALL MAJESTIE'S MOSTE PROUSPEROUS AND VICTORIOUS 
 REIGNE. 
 
 " On the River of Twede. 
 
 "First the abbey of Kelfo raced and caft down; the towne of 
 Kelfo brent; the abbey of Melroffe alias Mewrofe, Darnyck, 
 Gawtenfide, Danyelton, Overton, Heildon [Eildon], Newton of 
 Heildon, Maxton, Lafeddon [Lessudden], Merton, Beamondfide 
 [Beamerside], Loughefeatte, Bateihele, the abbey of Drybrughe, 
 
 Henrici 8th." It consists of an abstract of exploits recorded in 
 various letters, from the 2nd July to the 17th November 1544. The 
 sum total is thus given : 
 
 "Towns, Towers, Stedes, Barnekyns, Parishe Churches, 
 
 Bastell-Houses, 192 
 
 Scotts slain, 403 
 
 Prisoners taken, . . . . . . . 816 
 
 Nolt 10,386 
 
 Shepe, . - 12,492 
 
 Nags and Geldings, . 1296 
 
 Gayt, . 200 
 
 Bolls of Corn, .... 850 
 Insight geare, &c."
 
 380 APPENDIX. 
 
 the town of Drybrughe, the towre of Dawcowe [Dalcovel raced. 
 The towne of Dawcowe, Eotherford, Stockftrother, Newtowne, 
 Trowes, Makerfton, the Manorhill, Charter-houfe, Lugton Lawe 
 Lunton Law], Stotherike towre raced ; Eaft. Meredean, Weft 
 Meredean, Flowres [Floors], Gallowe Lawe, Broxe Lawe, Broxe 
 mylne, the water-mill of Kelfo. Sum 33. 
 
 " On the River of Tiviot. 
 
 " The freers nere Kelfo, the Larde Hog's houfe, the barnes of 
 Old Eockefborough towne, the towre of Rockef borough raced, 
 the towre of Ormefton raced, the towne of Ormefton, Neyther 
 Nefebett, Over Nef bet, Angeram [Ancrum], Spittell, Bune Jed- 
 worth, the two towres of Bune Jedworth raced, the Lard of Bune 
 Jedworth's dwelling-houie, Over Angeram, Neyther Angeram, 
 Eaft Barnehill, Mynto Crag, Mynto towne and place, Weft 
 Mynto, the Cragge End, Whitrick, Hefllngton [Hassindean], 
 Bank-heflington, Over-hefllngton, Cotes, Elshebanke, Cavers, 
 Bryeryards, Denhome, Langton [Lanton], Rowcaftle, Newtowne, 
 Whitchefterhoufe, Tympiuton. Sum 36. 
 
 " On the Water of Eowle [Eule]. 
 
 " Rowle Spittel, Bedrowle, Rowlewood. The Wolles, Croffe- 
 bewghe, Dounerles, Fotton, Weaft leas. Two Walke mylnes, 
 Tronnyhill, Dupligis. Sum 12. 
 
 " On the Ryver of Jedde. 
 
 "The abbey of Jedworthe [Jedburgh], the Freers there; the 
 towue of Jedworthe, Hundylee, Bungate; the Banke end, the 
 Neyther mylnes, Houfftton, Over Craling, the Wells, Neyther 
 Craling, Over Wodden, Nether Wodden. Sum 13. 
 
 " On the Ryver of Kealle [Kale, or Kail] in Eafte Tividale. 
 
 " Over-Hownam, Neyther Hownam, Hownham Kyrke, New 
 Gatefhaughe; the towre of Gatefhaughe, Over Grobet, Neyther 
 Grobet; Grobet mylne, Wydeopen, Crewkedlhawes, Prymfide,
 
 APPENDIX. 381 
 
 Mybie Rigge, Marbottell, Otterburne, Cesforthe [Cesford], Over 
 Whitton, Neyther Whitton, Hatherlands, Cesforth burne, Ces- 
 forth maynes, Mowe-houfe; the Cowe bogge, Lynton, Caverton, 
 Sharpefrige, Throgdon, Pringle ftede, the Mayne-houfe, Eckforde, 
 Moffehoufe, Wefterbarnes, Grymefley [Grahamslaw], Synles, 
 Heyton on the Hill, Newe Hawe, Maffendewe ; the Brig end, 
 St Thomas Chapell, Maxwell heughe, Eafl-Woddon, Weft- 
 Woddon, Howden. Sum 45. 
 
 " On the Ryver of Bowbent [Beaumont] in Eaft Tividale. 
 
 " Mowe, Mowe Meufles, Clifton Cote, Colerofle, Elmenghe, 
 Awton burne, Cowe, Woodfide, Owefnopfide, Felterfhawes, 
 Clifton, Haihope, Kirke Yettam [Yetholm], Towne Yettam, 
 Cherytrees, Barears ; the Bogge, Longhoufe, Fowmerden. 
 Sum 19. 
 
 " Hecles [Eccles] Parish in the Marfle. 
 
 " Long Ednam, Little Newton, Newton mylne, Naynethorne, 
 Naynethorne mylne, Over Stytchell, Nether Stichell, Cowngecarle 
 [Queenscairn], Lagers morre, Oxemoure, Kenetfide, Myckell 
 Harle, Lytell Harle, Haffyngton, Haffyngton maynes, Landen 
 [Lambton], Hardacres, Stanefallde ; the abbey of Hecles, the 
 towne there ; Newtowne, Hecclefheales, Grafton Rig, Spittle- 
 fheugh, Over Plewland, Nether Plewland, Over Tofts, Nether 
 Tofts, Clerkeleas, Headrigge, Puddingran, Howden, Marfmgton, 
 and the towre raced; Letam, Belchefter, Boughtrige, New- 
 bigging, Wranghame, Wester Peles ; the Kernes, the Burne- 
 houfe, Thankles, Rowyngfton, Grymeley Rigge, Cowys, Werke, 
 Whinkerstanes, Fowge Rigge, Foge Banke, Sir James Trennate's 
 houfe, Ryfeley, Bettrikfide, Elbank. Sum 57. 
 
 " Donee [Dunse] Parish. 
 
 " Fowge [Fogo] Towne, Sufterpethe, Sufterpethe mylne, Fowge 
 mylne, the Walke mylne there, the Hill, the New Mylne, Slegh- 
 den, Eaftefeld, Hardames, Stanemore Lawe; the Biers, Wode-
 
 382 APPENDIX. 
 
 hede, Calldefide, Lownefdale; the towre of Red Brayes raced, 
 the towre of Pollerd [Polwarth] raced, Pollerd Towne, Poller- 
 wood, the Bow-Houfe, Selburne Rigge, Stocke Fote; the towres 
 and barmekyn of Nefbed [Nisbet] raced; the towre of Nefbed, 
 Nesfbed Hill, Crongle, Calledrawe, the Brigend, Gretrig, Growell 
 Dikes ; the towre of Dunce raced, Dounce Lawe, Knocke ; the 
 towne of Dounce, Hare Lawe, Borticke, Eaft Bortick, Parkehed, 
 Calldefide, Black Dikes, Byrkenfide, Kaydefheale, Redheughe> 
 Manderflon, Nanewarre, Elfoyle, Cromerfleyn, Kawkey Lawe, 
 Sampfon's Walles; the Brigg End, the Check Lawe, Dounce 
 mylne, the Eafl Maynes. Sum 52. 
 
 " The Caflell of Wetherburne, Mongoufe Towre, Pele, Rigge, 
 Kemergeyme, Kemergeyme maynes, Redheughe, Redes houfe, 
 Godds Malifone; the Eafl My hie, the Kellawe [Kelloe], Edrame; 
 the Newe Towne, Blackoter Caflell raced; the Towne of Black- 
 eter, White Lawe, Eafl Lawes, Weft Lawes, Swynton, and 
 Whitfonne. Sum 20. Sum Total, 287 
 
 Whereof (it is added) are 
 
 " In Monafleries and Frearhoufes, .... 7 
 In Caftells, Towres, and Piles (Peels), . . .16 
 
 In Market Townes, 5 
 
 In Villages, 243 
 
 In Mylnes, 13 
 
 In Spyteils and Hofpitalls, 3 
 
 287"
 
 APPENDIX. 383 
 
 NOTE III. 
 
 In the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, Scotland, 
 the following interesting paper occurs, and elucidates much that 
 we have but briefly noticed in the llth Chapter : 
 
 " NOTES ON MELKOSE ABBEY ; ESPECIALLY IN RE- 
 FERENCE TO INSCRIPTIONS ON THE WALL OF THE 
 SOUTH TRANSEPT. BY JOHN ALEXANDER SMITH, 
 M.D., SEC. S.A. SCOT. 
 
 " Some time ago I took a careful tracing of the well-known 
 inscribed tablet on the west wall of the south transept of Mel- 
 rose abbey, which I exhibit to the Society. The whole surface 
 of the stone is gradually crumbling away, so much so, that it 
 may be feared, in the course of a comparatively short time, the 
 wasting process will obliterate the greater part of the inscription, 
 the lowest lines of which are now quite illegible." 
 
 [It is with regard to the two inscriptions on the west side of the 
 wall of the south transept that Dr Smith is speaking. Both 
 refer evidently to the same individual, whether his real name 
 was John Morow or Johne Mordo. He was the "master of 
 work " in the fourteenth century, and not only of the abbey of 
 Melrose, but other of the chief abbacies and cathedral churches 
 in Scotland. Dr Smith proceeds to say]: 
 
 " It appears to me strange that the individual mentioned in this 
 inscription, who seems to have been connected with several of 
 our older ecclesiastical edifices, should now be all but unknown. 
 As the first step, therefore, in any attempt to trace his history, 
 it is of importance to ascertain the correct reading of his name, 
 which, with few exceptions, has been carelessly or incorrectly 
 copied, from its first published appearance in Monteith's Theater 
 of Mortality, Part II., in 1713, down to the recent valuable work
 
 384 APPENDIX. 
 
 of Mr Billings, on the Baronial and Ecclesiastical Antiquities q/ 
 Scotland. 
 
 " Adjoining to the tablet in the wall already referred to, 
 and over the centre of a doorway on the same side of the south 
 transept, there is a sunk panel inclosing a shield, which displays two 
 mason's compasses, partially opened, laid across one another, so 
 as to form a figure somewhat like a saltire, and on each side, and 
 in base, what has been described as a fleur-der-lis; forming pro- 
 bably a combined masonic and heraldic blazon. The compass is 
 the badge of a Master Mason, and the three lilies may be those 
 of the shield of France, his native country. On each side of this 
 panel there are the remains of a black letter inscription in relief, 
 which bears marks of having possibly been retouched, although 
 I am inclined to consider the different states of preservation of 
 the letters to be dependent principally on the varying hardness 
 and durability of the stones employed. The explanation given 
 of it in the oldest authority I can find viz., Monteith's Theater 
 of Mortality including apparently the carving on the shield it- 
 self, as if it were symbolic of a sword, is as follows : 
 
 ' Above another Door in the said Church. 
 
 1 Even as the Compass gaes even about, 
 
 So doth Truth and Lauty, but doubt. 
 
 Behold to the End of John Murvo. ' 
 
 It i.; next published by the Eev. Mr Adam Milne, in his De- 
 scription of Melrose Parish, 1743, in the following terms: 
 
 ' Sa gayes the compass ev'n about, 
 So truth and laute do but doubt. 
 Behald to the end. JOHN MUBDO.' 
 
 The inscription, from the partially wasted surface of the 
 stone, and the unequal spaces between some of the words, is 
 manifestly imperfect, and the explanation given above can 
 scarcely be confirmed now from inspection. I shall, however, 
 only notice the latter part of it, which is cut in the same style of
 
 APPENDIX. 385 
 
 raised lettering on the bevelled edge of the doorway across the 
 top, returning a short way down the left side, and ending with 
 the name MORVO, which runs across the surface of the wall; it 
 is as follows: BE : HALDE : TO : YE : HENDE : Q : 
 JOHNE : MORVO : not Behold, as it is described, but BE : 
 HALDE : (i.e., let it be held, or holden) TO THE END 
 QUOTH JOHN MORVO ; the conclusion apparently of a de- 
 vout sentiment of laute or praise, at the termination, shall we 
 say, of the restorations of the building, which he who had the 
 mason work in keeping prays may be held to the end, attesting 
 it by his name. Here the name seems to read MORVO; I took 
 casts of this and of the other name at the commencment of the 
 inscribed tablet; and these which I exhibit have been carefully 
 copied in the subjoined woodcuts : 
 
 [From Inscribed Tablet.] 
 
 [From Inscription over Doorway.] 
 
 " In the tablet, JOHN : MOROW : is described as having 
 been born in Paris, reminding one of the French name of 
 MOREATJ ; yet from the use of the final W (unless we suppose 
 this a subsequent change), we must believe him to have been not 
 French but of foreign extraction. The two names are in all 
 likelihood the same, the latter possibly a monkish change for 
 euphony's sake at the close of the inscription, the second last 
 letter resembling the (fr) v in even of the former part of this in-
 
 386 APPENDIX. 
 
 scription, and the last being 0; unless indeed we should consider 
 the two last letters to be W, or to form an imperfect W, and 
 the to be omitted, as occurs on the inscribed tablet with the 
 name of Glasgow, GLASGW. The name Morow reminds me 
 very much of the local Roxburghshire pronunciation of the Scot- 
 tish name of Murray, which is exactly similar in sound to 
 Morow ; but I know no instance of the name of Murray being 
 spelled like the former. 
 
 " We may conjecture that, in addition to this sculptured door- 
 way, inscribed with the old mason's name, possibly ' In memo- 
 riam,' to hand down to later times some information regarding 
 the man who had brought Ms work so successfully to a conclu- 
 sion, the tablet detailing his place of birth and the responsible 
 offices he held, was prepared, and the finished ashlar wall of the 
 transept cut into for its reception; as shown by its being cut a 
 little into the string course which runs below it, as well as by 
 the long narrow stone, unlike the shape of the other courses, 
 which is placed vertically across them on the outside of the tablet 
 at the one end, so as to complete the building of the wall, which 
 had been broken up. This inscription, which has its moulded 
 framing decorated with a series of richly-carved leaves, now 
 almost obliterated, also concludes in devout prayers, in this case 
 for the preservation of the building. 
 
 " Mr Billings states that no portion of the present buildings of 
 Melrose abbey appear to be more ancient than the fifteenth 
 century, and he refers, in connexion with the French forms of 
 architecture in this and the other Scottish ecclesiastical buildings, 
 to the tablet now described, which he believes cannot be older 
 than the sixteenth century; he says, " It is not likely that MURDO, 
 whose name would indicate a Scottish origin, performed any 
 functions beyond repairs and restorations.' Some parts of the 
 present abbey have, with considerable certainty, been ascribed 
 to the latter half of the fourteenth century. The inscribed 
 tablet evidently dates from an earlier period than that fixed on 
 by Mr Billings, for reasons to be afterwards stated; and I can- 
 not but think the sculptured lintel of the old doorway (the details
 
 APPENDIX. 387 
 
 of which he figures incorrectly in his view of the south transept ; 
 and to which he does not allude in connection with the mason), 
 tells a tale of ancient, as well as very considerable, renovation of 
 the old abbey. Indeed, the state of apparent imperfection of 
 this inscribed doorway, which may have been assumed from the 
 varying size of the stones with which it is built, is no proof of 
 any comparatively modern repair; as the same thing may be re- 
 marked in other parts of the building, where there is not the 
 slightest appearance of any recent restorations having taken 
 place, and was most probably dependent on the difficulty the 
 builders had experienced in getting proper materials, rather than 
 on any comparatively recent patching up of the old walls. 
 
 " The planting of the inscribed tablet in what was the finished 
 wall of the transept, I am inclined, as I have already stated, to 
 look upon as an after-thought of rather later date than the 
 sculptured doorway. It is a very difficult matter to attempt to 
 solve the subject of dates; yet, as a step in that direction, I may 
 notice the position which these inscriptions in the transept wall 
 bear to the styles of architecture shown in the adjoining parts 
 of the ruined abbey. We find, then, these inscriptions occupy- 
 ing apparently a central position in the midst of highly-finished 
 masonry of excellent design and workmanship, of the Curvilinear 
 or Decorated style, as shown in the great south window immedi- 
 ately adjoining over the doorway of the transept, with its flowing 
 tracery, and richly-sculptured and canopied niches outside; 
 and the architecture apparently runs into newer styles on each 
 side. 
 
 " In conclusion, I may state, that from these inscriptions in 
 the transept wall, and the position which they bear to the rest 
 of the building, I am inclined to believe that, under his ' kepyng 
 the finest and perhaps most ancient part of this southern 
 range of the abbey, instead of mere modern restorations and 
 repairs, had in all probability been executed. It would be in- 
 teresting, therefore, by a careful examination of the Chartularies 
 of the churches and abbeys mentioned in the inscribed tablet, 
 and other old records such as the Chamberlain's Eolls, to ascer-
 
 388 APPENDIX. 
 
 tain whether any notices might be gleaned respecting 
 MOROW, to whose genius as a master mason, or architect, so 
 many of our old Scottish buildings may have been indebted 
 for their architectural order and beauty; and, may we not sup- 
 pose, that having concluded his various works with Melrose 
 abbey, some friendly hand had there placed his final stone of 
 memorial, as a record of his labours." 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 233, Andrew Hunter, abbot of Melrose, 1844, read 1444. 
 265, foot note, for William Sorouells, read Soroueles. 
 342, for William Hog, read William Hoy.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 Abbey-gate, the, Hilslop, 77- 
 Abbotsford, 138, 365, 3(i8. 
 Abbot's meadow, 72, 117. 
 Abernethy, minister at Hownam, 
 
 54. 
 Adam, prior of Melrose, elected 
 
 abbot, 1207, p. 211 ; aud 
 
 bishop of Caithness, August, 
 
 121", murdered in his house 
 
 at Hawkirk by a mob in 1 222, 
 
 p. 212. 
 Adingston, land of convent at, 
 
 266. 
 
 Aidan, bishop of Lindisfarne, 83. 
 Ainslie, John, of Maxpoffle, xvii. 
 Aird, Thomas, poet of Bowden, 
 
 xvii. 
 Aldwine, prior of Wincelcombe 
 
 at Old Melrose, 91. 
 Alexander II., 27, 216, 284, 
 
 286, 333. 
 
 Allanshaws, land of convent, 263. 
 Ancient market-cross at Melrose, 
 
 135. 
 Ancrum Muir, 37, 241. In 
 
 1549 Ancrum burnt by the 
 
 Earl of Rutland, 249, 332. 
 Andrew, St., statue of, 310. 
 Angelo, Michael, 323. 
 Angus, Earl of, 61. 
 Antwerp cathedral, 302. 
 Appendix, 369. 
 Appletreeleaves, 50, 75. 
 
 Audley, Hugh, lodged with sixty 
 men at Melrose Abbey, at- 
 tacked in the night by Comyn 
 the Regent. Flight and sur- 
 render of Sir Thomas Grey, 
 220. 
 
 B. 
 
 Baillie of Jerviswood, 50. 
 
 Bakehouse yard, Melrose,56, 320. 
 
 Balfour, Chas.,Broadmeadows,5 1 . 
 
 Balmerino in Fife, 42. 
 
 Baptismal registry, 8 1 . 
 
 Battle of Ancrum Muir, March 
 9, 1545, Full account of the, 
 241-8. 
 
 Battle of Darnick or Skirmish 
 hill, 358. 
 
 Battle of Otterbourne in Redes- 
 dale, and death and burial of 
 the Earl of Douglas, 231. 
 
 Battle of Philiphaugh, 144. 
 
 Battle of Skirmish hill, between 
 the Earl of Angus and Scott 
 of Buccleugh, for possession of 
 James V., 62-3. 
 
 Beckwithe, Sir Leonard, 374. 
 
 Belhaven, Lord, 50. 
 
 Bells of Melrose, 29. 
 
 Beltun. Henry de, 285. 
 
 Bemerside, 351. 
 
 Benyn, David, abbot of Melrose, 
 232. 
 
 Bernard, abbot of Melrose in 
 1486, p. 233.
 
 390 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bernham, Robert de, 286. 
 
 Berwick, 138; convent lands 
 and houses, 269. 
 
 Bilfrith the Anchorite, 85. 
 
 Binning, Lady, 77. 
 
 Blainslie, 59; oats, 78; land of 
 convent, 263. 
 
 Blennerhassett, Thomas, 375. 
 
 Blind carrying the lame, (illus- 
 tration), 316. 
 
 Boisil or St. Boswell, prior of 
 Old Melrose, 84. 
 
 Border antiquities, 355. 
 
 Border mottoes, xi. 
 
 Borders and the Borderers, ix. 
 
 Boston, Nicol, 341. 
 
 Boston, Thomas, minister of Et- 
 trick, xviii. 
 
 Bothwel, Earl of, 47, 
 
 Bourjo, The, 60, 350. 
 
 Bowden, 210. 
 
 Bowes, Sir Robert, 374. 
 
 Brackets upon pillars flowers, 
 (illustration), 293. 
 
 Brechin, bishoprick of, 161. 
 
 Brewster, Sir David, xv. 
 
 Bridgend, 67, 363. 
 
 Brierton, Sir J., 374. 
 
 Broadwoodshiel, 79. 
 
 Brockismouth, 286. 
 
 Bronhill, Margaret, 283. 
 
 Bruce, King Robert, 333. 
 
 Bruce, the grant of King Robert, 
 1326, pp. 36, 169. 
 
 Buccleugh, Walter, Earl of, 4 9. 
 
 Buckholm, land of convent, 262 
 
 Buddhism, 339. 
 
 Burning of Old Melrose by Ken- 
 neth II. in 839, p. 89. 
 
 Burns, Robert, xv. 
 
 C. 
 
 Cairncross, Hugh, of Hilslop, 76. 
 Cairncross, John, 341. 
 Cauldshiels, 61. 
 
 Cavers, kirk of, 46 j convent 
 land, 277, 376. 
 
 Caverton, 36. 
 
 Cesford, laird of, 362. 
 
 Cession by Norway of the Wes- 
 tern Isles to Scotland, in 
 1265, p. 217. 
 
 Chalmers, Dr, xviii. 
 
 Chamberlain, sacrist, and almo- 
 ner, duties of the, 151. 
 
 Chapel-knowe, Old Melrose, 96. 
 
 Chapel of the nine altars, Dur- 
 ham, 90. 
 
 Chapter I., Milne's History of 
 Melrose, 21. 
 
 Chapter II., History of Old Mel- 
 rose, 82. 
 
 Chapter III., The monks of St. 
 Mary's, Melrose, 120. 
 
 Chapter IV., Melrose town, 1 34. 
 
 Chapter V., Carta regis David de 
 abbatia de Melros, 157; trans- 
 lation of do., 159. 
 
 Chapter VI., Church symbolism, 
 168. 
 
 Chapter VII., Architectural de- 
 scription of the ruins of Mel- 
 rose abbey, 188. 
 
 Chapter VIII., Historical sum- 
 mary of events, and biography 
 of the abbots of Melrose, 191. 
 
 Chapter IX., Last Letter of 
 King Robert Bruce, A.D. 1 329, 
 p. 256. 
 
 Chapter X., Possessions, income, 
 property, privileges and immu- 
 nities of the abbot and monks 
 of Melrose, 261. 
 
 Chapter XL, Melrose abbey the 
 ruins, 291. 
 
 Chapter XII., Melrose abbey 
 the tombs, 325. 
 
 Chapter XIII., Charter granted 
 to the feuars of Gattonside and 
 Westhouses, in 1590, p. 340.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 391 
 
 Chapter XIV., The Eildon Hills, 
 Darnick, Abbotsford, Bridgend, 
 &c., 248. 
 
 Chaucer, the father of English 
 poetry, xvii. 
 
 Cheildhelles chapel, Blainslie, 78, 
 
 Chiefswood, xvi. 
 
 Chisholm's tower, 57, 321. 
 
 Chronicle of Melrose, 42, 43, 122, 
 191. 
 
 Cistertian order of monks, 39, 120, 
 121, 123, 214, 216; dress, 
 food, habits, and employments 
 of the, 1 24-7. 
 
 Clackmae, Carolside, on Leader, 
 79. 
 
 Clifton, convent lands, 272. 
 
 Clipperston, Hugh de, elected 
 abbot of Melrose, 1 2 1 4, p. 2 1 3. 
 
 Cloister, east wall of, (illustra- 
 tion*), 179, 299. 
 
 Coldingham abbey, 85, 119, 240. 
 
 Coldstream, the nunnery, 48,377. 
 
 Colmsliehill, the old possession 
 of the Hogs, 76. 
 
 Colmslie tower, 7t>, 364; land of 
 convent, 262. 
 
 Columbo, abbot of Hii, 76. 
 
 Colville, Eustachia de, 281. 
 
 Connyers, Lord, 374. 
 
 Constable, Sir Robert, 374. 
 
 Corbel in north aisle, (illustra- 
 tion), 177. 
 
 Corbet, Nicolas, 285. 
 
 Correggio, 323. 
 
 Corsar, James, Hessington, 52. 
 
 Coupar in Angus, 42, 1C9, 205, 
 212. 
 
 Cowdenknowes, 351. 
 
 Cowgate, Edinburgh, 283. 
 
 Craw, Paul, the Bohemian, 41. 
 
 Creeds symbolised by the lotus, 
 the crescent, and the cross, 
 338. 
 
 Cross, the High, Melrose, 61. 
 
 Crown of thorns, (illustration), 
 176. 
 
 Culdees, origin of, 22, 83, 90. 
 
 Cumberland, Earl of, 374. 
 
 Curling and cricket clubs, 135. 
 
 Curri, Peter de, 281. 
 
 Curry, William de, made abbot of 
 Melrose, November, 1215, p. 
 213. 
 
 Cuthbert made prior of Ripon, 
 85; consecration of, at York, 
 Easter day, 685; as bishop 
 of Lindisfarne, 86, 89, 91. 
 
 Cuthbert, St. Cuthbert, a youth- 
 ful shepherd on the banks of 
 the Leader, 84. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dacrea, Lord, 374. 
 
 Dalcove, 286, 375. 
 
 Dalsangan, lands of, 281. 
 
 Darling, Thomas, 342. 
 
 Darlings, the, of Appletreeleaves, 
 75. 
 
 Darnick, 44, 67, 210; towers, 
 61; lands of convent, 261, 
 347, 351, 356, 349. 
 
 David I., founder of Melrose 
 abbey, 43, 129, 161, 193. 
 
 David II. taken prisoner at Ne- 
 ville's Cross, 1346, p. 227. 
 
 Death of Patrick, Earl of Dun- 
 bar, Christmas 1231, 215. 
 
 Denholme, 376. 
 
 Destruction of the religious 
 houses by Edward II. in 1322, 
 p. 223. 
 
 Destruction of the Laird of 
 Molles' towers, Bowmout, 1545, 
 p. 249. 
 
 Dingleton, 58. 
 
 Doon, Sir J., 374. 
 
 Douglas, Lord James, in 1330, 
 accompanied with a splendid 
 retinue of knights, set out for
 
 392 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Palestine, with the heart of 
 Bruce enclosed in a silver 
 casket, 224. 
 
 Douglas, Lord William, arrests 
 the English convoy carrying 
 Christmas fare from Melrose 
 to the castle of Hermitage, 
 Dec. 14, 1338, p. 225. 
 
 Douglas, Sir William, tilting with 
 the Earl of Derby at Roxburgh, 
 in the presence of Edward III., 
 at Christmas time, 1340, p. 226. 
 
 Douglas, Sir William, the dark 
 knight of Liddesdale, mur- 
 dered in Ettrick Forest by his 
 jealous kinsman, William, Earl 
 of Douglas, A.D. 1353, pp. 228, 
 333. 
 
 Douglas, Archibald, Cavers, 5 1 . 
 
 Douglas, George, Friarshaw, 51. 
 
 Douglas, James, commendator, 
 38, 2S1, 340. 
 
 Douglas, William, abbot of Old 
 Melrose, 91. 
 
 Douglas, William, of Cavers, 49. 
 
 Douglas, William,of Lochleven,4 7. 
 
 Drumelzier, laird of, 51. 
 
 Dryburgh town and abbey, xvi., 
 83, 99, 100, 138, 161, 212, 
 219, 223, 351. 
 
 Drygrange, 69, 102, 105, 343. 
 
 Drythelme, the visionary, 87. 
 
 Dumblane, bishoprick of, 161. 
 
 Duufermline abbey, 161, 199. 
 
 Duukeld, bishoprick of, 161. 
 
 Dunscoir, kirk of, 46 ; land given 
 the convent of Melrose by 
 Affrica, 280. 
 
 Dunse, 377, 381. 
 
 Durem, Sir William de, 282. 
 
 Durham cathedral, relics at, 84, 
 90, 91. 
 
 Durie, Andrew, appointed abbot 
 of Melrose, after much compe- 
 tion, by the Pope, 237. 
 
 E. 
 
 Eadmond, bishop of Durham, 
 1021, p. 91. 
 
 Earlston, 138, 141. 
 
 East window, 173, 318. 
 
 Eata, first abbotof Old Melrose, 84. 
 
 Eccles in the Merse, 381. 
 
 Ederham, John de, master of the 
 novices, chosen abbot of Mel- 
 rose, excommunicated by the 
 council of Perth, 1268, p. 218. 
 
 Edge worth, Miss, xv. 
 
 Edinburgh, 138; convent land 
 and houses, 283. 
 
 Edmonstone, convent lands, 268. 
 
 Edward I., usurpation of, and 
 the rival claims of Bruce and 
 Baliol, 219. 
 
 Edward III. keeping Christmas 
 at Melrose abbey in very stormy 
 weather, 1340, and giving a 
 tournament, 226. 
 
 Eildon hills, 44, 59, 116, 134, 
 136, 210; village, 197; land of 
 convent, 26 1 ; tree, 352. 
 
 Eildon hall, 350. 
 
 Elfrid, priest of Durham, his be- 
 lief in relics, 91. 
 
 Elwand water, 74, 342, 363. 
 
 Ernald consecrated abbot of 
 Melrose, 1179, p. 208. 
 
 Erskine, Sir David, Dryburgh, 
 xvii. 
 
 Eskdale, grant of land in, given 
 the convent of Melrose by 
 Robert de Avenel., 278. 
 
 Espec, Sir Walter, baron of 
 Werk, 194. 
 
 Ethelwald, abbot of Old Melrose, 
 696, and bishop of Lindis- 
 farne,724, canonized, 740, p. 88. 
 
 Ettrick, the, xviii. ; kirk, 49 ; 
 forest, 352; tract of land given 
 the convent by Alexander II., 
 277; house, laird of, 51.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 393 
 
 Everhard, St., canon of Kirk- 
 ham, and first abbot of Holm- 
 Cultrum, 196. 
 
 F. 
 
 Fairbairn, George, Selkirk, 52. 
 
 Fairnington, convent lands, 273. 
 
 Fairnieherst, laird of, 360. 
 
 Fairy Dean, 364. 
 
 Farmers' club, Melrose, 135. 
 
 Ferrerius of Piedmont, 42. 
 
 Fisher's tower, 357. 
 
 Fishings and fishermen, 137, 142, 
 281, 285. 
 
 Fleming, Lord, 62. 
 
 Fletcher, Rev. David, 55. 
 
 Flodden, 35 1 . 
 
 Foghou, William de, abbot of 
 Melrose in 1310, p. 221. 
 
 Fogo, John, abbot of Melrose in 
 1425, pp. 41,233. 
 
 Fordell, Little, 57, 127. 
 
 Forrester, Rev. Thomas, 49, 52; 
 satyre, 369. 
 
 Fountain's abbey, Yorkshire, 211. 
 
 Fox with geese, (illustration), 311. 
 
 Fraser, John, a native of Tweed- 
 dale, abbot of Melrose in 1480, 
 created bishop of Ross in 1485, 
 pp. 235, 335. 
 
 Freemasons, St. John's lodge of, 
 106. 
 
 Furness abbey, Lancashire, 193. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gala bridge, 74. 
 
 Gala water, 352. 
 
 Galashiels, 352. 
 
 Gattonside, 44, 7 1 , 1 1 7, 1 1 8, 1 36, 
 137, 197; land of convent and 
 fishing, 261, 326, 340, 347. 
 
 Geological formation of Melrose 
 and district, 136. 
 
 Giffarde, John, 285. 
 
 Girthgate, the, 67, 96, 351, 36 3. 
 
 Glengyle, 281. 
 
 Gordon, convent land at, 267. 
 Graeme, laird of Welston, 281. 
 Grangegate, the, 72, 1 17, 140. 
 Grime, king of Scots, 9 1 . 
 Grotesque heads of monks in 
 
 staircase, (illustration), 1 84. 
 Grubet, convent lands, 273. 
 Gualo, Cardinal, 210, 214. 
 Guise, Cardinal, 41, 249. 
 
 H. 
 
 Haig, John, of Bemersyde, ex- 
 communicated by the abbot of 
 Melrose, 1422, p. 232. 
 
 Haig, Peter, laird of Bemersyde, 
 paying tribute to Old Melrose, 
 94. 
 
 Hairhope, laird of, 5 1 . 
 
 Halliburton, James, Muirhouse- 
 law, 51. 
 
 Hamilton, Captain, xvi. 
 
 Hamilton, Sir Thomas, 48. 
 
 Hannah, Thomas, the astronomer, 
 xvi. 
 
 Haskaris, Adam de, abbot of 
 Newbattle, translated to Mel- 
 rose, Aug. 1219, p. 215. 
 
 Hassendean, kirk of, 46 ; hospital 
 of, founded by Josceline, abbot 
 of Melrose, 206; convent lands, 
 276. 
 
 Hassington, the convent lands of, 
 267. 
 
 Hauvil, Ralph, 286. 
 
 Hawick, 138. 
 
 Hay, Lord David, 51. 
 
 Heiton, Andrew, 357. 
 
 Heitons, the family of, 354. 
 
 Helewell, John, 34 1 . 
 
 Henry I., 193. 
 
 Henry III., 330. 
 
 Henry VIII., chapel of, 185, 
 238, 241. 
 
 Hepburne, Captain Patrick, 282. 
 2C
 
 391 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Hertford's, Earl of, The, invasion I 
 of Scotland, anno 1544; Te- 
 viotdale laid waste by the Eng- 
 lish under Evers and Latoun, 
 239. 
 
 Hertford's, Earl of, second ter- 
 rific invasion of Scotland in 
 September 1545, pp. 248, ESS, 
 373, 375. 
 
 Hillslop tower, 364. 
 
 Hilton, Baron, 374. 
 
 Hogg, James, the Ettrick shep- 
 herd, xviii., 147, 353. 
 
 Holm-Cultrum, 161. 
 
 Holyrood abbey, 161. 
 
 Holy Island, Gilbert, a monk of 
 Melrose, abbot of, in 1200, 
 p. 210. 
 
 Hopecarton, 282. 
 
 Horndean, the convent lands of, 
 268. 
 
 Hospitaller to the abbey, office 
 of, 151. 
 
 Hownam, convent lands of, 271. 
 
 Hoy, the pastoral poet, xv. 
 
 Hoy, William, the pastoral poet 
 of Gattonside, 342. 
 
 Hume, Alexander, 52. 
 
 Hume castle, 351,375. 
 
 Hume, Lord, 62, 375. 
 
 Hunter, Andrew, abbot of Mel- 
 rose in 1444, and confessor to 
 James II., 41, 233, 307, 309. 
 
 Huntly-burn house, 366. 
 
 I. 
 
 Icolmkill, 83, 89. 
 
 Illuminated MS. of the gospels 
 
 written at Old Melrose, 85. 
 Indenture made between the 
 
 Kers and Scotts of Ancrum, 
 
 63. 
 Infirmarier, the duties of the, 
 
 151. 
 
 Inglis, Thomas, Selkirk, 52. 
 
 Introduction, ix. 
 
 Inverwick, convent lands in the 
 
 territory of, 284. 
 Isle of Roe, Gala, 75. 
 Ivers, Sir Ralph, 37, 332. 
 
 J. 
 
 James, G. P. R., author of Riche- 
 lieu, xvii. 
 
 James IV., 303. 
 
 Jardine, Sir William, naturalist, 
 xvii. 
 
 Jedburgh abbey, 99, 161, 212. 
 
 Jedburgh occupied by the Eng- 
 lish early in 1 545, pp. 240, 27 1 . 
 
 Jed river, places on the, 380. 
 
 John the Baptist, 312. 
 
 Josceline the friar made abbot 
 of Melrose 1 170, pp. 205, 219. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kale river, places on the, 380. 
 
 Keith, Sir William, 333. 
 
 Kelso abbey, 99; destruction of 
 in 1523 and 1545; Kelso 
 town, 138, 161, 210, 219. 
 
 Ker, Andrew, of Cessford, 63. 
 
 Ker, Lady Mary, 340. 
 
 Ker, Kerr, Kar, Karrs, tombs of 
 the, of Kippilaw, 335. 
 
 Kers of Littledean, 51. 
 
 Kers of Morrieston, 5 1 . 
 
 Keystones from the wax cellar, 
 (illustrations), 305. 
 
 Kildeleth, Robert de, chosen ab- 
 bot of Melrose, 1268; strange 
 turns of fortune, 2 1 8. 
 
 King Alexander meeting the 
 Yorkshire barons in the chap- 
 ter-house of Melrose abbey, 
 January 11, 1216, p. 214. 
 
 King Alphonso, 334.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 .395 
 
 King James II., 41. 
 
 King James V., 41, 61; politic 
 measures of, 237, 359 ; the king 
 invested with the revenues of 
 Melrose abbey, 1535, p. 238. 
 
 King James VI., 47. 
 
 King John and his barons, 214. 
 
 King William adjusts the differ- 
 ences betwixt the monks of 
 Kelso andMelrose,1208,p.211. 
 
 Kingledoors, St. Cuthbert's cha- 
 pel, 282. 
 
 Kinloss in Murray, 42, 161, 204, 
 20.9. 
 
 Kinross, 283. 
 
 Kirkham priory, on the Derwent, 
 Yorkshire, 194. 
 
 Knot on ceiling of the nave 
 flowers (illustration), 302. 
 
 Knox, John, 52 ; 346 ; the grave 
 of, 336. 
 
 Knyvett, Sir Henry, 375. 
 
 L. 
 
 Ladykirk, 377- 
 
 Laidlaw, Wm., of Kaeside, xvii. 
 
 Lammas fair, Melrose, 57. 
 
 Lammermuir, convent property 
 in, given by Earl Waltheof, 
 26o - , 351. 
 
 Langlee, Easter and Wester, 365. 
 
 Langnewton, 36. 
 
 Langshawmill tower, 364. 
 
 Lassell, Sir Roger, 374. 
 
 Last letter of King Robert Bruce, 
 written A. D. 1329, p. 256; 
 translation, 258. 
 
 Latoun, Sir Bryan, 37, 332. 
 
 Lattimer, Lord, 377. 
 
 Lawrence, elected abbot of Mel- 
 rose, May, 1175, p. 207. 
 
 Leith, tenement given the con- 
 vent in, by Robert Logan, 283. 
 
 Leithen, Thomas, 341. 
 
 Lennox, Earl of, 61. 
 
 Lesmahagow, 281. 
 
 Lessudden, 59 ; convent lands, 
 275. 
 
 Leyden, Dr John, of Denholme, 
 xviii, 147. 
 
 Life and condition of a monk in 
 ancient times, 153; nun, 155. 
 
 Lighe, Sir Piers a, 374. 
 
 Lilliard's Edge, 37. 
 
 Lillie's cross, 79. 
 
 Lilliesleaf, convent lands, 275. 
 
 Lindisfarne, monastery of, 83, 
 98, 119. 
 
 Linen manufacture of Melrose, 
 71. 
 
 Lithgow's, David, charter of Dry- 
 grange, 69. 
 
 Lockhart, J. G., Esq., xvi. 
 
 Lockhart, Walter Scott, 366. 
 
 Logan, Robert, of Lastalrik, 283. 
 
 Longshaw, 49. 
 
 Lundy, Richard, abbot of Mel- 
 rose in A.D. 1439, pp. 233, 
 283. 
 
 Lyn de Malcolm, 283. 
 
 Lyveringham, 286. 
 
 M. 
 
 Malcarviston, 286. 
 Malcolm II., 91. 
 Malcolm III., 92, 161. 
 Malcolm IV., 68, 199, 285, 286, 
 
 351. 
 
 Mann, Sir Richard, 374. 
 Markham, Sir John, 374. 
 Mary, Queen, 47. 
 Mary of Lorraine, 41. 
 Mason, George, Clerklees, 5 1 . 
 Masons of Newstead, 30, 106, 
 
 108. 
 Matthew, cellarer of Melrose, 
 
 chosen abbot, April, 124G, 
 
 p. 217. 
 Mauchline, lands in, 281.
 
 396 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Mauchline, the priory in, 282. 
 Mauchline in Kyle, 42; convent 
 
 lands and fishing on the water 
 
 of Ayr, 281 ; kirk of do., 46. 
 Maxpoffle, xvii. 
 Maxton, Adam de, translated 
 
 from Newbattle to Melrose, 
 
 1261, and deposed on account 
 
 of his pride and obstinacy, 
 
 1267, p. 217. 
 
 Maxton, 36; convent lands, 275. 
 Mayshiel, 285. 
 Melrose, St. Mary's, dedication of 
 
 Sunday, 28th July, 1146, pp. 
 
 120, 161,219,222,261. 
 Melrose bridge, 1 36. 
 Melrose town and population, 
 
 139. 
 Melrose, churches and ministers 
 
 of religion, 140; the cemetery, 
 
 140. 
 Melrose, price of land, building 
 
 sites and materials, 141, 351. 
 Melrose, public libraries, family 
 
 hotels, annual fairs of, 143. 
 Melrose, places of interest in, 
 
 143. 
 Melrose, ancient holidays and 
 
 commemorations, 145. 
 Melrose, Earl of, 48. 
 Menzies, Sir William, 51. 
 Milne, Rev. Adam, minister of 
 
 Melrose, 56. 
 
 Milne, the grave of, 336. 
 Milne's description of Melrose, 
 
 1743, being a reprint, 21. 
 Milton, John, 323. 
 Minto, 376. 
 
 Miracle of Waldeve, 69. 
 Moffats, feuarsof Threepwood,76. 
 Mohammedanism, 339. 
 Molle, convent lands, 273. 
 Monachism, its orders and em- 
 ployments, 149. 
 Monks of Melrose, buying meal 
 
 and barley in Norfolk and 
 
 Suffolk, 1375-77, p. 228. 
 Monk cross-legged (illustration), 
 
 307. 
 
 Monk with beads (do.), 317. 
 Monks' ford, Old Melrose, 96. 
 Mordo's, John, inscriptions, 29, 
 
 329, 331. 
 Morton, Dr, author of Monastic 
 
 Annals, xviii. 
 Morton, Earl of, 47. 
 Morville, Sir Hugh de, founder 
 
 of Dryburgh abbey, 99. 
 Mosshouses, Notmans, feuars of, 
 
 78. 
 
 Moubray, Sir Richard, 36. 
 Murray, Lady, 77. 
 Murray, Sir Gideon, 49. 
 Myles, John, 342. 
 
 N. 
 
 Nennius, the British historian, 24. 
 
 Nerva, St., the patron of travel- 
 lers, 207. 
 
 Newcastle, 161. 
 
 Newstead, village of, 25, 103, 
 104, 347. 
 
 Newell, Lord, 374. 
 
 Newbattle in Mid-Lothian, 42, 
 161,212,215. 
 
 Newtown, 60. 
 
 Nisbet, 36 ; encounter at West 
 Nisbet, 1401, pp. 232, 377. 
 
 Norham Castle, 377. 
 
 Norris, Sir J., 374. 
 
 O. 
 
 Ochiltree, kirk of, 46. 
 
 Ochiltree, lands of, 281 . 
 
 Odunald, St., abbot of Old Mel- 
 rose, 87. 
 
 Office of the lord abbot, 149; 
 prior, superior, cellarer, and 
 refectioner, 150 ; commendator, 
 librarian and precentor, 151.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 3!7 
 
 Officers, inferior, of the convent, 
 
 152. 
 
 Ogilvie of Calford, 52. 
 Old Melrose, 23, 82, 83; Old 
 
 Melrose a desolation in 1050, 
 
 pp. 92, 128. 
 Old Melrose, indulgences granted 
 
 to rebuild in 1321, by Simon, 
 
 bishop of Galloway, 95. 
 Old Melrose, relics of, 97, 98, 
 
 336, 351. 
 Old Melrose and the Ormistoun 
 
 family, 100. 
 Opening of Waltheof's grave, by 
 
 Ingelram, bishop of Glasgow, 
 
 in May 11 71, p. 206. 
 Orkney, Earl of, murdered by 
 
 his own servant, 1231, p. 213. 
 Ormiston, Robert, 343. 
 Oswald, Anglo-Saxon king of 
 
 Northumberland, 82. 
 
 P. 
 
 Painshiel, lands given to the 
 convent in Kingissete and, 284. 
 
 Paolo Vecello, the Florentine, 323. 
 
 Park, parish of Earlston, 50. 
 
 Park, Mungo, the African tra- 
 veller, xvii. 
 
 Patrick, the sub- prior, made abbot 
 of Melrose, June 1206, p. 211. 
 
 Pavilion, the, 364. 
 
 Peebles, lands and tenements 
 given the convent in, 282. 
 
 Perth, do. do. 283. 
 
 Percy, Sir Henry, surnamed 
 Hotspur, 27. 
 
 Peter the Chanter, saying of, at 
 Waltheof's exhumation, 206. 
 
 Peter the treasurer, 329. 
 
 Petcox, Philip de, 284. 
 
 Philip, Count of Flanders, 286. 
 
 Piscina in south-east chapel, 
 (illustration), 308. 
 
 Pope Innocent III , 40, 271, 280. 
 
 Pope Martin V., invitation of, to 
 rebuild Old Melrose, 95. 
 
 Prestonpans, salt work and land 
 given by Roland, son of Uc- 
 tred, in, 284. 
 
 Pringle, Alexander, Whitebank, 
 51 ; Pringles of Woodhouse, 
 327; of Galashiels, 327. 
 
 Pringle, Thomas, the poet, xvi. 
 
 Purves, Sir William, 51. 
 
 Purdie, Thomas, the grave of, 
 337. 
 
 R. 
 
 Railway station, Melrose, 1 38. 
 Ralph, abbot of Kinloss, made 
 
 abbot of Melrose, 1194, p. 
 
 210. 
 Ralph, cellarer of Melrose, made 
 
 abbot in Sept. 1216, p. 213. 
 Ramsay, Viscount, Haddington, 
 
 48. 
 
 Raphael, 323. 
 
 Red-abbey Stead, 25, 108, 1 IG. 
 Redpath, 50; convent land, 267. 
 Red cross knights, 108. 
 Reformation, dawn and progress 
 
 of the, 132,253,301,322, 
 Reiner, once a monk of Melrose, 
 
 now abbot of Kinloss, succeeds 
 
 Ernald, as abbot of Melrose, 
 
 1189, p. 209. 
 Reinpatrick in Annandale, land 
 
 given to the abbey by William 
 
 de Brus, 279. 
 
 Relics, singular belief in the effi- 
 cacy of a tooth, 2 1 6. 
 Rembrandt, 323. 
 Rent of Melrose abbey, 1561, 
 
 p. 45. 
 Renwick, James, the Scottish 
 
 martyr, xviii. 
 
 Revenues of Melrose abbey, 255. 
 Richard II., 37 ; Burning of 
 
 Melrose, 1385, p. 171.
 
 398 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Richard, first abbot, 1136; ab- 
 bots of Melrose, 191. 
 
 Richard, abbot of Melrose in 
 1473, 235. 
 
 Riddell, Sir Walter, 51. 
 
 Rievalle, abbev of, 39, 120, 195, 
 201,209. 
 
 Ripon, founding of monastery, 
 Yorkshire, 85. 
 
 Robert, abbot of Melrose in 1510, 
 236. 
 
 Roman altars found at New- 
 stead, 105. 
 
 Roman camps, 59, 79, 80. 
 
 Roman coins, 58. 
 
 Roman remains at Newstead, 
 104, 106, 107, 109, 112, 113, 
 115, 116. 
 
 Roslin chapel, 331. 
 
 Ross, bishoprick of, 161. 
 
 Roxburgh, tilting at, 226, 286, 
 287. 
 
 Roxburghe, Duke of, 50. 
 
 Rubens, 323. 
 
 Rule water, places on, 380. 
 
 Rutherford, George, 52. 
 
 S. 
 
 Sadleir, Sir Ralph, 374. 
 Salerno John de, the Pope's 
 
 legate at Melrose in 1201, 
 
 p. 210. 
 
 Salter's Fuird, 363. 
 Scot, Alexander, minister of Mel- 
 rose, 55. 
 
 Scott, Lord Walter, 350. 
 Scott, Michael, 30 1 , 349. 
 Scott, Robert, Monkscroft, Has- 
 
 sendean, 51. 
 Scott, Sir Walter, Bart., xv, xviii, 
 
 138, 355. 
 Scott, Sir Walter, of Thirlestane, 
 
 49. 
 Scott, Sir William, of Thirlestain, 
 
 51. 
 
 Scotland excommunicated, 208. 
 
 Scrope, Lord, 374. 
 
 Seals of Melrose abbey, 290. 
 
 Section of cloister arcade, 299. 
 
 Selkirk, forest of, 44 ; fishing, 285. 
 
 Selkirke, Patrick de, chosen ab- 
 bot of Melrose, 1270, p. 219. 
 
 Serlo the monk, slain iu the house 
 of the bishop of Caithness, Sep- 
 tember 1222, p. 212. 
 
 Signs of great laxity in the 
 church. 1430, p. 233. 
 
 Simon the artificer, singular 
 dream of, 201. 
 
 Skinner hill, 61. 
 
 Smailholm, 35 1 ; tomb of the 
 baron of, 328. 
 
 Smith, Sir Loveras, 374. 
 
 Soltre, Thomas de, abbot of Mel- 
 rose, 1234, p. 225. 
 
 Somerville, Dr, historian of Queen 
 Anne, xv. 
 
 Somerville, Lord, 364. 
 
 Somerville, Mrs Mary, xv. 
 
 Sorrowlessfield, Cowdenknowes, 
 79; land of abbey, 264. 
 
 Soutrahill, 67, 96, 351. 
 
 Sowles, Sir John, 36. 
 
 State of the country in 1446, 234. 
 Do. do. 1544,240. 
 
 Do. do. 1567,250. 
 
 Statue of St. Peter, 289. 
 
 St. Benedict, 199,204. 
 
 St. Bernard, 204. 
 
 St. Bridget, 322. 
 
 St. Clair, Baron, 331. 
 
 St. Fothad, bishop of St. Andrews, 
 91. 
 
 St. Grilbald, the missionary of 
 Old Melrose, 89. 
 
 St. James's day, 282. 
 
 St. Oswald's priory, Nosthill, 
 
 Yorkshire, 1 94. 
 St. Stephen, 332. 
 Stipend and glebe of Melrose, 80.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 399 
 
 Stonefauld, laird of, 52. 
 
 Story of Brother Robert the 
 mason, 211. 
 
 Stourton, Lord, 374. 
 
 Stratford's epitaph, 55. 
 
 Strasburg cathedral, 172. 
 
 Strode, Ralph, the Welsh sa- 
 vant, xvii. 
 
 Stuart, James, abbot of Melrose, 
 41,230. 
 
 Summary of farm stock, the pro- 
 perty of the abbot and monks 
 of Melrose, 285. 
 
 T. 
 
 Tait, John, 342. 
 
 Tarbolton, the church of, 28 1 . 
 
 Teviot, places on the, 380. 
 
 The "Peace of VVedale" estab- 
 lished by King William, 209. 
 
 Thevuan, abbot of Old Melrose, 
 88. 
 
 Thomas the Rhymer, xv, 94, 144, 
 351, 352; Glen, 366. 
 
 Thomson, James, poet of The 
 Seasons, xiv. 
 
 Thondei, Simon de, abbot of 
 Coggleshall, Essex, 205. 
 
 Tillmouth chapel, 9 1 . 
 
 Titian, 323. 
 
 Tore, Adam, 283. 
 
 Tower, column which supports 
 the (illustration), 182. 
 
 Turgot the historian, 9 1 . 
 
 Turnberry, two salt-works and 
 land given to the abbey of 
 Melrose in, 280. 
 
 Turnbul, William, 52. 
 
 Tweed, places on the water of, 
 379. 
 
 Tweed river, the, 1 36, 137 ; fish- 
 ings granted the convent, 284. 
 
 Tweeddale, Marquis of, 50. 
 
 Tyna, the cellarer of Melrose, 69, 
 '196. 
 
 V. 
 
 Valley Gate, Melrose, 300. 
 Veitch the astronomer, xvi. 
 Vernour, John, 283. 
 Vernour, William, 283. 
 Vinci, Leonardo de, 323. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wada, St., 59. 
 
 Walcher, bishop of Durham, 92. 
 
 Waldevus or Waltheof, second 
 
 abbot of Melrose, 39, 192. 
 Walent de Nes, 286. 
 Wallace, Sir William, xviii ; 
 
 statue of, 352. 
 Walter the hospitaller and the 
 
 three strangers, 199. 
 Waltheof, death and burial of, 
 
 203. 
 Waltheof 's miracles, 195, 287, 
 
 326. 
 Waltheof 's tomb opened 1240, 
 
 p. 216 
 Wardon convent, Bedfordshire, 
 
 195. 
 Watson, John, dean of chapter, 
 
 46. 
 
 Watson, John, Overmains, 52, 
 Waverley, Surrey, first settle- 
 ment in Britain of the Cister- 
 
 tian order of monks, 120. 
 Wax cellar, 28, 305. 
 Wealth of Melrose abbey, 130, 
 
 131. 
 Weavers' corporation, Melrose, 
 
 57. 
 Wedale, 40; land of convent, 
 
 262. 
 
 Wells consecrated, 58, 143. 
 Wester-Ker, kirk of, 46. 
 Wester- Longlee, 74. 
 Westhouses boathouse, 73, 340. 
 Westhouses mill, 343, 363, 364. 
 Whitsum, Patrick de, 284. 
 Whitton, convent lands, 272.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Wigton, Earl of, 49. 
 
 William, abbot of Glenluce, 42. 
 
 William, abbot of Cupar, made 
 
 abbot of Melrose in 1202, p. 
 
 211. 
 William, abbot of Melrose, 1340, 
 
 p. 227. 
 
 Williamlaw Cairn, 75. 
 William made abbot of Melrose, 
 
 November, 1 159, p. 227. 
 Williamson, Walter, Cardrona, 
 
 51. 
 
 William the Conqueror, 1 61 , 1 92. 
 Wilson, Professor John, xviu',147. 
 Winfrid, better known as St. 
 
 Boniface, the apostle of the 
 
 Germans, 88. 
 Wintershiels, laird of, 51. 
 
 Wolfclyde, land given the con- 
 vent in, anno 1431, p. 282. 
 Woollen manufactures, 118. 
 Wordsworth the poet, xv. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yarrow, xviii, 352. 
 
 Yester, 50; free multure at the 
 mill of Yester, besides land for 
 sheep, horses, &c., given the 
 convent by John Giffarde, 
 284. 
 
 Yhare, 285. 
 
 York Herald, 373. 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zenith of the prosperity of Mel- 
 rose abbey, 1220, p. 215. 
 
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